01 / Economic development
NAACP Niagara Falls
Committee Chair. Business ownership, technology access, economic mobility, and community development.
View branch journal ↗Dante Richardson / Government & Civic Affairs
Government
& Civic Affairs
Economic development. Public service. A new generation of Niagara.
My work in civic affairs grew from the question behind my entrepreneurship, technology, and venture work: How do we build systems that create more opportunity? Niagara Falls made that question personal. I saw a city with a global name, a border, infrastructure, talent, and potential still waiting to be organized.
I believed Niagara could become more than a destination: a place to build, launch, collaborate across the border, and participate in the next economy.
Make Niagara Falls
a place of innovation
and love again.
a place of innovation
and love again.
Civic archive / Niagara Falls, New York
Economic development2025 / District 6U.S. — CanadaPublic recordNext-generation Niagara
01 / Civic service
I entered civic life
because economic
development matters.
I did not enter public life as a career politician. I came from entrepreneurship, venture development, workforce innovation, and a belief that residents should have a stake in the economy being built around them.
The NAACP Niagara Falls Branch lists me as Chair of its Economic Development Committee. In that civic role, I think about entrepreneurship, minority business ownership, technology access, workforce development, capital, and partnerships that expand opportunity.
Economic development is about people and capability as much as projects and buildings. It is about access to networks, talent, ownership, and a path to mobility.
Public record / NAACP Niagara Falls Branch journal ↗
Economic development is not just about buildings.
It is about people. Capability. Ownership. Opportunity.
02 / The Niagara thesis
A border city
with global potential.
My civic vision was that Niagara Falls could develop into a stronger cross-border entrepreneurial and commercial hub. Global name recognition, two national economies, tourism, legacy infrastructure, proximity to universities, and the Western New York–Southern Ontario corridor create an unusual starting point.
My argument was simple: use those advantages to build an economy around more than tourism.
Tourism+Entrepreneurship+Technology+Workforce+Trade+Talent+Capital+Infrastructure=Next-generation Niagara
U.S.–Canada entrepreneurshipCross-border commerceTechnology startupsAdvanced manufacturingWorkforce innovationClean technologyInnovation districtsSmall-business ownership
03 / November 2025
From building businesses
to putting my name
on a ballot.
I entered electoral politics because I believed people from entrepreneurship, technology, workforce development, and community building needed a stronger voice in local government. I did not come through a traditional political pipeline. I believed a builder's perspective belonged in the room.
I appeared on the November 4, 2025 general-election ballot as the Republican candidate for Niagara County Legislature District 6. I did not win the seat. The historical campaign centered on economic development, entrepreneurship, workforce modernization, infrastructure, public-private partnership, and cross-border opportunity.
Official record / Niagara County Board of Elections sample ballot ↗
I ran because I believed
the city needed builders
inside the conversation.
the city needed builders
inside the conversation.
04 / The outsider
Outside
the establishment.
I entered local politics without years inside its traditional networks. That meant I did not arrive with all of its alliances—or its assumptions. I argued for a Niagara Falls strategy centered on entrepreneurship, technology, workforce development, investment, and international collaboration.
The campaign brought supporters, critics, and scrutiny. It also brought me into direct contact with the machinery of local politics in a way I had never experienced before.
Niagara needed more entrepreneurs, technologists, workforce leaders, and builders participating in government.Dante's civic view
05 / Political identity
Not left. Not right.
Build what works.
After the 2025 campaign, I created a public profile with the Forward Party. I became more interested in practical problem solving, institutional reform, innovation, and outcomes than permanent partisan conflict.
That profile documents an affiliation and interest; it does not represent an endorsement by the party of this website or any current candidacy.
For me, the question was not only which side wins. It was whether government could work better.
Public profile / Dante Richardson at Forward Party ↗
Can government actually work better?
06 / Public-private systems
Government can help
build new markets.
After the election, I returned my focus to business. At Buffalo Biodiesel, my business-development and government-relations work led me to consider how municipalities, food-service operators, and recovery companies could turn discarded fats, oils, and grease into useful economic inputs.
It illustrated the kind of system I had been discussing: government, business, sustainability, and opportunity working together. This describes my work and interest; it does not claim a signed municipal contract.
Cooking-oil waste→Collection→Municipal + commercial relationships→Recovery→Energy inputs→Circular economy
07 / January 2026
The election ended.
The conflict didn't.
After the election, I tried to move forward professionally. From my perspective, political conflict did not remain inside politics. Public criticism intensified, workplace relationships became strained, and my employment ended.
On January 12, 2026, I was shot while traveling on the I-190. New York State Police reported that a vehicle pulled alongside and shots struck the victim. Their public notice described an active criminal investigation.
That sequence changed my life physically, professionally, personally, and politically. The proximity of events is part of my experience; it does not establish a connection between them.
Official notice / New York State Police, January 12, 2026 ↗
Public life stopped feeling abstract.
Dante's account / Personal interpretation / Not an official finding
08 / My account
I have my own view
of what happened to me.
I believe political conflict followed me into my professional life. I believe false or misleading claims were used to damage my reputation. I believe the sequence of events matters. Those are my conclusions based on what I experienced.
I will not present an unproven conclusion as an official finding. No record presented here establishes that any political rival, employer, publication, or other person caused or coordinated the shooting. An investigation, court record, or other authoritative finding should control any definitive account.
But I will not erase my own interpretation of my life because other people disagree with it.
You can disagree
with my interpretation.
You cannot tell me
I cannot have one.
with my interpretation.
You cannot tell me
I cannot have one.
09 / Public record file
They wrote about me.
I kept the receipts.
This archive separates institutional records, my own account, and matters that remain disputed or unestablished. Expand a file to see the claim, response, record, documents, and status. Links open the source itself.
Public record / Documented2025 election history
Public record / Documented
2025 election history
The claim
Dante ran for Niagara County Legislature District 6 in 2025.
Dante's response
Yes. I ran as a Republican candidate; I did not win or hold that legislative seat.
The record
The county's official sample ballot lists Dante Richardson in the November 4 general election.
Source documents
Niagara County official ballot ↗Status
Documented candidacy; no claim of elected office.
Public record / DocumentedNAACP leadership
Public record / Documented
NAACP leadership
The claim
Dante served as Economic Development Committee Chair for the NAACP Niagara Falls Branch.
Dante's response
My civic work focuses on people, business ownership, opportunity, and economic development.
The record
The branch journal lists Dante Richardson by name and role.
Source documents
NAACP Niagara Falls Branch journal ↗Status
Documented in organization publication.
Public record / DocumentedForward profile
Public record / Documented
Forward profile
The claim
Dante later established a Forward Party profile.
Dante's response
My interest is practical problem solving and institutional reform.
The record
A public profile appears on the party's platform. It does not establish a party endorsement of a candidacy.
Source documents
Forward profile ↗Status
Documented profile.
Public record / DocumentedNiagara Professionals Under 40
Public record / Documented
Niagara Professionals Under 40
The claim
Dante is identified as a co-chair.
Dante's response
I want emerging professionals to have a network and a stronger voice in Niagara's future.
The record
The organization's public page calls Dante its co-chair.
Source documents
Organization page ↗Status
Documented in organization post.
Institutional record / DocumentedBubble, SUNY & Stanford work
Institutional record / Documented
Bubble, SUNY & Stanford work
The claim
Dante participated in Bubble Immerse and SUNY's Educational Justice Fellowship; his PipeDreamers work intersected with Stanford's learning accelerator.
Dante's response
Those are distinct program and project relationships. Participation is not a claim of a degree or university employment.
The record
Institutional publications identify the relevant programs and work.
Source documents
Bubble Immerse cohort ↗SUNY OHEP newsletter ↗Stanford edtech showcase ↗Status
Documented program and project relationships; scope described on linked case pages.
Official notice / DocumentedThe I-190 shooting
Official notice / Documented
The I-190 shooting
The claim
A shooting occurred on the I-190 in January 2026 and State Police investigated.
Dante's response
I was shot. I survived. It changed my life.
The record
State Police reported a January 12 shooting of a 32-year-old Niagara Falls man and described an active investigation. The notice does not name an attacker or establish a political motive.
Source documents
New York State Police notice ↗Status
Documented incident; motive and perpetrator not established in this source.
Disputed / No finding suppliedWorkplace & online claims
Disputed / No finding supplied
Workplace & online claims
The claim
Online reporting questioned Dante's professional credentials, workplace history, and cooperation with police.
Dante's response
I dispute false or misleading portrayals. The institutional links on this page document specific programs and roles; they should not be mistaken for degree claims. Any particular employment or police-cooperation allegation requires its own underlying records and context.
The record
Reporting exists, but this page does not have a court finding, complete employer file, or police interview record resolving those claims. A publication's allegation is not an official determination.
Source documents
State Police public notice (does not address cooperation) ↗Bubble case story and institutional links ↗SUNY workforce case story and institutional links ↗Status
Disputed; individual allegations not adjudicated here.
Dante's account / Not establishedPolitical retaliation
Dante's account / Not established
Political retaliation
The claim
Dante believes political conflict followed him into professional life and affected his reputation.
Dante's response
That is my interpretation of the sequence I experienced. I am entitled to state it plainly.
The record
The official shooting notice documents the incident, not a motive or a link to any workplace or political actor. No such causal finding is presented here.
Source documents
State Police notice ↗Status
Personal interpretation; connection not established.
Campaign archive / AllegationsPolice overtime allegations
Campaign archive / Allegations
Police overtime allegations
The claim
A Niagara Falls police lieutenant alleged nepotism, overtime abuse, and other misconduct in a September 2025 message.
Dante's response
I published the officer's message during the campaign because I believed residents should see the concerns being raised.
The record
Investigative Post reported on the message and Dante's publication of it. The report says the allegations were not independently corroborated by the Niagara Gazette at the time. The report is evidence of the public dispute, not a finding that the alleged conduct occurred.
Source documents
Investigative Post report ↗Status
Officer's allegations reported; underlying misconduct not established here.
Election reporting / DisputedElection-law accusation
Election reporting / Disputed
Election-law accusation
The claim
A Niagara Gazette headline reported that Chris Borgatti accused a Sixth District candidate of violating election law.
Dante's response
The existence of an accusation does not establish a violation. I appeared on the November 2025 general-election ballot.
The record
The linked Gazette article is provided as election reporting. Its full text was unavailable for independent review here. The county ballot documents candidacy; it does not adjudicate every campaign dispute.
Source documents
Niagara Gazette article ↗Official general-election ballot ↗Status
Accusation reported; no finding supplied here.
Don't take my word for it.
Read the record.
10 / Reputation
I will not let someone else
write my biography.
Public life means people will write about you. Some stories will be fair, some critical, some factual, some allegations, and some interpretation. My answer is to build my own public record.
If someone questions a program, I will show the institution. If someone questions a role, I will show the organization. If I made an error, I will correct it. If another account makes an error about me, I will correct that too.
Facts are facts.
Allegations are allegations.
My belief is my belief.
The record is the record.
Allegations are allegations.
My belief is my belief.
The record is the record.
11 / The full biography
I don't need
a sanitized story.
I have a criminal conviction. I went to prison. That is part of my history. I do not need a fictional version of my life where it did not happen.
What matters to me is what came afterward: education, technology, entrepreneurship, workforce development, software, community development, civic leadership, venture development, and the decision to keep building.
IncarcerationEducationTechnologyEntrepreneurshipWorkforceCivic leadership
My past is part of the story.
It is not the end.
It is not the end.
12 / Survival
I was shot.
I survived.
I kept building.
The shooting changed my body and my life. It made me think harder about public conflict, reputation, ambition, and leadership. I continued learning, building, and participating in Niagara.
The experience did not end my interest in civic affairs. It changed how I understand the institutions and communities worth building.
The experience did not
end my civic work.
It changed how I understood it.
end my civic work.
It changed how I understood it.
13 / Beyond electoral politics
Public service does not
require holding office.
New Generation Niagara is part of my continuing civic and economic-development work outside electoral politics. Its focus is a new generation of leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, workforce development, and regional collaboration.
The work is about projects, people, and a future for Niagara. This page does not present it as a campaign organization.
An election is one way to participate in public life.
It is not the only way.
14 / Professional network
The next generation
needs its own network.
Niagara Professionals Under 40 publicly identifies me as a co-chair. The network connects emerging professionals through relationship building, leadership, entrepreneurship, community engagement, and professional development.
There is room for more relationships across Niagara USA and Niagara Canada. That is an aspiration, not a claim of an existing formal international partnership.
Organization page / Niagara Professionals Under 40 ↗
15 / Systems thinking
Government is
an operating system.
My interest in government comes from the same place as my interest in companies and technology: systems. A city is a system. Government, business, universities, infrastructure, capital, talent, and culture all affect whether opportunity can move through it.
The quality of an ecosystem depends on how well those components work together.
People↔Government↔Business↔Institutions↔Infrastructure↔Capital↔Talent↔Opportunity
What kind of ecosystem
are we trying to build?
are we trying to build?
16 / The Niagara future
Niagara can be
more than a destination.
A place to build.
A place to invest.
A place to create.
A place to learn.
A place to live.
A place to love.
A place to invest.
A place to create.
A place to learn.
A place to live.
A place to love.
A place where American and Canadian entrepreneurs form relationships and where residents can participate in the next economy. That is my personal civic vision for Niagara Falls.
Make Niagara Falls a place of innovation and love again.Dante Richardson / Civic vision
17 / Current civic work
Build outside
the ballot box.
02 / Community initiatives
New Generation Niagara
Civic and economic-development projects connecting entrepreneurship, innovation, and regional opportunity.
Read the vision ↗03 / Professional network
Niagara Professionals Under 40
Co-chair. Networking, leadership, professional development, and community engagement.
View organization ↗Film / Civic archive
Conversations in public.
These interviews and event recordings sit alongside the written record. They are perspectives and context, not investigative findings.
From Running Startups to Running Political Office: Young Black Republican Dante Richardson
A conversation about entrepreneurship, design thinking, and Dante’s entry into local politics.
Watch on YouTube ↗Niagara Falls Black Economy Transformation Summit 2024
An archived conversation on Black economic development in Niagara Falls.
Watch on YouTube ↗Citizens United with John and Noelle — Dante Richardson
Dante appears as a guest on Citizens United with John and Noelle.
Watch on YouTube ↗18 / Source desk
Documents
behind the story.
Niagara County ballot
Official 2025 general-election sample ballot for District 6.
Open document ↗NAACP Niagara Falls journal
Branch publication listing its Economic Development Committee Chair.
Open document ↗New York State Police notice
Official January 12, 2026 I-190 shooting investigation notice.
Open notice ↗Organizational profiles
Forward Party profile and Niagara Professionals Under 40 organization page.
Forward profile ↗Professional network ↗
Archive / Related coverage
Read the reporting.
Read the account.
These links preserve the context around Dante's campaign, civic activity, and recovery. Reporting documents what was said or alleged; it does not by itself establish every claim within a story.
Hospital interview
Niagara Express interviewed Dante during his recovery in January 2026. His statements about workplace conflict and the shooting are his account, not findings about a motive or perpetrator.
Read Niagara Express ↗Dante's recovery statement
A first-person fundraiser describes his injuries, recovery, and beliefs. The fundraiser's title and personal interpretation do not establish a political motive for the shooting.
Read Dante's account ↗Police department allegations
Investigative Post covered a lieutenant's claims and Dante's decision to share the message during the campaign. The allegations remain labeled as allegations.
Read Investigative Post ↗Election-law accusation
Niagara Gazette coverage of an accusation involving the Sixth District candidate. The article is an archive of a dispute, not a finding of a violation; full text was unavailable for independent review here.
Read Niagara Gazette ↗Project debate
Niagara Gazette election coverage of candidates' views on the city's two-project proposal. Full text was unavailable for independent review here.
Read Niagara Gazette ↗Community petition update
A September 2025 petition update thanked Dante and another candidate. It is an archived third-party campaign statement, not a current appeal on this site.
Read historical update ↗Juneteenth dispute
Niagara Falls Reporter included Dante's comments as a Juneteenth Committee strategic advisor and the mayor's explanation of the permit issue. The article also includes a Stanford degree description that this site does not adopt.
Read Niagara Falls Reporter ↗Editorial note: This first-party account uses linked primary records where available. Dante's beliefs and interpretations are labeled. No causal connection between political or workplace conflict and the shooting is established by the records linked here.
19 / Final statement
I am not asking everyone to agree with me. I am asking the record to be accurate.
I have a past. I have made mistakes. I have also built, learned, worked, organized, survived, and kept going.
I will not let an election, a headline, a political rival, or someone else's version of my life become the final word.