A MEXICAN STANDOFF
By: Rob Smith
Date: February 27, 2005
It’s not quite time to feel sorry for the Erie County Legislature, but they appear to be in a nearly impossible situation. After years of complacency, the citizens of this county have opened their eyes, saying enough is enough. Our perception is that tax rate paid by the average homeowner in this area is disproportionate to the rest of the nation. Although there is enough blame to go around for the current mess we find ourselves, the Legislature has become the proverbial “deer in headlights” at this point in time.
Let’s do a quick recap of how we actually got to this point. In November, the Executive branch submitted the 2005 budget to the Legislature. In order to keep the budget balanced, the budget called for a one cent sales tax increase. This was clearly going to be an unpopular proposal- so the Executive submitted two budgets, the now infamous Red and Green. The Executive hoped that by allowing the public to compare and contrast the two, the public would come to understand the need for the sales tax increase. In December, it became quickly apparent to all that the public supported the Red budget.
A Mexican Standoff
We need to stop here for a moment, because I believe that we all missed something that occurred at this point in time. If you page through the Red budget, it calls for sweeping layoffs, very similar in fact to what is currently being fought tooth and nail by various elements within the Executive branch. Why didn’t the Legislature pass the Red Budget at this point in December? Obviously because everyone knew that the Red Budget not an executable plan but instead was a ploy to get the public to accept the sales tax increase.
A decision must’ve been made by all parties involved to table the issue to let the public digest the impacts of actually implementing sweeping cuts to government. Between December and February, articles were written, sound bites were captured on radio and television about the layoffs and cuts to services which would have to occur in order to satisfy the decision made by the public. It must’ve surprised everyone involved with the process when the public just shrugged their shoulders and said, “So be it.”
As the situation dragged on, the judicial branch became involved because of certain legalities regarding the county operating without an approved budget. The Legislature was stuck in a catch-22 where they could not pass the sales tax increase and they didn’t have the information necessary to make cuts to certain departments in an intelligent fashion. We need to analyze this point a little more closely. By intelligent decision, what I am speaking of is the Legislature’s role in the process of governing the county. The Executive branch runs the county’s day to day operations and the Legislative branch acts as oversight. To the extent that the Legislature could fulfill they’re responsibilities in the budget oversight process, they have.
In order to facilitate cuts to government, the Executive branch must spearhead the effort. But what has occurred? The County Executive has left for a strangely timed vacation leaving the heads of various departments battling the legislature in court. The Executive branch is acting like an uncooperative, headless beast. A lot of nerve, right? The issue at hand is that the Executive branch must feel that there are no direct consequences for their actions. The reality is, for all arguments sake, there are no consequences. This is an election year for the Legislature and thus in a crafty political move, the Executive has placed this mess squarely in their laps and left town.
We all need to take a step back and consider where this situation is headed. The Executive branch is not going to suddenly shift their position in this matter, leaving the Legislature no choice but to pass the sales tax increase. What both the Legislature and the people of this county need to be considering is what can we do outside the issue of the current budget crisis to enact sweeping changes to the Executive branch. The media would have you believe that this is a Mexican standoff between the Legislature and their constituents. Until we dispel this notion, we will never be able to enact a positive change to the way government does business in Erie County.
© Rob Smith, 2005.
The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the WNY Coalition for Progress.
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