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Editorials
Residents who are considering voting for incumbent Lancaster Town Board Council Members this year have good reason to ponder change. For years, the entrenched single party (Democratic) Town Board has acted in such manner that many residents are of the opinion that the board is more accountable to developers, special interest groups and town employees than for the best interests of the community it was elected to serve.
There are myriad reasons for making this statement.
2010 Budget
The 2004 budget was $21.48 million. The tentative 2010 budget is $28.20. That is a spending increase of $6.72 million increase over six years, 31.3%, an average of 5.2% per year. That is near twice the rate of inflation. Endorsed, incumbent candidate Ronald Ruffino has sat on the town board while all those budgets were approved. Endorsed, incumbent candidate John Abraham has sat in on and approved the last few.
Together, they recently called for special board work sessions where they would meet with all town department heads and ask them to sharpen their pencils and see whether they could make more budget cuts to reduce the proposed 2.97% tax rate budget. They also declared that the board had been remiss in not following this practice for the past several years. Why is that?
During the meetings Ruffino and Abraham made it known that they were willing to forgo their scheduled 2% salary increases. The other two council members agreed to do the same (a total of $1,440 in savings). While they professed the intent was twofold, to cut costs and set an example for others, to many residents this gesture, made during an election year, is perceived as nothing more than political grandstanding to garner votes – especially if department cutbacks amount to squat. How coincidental that the Buffalo News did not make the first meeting (or any for some time), but were there for the second meeting. Contrived?
Ruffino and Abraham make the point that much of the budget contains untouchable contractual mandates. They fail to mention that they voted approval for the four union contracts negotiated this past year. Contracts that approved 2.5% - 3% annual wage increases over the life of the contract (three years) along with the continuance of longevity pay, equalization pay, clothing allowances and other perk stipends. It should also be mentioned again that no town employee pays for health insurance.
Health Insurance Debacle – an inconvenient truth
Ruffino and Abraham keep crowing about the $60,000 they saved taxpayers last year by doing away with town provided health insurance for part-time council members. Both Abraham and Ruffino tenaciously defended their getting the $6,600 health insurance buyout stipend as they had an outside source of insurance. But because Councilman Dan Amatura (and resident supporters) suggested that stipend be done away with, as there was no resolution ever approved that permitted them that entitlement, they decided to act to remove the town provided insurance to screw Amatura over – as he was taking the town provided insurance. Taxpayers indeed gained by getting the savings, but received them for the wrong reasons. And, if the council members were receiving the health care insurance buyout stipends for years without authorization, shouldn’t they have to make restitution?
Police Merger
Ruffino claims to be “instrumental” in the Town and Village of Lancaster police merger, the purchase of the Walden Avenue Colecraft Building to house the combined forces and the recent plan to refurbish the Walden Avenue building. In truth, the $1.9 million (building and contents) purchase contract was entered into with board approval, the merger was not in the best final interests of the town and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been wasted on a venture that is 6+ years in the making and will cost taxpayers an $8 million to renovate. And to say the police need a new facility is an understatement. But the town advocates for clocks, band shelters and more soccer fields.
Buffalo-Lancaster Airport Impacts
Abraham takes credit for being a liaison between Lancaster Airport Inc. andthe Town/the airport coalition/Congressman Christopher Lee’s office. Neither Mr. Abraham nor any other Town Board offered the airport coalition any support, at any time. In fact, the airport residents were told to contact Lee’s office as the town had no jurisdiction in the matter. They did that before Abraham was chosen liaison by the town. The town kept the public out of the loop on a project that has the potential to bring 200 aircraft and near 60,000 operations in the next ten years.
Other
I’m tired of hearing about the three clocks Mr. Ruffino and the identity they provide the town and villages. It was still taxpayer money anyway you cut it. And for both incumbents to take credit for implementing tax exemptions in the town for seniors, people with disabilities and Cold War veterans is quite a stretch considering all municipalities by resolution vote approval for these state sponsored programs.
The residents of Lancaster have been ill-served by the Town Board on following as well:
• Flooding/drainage/sewer issues in Lancaster
• Development taking place without providing the necessary roads/infrastructure to accommodate for said development.
• A Master Plan with no substance where rezones are frequent and now even rezones of rezones are considered.
• Considering spending millions to provide more athletic fields when residents are already taxed to the max and other needs are ignored. There are residents hurting financially in the town, but some people don’t seem to know about it or even care.
• A 2.97% tax increase budget proposal that maintains the status quo. A 31.3% spending increase over the past six years, an average of 5.2% per year.
• Suggesting even putting the dog control center in the vacated Depew library was a vile threat to the residents of Depew and inappropriate. Ruffino touted this around on the campaign trail as something doable..
• While denying culpability, approving SEQR, Lancaster Airport Master Plan and IDA’s paving the way for private owned public use business to get federal and state funding that could very well bring 200 aircraft to the Buffalo-Lancaster Airport and near 60,000 annual opertions.
• Denying sanitary sewer capacity issues existed, and still exists today.
• Approving the construction of a sanitary sewer in Ellicott Creek and then not reacting to storm water violations.
• Allowing the indiscriminate destruction/filling in of greenspace/wetlands for developer profit. The town has failed miserably to protect the environment and community quality of life.
• When safety issues exist, residents are tired of hearing town officials tell them “it’s a county road or it’s a county bridge and there is nothing we can do about it.
Residents have been shackled by the same entrenched political class for some time. A new direction, a new vision is needed to help plan and develop a community that best serves the needs of the entire community. Change starts by ousting the old status quo ways and bringing in fresh faces and ideas.
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