Reply With QuoteYep ! The government in WNY keep adding /making new jobs for
their Friends and Family at every level. City, County, Town, Village and
State.
From today's Buffalo News.Local governments grudgingly hear Gaughan’s downsizing credo
In visits to localities, an issue is how much time should be given
By Sandra Tan - News Staff Reporter
Updated: 01/22/08 10:17 AM
“No one — no citizen, no public servant — can defend the path that our community is on.” Kevin P. Gaughan
Regionalism advocate Kevin P. Gaughan’s latest crusade invokes images of a medieval peddler pulling a cart of big ideas from village to village, town to town. Villagers are often eager to buy, but their leaders are more likely to be standing at the gates with a stone in each hand.
So it has been for Gaughan, who has visited four towns and two villages since November, part of a speaking tour across Western New York to persuade elected leaders to downsize their own numbers.
Tonight’s presentation before the Amherst Town Board is no exception.
Council members spent nearly 15 minutes at a work session last week trying to get Gaughan uninvited to tonight’s regular meeting, citing time constraints and the fact that Gaughan is not a town resident.
When Gaughan prepared to make his pitch before the Village Officials Association of Erie County last week, he recalled, “It was a little colder inside than it was outside.”
Given that the meeting was held in a Hamburg restaurant and no journalists happened to be present, some might have found it impressive that Gaughan was willing to speak before so many elected officials holding knives.
“The conversation was extremely raw,” Gaughan acknowledged.
Two months into his campaign to get town and village boards to cut their own numbers by two through attrition, Gaughan already has weathered some big obstacles — and a few successes.
“No one — no citizen, no public servant — can defend the path that our community is on,” Gaughan said in touting his yearlong study into government services with the help of law students from the University at Buffalo.
Despite some closed-door grumbling after Gaughan’s presentation before the Lancaster Village Board in November, trustees there agreed to take the first step toward cutting the board’s numbers by abolishing the ward system. But while most other boards have given Gaughan a polite reception, they haven’t shown signs of embracing his goals, saying that Gaughan offers a simplistic solution to a complex problem.
“I wish Gaughan would just go,” said Orchard Park Village Mayor John Wilson, when asked when the Village board might invite Gaughan to speak.
Two town boards — Cheektowaga and Amherst — have taken a more aggressive approach to dealing with the eager advocate. They reorganized their agendas and left Gaughan’s presentation for last, undercutting his ability to draw an audience.
When Gaughan tried to speak before the Cheektowaga board last month, large numbers of people turned out to hear him. But it was hours before Gaughan finally took the floor.
A few angry residents periodically interrupted the board with outbursts of, “Let Kevin Gaughan speak!” but half the people had left by the time Gaughan made his pitch.
In Amherst, Council Member Guy R. Marlette said Gaughan’s presentation would interfere with the board’s ability to complete the business of the town.
Council Member Mark A. Manna said, “I don’t see how adding somebody who is a nonresident, who is just voicing his opinion, is considered the agenda of the people.”
Supervisor Satish B. Mohan pleaded with his colleagues to give Gaughan 10 minutes, saying that last year’s board already had agreed to allow him to speak and that rescinding the offer would be “unbecoming” of the board.
Council Member Barry A. Weinstein said he had no objection to Gaughan’s presention. But he and Mohan appeared to be the only ones who didn’t.
Several council members pointed to a public hearing scheduled for a controversial Walgreen drugstore project and a pending rezoning proposal for a major Benderson development.
But when council members learned that both items had been postponed and removed from tonight’s agenda, their opinions about Gaughan’s presentation didn’t change. They offered to have him appear at a work session but were irritated that Gaughan wanted time carved out of their regular meeting.
“He wants to be on TV,” Manna said, referring to Time Warner’s cable telecast of regular meetings, but not work sessions. “Let’s be honest here: Why should we indulge him in this? We’re here for Amherst taxpayers, not for free TV time for anybody.”
Council Member Deborah Bruch Bucki said Gaughan’s presentation tonight should be limited to three minutes, the same amount of time extended to any resident who wishes to speak at the meeting.
The board ultimately decided that Gaughan could have 10 minutes to speak at the end of tonight’s agenda. Given that Amherst meetings tend to run long, Gaughan is unlikely to take the floor before 10 or 11 p.m., even though the meeting starts at 7.
Gaughan said he regrets the board’s decision.
“It’s very challenging to get public officials to not view this in a personal way,” he said, “either in respect to them, or in respect to me.”
Politicians in this region really need to grow up. Let the man speak. If you politicians really consider yourselves "PUBLIC SERVANTS," then get over yourselves and serve the damned public. It is unfathomable to me that a man has to travel around the county to discuss COST SAVINGS, etc...and boards don't want to hear it because they want to act like little babies.
If the public you are serving is demanding to let him speak, YOU MUST LET HIM SPEAK! This isn't a monarchy, your people are directing you. DO YOUR DAMNED JOB, OR YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!
I'm sure good 'ole Bill OLaughlin in Amherst was one of the crybabies causing the problems. He's still on the board, right?
Now that I've got that out of my system....comments?
http://www.buffaloreuse.org/~kool aid free zone~
Yep ! The government in WNY keep adding /making new jobs for
their Friends and Family at every level. City, County, Town, Village and
State.
I agree with 100%!!! Small minded fools, they need to start listening or suffer the wraith of an angry mob.Originally Posted by keyboard150
I'd love to see this angry mob.
Clearly, some of Mr. Gaughan's ideas are interesting. Unfortunately, he carries no credibility. he has no job. Lived with his Mommy until she threw him out. Ran up bills at the Wanakah CC on his mommy's tab until they threw him out. He has no $$$. He still owes money to the Chautauqua Institution for his big get together. He has no credibility.
Same old ugly story:
A handful of selfish, greedy egos control most of the power (locally) and do not even want to CONSIDER change for their "constituents" as regionalism might lessen their little slice of power
Disgusting that some of this suburban trash has the audacity to call Gaughan a "publicity hound" when he's only trying to improve the WNY region.
Gaughan's right on the money stating that he's in the Middle Ages, going from town to town spreading new ideas how to improve each little fiefdom so that everyone benefits.
Regionalism in WNY is impossible
because of petty politicians like Manna;
Most officials fully realize that regionalism would make Buffalo and all its suburbs far more efficient, allowing the inevitable budget surplus to boost WNY even more.
And consider the stubborness of the emergency responder unions whose members (most) would NEVER want to work in "strange and different territory:
"Other towns and villages where the peasants have strange and different customs than we, the proud citizens of this paradise, this Heaven on earth,
Amherst, N.Y. (and Chicktowagee)"
Sure. Amherst cops would love nothing more than to patrol Buffalo's East side, West side, bad parts of Tonawanda.
Oversimplified but true: The small-minded "leadership" throughout the towns & villages in WNY are unwilling to make this a better place to live if THEIR little slice of power appears to be threatened by change.
Betcha this:
If the majority of local leaders in most towns & villages in WNY
were fully behind regionalism,
they would have
NO PROBLEM selling the idea to the public.
But no. Lets's keep things just like they are. Change is bad. "We, your leaders know what's best for you, the uninformed, ignorant public."
Local pettiness by petty politicians holding onto their influence & fame at the expense of us peons,
just like DC does!!
How do you like that?!
What a coincidence that policiticians in WNY are just as selfish, arrogant, close-minded and two-faced as Federal politicians!!
What a small world this is!!
Filled with small-minds and huge egos!
I feel bad for Gaughan because no matter what he says,
no matter what proof he presents (studys & other city's success with regionalism)
most lawmakers will continue finding excuses to negate his sensible arguments for implementing regionalism
TALKING PROUD!!!
Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys.
Emma Bull
If a doctor were to come up with the cure for cancer but he or she had a past with a couple of lawsuits and personal issues like divorce, do you walk away from the cure?
You really sound like a paranoid insider on this one. In fact, I went back and read some of your posts and they all have the same tone for the most part. That is more interesting to me then a Wanakah bar tab.
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www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts
Curing cancer is a little of a stretch...but I see your point.
P.S. Higgins will cure cancer.
Just a point of clarity here: Bill O'Loughlin is no longer serving on the Amherst Town Board. He ran for County Clerk last year when his Board seat was up. Not arguing against what you are saying, just wanted to answer your question.
With that hair cut it looks like he may have contracted something of somekind!
Peace Out Funky
Is jacking your pants up to your nipples a disease??
No just preparing for the flood.....
Once you get lifetime benefits and as soon as you get sworn into Congress its a pre-requisite!
Peace Out Funky
Lets not forget comb-overs with plenty of hair-net to make it stay!
Peace Out Funky
Higgins is a cancer and I was just looking for an analogy.
Check Out My Blog
www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts
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