Former Falls city judge Restaino to run for state assembly

The former Niagara Falls city judge who was removed from the bench for jailing people because he couldn’t find a ringing cell phone in his court room has decided to throw his name in the ring for the state assembly.

Rob Restaino, who was also a Niagara Falls School Board member, has announced he’ll square off with John Ceretto for the 145th state assembly district.

Restaino had been a city court judge for a dozen years but he was removed in 2008 after he sent 46 people to jail after the cell phone went off. A commission later ruled that Restaino was a “petty tyrant.”