Kevin Gaughan presented his study, The Cost, to a receptive gathering at Hallwalls yesterday evening. The study was to determine the cost of our elected officials in the Greater Buffalo area (Erie County). The purpose of the study was not only to reveal what taxpayers are paying for local government, but also to compare our area to other areas in the Country.
The Greater Buffalo area has 45 local governments consisting of 439 elected officials. By Comparison, Greater Baltimore has 3 local governments with 95 elected officials. The Greater Baltimore area contains 77.43% more people and 78.35% less elected officials.
The disparate number of elected officials in our area goes right to the heart of our economic woes. The size of government consumes wealth. Private investment dollars are needed to create jobs and economic growth. The size of government is like a bunch of cement blocks around the neck of our economy.
After analyzing the study, there can be no doubt that the size of government must be reduced to spur an economic recovery. This is not a City issue or a Suburban one, it must be addressed by all municipalities. Our fate is intertwined. The Cost can be viewed online here.
Free Buffalo (Free New York, Inc.) will be releasing a paper in the very near future discussing the costs of having 29 separate school districts in Erie County. A plan will be outlined to address this expense and reduce the costs to taxpayers. Addressing both the size of our local governments, as well as the numerous school districts, presents a 2 pronged approach to the reduction of taxes necessary to jump start the Western New York economy.
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| Kevin Gaughan with UB law students who assisted with the research. |
Michael Rebmann
North Buffalo Journal and Review
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