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City improves under Rosas

I have seen the city of Dunkirk go from good-to-bad-to-worse over the years. Then, in 2016, Wilfred Rosas was elected mayor. Three years ago, the residents and taxpayers of the city of Dunkirk had given up on a brighter future — all they could think of was how to get a job, how to pay the rent and how much longer they could wait to leave — forever. That is not what the residents and taxpayers are saying today.

Today there is hope that there is a future, there are good jobs, and more to come. Forget about paying rent — today families who thought owning a home of their own was out of the question have a new beginning thanks to Rosas. The mayor has not only worked to bring jobs to this city, he has worked with Southern Tier Environments for Living to provide comfortable and affordable housing to people who never thought owning their own home was possible.

Three years ago, the waterfront wasn’t a concern. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t even thought of at all. Today, our waterfront is booming. We have new businesses opening on the Boardwalk, our pier has been updated with green space, pedestrian friendly walkways, and added amenities for our fishermen. The city of Dunkirk is becoming a destination for tourists, visitors, new residents and businesses. Thank you, Willie Rosas!

Three years ago, our water filtration and waste treatment plants were in need of upgrading, but there was no plan to make this happen. Today, both of these plants have been upgraded, and there has not been an increase in our water or sewer funds. Thank you, Mayor Rosas.

Three years ago, no one believed in the north county water district, or that the city of Dunkirk would be the sole source of water — today that is no longer the case. There is a north county water district and the city of Dunkirk is the sole supplier of water to its users. The city of Dunkirk will see added revenue because of their participation in this regional effort. Thank you, mayor!

Three years ago, music on the pier was good — there was one band and people looked forward to an evening of visiting with friends and enjoying an hour or two of music. Today, the music on the pier season has been extended; there are two bands each Thursday evening, there are air shows, boat races, and the summers on our shoreline are bringing in tens of thousands of tourists; Dunkirk’s summers are packed with entertainment and fun. Thank you, Mayor Rosas.

As a city councilman, I worked with Rosas on a regular basis, and I saw first hand his unwavering belief in what the city of Dunkirk could become. I witnessed his dedication to the residents and the taxpayers of this city, and I saw him pursue every opportunity to bring jobs to Dunkirk. He has done that by working with employers such as Fieldbrook Foods, Universal Stainless LLC and others. It is the work behind the scenes that most people don’t see. He is working with the connections that he has established with Albany, bringing in money that would normally go to other communities, no other leader has brought in more funding from Albany than Mayor Willie Rosas.

Mayor Wilfred Rosas has done more in the last three years than the last three mayors did in all of their terms combined. I am not pointing fingers and it is not my intent to disparage the previous mayors, I’m sure they did what they thought was best — it just wasn’t good enough. Willie Rosas has not stopped working for the residents of this city, and he will continue working to bring jobs, revenue, housing, and development to Dunkirk.

Mayor Rosas’ record is impeccable when it comes to fiscal management. The city has been in the black every year of his term — and that is according to the auditing firms, you don’t have to take my word for it.

Willie Rosas is running for re-election to the position of mayor of the city of Dunkirk for another four years. Keep this city moving forward and give him your vote.

Adelino Gonzalez is a former Dunkirk school board member and city Common Council member.

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