Press Releases: 10/03/08 07/31/08 07/29/08 07/25/08 05/20/08
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Michele M. Iannello - District 10 
August 1, 2006 Reform of Erie County Government through Charter Revision is something I was very enthusiastic about when taking office in January of this year. I give enormous credit to the hard-working volunteers and especially, George Arthur who served as Chairman. At the July 27th session of the Erie County Legislature, the culmination of their efforts and those of the Legislators were put before our honorable body in the form of Local Law No. 7 for a vote. The vote passed 15 to zero. Although I voted for the Law, I had two reservations that made me uncomfortable with the process. Due to the time line involved and the many steps necessary to enable the voters to have a say, I felt that I did not have sufficient time to study and discuss each of the thirty seven proposals. I would like to have had time for the Committee Chairs to make presentations to the Legislature as a whole, after having received all recommendations. Hundreds of pages of documentation were presented to our Legislative Chair on June 20th by Commission Chair George Arthur. We as Legislators received the proposed changes immediately, but not the background documentation. On June 22nd, the Legislative staff began drafting resolutions regarding each recommendation. On July 2 – 7th, public hearings were held, July 13th, the Legislature voted on each of the resolutions. Those accepted were to be drafted into local laws. My concern was that thirty-seven items (changes) were lumped into one consolidated law for a total package to accept or reject. I would like to have seen separate categories presented for legislative review and send only those items required by a local law to the voters for their consideration. I support 90% of the content of this Local Law but felt pressured when it was all or nothing. I do want the voters to have a say in the process of reform, and therefore, voted to bring the package as a whole to the voters of my district. You deserve a say in your government. Secondly, I was disappointed that my resolution and presentation for term limits was disregarded by the Charter Review Commission and my colleagues on the Legislature did not offer more support. This, too, is a very important issue and part of my reform plan that I announced back in March. It still remains on the table for a vote by the Legislature. On July 28th, the Local Law No. 7 was presented to Erie County Executive Joel Giambra. He has thirty days to sign it and hold a public hearing and send a veto message, should he desire. The Legislature then has 10 days, until September 8th to override a veto. It would then have to be in the hands of the Board of Elections by October 3rd in order to be presented to the voters as a referendum on the November 7, 2006 ballot. The recommendations fall into major objectives of Restructuring and Accountability. Many changes are merely deletion of outdated verbiage (boards that no longer exist for example). One very important change that I am extremely happy with is the expanded scope of the Comptroller. Among other changes, he (she) will now have the ability to review and revise Revenue Estimates. This is extremely important in light of our current fiscal situation. I was glad to see that County Manager form of government was rejected. Our system of government has proven successful for a long period of time. It is not the system that is broken; it is the player at the helm who just spent and spent. With the new powers of the comptroller, the current system is strengthened and safeguarded. You, the constituents, are the benefactors. In general, it is a good law and deserves to go to the voting public. I will be happy to answer any questions regarding Charter Revision. You can e-mail me at Iannello@erie.gov |
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| The Erie County Legislature | 92 Franklin Street - 4th Floor | Buffalo, New York 14202 |