The Jamestown community was shocked to learn of the recent sudden passing of Vickye James.
Tributes have poured in in the wake of James’ passing noting her warm, open nature to those who needed help, her deep involvement in her church, her work with children as Jamestown’s Youth Bureau director and her civic involvement as a Chautauqua County legislator and Jamestown City Council member.
All of those things are true.
But perhaps the biggest hole James’ passing leaves is her perspective on the City Council. James is very much cut from the same cloth as Vivian Taylor, the longtime Ward 3 representative on the City Council. Like Taylor, some of James’ most important work was done when the council wasn’t in session answering constituent concerns, advocating for her ward to recieve its share of dollars the city had to spend on road work and infrastructure and marshaling the city’s resources to projects that benefitted her constituents, like the Jackson-Taylor Park upgr