February 26, 2024—Olean—William J. Aiello, Mayor of the City of Olean, has investigated the rumor, posted on social media, which stated the Olean Center Mall is housing migrants and homeless residents. He spoke to the owner of the Mall who stated that that the Mall was not being used for this purpose. In addition, he toured the facility with Olean Police Chief Ron Richardson and interviewed tenants. Mayor Aiello confirmed that the Olean Center Mall is not being used for this purpose.
“The social media post, written by an anonymous user, was categorically false. There are no people living in the Mall and there are no tents,” Mayor Aiello said. “The post was baseless and unfortunately gained regional attention that was unflattering to our community. I would prefer that people contact my office before posting unconfirmed content on a public forum. So many members of our community are working diligently to rejuvenate and rebuild Olean and plan for the City’s future. It is a shame that an uninformed ‘been told…they’ve said…I’ve heard’ post can overshadow all the positive things that are taking place in our hometown.”
