Slowly I turned...

As always, the fellas at the brassy Niagara Falls Reporter aren't giving their city government an inch.

"People around town are still chuckling about Mayor Vince Anello's self-serving column, plastered across the front page of The Other Paper last week, entitled 'Anello looks back at 2004 accomplishments.' And I thought Staba and I were the only ones who wrote funny local political commentary. For those of you who have never read it, Anello's column -- 'Ask the Mayor' -- always begins with a softball question he's made up and then drags on for 750 or 1,000 words as he answers himself. There's no editorial oversight whatsoever -- he's free to say whatever he wants and have it printed on the front page as though it were fact. The question last week was simple and straightforward: 'What do you see as your accomplishments in your first year in office?' But from the beginning of his reply, it appeared that Anello had bitten off more than he could chew. 'Staying focused, continuing with a strong work ethic and a high level of enthusiasm,' he began. These are accomplishments? I'm sure that most McDonald's employees could say the same thing. No one ever asks them to write about it in a front-page column, though. In the second paragraph, Anello goes on to list yet another example of what has been consuming him during his one-year reign of error. 'Not becoming distracted by those who wallow in cynicism and berate our city and its public servants for perverse pleasure and personal gain,' he wrote. Wow, he didn't become distracted. Isn't that kind of the same thing as staying focused? I read on eagerly, half expecting him to report next that he'd mastered the art of walking and chewing gum at the same time. "

If the Niagara Falls Reporter isn't a regular read for you, it should be. (It comes out weekly - posted to the web usually by Monday afternoon). This week's issue is its 200th. Congratulations.