Council Discussion Series – Niagara Falls, N.Y.

A lot of things have changed in the past few years. One positive thing for Niagara Falls is that a group of block club leaders brought an idea to the group of candidates running for city council in 2021 and they came to an agreement: Let’s have monthly conversations about your campaign, the status of the city and your plans if elected to council. Let’s hold these discussions online, for everyone to see, so we can all participate in the process. The genius is in the simplicity and the cooperation.

On Tuesday, June 8th the first candidate discussion was moderated by the local print newspaper managing editor and centered around two questions:

• What is the role of a city councilperson? Both what is it now, and what do you think it should be changed to include;

• In your opinion, what 5 issues are most important to the city right now?

The second discussion focused on economic issues including economic development, fiscal crisis, tourism, shrinking tax base, poor business climate and fiscal transparency.

Both candidate discussions are archived on The Civics Project YouTube channel linked below.

Candidate discussions are held the second Tuesday of each month. The next dates are August 10, September 14 and October 12. You can tune in live to the zoom call at https://zoom.us/j/93146072547 or view it on Facebook Live at the link https://www.facebook.com/TCPNF

Most recent update – got a call from two of the Block Club Coalition members who read the statement:

Citing creative and philosophical differences the Block Club Coaltion has notified The Civics Project that they won’t be needing any assistance from The Civics Project with what had been called the “Candidate Discussion” series.

If we find the link to any future discussions we’ll post it here so you can continue to follow the process.

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Council Interviews

Prior to the start of the candidate discussion series we offered each candidate 3-4 minutes to introduce themselves to the public. The candidates who took advantage of that opportunity are listed below.

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Email sent to six candidates for Niagara Falls City Council.

Dear City Council Candidates,

We may be months ahead of our 2021 City Council Election; however, we would like to present you with an opportunity to connect with voters throughout the city over the next few months and as we head to the voting booths in November.

Covid has truly impacted the way we communicate, not just throughout 2020 but as we make efforts to begin “normal” daily life. Thanks to many online options, people can stay in touch and meet new people. To that end, several block clubs have combined their resources and talents to develop a way to become more proactive this campaign season.

Thanks to the Civics Project, an educational organization whose mission is to discuss what civics is and how it works in our community, we came up with a unique and creative way to keep in touch throughout the campaign trail.  In past elections, our candidates canvas our neighborhoods sharing their ideas which culminates in one or more debates in the last month of the campaign. 

Although you will still want that one-on-one time with your potential voters, it’s our experience – through participation with neighborhood and business organizations in a series of panel discussions on challenges facing our city – that detailed discussions on ways to set Niagara Falls on a path to success is a deeper discussion than door-to-door discussion usually allows.

All of these conversations will be conducted through a ZOOM Meeting where the Moderator and members of organizations will have an opportunity to facilitate candid discussions on the state of our city.  This ZOOM Series of Election 2021 will be shared via Facebook, Youtube and can be posted to your personal campaign websites.

To start, for the month of May, we would like to give you 3 to 4 minutes to introduce yourself to voters and answer these 2 questions:

            What single or multiple concern encouraged you to run for city council?

            What specific gifts or experience do you have that can be beneficial to our city?

From June to November, we will release “Save the Date” calendar events and all candidates will receive the discussion topic of that month’s discussion and meeting date/time.

We know the challenges it takes participating in the election process and the sacrifices for work, family, and other activities.  Our goal is to give you the greatest opportunity to get as much information you want the public to know about you when they vote this November.

Neighborhood and Business organizations are a loose association of dedicated people who often appear to speak in what can seem like disparate ways and cross purposes.  It’s not out of a lack of commitment, but because each neighborhood and business district face distinctly different challenges. Our one realization is knowledge that our politicians are only as good as we make them. 

The Civics Project is well aligned with our desire for civic education, and we are further drawn to their phrase “All of us are smarter than any of us.”

We have great people running for council this year, and we have great people who live in the city.  Bringing all of us together in a specific discussion makes sense.

I hope you will participate in this project now, and as the year moves forward.

I have passed your contact information along to The Civics Project and they will reach out to you directly to set up the details of getting your 3–4-minute introductory statement online.

Thanks in advance.  We will try to be with you every step of the way throughout the next seven months.

Kind Regards, 

Memorial Park Neighborhood, Spruce Ave BC, 7th & Ferry,

Rainbow Connection, Osborne Court