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$10M Win A Signature Moment For Dunkirk’s Rosas

Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas speaks with Fredonia Trustees James Lynden, left, and Michelle Twichell after the $10 million announcement. Submitted photo

Hearty applause from about 250 business leaders and local officials greeted Mayor Wilfred Rosas as he came forward to embrace state Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this week inside one of the Clarion Hotel’s large meeting rooms. Only minutes earlier had Dunkirk’s chief executive officer learned his city had been chosen to receive $10 million as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative for the western region of New York state.

Humbled by the major announcement, Rosas spoke of others who assisted in developing the strong plan that ultimately made the money happen. “This is a game changer for our community here,” he said. “I stand proud to be the mayor who brought forth these funds. I also want to mention that we don’t work alone. We have partners at the county level.”

Some of those individuals included Mark Geise, deputy county executive for economic development, and his team of Nathan Aldrich, economic development coordinator, and Rebecca Wurster, former city development director, who now serves as county planning coordinator. Later, Rosas praised Vince DeJoy, director of planning and development, along with staff members E.J. Hayes and Nicole Clift.

Toward the end of his speech, Rosas had one final, yet important acknowledgement. It was for someone who has consistently been by his side throughout the two terms he has served as mayor: his wife, Rosita.

During the celebratory event, he continued his modest tone of offering credit and speaking of collaborations. While others ultimately assisted Dunkirk in becoming a finalist for the big bucks, it is the mayor who has consistently worked to build relationships that span the state.

On Monday, his seven years of travels and tireless efforts paid off for the city he represents — big time. No other municipal leader in this county at this moment has the kind of clout statewide that Rosas has established.

Gaining that reputation and respect has been anything but easy. Though Rosas is highly admired from afar, he has too often been vilified at home.

During the last three tumultuous years, he has battled with a Common Council that thrives on attempting to diminish his prestige. Its petty agenda includes depleting the mayor’s travel expenses in the annual budget while also making life rough on those who are appointed to oversee departments within City Hall.

One of the most glaring examples of this involved the city attorney position. Before Rosas took over, the attorney was paid more than $70,000 annually with benefits. Nobody complained.

When a new council was seated in 2020, they took an ax to the salary of Richard Morrisroe — dropping it to $45,000. His current successor, Michael Bobseine, was treated just as rudely when he was proposed by Rosas for the position.

At a meeting in December, Bobseine was ignored by the council majority when he spoke about his interest in the position. Those same individuals finally came to their senses in approving Bobseine after seeing the six-figure sums that would come if the city contracted with a high-priced out-of-town law firm.

As a defense, the defiant members say they’re being responsible by looking out for the bottom line. But the actions are far too surly to be just about the money — especially when the city budget for a population of 12,000 residents is already more than $26 million annually. Council cutting $5,000 from a travel line or $15,000 from an important position has the same effect as tossing bird seed at a hungry heron. They’re targeting residue while ignoring the real meat of the spending plan.

Dunkirk’s embattled mayor even had at least one former council member of his own Democratic party blatantly working against him before he was re-elected in 2019. Some of it was personal, but a bigger reason was jealousy.

That toxicity spilled over into the position DeJoy currently holds that was a vital piece to winning the sweepstakes. During these last three years, there have been three different development directors. The two who previously held the position grew tired of working with antagonistic trustees. One even filed a claim before resigning that specifically noted the hostile working environment.

Politics has a way of wearing even the best of leaders down. When a majority is imposing its will for no good reason, there’s bound to be bitterness.

Forgotten in those three-year City Hall vendettas are community victories that include some expansions in an often-fragile manufacturing sector and the more than $36 million in grants that have helped with waterfront and infrastructure improvements in the city and region. Despite the constant grind, Rosas has continued to shoulder a heavy burden while working in the city’s best interests.

Monday’s announcement validated Rosas’ importance to the city. It also took a bit of the sting away from a sour three-year relationship with other elected leaders who don’t want to look at a bigger picture.

“We’re competing against all these other municipalities, most of them are bigger than Dunkirk, for these funds,” he said. “To me personally, this is probably … one of (Dunkirk’s) biggest accomplishments.”

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-366-3000, ext. 253.

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