OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Dunkirk Town Board member Phil Leone, Board member Jean Crane, Justice Christopher Penfold, Board member Shari Miller, and Town Supervisor Priscilla Penfold recently gathered at the Dunkirk Town Hall and Court to take an official oath of office.

Just over an hour after Priscilla Penfold watched a new Town Supervisor take an oath of office in Hanover, it was Penfold’s turn to do the same in the Town of Dunkirk.

Penfold was recently sworn in by her husband, Town Justice Christopher Penfold, along with the other members of the revamped Dunkirk Town Board.

As the new leader of the Town, Penfold takes over for Juan Pagan, who finished out the rest of his close friend Dick Purol’s term as Town Supervisor. Purol died last February at the age of 69.

When Pagan filled the shoes of Purol, an opening was created in his place on the Town Board. Two members of the public with experience in local government expressed interest in the seat, former Town Clerk Jean Crane and Planning Board Chair Shari Miller.

Crane was appointed to Pagan’s seat after he vacated it to fill the role of Supervisor, and both Crane and Miller decided to run for a spot on the Board in the November election. They were each elected to a seat on the Board, as Miller received 170 votes and Crane received 167 votes. Dr. G. Jay Bishop finished third in the voting with 149 votes. With Bishop’s departure from the Board, along with the retirement of longtime member Henry Walldorff, there is not one Board member left in the same seat as a year ago.

While Crane and Miller were each elected to full terms as Town Board members this past November, another seat was filled for a shorter duration.

Phil Leone, a resident who often shared his opinions at Town Board meetings over recent years, decided to run for a vacant seat on the Town Board, rather than for a full term. Leone ran unopposed for his seat, with 200 votes in his favor.

Leone, an attorney, cited the Town’s zoning laws and regulations as a key issue for the new Board to address. He also highlighted infrastructure needs of the Town Hall and Court, as well as the needs of the Town’s water system.

Like Leone, Penfold ran unopposed in the November election. She was elected as Town Supervisor with 230 votes.

After the members of the new Board were officially sworn in, Miller referenced a daily horoscope from a recent issue of the OBSERVER. It stated, “There is no status among puzzle pieces. No individual piece is superior or lacking; each is needed to complete the picture.”

Miller felt that statement was fitting for her new role as a Town Board member. Miller said, “I want to thank the residents of the Town of Dunkirk for giving me the opportunity to be a piece of the puzzle. Together we make the Town of Dunkirk a better place.”

However, the Dunkirk Town Board puzzle is not finished yet. Like Pagan did before her, Penfold vacated a seat on the Board to take over as Town Supervisor. The Town Board is seeking letters of interest from residents who wish to serve on the Board for the upcoming year. Town residents are urged to contact the Town Clerk’s office to express an interest in the role. The Town Board will appoint its next member in the coming weeks.