Submitted Photo Pictured are the recently elected officials of the Town of Dunkirk after being officially sworn in. From left are: Town Justice Christopher Penfold, Town Clerk Rebecca Yacklon, Board member Phil Leone, Board member Bob Price, and Supervisor Shari Miller.

The Town of Dunkirk might want to invest in a “Help Wanted” sign to keep ready for election season each year.

The Town currently has an opening on the Town Board, as well as the Planning Board and the Zoning Board. “We’ve got some work to do there,” said Shari Miller, Town Supervisor.

The Town Board vacancy was created when Miller assumed the role of Supervisor, replacing Priscilla Penfold, who elected to retire rather than run for office again this past fall.

Miller stepped up to fill Penfold’s shoes, just as Penfold did when she assumed the role in place of Juan Pagan, who also followed a similar path. Pagan elected to retire after serving as Supervisor in response to the untimely death of Dick Purol. In each instance, the new Supervisor was the only one interested in the role, and by taking over as Supervisor, a vacancy was then created on the Town Board.

At the organizational meeting to start 2026, Miller’s resignation from the Town Board took effect as she assumed the role of Supervisor. However, there was no clear candidate as of the meeting to be appointed to the Town Board in her place. The Town Board is seeking applications for the seat, which will be chosen by the Board for the rest of 2026. The seat will then be up for election in November for what the Town Board believes is a one-year term before a full term will be up for election again.

This past November, there were no contested races in the Town. Miller ran unopposed for Town Supervisor, while Phil Leone and Bob Price were both unopposed for seats on the Town Board. Town Justice Christopher Penfold and Town Clerk Rebecca Yacklon also ran unopposed.

At its recent meeting, the Town Board re-appointed Ken Tarnowski to a five-year term on the Zoning Board, while Thomas Tarnowski agreed to stay on as a Zoning Board member until a replacement can be found. Michael Miller, Scott Pagano, and Mike Bohn are the other current members of the Zoning Board.

There is an open seat on the Planning Board after the death of Carl Brandt. The current members of the Planning Board are Paul Bowers, Jordan Cooper, Benjamin Gloss, and Richard Mackowiak.

Interested candidates for any of the vacancies are urged to submit a letter of interest to the Dunkirk Town Clerk’s Office. The Town Board hopes to fill the vacancies within the first quarter of 2026, if feasible.

At the recent meeting, Miller nominated Jean Crane as Deputy Supervisor, a role Crane held this past year under Penfold. Phil Leone seconded the nomination. As the rest of the Board voted in favor, Crane playfully joked that she wasn’t asked if she opposed the nomination. She officially abstained from the vote and accepted the nomination.

Linda Leone was also reappointed as Town Historian, a role that she filled for the first time during this past year. Her husband, Phil Leone, abstained from the vote.

Priscilla Penfold sent a thank you card addressed to the Town Board, which was read aloud to close the recent meeting. Penfold said, “I wish much success for the Board and the Town of Dunkirk.”

The next regular meeting of the Town Board is Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 5:30 p.m.