Restoring the trust in Dunkirk

If you look up the word "dysfunctional" in the dictionary, you might find a picture of Dunkirk City Hall as an illustration.

Relations between Mayor Ron Hunt and the Dunkirk City Council have been rocky at best from the beginning, but they seem to be getting worse by the day.

It's possible an entirely impartial observer would find the blame for the dysfunctional relationship should be shared.

But when you hold the top executive post, you're the guy who has to be held ultimately responsible.

Mayor Hunt seems to have gone out of his way to alienate city council members and create a climate of distrust.

The latest flap over a police canine unit - One dog? Two dogs? Going smoothly? Not working out? - boils down to a lack of transparency on the part of the mayor.

Council members have posed questions, and the responses received have been less than forthright.

And when trust breaks down on the little issues - and in the great scheme of things the canine unit is relatively minor - it's incredibly difficult to restore that trust when dealing with the big issues, things like budgets and the city's water woes.

Difficult, but not impossible.

We'd urge all parties involved to take a step back and ask themselves how they can restore honest communication so that city hall starts working for the people of Dunkirk.

The olive branch is going to have to come from Mayor Hunt; he's the one who is going to have to prove to the council that he's prepared to be open with his fellow elected officials.

But the council is going to have to be prepared to respond if the mayor is ready to turn over a new leaf.

Until that happens, the "dysfunctional" label still sticks. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]