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In Our Opinion

Adding Clarity To Proposal 1 And Urging Opposition

New York’s Civil Liberties Union calls Proposal 1 “a critical tool for all New Yorkers to exercise their rights.” Labeled as the Equal Rights Amendment, the action would amend the New York state Constitution to include ethnicity, national origin, age, disability or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health and autonomy. Why the need for all this? NYCLU states the current New York State Constitution “fails to prohibit discrimination against groups who have been historically targeted, including those ...

Mike Sapraicone Faces Uphill Battle For U.S. Senate Seat

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is a familiar name for many in Chautauqua County. We wouldn’t say she’s a familiar face for county residents despite serving in the Senate for nearly 16 years. The incumbent senator has carved out a position in the national discussion on issues like sex violence in the military and funding for medical care for 9/11 survivors, but at the same time is somewhat absent when it comes to federal aid for local projects. Chuck Schumer she is not. She has also been willing to work with some Republicans, introducing legislation or co-sponsoring bills with Sen. ...

Uneventful Race For The 23rd Congressional District

For the last six months, it has been a fairly uneventful race for the 23rd Congressional District. That speaks to a couple of prominent reasons. First, and most importantly, incumbent U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy’s campaign is flush with cash. His challenger in Thomas Carle is nowhere near as prosperous. Secondly, the Republicans have a stranglehold on the 11 counties the seat serves. That’s evident in the last election in this district in 2022 when Langworthy won the contest with 65% of the vote against a respected candidate in Democrat Max Della Pia. Challenger Carle is no slouch ...

Molitor Is Best Able To Represent County Residents’ Views In Assembly

There have been a lot of issues thrown around in the race between Michael Bobseine and Andrew Molitor to see who will replace the retiring Andrew Goodell in the state Assembly. Bobseine comes with a lengthy history of public service in Chautauqua County and legislative experience through his time as a Chautauqua County legislator. He has stated his support for Proposition 1 on this year’s election ballot, redesigning health care in New York state, amending the state’s Freshwater Wetlands Act to more clearly states activities exempt from state regulation, and gun safety that he ...

Are New Sidewalks Along Route 394 Actually Needed?

There’s one question we would really like answered about proposed sidewalks on Route 394 in Lakewood - are they actually needed? The state Transportation Department has said improvements could include asphalt pavement throughout the project from the bridge west of Ashville Road to McDaniel Avenue; reconfigure road striping within the current curb to curb width; minor traffic signal improvements; replacing non-compliant curb ramps; and upgrade traffic signs. Of course, the centerpiece is the extension of sidewalks. We’ve heard a lot of back-and-forth about the project, but we ...

Only Time Will Tell If Ripley Investment Pays Off

We’ve long called for investment into shovel-ready sites in Chautauqua County. So it’s hard to be critical of a $1,999,999 federal investment in the site announced last week by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy and Sen. Charles Schumer. We’ve heard a lot about the Ripley site over the years. Now, we may see some action come spring now that the county has secured about $13 million of the project’s original $16 million price tag. County officials are looking for another $3 million from the federal Economic Development Administration to fully pay for the work. We hope this investment ...