List of mayors of Niagara Falls, New York

Last updated

Mayor of Niagara Falls
Incumbent
Robert Restaino
since January 1, 2020
Style His Honor
Term length Four years
Inaugural holderGeorge W. Wright
Formation1892
Salary$77,701 (2012) [1]
Website

The office of mayor of Niagara Falls, New York is currently held by Robert Restaino. [2] Prior to the establishment of the mayorship, the highest official in Niagara Falls was known as the "village president" and was held by Peter A. Porter in 1878. [3]

Contents

List of mayors

#NamePicturePartyTook officeLeft officeNotes
1George W. Wright [4] [5] DemocraticApril 26, 1892March 1893
2Mighellis B. Butler [5] [6] DemocratMarch 1893March 1894Welcomed the Duke of Veragua to Niagara Falls in 1893. [7]
3David Phillips [4] [5] Republican [8] March 1894March 1895Elected with an 800-vote majority. [4]
4Obediah W. Cutler [6] RepublicanMarch 1895March 1896Cutler is referenced as being the prime mover behind the Suspension Bridge water works which was established in 1876. [6]
5 Arthur Schoellkopf [6] Arthur Schoellkopf.png RepublicanMarch 1896March 1897 [5]

His campaign slogan was "municipal government is business, not politics" and he was overwhelmingly elected by every district in the city. After a year in office, Schoellkopf decided not to run for a second term citing that "his private business would not allow him to devote the necessary time to the city’s affairs" and declined the Republican mayoral nomination for 1897. [9]

6Arthur C. Hastings [6] RepublicanMarch 1897March 1899On April 15, 1897, a charter amendment increased the mayor’s term to two years so Hastings served again from 1898 to 1899.
7Mighellis B. Butler [6] DemocraticMarch 1900March 1901Reelected after serving as the 2nd Mayor of Niagara Falls.
8John M. HancockRepublicanApril 15, 1902December 31, 1904
9Obediah W. Cutler [6] RepublicanJanuary 1, 1905December 31, 1906This was Cutler's second time in office, having been elected first in 1895 and serving as the 4th Mayor of Niagara Falls.
10 Anthony C. Douglass [10] DemocraticJanuary 1, 1907December 31, 1910Douglass was a contractor with a business at the Jewett Building and resided at 259 Third St. [11]
11Philip J. KellerDemocraticJanuary 1, 1911December 31, 1912Keller, of "Phil J. Keller & Son" was a butcher with a successful shop at 2013 Main St. [11]
12William LaughlinDemocraticJanuary 1, 1913December 31, 1915During 1914, the Legislature enacted the "Optional City Government Law" which permitted cities of the second and third class the option of adopting one of seven forms of local government. Voters adopted "Plan C" with the council/manager plan to become effective in 1916. By 1916, there were 98 council-manager cities in the United States. [12]
13George W. WhiteheadRepublicanJanuary 1, 1916December 31, 1920
14Maxwell M. ThompsonRepublicanJanuary 1, 1920December 31, 1924At this time, the mayors office was in the Gluck Building on Second and Falls Streets. Thompson declined to run for re-election.
15William LaughlinDemocraticJanuary 1, 1925December 31, 1931
16 Frank A. Jenss RepublicanJanuary 1, 1932December 31, 1935 Jenss served three terms as a city councilmen prior to being elected mayor. [13] He declined to seek reelection and instead supported Walter Greig, then councilman.
17Dr. W. Levell DraperRepublicanJanuary 1, 1936December 31, 1939
18Ernest W. Mirrington, Jr.RepublicanJanuary 1, 1940December 31, 1942Resigned in 1942 (at the time, the youngest mayor in New York at 34) to join the U.S. Army. Mirrington had previously tried to join the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. [14]
19Eugene C. ButlerDemocraticJanuary 1, 1942December 31, 1942Appointed to fill the term of Ernest W. Mirrington, Jr., won the Democratic nomination for mayor but was defeated in the general election by Stephen A. Lamb.
20Stephen A. LambRepublicanJanuary 1, 1943December 31, 1947
21William R. LuptonDemocraticJanuary 1, 1948December 31, 1951
22Ernest W. Mirrington, Jr.RepublicanJanuary 1, 1952December 31, 1955In May 1952, there was an 18-day strike of 600 city employees that disrupted services. The strike was settled through the efforts of a citizens’ committee. [15]
23Calvin L. KellerRepublicanJanuary 1, 1956December 31, 1962Keller welcomed John F. Kennedy to Niagara Falls in 1962 during his visit to Western New York. [16]
24E. Dent LackeyDemocraticJanuary 1, 1963December 31, 1975Lackey was an ex-Methodist minister who served three, four-year terms. [17]
25Michael C. O'Laughlin [18] DemocraticJanuary 1, 1976 [17] December 31, 1991O'Laughlin served four, four-year terms.
26Jacob A. PalilloRepublicanJanuary 1, 1992December 31, 1995Palillo was president of the Niagara Falls Fire Fighters Association for 20 years and first ran for mayor in 1987. Elected in 1991 defeating Anthony F. Quaranto, but in 1995 lost a re-election bid to James C. Galie.
27James C. Galie [19] DemocraticJanuary 1, 1996December 31, 1999Galie was a former assistant police chief elected on a pro-casino platform [20]
28Irene J. Elia [21] RepublicanJanuary 1, 2000December 31, 2003
29Vincenzo V. Anello [22] DemocraticJanuary 1, 2004December 31, 2007Following his term as mayor, Anello faced federal charges related to wrongful receipt of a payment by a public official, conspiracy to affect commerce by extortion, and two counts of depriving citizens of honest services from a government official. Anello pleaded guilty to submitting false claims for $120,000 worth of pension benefits, as part of a plea bargain that saw the government drop the public corruption charge. Anello served a 10-month sentence. [22]
30 Paul Dyster DemocraticJanuary 1, 2008December 31, 2019
31Robert RestainoDemocraticJanuary 1, 2020Present

List of village presidents

NamePictureVillagePartyTook officeLeft officeNotes
General Parkhurst Whitney [23] Village of Niagara Falls1848Whitney's son built the Whitney Mansion in Niagara Falls, New York in 1849. [23]
Colonel John Fisk [23] Village of Bellevue1854Fisk was an official of the Bellevue Land Company [23]
Peter A. Porter [24] Peter Augustus Porter 1853-1925.jpg Village of Niagara FallsRepublican18781878Also a member of the New York State Assembly in 1886 and 1887 and elected to the 60th United States Congress. [25]
Colonel Charles P. Gaskill [24] Village of Niagara Falls1880sGaskill's presidency was marked by firm enforcement of law and order. [24]

History

Mayoral elections

The 2015 mayoral election was held on Tuesday November 3, 2015, with the following candidates: Incumbent mayor Paul Dyster (Democrat) and challenger John Accardo (Republican). [2] Dyster won (4,267 to 3,468) his third term as Mayor of Niagara Falls. [26] With the win, Dyster joined E. Dent Lackey as the only two three-term mayors in Niagara Falls and became the second longest tenured after former Mayor Michael O'Laughlin, the city’s longest-tenured mayor who held four consecutive terms from 1976 to 1991. [27]

References

  1. Miner, Dan (September 1, 2012). "What do WNY mayors make?". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Battson, Paul (October 12, 2015). "Falls mayoral, city council candidates to face off Wednesday". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  3. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Porter, Peter Augustus (1853-1925)". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Higgs, Norma (June 2015). "Niagara Falls mayors and managers: The early years". Niagara Gazette.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Pool, William (1897). Landmarks of Niagara County, New York. Niagara County: D. Mason & Company. p.  423 . Retrieved October 21, 2015. Arthur Schoellkopf mayor of niagara falls.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Higgs, Norma (June 22, 2015). "More on the early mayors and Falls history". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  7. "THE DUKE SEES NIAGARA". The New York Times. June 11, 1893. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  8. "We Win!" (PDF). Niagara Falls Gazette. March 7, 1894. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  9. Linnabery, Ann Marie (September 12, 2015). "Arthur Schoellkopf had many interests in Niagara Falls". Lockport Union Sun & Journal. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  10. Marsh, Jack (October 8, 1967). "Typhoid Problems Forced First City Water Solution" (PDF). Niagara Falls Gazette. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Higgs, Norma (June 29, 2015). "Falls mayors during the early 1900s". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Higgs, Norma (July 2015). "More on Mayor Frank Jenss and his successors". Niagara Gazette.
  13. "F.A. Jenss, Ex-Mayor, Dies at 91". Niagara Gazette. May 22, 1961.
  14. "State's Youngest Mayor to Army". The New York Times. May 24, 1942. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  15. Higgs, Norma (October 26, 2015). "Moving along to Harold Cheek, professional city manager". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  16. Cichon, Steve. "JFK in WNY". trendingbuffalo.com. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Kostoff, Robert David (2005). My Line Story. New York: iUniverse. pp. 106–109. ISBN   9780595356379 . Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  18. "Wichita Falls Fall, With Niagara Help". The New York Times. June 7, 1987. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  19. Barrt, Dan (February 9, 1997). "Unromantic Economic Facts Cast Pall Over Niagara Falls". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  20. Nieves, Evelyn (December 15, 1996). "Casino Envy Gnaws at Falls On U.S. Side". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  21. Besecker, Aaron (May 26, 2015). "Elia family name prominent in Niagara County". The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Parlato, Frank (April 16, 2013). "Vince Anello story". Niagara Falls Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Berketa, Rick. "Niagara Falls: A Tale of Two Cities". niagarafrontier.com. Niagara Falls Thunder Alley. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 Williams, Edward T. (1923). Official Record of the Niagara Falls Memorial Commission. Niagara Falls, NY. Retrieved October 25, 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  25. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Porter, Peter Augustus (1853-1925)". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  26. Scheer, Mark (November 3, 2015). "Dyster claims victory in Falls mayoral race". Nagara Gazette. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  27. Gambini, Philip (November 4, 2015). "Dyster promises to 'finish the job' after holding off challenge from Accardo". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved November 4, 2015.