Town Board Meeting

[JTFry]

Can't make the meetings.
Highlights?
Progress?
Any news on the totes?
Shed some light and less gossip!

[forreason]

From what I understand a couple of things happened:
1) The TB approved a law (no referendum) providing for term limits (2). I guess the residents have no say anymore in whether they want term limits or the ability to keep someone in office that is doing a good job based on the majority of residents that voted. Tell me who would take the Town Clerk or Highway Superintendent jobs for only 8 yrs?
2) The TB passed a rule that if an individual wishes to speak during a hearing, suspension of rules, etc. & either are or have been a town employee or on some town committee, you have to declare so before you speak. What about individuals that belong to special interest groups, election committees for TB members, etc? I guess they want to be able to be selective on whose view points on a subject are valid.
Also I have heard from residents in Tonawanda that the cheap totes they bought are not holding up (critters biting holes through the plastic & the hinges for the lids are breaking apart).

[Smiley]

From what I understand a couple of things happened:
1) The TB approved a law (no referendum) providing for term limits (2). I guess the residents have no say anymore in whether they want term limits or the ability to keep someone in office that is doing a good job based on the majority of residents that voted. Tell me who would take the Town Clerk or Highway Superintendent jobs for only 8 yrs?
2) The TB passed a rule that if an individual wishes to speak during a hearing, suspension of rules, etc. & either are or have been a town employee or on some town committee, you have to declare so before you speak. What about individuals that belong to special interest groups, election committees for TB members, etc? I guess they want to be able to be selective on whose view points on a subject are valid.
Also I have heard from residents in Tonawanda that the cheap totes they bought are not holding up (critters biting holes through the plastic & the hinges for the lids are breaking apart).

So they are making rules for the suspension of rules:confused: Doesn't make sense to me, but who am I? Next they will make a rule for people who plan to speak during the suspension of rules, to record what they are going to talk about during their 3 minutes. Then they will make a rule that they want an advanced copy of their speach 1 week prior to the meeting where they plan to say during the suspension of rules. Where will it end? I guess there really is NO suspension of rules!

[AmherstSucks]

I guess the residents have no say anymore in whether they want term limits or the ability to keep someone in office that is doing a good job based on the majority of residents that voted. Tell me who would take the Town Clerk or Highway Superintendent jobs for only 8 yrs?

The Town may have had (or have) elected officials other than Town Board members or a Supervisor that are decent. But name one Town Board member or Supervisor in the last 30 years that has been "doing a good job". I can't think of any. As much as I can't every single person on the board now, including Mohan, I'm not shedding any tears to see Woodward and Grelick gone. It took way too long for them to go as well. Unfortunately in the case of Grelick, we replaced bad with worse.

[forreason]

A.S.,
I can appreciate your viewpoint, but what I was trying to impress on everyone, is that the TB has no right to take away our ability to keep someone in office. At least there should have been a referendum to see how a majority of the voters felt about this issue.

[AmherstSucks]

the TB has no right to take away our ability to keep someone in office.

I agree with the sentiment, but until a court says otherwise they apparently do have the right. It's kind of the same thing with Mohan holding up police hirings. From what I can see in the Town code, he has the right to hold them up. The question that remains in my mind is if the Town code is in conflict with state law somehow. I'm not a lawyer so I honestly have no idea, but that would seem to be the contention of the police union. So back to the topic.. who is going to challenge this one? From my perspective this is probably an overwhelmingly popular resolution, even if the popularity is based in ignorance.

[WNYresident]

Who actually made up the rules in the first place that most townboards follow for public input?

[FreeAmherst]

The best part was when Kindel made an amendment to the Term Limit change that grandfathered exisiting Board members!

Do you think he was just trying to protect himself from extinction?

This AFTER he said he supported a referendum for the voters!

[Smiley]

A.S.,
I can appreciate your viewpoint, but what I was trying to impress on everyone, is that the TB has no right to take away our ability to keep someone in office. At least there should have been a referendum to see how a majority of the voters felt about this issue.

reason,
I totally agree with you about the term limits. While it is true that we elect certain people to make laws, rules and decisions for us. This is too important of an issue to just allow the TB to render a decision that they have the power to decide how long someone stays in office. It should be done through the majority of the voters. Term limits could come back to bite us.

[WNYresident]

THink about it Smiley. THe chance it will bite us in the ass is almost as good as winning the lottery.

How many "politcians" that have been elected for the last 8 years are you worried about losing to term limits in erie county? VERSUS now the bad ones we can purge with term limits?

[left wing]

So they are making rules for the suspension of rules:confused: Doesn't make sense to me, but who am I? Next they will make a rule for people who plan to speak during the suspension of rules, to record what they are going to talk about during their 3 minutes. Then they will make a rule that they want an advanced copy of their speach 1 week prior to the meeting where they plan to say during the suspension of rules. Where will it end? I guess there really is NO suspension of rules!

We can thank Ms. Bucki for the rules. She seems to be a stickler for things. This can be very tough in government. It seems like all she does is present silly, inconsequential resolutions and follow Dan Ward's lead. Not impressive.

[left wing]

THink about it Smiley. THe chance it will bite us in the ass is almost as good as winning the lottery.

How many "politcians" that have been elected for the last 8 years are you worried about losing to term limits in erie county? VERSUS now the bad ones we can purge with term limits?

The problem will be with positions like the Highway Superintendent and Town Clerk. It will be tough to get anyone good to run for those jobs. Maybe someone nearing retirement....

[WNYresident]

We can thank Ms. Bucki for the rules. She seems to be a stickler for things. This can be very tough in government. It seems like all she does is present silly, inconsequential resolutions and follow Dan Ward's lead. Not impressive.

Examples please? I would like to read what people believe are silly, inconsequential resolutions.

[WNYresident]

The problem will be with positions like the Highway Superintendent and Town Clerk. It will be tough to get anyone good to run for those jobs. Maybe someone nearing retirement....

I dont know why those are elected positions. NOW i'm not saying anyone who is a current town clerk or a superintendent is an idiot but If all it takes is an election to become a clerk or superintendent then it means any person can end up with that position. WOuldn't you rather have someone with a skill set proper for those positions?

[left wing]

I dont know why those are elected positions. NOW i'm not saying anyone who is a current town clerk or a superintendent is an idiot but If all it takes is an election to become a clerk or superintendent then it means any person can end up with that position. WOuldn't you rather have someone with a skill set proper for those positions?

We agree! I don't think they should be elected, either.