Sixteen of the 19 current Chautauqua County legislators are seeking re-election. P-J file photo

After waiting a little bit more than two hours, candidate for Fredonia trustee Paul Wandel stepped forward during the public portion of the biweekly meeting. Compared to the lengthy discussion between the Chautauqua County Health Department and the elected officials regarding the longtime water problems, his statement was brief and to the point.

“Many people I have spoken with don’t have good things to say about the Village Board and village government regarding the relationship between the village government and Festivals Fredonia, specifically the Farm Festival,” he said. “I’m simply reporting what I’ve heard and they are not very positive comments.”

Those differences between the two entities — one an $11 million government, the other a non-profit led totally by volunteers — have led to threats of increased vendor fees and at least one major organizer resigning after seven years of leading the Farm Fest. It is not a good look.

Through it all, Wandel appears to be getting an earful while listening to those concerns within the community. After living in northern Chautauqua County occasionally for seven years, he became an official resident in 2021.

During a Republican caucus in June, Wandel was chosen by the party to run for one of the three open trustee seats. As a full-time newcomer to the region, he offers a fresh perspective.

Not everyone who is seeking office in November has that background. Many, despite unspectacular results from recent terms, are regulars on the ballot.

In the largest governments, including Chautauqua County, 16 Legislature incumbents are seeking another two-year term. In Jamestown, eight of the nine council members are seeking re-election. The only one who isn’t is At-Large representative Kim Ecklund, who is challenging current Mayor Eddie Sundquist.

Familiar faces also are evident in the north county. Four of Dunkirk’s five council representatives are hoping for new terms while At-Large member Dave Damico squares off against political novice Kate Wdowiasz for city mayor. Fredonia has three village seats being contested with the current members running again.

With so few accomplishments they can all point to — and not many “good things to say” about some of those in office — how do area voters tolerate this representation? When it comes to local elections, it is simple: a buddy system. Longtime officials, often delivering few results, are seemingly revered while being re-elected — sometimes without opposition.

It is not much different on the national level. As the presidential election nears for 2024, there is a chunk of America hoping it will not be a rematch of 2020 with Joe Biden going against Donald Trump. The flawed candidates — from different ends of the spectrum — have their similarities. Both have issues with their children that affect their role in office and both are getting older.

“That’s surprisingly one of the few things Americans can agree on right now — they don’t want a rematch,” Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, one of the lesser-known Republicans challenging Trump, told The New York Times last month. “Presidential campaigns should be about a vision of where our country should go. In both cases, there’s a lot of discussion of the past.”

A New York Times and Siena poll taken in late July showed a dead heat between the two with 43% for Biden and 43% backing Trump. The other 14% were highly undecided.

In the meantime, federal and state policies are more likely to draw ire from area residents than important topics on a local level. Human nature makes it easier to blame someone in Albany or Washington, than to truly look at the inaction and malaise that is promoted by the abundance who are in office here.

By the way, the number of elected positions we have in our 27 towns, 13 villages and two cities does not help the cause either. Counting municipal and school-board seats, elected representation tops 400 in Chautauqua County.

Overall, there are 207 positions to be decided locally in November. While that allows for plenty of finger-pointing and excuses, it remains far too many for a county with a total population of 126,000 — and dropping.

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.