Running for the At-Large seats this year are familiar faces; Republican Russell Bonfiglio, and Republican Randy Daversa, with three new names putting forth their candidacy as well, Democrat Daniel Gonzalez, Democrat Jeremy Engquist and Republican Michael Zanghi.

This will be both Gonzalez’s and Engquist’s first time running for this type of position, but both have served on board seats in committees and panels in other places. Both came to the decision to run as they both expressed a willingness to help where they can in the city after seeing and hearing about some of the city’s ongoing problems.

“I believe in selfless service,” Gonzalez said. “I’m a dad. I’m down to earth. I don’t believe in partisan politics. I’m an immigrant and an Army veteran. I’m proud of my military service. I work hard for what I have and I have a great sense of holding myself accountable for my missteps but learning from them and I hold others accountable for their own actions as well.”

Additionally, Gonzalez said he believes in complete transparency and making sure people understand where he is coming from and what to expect from him, along with always being willing to sit down with anyone to talk without judgement.

Jeremy Engquist, a Democratic candidate for one of three At Large city council seats. Submitted photo

For Zanghi, he said like many of the other candidates, he is running because he feels he can make a difference in the city. He added that he can only promise what he can control but will have an open ear for all.

“I truly am bipartisan and will listen to all parties and especially listen to the great people living in our community,” Zanghi said. “There is only one way to do anything, and that is the right way. Mostly, I hold the City of Jamestown to a much higher standard than any political party and/or groups.”

Zanghi has also been a football and baseball coach in our area for a better part of 49 years, coaching from every level from youth through High School Varsity.

Engquist has lived in the city for 18 years and like Gonzalez is a father, working as a Special Education teacher at BOCES. His four children are all a part of Jamestown Public Schools.

“I’ve been invested in this community for 18 years basically and this strong commitment that I have is my children and my wife and the various ways I have taught in and around the area,” Engquist said. “I’m a Special Education teacher at BOCES and I’ve coached for Jamestown Public Schools … I feel like I’m invested in this community and committed to our city and its future.”

Daniel Gonzalez, one of the Democratic candidates for one of the city’s At Large seats. Submitted photo

When it comes to issues in the city, such as some of the neighborhoods that are on the decline, all three candidates agree that one of the major ways to help fix some of the city’s neighborhoods that are having issues is by holding absentee landlords accountable. They also agree on the need to tear down or fix condemned houses in the city and that there is a need for the city council, mayor, Department of Development and all other entities involved to sit down together and work on a path forward.Zanghi also briefly discussed the issue of litter and garbage.

“It seems that many neighborhoods I go in are all full of trash and litter,” Zanghi said. “Even the garbage collectors leave fallen garbage in the streets which is obviously and totally unacceptable. This would need to be addressed. Many times it’s the little things that can make a world of difference,”

Engquist said the city also needs to be focusing more on bringing in jobs and small businesses.

“Fast food jobs are great but they’re not enough to keep a family of four or six sustainable,” Engquist said. “We need good paying jobs, we need investment from our city to help bring those jobs in, and it starts with our council and mayor working together and trying to get good paying jobs and trying to narrow the poverty gap.”

The ability for the city to generate revenue also ties into the city’s current financial state for these city council candidates, as again both agree that the current finances are in disarray, especially after almost seeing an eight percent tax increase last year. Engquist said this can be through things like bringing in more events, even as the city looks to lose Gus Macker this summer, and Gonzalez also talked a bit more about the creation of jobs.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to generate revenue,” Gonzalez said. “I think the way you generate revenue is by having able-bodied individuals working in the community, and how are you going to get more able-bodied individuals to come work in this community? They have to have jobs available to them and if they don’t have jobs they’re not coming here.”

For Zanghi, he said he will need to be schooled as to how city finances work, but that he also has complete faith in Mayor Kim Ecklund and the city’s finance committee, and that both trying to save the city money and spend it wisely is not easy.

As far as safety in the city goes, both Gonzalez and Zanghi say it is a matter of perspective as to whether or not the city’s growing reputation of not being safe is something residents agree with. For someone living in one of the increasingly bad neighborhoods, it might not seem safe, they said, while in other areas it may seem fine. Both said there are ways forward into making the city safer, such as helping those with mental health and substance abuse issues get treatment instead of brushing them aside, and helping out the police department to allow them to be able to do their jobs.

“I think that Jamestown is not too far gone and that there is a way forward,” Gonzalez said. “I think there needs to be more work done to safeguard the citizenry. And how do you safeguard Jamestownians, by getting rid of the environment where bad things can occur.”

Zanghi agreed that the city is a safe place, saying that all cities have their own problem areas and unique circumstances.

“The Jamestown Police and Fire Departments do a bang up job in keeping all of us safe and our homes secure,” Zanghi said. “They put their lives on the line every minute of every day to keep us safe. The Jamestown Public School System is second to none. Our children get a top notch education.”

Engquist noted that Democrats have not won a city wide election since 2019, but that for him and the city his political views in that regard do not matter, as no matter what he wants to help the city. The most important thing, he said, is that he wants to help every resident in the city.

“I love this city and in two years time I want to look at my term and say, ‘is the city better than it was’, and at the end of the day be able to say it is a little bit better than it was,” Engquist said. “Or be able to say it is getting better or trending in the right way, something. I want a place for my children to want to stay at when they go to college and get a degree and come back. I want to have opportunities for them to want to be here and I don’t want them to go somewhere else if they don’t want to.”