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The OBSERVER’s View: ‘No’ votes prove lack of understanding

The OBSERVER’s View

Last week’s narrow decision to increase water rates once again shows the lack of understanding by Dunkirk Common Council regarding the poor fiscal shape the city is in. By a 3-2 vote, members did approve the hike though it should have been unanimous. Those who opposed the increase — Natalie Luczkowiak and Michael Civiletto — were deciding with their hearts, not wanting to pass on the costs to residents. But that type of leadership in recent years is part of what put Dunkirk on the brink at the present moment. Department of Public Works Director Randy Woodbury claims the city ...

It’s all downhill from here

Commentary

When I sit down at the end of the day and look out upon Chautauqua Lake, it reminds me of the colloquialism that “it is all downhill from here.” That is, the water that I am looking at is flowing south toward the Allegheny River, then the Ohio and finally down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico (now called by some the Gulf of America.) In further reflection, this phrase about going downhill could also describe me at my age... but I resist that description. Getting old is not so much about going “downhill” as it is about being on “cruise control.” It doesn’t take much ...

‘Cheap stunt’ with execution plans

Peoples column

Editor, OBSERVER: Self-proclaimed "Secretary of War" Pete Hegseth's announcement of plans to livestream the military execution of Nidal Hassan by firing squad on Dec. 3 is a cheap stunt to provoke outraged attention to his ongoing macho posturing, since there are legal obstacles, despite Trump's personal endorsement, to carrying out such a disgusting spectacle. In addition to presidential approval, military executions require appellate review before they can occur. This has yet to happen and is unlikely to be concluded by Dec. 3, according to John Mills, an attorney who works with ...

Big, Beautiful Brainchild transcends borders

Commentary

I have an idea. It's a Big, Beautiful Brainchild, actually. Maybe the greatest idea I have ever had. It will help every citizen of our great nation. I am surprised that the smartest, most creative and articulate president in the history of our country didn’t think of it first. Perhaps he has but just hasn’t mentioned it? President Trump doesn’t seem to have a filter on his thoughts or his speech. If he did think of this idea first, I am sure it would have spewed from his lips at some point. The president does have nice lips. I hear people say it all the time. “Mr. President, ...

Lots to ponder in troubling times

Commentary

Lately I have been unable to refrain from random thinking. Much here is controversial. I wonder how many businesses destroyed by fire after failing to make money were actually cases of self-inflicted arson in an effort to collect on insurance. And I wonder what underground organizations specialize in these sorts of “transactions.” Regarding business transactions, I have been arguing for more than a decade that being a leader, a president especially, is not the same as being a businessman. Navigating a nation through a sensitive and volatile geopolitical landscape requires ...

County GOP proving spending addiction

The OBSERVER’s View

Republicans in Chautauqua County may have made a decision that we will all regret — perhaps not tomorrow, but at some point down the road — by agreeing to mandatory yearly cost-of-living raises for the salary ranges for county managers at the top and bottom of the salary scale. It’s the sort of decision a county can make when it has a fat pile of cash in its savings account. And it’s the sort of decision that can come back to bite you when that pile of cash isn’t quite as plush. In 2013, Chautauqua County's unappropriated fund balance was $12,600,000. Do you know what you ...