Op-Ed: Working together for Youngstown's future

Guest editorial by Deputy Mayor Rick Stortecky

As deputy mayor and budget officer for the Village of Youngstown, I am deeply honored to serve our community, and humbled by the trust our residents have placed in me. This is more than a role – it is a responsibility to listen, to lead with integrity, and to ensure that every decision we make reflects the best interests of our village and its people.

We stand at a pivotal moment in Youngstown’s history. Our village has faced its share of challenges, but it has shown remarkable resilience, ingenuity and unity. I believe that the next chapter for Youngstown can be one of renewal and growth – if we commit to working together with purpose and persistence.

Over the previous few years, I am proud of many of the projects we have undertaken. The village utilized the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI) funds to reconstruct Water Street – a $2.1 million project. This project also included a reconstruction of the stairs leading from Main Street to the south dock/Youngstown Yacht Club, as well as new lighting on both the north dock and south dock stairs.

Under Mayor Reisman’s leadership, the village was able to end any possibility for our iconic water tower being torn down. The village has acquired the property, and is currently financially benefiting from multiple telecommunication companies that rent space for their equipment on the water tower.

The village was able to successfully sell the property that was the site of the former Cold Storage Building. The Cold Storage Building had been condemned and posed a significant safety risk and financial liability to the village. The demolition of the Cold Storage Building did not cost the taxpayers a penny. Additionally, the construction of Riverview Landing Condominiums is underway. This beautiful property will add needed housing and additional tax revenue for the village.

The village is currently working with NYSDOT to fully reconstruct Lockport Street, including sidewalks and storm sewers. The village will be installing a new waterline as a betterment project with NYSDOT and will also be slip lining our sewer line. The total cost of the project will be approximately $10 million, according to the state. This project will be a major enhancement to a main thoroughfare into the village.

The village was recently awarded approximately $240,000 from Greenway to construct a bike trail that will connect Youngstown Estates to Fort Niagara State Park. This project will include new, ADA-compliant bathrooms in Falkner Park, as well as park benches, water stations, landscaping, and signage along the new trail.

The village is utilizing America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to remove the dilapidated clock tower the adorns the Village Center and repair the roof. The village will be seeking bids to reconstruct the clock tower in the near future.

These projects and many of the improvements in the village would not be possible without the leadership of Mayor Reisman, the current Village Board, our dedicated village employees, and our amazing, local organizations.

I would like to recognize our village office, led by Clerk Alex Long, Treasurer Kristin Larson, and Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Kim Winning. The village office is the primary interface between the village government and its residents. Our village office has been instrumental in overseeing our transition to our new .gov website (https://www.youngstownny.gov/). The office goes above and beyond to keep our residents informed and assist them with the questions and concerns. The village office is truly the heartbeat of the village.

Greg Quarantillo was named DPW superintendent in 2023. Greg has been actively involved in all of the projects in the village, and has often saved the village thousands of taxpayer dollars. For example, he was able to save the village approximately $300,000 by sourcing many of the materials for the NYSDOT project. Greg’s dedication is also evident on weekends and evenings when we have an emergency (water main break, sewer issue, blizzard, or a fallen tree). Greg always makes himself available, day and night, to serve the village.

Under the direction of Police Chief Shawn Bosi, the village is now utilizing Stone Garden funding to help pay for our village patrol. Stone Garden is a federal program used to strengthen international border security. This program has allowed the village to increase our patrol without increasing village property taxes. Chief Bosi has also reestablished relationships with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, as well as other neighboring municipalities.

Jeff Gruarin is our recreation director and has been an amazing asset to the village. He has added programs that have caught the eye of WNY. He was honored in 2024 when he received the Coaches Honor Roll Award from Project Play WNY for his dedicated work and support of youth development in the region.

We are proud to announce the hiring of both Jim Fittante and Ed Zimmerman as our new building inspectors and code enforcement officers in the village. These men were very recently hired, but they are no strangers to our community. They come to us with a wealth of experience and integrity. I am confident they will make the safety of village residents their priority.

Our senior van program that we share with the Town of Porter has been an incredible program for our seniors in the community. Our residents are able to go to medical appointments, drug and grocery stores, or wherever they need to go. Our village office oversees the program, and the village and town share in the costs. A big thank you to our village clerk, Alex Long. Her dedication to this program and our seniors is evidenced often.

Lastly, I want to thank village resident Peter Pfohl for volunteering to be the village historian. Peter brings a wealth of knowledge and deep appreciation of the history of Youngstown. He is a true asset to the village team.

I was honored when Mayor Reisman asked me to assist with the creation of the village budget two years ago, and then later named me budget officer for the village. In this role, the focus is on “doing more with less.”

I am pleased to announce that the village has a perfect fiscal stress score. Further, we have been able to find significant savings for our taxpayers, by taking actions such as shopping employee benefits, utilizing grants, and ending the practice of compensation time for non-emergencies. In the past two years, the village has benefitted from multiple NYSERDA grants, ARPA funds, REDI funds, Greenway, Grigg Lewis, Project Play of WNY, and Tower Foundation grants. These grants have dramatically improved the infrastructure, safety, beauty and programs in the village, without increases to our village property taxes.

We have also been more disciplined with our cash management. Prior to the previous two years, the vast majority of the village assets earned no interest. The village has been utilizing NYCLASS interest-bearing accounts and, as a result, the village’s interest income is significantly higher. We earn more each month in interest now than we did in an entire year, just a few years ago.

I’m proud to announce that the village has not raised it property taxes the last two years, and we hope to make it three years in a row. We were able to accomplish these goals, while also dramatically increasing the village’s contingency budget. In previous years, the contingency budget was as low as $6,000. In the past two years, our contingency budget was in excess of $100,000. As previously stated, we have been focused on doing more with less – a novel concept in government.

The village is blessed to have wonderful local organizations, such as Friends of Youngstown, Youngstown Business and Professional Association, VFW, Youngstown Lions, the Youngstown Garden Club, and the Friends of the Youngstown Library, just to name a few. My hopes for this year and the years to come is for the Village Board to work hand-in-hand with these organizations and others, to move forward with optimism, knowing that our shared commitment to the Village of Youngstown is stronger than any obstacle we may face. TOGETHER, we can build a village that is safer, stronger, and more vibrant for generations to come.

Lastly, we need your help. I implore you to join one or more of our local organizations. The success and growth during the previous few years, evidenced in this letter, would not have been possible without the hard work and support of our organizations, village employees, local businesses, and residents. However, we need more involvement and community support to continue the revitalization of the village.

Thank you for your continued support, your trust, and your love of the Village of Youngstown.