editorial@post-journal.com
GOWANDA –Village Mayor David Smith on Monday afternoon called the impending closing of the Gowanda Correctional Facility “terrible news for the hundreds of local workers.”
Smith, who said he participated in a Bible study with the prisoners there every Monday before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the news of the closing comes as a “total surprise.”
“To get news right before the holidays that a March 31 closing is imminent is a huge piece of bad news for this community that has worked hard to fight through this pandemic and so much more,” he said. “The state’s budget has been in bad shape long before COVID. Those in power like to link the deficit to COVID, but the budget has been struggling for awhile,” Smith said.
editorial@observertoday.com
GOWANDA Village Mayor David Smith on Monday afternoon called the impending closing of the Gowanda Correctional Facility “terrible news for the hundreds of local workers.”
Smith, who said he participated in a Bible study with the prisoners there every Monday before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the news of the closing comes as a “total surprise.”
“To get news right before the holidays that a March 31 closing is imminent is a huge piece of bad news for this community that has worked hard to fight through this pandemic and so much more,” he said. “The state’s budget has been in bad shape long before COVID. Those in power like to link the deficit to COVID, but the budget has been struggling for awhile,” Smith said.