COUNTY: Legislative goals are fairly mundane

January 8, 2025

It’s good to have goals. In the next few weeks, we’re going to be hearing a lot about our elected officials’ goals in the form of various agenda-setting addresses at the city, county, state and federal levels. The first such effort came from Pierre Chagnon, R-Ellery and chairman of the Chautauqua County Legislature, during last week’s legislature reorganizational meeting. Those goals, honestly, are uninspiring. Chagnon has six goals in mind for the coming year: successful launch of the administrative director for the North Chautauqua County water and sewer districts, ...

FOOTBALL Bulls complete major turnaround

January 7, 2025

Lost in the 12-team College Football Playoff are the other bowl games that added a bit of pride and reward for a successful season in Division 1. Some invites have gone too far with 6-6 teams showing up for some of these contests. Others, who had fantastic turnarounds, were much more deserving. That was definitely the case with the University of Buffalo Bulls. In the Bahamas Bowl over the weekend, UB dominated Liberty University in a 26-7 victory. According to the UB sports information department, Linebacker Red Murdock led a UB defense that forced three Liberty turnovers and held ...

STATE Higher hydropower rates hurt area

January 6, 2025

We have no doubt that the New York Power Authority has its reasons to increase hydropower rates charged to customers like the city of Jamestown. But NYPA’s proposed 2025 to 2029 rate increase that would nearly triple rates charged to customers cannot be approved by the state Public Service Commission. Remember, this increase would come at the same time power costs are already increasing thanks to the state’s electrification of its electric grid, a cost homeowners and businesses see in their fuel adjustment charge on their power bills each month. The New York Association of ...

FREDONIA: Decisions of past ignored expenses

January 4, 2025

Fredonia Police Chief David Price’s history lesson last month at a Village Board workshop was right on the money. During a discussion on funding issues, Price brought up a major reason why the municipality is having trouble making ends meet. It dates back to 2015, when the village decided it would add staff to its Fire Department to raise more revenue. As is typical with government oversight, trustees then only focused on the money projected to come in. Expenses to run the program, specifically the salaries and benefits of added positions, was never a consideration. “We sit here ...

IN MEMORY: Carter always led through example

January 3, 2025

President Jimmy Carter was an honorable man whose second act in life — after one term in the White House — has served as an example for us all for more than 40 years. It remains to be seen if some of his followers as POTUS will live up to Carter’s post-political career and life. Can you imagine George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump or Joe Biden teaching Sunday school or rolling up their sleeves to build homes for Habitat for Humanity? Neither can we. But Carter did just that after Ronald Reagan’s decisive victory in 1980 made the Plains, Georgia, native a one-term ...

NEW YORK STATE Hochul’s contract veto disappointing

January 2, 2025

There are times when we think Gov. Kathy Hochul isn’t quite as controlling as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Then we’re reminded that Cuomo’s former lieutenant governor picked up a few tricks from her old boss. Hochul’s veto of legislation that would have improved oversight of contracts entered into during a time of emergency is one of those times. “It is important in times of emergency that there is flexibility for the Executive to focus on the ongoing emergency and move quickly in the best interest of the public,” Hochul wrote in her veto message. “The requirements in ...