As City Council elections loom on Nov. 4, candidates for the council’s Ward 3 seat are focused on working to help people in the city.

Newcomer Republican Seth States is challenging current seat holder Democrat Regina Brackman for the Ward 3 seat. States said he became interested in running because he felt he needed to stand up and help the people in the city who are struggling.

“A lot of people that I thought would’ve made a good choice are struggling to make it out there,” States said. “They’re focusing on their families. They’re trying to work two jobs and they’re either burnt out from that or they just don’t think there’s anything to be done, so they just stay out of politics. A lot of people have left New York in recent years too, so for me I had to step up because at this point with what I’ve seen not a lot of people are willing to step up to do the job.”

Brackman is looking to continue her work with another term as the Ward 3 representative to council, as she expressed that there is still work she feels she needs to do.

“I still feel that there’s work for me to do,” Brackman said. “I still feel like I’m being called to serve the residents of Ward 3 and I just feel that it is something I am called to do. There’s still a need for me to be that voice for the people, to do what they feel they need to improve their quality of life or address their issues. I feel it is something I have been called to do and want to see it through.”

States has lived in Jamestown for half of his life, living in Sinclairville the other half and graduating from Cassadaga Valley Central School in 2012. He said he is a fan of history, traveling, learning about historical events, going to the movies and playing video games. Work wise, States described himself as having a wide background, ranging from customer service to security and factory work. He has no previous government work history but spends time volunteering to do things like help the homeless and take care of the environment, and sometimes spends time as a speaker for some groups.

For Brackman, she said she sees herself not as a talker but a listener. She focuses on listening to people’s problems and trying to make the best decisions she can, adding that while she is a registered Democrat she does not see party lines and will help everyone she can.

“I see people and their needs,” Brackman said. “I am a resident of the city of Jamestown and the concerns that my constituents have I experience as well. I just want to make sure that I’m representing based on that. I am them, I am one of the people and that’s how I see myself.”

Brackman added that she is empathetic to the residents of the city, and that she does not mince words, speaking straight from her heart.

When it comes to neighborhoods in the city, States said his goal if elected would be to help clean up the condemned and run down houses.

“We have a lot of run down houses that could use help from the government,” States said. “I know it’s not usually the job of the government to go and try to clean out people’s houses, but people are struggling and there’s a lot of house stock that is run down.”

States said he would also like to put more money towards taking down these houses, and the goal of taking down 20 or 30 a year is not quite enough. He added that these houses are a major safety issue as well.

A lot of the current issues the City Council has been seeing in regards to neighborhoods is the existence of a lot of absentee landlords and the lack of accountability for them that allows them to let their properties fall to substandard conditions, and Brackman said in her next term she would advocate for the same thing she did two years ago, in trying to help the Department of Development.

“We need to staff the Department of Development, as far as code enforcement, appropriately so they can address the violations that are being reported and people are living with,” Brackman said. “I feel strongly that that department needs, I mean I am all for the police and fire departments and another department that I would put on that same level would be the Department of Development as it relates to the enforcement of the codes.”

Getting more people from the Development Department out as the boots on the ground to enforce citations and violations would be a big help for neighborhoods, Brackman said, as that is one of the biggest things she hears as a council member from people that there is no standard for renting or maintenance. She noted she sees this on her own street and would like to continue being involved in working to enforce code violations.

As far as city finances go, States said the city is in a tough spot, and that businesses and people are constantly moving out, and people are not buying homes, leading to taxes not coming in. He said he would like to help market Jamestown better, with maybe a little bit less of a focus on tourism and more of a focus on making it a business-friendly place.

“My opinion is to see what we can live without and then just try to make smart choices,” States said. “I think the main thing is, we’ve got to market Jamestown … to be a better place to live in and start your business.”

For Brackman, as the council continues working through the current budget process, she said it is hard to know where or if cuts can be made as the city runs like a business and has departments with needs and critical resources. She said she does not see a waste as far as resources and spending go, but that for the next few weeks council will continue to look at the budget and do what they can.

Safety wise, States said the city has been getting bad press lately but overall he has been in some cities that are worse safety-wise than Jamestown. He said he still believes Jamestown is a good place to live but sees people losing hope, and personally remains optimistic that there is a way to turn the bad parts of the city around. There are things to do as a community, States added, like talking to kids and getting out into the community more such as with different or new cultural focused events.

“It’s easy to complain about everything going on, but to me you have to make the sacrifices because if you don’t sacrifice your time to make the community a better place then nothing is really going to get done,” States said. “If we all cooperate together we’ll make our voices heard and if we try to be nicer neighbors to each other and we just get active, I think that’s the first step to making the community a better place. It all starts with one step.”

Brackman agreed with States that the city is getting better in some areas of safety, adding that some of the issues are not necessarily being caused by residents themselves but from other people coming in. She returned to the problem of understaffing, this time in the police department, saying that the department is very understaffed and if the city could bring in more officers that would allow them to be more active in the community and respond to more calls that are not just violent crimes. She cited areas such as Fulton Street where people are willing to come together and get involved to help the neighborhood, but added that having the ability for police to be more active would be good as well.

Overall, Brackman said she encourages people to come to city council meetings to learn and express their concerns. She added that it is sad to hear from people who do come that others do not because they feel it is a waste of time, and that she hopes to be able to help change that so people can come and advocate for themselves.

“I can definitely speak for you but it’s something about when the person that’s actually living in that situation, when they come and speak they can reach the whole council,” Brackman said. “My hope is that by doing so that they will get the resolution that they are looking for, … Come to the meetings, that’s what we’re there for. Bring your concerns to the meetings. Ask us to do whatever we can to help in that situation. Some things are out of our control, but if there is anything we can do we need to make every effort to try and do it. … Come to the meetings and educate yourselves and express your concerns.”