I took office with the vision of making Fredonia a well-known university town, a center for culture and arts, a place that could attract new entrepreneurs through sustainable agriculture, science and innovation.

During my time as your mayor, I have worked to bring almost $80 million in public and private investment to the village. Over the last two years there have been a record number of improvements to the village’s crumbling infrastructure. My fight for more effective financial checks and balances resulted in the “discovery” of $1.2 million. Eleven sorely needed employees were hired to improve the quality of service to the residents. The village code was updated to reflect some of the realities of the 21st century. To promote transparency and accountability, I instituted regularly scheduled meetings with both department heads and the public. And through effective management it was all accomplished without raising taxes.

My priority was to bring prosperity to our people by making Fredonia a great place to live, work and raise a family as well as an attractive regional destination. People and places prosper when they have a sound and stable economy, reliable services, safety and security, and a government that is effective, transparent and accountable.

To achieve those goals, over the past four years, we focused on six major areas.

One, economic development and job creation. No government can guarantee the success of any business; but it can create an environment in which they can thrive. In order to support existing businesses, and attract new ones, the downtown has to be attractive, inviting, and safe for pedestrians of all ages and abilities. Working toward that:

¯ Upgrades to Barker Common, worth over $1 million in two phases, are about to start, to highlight the focal point of the business district.

¯ To draw attention to the historic nature and beautiful architecture of our downtown, a facade improvement program, worth over $700,000, has moved to phase 2.

¯ $1.2 million will be spent on streetscape improvements along Main, Church, Day and Temple Streets.

¯ Anchor institutions that can stimulate business development and bring sustainable economic growth are very important. Supporting the existing ones — college and Opera House — as well as attracting new ones, was a priority for me.

¯ Upgrades and improvements worth $1.3 million will start next spring at the Opera House.

¯ Plans for a new hospital, representing a $70 million state investment, have already been approved bringing new opportunities for business development in the surrounding Routes 20 and 60 area.

¯ Agri-America and Main Street Lofts are new anchor businesses in downtown Fredonia and represent over $2.5 million in state and private investments.

Two, taking care of our infrastructure.

¯ To ensure high quality drinking water and a sewer system that is dependable and modern, we are investing more than $6 million in improvements at both the water filtration and the wastewater treatment plants.

¯ The discolored water problem that plagued six neighborhoods for more than 12 years has finally been resolved — a project of $1.8 million.

¯ More than one-third of Central Avenue was repaved

¯ The front steps of the Village Hall were reconstructed.

¯ Limited upgrades at both the police station and fire hall are either completed or are scheduled to begin.

Grants totaling close to $7 million have been secured and will help complete all of these projects. The total investment in the village over the next 2 years will exceed $80 million.

Three, making sure that the village’s financial standing is strong.

¯ $1.2 million that was revealed at the last audit proved, that not raising taxes was indeed the right course of action.

¯ Responsibly taking care of our finances allowed the village to retain its A1 Bond rating from Moody’s investors.

¯ Reorganization of debt resulted in an estimated $312,000 savings over 10 years.

Four, delivery of reliable services.

To provide better quality services, some departments were re-organized, new positions were either created or re-instated and a total of 11 new employees were hired. Among others:

¯ Created and filled the position of career Fire Chief

¯ Hired full-time water filtration plant chief operator; the position was part time for a number of years, leading to all kind of problems

¯ Hired part-time wastewater treatment plant chief operator; the intention is to continue looking for a full-time chief operator and/or explore the possibility of shared services with another municipality.

¯ Re-instated full-time treasurer and full-time clerk

¯ Created and filled, with a current employee, the position of Human Resources

¯ Hired the first ever economic development adviser.

¯ To promote inter-departmental cooperation and communication I hold monthly Departments Heads meetings in my office.

Five, updating the Village code.

To promote local businesses and special events as well as to improve the village’s image we adopted four new local laws:

¯ Food trucks are now allowed in public places, subject to regulations

¯ Alcohol is permitted in specific areas, during special events

¯ New law regulates taxis, liveries etc. to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

¯ New housing law, protects landlords, tenants and neighbors.

Six, ensuring our government’s transparency and accountability. I have always believed in open and approachable government and have encouraged people to attend meetings, participate in any way possible and overall take ownership of our village. Doing our part to facilitate that:

¯ All Board workshops and public meetings are televised, live-streamed and available on You Tube.

¯ Coffee with the Mayor, an event held the first Wednesday of every month, gives the opportunity to each citizen to come and discuss any issue in a friendly, informal atmosphere.

As it is obvious, we’ve had four very busy, challenging, wonderful years here in Fredonia. But the accomplishments of our first term are only the beginning. It is the foundation on which we will continue building our progress. We can’t stand idle waiting for things to just happen and we certainly cannot go backwards.

As we move forward, I will focus on the following:

¯ Finish all the projects that are currently ongoing. They represent a great investment in the area by the state, and can potentially bring more money and new opportunities. Explore and submit applications for more grants.

¯ Partner with the private sector to attract new businesses to our, soon to be, updated downtown.

¯ Re-do the four municipal parking lots to help local businesses and improve our visitors’ experience.

¯ Ensure that, access to quality health care remains available to all people in the area.

¯ Find a suitable investor to restore and re-open the White Inn as a hotel and regional conference center.

¯ Partner with schools, county and medical experts to develop a comprehensive approach to local drug and mental health issues. Explore the idea of a youth community center where young people can meet and have different activities and events.

¯ Formulate a plan to address issues with our reservoir.

¯ Create a downtown revitalization committee or board.

¯ Create a committee to formulate a local Climate Action Plan.

¯ Explore the possibility of a new public safety building to house Police, Fire and Department of Code Enforcement as well as the courts. Re-purpose existing properties for private sector development.

¯ Working with the town of Pomfret, upgrade Russell Joy Park to create another beautiful space for activities, for residents and visitors alike.

¯ Re-visit the code to address sidewalk and property management issues village wide.

¯ Continue supporting all departments, addressing personnel and equipment issues

Realizing that we can do more if we work together, over the past four years, we were able to establish strong partnerships with the state, county, city of Dunkirk and SUNY Fredonia. To further cultivate those relationships, I plan to invite the city and two towns to an initial meeting with the hope that we can form a plan of action based on the needs of our people, instead of blindly following someone else’s. I strongly believe that successful places are not the result of happenstance; rather, they happen when vision, careful planning and hard work come together.

Serving as mayor of our beautiful village is a great honor and has been an absolutely remarkable experience. Among other things, it gave me the opportunity to witness firsthand the hard work and commitment of our workforce in every department. I mentioned partnerships a little while ago. Although I value each and every one, the greatest partnership is with you, the people of this village. I listened to you and learned from you. Stopping by my office, or stopping me on the street, giving me ideas, asking questions, or even doubting the success of a project, made me a better mayor. I have always believed in giving 100% to everything you do. Over the past four years I did my job with passion, honesty and integrity and I hope, I gained your trust and your support to continue for another four years.

We have only just begun!

Athanasia Landis is seeking re-election as mayor and is endorsed by the Democratic, Independence and Working Families parties.