Current Ward 5 representative, Bill Reynolds, is not running this year, leaving the spot open for either Democrat Hannah Jaroszynski or Republican Danny Hickman to take on the role for this ward.

For Jaroszynski, the decision to run for this office “came out of nowhere”, as she did not think back at the beginning of the year that she would run, but decided to after being asked by multiple members of her party to run throughout the last few months, along with conversations she had with her family and loved ones. For Hickman, the decision came because he has lived in Jamestown for 50 years, and remembers how the city used to be. He said he believes the city can be prosperous and would like to help make it so again. Hickman has done a lot of work to try and help improve the community, working at the Red Cross for about 10 years teaching first-aid, and now working with the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College for nine and a half years.

“I jokingly say I taught people how to save lives, now I teach them how to save the economy,” Hickman said. “And I really focus on wanting to see Jamestown prosperous again and see people excited to live in Jamestown. I just love the community and want to do what I can to help.”

Jaroszynski is a licensed mental health counselor who works and lives in Jamestown, specializing in working with children, teens, and young adults and their families. A lot of her work focuses on connecting the people she works with to resources and working through things like generational trauma. Her work, she added, allows her to be a listener and to hear people’s concerns before reacting to something.

Hannah Jaroszynski is the Democratic Party candidate for the City Council’s seat in Ward 5city council Ward 5 this year. Submitted photo

“I’ve seen families and I’ve worked with them when they’ve been at their lowest, so I think that’s what gives me a unique perspective into the needs of the residents of our city,” Jaroszynski said. “But, I also want people to know that not only because of my career but also just in the way I was raised, I’m a listener before I am a reactor.”

In regards to neighborhoods such as Fulton Street and other declining neighborhoods in the city, Jaroszynski said issues like this are not isolated to Jamestown, adding that her sister lives in Philadelphia where there are similar struggles. A lot of these struggles, she said, comes down to communication and people struggling to connect to resources.

“Whether it’s working with the Department of Development and code to get a plan for these houses, a plan for contacting landlords, or whether you are dealing with people who are squatting, homeless, dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues, I think one thing that the city could really need is kind of like a hub, for ok, what are all of our resources and how do we contact them?” Jaroszynski said. “Because, we have a lot of people in this community doing a lot of great things and have a lot of great ideas and great resources, but sometimes people move around so much and are offering different things … almost having a city managed directory of here’s who you can contact for this.”

This potential directory would allow for people struggling with mental health or substance abuse to know where to go and who to contact, and is something Jaroszynski said ties into the issues in neighborhoods like Fulton Street. It would also include ways to contact the Department of Development or code enforcement. Jaroszynski added that people in her neighborhood and ward have talked with her about issues that they have seen and they do not know how to contact the DOD or city code or even who they would call.

Hickman agreed, saying that his goal for neighborhoods would be to find a way to hold absentee landlords accountable and to remedy the neighborhoods being left to rot somehow, whether it’s tearing down houses, working on zoning, or holding them responsible for their properties.

“My biggest pursuit would be, if elected, I want to work with the Department of Development and zoning and code enforcement to see what legal actions can be taken against these landlords who are not taking care of their properties that are causing a lot of this blight to come to our area,” Hickman said.

As far as finances in the city goes, Jaroszynski and Hickman agreed that transparency in the city’s finances is something that is needed.

“I definitely think we need to increase transparency with regular updates with citizens on city spending and projects, because I believe that every tax dollar should work as hard as the people who earn it,” Jaroszynski said. “And I definitely think that there probably are some different areas where we can cut spending, but I also think it might just involve moving things around and looking at what’s our efficiency like? Who do we have working where? How many people are in this department compared to this one?”

Hickman said that he has seen over the last few years an attempt to get things back in financial order, but that there are some concerns about deficits needing to be made up. He added that people deserve to see where the money is going and what it is being used for, so transparency is something that is important.

Another issue that has been raised with the current city council in the last year has been the safety of the city, and whether or not Jamestown can be seen as a safe place to live, work and raise a family. Both Jarosynski and Hickman agreed that a lot of this reputation as to whether or not it is safe comes with perspective, with someone living in an area such as Fulton Street having a different perspective than someone who does not. Hickman said that some of the safety issues come due to the state’s bail reform that does not allow the police to be able to do their jobs.

“It’s sad and frustrating because families shouldn’t be afraid to walk downtown,” Hickman said. “Families shouldn’t be afraid to let their kids play outside. There’s an overarching issue, obviously, when we have concerns with a population that is dealing with chemical dependency or mental health issues that are not able to be adequately addressed, which then leads to more instances of crime.”

Hickman said he would not call Jamestown overall an unsafe city, but that he knows there are places in the city that would benefit from having a stronger police presence.

Jaroszynski also cited problems with people in need of help for mental health and substance abuse, returning to her previous idea of a hub for city resources for people to use to go to when they need help. Of course, she said there are people that do not want help, but with the population she works with, a lot of people want help and guidance, but need help to know where to go and where to start. Jaroszynski said she is also a strong supporter of the Jamestown police and fire departments, and wants to make sure the departments feel supported as well.

Many of the ongoing issues, Hickman said, cannot fully be remedied but can be mitigated by bringing in more jobs to the area and helping with the economy in the city, which he added is a big concern for people in the city.

“I really think if we can get business to come into the area, if we can bring additional manufacturing into the area, we open up the doors to provide good jobs to people … because there is opportunity in pretty much any area of industry for people to work,” Hickman said. “I think if we’re able to get people back to work that helps to mitigate some of the problems in terms of homelessness, because they will now have a solid income that allows them to be able to afford housing. It enables people to feel some pride in their community because of what they do for a living, and I think it’s really important that the empty storefront becomes the exception to the rule versus the standard.”

Overall, Jaroszynski said she is someone who wants people to be happy and succeed, and that if she is elected she will represent everyone in her ward, whether they voted for her or if they agree or disagree on issues, protecting their rights to disagree and having an open dialogue with them if they do.

“I also believe that’s the only way you can live and grow as a human being, is to have those civil and educated conversations with other people and see where they’re coming from,” Jaroszynski said. “What are their experiences, because those are just as valid as people who do agree with me. I think we really need to start bringing the city together, no matter your political affiliation, no matter your tax bracket, no matter your education level or socio-economic status or whatever it may be.”