Scandal ended mayor’s political career
Welland’s Eugene Stranges ‘stole from his own church,’ judge declared in a stinging rebuke
If someone is looking for a classic example of a fall from grace, the story of Eugene Stranges is probably a good one.
Stranges was mayor of Welland. In 1982 he won his third term to the job that also gave him a seat on Niagara regional council.
He ran for the Liberals in Welland riding in the 1971 provincial election. He was unsuccessful, but Stranges let The Spectator know where his heart lay — the former high school teacher, who by then had been a Welland city councillor for four years, said he was a full-time politician.
Stranges’ world came crashing down in 1983 in a scandal that produced headlines worthy of tabloids.
Stranges — who died March 21 in Cheektowaga, N.Y., at the age of 76 — was arrested along with a Roman Catholic priest and charged with fraud and theft in connection with financial irregularities in bingo games in Welland and Fort Erie.
It was a shocking development — especially when the public learned the money was supposed to be going to Welland’s Notre Dame College School (from where Stranges graduated in 1959) and St. Joseph’s Church in Fort Erie.
His co-accused was Rev. David Foley, the parish priest and teacher at Notre Dame.
The pair pleaded not guilty in initial stages of the proceedings, and Stranges issued a statement declaring his innocence.
In the middle of all of this, in August 1983, Stranges and Foley were accosted by two men with guns while sitting in Foley’s car in a restaurant parking lot in a part of Buffalo described by police as “the ghetto.”
They were taken to an apartment — which police said was rented by Stranges — by the men, disrobed, robbed of money and credit cards and locked in the washroom.
The robbers ransacked the apartment then left and stole Foley’s car.
Stranges called the incident a nightmare in a statement, but he denied renting the apartment.
In April 1984, the trial got underway in Toronto and Foley pleaded guilty to two theft charges and received a 15-month sentence. He told court he took $500 a month during a two-year period from the bingo profits to maintain an apartment with his 23year-old male lover.
He also told court he gave half of the money to Stranges and Stranges had use of the Buffalo apartment.
Court later heard that as much as $120,000 in profits could have been made in a 10-month period from the games.
Stranges denied Foley’s allegations and said he never received any money from the priest. He said he knew of the apartment
but told court he had nothing to do with it.
Stranges denied $140,000 in retirement annuities he bought between 1981 and 1983 came from stolen bingo funds (court heard he was making $20,000 as mayor) and said the purchases came from savings, investments, money from his late mother and money left to his parents by his bootlegging grandfather.
Stranges admitted he had a link to the apartment when Crown attorney Jeff Manishen showed court a utility application and it was signed by Stranges. He also admitted to visiting it.
A jury convicted Stranges on two charges of theft and he was sentenced to two years less a day.
He resigned as mayor on the day he was convicted.
Judge William Colter said Stranges had been left in public disgrace and it would be with him the rest of his life.
The judge said it was shocking that a mayor “who has assumed a
position of high moral responsibility, is revealed as stealing from his own church.”
Stranges obtained parole in 1985 after he made restitution of $40,000 to the school and church.
But his problems weren’t over — he was charged with tax evasion for not reporting income from 1981 and 1982.
Stranges ran a Welland restaurant with his brother from 19861993, then moved to Buffalo to work at a car dealership.
Onetime colleagues had positive things to say: Former city and regional councillor Ivy Riddell told Dave Johnson of the Welland Tribune that “Stranges was one of the best, if not the best, mayor Welland has ever had.”
Former mayor and MP Allan Pietz said Stranges worked on getting Highway 406 to Welland and called him “a very strong politician.”