Primaries have important role in election

February 10, 2026

Editor, OBSERVER: When you hear “Election Day,” do you think of the November general election? There’s another Election Day that’s often overlooked by a majority of voters: Primary Election Day. If turnout for the general election seems low, participation in primaries is even lower. Yet in New York state, primaries can often decide the outcome of elections. New York has a closed primary system, which means you must be registered with a political party to vote in that party’s primary. Saturday is the deadline to enroll in a party if you want to vote in the June ...

Development not friendly to lake

February 7, 2026

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, ...

Freedoms in U.S. remain resilient

February 3, 2026

Editor, OBSERVER: American freedoms are not fundamentally being lost because they are rooted in the foundational principle of inalienable rights — endowed by the Creator (as stated in the Declaration of Independence) —rather than granted by government. These God-given rights, including life, liberty, free speech, religion, and self-defense, are inherent to human dignity and cannot be legitimately surrendered or revoked by any authority. Governments exist only to secure and protect them; any infringement is illegitimate and can be challenged through the Constitution’s ...

Authority debt often ignored in state

January 24, 2026

Editor, OBSERVER: It is strange that no mention is made of the enormous debt held by the numerous public authorities in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget message? She touts the $14.6 billion in reserve while failing to take into account the budget gap of $34 billion-plus which includes the “reserve! Public authority debt is “off budget” (hidden from public view) thus not subject to voter/legislative oversight as it balloons to over $300 billion statewide! Painting a pretty picture with invisible ink does not fool those of us that look beyond her phony fiscal facade! JOE ...

People’s column

January 10, 2026

It’s tough digging out in Dunkirk Editor, OBSERVER: I am writing about the snow plowing in Dunkirk. My understanding of reverse parking is that the plow should make a pass down the middle pushing the snow toward the side that’s open and then come back and push the snow off to the open side, not put the snow up against someone’s car. They have been placing a 3-foot wide and 4-foot high wall around our cars daily. This has been an ongoing problem for many years. I’ve tried to talk to people at City Hall and the Department of Public Works and get no results, so I decided ...

America born through diversity

January 3, 2026

Editor, OBSERVER: I wholeheartedly agree with two comments in the Dec. 12 letter headlined: “We need to maintain values of America.” First, teachers should bring everyone to the highest standards possible, and second, Congress should not be beholden to any foreign government or take a dime from any of their interest groups. But other comments require a response. Perhaps the writer was unaware that most Somalis in the U.S. are citizens. Nationally, over 260,000 Somalis reside in the U.S., with significant populations in Ohio, California, and Minnesota. In Minnesota alone, about ...