Lockport mayor says he's not getting a fair shake from local paper

Ben Joe, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·4 min read

Apr. 30—LOCKPORT — On Tuesday's live broadcast of WLVL-AM radio's "Wake Up Niagara!" Mayor John Lombardi took issue with coverage of himself in the "local newspaper," which he cared not to name but presumably is the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal.

Answering a question by show host John Maser regarding a published report about off-budget spending by the mayor's office, Lombardi quickly pivoted from criticizing former mayor Michelle Roman's administration, over the dearth of office supplies left behind for the new mayor, to the newspaper that reported the spending. The US&J's report was published in the April 26 edition.

"We're at that point now where the newspaper prints what it wants to print without an opportunity for rebuttal," Lombardi declared.

The article by this reporter was the product of a lengthy interview, on April 25, with aldermen Margaret Lupo and Anita Mullane, who presented a list of mayor's office expenditures since January 1. The US&J called and texted Lombardi the same day, to ask him questions about the expenditures, and he texted back indicating he was attending a fundraiser at the time. This reporter asked Lombardi for a call back after the fundraiser. Lombardi did not call later on April 25, or on April 26, the day the report was published.

Maser also asked Lombardi about the written "gag order" he issued last week, directing all city workers to refrain from speaking to the media.

The undated order, a copy of which was obtained by the US&J late on April 23, reads:

"DIRECTIVE TO ALL DEPARTMENTS Absolutely No One working for City Hall is to talk to The Media in any form. All questions presented to you by the media Must be directed to my office!"

The US&J's report on the gag order was published in the April 25 edition, with comments from Lombardi.

In reply to Maser's question, Lombardi said the directive is "in no way ever a gag order" and suggested it is aimed at department heads only.

"I do have a memo that I've put together that will be addressed by all," he told Maser. "If I could, I'd like to read that at this point?"

"The memo of April 23rd, 24th, 2024 was intended to be specifically directed towards the communication of city business to various media outlets by department heads in order to ensure accurate messaging, prevent any misinformation to the media and prevent any misinterpretation by the media. The previous memo was in no way intended to limit city department heads from engaging with the media and sharing information with the public."

Yet, when this reporter called all city department heads on April 24, to ask about the order, those who returned the call, including Chief Building Inspector Jason Dool, Finance Director Dan Cavallari, planning and development director Heather Peck and Fire Chief Luca Quagliano, all said they could not answer any questions about city business and referred the newspaper to Lombardi.

Ahead of the Common Council's April 24 business meeting, Lombardi spoke with this reporter about the order, saying it was "temporary" and it did not apply to the fire or police departments. He also said it was necessary to "train" some unnamed employees in media relations.

At no time during that interview did Lombardi say the order was aimed at department heads only, although he did say, "I can do what I want with my department heads." Asked about the possible legal ramifications of the order, he said, "bring it on."

Since that interview and the US&J's subsequent report about his order, Lombardi has not communicated to the US&J, the City of Lockport's designated newspaper of record, that the order was revised, or that the newspaper misinterpreted or misunderstood the document in its possession. The newspaper did not receive a copy of the memo that Lombardi read aloud on WLVL before or after the broadcast.

To Maser, Lombardi expressed concern about how the newspaper obtained a copy of the order last week.

"It was a directive to my department heads, and that alone should have been left alone," he said. "But that was actually sent to the paper by someone in city hall. So I have concerns. I have, quote, a mole that I guess I need to flush out. There's some situations and concerns that I have and I've had from the start."

Later Tuesday, Lombardi did not respond to two phone calls and two texts from this reporter asking him to answer questions about his comments on WLVL.