Two young candidates vie in LaSalle
5th District seat is up for grabs
NIAGARA FALLS — The 5th District seat in the Niagara County Legislature is up for grabs in Tuesday’s election, but you can bet on a few things about the winner.
The final episode of “M*A*S*H” aired before he was born.
He was a baby when the Challenger disaster occurred.
And he will consider his twenty-something age an advantage.
Two recent college graduates who have known each other since they were children are battling to replace longtime Legislator Sean J. O’Connor when he leaves office at the end of the year.
Democrat Nicholas A. Melson, 24, of 88th Street, will face Republican Vincent M. Sandonato, 23, of 91st Street, in the district that stretches across most of the LaSalle section of the city.
They are young, enthusiastic and answering a call to fix a city that recent generations have struggled to improve.
“I really feel that it’s time for my generation to step up and take responsibility for their city,” Melson said. “A lot of us have moved away, and if we all do that, there would be no one left. Somebody has to stay here and try to turn things around so that people like my 11-year-old sister don’t have to leave.”
Sandonato, who switched his campaign in early summer from seeking a City Council seat to vying for the Legislature district seat, also felt a need to serve the public.
“You need to start to keep my generation here for them to build families,” Sandonato said. “Then you build your tax base and you build your middle class and you start to
get the ball rolling.”
Both are natives of Niagara Falls and came of age as factories shut down, citizens moved away and the Festival of Lights packed up for good. That experience has shaped their vision for the city and has fueled a sense that change has to happen.
Sandonato, a legal assistant at a law firm, graduated from St. John Fisher College last year with bachelor’s degrees in political science and Catholicism. He said he realized he needed to run after he returned from college last year and saw the “stark contrast” between Niagara Falls and Rochester.
A Republican in a family of Democrats, Sandonato said he always has had a fiscally conservative side. He is focused on bringing money back to the La- Salle district to address quality of life issues.
“If we can do simple things, we can then increase our tax base, create jobs,” Sandonato said. “We really need to start simple and reform government.”
Melson, legislative director for Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston, graduated this year from Buffalo State College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration. He said he honed his “passion for public policy and good governance” as an intern in Albany in the Assembly.
Melson began his first campaign for public office before he could register to vote. He started a run for City Council just before his 18th birthday. The election that year was the first in which he had ever cast a vote. He didn’t win.
He wants to fight against what he characterized as “frivolous lawsuits” brought by the Legislature, including one that seeks to redirect a portion of casino revenue away from the Falls back to the county’s control. He also wants to open county government.
“The county Legislature has a small role of what goes on in Niagara Falls, but they do have a measurable impact of what’s going on here,” Melson said. “The local share of the casino funds should all go to the City of Niagara Falls.”
Melson and Sandonato have known each other for years. They graduated from Niagara Falls High School within a year of each other and have “mutual friends.” They both plan to go to law school.
Though youth is on their side, neither would be the youngest legislator to serve.
Lee Simonson, of Lewiston, took that title when he was sworn in at age 20 in 1974. He went on to serve 32 years in the Legislature before leaving office in 2005. Legislator Kyle R. Andrews was 21 when he first sought the 14th District seat in 2001.
What is Simonson’s advice for the 5th District winner?
“Learn as much as you can, do your homework, and look at your age as an asset, not a liability,” Simonson said. “Being a good legislator shouldn’t have anything to do with age, sex or color.”
Sunday in Niagara Weekend: Countywide races, a wrap-up of several town contests and a listing of all offices to be decided on Tuesday across Niagara County. e-mail: djgee@buffnews.com
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