OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford The Dunkirk Common Council’s Finance Committee meets Thursday in the Stearns Building annex to City Hall.

Dunkirk officials who joined Mayor Kate Wdowiasz at a New York Conference of Mayors gathering last week vigorously defended the trip against criticism from Common Council members Thursday morning.

Wdowiasz and four others from City Hall went to Lake Placid for the NYCOM conference. “It was not a vacation by any means,” said Fiscal Affairs Officer Ellen Luczkowiak, one of the four who joined the mayor in the “North Country.” She was speaking Thursday at a meeting of the Common Council’s Finance Committee.

“There’s no price that’s not worth educating councilpeople,” Ellen Luczkowiak said. Estimating attendance at around 400 people, she said, “I have all these books, and learning tools, and contacts.”

“There’s things I learned I had no idea I was responsible for … because there was no training when I came in,” she added, concluding: “If you’re not taking advantage of that training, you’re crazy.”

“I wouldn’t have gone because we can’t afford it,” replied Natalie Luczkowiak. The councilwoman said she was not necessarily against travel for training, fondly recalling such trips when she worked for Macy’s department store.

“I’ll be looking into this,” she promised, stating that the Common Council should have approved the trip.

Dunkirk last December increased the city tax rate by 84% after it needed to borrow close to $13 million from New York state in 2024 so it would not go bankrupt.

City Personnel Administrator Anne Davis was also on the trip, and also defended it Thursday.

“Training is invaluable. The things we were able to learn and bring back can help the city turn around and make good decisions,” she said.

The other City Hall personnel who made the trek out to Lake Placid were engineer Andy Bohn and EJ Hayes from the Planning Department.

Natalie Luczkowiak demanded to know how much the trip cost and wanted to see credit card statements. She and Davis wound up bickering, each calling the other out of line. Councilman-at-large Nick Weiser, Finance Committee chairman, warned the duo to keep it cordial.

“I’m understanding that if I have training money in my budget, I can use it as such,” Davis said.

“We should have just been included that ‘X, Y and Z will be going to a conference in Lake Placid,'” said Councilwoman Nancy Nichols. “As I always say, council is the last to know.”