Trending
A Jamestown Republican has been tapped as the Chautauqua County Legislature's next majority leader.
Dave Wilfong, who represents District 11 in the legislature, succeeds Tom Harmon for the ranking position. He told reporters Monday that he believes he was asked to lead because he "gets along well with others and I can work both sides of the aisle."
"I'm a kind of 'can-do' kind of person," he said. "What we always need to keep in mind is the economic development now with the new land that we purchased around the county."
That includes plans to have a site "shovel ready" in the town of Ripley just off Interstate 90. Wilfong believes the Ripley project, which just recently was awarded state funds, will be a boon for the county. "I'm going to tell you right now, I think that's going to be a big-ticket item for us," he said, later adding, "believe me, there's always something around the corner for the county at that level. I think we were criticized last year for the fund balance that we kept. I think with the rate of inflation and the problems that we see with our economy, I think this fall ... we'll be happy we've got that little nest egg."
At present, Republicans hold a super majority in the county Legislature. Nonetheless, Wilfong believes the legislators work well together as a group.
He said he also looks forward to working with Jamestown Mayor Kim Ecklund, who was sworn into office Monday during a ceremony at City Hall. Wilfong himself unsuccessfully ran for the mayor's office in 2020.
"I'm looking forward to establishing a relationship with the City Council through the legislature," he said. "Some of the things we could actually let the city know what's coming. One was the tipping fee at the landfill."