Published: October 29, 2009 12:00 am      

LEGISLATURE ELECTION: Voters offered choice in 12th District

In the Niagara County Legislature’s 12th District voters will be offered a choice this year between an incumbent who believes he’s done quite a bit to improve the quality of life in Lewiston and a political newcomer who thinks he has what it takes to accomplish much more.

John Ceretto, the endorsed Republican candidate who has represented the district for the past four years, says his experience and record of accomplishments make him the better choice for the job.

His opponent, endorsed Democrat Dan Antonucci, who has worked as the head golf professional at the Niagara Frontier Country Club in Youngstown for nearly 20 years, views the county as a place with a lot of potential that, unfortunately, remains unfulfilled.

“I always thought that Niagara County is such a great place to live, but it could be so much better,” said the 47-year-old Antonucci. “That’s where I really hope I could help make it a better place.”

Ceretto shares that vision and believes his years of service to the community have helped to bring about many improvements in Lewiston and the surrounding area. Ceretto points to his ability to secure casino cash funds for various local projects, his work on environmental issues and his recent stand against the community’s treatment at the hands of the New York Power Authority as examples of his words being backed up by action.

“I've got a track record,” said Ceretto, 57. “I have a record of success. If you look at Lewiston and like what you see here, I was part of it. I succeeded as a councilman and I plan on continuing to succeed as a legislator.”

Ceretto is particularly proud of his work on issues related to the power authority. A strong supporter of the county’s lawsuit which aims to reverse a $500 million sweep of authority funds into the state’s coffers, Ceretto also said he continues to push to give the county something it currently doesn’t have — a Niagara representative on the authority’s board of trustees.

“We don't have any representation on the New York Power Authority and yet we have the largest electrical power plant in New York state and the largest electrical power producer here in Niagara County,” Ceretto said, referring to the Robert Moses Power Project in Lewiston. “The job is to try to get lower electrical rates here.”

Antonucci considers the county’s power authority lawsuit another waste of taxpayer money, suggesting dollars spent by the county on lawyers could be better spent on economic development projects that expand the local tax base and help address the main issue — taxes.

“The state is in such financial trouble right now, I don’t foresee that money ever coming back and for a county to spend money on a lawsuit,” Antonucci said. “I just think it's frivolous and it's another waste of our money.”

Antonucci referenced Niagara County’s dubious distinction as being cited by the Tax Foundation as the highest taxed county in the nation based on percentage of home values. He said those tax facts don’t lie.

“That means I could live in Beverly Hills, Calif., I could live in South Beach, Fla., I could live in the Hamptons in Long Island and I’m going to pay less percentage in property tax than Niagara County,” he said. “That is just not the way it should be.”

As the operator of the country club’s pro shop, Antonucci said he would be able to bring more of a business background to county government. He believes closer inspection of every line of the county budget would lead to savings that could benefit local residents and business owners.

“With the economy the way that it is, you have to pinch every penny and stretch every dollar,” he said.

Ceretto contends the county has done a solid job of reducing expenses in recent years, saying the county’s tax rate has actually dropped by about 13 percent during his four years in office. Ceretto also maintains the county has far fewer employees than it did when he came on board, resulting in a more efficient government and less cost for taxpayers.

“It’s not an easy feat in itself,” Ceretto said of lowering taxes. “There are different avenues. First, you have to look at things you can consolidate. The second thing is creating jobs. Businesses increase revenues to governments. You can't just cut, you have to have the revenues. It goes hand in hand.”

Protecting the environment and continuing to market assets in Lewiston and Sanborn are two areas where Ceretto said he wants to concentrate in an effort to improve the local business climate. Ceretto supports the county’s lawsuit against the state Department of Environmental Conservation over a proposed thinner cap that would allow for more hazardous waste capacity at the CWM landfill in the Town of Porter. Ceretto, who serves as head of the Legislature’s Refuse Committee, helped coordinate several prescription drug and used electronic equipment pickups designed to prevent hazardous materials from entering the waterways and promoting recycling of technological components. Ceretto also boasts roughly $24,000 in county casino revenues he helped to secure for use in marketing various local festivals and supporting community based organizations.

“I think the casino dollars here in my district is money well spent and it serviced the community to provide economic development in Sanborn and the Village of Lewiston,” he said.

Antonucci said the county “grossly misspent” its share of the casino funds on a “decidedly unorganized plan” that involved distributing checks to various organizations within legislators’ districts. A better route, he argued, would have been to develop a plan for supporting specific economic development projects with the funds.

“Those are good quality of life things that we need in Niagara County,” Antonucci said, referring to the festivals and organizations supported with county casino funding. “But, money has to be appropriated for that from different avenues, not from the casino revenues.”

The two candidates also differ on their stance concerning the proposed downsizing of the county Legislature from 19 to 15 members.

Ceretto believes county government can still be run effectively with fewer representatives and noted that members of the Republican-led majority are looking to form a committee that would involve residents to determine other specifics related to the downsizing move, such as length of term.

“It’s what the public wants,” he said. “They will be the final decision-makers.”

Antonucci said if elected he would do his best to make it so he can’t hold the job for too long. Although he said he believes residents need more specific information about how the downsizing proposal will impact the various communities, Antonucci said he’s certain that the Legislature should have term limits that would prevent lawmakers from becoming career politicians.

“I just think when politicians get into office and they stay in power for a long time up to decades they can easily become entrenched and they start making decisions that aren’t for the best of the citizens, but more on how can I keep my job,” he said.



Dan Antonucci

• AGE: 47

• FAMILY: Married, father of a son.

• EDUCATION: Graduate West Seneca West High School. Associate’s degree in applied science from Erie County Community College. Certified PGA Golf professional.

• EMPLOYMENT: Head golf professional at Niagara Frontier Country Club in Youngstown for the past 19 years.

• POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Endorsed Democrat and Lewiston’s Choice candidate.

• COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Member Board of Associates at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, committee member for Opportunities Unlimited and volunteer at the Heart and Soul food pantry in Niagara Falls.



John Ceretto

• AGE: 57

• FAMILY: Married, father of four.

• EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in administration and supervision, both from Niagara University. Licensed to teach in New York State.

• EMPLOYMENT: Works as a park naturalist and environmental educator for the New York State Parks Department in Niagara and Erie counties.

• POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Endorsed Republican. Currently serving in his fourth year on the Legislature. Previously served as a councilman in the Town of Lewiston for 10 years.

• COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Member St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Holy Name Society at St. Peter’s, Lewiston Council on the Arts, Kiwanis Club, Village of Lewiston and Sanborn historical societies, Lewiston No. 2 volunteer fire company and Christoforo Colombo Society in Niagara Falls.