The question of who will be elected to the Chautauqua County Legislature will soon be answered.

The Post-Journal/OBSERVER invited all candidates who are running for the legislature to answer two questions:

1) What do you believe that Chautauqua County government has accomplished in the last two years?

2) What are your goals to improve the county?

Lisa Vanstrom

Below are the candidates running and responses received for those running for Districts 14 and 15, as well as what boundaries the new districts include.

DISTRICT 14

District 14 includes the towns of Ellington, Charlotte, Gerry, including the village of Sinclairville, and parts of the towns of Ellicott and Poland. Incumbent Daniel Pavlock is running unopposed. He will be on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Reached by email, Pavlock declined to answer the questions, stating, “I really don’t have an opponent, I feel the others need the coverage.”

DISTRICT 15

Kurt Gustafson

District 15 includes part of the town of Ellicott, including the villages of Celoron and Falconer. Incumbent Lisa Vanstrom is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. She is being challenged by Kurt Gustafson, who is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines.

Vanstrom’s response to the questions is as follows:

1) “Together we have cut the real property tax rate, and we need to continue to keep it in check. This benefits all Chautauqua County residents and helps keep jobs right here at home. At the same time, we have invested, and we need to continue to invest wisely in our community development, while using our taxpayers’ dollars responsibly.

The Soil and Water Conservation District, under the leadership of David Spann, has continued to take on multi-faceted, challenging projects, for the greater benefit throughout the county. This also benefits all county residents by keeping our area a great place to live.”

2) “To enable private sector businesses, such as Dahlstrom Roll Form to stay, employ our workforce, grow, build locally and sell globally or where the market requires, with the infrastructure ready to meet the needs of that goal.”

Gustafson’s response to the two questions is as follows:

1) “To begin with, I believe the county has underperformed and overtaxed all county residents. The county is sitting on a $37 million fund balance. It is time to invest in the county and not tout fiscal responsibility as an excuse to overtax our residents. Nevertheless, the county’s transportation department employees worked hard to maintain our roadways. I hope that the county will see an increase in ridership to the CHQ Transit initiative and its new look. The Emergency Services Department is to be commended for launching their smartphone app. Renovations to the Lucas Avenue Social Services building in Dunkirk were appropriate. The introduction of the Mobile Health vehicle should also serve residents well. Residents in the South County also appreciate the additional hours to the South County Transfer Station.”

2) “I am in a unique position to improve Chautauqua County with my 19 years of service as an Assistant County Attorney in Mayville. I worked with County Executives Thomas, Edwards, Horrigan, Edwards and Borrello over that time period. I had the privilege of presenting legal issues to legislators at committee meetings and presiding on occasion as the Parliamentarian at county legislature meetings. I mostly enjoyed offering supervisory and leadership training to county supervisors on many occasions. My knowledge of county operations gives me the ability to ask the right questions and to challenge county leaders and employees to make the best use of our resources and more importantly to form meaningful partnerships with localities to address many serious issues confronting our communities. My specific goals are as follows:

Initiate meaningful discussions and form a partnership with the Neighborhood Watch group in Falconer to better serve transitionally-housed people in the Falconer area.

Work harder and smarter to obtain better results in enhancing the tax base. A thorough review of the Industrial Development Agency is needed, knowing that their board must be supportive of constructive criticism instead of taking a defensive posture. There are too many vacant buildings and community blight is too prevalent.

With an enhanced tax base, the county can afford to invest in communities and community spirit in fostering community pride and a sense of belonging. A pilot program can begin in Falconer to coincide with the momentum that has started on a grassroots level.

Place an emphasis on addressing rampant drug abuse in the county. The Combat Addiction campaign and its resources are a good start, and I have heard very good public service announcements on the radio. More outreach and finding long-term solutions to recovery and having some sense of hope and caring are keys to making progress in this regard.

The above goals would be accomplished by asking the right questions and challenging county leaders to seek partners to provide valuable insight and capitalize on shared services. A legislator’s role is to be knowledgeable of the legislative district and its assets and challenges, to be a voice for residents of their district, and to offer real solutions to real problems.”

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