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More than three years ago, I advanced a government reform package that was unapologetically ambitious and comprehensive. Being an eternal optimist, I do hope some of these reforms will eventually see the light of day and enjoy legislative, as well as voter, approval.
Also being a realist, I recognize and applaud the efforts of the 21st Century Commission on the Erie County Legislature for moving in the right direction of reform − a leaner legislature less preoccupied with the next election and more preoccupied with fulfilling the public trust.
But before I comment on the Commission’s specific recommendations, which were submitted in the form of their final report to the Erie County Legislature earlier this week, let me be a dreamer for a short while, or rather a short paragraph longer. I dream of an Erie County government headed by a professional county manager, with oversight by a small and efficient county legislature. How small you may ask? My dream is a legislature composed of five members.
That number is more than 50% smaller than the 11 proposed by the Commission. Yet, if we had a county manager form of government, that’s all that would be needed. Constituent services − from rabies clinics to road repairs − would be doled out to the community equitably, regardless of the political affiliation of the legislator in that district or a petty squabble between a legislator and a county executive who sees himself presiding over a kingdom and favors select members of his court.
Can this dream of a county government that is professionally, rather than politically, run ever become a reality? It already exists in Maricopa County, Arizona, home to the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Sun City. Headed by David R. Smith, former Deputy County Executive in the early years of the Gorski administration, Maricopa County is a model of the way government can do things right. County Manager Smith has won national recognition for his apolitical stewardship of this oasis in the desert Southwest. I wish that model of government could be imported here.
In the meantime, I appreciate the work of the 21st Century Commission. Its members did recommend a downsizing and four-year terms for legislators. Although I wish they went deeper in their reforms with term limits and staggered terms, I recognize that these volunteers did the best job they could in a New York State environment. They completed their work four months ahead of schedule, and served without compensation for their time or reimbursement for expenses incurred in the course of their work. These citizen volunteers are to be commended. They are taking Erie County in the right direction, although more slowly than I would like.
However, I won’t give up on my dream of a government so lean and nimble that it would even be the envy of a ballerina. Perhaps in time, we’ll be able to say “Erie County is the new Maricopa County.”
By Kathy Konst, Erie County Legislator District 5
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