Democratic mayoral candidate denies any association with mailer
By Mark Scheer Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Thu Aug 18, 2011, 11:26 PM EDT
NIAGARA FALLS — “Is Paul Dyster really tough enough to lead our team?”
The New York Republican State Committee is apparently asking that very question in what appears to be a bid to boost one of Dyster’s Democratic opponents.
The state GOP has delivered a piece of campaign literature to various households in Niagara Falls questioning Dyster’s leadership and endorsing John Accardo, a registered Democrat and one of his opponents in the upcoming Democratic primary for mayor.
Accardo denied all association with the mailer and the Republican Party, saying he didn’t authorize the campaign literature which he described as an attempt by the GOP to discredit him to help their own endorsed candidate Johnny Destino.
“I have not seen the flyer, but I’ll tell you what, I’m hopping mad,” Accardo said when alerted to the document by a reporter Thursday afternoon. “This is just their way of derailing my campaign because they know Johnny Destino can’t beat me in the November election.”
Dyster, Accardo and two other Democratic candidates — Carnell Burch Sr. and Norton Douglas — will square off in the September Democratic primary for mayor. Destino awaits the winner.
When asked for his assessment, Dyster characterized the mailer as clear proof of what he’s been saying for months — Accardo is a Democrat in name only whose getting help from the GOP as part of a wider, coordinated effort to run him out of office.
“We’ve been saying for some time that the Republican party is trying to manipulate the outcome of the Democratic primary and we couldn’t have more evidence than this mailer,” Dyster said.
Destino denied any connection to the piece of campaign literature as well, saying he has not yet sent out any mailers for the mayoral race and is coordinating only with the city and county Republican committees. He said he had no idea where the mailer came from or who authorized it.
“I don’t care who I face in the general election — either one of them, it makes no difference to me,” he said.
The front of the mailer shows a picture of Dyster wearing a Buffalo Bills jersey and asks if the mayor is the right man to lead the city’s team. On the back, it says “For Niagara Falls ... the answer is no.” The statement is followed by a paragraph that questions Dyster’s toughness saying he “constantly rolls over when people try to stick it to us.” The paragraph is followed by three bullet items that are critical of the mayor’s stance on several issues, including the placement of sex offenders within city limits, the community’s dealings with the New York Power Authority and Dyster’s decision to back public funding for a proposed Holiday Market project that is being planned by an Idaho developer for the downtown area later this year.
“That’s why Niagara Falls needs John Accardo for mayor,” the bottom portion of the mailer reads. “Unlike Dyster, John’s priority isn’t to be nice, it’s to be effective. He’ll fight for us no matter who he needs to take on.”
The mailer closes with a suggestion to voters that they choose Accardo during the Sept. 13 Democratic primary.
Accardo insisted the mailer is “absolutely, 100 percent wrong” and said it should not be construed as an indication of his involvement with the Republican Party. He called the delivery of the mailer as “politics at its worst” and characterized it as a “strategy” by top Republicans and Destino supporters to “re-ignite the Accardo-Republican connection” and “do serious harm to me in the Democratic primary and their chances on a Destino-Dyster race in November.”
Accardo said he intended to forward the matter to his attorney to determine the next move in correcting what he described as an “injustice.”
“Well, let me make this clear,” he said. “This garbage has put a new fire in my heart. I am not afraid of Republican dirty tricks nor the threats of any political party. I remain proud of and concerned for the city where I was born and raised. I am confident I can put together an administration comprised of local residents with the talent and courage to move this city forward.”
Dyster and his supporters have for weeks suggested that Accardo is part of a larger campaign that includes area Republicans who want to remove him from office. They have maintained that Accardo is running in the Democratic primary with backing from the GOP to either get him out of the race in September or, at the very least, force him to use political resources that would normally be devoted to the November general election, essentially softening Dyster up for Destino. Dyster maintains that their big prize is control — control over various city resources, including an annual allotment of millions of dollars in casino revenue.
“It eliminates all uncertainty about that question,” Dyster said, referring to the mailing. “This is a continuation of the strategy that the Republican Party is using. Now it seems like they are not even bothering to try to hide it and it is insulting to the intelligence of Niagara Falls Democrats.”
Destino insisted that he’s not part of any such conspiracy.
“I would hope that the state Republican Party isn’t lining up behind Accardo,” he said. “I am not siding with anyone to try to meddle in the Democratic primary or the general election at large. (Dyster’s) response smells a little bit of desperation. Beyond the county committee, I don’t coordinate with anyone.”
As for the toughness question, Dyster said he believes he’s demonstrated to voters during his first term that he has their best interests at heart and won’t back down from a fight if necessary.
“I am absolutely tough enough to lead our team and I think people know that I’m tough enough to lead our town,” he said. “I’m not a ranter or a raver or a someone who’s going to scream things out in public, but I know how to get things done.”
Copyright 2011 Niagara Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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