View Poll Results: SHOULD WE REPLACE THE ELECTED COUNTY EXECUTIVE W/A COUNTY MANAGER THAT CAN BE FIRED?

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  • YES

    128 90.14%
  • NO

    14 9.86%
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Thread: Should We Replace The Elected County Executive W/a County Manager That Can Be Fired?

  1. #1
    moadib
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    Should We Replace The Elected County Executive W/a County Manager That Can Be Fired?

    SHOULD WE REPLACE THE ELECTED COUNTY EXECUTIVE W/A COUNTY MANAGER THAT CAN BE FIRED?

    SHOULD THE ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATURE HIRE A COUNTY MANAGER AND END ALL THE PORK AND PATRONAGE. IF THEY DONT DO THE JOB, THEN THEIR FIRED.

    BEFORE WE EVEN TALK ABOUT MERGING ERIE COUNTY AND BUFFALO, SHOULDNT WE REPLACE BOTH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE MAYOR WITH MANAGERS THAT CAN BE FIRED!

    WHY MERGE CORRUPTION AND PATRONAGE INTO CORRUPTION AND PATRONAGE? REPLACE BOTH WITH MANAGERS THAT CAN BE FIRED AND THEN AS THEY WEED OUT THE PORK, THEY CAN MAKE THE CASE FOR MERGING SERVICES AND LOWERING TAXES.

  2. #2
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    I can't believe so mant people are voting this way.

    Who, exactly, would do the firing? A Common Council of some sort?
    Wouldn't you rather have the power in the hands of the people?

    Wouldn't you rather have your vote go directly toward electing the EC, as opposed to having your Council person be one of 15 votes?

    Hell, if we want to complicate things, why not just do an electoral college? Cheektowaga gets 15 delegates, Hamburg 9, Tonawanda 12, etc??

  3. #3
    moadib
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    BECAUSE PEOPLE DONT FEEL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY & THEIR VOICES ARENT HEARD

    BECAUSE PEOPLE DONT FEEL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY & THEIR VOICES ARENT HEARD

    -I think that people feel that local city and county government is more about perpetual political careers, patronage and pork, instead of community service as evidenced by the inordinant cuts to services above payroll, salary and benefit cuts

    -Because people are tired of manipulative spin and being elected for a specific period and spending most of that time hiring people to pay off their campaign debts and directing pork to the business community to pay for their next election campaign.

    -Because we get evaluated on our jobs every year and some of us even get bonuses. WE WANT A REPORT CARD WITH HARD STATISTICS INSTEAD OF SINGLE DAY NEWSPAPER HEADLINES THAT NEVER HAPPEN AND ARE QUICKLY FORGOTTEN.

    A REPORT CARD LIKE:
    -% INCREASE IN RESIDENTIAL CAPACITY
    -% INCREASE IN SMALL BUSINESS STARTUPS
    -% INCREASE IN JOB CREATION
    -% DECREASE IN GOVERNMENT PAYROLL W/O CUTS IN SERVICE (AKA GOVERNMENT PRODUCTIVITY)
    -one could also grade them on local projects like waterfront, expanding light rail, peace bridge, increase in intermodal freight and port facilities
    -one could also grade them on local schools funding versus results
    and the list goes on

    AS FAR AS WHO WOULD FIRE A MANAGER? WELL, I BELIEVE MR. GRIFFIN IS LEADING THE EFFORT TO HAVE THE COMMON COUNCIL REPLACE THE MAYOR WITH A CITY MANAGER...SO YOU WOULD CALL YOUR COUNCILMAN TO DEMAND THEY BE FIRED RATHER THAN WAITING FOR THE NEXT RIGGED RE-ELECTION. RIGGED BECAUSE THE POLITICAL PARTIES LIMIT THE ELECTION CHOICES AND THE INCUMBANT CAMPAIGN BUDGETS OUTCOMPETE THE EXISTING CHOICES.

    FOLLOWING THAT LOGIC, YOU THEORETICALLY WOULD CALL YOUR ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR TO FIRE A COUNTY MANAGER WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT ELECTION.

    AFTER 75-50 YEARS OF NEGLECT, PEOPLE WANT RESULT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. PEOPLE WANT A CHOICE THAT DOESNT INVOLVE RELOCATING TO ANOTHER STATE.

  4. #4
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    Re: BECAUSE PEOPLE DONT FEEL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY & THEIR VOICES ARENT HEARD

    Originally posted by moadib
    AS FAR AS WHO WOULD FIRE A MANAGER? WELL, I BELIEVE MR. GRIFFIN IS LEADING THE EFFORT TO HAVE THE COMMON COUNCIL REPLACE THE MAYOR WITH A CITY MANAGER...SO YOU WOULD CALL YOUR COUNCILMAN TO DEMAND THEY BE FIRED RATHER THAN WAITING FOR THE NEXT RIGGED RE-ELECTION. RIGGED BECAUSE THE POLITICAL PARTIES LIMIT THE ELECTION CHOICES AND THE INCUMBANT CAMPAIGN BUDGETS OUTCOMPETE THE EXISTING CHOICES.

    FOLLOWING THAT LOGIC, YOU THEORETICALLY WOULD CALL YOUR ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR TO FIRE A COUNTY MANAGER WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT ELECTION.
    Right, but my Legislator is only 1 of 15 voices. So, if my legislator doesn'ty do as I hope, i would have to campaign against him/her getting re-elected. IT IS ADDING A WHOLE NEW LAYER TO THE MIX.

  5. #5
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    So, if my legislator doesn'ty do as I hope, i would have to campaign against him/her getting re-elected. IT IS ADDING A WHOLE NEW LAYER TO THE MIX.
    We need them to do what is best for the economic community in WNY.. If they don't we have to do our best to replace them with people who will.

  6. #6
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    Originally posted by WNYresident
    We need them to do what is best for the economic community in WNY.. If they don't we have to do our best to replace them with people who will.
    I understand that. But we already have that method in place. What you're proposing here would make us 1 layer away from the E.C. position.
    Wouldn't you rather have the direct capability of "firing" someone (ie by not re-electing them), as opposed to only being able to not re-elect the person who doesnt fire him??
    I don't see the sense in it.

    And who would hire this person anyway??

  7. #7
    moadib
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    Since when has someone not gotten re-elected even if they did a bad job!

    Since when has someone not gotten re-elected even if they did a bad job!

    Frankly, they have so many of their campaign staffers stuck on city and county jobs

    Frankly, they political parties limit the candidates so you have little choice who to vote for

    Frankly, the business community stuffs their re-election bank accounts with so much money...

    They advertise, they lie, they cheat....

    ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE TIRED. THEY WANT SOMEONE HIRED TO DO A JOB AND MEASURED ON WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED, REWARDED WHEN THEY DO AND FIRED WHEN THEY DONT. I PERSONALLY DONT VIEW IT AS DILUTING MY VOTE....I VIEW IT AS INCREASING ACCOUNTABILITY.

    I GUARRANTY THAT ERIE COUNTIES BUDGET MESS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITH A COUNTY MANAGER AND IN THE REMOTE POSSIBILITY THAT IT DID...THE ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATORS WOULD HAVE THE VOTES TO FIRE THEM AS THEY HAD THE VOTES TO REFUSE THE SALES TAX INCREASE. IF GIAMBRA WERE A COUNTY MANAGER, THEN I GUARANTY THAT HE WOULD BE FIRED....THERE WOULD BE NO WAITING FOR RE-ELECTION!

  8. #8
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    I'm still waiting for a real answer on this.

    How would it be more efficient/more effective to have a legislator between the voter and the person ultimately running the County.

    I don't see the logic in it.

  9. #9
    moadib
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    LETS MAKE COUNTY MANAGER'S SALARY BASED ON GOAL ORIENTED BONUSES

    LETS MAKE COUNTY MANAGER'S SALARY BASED ON GOAL ORIENTED BONUSES

    5% FOR MEETING NEW SMALL BUSINESS STARTUP GOALS
    5% FOR MEETING NEW JOB CREATION GOALS
    5% FOR MEETING GOALS TO DEVELOP THE INNER/OUTER HARBOR
    5% FOR REPLACING THE SKYWAY
    5% FOR EXTENDING OUR LIGHT RAIL TO THE INNER/OUTER HARBOR
    5% FOR EXTENDING OUR LIGHT RAIL TO NIAGARA COUNTY BORDER
    5% FOR EXTENDING OUR LIGHT RAIL TO THE AIRPORT
    5% FOR MEETING NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS (NEW APARTMENTS, NEW HOMES IN EXISTING NEIGHBORHOODS, ETC)
    5% FOR MEETING GOALS FOR TOURISM AND CONVENTIONS (CULTURAL INDUSTRY
    5% FOR MAINTAINING OR DECREASING TAXES, FOR MAINTAINING OR DECREASING PAYROLL (NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AND AMOUNT OF BENEFITS)...WHICH RELATES TO PRODUCTIVITY

    50% BASE SALARY

    WELL THIS IS JUST AN IDEA, THERE COULD BE OTHER COUNTYWIDE PRIORITIES ADDED AND THE PERCENTAGES COULD CHANGE....BUT ITS TIME THAT THE ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATURE AND ALL THE ERIE COUNTY CITIZENS PUT FORTH THEIR PRIORITIES, THEN IF THEY DIDNT MEET THEIR GOALS BECAUSE OF PORK, PATRONAGE OR CORRUPT INCESTUOUS BUSINESS DEALINGS....THEY WOULD TAKE A HIT IN THEIR SALARY. THERE WOULD FINALLY BE A PRICE FOR INACTION!

  10. #10
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    Re: BECAUSE PEOPLE DONT FEEL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY & THEIR VOICES ARENT HEARD

    Originally posted by moadib
    BECAUSE PEOPLE DONT FEEL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY & THEIR VOICES ARENT HEARD
    This is what we're in the process of trying to change- The idea of hiring a "County Manager" is a good idea- but really this is what the finance department is supposed to be doing.

    And adding a layer between the executive and the voters is a bad idea as it would put to much power in the hands of the legislature and not enough in the hands of the people.

    What we need is elected official who will act in a more responsible and fiscally sound fashion. Until we get that, giving one group of elected officials more power would just be a cosmetic change at best.
    -r

  11. #11
    moadib
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    ROB SMITH, THEN MAKE THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES SALARY BASED ON BONUSES NOT SALARY

    ROB SMITH, THEN MAKE THE COUNTY EXECUTIVES SALARY BASED ON BONUSES NOT SALARY

  12. #12
    Member tomac's Avatar
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    Lightbulb Bring back the old-time Board of Supervisors!

    I really could only go along with a County Manager if we also do away with the County Legislature and bring back the Board of Supervisors.
    They are already paid by the towns and we could save a bundle by dumping the part-timers and their hangers-on as well.
    Think you can trust the government?
    Ask an Indian!

  13. #13
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    Thumbs up

    Ditto on the Board of Supervisors. However, times have changed and the Board would have to be set up for today, not th 50's!

  14. #14
    Member tomac's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Usually Right
    Ditto on the Board of Supervisors. However, times have changed and the Board would have to be set up for today, not th 50's!
    That system worked well for 130+ years; what would have to be changed?
    Think you can trust the government?
    Ask an Indian!

  15. #15
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Re: Bring back the old-time Board of Supervisors!

    Originally posted by tomac
    I really could only go along with a County Manager if we also do away with the County Legislature and bring back the Board of Supervisors.
    They are already paid by the towns and we could save a bundle by dumping the part-timers and their hangers-on as well.
    If the whole county legistlator dissapeared what would we notice any different in WNY?

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