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In Our Opinion

Big Brother Is Watching; Do You Mind?

The use of cameras as a policing tool may be expanding locally. The village of Lakewood is considering the use of cameras on Fairmount Avenue, Fairdale Avenue, Chautauqua Avenue, and Terrace Avenue as part of a contract with Flock Safety. The contract would also come with the ability to access cameras in other areas that have contracts with Flock. At the same time, the county Sheriff’s Office announced a new partnership with Axon to deploy the sheriff’s Community Request integration with Ring smart cameras. There are obvious benefits to the use of cameras, or access to Ring or ...

What Speech Are Chautauqua County Legislators Getting Tired Of Hearing?

What opinions, exactly, are the ones the Chautauqua County Legislature is tired of hearing in its second privilege of the floor during monthly legislature meetings? Is it federal matters that could impact the county or its residents? Is it local residents’ opinions on energy policy? Is it Chautauqua Lake? Are they tired of Legislator Tom Nelson, D-Jamestown, using time at the end of legislature meetings to speak about federal issues as he did five times in the first six months of 2025? We ask because those were the most common topics addressed by the public during the second ...

‘The Swamp’ Real Winner Of Trump Tariff War

For decades, politicians have sold tariffs as a tonic for the working class. In reality, one particular group seems to benefit more than any other from trade wars: Washington influence peddlers. The United States collected some $288.5 billion in tariff revenue last year, up from $98.3 billion in 2024, thanks to a barrage of new levies imposed by the Trump administration. These tariffs, designed by elite lawyers in D.C. and implemented with highly technical and specialized language, presented a unique opportunity for lobbyists to charge large corporations exorbitant rates to seek relief ...

Job Corps Has Been Saved; Now Let’s Fix It

Our long mid-county nightmare has come to an end. Federal funding has been secured to keep Job Corps centers across the country open, including the Cassadaga Job Corps Academy. Let it be a reminder to anyone who is concerned about federal spending that the idea of cutting the federal budget is something everyone can get behind until someone tries to cut their particular slice of the federal budget. Nobody likes pork until someone tries to take their Christmas ham. We don’t think saving the Job Corps should be the end of this particular story. We’re merely starting a new chapter ...

City Must Act Now To Avoid Dunkirk-Type Shortfalls

Mayor Kim Ecklund’s 2026 State of the City address well describes Jamestown’s financial status - too little money to pay too many bills. As we’ve written before, the story is familiar. Between 2021 and 2023, minimal tax increases largely paid for with ARPA-related lost revenue funding has now left essential services underfunded and created a structural imbalance that persisted. In 2024, a 1.44% tax rate reduction as well as unbudgeted costs, further weakened the city’s financial footing. The city has relied on its fund balance, one-time revenues like ARPA funding or temporary ...

Unfunded Mandate Hits Ellicott First; More Will Follow

New York state officials are good at writing blank checks with your state tax dollars. New state regulations that take effect this year are writing more blank checks - this time with your local tax dollars. Ellicott officials recently approved a contract with an emergency vet while also setting a maximum amount of money to be spent on the care of animals picked up by the dog control officer in need of treatment. The purpose of the secondary shelter is to have an overflow location if the Chautauqua County Humane Society is too full to take in dogs from the town, something Town ...