The theme of "do-nothing developers" has been a pretty constant one for the political class here over the past decade, as politicians attempt to blame property owners for the mess the politicians themselves caused in downtown Niagara Falls.

Some of those singled out by do-nothing politicians over the years have been Rainbow Centre owner David Cordish, One Niagara owner Frank Parlato and, of course, Niagara Falls Redevelopment owner Howard Milstein.

Lackluster mayors, including Irene Elia, Vince Anello and Paul Dyster, have attempted to convince the people of Niagara Falls that these private businessmen are responsible for a spiral of decline that began when two of their predecessors, E. Dent Lackey and Michael O'Laughlin, presided over the demolition of nearly all of the commercial buildings downtown in order to make room for a motley collection of some of the most hideous architectural monstrosities ever conceived of by man.

But the one major downtown businessman who was never mentioned in the same breath as Cordish, Parlato, Milstein or Joe Anderson, though, was the one whose Niagara Falls business interests generated the most revenue -- Maid of the Mist tour boat owner James Glynn. Glynn had things pretty much his own way. In 2007, his handpicked candidate for mayor, Paul Dyster, won in a landslide. After taking office in 2008, Dyster found himself gifted by a shadowy organization called the Building a Better Niagara Falls fund, which was backed by and partially funded by Glynn.

This allowed the new mayor to go through the motions of a "nationwide search" in order to find the "most qualified" candidates for crucial administration positions, such as city administrator, economic development director and city engineer.

With the assistance of Assemblywoman Francine Del Monte, Glynn also got the state's local development agency, the USA Niagara Development Corp., to undertake a $7.9 million beautification and renovation project along the city's West Pedestrian Mall, which fronts the Comfort Inn at the Pointe hotel he had recently purchased. Like Dyster, Del Monte has been a beneficiary of the Glynn family's largess over the years.

Six businesses adjacent to Glynn's hotel and fronting on the West Pedestrian Mall, including the landmark Tommy Ryan's restaurant, were closed by January 2009, and company spokesmen announced they were undertaking a review to see what sort of businesses should go there. Last week, city officials learned that the review was still ongoing, and that unless someone was dumb enough to undertake a one-year lease of one of the empty storefronts, nothing would be there come Memorial Day, the traditional opening of the tourist season here.

"We are currently studying all possibilities for our property," Comfort Inn general manager Tricia Mezhir said last week. "We have hired consultants to look at all options."

Mezhir, who until a couple of weeks ago also served Glynn's interests as chairwoman of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., added that anyone who decided to lease any of the storefronts would be limited to short-term, one-year leases, a stipulation that all but guarantees no legitimate businesses will locate there for the 2010 season.

Last week, when City Council members learned about the situation, the city's ace economic development officials made excuses for Glynn.

Economic Development Director Peter Kay and NFC Development Corp. director Fran Iusi indicated the city has had discussions about the future of the retail space, and that company officials told the city in no uncertain terms that it intends to handle all negotiations with potential tenants on its own.

"They are in the course of evaluating what it's going to take to bring people in," Iusi said.

Development professionals believe Glynn purchased the hotel and retail space because the improvements along the mall would enhance the value of the property. Furthermore, if the planned reconfiguration by the state of the Robert Moses Parkway happens, tourists entering the city would be deposited right at the hotel's front door.

Plans have called for a reconfiguration of First Street that would end it at a new entrance to the Niagara Reservation State Park, located directly across from the hotel.

But revelations published by the Niagara Falls Reporter over the past year have put even Glynn's contracts to operate the Maid of the Mist in jeopardy both in New York and Ontario.

Following a scandal that reached the highest levels of the Ontario government, the contract was canceled and opened up to a competitive bidding process scheduled to take place in March. Even Dyster, who some say owes his position to Glynn, seemed ready to turn on his friend and mentor last week.

"We put a lot of effort into improving the infrastructure down there," the mayor said. "We don't want to see the space dark."

City Councilman Sam Fruscione, who sits on the city Tourism Advisory Board as well as the Council, was even more harsh in his assessment. "After all that's been done and all the money that's been spent, it is unconscionable to keep that retail space closed for a second season," he told the Reporter. "Maybe (the Maid of the Mist Corp.) can afford it, but the city certainly can't."