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Editorials
With endorsed incumbent John Abraham defeating challenger Richard Sherwood in last night's primary for the sole Democratic councilman seat, Abraham moves on to oppose Republican Party challenger Marianne Scime in November’s election.
Sherwood’s campaign literature focused on righting some of the issues that residents have brought before the Town Board in the past several years.
Two mailers favoring Abraham, identified as only coming from return mailing addresses, spoke in sound bites on issues Abraham thought mattered most to residents in Lancaster.
The third unidentified mailer was downright salacious, attacking Sherwood as being part of the system as former Town Attorney and one who is now acting vindictively by suing the town and running for the councilman position.
While Abraham received accolades for his nine months of town board contributions, “as part of the Town Official Team,” echoing the board’s decisions and resolution approvals, we have heard nothing on his stance on some issues that impact the quality of life of the community.
For that matter, as of now, the same can be said of contender Scime.
While Sherwood did speak on certain issues he believed needed change or reform, Abraham remained silent. By stating that when canvassing the community for petitions and votes that residents were satisfied with the services provided by the town, Abraham advocated for the “status quo”.
As a “blank”, and there are approximately 25 percent of us in the Town of Lancaster, some of us would like to hear from the candidates on the following before making our voting decision:
Colecraft building:
The purchase of the Colecraft building to house the newly combined Lancaster town and village police forces was a monumental purchase mistake from the beginning. Five-plus years after purchase ($1.6 million), hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost tax revenues and maintenance/upkeep fees and the town is using it for housing only the detective squad and materials and equipment.
Why are we dragging are feet in admitting to this mistake and not putting the building up for sale and building a new police station?
Vacated Depew library
Another white elephant that sits idle at a cost to the taxpayers since 2005!
Health care buyouts by elected town officials
Sherwood stated that the Town Personnel Rules define “employees” as those working for the town other than elected officials. In 1989 the Town Board offered a buyout to employees of town health insurance if they had insurance through a spouse or other employment. As such, Sherwood believes elected town officials should not receive same buyout option.
Abraham defends the buyout option. Waiting to hear from Scime on this matter!
Town spending
Budget time is near. Taxes are high, over $6 million in reserves, and spending has been out of control especially when considering the recent purchase of the Supervisor’s $32,000 Tahoe SUV.
The purchase may be legal but the process in following the requirements of the town’s Procurement Policy, the bidding process utilized and absence of board approval was at best questionable.
State grant application and use
Yes, yes, we hear it all the time from municipalities, “If we didn’t apply for and use NY State grant funding it would go elsewhere.” And we are also told, “Anyway, it’s not taxpayer money we’re spending, it comes from the State.”
Like we don’t pay state taxes! And the State is in fiscal crisis. And the town has applied for $32,000 in state grants for a 175th anniversary commemorative bell to be placed on the Westwood clock tower. This is a want, not a need.
Abraham voted along with the all the other board members on the state grant for the bell . What does Scime think?
New Town Attorney Position
The town went in a new direction when they changed to having a part time attorney this year at $40,000 and hiring more than usual outside counsel to cover lawsuits, contract negotiations, arbitration, etc. Was there ever a cost analysis performed to see whether the town is now better served, especially when outside counsel is getting $226 per hour?
Traffic and traffic safety
The town has initiated a town wide traffic study to determine where conflict points exist and where road improvements and signalization modifications and/or additions are required to combat traffic and traffic safety issues. The results of the study are yet to be reported.
The Town of Lancaster is near instating a Transit Road Access Management Ordinance to reduce conflict points by limiting numbers of driveways and access points. The ordinance is late in coming and much needed. However, does it have the teeth to be effective and enforceable?
Regardless of what the Department of Transportation believes and dictates, signalization is needed between French Road and the William/Losson roads intersection – a one mile stretch of road with way too many driveways, right and left turn conflict points and no signalization.
Other topics of interest
It would helpful before casting a November vote to hear candidate views on:
• Take home vehicles for town officials and employees
• IDA’S regarding their necessity, obligation and enforcement (claw-back provisions)
• Master plan and number of rezones issued
• Addition of police officers to combat drug issues in the town and Lancaster Middle School. Residents and parents of school children were promised periodic reports to benchmark progress and ascertain need.
One could only hope that the opposing candidates would refrain from attack ads and speak on some of the above issues. That would seem unlikely in today’s political world of fear and smear attack tactics.
Should either candidate wish to speak on any of the aforementioned issues, or one they feel of more or equal importance, I would be more than happy to post their viewpoint on Speakupwny.com – issues only, no personnel attacks!
© Copyright 2008 by Speakupwny.com
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