Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz said her focus is on the city budget, not a tree program.

Mayor Kate Wdowiasz attempted last week to show she has a laser focus on Dunkirk’s budget process.

Wdowiasz did this by telling A Tree For Thee’s Mary Louise McGraw repeatedly at a Common Council meeting that the budget is far more pressing than the signs McGraw wants erected in city parks, near where her organization planted saplings.

McGraw spoke during the public comments portion and said she had not heard back from Wdowiasz and Department of Public Works Deputy Director Mike Przybycien about an application for the signs. McGraw said she turned in the application Oct. 9.

Thus began another sparring session between two women who have tussled in the past over A Tree For Thee.

“Your concern is heard,” Wdowiasz said.

“But that’s not an answer,” McGraw replied.

“Correct,” said the mayor. “I’ll let you know. … Ms. McGraw, you’ll be notified.”

“I’ll be notified by when?” wondered McGraw.

“I’m not giving you a deadline,” the mayor replied. “I have a budget that I need to pass. This is way more important than signage that is going to go up in our parks. There are more pressing agenda issues, and I’m not trying to be hostile, I’m trying to be real here.”

The mayor continued that a balanced budget is “first and foremost on everyone’s agenda” in city government.

“I’m not going to have a heated debate with you on this.. This is not up for discussion tonight,” she said. “This is something that is outside of the city budget. It was a group that was let into the city parks to do a great thing for us. We appreciate, certainly, the work that was done. However,” the most pressing issue is the budget.

Przybycien “is going to be busy in conversations with myself and the state to get the budget in order. I don’t know that anybody from council would disagree with me when I say the first priority of this city is not a sign, it is absolutely the budget.”

McGraw responded, “You’re right, it is your first priority. But it is also a simple request.”

Wdowiasz said, “We’ll agree to disagree on that topic. It’s not about trees, it’s not about signs, it’s about the budget and doing what’s right by the city.”

McGraw cracked, “So we’ll get to see what, maybe next year, a decision?” She chided, “You guys can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.”

At that point, Councilman-at-large Nick Weiser stepped in as chair of the meeting. “Respectfully, we are over time, so, we’ll go ahead and suspend things for now,” he said. McGraw sat down quietly.