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Fredonia Trustees Tim Mulholland and LeeAnn Lazarony pushed back recently against Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt's assertion the village is getting increasingly unsafe.
Schmidt made the statement during a Sept. 1 presentation at a trustees meeting about Flock Safety cameras. He was attempting to justify his office's placement of the cameras.
"A lot went on during that meeting, it was a couple weeks ago, you kind of sit with it and think about it," Mulholland said Monday at another Board of Trustees meeting. "One thing I did not appreciate is some of Mr. Schmidt's words about our village and I feel I must respond to that."
Schmidt, a native downstater, said Fredonia was like Mayberry -- the fictional, squeaky-clean town in the 1960s "Andy Griffith Show" -- when he moved to the village in the early 2000s. Mulholland said he is from a different generation and didn't get the reference.
However, he challenged Schmidt's assertion that the peaceful and safe rural settlement he found in the early 2000s, where people kept things unlocked, no longer exists.
"It's important to remember this is a village where thousands of young people come every single year to live here and learn, from all over the state and country. Their parents trust our community with that choice," Mulholland said. "This is a village of young families where we look after each other’s kids... Our school system, our market downtown and the festivals here are the envy of many communities. And believe it or not, there are a lot of people that do leave their doors unlocked."
He concluded about Fredonia, "It's a wonderful and safe place because of the people who work hard to keep it that way."
Lazarony was next on the trustees report list after Mulholland finished and immediately stated, "I agree completely with Tim."
Former Cassadaga Mayor Lazarony continued, "I moved here because Cassadaga is Mayberry, but so is Fredonia. We live in a great place. I know my neighbors. My neighbors are friendly. We support each other. I'm not afraid to live here in Fredonia. I'm not afraid to walk down the street in the dark. Thank you for those words, Tim, because I think you're absolutely, incredibly right."