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In Our Opinion

Jaroszynski Would Bring A Different View To City Council

Voters for the City Council’s Ward 5 seat have candidates with very different skills to choose from when replacing incumbent Bill Reynolds. Dan Hickman, the endorsed Republican, has spent the past nearly 10 years working with the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College, and Hannah Jaroszynski, a licensed mental health counselor whose father is the mayor of Falconer and whose mother is a judge in the town of Ellicott. Both have skills that could be useful on the council. Hickman has a background in small business development, something that could be ...

Ward 4 Residents Face A Difficult Choice Between Paterniti, Scotchmer

It’s almost too bad there can be only one City Council representative from Ward 4. Joe Paterniti, the incumbent Republican, has been a fresh voice the past two years on the council, bringing with him private sector experience, a willingness to speak up on behalf of those who have come to him with issues and, most importantly, common sense that is all too often lacking from our elected representatives. Doug Scotchmer, the endorsed Democrat, is a newcomer to elected politics but no stranger to residents of Ward 4 as is the husband of former Ward 4 councilwoman Marie Carrubba. While ...

Brackman Has Earned Another Two Years In Ward 3

Voters in Jamestown’s Ward 3 have a choice between incumbent Democrat Regina Brackman and newcomer Seth States, the Republican candidate. States wants to increase housing demolitions, clean up condemned homes, and do more to market Jamestown as a place to open new businesses with plenty of community events for families. Brackman similarly wants to do more to improve housing, pointing to the need for more code enforcement staff in the city Development Department, saying the staffing issues for code enforcement are just as acute as staffing needs in the police and fire departments. ...

Statewide Proposition Has Environmental Backing

When considering the only New York state proposition on the ballot this year, we look to the conservation groups for the best answer. The proposal amends the State Constitution and permits new Nordic ski and biathlon trails in the North Country. Development there requires Constitutional permission because the facility is in the Adirondack forest preserve and part of an Olympic Sports Complex in North Elba near Lake Placid in Essex County. The project touches up to 323 acres and the facility covers 1,039 acres. It also requires 2,500 new acres being added to the forest preserve. The ...

Shared Superintendents Need To Be The Norm, Not The Exception

The rumors were flying fast and furious in advance of last week’s Bemus Point and Chautauqua Lake school board meetings taking place on opposite shores of Chautauqua Lake. Public meeting notices were pretty clear what would be taking place - one district’s superintendent was leaving, and the school boards were interested in a shared services agreement to share the position. But that didn’t stop the public rumor mill from running rampant that the districts were looking at a tuitioning agreement from Bemus Point to Chautauqua Lake or a complete merger of the districts. Of course, ...

Municipal Water Planning In South County Needs County’s Leadership

Southern Chautauqua County has been blessed not to have issues with dependable water like our counterparts in the north county - but that doesn’t mean all is perfect. Using wells and reservoirs mean times like the late summer and early fall drought that finally gave way to some rain this week can be a real pain if you live in a rural area that isn’t served by municipal water. That’s why towns like North Harmony periodically flirt with extending municipal water to populated areas like Ashville or why the town of Ellery is considering extending water service to Bemus Point and ...