Jamestown City Council voting session (January 30, 2023)

Jamestown City Council has approved a final installment of funds to the Senior Citizen Home Improvement Incentive Program.

The additional $377,528 in American Rescue Plan funds will cover any remaining approved applications that could not be funded due to lack of funds in previous rounds.

The Finance Committee had recommended the previous week using $282,856 in ARP funds to make the program whole based on numbers provided by Assessor Lisa Volpe, but Finance Chair and Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund said those figures were incorrect, “So, last week when we went through this she (Volpe) had estimated a $94,000 savings that she approached to us. When I got the final numbers, in talking to her, in talking to the Acting Comptroller, it was provided in error. So, therefore, it had to go back in to make that the $377,000 to bring this whole so that everybody who applied and was accepted and approved will get the project done.”

Total funding for the Senior Citizen Home Improvement Incentive Program now stands at $1.87 million.

Council also approved using $900,000 in ARP funds for water main replacements and street restoration on Roland Road and Juliet Street. The Department of Public Works and Jamestown Board of Public Utilities recommended the work be done after multiple water main breaks on both streets over the decades.

Ecklund said at this point, $26,230,703 has been spent in ARP funds out the over $28 million received.

A resolution for the City to adopt the New York State Climate Smart Communities Pledge was tabled for more discussion. Ecklund said while the pledge allows the city to apply for certain grants, there were some misunderstandings from the public and council that needed to be cleared up, “And I asked specifically if the legal team had looked at it before we signed anything and they had not. So, just to cover our bases and make sure we’re not locked into something that we can’t get out of, if you will, I would prefer the legal team to look at it.”

Council approved several appointments to boards and commissions from Mayor Eddie Sundquist including appointing Thomas Benson of 141 East Virginia Boulevard to serve on the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Board. He replaces Tamu Graham-Reinhardt who has resigned. They also approved appointing Reverend Luke Fodor to the Jamestown Community College Board of Trustees. He will fill out the unexpired term of Dr. Lillian Ney who also had resigned.

Members of the public address Jamestown School Board (October 25, 2022)

Over 30 people attended the Jamestown School Board meeting with 13 speaking to the board with concerns about school safety and bullying.

The concerns were raised following a parent speaking at the October 11 School Board meeting about a bullying incident that was captured on video and shared on social media.

Parent Jennifer Buck, who has children at Persell and the High School, said every student should have to read and sign the district’s Code of Conduct. She also said the bullying of student is “out of control,” “My children have come home and spoke about how kids have made fun of their weight, their eyebrows, their skin condition. My daughter has been told to kill herself multiple times at Persell Middle School already this year. Have I reported these? No. Should I have? Yes, but my kids have begged me not to do so because it would make more harm than good. It makes it worse. I’m sure there is more they aren’t telling me because they know now is enough and I’m not being quiet. I just want my children, all children, to go to school, be safe, get the education they need to guide them through the rest of their lives.”

Anti-bullying signs outside the Jamestown Public Schools Administrative Building (October 25, 2022)

Parent Carla Gonzalez said the schools and students are facing challenges that require more than reactive efforts. She said parents at the meeting want protection for their children, “Specifically, with the installation of metal detectors and door sensors at all entrances of JHS. As the Board of Education, you could not expect a music class to be successful without instruments. You would not expect a math class to be as effective without calculators. You would not expect a basketball team to win without balls. Please do not expect our schools to remain secure without the proper equipment that can enhance the safety of our children.”

Tamu Graham-Reinhardt, who works for the Jamestown School District as its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, spoke up as a resident, saying that support is needed from the community, “And your frustrations are valid and I want to acknowledge them. I would also ask that if you are interested in being part of the solution, then we all should get together. I know that there was a survey that was put out and we should talk and look at problem solving. We are reviewing the Code of Conduct, so thank you for bringing that up. We are reviewing the Code of Conduct. I’m part of the committee. And anyone else, I would ask to come do that because it needs to be examined.”

Most of the speakers Tuesday night requested metal detectors be considered for school buildings.

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said student safety and security has been taken very seriously over the two years he’s served as Superintendent of the district. He said that includes reinstating School Resource Officers, initiating a Threat Assessment Protocol, and hiring a Safety and Security Supervisor, “..Have been running emergency drills and crisis teams, attending workshops on the various emerging technology for detection and monitoring; developing a capital project that creates secure vestibules in all buildings – adding those to Persell and to the High School. Installing alarms for doors at the High School, making improvements and upgrades to cameras and entry credentialing, installing ten-foot fencing at the High School and bollards behind the High School to restrict vehicle traffic.”

Whitaker said the internal Safety and Security Committee will be expanded to include staff, teachers, students, parents, and community members, “We will review all of the available options for us. And we will make a recommendation. This is how the work of a community is done – effort, research, collaboration, communication, hearing different opinions and positions, and coming to a resolution that includes input from all constituent groups. That is what we want our kids to see as a model. This is how we can conquer any seemingly insurmountable issue.”

Whitaker said that the Safety and Security Committee will discuss if metal detectors are part of the solution and if the community is willing to deal with the ancillary consequences of that whether it’s the cost of the equipment, extra staff, or time involved with students going through the detection system.

He added that feedback can also be submitted anonymously to jpsny.org/feedback. He said that page also will give people the option to sign up for the Safety and Security Committee. QR codes are available at the High School for reports to be submitted anonymously as well.

In other business, the Jamestown School Board accepted bids totaling $500,155 to contract with Kinley Corporation, Mazza Mechanical Services, Inc., and Ahlstrom-Schaeffer to construct the Secure Entry Vestibule at Persell Middle School. This capital project had been approved by voters in 2021. Whitaker said that project is expected to be completed by Spring.

JPS Coordinator of Student Support Services and Equity Tamu Graham-Reinhardt presents first year results of the Community Navigator program to the Jamestown School Board (August 30, 2022)

Attendance and course grades went up for students referred to Community Navigators in the Jamestown Public Schools District.

Community Navigator Carmen Perez and JPS Coordinator of Student Support Services and Equity Tamu Graham-Reinhardt presented the first year results of the Community Navigator program to the Jamestown School Board Tuesday night.

The Community Navigator positions were created to help provide a connection between the district and Latino population, including helping overcome language barriers between families and the schools as well helping navigate the technical aspects of schooling.

Two bilingual navigators were hired for the 2021-22 school year with one navigator working full time at the high school and tech academy and the other navigator visiting the middle schools.

Graham-Reinhardt said attendance, behavior, and core academics will be the focus for this coming school year.

She said for students that were referred to the Community Navigators, there was a 63% improvement in attendance, “Our navigators were very tenacious about the families they worked with – getting students to school, improving their attendance, getting them here, following up, ensuring that they have a way to get here. We even had one of the staff actually worked with CARTS to get one of our English-language learners picked up on the bus to be brought here every day for school.”

Graham-Reinhardt said the behavior rate was at 60%, which was down from the previous year, but she said that was due in part to the 2020-21 school year being a hybrid year for in-person attendance so there weren’t the type of behavior referrals you’d normally expect to see.

She said the really important data point was that 71% of referred students passed all their course grades, “So, that’s very encouraging. Because the more that they come to school, once they’re in school they can get their work done. And so we’re really encouraged about these numbers with just the two people that we had working this year.”

The Jamestown School Board had approved hiring two more Community Navigators for this school year, bringing the total to four. Graham-Reinhardt said one will continue to be at the high school and tech academy with the other three, once hired, mainly at the Middle Schools.

She added that the goal for navigators this year is to continue to reach out to struggling students and families to break down mistrust that parents may have and make them feel welcome in the buildings. They also will be expanding discussions with middle and high school students about planning for what happens after high school graduation.

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.

Tom Nelson, Tamu Graham-Reinhardt

Jamestown City Council has approved the appointment of two familiar faces to the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.

Former Council-Member-at-Large Tamu Graham-Reinhardt and former Ward 6 Council Member Tom Nelson were both put forward by Mayor Eddie Sundquist to serve on the BPU Board.

Council President Tony Dolce said both appointees obviously have experience in City Government, “Both of them have working knowledge, obviously, of the BPU since we’ve been dealing with that for several years on Council. I think people felt comfortable with knowing who they were and knowing that they have some level of experience and that they’re people that we know that are easily accessible with us to communicate with us.”

Graham-Reinhardt and Nelson will replace former BPU Chair Greg Rabb and Jim Olson on the board.

Jamestown City Council

Dolce said when the term started January 1, 2020 with the first new mayor and administration in 20 years, no one realized that the COVID Pandemic would overshadow everything, “The COVID virus also touched all of our city departments as well as us personally on this council. Through it all, we continued to work on city business the best we could and stay as open and transparent as possible by livestreaming all of our meetings and changing up our meeting spaces when given the opportunity to come to this building to meet in person. This council also had to endure the tragic loss of one of our longtime members this past year with the sudden passing of Councilwoman Vickye James.”

Dolce said highlights of the last two years include the Public Safety Committee’s work on police reform and the Finance Committee’s work on two challenging budgets.

He also publicly acknowledged the council members not returning in 2022, “Councilman Grant Olson, who is not here this evening, has served on our Public Works committee as well as a member of the BPU Board. Councilwoman Tamu Graham-Reinhardt, who has served on our Public Safety committee, and has been an integral part of our Police Reform committee as well as a strong advocate for minority owned and women owned businesses. Councilman Tom Nelson, who has served as Chair of the Public Works committee and is also chair of Council’s ad hoc Deer Management committee and also a member of the Planning Commission.”

Council member at large Tamu Graham-Reinhardt did not run for another term, while Ward 6 Council member Tom Nelson was defeated in his run for re-election by Republican Andrew Faulkner. Nelson said it was an honor to serve for the last 6 years and he was disappointed to not be returning for another term, “Being on the Council has been a great experience. It’s made me more appreciative of what local governments do. I don’t think the average citizen understands the hard work and dedication of all of our men and women who work in our police and fire, parks, public works departments, department of development. It’s made me appreciate the hard work of the people who lead those departments.”

Graham-Reinhardt thanked Council member Kim Ecklund for her guidance after she was first appointed in 2017, “All politics are local and everyone up here is here to do the best that they can for the residents and the taxpayers and the people who live in this town. And I think we’ve done the best of our ability. We have not agreed and the public has not agreed with us, and that’s understandable, but we’ve had to make decisions that felt in the long run were going to benefit the residents of Jamestown.”

Ward 5 Council member Grant Olson announced in September he would not seek another term, but still won that race as it was too late to remove his name from the election ballot. No announcement has been made at this time on who Mayor Eddie Sundquist will appoint to replace him on Council.

The reorganizational meeting for Jamestown City Council will be held at 7pm, Monday, January 3 in Council Chambers.

Around 20 amendments were adopted that reduced the amount taken from the fund balance from $1.3 million to $643,568. Those amendments included increasing expected revenues for sales tax by $172,780, limiting management salaries to a 2.5% increase for a $43,340 savings, and cutting $8,380 dollars budgeted for the Human Rights Commission. Four council members, including Regina Brackman, Grant Olson, Tom Nelson, and Tamu Graham-Reinhardt voted against the $6,000 cut to the HRC. The funding had been requested for outreach work and a diversity festival.

A resolution on allocating $3.7 million dollars in lost revenue from the American Rescue Plan Act Local Recovery funds for the 2022 Capital Improvement Program also was tabled.

Council President Tony Dolce said the Council will act on the American Rescue Plan funds at its December meeting and plans to address concerns raised by members of the public about how public safety is funded, “And increasing the amount of funding for different pieces of equipment, different things in the police department particularly, and the fire department. And those things will also be discussed and probably part of the ARPA or American Recovery funds as we move forward.”

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said he wished Council had acted on the Capital Improvement Program, “Which do provide a lot of support for police, our fire, and all of our other departments. You know, by punting it to the next month they only take us longer to work on these projects. We’ll evaluate each one, although I do anticipate some vetoes will be on the way.”

Sundquist has until next Monday, or 5 business days, to submit any vetoes he may have. He said of the amendments made by Council to the budget, he was disappointed in the cut to the Human Rights Commission, “And that commission has been working hard to really to provide some understanding and diversity to the city. So to provide a small amount of funding for them to do a festival is really sad that the council took that away.”

He also was not happy with the cut to the Mayor’s travel budget as wells as a $10,000 cut to the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency.

The tax rate remains at $23.69 per $1,000 assessed property value.

A local law to opt out of allowing cannabis dispensaries and consumption establishments was automatically tabled. It will be discussed at the December Council meetings.

Tamu Graham-Reinhardt

Jamestown Public Schools have announced the appointment of Tamu Graham-Reinhardt as the Coordinator of Student Support Services.

The Coordinator of Student Support Services is responsible for providing expert leadership that includes monitoring and supporting a vision that encompasses a comprehensive student services plan in accordance with laws and regulations over all areas assigned within the department that lead to academic, social, and emotional success for all students.

Mrs. Reinhardt’s responsibilities will also include:
● Collaborating to ensure all children have access to opportunity
● Addressing inequities and helping every student to equitable access learning opportunities in school to enable them all to thrive.
● Acknowledging the presence of culturally diverse students and the need for students to find relevant connections and;
● Assisting the District to develop the individual and organizational knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices to create culturally responsive learning and working environments.

Mrs. Reinhardt received her Masters of Arts in Public Relations from Ball State University and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from State University of New York at Buffalo. She holds her NYS School District Administration Certification, NYS Permanent Teacher Certification and Cornell University Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion.

In County races, incumbent Republican County Executive Paul “PJ” Wendel is facing Democratic challenger Norm Green. Wendel is running for full 4-year term after being appointed to replace George Borrello in January 2020 when Borrello was elected to the State Senate. Green formerly worked in the Chautauqua County Board of Elections as its Democratic Commissioner for over 20 years.

The County Clerk race will feature incumbent Republican Larry Barmore against Fredonia Democrat David Salley.

All 19 County Legislature seats are on the ballot. In Jamestown, the contested races are in District 11 between incumbent Democrat Bob Whitney and Republican Dave Wilfong; and in District 12 between incumbent Republican Elisabeth Rankin and Democrat Heather Fagan.

In the City of Jamestown, all City Council seats are on the ballot.

In Ward 3, incumbent Democrat Regina Brackman faces Republican Robert Reedy. Brackman was appointed in April to fill the seat after the untimely death of Vickye James. In Ward 4, incumbent Democrat Marie Carrubba is running against Republican Rick Elardo.

In Ward 5, Republican Grant Olson is facing Democrat Doug Lawson, however Olson announced in mid-September that he was no longer seeking re-election. As it was too late to remove his name from the ballot, should Olson win and decline to accept his seat again, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist would be charged with appointing a Republican from Ward 5 to replace him in January.

And in Ward 6, incumbent Democrat Tom Nelson is going up against Republican Andrew Faulkner.
There are six candidates running for 3 At-Large seats. Incumbent Republicans Kim Ecklund and Jeff Russell are running for re-election as well as Republican Randy Daversa. Running on the Democrat line are Christina Cardinale, Ellen Ditonto, and Alyssa Porter. Democrat Tamu Graham-Reinhardt is not seeking re-election for her At-Large seat.

There are two seats open for the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justices. Running on all four lines of Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Working Families are Grace Hanlon and John Licata. Frank Caruso and Raymond Walter are running on the Democrat, Republican, and Conservative lines.

There are also 5 propositions located on the back of the ballot.

Proposal 1 deals with redistricting and, if passed, includes capping the number of State Senate seats at 63, require that incarcerated persons be counted at the place of their last residence for redistricting, and require the state to count residents, including people who are residents but not citizens, should the federal census fail to do so.

Proposal 3 removes the requirement that persons must register to vote at least ten days before an election. This would allow people to register to vote the same day as elections.

Proposal 4 would allow no-excuse absentee voting. Currently, in order to qualify for an absentee ballot, a voter must be absent from their county of residence, ill, or physically disabled.

Proposal 2 would add a right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

And proposal 5 would allow the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of $50,000, rather than the current threshold of $25,000.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. in Chautauqua County.

For all of WRFA’s Election coverage, visit wrfalp.com/election-2021

For voting information, including sample ballots and voting locations, visit VoteChautauqua.com

We’ll have Election Night coverage starting at 8pm tonight on 107.9 WRFA-LP.

Public Safety Chair Brent Sheldon said the committee met last week with Organizer Jose Sanchez and Police Chief Tim Jackson to discuss 10 proposed amendments by Council Member At Large Jeff Russell.

He said there was give and take on those amendments, with nine being settled on in the end, “Amendment Number One – The hours of operation will be 9am to 7pm. Originally it was going to end at 8pm. Number two – The total number of vehicles will be limited to 900 cars. This includes spectators and competitors. Depending on the weather and the condition of the fields, the park will be closed to vehicle traffic when capacity is met.”

Another amendment included the Car Club paying for two of the six Jamestown Police Officers at the event with the City of Jamestown picking up the costs for the other four officers.

Resident and former City Council Member At Large Greg Rabb expressed concern that by the City paying for the four officers, it could turn the event into a city-sponsored event thus exposing the city to liability. He added that if the officers are paid for and the event remains a private one that the city would be in violation of the state constitution, “And the gifts provision section that we were very careful I think the entire time I was [Council] President to make sure we did not do that. And that we’re potentially opening ourselves up to an audit by the State Comptroller that could tell us we can’t do that and that we could get into serious trouble.”

Other amendments include music not being allowed to be played from vehicles that are spectating at the event. Competition vehicles are not allowed to randomly test their stereo or exhaust equipment throughout the day.

Snow fencing and barricades will be used to direct traffic away from residential neighborhoods at the conclusion of the event. No parking signs and barricades will be erected by the Parks and DPW Departments as seen fit.

Jamestown Police officers will assist with traffic control at the conclusion of the event. The Two-Step, car limbo, and dance contests will be added to the event with the Jamestown Fire Department being present for the Two-Step competition.

No person shall ride or cling to the outside of the vehicle during the car limbo competition. And the final amendment gives the Chief of Police or his designee the authority to terminate the event at any time. The promoter of the event still bears all costs and responsibilities previously agreed upon.

Council Member At Large Jeff Russell acknowledged that the event has been contentious and that he’s tried to listen to all concerns from members of the community. He said that Bergman Park is not the perfect venue but you can’t please everyone, “I talked to [Parks Manager] Dan Stone about the Jones and Gifford Park. He said that was not feasible because it had been so wet, in his words, that he wasn’t even able to get a mower on that field. He also stated the Jackson-Taylor Park was in a similar situation. That it was too wet and it wasn’t really conducive for this event.”

Ward Four Council Member Marie Carrubba continued to express concern over the noise and traffic that will come with the event, “I am clearly disappointed that more consideration was not given to Ward Four residents in amending the permit application. And I speak on behalf of the Ward Four residents who have concerns about the noise and believe that the type of competition, which is a loud event, is not what should be held in a neighborhood park or any park in the city.”

Councilmember At Large Tamu Graham-Reinhardt thanked Los Contrincantes Car Club President and Event Organizer Jose Sanchez for his work, “When Mr. Sanchez proposed this, he had the best of intentions at heart. He was looking at the fact that this would bring in hotels, this would bring in a little bit of money to the city. He was interested in doing something to support the city. He’s a lifetime resident. And it was just something a little different than what we’ve done on a regular basis.”
Graham-Reinhardt added that Sanchez has done everything the City has asked of him.

The Public Safety Committee also recommended that the Special Event Permit Application be changed to reflect some of the requirements being set forth for the September 18th event.