Within the last year, especially in the north county, debates with the public have become almost as fractured as partisan disagreements that are regularly taking place in Washington. Since the start of this year, at least three trustees have stepped away from their positions.

For some, the stress of the job becomes too much. Others, however, cannot commit to making all the meetings. There also is the one who, after all the years of passing budgets and new laws, just decides the time is right to move on.

That was the sentiment in Cassadaga earlier this year by Bill Astry. “I have decided that I no longer need the positives of village service at this time in my life,” he said in his letter of resignation at the beginning of this year, noting he did not want to be part of the new administration. “I have always considered myself as a common sense kind of person and this makes sense to me.”

Astry was lucky. He was not leaving in a time of major crisis.

Fredonia Trustee Christine Cruz Keefe sits without company during a recent Village Board meeting. File photo

Jon Espersen in Fredonia was not as fortunate.

During his run for office in 2021, there was a sense he knew what he might be getting into. Reflecting on a dysfunctional board that had more bickering than accomplishments during that time frame, Espersen said while on the campaign trail: “Finger pointing and the blame game cannot and should not replace representative government. I have personally not felt represented since the current board assumed office, and that refrain is heard time and time again when speaking with unsatisfied and angry citizens.”

Fredonia’s mood remains sour, especially to outsiders. Following a 2025-26 budget approval that included a 54% tax increase and a never-ending water debate that has brought constant criticism, Espersen had enough and submitted his resignation in late April.

It just wasn’t worth it.

To that point, serving as trustee usually comes with a paltry payoff. In Fredonia, that equates to $6,000 per year while attending meeting or workshop gatherings that take place nearly every week. Council members in Dunkirk and Jamestown earn around $7,000 but in smaller towns and villages, the salary can be less than $2,000 annually.

Compare that with the yearly earnings for members of the Chautauqua County Legislature. Buoyed by increasing sales-tax revenues, the governing body has a surplus of more than $35 million while still hiking property taxes of the residents they serve.

In 2025, those lawmakers received a 64% pay increase to more than $14,700 — double of what any current councilman or trustee earns. Majority Republican members, selfishly and shamelessly, approved that hike the prior year.

That sums up the lack of pressure to get things done in the county seat of Mayville. It is nothing like the recent events that have shattered Dunkirk and Fredonia where cash flow is tenuous or non-existent. Elected officials of the past — who got out while the getting was good — forced the municipalities into these messes that remain front and center at the moment.

Critics of those in office speak to their representatives as being “thinned skin.” Social media has added to the piling on. Snarky remarks made in comment threads have allowed discourse — online and in person — to deteriorate.

For the record, almost no individual — those in government, education or in the private sector — reacts well to negative feedback.

Extreme sensitivity to questioning is a trait President Donald Trump has mastered. Because he has the means, he consistently is looking to litigation to squash those who scrutinize his actions. It is something former President Ronald Reagan would have never wasted his time doing.

Back on the local scene, Silver Creek learned trustee Bill Barnes — who won re-election in 2024 — resigned his seat due to work obligations this month. It was the third time in four years a trustee called it quits.

West Seneca, in Erie County, is in a worse situation. Town Board member Marc Priore resigned after 31 days in the position — after replacing another member who had resigned only three months ago. “There’s just not enough hours in the day,” he said in The Buffalo News about the workload on the board. “So, essentially, something had to give.”

As was witnessed this week with the failed 78-55 village dissolution vote for South Dayton in Cattaraugus County on Tuesday, residents continue to be mistakenly beholden to local governments that keep growing larger no matter how few they serve. They often blame woes here on representatives in Washington and Albany.

Be assured, your property taxes are not being reduced while the area population decreases. Those rising costs are not dictated by federal and state actions. They are — unmistakably — decisions being made by your neighbors. Specifically, those you have elected.

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.