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The OBSERVER’s View

Best foot forward to help needy

One of the most highly requested items by people in need and the homeless are foot attire, specifically socks. Once again, SOCKTOBER — a month-long sock drive that collects warm new socks for distribution to individuals and families is underway. The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, in collaboration with Cattaraugus County Bank in Dunkirk and Lake Shore Savings Bank in Dunkirk, Fredonia, and Westfield branches, will accept sock donations. In addition, other drop-off locations, including individual classrooms, clubs, businesses, and congregations, continue to participate in ...

Attendance matters with big tax dollars

There is a lot of taxpayer dollars that CPL Architecture Engineering Planning receives from Chautauqua County alone. Just this week, the Silver Creek capital project including the new multi-sport athletic field — worth $36.1 million — was hailed as being handled by the firm. From all accounts, it is a job well done. Representatives from the North County Water District are not as jovial. Last month, CPL was criticized for its lack of attendance at the meeting. Rich Lewis, Portland town supervisor, also noted the group is failing to send reports. "This is totally unacceptable, ...

The OBSERVER’s View: Reality strikes state’s big spenders

It's pretty funny that it's a Democrat who is now taking aim at repealing the state's outside income limits for state lawmakers. Assemblyman Clyde Vanel makes many of the same arguments that Republicans made in opposition to the $35,000 outside income cap before the state Legislature approved them in 2022. Vanel, D-Queens City, argued in the legislative justification for A.11733 that the outside income cap wouldn't have prevented any of the laundry list malfeasance involving the New York's legislators in the 2000s. He also argues that the very costs that the state has struggled to ...

The OBSERVER’s View: Growing concerns with AI

AI is a trending and fantastic tool. From schools, government to private industry many are taking advantage of the technology to improve products and learning. Within the last month, however, warnings from the artificial-intelligence industry have revived debate over whether advanced AI models could escape human control and threaten humanity. The CEO of Anthropic suggests the industry should slow down developing the technology and put more safeguards in place. According to the Associated Press, worries that an artificial intelligence might exceed human abilities or be misused by ...

Is county budget plan realistic?

County Executive PJ Wendel is proposing a 58-cent tax rate decrease and no tax levy increase in his 2027 budget. Not increasing the levy is due, in part, to increased use of the county’s surplus while the county’s tax rate decrease is due, in part, to a 14% increase in the value of property in the county. It’s a good position for the county to be in - because we are pretty sure when we see budget proposals from Jamestown and Dunkirk in a couple of weeks the pictures won’t be nearly that pretty. In addition, the county plans to spend an additional $100,000 on Chautauqua Lake ...

Encouraging news from south county

We are encouraged by the news that Carroll and Kiantone are creating a committee to examine additional shared services between the towns. It's early, and we don't know where these discussions will go in the future, but for now the fact that the towns are brainstorming more ways to collaborate is a positive development. Something Tim Burkett, Carroll town supervisor, said during the August Carroll Town Board meeting is worth examining as we look for more ways to provide better services and save taxpayers money. Burkett said it makes sense for the two towns to share services since many ...