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In Our Opinion

BPU Board Faces An Important Hiring Decision

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities has found itself in the capable hands of David Leathers for 20 years. Amid all the uncertainty of New York’s energy policy Leathers has found a way to minimize the impacts on BPU ratepayers as much as possible, including his leadership this winter when the New York Power Authority proposed a massive rate hike for hydropower that helps power Jamestown. There have been major changes in the recycling markets that Leathers has largely managed with minor impacts to BPU customers. News that Leathers is retiring next January means the BPU board ...

There Is Another Route For County Sales Tax Talks

County legislators took a good first step last week when they choose to discuss increasing the way a percent of the county’s sales tax is distributed. Chautauqua County’s sales tax rate is currently 8%. Every two years the county legislature must request the state Legislature give permission for the county’s sales tax to be higher than 7%. The most recent authorization is set to expire Dec. 1. Of the additional 1% the county collects in sales tax, 85% of those funds go to the county, while 15% go to the local municipalities. Most county lawmakers last week agreed with Fred ...

Push Finally Came To Shove With Prison Strike

It’s long past the time for the prison strike affecting several prisons across the state - including two locally - to come to an end. There are ripple effects of these actions that reverberate across the criminal justice system - and we were reminded of just a few when Sheriff Jim Quattrone spoke during last week’s Chautauqua County Legislature meeting. Striking corrections officers mean state facilities can’t accept new prisoners, which means county jails like Chautauqua County’s have to continue holding prisoners who should be transferred. That means more of your local ...

State Didn’t Help Rock Salt Shortage By Limiting Supply

It turns out President Donald Trump doesn’t have the market cornered on protective trade policies. Back in 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the New York State Buy American Salt Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. John Mannion in the state Senate and Assemblyman Harry Bronson in the state Assembly. It wasn’t terribly controversial at the time - even Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, voted in favor of the bill in the Senate, though Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, voted against the bill in the Assembly in a 136-14 vote. “With the Buy American Salt Act, we are helping State and ...

Vandalism At Langworthy’s City Office Is Uncalled For

It’s no secret there are some who aren’t happy with the new direction of the federal government. There are plenty of ways to register one’s disagreement. Some people choose to do so via social media. There have been protests like the one in early February outside Rep. Nick Langworthy’s Jamestown office. Other people choose to write letters or guest essays to the newspaper - and we can attest receiving more than a fair share of those in recent weeks. What happened recently at Rep. Nick Langworthy’s office is unconscionable. Langworthy said last week that his Jamestown ...

It’s Good To See Some Proactivity On Housing In City

It would have been unthinkable 30 years ago to see what Jamestown’s housing market has become. There was a time when home values in much of the city were, at best, stagnant. Some ended up selling their homes for less than their original purchase price. Those looking to purchase homes could, in many cases, take their time through the home buying process because many homes would sit on the open market for months. A scant couple of years before the COVID-19 pandemic the glut of housing was enough of a problem that the developers of the Gateway Lofts project had to pay to demolish ...