Vote today, or hold your peace for another year

November 3, 2026

Thousands of residents have already taken the time to cast their ballot during Early Voting, which was Oct. 24 through Sunday. If you have not, there’s one day left — that’s today from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Despite the advent of mail-in and early voting, Election Day remains a heavy turnout day. There is a large contingent of the population that hits the polls on the traditional day. As usual, we urge residents to be part of the process. This year’s races have important implications on the future. If you’re not happy with how things are being run in Washington, Albany and here ...

Signing Kyra’s Law would help domestic violence victims

November 2, 2026

We’ve reached the time of year when Gov. Kathy Hochul begins signing legislation passed by the state Legislature before the end of its session in June. It’s ludicrous to us that this process takes half a year in some cases, particularly when it comes to legislation that was approved with overwhelming legislative support like Kyra’s Law (A.6194-C/S.5998). Kyra's Law is named in memory of 2-year-old Kyra Franchettie, who was shot and killed by her father during a court-ordered unsupervised visit in 2016, and was passed with bipartisan support in the state Legislature this year. It ...

Saving pennies is nice. City Council needs to find dollars.

October 31, 2026

Once again, the City Council is tying itself in knots over a city vehicle for the mayor’s office. These leases have raised questions, particularly over the past six years. Starting in 2020, when former Mayor Eddie Sundquist, through the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency, entered into a lease for a bigger, more expensive vehicle than the one that had been provided for former Mayor Sam Teresi, and continuing through a new lease in 2023 these vehicle leases have raised questions and created consternation. In our view, the city should take the least expensive option. On a per-year ...

Remember when county hotels were used for travelers?

October 29, 2026

There’s been a lot of discussion over housing the homeless in hotels over the past couple of years. That discussion is needed, because there are a lot of issues to be sorted out: how to provide the services needed to keep the homeless from simply being warehoused in hotel rooms, making sure the hotel spaces are livable in the first place, making sure spaces are appropriate for women and children and ensuring that issues aren’t created in the communities where hotels have contracts to house the homeless, as we have seen in Falconer and Ellicott. Here’s what’s been missing ...

Komatireddy is best choice for Attorney General

October 28, 2026

Saritha Komatireddy isn’t a household name for many New Yorkers. And that’s too bad, because she should be your next state Attorney General. We know all too well what we will get statewide by electing Letitia James as attorney general - more lawsuits that are so tinged by party politics that it’s hard to discern whether or not the case makes sense. That happens, in part, because James has been smacked down by courts often enough in her attempts to fill her prior campaign pledges to make life hard on President Donald Trump that it’s hard to tell where a case actually exists or ...

Four receive endorsements for state Supreme Court seats

October 27, 2026

Seven candidates are on the ballot for four justice positions on the state Supreme Court Eighth Judicial District that serves the Western New York counties, including Chautauqua. State Supreme Courts hear civil matters while the County Courts hear criminal matters. In making our selections for these positions, we consider ratings by the Erie County Bar Association to assist the public in the process. The Association notes candidates are evaluated on criteria necessary to hold judicial office, including integrity, experience, professional ability, education, reputation, industry, ...