After a sudden resignation by one trustee and another on medical leave, there has been a lack of activity regarding the Fredonia Village Board. Last week, the meeting was canceled — likely due to lack of a quorum.

While the schedule is supposed to resume Monday with a workshop gathering, there is no question the internal and external turmoil of the village is impacting how things are getting done. Contentious meetings, that included a notorious scuffle, led to Jon Espersen saying enough was enough. Unrelated to that, Trustee Ben Brauchler appears to be on the mend.

But the dynamic of the board appears to have changed even before a decision has been made about the future of the empty seat.

At the moment, it appears Trustee LeeAnn Lazarony has become a major voice on the board. Winning election last November with Christine Cruz Keefe has added an air of uncertainty.

Will this board still be moving ahead with a new water delivery system? Can the unneeded chaos that began with the firing of Dave Bird as Department of Public Works supervisor be repaired?

What will happen with the public comment portion of the meeting? Mayor Michael Ferguson wants to tone that down while Lazarony and Cruz Keefe are intent on keeping it.

There’s a segment of the population that believes Fredonia has suddenly become dysfunctional with the current leadership. That’s just not true.

For all its promising attributes, this governmental entity has been filled with warts for more than a decade. It approved budgets in the past that consistently dipped into fund reserves while watching major businesses, such as ConAgra, flee due to the undrinkable water.

Current leadership is blamed for a lot of the problems, but these have been years in the making. Fredonia has been a hostile place to do business and that message is being heard loud and clear in population and enrollment declines at the university. Right now, that is a tough perception — and reality — to get past.