Kim Ecklund Sworn In As Jamestown’s 26th Mayor

Kim Ecklund is sworn in as Mayor of Jamestown by Judge George Panebianco (January 1, 2024)

Kim Ecklund has been sworn in as the City of Jamestown’s 26th Mayor.

The ceremony was held on Monday in City Council Chambers in City Hall.

Ecklund is the first Republican woman to serve as the city’s top executive. The late Carolyn Seymour, a Democrat, served as mayor from 1992 to 1993.

Ecklund called Jamestown, the ‘Pearl City of Western New York,’ and said it’s her hometown “But also a city I truly love and want what is best for its residents. In looking around this room, I am reminded of all the things that make this city amazing. It is a town with a great history in manufacturing, a rich, diverse cultural heritage; a strong educational system, and most importantly all of its people.”

Ecklund noted that her grandfather, Alpine Johnson, had run in a primary for Mayor in 1965 but was not successful.

She said her immediate goal is to rectify issues with the 2024 budget, “That $2.7 (million) that we’re possibly short, so we need to look into that. In January, we have some hot issues that need to be addressed including things like as contract negotiations come back up. It’s honestly going to be a week of getting my feet wet, meeting with everybody, making sure that everybody understands that it’s a little bit of different leadership here, and I want to be part of the solution as well.”

Ecklund did present two Department Head appointments that were approved by City Council. One was the appointment of Ericka Thomas as city’s new Comptroller, a position that has been vacant for over a year, “So, Ericka came from the private sector just like myself. She comes from, I think, 35 years at Bush or eSolutions with me. I’ve worked with her throughout my career there in finance. She brings a tremendous background in budgeting and finance and will be a huge asset for us moving forward.”

Ecklund also reappointed Jennifer Williams as the City Clerk and Treasurer.

Jamestown Mayor Kim Ecklund gives remarks (January 1, 2024)

In board and commission appointments, Ecklund appointed former Jamestown Economic Development Director and Jamestown Empire Zone Executive Director Greg Lindquist to fill a vacancy on the Jamestown Planning Commission and appointed former councilmember Marie Carrubba to the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities. Carrubba had previously served on the BPU board from 2018 until 2022.