MY HOMETOWN: OLEAN’S CITY HALL IN DISARRAY

Olean Star – Eric M. Firkel

I was eight years old
And running with a dime in my hand
To the bus stop to pick
Up a paper for my old man
I’d sit on his lap in that big old Buick
And steer as we drove through town
He’d tousle my hair
And say, “Son, take a good look around”
This is your hometown

Now Main Street’s whitewashed windows
And vacant stores
Seems like there ain’t nobody
Wants to come down here no more

Last night me and Kate we laid in bed
Talking about getting out
Packing up our bags, maybe heading south
I’m thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now
Last night I sat him up behind the wheel
And said, “Son, take a good look around
This is your hometown”

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I didn’t write that. Bruce Springsteen did. But it’s mid-August in Olean, the pavilion and gazebo in Lincoln park are chained off. The pool is closed. The ‘John Crawford Splash Pad’ is not opening this summer. It’s probably not opening next summer either. And now they’re pushing for surveillance cameras in the parks.

On June 1, Mayor Sherburne eliminated the Water and Sewer Superintendent. That was the one City Department that ran at a surplus, it returned money to the City each year. Sherburne said the reason was to remove redundant supervisors; however, as soon as Brad Camp’s position was eliminated, she re-created a Street Sewer Supervisor Position, another level of redundant supervision.

The City’s HVAC Technician quit in July.

Mayor Sherburne is telling people she fired the City Attorney, effective October 1. That’s clearly not true. City Attorney Mike Morgan did not comment, but he either resigned, or it’s the first time I have heard of firing someone two months in the future.

Last month, someone allegedly pulled a knife on a city employee in Lincoln Park. The police responded and apprehended the suspect in just a few minutes. Despite the quick response time, the Mayor made a push for surveillance cameras. When an alderman told her the police responded timely and cameras would not have helped, she screamed hysterically at the City Council member.

The morale of City employees is very low and getting lower.

WE WERE TOO HARD ON AIELLO.

One of the major criticisms of former Mayor Aiello is that he micromanaged employees. At times, he monitored employees through a secure video and later questioned them about what they were doing or with whom they were speaking. Mayor Sherburne does not monitor city employees through secure video feed. She took it up a notch and sits in the corner of the room and leers at them during the workday while they try to perform official city functions.

Some city employees long for the days when the Mayor merely monitored them through a secure video link.

Mayor Aiello was effectively run out of office by his own party. In early March 2025, the Olean City GOP Committee met to discuss endorsements on a night when the sitting mayor was unable to attend. The Committee did not endorse Aiello for a fourth term. City and County GOP leadership largely backed Amy Sherburne, who had been formally endorsed by the Democratic party. Mayor Aiello deserved more credit than he got on the way out.

Aiello was first elected in 2013. He was the first full-time mayor to be re-elected, in 17’ and 21’. It is difficult for anyone to serve in an executive position for more than 12 years. Like Shakespeare’s Antony said, ‘the that evil men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.’ Mayors and Governors collect enemies, not friends over time. After three terms, Mario Cuomo, who was once a darling of the Democratic Party and a Presidential favorite in 88’ and 92’ was run out of office by George Pataki in 1994. Then by 2006, after three terms as Governor, George Pataki’s approval rating sunk to the low 30’s. Pataki trailed Elliot Spitzer in a hypothetical head to head match up by 30% to 54%.

When Aiello took office in 2013 there were more than a dozen empty storefronts on North Union Street. When he left office, there were still more than a dozen empty storefronts on North Union Street. They shuffled a bit, but it didn’t get better and it didn’t get much worse. Things in Olean felt about the same in 2025 as they did in 2013. If someone told me that Dresser-Rand would abandon the test stand and shut down all manufacturing in the City of Olean and that living in Olean would not feel measurably different after, I would not have believed it. Mayor Aiello’s tenure was not flashy, but it was steady and he deserves a lot more credit than he gets for his service.

There are valid criticisms of the Aiello administration. I cannot recall a single “market rate”, low income or government subsidized housing program that he opposed. Then in March 2025, Mayor Aiello came up with his worse idea: using eminent domain to void the leases of JC Penny Co. and Khol’s at the Olean Center Mall so that a Rochester Developer could add more government subsidized housing to Olean. Those stores had been a part of our community for decades, Penny’s for over half a century and our City was prepared to use a government taking to gain control of the property so that the developer could void the clauses in their leases to pave the way for more subsidized housing. The use of imminent domain for the Olean Center Mall was by far Aiello’s worst idea, and it was Amy Sherburne’s first idea. She approved the measure in January 2026.

CHANGE CAN BE WORSE AND SO FAR IT IS.

Despite Aiello and the Council’s best efforts, Olean was spending more fund-balance each year. The taxbase was shrinking. Jobs and population were leaving, albeit slowly. I understand the sinking feeling that we were moving slowly downward. I understand why the public wanted a change. Afterall, the only thing we got more of between 2013 and 2025 was roundabouts.

In mid-2025 I had a conversation with a member of the Council and we agreed that Olean was slowly moving in the wrong direction. I was sticking with Bill, the council member retorted that with Bill we were slowing going over the cliff but with a change, Amy could turn things around. I responded, “either turn things around or put the pedal to the metal and launch us over the cliff.” Unfortunately that’s the direction we are headed.

If we are honest, we knew how this was going to go. On April 3, 2025 then candidate Sherburne appeared on the Life22 Podcast with Kevin Dougherty. Kevin and Amy meandered through a two hour and fifty three minute conversation. My major takeaway was that Candidate Sherburne believed that the decorated squirrels brought tourism to Olean, that we should open a Children’s Museum in Olean at the foot of York Street like the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, and we should get Intel and tech companies to set up in Olean. We were in trouble from the start. Her positivity was admirable, but her naivete was overwhelming.

SOME SIGNS OF LIGHT. JR BENNION, DAVE ANASTASIA AND BRIDGET MARSHALL.

There are some positive signs. JR Bennion was named Common Council President last month. Bennion is a Republican Alderman from Ward 1. He owns businesses on Front Street and West State Street. He’s made significant personal investments in the City. JR has young children, he’s actively involved in youth sports and has a vested interest in Olean. I have known JR for over ten years, he has what it takes to make common sense decisions and to stand up to the Mayor. He’s a Republican, but he’s not a partisan hack. He’s worked well across the aisle for his entire time on the Council.

Another positive development is Democratic Alderman Dave Anastasia rising to the occasion. I have not followed Dave’s political career closely. I understand he’s a former city council member, county legislator, city employee and mayoral candidate. He rejoined the Council. Over the past year, he’s made a lot of sense. His public comments are coherent, on point and he is clearly looking out for Olean’s best interests.

Lastly, Mayor Sherburne was able to move up Mike Morgan’s future firing from October 1 to August 28 (I kid, he clearly resigned and the Mayor should tell the truth that Mike tendered his resignation). Bridget Marshall is slated to resume her position as City Attorney. She understands that serving as City Attorney, she works for the City and not any one person. Here’s hoping that JR and David can continue working together and that the Mayor begins heeding Marshall’s advice.

The City faces serious challenges. Olean’s issues will not be solved by self-promotional posters, surveillance cameras, insensitive comments about homeless people, unnecessary laws or gimmicks to entice people to move here by promising a 3-month Bartlett Membership and two free music lessons. All parties must work together to tackle the important issues like obtaining a fair water-sewer contract with Allegany, upgrading City infrastructure, evaluating the proper size of government for a City of 12,000 people that used to have 24,000, and coming up with a responsible solution to Olean’s homelessness problem.

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