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Putting perspective on referendum

Commentary

Regarding the recent commentary, “Fredonia referendum is likely illegal,” I would like to address the question of the referendum in the mid 1980s regarding Village Hall removal and replacement. I was village attorney at the time. The referendum on demolishing Village Hall was authorized by petition of the required number of qualified voters (electors) of the village.The village was not required by law to have mandatory referendum on the issue. The referendum was a permissive referendum. Permissive referendum means the bond resolution to finance the demolition of Village Hall and a ...

Performance ‘better than Broadway’

Commentary

Recently, we attended a musical put on at the high school where our grandkids attend–in this case, Maple Grove. During the spring, musicals are being conducted at many of our local schools. As usual, I was “blown away” by the level of skill and professionalism displayed in the performance. It is hard to believe that kids ranging from 9th to 12th grade could put on such a performance. At intermission, I went up to the teacher and producer of the production and said: “This is better than Broadway,” and it was. There was a moving stage, a skilled ensemble playing the ...

Our view: Magical ride continues for Sabres

The OBSERVER’s View

Who could have imagined pro hockey in May in Western New York when the National Hockey League season began? As we’re all aware, it is an exciting reality. A storybook year for the Buffalo Sabres marches on starting Wednesday night when the team opens the second round at home against the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo dispatched a scrappy Boston team on Friday night to win the series — its first in 18 years. This next round promises to be compelling. Montreal plays a lot like Buffalo. They are fast, use their defensemen for offensive rushes and have received great ...

There are reasons for referendum

Commentary

I am writing in response to Don Michalak’s commentary in the OBSERVER (April 23) headlined “Fredonia referendum is likely illegal.” I would like to address some specific points. First, I want to thank the writer for openly stating that local officials must know basic municipal law. Even more so, the mayor, who, under our charter and New York state law, is responsible for the faithful execution of all laws and bylaws. During my four-year term, I was truly fortunate to work with two exceptional municipal attorneys, Sam Drayo and Dan Gard, who taught and guided me while ensuring ...

NEW YORK STATE: ‘Vacation home’ tax is a bad idea

The OBSERVER’s View

Democrats are proposing to extend a bad idea in New York City into a bad idea statewide. Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield, and Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, have concerns about extending the proposed pied-à-terre from New York City to the rest of the state. We, too, have concerns. A quick examination of real estate sales transactions over the past couple of years shows only one sale that would qualify for the pied-à-terre as proposed by state Sen. Patricia Fahy. We do think that such a tax will have an impact on Chautauqua County at some point, though the effect likely ...

A good barometer when talking ‘affordability’

Commentary

“Affordability” is the word grabbing the headlines in public discourse these days. However, if affordability is a problem, it’s important to be clear about what exactly the problem is and what can be done. Gallup has new polling data noting that the “high cost of living continues to top Americans’ list of the most important financial problems facing their families.” Per Gallup’s new data, 31% say “high cost of living/inflation” is the most important problem,” 13% say energy costs/oil and gas prices, 13% say “cost of owning or renting a home” and 8% say ...