OLEAN, N.Y. — In a county where more than 66 percent of voters cast ballots for President Donald Trump, local progressives gathered Saturday morning to discuss how they can impact issues both nationally and locally in response to the new Trump administration.
About 90 people, including local residents, legislators and school board members, packed inside and outside the Olean Public Library’s Gallery Room and discussed a wide range of actions, from participating in the potential national strike day and running for elected positions, to simply calling their local congressman and attending more public meetings.
Residents stood up to voice their ideas, with several women who attended the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. giving advice on protesting, and one resident, a former employee of the closed Olean tile plant, simply standing to say he’s been depressed since the election and the meeting had been therapeutic for him.
“I think it shows there are a lot of local people who are interested, who are concerned about the direction the country is going, and who want to see how they can actually act and make a difference,” said Chris Stanley, a St. Bonaventure University theology professor who led the meeting. “It’s obvious this is an area where Trump won about two thirds of the vote and a lot of people feel isolated, so having a sense of community that there are other people like me who can work together and do something and not feel hopeless.”
The meeting mostly centered around grassroots efforts to improve the local area in response to things happening in Washington. Some in attendance argued the group can’t ignore local matters and brought up several Cattaraugus County issues, such as the potential sale of the county nursing homes.
“I would say most of the people in this room are motivated by what’s going on on the national level, but when it comes down to thinking about where you can make a difference, I guess I was kind of inclined to the possibility where the local level is where you can do that more,” Stanley said.
Several questioned if the group should begin finding candidates to support for the 2018 mid-terms, with Stanley theorizing that while Democrats are “lousy” at showing up for local off-year elections, 2018 could be different in light of Trump.
Cattaraugus County Legislator John Padlo, D-Olean, said there needs to be people campaigning for candidates using databases, social media and yard signs.
“It is so critically important we start at the grassroots level and build this thing up rather than top-down theory,” he said.
John Nelson, an Ellicottville attorney who ran for Cattaraugus County District 3 legislator this past November, told attendees to remember there are are 145 open positions up for election across the county’s cities, towns and villages this November and only 23 are currently held by Democrats. He said conservatives in the area often run unopposed, and encouraged residents to run if they want to have an impact on their communities.
“For those that don’t think you can do it, obviously you can — somebody did and became president,” he joked.
Frank Puglisi, who ran Nelson’s campaign and is the town of Lyndon clerk, said those interested in running for elected positions need to remember there’s a process, and that the democratic elections commissioner will hold a class in May to show residents how they can get their name on the ballot.
City of Olean Common Council President Paul Gonzalez said the city’s Democratic party is “desperately trying to reinvigorate itself,” and encouraged those interested in coming to a party committee.
Attendees also discussed getting other demographics involved in their efforts. Gonzalez’s wife, Nichole, who is St. Bonaventure’s executive director of residential living, said looking around the meeting it’s clear they are missing vital people in the community. She also suggested they recruit and encourage people from diverse backgrounds to run for open county positions.
“We need to stop looking and acting all the same,” she said.
The lack of young people at the meeting was also raised as a concern. When Diane Cox, an Alma resident, asked those in the room to raise their hands if they were between the ages of 21 and 30, just one person did. Stanley said he is working to have similar meetings and discussions with St. Bonaventure students.
Residents also discussed how they can best reach those in the area living in poverty. Linda Witte, Olean alderman and the city’s former mayor, said most of the people she encounters while working at the Olean Food Pantry do not vote, therefore their needs are not being reflected in elections.
Stanley added that he would like the group to give a voice to the poor, and he plans to notify the Warming House of the group’s next meeting.
There was also discussion of how to connect with those on the other side of the political spectrum. Ideas floated included educating conservatives on the outcomes of their voting — as they feel conservatives are sometimes voting against their own interests — or finding common ground with them.
“We need to understand why they are voting the way they did,” said Olean resident Mike Kelly. “I can’t imagine in my wildest dream voting the way others did, but I know some intelligent people who did vote that way.”
While some Saturday compared their grassroots efforts to the Tea Party’s during former President Barack Obama’s administration, Stanley said he hopes the progressive movement will be different than the Tea Party’s.
“I think, as I’ve read it, the Tea Party movement has been predominately one of anger and negativity. I’m not aware of them actually trying to do good, constructive things in the community, in terms of providing for the poor or needy or a lot of the other issues that came up today,” he said. “So I would like to hope that on one hand, we can follow the playbook as far as it works, but do it in a way that’s less angry and more cooperative, and more trying to make a constructive difference in the community along the way.”
The exact time and location of the group’s next meeting has not yet been determined. Those interested in attending or getting involved can contact Stanley at 372-4232 or cstanley@sbu.edu, or join the Southern Tier Activists for Peace & Equality Facebook page.
