I have been reading with interest the frantic efforts of Amherst Council Member William Kindel to take town government back to the 1970s and destroy the office of supervisor, as well.
It is obvious that having been trounced twice by Supervisor Susan Grelick, he has decided to try to legislate the reduction of the office to the level of hostess of the Town Board meetings and not much more. Such vindictiveness has no place in any member of the Town Board of Amherst.

The rush to a town manager is not only silly, but would return the town to the problem days of the '60s and early '70s.

The executive form of government came about after two years of study by the town, citizens and a blue-ribbon panel, headed by University at Buffalo President William Greiner and law professor Milt Kaplan. The result was a plan that was overwhelmingly approved in a mandatory referendum. It streamlined town government by creating an executive branch, which is headed by the supervisor. Most of the major town departments are in the executive branch. Since its adoption, the town's government study committee has been involved with any proposed changes and has been of great assistance.

It is interesting to note that the government study committee has not been contacted by Kindel, and has not met in three months. Why has Kindel not submitted his plan to them for review and comment?

When the executive law was put to a referendum, it was supported by The Buffalo News, the League of Women Voters, the Amherst Bee and many other groups. It has withstood the test of time for 27 years, while Amherst grew and prospered.

The Kindel plan would create a city manager with individual powers that would, in effect, remove the council and the supervisor from fulfilling their duties representing the people who elected them. Instead, town residents would have one person being paid from $85,000 to $100,000 a year and not answerable to the people of Amherst. It must not be allowed to happen.

JOHN R. SHARPE
Former Supervisor
Town of Amherst

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