Taking part in Zoom meetings that begin first thing in the morning and continue throughout the day have become part of the new daily routines for the Chautauqua County executive and Jamestown mayor.

The daily grind for two elected officials on the front lines of making policy decisions during the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak involves many discussions with staff, colleagues and peers over the phone or online.

County Executive PJ Wendel said his day begins with a 7:30 a.m. virtual meeting with his office staff of four. He said the meeting involves his discussions the evening before during conference calls and who he needs to contact that day.

“We talk about the current things we are doing and our tasks,” Wendel said. “After that, I go into the COVID-19 Response Team meeting.”

The task force the county established during the outbreak is the COVID-19 Response Team, which consist of Wendel; Christine Schuyler, county public health director; James Quattrone, county sheriff, John Griffith, county emergency services director; Stephen Abdella, county attorney; and three doctors, Dr. Robert Burke, Dr. Matthew Faulk and Dr. Brian Walters.

“The COVID-19 Response Team meeting is a good way for us to talk about things we are dealing with each day. The different issues that pop up. It’s a good connection,” he said. “We make sure we are all moving forward and keeping focused.”

Following that meeting, Wendel said he reaches out to people who have contacted his office with different concerns involving the virus.

“Some things I let my office staff handle, but I personally call back a lot of people who have concerns,” he said.

At 2:30 p.m. each day Wendel participates in a conference call with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. “This is a time we can ask questions and receive a lot of guidance from the governor’s office,” he said.

Wendel said almost daily he is talking to state and federal representatives including state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay; Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown; and U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning.

Wendel said there are weekly meetings scheduled that he takes part in like the meeting of town highway superintendents on Wednesday. He also is in regular contact with the heads of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency and the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College.

In the evenings at 7 p.m., Wendel said he participates in a conference call with the New York State Association of Counties.

“That has been useful. That is a meeting with a lot of county managers and legislators participating,” he said. “There has been a lot of great ideas and plans during those meetings.”

Wendel said since the start of the outbreak, he has been keeping a journal to note the developments of the virus.

“That has been interesting to look back on at times to see how much has changed during the past two months,” he said. “We are all working as a team in different areas. I want to thank everyone I work with. I have a great group of people around me to get through this crisis. We put our minds together to talk things through. I have valuable sources to hear from.”

Meanwhile, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said he starts his day by talking to his department heads about what happened in the city overnight or about any public safety issues.

“Usually we are primed to hear of any new directives from the governor’s office or executive orders,” Sundquist said. “We then put the information out to our department heads and to other officials in the city, and then we typically tune into the governor’s daily briefing.”

At 2:30 p.m. each day, Sundquist participates in the conference call with the governor’s office. That is followed up a couple of times a week with a briefing from the county executive and phone calls with state and federal representatives.

“I also talk to other mayors in Chautauqua County. Mayor (Willie) Rosas and I talk frequently, and I also talk to other mayors and town supervisors,” he said. “I also talk to other mayors in other U.S. cities and across the state. Every day is different.

“One day I was chatting with the mayor of Chicago (Lori Lightfoot) about programs for renters and businesses to see what they are doing. Then other days I’ll talk to Mayor Rosas and other supervisors to see what they are doing.”

Sundquist said even though the city Municipal Building has been closed during the outbreak, he said city workers are still carrying on with normal business. He said city workers are still processing request, payments and operating as normal, just with fewer people.

“We are still here,” he said. “We are just a phone call or email away. We are still working behind the scenes to make sure our residents are safe.”588888