Juan Pagan assumed the role of Town Supervisor on Feb. 21 after the sudden death of Richard “Dick” Purol.

Six months ago, Juan Pagan was a member of the Dunkirk Town Board, serving alongside one of his close friends. He was content to serve out the remainder of his term as a Town Board member before moving on with the next phase of his life in retirement.

That all changed this past February.

On Feb. 20, Pagan’s close friend, Town of Dunkirk Supervisor Richard “Dick” Purol, died suddenly at the age of 69.

The following night, the Town Board met for its regularly scheduled meeting. At the previous monthly meeting in January, Pagan was appointed as Deputy Supervisor – a title given to the second in charge of the Town Board, meant to designate who will lead the meeting and act on the Supervisor’s behalf if they are unable to fulfill their duties. At the time, the appointment didn’t garner much of a response.

But then, once circumstances changed entirely for the Town Board, Pagan stepped up — figuratively and literally — as he took his seat in the chair on the podium, overlooking the rest of the board. It was the same seat Purol filled for the entire time Pagan served on the Town Board.

At the March meeting of the Town Board, Pagan resigned from his position as a Town Councilman and accepted the nomination of Town Supervisor. He agreed to serve the remainder of Purol’s term as Supervisor before a new leader is elected this upcoming November.

At the time of Pagan’s nomination for the role, Town Councilwoman Priscilla Penfold said, “Juan Pagan has been the Deputy Supervisor for many years. Dick Purol had tremendous faith in his capabilities, and relied on him to pick up the slack if it was ever needed. He’s faithful to the town and he’s loyal to his constituents. It is my privilege and honor to move to appoint Juan Pagan as Dunkirk Town Supervisor for the remainder of this year.”

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Stepping up for the community is nothing new for Pagan. As a lifetime member of the East Dunkirk Fire Department who began in the late 1980s, Pagan has never been afraid to do what his community needs. It was as a volunteer fireman that Pagan met Purol, and as their friendship grew, Purol encouraged Pagan to serve as part of his local government.

“When an opening came up, he asked me if I would like to partake in it. I said yeah, and here we are,” Pagan said.

Pagan began his career in local government as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals in the early 1990s. He got involved because, at the time, his own property was being impacted by the proposed Millennium Parkway project.

“There were decisions being made that affected me and my wife’s home. It seemed like we weren’t too aware of what was going on,” Pagan said. “One step led to the other and I got involved with the Zoning Board of Appeals.”

Pagan worked his way up through the ranks in both local government and the Fire Department. In addition to approximately a decade on the Zoning Board, Pagan also was East Dunkirk Fire Chief in 2000-2001, Vice President for “a number of years through the 2000s”, and then became President three years ago.

“It has been quite an endeavor of community service,” Pagan said of his efforts with the Fire Department. “They are a great organization.”

Pagan joined the Town Board in 2009, replacing Priscilla Penfold, who stepped down. Pagan then ran for his own full term and has remained on the board ever since. But that is set to change, as Pagan plans to leave office after Purol’s original term expires this fall.

Serving concurrently with Purol, Pagan had already expressed his desire to relinquish his seat at the end of his term, but once Purol passed away and Pagan assumed his duties as Town Supervisor, he made the decision that it would be the end of his time on the Town Board.

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Pagan’s career in public service will end as the top elected official in the town he moved to at 16 years old, when his family arrived from Hoboken, New Jersey. The family previously moved from Puerto Rico to New Jersey.

As Pagan adjusted to his new home of the town of Dunkirk, he met who later became his wife, Bedsaida, in high school. The “high school sweethearts” married in 1977 and have been together ever since.

“I thank my wife for all her support,” Pagan said.

The couple plans to travel more once Pagan retires from his role on the Town Board. As both come from a large family, they hope to spend more time with relatives in various locations, including Puerto Rico, which was easier said than done with all of the duties Pagan took on in the community over the years.

“She’d always tease me about taking her away from Chautauqua County, but we’re still here,” Pagan said, with a laugh.

Even before joining local government, Juan and Bedsaida were involved with a youth group with the Catholic Church. “That was community service also, but in a different way. It was very rewarding for me and my wife, and we were very proud to be a part of that,” Pagan said.

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In addition to his efforts as a fireman, Pagan was a steel manufacturer in Dunkirk. Like many of the things in Pagan’s life, he took on a leadership role at the steel factory, as well. Pagan served as Chairman and member of the Joint Safety and Health Committee with the United Steelworkers of America before he retired after 28 years of service. He also worked at NRG for 12 years until the steam station site was shut down.

“We always kid that we closed two plants,” Pagan joked.

But even two plants closing down couldn’t slow him down. Pagan even took a course at Jamestown Community College at the age of 61.

Even in his final months of civil service, Pagan hopes to accomplish a lot. In addition to finally coming to a resolution of the short-term rental property debate in the Town of Dunkirk, Pagan highlighted a major area he hopes to address.

“Our goal, not only for me but for my predecessors, is the expansion of the water districts. That is a very big endeavor,” Pagan said. With experience on the North County Water and Sewer Board, Pagan noted there has been a lot of progress made over the years, but hopes to continue to move the process forward even more, especially near the Shorewood Drive.

“I hope that we can get that to fruition,” Pagan said. “If there’s any lasting projects that I would like to see done, it would be to get that finished – to get it up and running to bring the quality of good, serviceable municipal water to our community.”

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Pagan knows his community well. As the leader representing one of the more outspoken and involved communities in the county, Pagan is happy to see his community speak out – like he did before he joined the Zoning Board many years ago.

“The people of Dunkirk and in our township are very aware of what is going on … and that’s good. That’s what democracy is all about,” Pagan said. “We’re very proud that the people are coming out and expressing their opinions, one way or the other.”

Pagan is set to leave the Town Supervisor role wishing nothing but the best for the place he has called home for a half-century. “I hope that the town will continue to prosper and grow,” Pagan said.

Through all of his efforts serving the community in so many different ways, Pagan had one simple takeaway from it all. He said, “If there’s anything to be learned, it’s to give back to the community.”