Talk about ridiculous. Bowing to public pressure, the Erie County Legislature finally agreed to put a referendum before the voters to shrink it's body from 15 to 11 members. Fearful of their friends and relatives losing patronage jobs, the Republican and Democratic Elections Commissioners are using a ridiculous loophole to prevent it from going to a public vote...
The commissioners Friday cited an arcane legal argument in scuttling a referendum to shrink the Legislature from 15 members to 11.
In their strict view of state Election Law, the wrong office within the county bureaucracy sent them the paperwork to set up the referendum.
Both theorized that Ward and Mohr do not want the matter reaching voters because of the political implications of a smaller Legislature: incumbents from both parties risk losing their seats; patronage appointees risk lost incomes.
I can't see the two commissioners getting away with this. It's a slap in the face to the residents of Erie County. The legislature does nothing. It is irrelevant. The people are tired of these career politicians and want to see less of them. Public pressure needs to be put on Dan Ward and Ralph Mohr to allow the vote to continue. The voters want shrinkage...
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The commissioners Friday cited an arcane legal argument in scuttling a referendum to shrink the Legislature from 15 members to 11.
In their strict view of state Election Law, the wrong office within the county bureaucracy sent them the paperwork to set up the referendum.
Both theorized that Ward and Mohr do not want the matter reaching voters because of the political implications of a smaller Legislature: incumbents from both parties risk losing their seats; patronage appointees risk lost incomes.
I can't see the two commissioners getting away with this. It's a slap in the face to the residents of Erie County. The legislature does nothing. It is irrelevant. The people are tired of these career politicians and want to see less of them. Public pressure needs to be put on Dan Ward and Ralph Mohr to allow the vote to continue. The voters want shrinkage...
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