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In Our Opinion

Lake Plan Debate Is Fascinating, Infuriating At The Same Time

Chautauqua Lake Property Owners Association members have been making the rounds of town and village board meetings in the past month or so asking for support of a Chautauqua Lake management plan drafted by researchers from North Carolina State University. The plan was funded by the Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance in 2023 at the request of the Chautauqua Lake Partnership and completed in July 2024 Since then, it has gained little traction here. As we noted in this space recently, there has been familiar opposition to the plan along familiar old lines. We hope area ...

Trump Ambitious Entering Second Term

A “golden age,” one in which the United States of America can aim even higher than the moon, was proclaimed Monday during President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration speech. And while Elon Musk may have thrown his hands in the air to cheer the goal to “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars,” and “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars,” ordinary Americans were more likely to find a common reason to cheer in Trump’s promise to seek a broad government effort to reduce inflation and reduce prices. Though he must be careful to avoid the executive overreach that ...

Persell Guardrail Talk Has Gone On Long Enough

We have no doubt that, from an engineering perspective, there is no need for a guardrail between Baker Street and Hazeltine Avenue in front of Persell Middle School. The road reconfiguring project last summer should have eliminated the need for a guardrail. But engineering reports don’t take into account a couple of factors that make reinstalling the guardrail in front of the school useful when things move from pen and paper to real life. First, as much as drivers should have to slow down to turn onto Hazeltine Avenue, we live in Western New York and in a high-poverty area. Do we ...

Kudos To Fire Department For Carbon Monoxide Grant

Last year Jamestown officials partnered with the American Red Cross to distribute hundreds of free smoke detectors throughout the city. The program’s success showed two things - that there is a need amongst many city residents for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and city officials needed to find a way to help provide detectors to those who can’t afford them. Kudos, then, to Matt Coon, city deputy fire chief, and city officials for their successful application to the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency for grant money that will help the city create a Carbon Monoxide ...

Area Plan For Chautauqua Mall Makes A Lot Of Sense

Given what’s happening to old malls around the country, we can’t argue with Ellen Barnes’ desire to create an area plan for the area around the Chautauqua Mall. It would be nice if more information was forthcoming to the Lakewood Village Board member to support her effort to be proactive rather than reactive. That is, after all, what we typically beg for from an elected official. It’s frustrating to see Barnes’ efforts stymied. What to do as anchor tenants in shopping malls declare bankruptcy and eventually close has been a problem for years. We’ve seen it in the ...

Three Year Mistake Continues To Cost City Taxpayers

For three years, many city employees saw no increase in their contribution for their health insurance. It was a great deal for employees - albeit one given at taxpayer expense. That is not, of course, the fault of city police officers, firefighters and retirees. The blame falls on former Mayor Eddie Sundquist for not increasing those premiums as part of his budget proposals and the City Council for not catching the fact that premiums weren’t increasing on a yearly basis. Any worker from any walk of life isn’t going to kick that gift horse in the mouth. The status quo is not ...