We begin a look at the two candidates running for Chautauqua County Executive, P.J. Wendel, who is running for another, full four-year term as the county's top-elected official. Our Terry Frank asks about a number of issues, including the local economy -- in particular -- with the recent news of the closing of Serta-Simmons Mattress in the south county industrial park. Wendel says the county tried to contact Serta after they heard of the possibility, but, they did not respond. He says "we need to get our workforce activated..." because there are at least several hundred "good paying jobs" currently available. However... he says some of those pay the same as entry level retail jobs. As for getting people to come to, or back to, Chautauqua County... Wendel says there are anecdotal stories about people coming back to the region. However... he says there's also a lot of negativity on-line and elsewhere in the area. The county's current population is between 125,000 to 127,000. He agrees the county government workforce has gone up in recent years... but, those costs have been covered by grants and other revenues streams outside of taxes. He says they have increased numbers due to Medicaid needs, and the new Fly-Car program. We also discuss property taxes, and the future of the Jamestown Airport.
Copy episode link
