Four years ago, Kim Ecklund was approached often to run for mayor of the county’s largest city. The timing just wasn’t right for the longtime member of the Jamestown City Council and employee of eSolutions Furniture.

Despite taking a pass on the mayor’s office in 2020, calls for her leadership persisted by members of the local Republican Party and from local residents.

“The last four years I had been asked over and over to really consider it,” Ecklund said of the calls for her to run, which she formally announced last spring.

In November, Ecklund defeated the incumbent, Eddie Sundquist, and officially makes history today in becoming only the second woman ever elected mayor of Jamestown.

Ecklund noted the need for renewed leadership in City Hall, a point she often brought up during her campaign. She said the “biggest complaint I heard from people, mostly internally, but also externally” was the need for a new management approach.

“I’m hoping that my role will definitely bring back that leadership position,” she told The Post-Journal shortly before her inauguration.

“I certainly have told every department head that I’ve interviewed, and are agreeing to appoint, that I’m not a micromanager,” she said of her plans to run the city. “I want to know what’s going on. Using the police chief as an example, I’m not a police officer, I don’t know the rules. I’m not going to try and meddle in; I don’t need to be at the forefront of you doing your job.”

Ecklund discussed the importance of drawing people to the city, especially the downtown corridor. That includes temporary visitors with a focus on tourism and more long-term tenants in the form of new businesses.

“I said during the campaign that we are not going to see, especially in New York state, another Cummins (Engines) built,” she said. “But we can get a million New Flyers, right? Maybe we can get a manufacturer that’s related to the medical industry.”

“I think we have to find our niche,” she added. “I don’t think we’ve been successful in finding our niche, and I’m not actually 100% sure if it’s one niche or three niches.”

With plenty of vacant properties downtown, Ecklund noted the potential to develop storefronts to accommodate new businesses while providing affordable housing options to their upper floors. With many turning to remote work, she said the city may become an attractive place for some to live while they plug in and work elsewhere.

Nonetheless, she believes there needs to be a draw to Jamestown.

“We need to have something to make it worth their while that they come to the Comedy Center for one day; spend the night in the hotel; eat in the restaurants; and spend a weekend here,” she said.

Ecklund already has filled a number of key positions in her young administration. She announced that Ericka Thomas, who also comes from eSolutions Furniture with decades of financial expertise, will be city comptroller.

“She’s going to bring a strong budgeting background,” Ecklund said of Thomas.

Jennifer Williams will remain the city clerk while Mark Roetzer will continue to be the acting director of the city Parks Department.

With his recent reappointment, Timothy Jackson will remain the city’s police chief.

Ecklund said Crystal Surdyk, director of development, and Elliot Raimondo, corporation counsel, will continue to serve as “hold overs” in her administration for the time being.

Ashlan Davis has been brought on as administrative assistant while Joseph Calimeri will serve as Ecklund’s executive assistant.

One of her early focuses as mayor will be to make the city more “reachable.” A complaint she heard often while campaigning was that offices at City Hall often were closed during lunch hours, when many people often run errands.

“I think that’s going to be a primary focus,” she said. “Some people are probably not going to be happy because I am going to come in with a different mindset. But, on the other hand, we’re here to serve the public.”

She added, “What I’m going to do isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to take some time. The first thing I’m going to do is not come in and fire everybody like the rumors going around; it’s coming in to see what’s going on from a different viewpoint than I’ve had for 20 years.”