Andrew Faulkner, a member of the Jamestown City Council, is pictured outside city hall. “It has been a huge learning experience,” he said of his first eight months on the council. P-J photo by Timothy Frudd

Andrew Faulkner represents Willard Heights Ward VI.

At only 30 years old, he is the youngest member of the City Council.

Faulkner has lived in Jamestown for about 20 years. He has a passion for motor sports and serving his community.

“I wanted to get involved and that’s why I decided to run for City Council so I can try to help people and kind of solve any issues anybody has,” he said. “It has been a huge learning experience. I knew there were tons and tons of things that I didn’t know and now I’ve kind of figured out the things I knew I didn’t know, and I’m trying to learn the things that I didn’t know that I didn’t know.”

His experience on the council continues to present new challenges and opportunities to learn.

“Right when I think I kind of have a handle on it, somebody calls me with an issue and I get to do a whole bunch more research and reaching out and figuring out how things work,” he said.

While Faulkner has had to learn many different things as a new member of the council, he said, “I’m loving every minute of it.”

One of the ways Faulkner has felt he has been able to impact the community is by voting on different city issues.

“The hot topic’s been the ARPA funding,” he said.

The federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act has provided additional funding for Jamestown, and the city is trying to find the best way to spend the money responsibly.

Faulkner said he is on the Parks Committee, which allows him to have an “inside look” at the city’s parks. He also serves on the Public Works Committee, giving him the opportunity to see how everything in the city works behind the scenes.

One of the accomplishments Faulkner is most proud of is the city’s decision to increase the number of police officers and firefighters. Faulkner said public safety is important because it directly affects everyone.

“I was really happy to vote on that and get that passed,” he said.

Helping people solve issues is something that Faulkner prioritizes in his position.

“I just like to help people,” Faulkner said. “I just kind of want to be the Ward VI (representative) the best I can.”

Faulkner wants to be someone the people of Jamestown can call when they have an issue and they are not sure who to contact.

“I’ve already done a whole bunch of that,” he said. “It’s really awesome to see things get done and people are really appreciative of it.”

As a member of the council, Faulkner’s goal is to be the “middleman” between the people, his fellow council members, and the mayor.

“If we come up with an idea that we think is good and I get a million phone calls from people that have complaints or they see issues with it, it’s cool to be able to pass that info on to the other council members and that helps us make our decision,” he said.

While Faulkner would like to make each of his constituents happy, he said there are issues people have that he cannot fix because they are not up to the council.

“I think I’ve been able to kind of help most people,” he said.

Faulkner believes that while the council has implemented important changes in Jamestown, there are still major issues facing the city.

“The city definitely has some public safety issues,” he said.

The most pressing public safety concerns Faulkner has seen are the issues with drugs and guns. However, he said the city has already taken steps to address this issue by hiring more police officers.

“I think if we could make Jamestown a safer place, that would be awesome,” Faulkner said.

As Faulkner continues his first term on the City Council, he plans on continuing to engage in the learning experience and represent Ward VI.

“I’m just trying to give back and do my part,” Faulkner said.