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Published: November 02, 2007 12:05 pm
NIAGARA FALLS: Republican Council candidate Cristina Ventry hoping to cure city’s ills
By Rick Forgione/forgioner@gnnewspaper.com
Greater Niagara Newspapers
Cristina Ventry
• AGE: 67
• ADDRESS: Lewiston Road
• POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Republican
• POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS: Republican Party
• OTHER ENDORSEMENTS: None
• EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: A graduate of Niagara Falls High School, she received a bachelor’s degree in music, drama and education from Michigan State University. She also attended Stella Adler Theatre Studio in New York City.
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Moved to New York City in 1967 and became an actress, filling numerous film, television, theater and radio roles. She’s also been a marketing consultant for the last 25 years. This is her first run for Niagara Falls City Council.
• COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Was an active advocate for victims of Love Canal during the 1970s.
Cristina Ventry likes to think of herself as a chicken.
As a young girl growing up in Niagara Falls, she was a spring chicken. Upon moving to New York City in the 1970s to pursue an acting career, she was a roast chicken. Now, at the age of 67, she’s back living in her hometown and running for City Council.
She says she’s become a “soup chicken.”
“What does momma give you when you have an illness? She gives you chicken soup,” Ventry said. “I believe I can be chicken soup for the city of Niagara Falls.”
In Tuesday’s general election, Ventry will compete for one of two seats on the council against incumbent Council Chairman Robert Anderson Jr., Steve Fournier and Nicholas Ligammari Jr. However, you won’t find her tossing mud at either of her three opponents, instead she focuses on the positive things she can bring to the city.
“I want to help restore, revive and excite Niagara Falls so everyone will be excited and proud to be a part of this fabulous place,” Ventry said, adding a strong bond between city officials is the key to success. “We must cooperate, we must communicate and we most coagulate. When everything is gelling, the end result is one of the finest forms of government.”
Ventry is the daughter of the late Frank Ventry, who served as the city’s operating engineer for several years. He helped expose the Love Canal disaster and instilled a sense of pride and responsibility in his daughter from an early age.
He also helped form her unique — if somewhat eccentric — personality.
“Daddy was a character, but he was a man of character,” Ventry said warmly.
In 1967, Ventry moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. She quickly landed numerous roles in theater, television and radio, but her biggest challenge came in 1972 when she suffered a paralytic stroke.
“I went through hell,” Ventry said, her usually upbeat voice dropping. “I had to learn to speak and do everything all over again.”
With the help of her parents, Ventry partially recovered after nine months. The day feeling in her toes came back, she was draped in her favorite color purple, which she said is a healing agent. It’s a belief she still carries, wearing purple clothing and jewelry almost every day. Another one of her healing factors is daily visits to Prospect Point at the falls.
“The mighty falls empowers me,” she said. “There is no other place in the world like it.”
That’s exactly the type of message she’s been trying to deliver since moving back here in 1991. A marketing consultant for the last 25 years, Ventry dedicates much of her time to promoting the area’s positives.
“Niagara Falls for too many years has not been marketed correctly,” she said. “I remember how exciting the old Niagara Falls was. It will be again.”
Ventry’s campaign has not included the typical saturation of media advertisements or littering of “vote for me” signs. Instead, she’s adopted a grassroots approach, attempting to meet each resident face to face to discuss issues — and trade personal stories.
And she loves telling stories, whether it’s rumors of her being a witch and riding a broomstick or about any number of her classic acting roles. However, she can also be a pretty good listener.
“One of my most favorite things is meeting the people of Niagara and hearing what they have to say,” she said. “The people here care a great deal about their city.”
Ventry received the city’s Republican Party endorsement to run for council. Party Chairman Frank Pannoza said the fact she’s not a typical politician is what makes her an attractive candidate.
“She’s her own person and can go into this with an open mind,” Pannoza said. “She has no ax to grind and would like to do what’s best for the city.”
While the last couple of administrations have clashed publicly with councilmembers, Ventry feels she can work with anyone if elected.
“I don’t understand why it’s impossible to work with the mayor or anyone else in government,” she said. “We can only succeed by working together.”
That doesn’t mean she can’t get tough, especially when addressing issues such as the budget and taxes. She feels the city needs to develop other sources of revenue to relieve the burden on taxpayers and is against a property reassessment.
“We are all being taxed to death,” she said, adding marketing the city better would spur economic development and increase the tax base. “The budget put in place does not supply sufficient funds to market the city. It’s the most essential thing we need to do.”
In the meantime, Ventry said she’s ready to serve as a liaison between the residents and city lawmakers and take the necessary steps to tackle each issue, no matter its difficulty.
“If something needs to get done, Cristina gets it done,” Ventry said about herself. “I’m a dreamer, but I’m also a doer.”
Contact reporter Rick Forgione at 282-2311, ext. 2257.
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