OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward Girl Scouts Shelby Reisenweber and Rayann Vega pose with Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas as they all enjoy Tagalongs during “Cookies with the Mayor” Wednesday.

Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) are a hit with city of Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas, and so are the Girl Scouts. In a regional event Wednesday titled “Cookies with the Mayor,” various city leaders met with local troops to share insights and answer questions with the girls while snacking on cookies.

“Why did you want to be the mayor? What’s the best part?” Shelby Reisenweber asked.

“I wanted to become mayor because I wanted to see some positive changes happening in our city,” Rosas answered. “I felt that some of the things that were happening, or were not happening, were because we didn’t have an active mayor. The best part of being mayor is that you can help people. Sometimes it’s just something really small that they need, and when you help people, there’s a really good feeling you can’t put a price on.”

“What advice would you give if one of us wanted to be mayor?” Rayann Vega questioned.

“It’s not always easy to do what’s right. A lot of times as mayor you want to please everybody, but you need to base decisions on what you believe is right and stand behind them,” Rosas responded.

Questions abounded back and forth from what the mayor’s cookie selling goal would be, what his favorite camping activity is and what kind of badge he’d try to achieve if he was a Girl Scout.

The people gathered in the room enjoyed Rosas’ stories of being a police officer and his hobbies which include being a master Latin percussion player and playing pool in tournaments and leagues.

He briefly shared some tales about going undercover, where he went so far as auditioning to play percussion for a Latin band being lead by a suspected high echelon drug dealer — and winning the part.

When asked what projects in the city he’s most proud of, he cited several, including the splash pad and the development at Wright Park and Point Gratiot. However, he pointed out the importance of the Athenex project which, in his eyes, is going to really bring the city up once more.

“It’s currently the largest project in the northeast and it originally didn’t pass the legislature,” Rosas stated. “Most of the assembly people are from downstate, near New York City. When I went to Albany to accept an award for being the first Hispanic mayor in New York State history, I met up with the assembly members and made contacts. I later went to Albany, met with people, made some calls and was able to change their minds, and when it went through again, it passed.”

After eating and enjoying the company of all in attendance he reminded the girls of the most important thing he can pass on and that is “to follow your dreams.”