Posted on 02/04/2005 3:08:24 PM PST by jude24
There is yet another 11th hour crisis in the Erie County budget saga. The county legislature has rejected an increase in the sales tax, setting the stage for more talks, a future vote, and the chance of massive county layoffs in the meantime.
Lawmakers were expected to give their final approval Thursday to an increase in the county's sales tax after the state gave their approval to the measure.
However, during a regular afternoon session, it was revealed that the legislature didn't have the ten votes needed to approve the tax hike, which would go into effect March first.
Erie County Sheriff Patrick Gallivan and The Civil Service Employees Association both have plans for a lawsuit, to avert any layoffs that are scheduled for Monday.
CSEA will file an injunction to prevent the layoffs, said Michael Bogulski, President.
With the 9 to 6 vote Thursday, the legislature recessed and intense bargaining resumed to try to make a deal before the final vote later today. Friday's revote did nothing to change the count, and lawmakers again rejected the tax by 9-6
County leaders have been wrestling over the issue for weeks, with Executive Joel Giambra saying failure to raise the tax would result in several thousand layoffs and the shutdown of many county services.
We still have an antiquated patronage system - to the victor go the spoils. Giambra has installed too many of his friends in high-paying county jobs, and the Buffalo media finally pushed back. About time, too.
WNY ping.
Is this STATE or just county?
Half is NY, half is the county.
From the Bufflao News:
"Scott Brown left Channel 2 in 1990 to work for County Executive Dennis Gorski, serving as a senior executive assistant, a fancy title to describe his duties as a press spokesman for seven years. He then moved on to work for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for three years before returning to television as a writer-producer for the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia, WCAU.
Giambra was pushing for a tax increase. He's spending money profligately, even though the county is in a fiscal crisis.
A 9.25% sales tax is indefensible. Especially with high property taxes as well.
Did you read what I posted? Do that before responding. Giambra is not the problem...the out of control government bureaucracy is. Giambra CUT PROPERTY TAXES as he promised, but he cannot sales taxes alone. Medicaid and Pension reform must happen and that happens in Albany.
Scott Brown and WGRZ are pulling a major political scam and people are buying right into it.
Yes, I just disagree.
Giambra is not the problem...the out of control government bureaucracy is. Giambra CUT PROPERTY TAXES as he promised...
Respectfully, he is the problem. Huge staff of political appointees, the crooked Leo Getz East Aurora highway dept. He may have cut property taxes, but they're still among the highest in the country - and he hasn't cut a dime of spending.
Medicaid and Pension reform must happen and that happens in Albany.
Medicaid reform wouldn't be an issue if the county didn't spend the tobacco settlement on capital expenditures instead of on Medicaid costs (which is what it was for).
We can't talk about Albany until we get our own house in order in Erie County.
It's not a political hatchet job to call Giambra on his antiquated 19th-century patronage job system.
NY Ping!
This was an historic day for the people of Erie County.
Although I applaud DeBennedetti fir not voting for this I am holding back praising him for being a reformer.
There is some shady stuff going on behind the scenes read this .
Although I wrote this in my site Tuesday the question I have is how much of the below is true.
Did big Al make a deal for jobs and something happen at the end, maybe he knows he was found out.
I had this info confirmed by two sources inside the legislature, I was there for the vote, the only thing I wish I had was 2 little bigs to bring in with me. Anyone have any little pigs that I can borrow for a few hours next time??, hehe!
Al DeBenedetti cast the 10th vote, citing a move by Giambra to cut costs and a compromise but is that the real reason? Rumors have it that it isn't the reason why big Al changed his vote, what is the real reason one can only speculate at this point, but an inside source has revealed this..
Legislator Denise Marshall's assistant's husband was fired by Giambra and big Al was promised a job for himself, or his wife or daughter or possibly all three. So much for cutting the costs and the pork that DeBenedetti claims would be the only reason that he would change his vote.
At the same time the five republicans that voted against the sales tax increase are being punished by Giambra yet again. This time the only legislators that are getting the pork money for their districts are the ten that voted for the sales tax increase.
http://www.rusthompson.com/
"City Journal" has published a series of excellent opinion pieces-most of the recent ones written by Sol Stern-exposing the way in which labor unions suck the life out New York's tax base.
There is a reason-after all-why this is such a "blue" state.
This is one of the best reports I have ever read from Public Policy Institute
NEW REPORT DOCUMENTS PROLONGED LAG IN UPSTATE NEW YORK ECONOMY;
SUGGESTS PART OF THE SOLUTION MAY BE TO 'LET UPSTATE BE UPSTATE'
http://www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2004/0517upstatepr.htm
It has been out since May of 04 and I just fornd it a month ago, 12 pages with graphs makes it an easy read.
I printed it up and it twins most of what I have been wanting to do here for years.
It will be a major part of my platform this year!
http://www.ppinys.org/
whole report with great information....
:)
-good times, G.J.P.(Jr.)
My Pleasure, how are things in your neck of the woods?
We are making an impact here with Primary Challenge and want to spread it across the state.
http://www.rusthompson.com/PrimaryChallenge.html
You want to do it? We will help..
It's a travesty, really. Patronage was eliminated in the Federal government after the assasination of Garfield in the 1800's. Why is Erie County saddled with a 19th-century anachronism?
I have heard of the sunshine laws, I want to know the rules of the legislature.
They have to be changed. Roberts Rules of Order lays things out nicely if they are implemented.
8 years ago four of us were thrown out of a meeting because we were trying to speak at the beginning of a meeting on an issue the town board was voting on.
One month later we forced them to change and now have a comment period on aganda items at the beginning of the meeting.
We always had a comment period at the end. The only time the town could go into executive session is when they had a personal issue to deal with otherwise they had to have open workshop meetings.
I attended every meeting for over 6 years, that was when the government on the island was kept in check.
I really need to start going back to them again.
I do not like the way the county meetings are run, they should be at night when people can attend, a comment period and the aganda published.
Yes open door meetings, this is not their government, it is ours "The Peoples".......
Considering the fact that we were giving the de minimus amount of campaign funding, i.e. two thousand dollars, I think that we did pretty well.
The problem is, the national GOP sees no reason to invest in races in New York state, and the state GOP does virtually nothing to cultivate a base of Republican voters in the City.
What's even worse is the fact that the chieftains of our party divert money into races that are completely and utterly futile-most often, though not exclusively, in the borough of Manhattan-while doing absolutely nothing to recruit prospective Republican voters in the thriving pentecostal churches cropping up in neighborhoods like Sunset Park, Bushwick, etc., etc...
There was a Republican candidate that ran against Assemblywoman Helen Weinstein this past year-in Southwest Brooklyn-and managed to garner 40% of the vote.
Getting that type of support against an incumbent Democrat in Kings County is almost unheard of, and yet, the GOP did squat when it came to buttressing her challenger's campaign.
Meanwhile, they poured limitless amounts of cash into the flagging campaign of Al Curtis, who wound up being swamped in November.
Bad choices, all around.
-good times, G.J.P.(Jr.)
Run someone against an incumbent in the democrat line.
Run a primary, change party affiliation and challenge them.
If people are getting pissed off there as they arehere with the lack of choice in candidates give them a choice in their own party.
This is going to work, they are worried about us, we have figured the rat ba$tards out.
We have party members trying to inflintrate us, it won't work.
Challenge them where it counts, in the primary in their own party.
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