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The OBSERVER's View: Moving on with Jamestown airport

The OBSERVER’s View

It should come as no surprise to anyone except the most ardent supporters of the Jamestown Airport that the federal government has once again declined to restore the airport's Essential Air Service subsidy. We noted last year that the number of passengers had decreased in the latest Essential Air Service proposal while the amount of the federal government's subsidy was projected to increase. That was hardly the best way to show the federal government that there was so much pent-up demand locally that the Jamestown airport would be able to average 10 passengers per flight and a federal ...

Why some business plans take longer than others

Commentary

Many people are caught by surprise when they suddenly see a brand-new business appear to be built and open overnight, or when an existing business is renovated or greatly expanded very quickly. This can lead to a lot of questions from those who have been following news about similar plans of other businesses that seem to take years, or decades, to come to fruition. Whether brand-new to the area or simply a new location, expansion, or renovation of an existing business, there are many reasons some projects move forward more rapidly than others, no matter where they are located. ...

Bean counters often on short end of municipal payroll

Editor's corner

Since a much-needed control board is not part of the current equation, the city of Dunkirk is banking on a new comptroller to better steer the fiscal condition for the municipality. In taking the newly created position this month, Tracy Smith-Dengler will be compensated $140,000 per ...

Conservatives, liberals see human nature differently

Commentary

CHAUTAUQUA—A law professor has articulated a principle infrequently heard from higher-education faculty. Why infrequently? Because many colleges and universities hire few non-liberals. The law professor is George Washington University’s Jonathan Turley, a frequent contributor to ...

War Powers Act is a partisan cudgel

Commentary

Prior to our undeclared war with Iran, I had heard of the “War Powers Act” but I had never paid any attention to it, likely because every President from Nixon to Trump, both Republican and Democrat has paid no attention to it either. However, the start of the war got Congressional ...

The OBSERVER’s View: More requests require legislature guidance

The OBSERVER’s View

State lawmakers, largely Democrats, want to increase Open Meetings Law and FOIL request training requirements for local government officials. Given the recent altercation in the Chautauqua County records room involving a self-proclaimed First Amendment auditor, the training likely isn’t a bad idea. Local public records officials need to be the experts in the room when it comes to releasing records, and too often that isn’t the case. But in our opinion the legislature should also help local governments driven to the point of frustration by bot-driven FOIL requests and local ...