Over the last week, more than 600 observertoday.com website viewers gave us their opinion regarding “Do you favor a control board for the city of Dunkirk?” Along the lines that have been written on social media and in several discussions, the poll found an overwhelming 89.66% in favor while 10.34% against.

Current council members, at the moment, have not once talked about whether they approve of this direction or not. What’s more concerning is they barely have answers when looking to 2027 on how to make ends meet.

As readers may have noticed within the last six months, Dunkirk is not alone in its fiscal turmoil. Buffalo is facing a massive deficit as is New York City, which is led by controversial Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

City Mayor Kate Wdowiasz has been consistent in her thoughts on a control board. “Accountability is happening, oversight is happening, reform is also happening, and we are moving forward together,” she said. “I understand state and county leaders are renewing their call for a fiscal control board. However, if they are serious and truly care about our community and want to actually take action, instead of just continually talking about things they know nothing about, they should be calling for a regional control board.”

But besides Wdowiasz, there seems to be little appetite for that direction. At the moment, one thing is certain: the city of Dunkirk still needs help when it comes to cash. Another state bailout — like the one last June — is likely not out of the question.

This week’s poll question asks: Are you concerned about data centers in Chautauqua County? To answer visit the homepage of our website.