P-J photos by Eric Tichy

Editor’s Note: This is the third of a four-part series featuring the three mayoral candidates.

Affordable housing is an important issue in the city, which is why the three candidates running for mayor discussed the topic during a debate at The Post-Journal.

The Post-Journal asked each of the three candidates running for mayor, Andrew Liuzzo, city councilman running on the Libertarian Party line, Eddie Sundquist, local attorney running on the Democrat, Independence and Working Families Party lines, and David Wilfong, county legislator running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines, “Does Jamestown have an affordable housing problem, and if so, how would you propose solving it?”

Sundquist said his answer to the question is based on his experience as an attorney working in real estate. He said Jamestown has affordable housing. However, he said the one problem is the city has a very old housing stock.

“One of my solutions to deal with that is to pilot a tax credit program,” he said. “To allow homeowners to make necessary repairs — whether that is painting, a roof, siding, sidewalk repairs — to have some credit from taxes to use businesses that are run out of the city. Use local contractors to support the repairs.”

Sundquist said the city on the other hand doesn’t have the most affordable rentals and many of them are not being properly maintained.

“A lot of them end up on tax foreclosure rolls, get sold and the new owners realize how much work needs to get put into them to bring them back to code,” he said. “My solution is for that is not only do we get aggressive on code enforcement, but to have rental inspections whenever there is a sale or property is transferred in the city.”

This way city officials make sure whoever gets the new property is buying one that is up to code, inspected and ready to go for the next tenants moving in, Sundquist said. He said this would only be for rentals, not owner-occupied homes. He added this would lessen the burden on city code enforcement officers.

“The county, when someone sells or transfers a home, does an inspection on septic or well testing,” he said. “They are already doing that as part of a local law. No reason here in Jamestown we can’t inspect a rental property before it is sold or transferred.”

Liuzzo said Jamestown doesn’t have an affordable housing problem as much as a substandard housing problems. He said the idea of installing new prefabricated houses on vacant lots would improve the city’s housing stock.

Liuzzo also said that Jamestown City Council members, who represent a ward, should have better interaction with their neighborhoods so they know the problem properties.

“There should be better interaction between council members and their wards,” he said. “I believe a ward councilperson should be aware of each home, in each neighborhood. As a councilman At-Large, I find it very disturbing how many citizens in the six wards can’t identify their councilperson. Many of (the council members) have been there for many years. Regular walks through their wards, conversations with their constituents is the only way to identify problem areas.”

Liuzzo said if a tenet is to blame for a problem at a rental, they will be held accountable. Also, he said if the landlord is to blame for an issue at a rental property, they will also be held responsible.

“Those who suffer the most from substandard housing are children and elderly, who are victims of circumstance,” he said.

Wilfong agreed with Sundquist that the houses in Jamestown are affordable, but he said the issue is finding quality, well-paying jobs so people can afford to purchase those properties.

“I think that is the problem that we are having. The city doesn’t have money,” he said. “People don’t have the money to buy the homes and then (the properties) become rentals, which has become another problem,” he said.

Wilfong said there should be an application process for operating permits for rental apartments and houses, which will lead to inspections to make sure the property is up to code, and is also a safe structure that has heat, electric, water and adequate living space.

“I think the city needs to get involved more than they have,” he said. “As far as city council goes, as far as code enforcement goes, we need to work harder on that. What we are doing now isn’t working. All you have to do is drive around the city. We’ve got to get more aggressive with that. So we have to make it more profitable for landlords to be in the business. We’ve got good landlords and bad landlords. We need to make sure good things happen to the good and bad things happen to the bad.”

During time for rebuttal, Sundquist said that both Liuzzo, as a city councilman, or Wilfong, as a county legislator representing the city of Jamestown, haven’t done what they propose in their current elected positions.

“As far as working with the city to change the code or make changes to housing or code enforcement, we haven’t seen any of those things,” he said. “If you wanted to change the code, that could happen tomorrow by working with the council. These are things that could happen immediately, but have not been done by my opponents.”

Liuzzo responded by stating that anyone who has attended council meetings, reads The Post-Journal or pays attention to the media during the last two and half years knows he has very little support from his fellow council members.

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Liuzzo said. “It hasn’t stopped me from doing what I have to do. These issues will be addressed because they need to be addressed.”

Wilfong said rehabilitation programs like the one operated by the Chautauqua County Land Bank is another way to improve housing in the city. He also said more projects like the current house being built on Norton Avenue by the Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity is another way to upgrade housing in the city.

“I think we have to get more people involved, the private sector, private ownership. I think we have to do more to build communities,” he said.