Carruba currently serves on the city’s Finance Committee and chairs the Housing Committee. She also runs and supervises Southwestern Independent Living Center, where she is the executive director and an attorney.

Paterniti is a former receiving clerk employed by SKF USA. He has also worked for The Pub for nearly 40 years.

Both candidates have been asked the same questions to better understand their individual platforms.

PJ: Is there one recurring theme you’re hearing from voters as you go door-to-door? How do you think the council can best address those voters’ issues?

Marie Carruba

Carruba: Residents are concerned about traffic safety issues including vehicles exceeding the speed limit, excessive vehicle noise, and individuals not following traffic rules while using bicycles, scooters, and skateboards. I have heard numerous complaints about the speed of the electric vehicles and scooters and individuals weaving in and out of traffic that have a direct impact on public safety. Noise from motorcycles, loud exhaust systems and vehicle speakers are disruptive and affect the quality of life for our community. The council has responded by approving the hiring of additional officers to increase enforcement and ticketing of violators, some of whom are repeat offenders.

The addition of the nuisance officer who was hired on May 27, 2023 has already had a significant impact alone and as of October 13, 2023, that officer has issued 27 tickets for loud vehicle music, 35 loud exhausts, 1 reckless driving, 3 bicycles operating in incorrect lanes, 1 failure to stop at a stop sign, 1 for speed in Zone-1, 2 unregistered vehicles, 4 uninsured vehicles, and 5 uninspected vehicles. I’ve also heard concerns about infrastructure projects and the need for better storm water management. I have repeatedly raised my concerns at council meetings that more needs to be done as we have had major flooding events not only in Ward 4, but in other areas around the city causing significant property damage to residents. The issue was also discussed when bonding came up for several infrastructure projects that could have and should have been funded through ARPA. Unfortunately, the council was not provided with the information in time to allocate significant funds accordingly for the newly proposed bonding projects that, if approved, will cost much more due to higher interest rates.

Paterniti: Clearly people are disappointed in the overall lack of action on agenda items on a regular basis primarily due to many issues needing more due diligence. When elected my plan is to introduce legislation with time constraints on tabling if allowed. People are upset with the way homelessness has been addressed. It starts with the state and the policies they have adopted.

On the west side where I am running, and throughout the city, from many others, the continuing nuisance of the deer population is not only a safety risk with Lyme’s disease but a danger to traffic throughout including downtown Jamestown. A very well-designed plan was presented and tabled for another day. Two years later should be plenty of time.

PJ: Homelessness, affordable housing and code enforcement have long been identified as growing problems in the city. What actions do you think the city and the council should take to address these problems?

Carruba: These issues are not easily or quickly resolved and require a multi-pronged approach. The shortage of adequate housing can only be improved by bringing community agencies together as the city alone does not have the resources or staffing to do it. While the city and council have allocated a significant amount of funding to address these issues more needs to be done. Funding needs to be used for code compliance projects to ensure that the needs of seniors and income eligible residents are appropriately addressed. Additional code enforcement officers are being trained to quickly address violations and to prevent properties from further deterioration. ARPA (American Rescue Funds Act) funds were provided more than $1.8 million dollars for senior homeowners to complete major housing repairs including roofs; as of October 13, 2023, over $1.4 million dollars has been spent to complete the repairs. $530,000 in ARPA funds was allocated for non-seniors in the form of $2500 mini grants that assisted 212 homeowners to repair porches, windows, and other items that may have prevented future code violations. $500,000 dollars in ARPA funds was allocated for the 19A home ownership program with $250,000 spent already. This program is managed through the JLDC and will assist in reducing the need to demolish some properties that need work. These properties will then be restored and remain on the tax rolls while also increasing the number of owner-occupied properties in the city. Addressing homelessness, the council recently approved funding to assist a local nonprofit agency in expanding housing options and services for homeless women as the local shelters have been unable to meet the demand. COI received most of the funding through state and federal grants but was just short of the amount needed to complete the project due to delays and rising rehabilitation costs. The city has designated funds for rental rehabilitation programs that landlords can utilize, to bring their rental units into code compliance, and thereby improve the quality of rental units.

Paterniti: Affordable housing, Interesting, as what does one define as affordable and to whom. Subprime lending back a time ago led to housing being acquired by those in non-responsible situations. Leading the way to deteriorating properties. Before housing can be affordable the city needs to be proactive in the marketing of bringing good paying jobs to the city. By doing so housing becomes more lucrative to buy in the city as opposed to outlying towns and villages, hence increasing overall tax base.

Unfortunately, mortgage interest rates are now too high for many average income citizens to acquire affordable properties due to the inflationary situation the country is in. Ultimately all these factors tie into each other, which is a nationwide problem, all being tied into the current federal administration’s policies and practices.

Homelessness- This needs to be addressed at the state levels first and foremost as ultimately, it is the administration that is flowing many of them into the state. Ensuring safe refuge once here should rely solely on them. To do that a comprehensive action plan should flow down to the communities allowing such safe refuge at the state’s expense not the local municipalities.

Code Enforcement- It all starts with accountability, clearly these issues should be addressed through the departments responsible for the code enforcement. By budgeting and staffing correctly along with enforcing the fines should likely offset that line item in the department’s budget.

Staffing and prompt response are key to success in assessing the violators.

PJ: Eight buildings were identified as key redevelopment opportunities in the Urban Design Plan. Three of those parcels have found new tenants, while five are largely unchanged – the Furniture Mart building, Viking Building, Key Bank Building, the former Craft World and Action Hobbies building on Third Street and storefronts in the Hotel Jamestown. Are you satisfied with the progress made in new futures for those buildings over the past five years and how can the council stimulate development in those areas?

Carruba: No one should be satisfied until all these buildings are owned and occupied by vibrant businesses and/or tenants. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic was very difficult to navigate and many projects that were in the development phases pulled out due to changes in their financial positions. While remote work has enabled individuals to move to our area that might not have considered it, we have had several businesses give up their leases and there are more vacant buildings. The difficulty now is attracting businesses to a downtown area that doesn’t have the foot traffic that it once had in years past. We need to do a better job of marketing our lower cost of doing business, combined with the lower electricity costs through the BPU, and affordable building leases to expand local businesses and attract out of town businesses. Working cooperatively with NYS, Chautauqua County, Chautauqua County Chamber, Chautauqua County IDA, Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board, Jamestown Community College, and other community partners to incentivize local businesses to expand their operations, while also encouraging businesses to relocate here. These efforts would have a much greater impact on the entire county. We first need to do more to support our own local businesses that currently anchor downtown to provide appropriate incentives and perhaps even look at reducing their property assessments where warranted. As we have done with the Country View estates to encourage new home builds, that has a gradual increase in tax assessments over a 10 year period, we might need to look at something like first encourage local businesses to invest in expanding their businesses and then reach outside the area to expand our efforts.

Paterniti: Addressing the proper marketing strategy should be the first objective into the equation. The current design plan has failed to produce. A newer more comprehensive vision where identifying what is the best fit for those properties, and how you want those businesses you are trying to attract to purchase, develop and move into them. Incentive driven programs designed creatively to ensure no lost funding to the city taxpayers is essential. Look at Ellicottville as an example, or a blueprint for success. It’s safe, it’s clean, it’s visitor friendly, and it sustains even out of resort ski season. It has a great combination of various businesses to suit all.

We have several diamonds in the equation in the downtown area; work collaboratively with them to seek better vision on the design fit.