Published: October 27, 2009 10:56 pm      

LEGISLATURE ELECTION: Youth to be served in 5th District

Melson, Sandonato vie to replace O’Connor

One thing is for certain in the race for the Niagara County Legislature’s 5th District.

Youth will be served regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s vote.

Earlier this year, incumbent and long-time Legislator Democrat Sean O’Connor announced he would not be seeking re-election.

The decision opened the door for a pair of fresh-faced candidates — 24-year-old Democrat Nicholas Melson and 23-year-old Republican Vincent Sandonato.

Both twentysomethings are hometown guys, having grown up in the LaSalle neighborhood they are looking to represent.

They are also both promising to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the job.

Melson has a bit more experience in politics and government, having gone through one election season before as an 18-year-old candidate for the Niagara Falls City Council. Although the council bid proved unsuccessful, Melson said it taught him a great deal about the process. Since then, Melson said he’s learned a lot more about government, having gained experience while serving as an intern in the state Assembly in Albany and in his current job as legislative director for Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston.

“I might be 24-years-old but I feel in terms of understanding the political process and government process I’m much older than that,” he said.

Sandonato decided to get into politics for the first time this year because he felt frustrated by the way the government process has been treating LaSalle and the rest of Niagara Falls. He said he looked around, saw high taxes, many problems and few results and decided that he could do better.

“I think being 23 years old, I bring a great sense of enthusiasm,” he said. “If you were to examine my campaign, you’d see that it's aggressive, grassroots, hard-working. I'm out there everyday, going door to door. I'd bring the same attitude to the county Legislature. Being 23 might be young, but I feel it is a strength.”

Sandonato comes from a family that includes many Democrats, but said he became a Republican because he’s a fiscal conservative and holds many traditional values. If elected, he would likely serve in the Republican-led majority, a position he views as a positive in terms of being able to deliver county resources to the district.

“We can’t sit on the sidelines and be a vocal cheerleader anymore and say 'we need to do this, we need to do that,'” Sandonato said. “We need to be at the table and be able to say this is what we need to do and be able to get it done.”

If elected, Melson said he has two goals: Respond to the needs of constituents in the district and point out the political influences that he believes have clouded the decision-making process at the county level to the detriment of the city. If he gets the chance, Melson said he'll go to Lockport to demand better from Republican leaders.

“You always hear as Niagara Falls goes, Niagara County goes, yet we never see any investment in Niagara Falls at all,” Melson said.

While his critics have tried to tag him as DelMonte’s hand-picked candidate, Melson maintains that he’s running for Legislature of his own accord with the intention of having his own voice in county government. He considers his involvement in Albany politics and government as one of his strongest assets.

“Elected officials work years and years and years to create contacts in different offices of government because that’s how things get done,” Melson said. “I already have the contacts in government offices.”

Sandonato said that while he would caucus with the Republican majority he’s approaching the job with the intentions of being an independent voice for his community.

“What have those contacts done for us lately?” he said. “We’ve had pretty much the same politicians in this area that have plagued this community for years. They’ve had all the contacts necessary and they’ve done nothing with it.”

Melson believes the county must do a better job of promoting what it has to offer to investors, including its shovel-ready sites and low-cost power. The nation and the state are placing a greater focus on environmentally friendly practices and “green” jobs and Melson said the county’s economic development department should be doing the same.

“We need to get out of the way and get these companies to come in here,” he said.

Sandonato considers job creation priority No. 1 and said the best way to do that is to reduce the cost of government for business owners. He said downsizing the Legislature and eliminating health insurance benefits for lawmakers would be good places to start.

“I think it’s very, very important to rebuild the middle class,” he said. “It’s hurting right now and with everyday that goes by you see something new that takes money out of the middle class and puts it somewhere else.”

The two candidates differ on their positions on downsizing. Sandonato called it “absolutely essential” and said he thinks it will actually improve the level of representation in LaSalle by possibly combining the area which is now covered by three separate lawmakers into a single district. Melson characterized it as another political trick with no real benefits for taxpayers that is being played by the local GOP in an effort to weaken the city.

Melson also took the GOP to task for using county casino money to fund separate lawsuits against the state over casino cash and the so-called sweep of $500 million in surplus funds from the New York Power Authority into the state’s coffers. “We have these casino dollars which aren’t taxpayer dollars, which aren’t coming out of the pockets of the city, could be used to do roads, they are trying to take them away.”

Sandonato said he too believes the majority of casino funds should stay where it was originated — in the City of Niagara Falls. He called the lawsuit against the power authority a wise step in the right direction.

“Go back to the community and say $500 million of your money just went to New York state while you are paying high energy costs,” Sandonato said. “Tell them the lawsuit’s frivolous. I think it’s a necessary first move. I don’t think it should be the last move.”



Nicholas A. Melson

• AGE: 24

• FAMILY: Single.

• EDUCATION: Graduate of Niagara Falls High School. Obtained a degree in political science from Buffalo State College.

• EMPLOYMENT: Legislative director for state Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston.

• POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Endorsed Democrat who served as an intern in the state Assembly in Albany. Ran for Niagara Falls City Council at age 18.



Vincent Sandonato

• AGE: 23

• FAMILY: Single.

• EDUCATION: Graduate of Niagara Falls High School. Earned a degree from St. John Fisher College where he had a double major in political science and Roman Catholicism.

• EMPLOYMENT: Certified paralegal, works as a motions assistant in the Amherst law firm of Steven J. Baum.

• POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Endorsed Republican. First time running for election to public office.