Whatever happened to area leaders doing what is best for residents and the future of this county?

This lack of vision is evident not only in the village of Forestville, but also in the city proposal to keep the water system the way it is presently set up. Consider what new Forestville Mayor Kevin Johnson said to a group of residents facing a 445 percent village tax increase: “In the end we will do what is best for the village. We will give it our best effort to make this less than the 445 percent,” he said.

Best for the village? How about doing something that is “best” for residents who pay the taxes?

Or city Mayor Anthony J. Dolce on the north county water project: “Expanding on this time-proven concept, the city in conjunction with the operational and distribution capacities that are currently in place could provide service through to Pomfret, town of Dunkirk, Portland and Brocton. This could be accommodated through simple inter-municipal agreements with other communities.”

“Time-proven” concept? Oh, that one that has led to a deterioration of the city.

Yeah, good choice. Let’s not look at any potential regional plan.

Keith Ahlstrom, Dunkirk county legislator, said it best last week when reflecting on Dolce’s plan for the status quo.

“Dunkirk and Chautauqua County do not have many more chances to ‘get it right,’ and this decision (by the mayor), to me, is another in a long line of making decisions with our heads in the sand, a decision that will hold us back in the future, a decision that is lacking in supporting documentation and a decision I cannot support.”