Trust us, we can understand Fredonia Mayor Mike Ferguson’s feelings regarding recent comments made by State University at Fredonia students regarding the village’s handling of water issues and non Fred Fest.

Fredonia students quoted in the student newspaper and an editorial written by a Fredonia student weren’t complimentary of village government. We’re sure Ferguson and other Fredonia Village Board members felt like they were wearing pork chop underwear in a dog park before reading The Leader story and editorial. The exercise is a good lesson for the Leader editorial writer. As writers of editorials, we get plenty of feedback from those who think some of the pieces we write are off base. Editorial writers have to take the criticism if we’re going to dish criticism out.

But, in all honesty, do the thoughts of SUNY Fredonia students matter much given the village’s current budget situation? Sometimes you have to fight the fights that need fighting. An editorial in the SUNY Fredonia Leader isn’t a fight that needed to be fought. SUNY Fredonia students don’t need to occupy any of Ferguson’s thoughts. Fred Fest should barely be a blip on Ferguson’s radar as the village tries to whittle down a 65.3% tax increase that will hit most village taxpayers pretty hard. We’re having tough talks about small things like charging for a formerly free summer recreation program and canceling summer concerts knowing full well those decisions save pennies and dimes when we need to be finding tens of thousands of dollars in savings.

Who cares what some SUNY Fredonia students say? Do they pay taxes in the village? Do they own properties? Complaints by SUNY Fredonia students at this particular moment in time should be as noticeable in Fredonia’s Village Hall as the breeze a gnat’s wings generate in a hurricane.

Perhaps this lack of focus is why Fredonia is in this budget mess in the first place.