By Joyce Kryszak
Niagara Falls, NY – Several candidates are gambling on their chances to beat out an ex-nun in next fall's mayoral election in Niagara Falls. Democratic City Councilman Paul Dyster was the latest to announce a run for the city's post.
Three years ago, Niagara Falls elected its first woman mayor. And now, the woman who says she's "got God on her shoulder" is running for re-election. But Irene Elia's "connections" don't seem to be deterring a growing crowd of challengers.
Councilman Paul Dyster is the fifth Democrat to step into the race with the small, but mighty Republican mayor. Like Elia, Dyster is a also a first term politician. He says Elia's done a respectable job. But Dyster says he's better suited to face the new temptations ahead.
"One of the temptations we're going to face is that with the greater interest in investments in Niagara Falls as a result of the opening of the casino, you're going to get people who are going to come in to Niagara Falls from out of town who are not going to understand that we are stewards of one of the world's great natural resources, and that our first duty here is to protect that," Dyster said.
And Dyster says that will mean making sure the glitz of the city's new casino respects the green that is their greatest asset. He and others point to the mistakes made three decades ago that left Niagara Falls a boarded over dream of the past.
"The city needs to have a plan for how we're going to utilize the opportunities that are in front of us today to get ourselves out of this terrible economic situation that has gripped us for decades," said Dyster. "We're getting a second chance to remake our city, and we can't blow it."
Dyster says redemption for the city will require facing the tough issues head on. But for Dyster, and the long line of other candidates, the first challenge will be upsetting a virtually scandal free, 71 year-old former nun.