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Opinion

‘Affordability’ needs to make sense

Commentary

During the Jan. 28 meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature, two resolutions; Resolution 18‑26 (the “Affordability Act of 2026”) and Resolution 19‑26 (Amend Senior Real Property Tax Exemption) were brought directly to the floor without having gone through the Legislature’s required committee process. Because neither item was submitted through the proper channels and neither qualified as an emergency resolution, the Legislature appropriately voted to refer both resolutions to committee. This action was not a rejection of affordability measures nor senior tax relief; it ...

Development not friendly to lake

Peoples column

Editor, OBSERVER: I’m writing in response to your recent editorial regarding projects near the the “Golden Goose,” as described by the author is Chautauqua Lake. The Chautauqua Point former golf course Project, by a Buffalo Developer, will not only affect the Historic Point Chautauqua grounds laid down by Frederick L. Olmsted and in 1996 brought to acclaim on the National Register of Historic Places, but the proposed Development is bordered by the Villas and Chautauqua Lake Estates condominiums. This development of a pared down “174 residential units among the condos, ...

Trump Derangement Syndrome severe

Commentary

Here we are at the first anniversary of the Trump presidency. Or the fifth, depending on how you count. ≤ ≤ ≤ Many things are striking about it. One of them is the number of his opponents with Trump Derangement Syndrome. Another is the severity of their Trump Derangement Syndrome. Is derangement a new malady among opponents of presidents standing athwart the statist agenda? No, of course not. Yet Trump Derangement Syndrome is different in both the number of his opponents who have it and in its severity. So what’s up? If those with Trump Derangement Syndrome ...

State budget excess mirrors area entities

Editor's corner

No matter the party affiliation, whether red or blue, state budget proposals always come down to one color: green. With recent spending plans being announced within the last month in New York and Pennsylvania, there is a similar refrain. Democrats from both states often sing praises for ...

FREDONIA: Some bright spots in the water woes

The OBSERVER’s View

We would like to echo recent comments made by Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson after a major water main break in bitter temperatures last week. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at Central Avenue and Temple Street in the village. “DPW worked on it until 3:40 a.m. (Saturday) when St. George took over,” Ferguson said, later noting of the workers: “They were sprayed with water, it froze on them. They hung in there.” Since that incident, Fredonia water users dealt with a boil-water order that ended Tuesday. A conservation order, due to water lost in the break, remained in ...

Infamous blizzard came with little warning

Commentary

Last week was the 49th anniversary of the “Blizzard of ‘77,” a storm that is indelibly imprinted on the memories of those of us who experienced it. It was also a weather event that unfortunately killed 23 people across Western New York. It created huge snow drifts that blocked roads and engulfed houses and with subzero temperatures that saw Buffalo Fire Department pumpers fighting fires fueled by hurricane force winds frozen in place. At the time I was the assistant manager of the Brand Names Catalog showroom at the intersection of Union and Walden in Cheektowaga. Normally I ...