Submitted by dunkirk on February 8, 2009 - 10:53pm

City representatives speak out at Consolidation Forum

The City of Dunkirk was well represented at the forum on the future of local governments held Thursday February 5, 2009 at the Fredonia Opera House.  City of Dunkirk officials Richard Frey (Mayor) and Keith Ahlstrom (County Legislator, District 1) were both members of the panel.  In their opening statements and throughout the night the two representatives of Dunkirk expressed their commitment to reforms that would help local government operate more efficiently and lower the tax burden for the residents of Chautauqua County.

Mayor Frey was greeted with applause when he revealed his intention to propose a reduction to the City of Dunkirk's Common Council within the next 60 days.  Mayor Frey also expressed his interest in exploring opportunities to provide consolidated police and fire service with the surrounding towns and villages.  "There is a lot out there that we can do. We could consolidate our two police forces in Dunkirk and Fredonia and in doing that working together with no additional force or personnel whatsoever to take on Pomfret, Sheridan, East Town and West Town of Dunkirk," Mayor Frey stated. "Our Fire Department can be expanded to take on the East and West Town of Dunkirk and do their jobs for them with the paid fire department and with no additional people in it whatsoever. Those are things that we can and should do."

Dunkirk's other elected official on the panel Legislator Ahlstrom renewed his support of reducing the size of the Chautauqua County Legislature and found a vehement supporter in another panelist Kevin Gaughan of Erie County.   Throughout the evening Legislator Ahlstrom repeatedly called for resident of Chautauqua County to hold their elected officials accountable for implementing program that will reduce the size of local governments and demand a more efficient system. "In Chautauqua County we have villages, towns, cities, the county, school districts, sewer districts, fire districts and who knows what else and who knows how many taxing jurisdictions. Why do we need all of them, why do we have all of them?" asked Ahlstrom, "Help us ... find and demand a way to solve the problem and stop talking about the problem."

Of the 200 plus attendees of the forum several City of Dunkirk officials in addition to Mayor Frey and Legislator Ahlstrom were in the audience including James Muscato, Councilman at Large, Kevin Muldowney, 2nd Ward Councilman, Sean Heenan, Chautauqua County Legislator District 2, Mark Woods, City Treasurer, Tom Mleczko, Clerk Board of Assessors , David Ortolano, Chief of Police, Kory Ahlstrom, Director of Planning and Development, and William Tuggle, City Clerk.  Additional details regarding this forum and future forums can be found in the Dunkirk Observer at www.observertoday.com .

http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/518756.html

http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/518890.html