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For the first time since 2007, there are contested races for the three At-Large positions on the Jamestown City Council.
The incumbent candidates include Republican Kimberly Ecklund, who was first elected to the council in 2003, and Gregory Rabb, who is the council's president and was first elected to the group in 2007. The four challengers include Republicans Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo and Democrats Vanessa Weinert and Robert Whitney.
Each candidate in a contested race three questions, of which the first two question responses were printed in The Post-Journal's Election 2017 publication. Below are the responses to the third question from the six candidates in the At-Large races.
P-J: If you could change one thing about the city, what would it be?
Ecklund: The biggest concern I have for Jamestown is what the future will bring for the younger generation to return home or what efforts we can make to attract others to come live here. Jamestown has seen a lot of potential and growth recently and coupled with our great neighborhoods is something that I feel strongly assists us in offering options to attract businesses and people. However, we need to have a reason for them to come back and that leads to jobs and stability. The job creation part is tough as council is not directly in the business of creating jobs, but we can address the issues to make Jamestown a place for business opportunity and for people who are willing and able to purchase homes in the city. I feel if we have sustainable jobs we can encourage youth to come back, purchase homes, and become involved in the community. With that being said, we address the job market through our incentives and taxes in addition to continuing to work with the Department of Development and the Jamestown Local Development Corporation using the programs available to help new businesses in Jamestown partnered with other public and private agencies. When we address the job issue we all know that the sustainability will also impact the housing, drug and crime issues we currently face in today's society. Through it all one of the biggest issues remains that the general public often has an overall lack of faith in our elected officials on all levels. If there is one thing necessary for the overall success of the city of Jamestown it is that I will always continue to build trust, respect all people, and make everyone feel cared for and about in this community. I truly care about Jamestown, its residents and its businesses, but true success can only be obtained when we work together to benefit us all.
Laurin: When I asked residents this question while campaigning, they most often responded with one word: taxes. While I would love to lower taxes, the current administration submitted a $950,000 budget deficit that includes a property tax increase -- so sorry to say that; lowering taxes is not possible for 2018. However, if we increase revenue by improving our housing market, strengthening our economy and reducing expenses, we may be able to reduce taxes in years to come.
The more immediate improvement to our city focuses around clarity and collaboration. Clarity is different than transparency. Transparency is being able to see information. Clarity is understanding what you are seeing. Our city residents deserve clear, competent and consistent leaders who are compassionate and committed to improving the quality of life and financial stability of Jamestown. Residents deserve to have a detailed understanding of why council is making a specific decision. In today's digital world, residents, businesses, and organizations should have a platform that allows and encourages them to collaborate with city council. Encouraging discussions among residents and city leaders will provide opportunities to generate ideas that may have otherwise been overlooked. In addition, council members need to publish their opinions detailing their thoughts on topics and issues because our community deserves to know why council is voting a certain way.
Research and data should be supporting all the decisions the city council makes, even if they are unpopular. Party politics does not provide a foundation to pave the way for the future of our city. Promoting an environment of accountability and resourcefulness is important to many people and we deserve to know who has done their research on key issues and who is just voting to move things along. We have many smart and dedicated people living in Jamestown who would be eager to help provide support. Together we will be able to develop strategies to increase business development that can lead to reduced crime, a stronger housing market and greater quality of life for the people of our community. Our leaders pride themselves in the roles they fill and the hard work they do in our community -- people need to celebrate their efforts and also be able to ask the tough questions about city issues and the way their values guide them. I am focused on growth. Service is growth in action; it would be an honor to serve as your councilman and I look forward to collaborating with all of the people doing good in our community every day. For more information please visit my Facebook page at Laurin For Council.
Liuzzo: One thing that needs to change is the constant rise in taxes. Jamestown is among the highest taxed in New York state, yet has relatively little to show for it. We need better stewardship of the people's purse, and I hope to bring another critical perspective to the way Jamestown's resources are spent.
Rabb: Jamestown has the best people around because we really care about the community, but if we are going to be successful in the future we need to change our attitude. Too many people are still down on Jamestown. We need to change our attitude to match our actions. So many people work so hard to make things better, but too often I hear disparaging words about Jamestown. We need to change that. That doesn't mean we don't have problems. That doesn't mean we stop working to improve. But who wants to invest in a community, whether it is us or others, that is constantly down on itself? The Jamestown Neighborhood Revitalization Plan adopted by the City Council while I have been president speaks to opening the doors to new investment by restoring confidence in our city and in ourselves. I am confident that we will succeed because of the people involved. I would like to see and hear that confidence throughout the city of Jamestown. The future belongs to those of us who make it built on a community that accepts and celebrates diversity!
Weinert: I'd love to be able to wave a magic wand and fix a lot of Jamestown's problems around drugs and poverty. However, there is no magic fix and change will come through continued incremental and strategic investments and changes. With that said, I believe that you can't have a sustainable and vibrant city without healthy and connected neighborhoods. I want to see our city better support our public market and urban gardens. We could approve an agricultural tax credit to create incentives for agricultural use in our city. This would incentivize property owners to convert empty lots to beautiful and productive urban gardens. These urban gardens would support the Jamestown Public Market and could provide educational opportunities around healthy eating within neighborhoods.
Whitney: I would like to see the city adapt a rental registration law that requires all rental properties to list the owner and landlord/manager on a public website. Any drug activity could be reported to the police and landlord immediately. Any exterior issues (garbage, mowing, etc.) could be reported to the city as well as the landlord. If a drug arrest is made at a rental, I feel the landlord/manager should be issued a citation for not watching the property as they should be. The fine should increase with each incident, charged to that individual regardless of the address. I would also like to see the city do more with their abandoned properties, giving incentives (loans/tax relief) to city employees and residents to purchase these properties for restoration as I believe every city employee should have "skin in the game" and own property within the city limits.