Kim Ecklund

The City Republican Committee has unanimously nominated Kim Ecklund to run for Mayor of Jamestown.

Ecklund will face Democrat and current Mayor Eddie Sundquist who announced his re-election campaign in early January.

Ecklund, who has served as a City Council Member at Large since 2004, said “it’s time,” “There are some things I feel I can make a difference in that I feel it’s time for me to step forward and at least try to do that.”

Ecklund said she plans to stay true to who she is, “Obviously, very important to me is fiduciary responsibility and obviously keeping the city in a fiscally responsible place. I’ve been on every avenue of City Council but some things obviously, public safety is very important, homeowners, and tax base, and businesses along with the quality of life issues that we have here.”

Ecklund has a multi-decade career in finance at eSolutions Furniture, formerly known as Bush Industries, in addition to her nearly 20 years in city government.

She has served on the City Council’s Public Works and Finance committees and has been the Chair of the Finance Committee for over three years. Ecklund currently serves on the Jamestown Local Development Corporation and the Parks and Recreation Commission and previously served on the Riverfront Management Commission, the Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction, as well as other ad hoc committees.

She is married to Keith Ecklund, a former Jamestown Firefighter. She has been a mentor through Chautauqua Striders for 18 years and also is the Vice President of the Jamestown Babe Ruth World Series Board of Directors.

She thanked the Republican Committee for their support and said she expects to make a more formal announcement about her campaign in the coming weeks.

Late last week Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County was the winner of the Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition.

According to the Governor, the winning plan is expected to produce savings of more than $120 million for Suffolk County taxpayers over the next 10 years.

Chautauqua County’s proposal included 23 municipalities and potential consolidations and was crafted in 2016 and 17 by the county’s Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction, which was led by the then-county legislator George Borrello, who is now county executive.

Among the items on the list was the proposed shared services agreement between the city of Jamestown police department and the county sheriff’s office, the unification of police operations between the town of Busti and Town of Ellicott, along with consolidation of services among several rural towns in the county.

Borrello said he was disappointed that the county didn’t win, but added there are other funding programs available and many of the consolidation efforts will be moving forward.

The task force, which is comprised of both members of city government and the board of public utilities and which is chaired by councilman Tony Dolce was created in early 2015 in an effort to review cost-saving suggestions brought forward to the city and determine if any of them could be implemented.

The task force went on hiatus during the summer of 2015, but resumed meeting earlier this year. Today the task force is expected to review fleet management efficiencies between the city public works department and the Board of{public Utilities, as well as health insurance initiatives that could result in saving money for the city and BPU.

Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the Mayor’s Conference Room, located on the fourth floor of city hall. It is open to the public.

The task force, which is chaired by city councilman and finance committee chairman Tony Dolce (R-Ward 2), was created at the start of 2015 to review cost-cutting recommendations for city government that had been brought forward by various members of the BPU and Chamber of Commerce. While the task force was able to start the process, it soon became bogged down with discussions on various recommendations, with members unable to come to a consensus on which recommendations could be pursued and which could not. The task force then went on hiatus in the summer of 2015 without any final report being delivered.

Jamestown mayor Sam Teresi and Dolce are hoping that the process can once again continue, with a final report on possible cost-reductions being ready before the start of the 2017 budget process later this year.

Monday’s meeting is at 5 p.m. in the Mayor’s Conference Room, located on the fourth floor of city hall, and is open to the public.

Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers’ Association president Todd Tranum

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier is voicing its displeasure with Jamestown city leaders for what he says is their unwillingness to listen to local businesses.

The chamber and association together represents nearly 1,000 businesses in our region and is led by President Todd Tranum.

In a media release sent out Wednesday afternoon (The full version can be found below) , Tranum said that despite multiple attempts on his organization’s part to be collaborative and supportive of the city and Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, it’s clear that Mayor Sam Teresi and the Jamestown City Council do not care about the input the business community has on the critical issues facing the city.

Tranum is especially frustrated with the city’s use of BPU profits to close its budget gaps in recent years, despite local business leaders urging the city not to do so, fearing that such a move would drive up utility rates, making it more costly to do business in the Jamestown area.

He also expressed concern that members of the BPU no longer reflect the interest of the business community, but are instead political appointments that will simply help fulfill the mayor’s agenda, rather than represent the needs and concerns of the business community.

Tranum also voiced concern of the lack of movement on the city’s Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction, which was created in late 2014 in an effort to review a series of recommendations made by the Chamber and Association that he said would result in about $900,000 in recommendations for cost reductions. The task force began meeting in January 2015 but went on hiatus on the summer without reaching its goal of bringing forward any final cost-saving recommendations.

On a related note, Teresi and City Council President Tony Dolce announced on Monday that the Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction will resume its meetings beginning Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be on the fourth floor of city hall in the mayor’s conference room and will be open to the public.

Below is the complete version of the release:

City Leaders Unresponsive to Business Interests
Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and MAST

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier (MAST) represent nearly 1,000 businesses in our region. The organizations have a long history of collaboration with public officials. Many public officials ask the organizations for input on policy decisions that concern business.

“Despite multiple attempts on our part to be collaborative and supportive, it is clear that the City of Jamestown Mayor and Council really don’t care about the input the business community has on the critical issues facing the community,” stated Todd Tranum, President & CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and Executive Director of the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier.

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is an incredibly important asset to the region. For decades the BPU has been very well managed and has had solid leadership on the board. We support and applaud the good work, day in and day out, of BPU general manager David Leathers and his team to provide electricity, water, garbage collection and district heat. The BPU is a complicated organization requiring in depth knowledge of good business practices, federal, state and local laws and maintaining relationships with federal and state departments that regulate the industry. David Leathers, his team and prior boards have possessed that knowledge as well as a vision for the future of the utility.

It is important to point out that local businesses are the largest customers of the BPU. It is for that reason that mayors for decades sought input and recommendations from the business community for representation on the BPU. Our input as a business association has not been sought by the Mayor for 15 years regarding this important community asset and our recommendations have been ignored.

“The Manufacturers Association and the Chamber of Commerce are concerned now that the Mayor’s appointment process is not about finding the best people among the business community, but is more of a decision about controlling the message and controlling the future direction of the utility,” stated Tranum. “Otherwise he would have had a dialogue with us and other organizations regarding this very important board. The Mayor has never consulted with us regarding appointees to the BPU, breaking a long tradition of Mayor’s who did seek our input. We believe this bodes poorly for the future of the utility and the community as a whole.”

“In addition to our concerns regarding the BPU it is our perspective that the Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction is simply a facade. In November of 2014 the Mayor created a task force chaired by Councilman Tony Dolce to review a series of recommendations made by the Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association that included about $900,000 in recommendations for cost reductions made in November of 2012 for the 2013 budget year. In July of 2015, six months after forming the task force, two and a half years after the recommendations were presented to the Mayor and Council, the task force concluded its work, however we never received the final report or findings from either Mayor Teresi nor Councilman Dolce. The Task Force then took up the issue of dividend payments at our urging since there is no policy or process around the taking of money from the BPU to bolster the city budget. Six months later, here we are with no progress on that issue following yet another City Council and Mayoral raid of the BPU coffers,” Tranum added.

Among the items discussed was health insurance – including a program that could save money on prescriptions as well as a wellness program that could reduce the cost of insurance. The task force is also considering consolidating fleet management between the city DPW and Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, as well as several other recommendations pertaining to contingency budgeting, debt service and janitorial services.

The task force also discussed the Allen Park Ice Rink, weighing the cost of continuing to operate the facility on a limited basis vs. the demolition of the facility. Officials say that they’ve tried to find increased usage for the building but so far they’ve had little luck. In addition, it is in need of significant repair that could cost as much as $1,000,000.

Despite the discussion regarding the ice rink, the task force stopped short of finalizing any recommendation on how it should be handled in the future.

At the start of this year, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi created the task force – which is comprised of both city and BPU officials – to review and evaluate 35 ideas suggested as cost-saving measures for city government from members of the BPU, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier.

It will meet again Monday, July 13, and will continue to go through the list. Eventually, a report will be put together and presented to the mayor and city officials for their consideration.

• VIEW MEETING AGENDA

The council will also act on a new labor agreement with two of its collective bargaining units. A new contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Council 66, Local 418 will be voted on, covering the period from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2018. A second contract with the authorizing the Civil Service Employees (CSEA), Local 1000, AFL-CIO – for the period covering January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2018 – will also be put before the council for a vote.

The special voting session begins at 7:15 p.m. and will be open to the public.

TASK FORCE MEETING, COUNCIL WORK SESSION ALSO SCHEDULED

The Mayor’s Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction will meet on Monday at 5:00 pm in the Mayor’s Conference Room that is located in the Jamestown City Hall.  In addition, the city council will hold its regular work session, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Monday. It will also take place in the Mayor’s Conference Room. All meetings are open to the public.

During Monday night’s city council work session, city comptroller Joe Bellitto went over the final, unaudited numbers for 2014, which showed the city finished the year with $630,000 more in expenses than revenue.

Bellitto said there were a couple of major contributors to the deficiency, most notably health insurance – which was $522,000 more than what city officials had initially budgeted when they finalized the budget in December 2013.

Both Bellitto and Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi noted that the increase in health insurance was something the city has no control over, because of the city’s collective bargaining agreements with its unions states the city must cover additional healthcare costs for its employees, even if it exceeds the projected, or budgeted amount. And both the comptroller and the mayor said that 2014 was tougher year – healthwise – for employees and their families, compared to other recent years.

Teresi said that due to state law, the city can’t change the current benefit structure, unless the collective bargaining units agree to the changes. He added that that city officials have also looked at any and all insurance providers to ensure they are going with the cheapest one possible.

“People will ask, ‘have you gone out and tested the market place to see if [the current healthcare package] can be replicated [by another provider]?’ and the answer is ‘Yes, we have and we do periodically,'” Teresi explained. “Our industry advisers have repeatedly said to us that with what we have to provide under the collective bargaining agreements, the structure that we have – the self administered plan – over a period of time has been the best choice and continues to be the best option available to us.

“To put it bluntly,” Teresi continued, “there is just not plans out there of a commercial nature that replicate the benefits that we are contractually obligated to provide.”

Other items that came in higher than expected were outside legal claims – which were $208,000 over budget and the cost of road salt – which was $64,000 over the original budget. In addition, the city had to use a significant amount of its fund balance to complete the 2014 budget, meaning that it has just$160,000 remaining in its unassigned fund balance for the 2016 fiscal year.

City councilman Tony Dolce, who also chairs the city finance committee, said the news obviously poses some major challenges.

“We’re getting dangerously low in our fund balance. We haven’t started a year this far in a deficit in a long, long time so we’re already behind the 8-ball,” Dolce said. “Many of those things are out of our control. We go through each line item with a fine-tooth comb and we can do all the homework we want – cut here or there and do this and that. But when you have a couple of those items that just blow up in your face that you have little or no control over, those are obviously huge concerns and you just have to sit back, cross your fingers and hope for the best in those areas.”

There could be some budget relief for the city prior to 2016. Dolce said that the mayor’s Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction will have a couple of major recommendations on how to reduce some expenses and they will be presented later this month.

In addition, Mayor Teresi said its important the city keep pressure on Albany and try to convince lawmakers to seriously consider significant mandate relief that can help Jamestown and other local governments deal with rising expenses, many of which they have no control over.