EDITORIAL: County should get a bit smaller

Editorials

June 13, 2009

Staff Reports The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sat Jun 13, 2009, 11:58 PM EDT

Pardon us if we don’t get a bit excited — we’ve been down this road before.

Once again, the Niagara County Legislature is looking to reduce its size from 19 representatives to 15.

This has been talked about and editorialized about for decades. It has yet to happen. The latest move to reduce the size of the Legislature was in 2002. Voters rejected the plan.

However, in the midst of one of the longest recessions the country has seen, perhaps 2009 is the right year to start a serious discussion on downsizing.

Nineteen legislators to represent a shrinking population for approximately 220,000 people. That’s way too much government. Much more than county residents should have to foot the bill for.

At the same time, the county lost more than 300 employees (from October 2001 to January 2008).

It makes business sense and tax sense for the Legislature to follow suit.

Majority Leader Richard Updegrove, R-Lockport, who co-sponsored the resolution with Legislator Paul Wojtaszek, R-North Tonawanda, said the move is in response to constituents who have made it clear that they believe county government could be run just as efficiently with fewer legislative districts.

“We want to be responsive to the feedback we’ve received from our constituents,” Updegrove said.

While the proposal is one that will put a few legislators out of their part-time jobs, it is the right move.

The measure will be considered at Tuesday’s Legislature meeting.

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