By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — In her first State of the City Address Friday night, Olean Mayor Amy Sherburne thanked her family, supporters and city employees.
Speaking to about 100 people attending the Olean Common Council’s reorganization meeting, Sherburne promised transparency, professionalism and a comprehensive plan for the city’s future.
The mayor highlighted the importance of public safety, community engagement and economic development. She also cited grants the fire and police departments will be receiving to pay for new recruits. She also discussed the need for the city Codes Department to be more proactive and for the revitalization of the downtown area.
Sherburne was sworn in by Cattaraugus County Court Judge Ronald D. Ploetz, who also gave the oath of office to four aldermen who were re-elected in November: Joseph Keary, R-Ward 2; Sonya McCall, D-Ward 4; Vernon Robinson Jr., D-Ward 6, and David Anastasia, D-Ward 7.
Aldermen voted unanimously to re-elect Robinson to the council president’s post. He was elected the city’s first Black council president after Crawford resigned in August.
In the only other council action of the night, aldermen confirmed the mayor’s appointment of Michael A. Morgan as city attorney.
Sherburne, in her comments, vowed to continue the Olean Police Department’s role on the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and praised the department for its commitment to enhancing community safety and well being, as well as its drone program. She spoke of deepening the partnership with city schools through school resource officers and other programs.
The fire department is “not just training for the fires of today,” the mayor said. “We are training for the medical emergencies of tomorrow.” By broadening training opportunities, advanced training would be available for not only members of the Olean Fire Department, but for the broader Southern Tier.
The mayor said, “The Codes Department, in my estimation, is critical to the safety and well being of this community.” In addressing concerns of blight in historic city neighborhoods, Sherburne said, “Moving forward, my priority is to create an environment that rewards responsible homeowners and to raise the standard of codes our department will enforce and to hold neglectful property owners responsible.” In addition, she said, “I will be restructuring our efforts to be proactive rather than reactive.”
The mayor said her administration would be working with the Community Development Office “to turn Olean into a prosperous, buzzing hub of events. I will be revitalizing our marketing efforts to attract new developers, businesses and visitors, making use of our beautiful downtown area parks to host events that bring our community together.”
Sherburne said she would make every effort “to open the door wide to investors who want the best outcome for our city’s success.” She called the Community Development Department “the engine of growth” and said she planned to “aggressively market us as a destination.”
In addition, Sherburne said she planned a comprehensive plan including “a responsible budget to meet the needs of the services the city provides with a fair assessment of revenues, daily road maintenance, replacement of streets with serious issues and maintenance of parks.” Water and sewer infrastructure problems will be addressed and the mayor said she will work with state and federal agencies to receive grants to help pay for it.
Reaccreditation of the city’s levee system, issues regarding sewage discharge into the Allegheny River and the $25 million rebuilding of West State Street from North Union Street to St. Bonaventure University are top priorities, “with fiscal guardrails,” the mayor said.
In closing, Sherburne said, “The people of the City of Olean elected for change and change is going to come. Together, we will build an Olean that is not just a place to live, but a place to thrive.”
