Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian believes she has new evidence to feed her opposition to consolidation between the town and the city.
Christian and colleague Patti Pacino recently attended New York Conference of Mayors' Winter Legislative Meeting in Albany.
She says she heard horror stories about how consolidation is going in other municipal jurisdictions.
She said lawsuits and fees are skyrocketing.
"One of the areas is with the fire department: volunteer versus paid. And now the volunteers want to get paid," Christian says. "The other one was the (village) police department, and where their jurisdiction is going to stop. Are they going into the town?"
Christian says Seneca Falls was one of the only approved consolidations in New York State. Municipalities almost everywhere else have voted it down. Christian says those votes have been very lopsided, and she believes it would be the same way here -- based on what she's heard about the town.
"So obviously they have to work everything out in our area," she says, "before they even consider putting this forth."
Christian says there’s a much better alternative.
"You can have shared services, without doing any of this," she says.
Blah Blah Blah...It's amazing
Blah Blah Blah...It's amazing that the person who has been the most against this is in public, is the person we sent on a "fact" finding trip.
Shared services is great, but the fact that we have so many separate municipalities for such a small county is a joke. I'm not a fan of this plan as it stands, because I don't feel it does enough, but I'm sick of people who are verbally against an issue being in the lead.
...but you would certainly be
...but you would certainly be in favor of someone verbally in favor of it taking the lead?
Bea, I knew somebody was
Bea,
I knew somebody was going to catch that.
No actually somebody
No actually somebody impartial...didn't know that I had to explain that...but there you go.
Phil, This was not a "fact"
Phil,
This was not a "fact" finding trip on this one subject. The New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) offers training every year to local government officials. You go and they have different topics you can sit in on.
Who on Council that might have gone to this training would meet you definition of impartial?
Where did you read that it
Where did you read that it was a fact finding mission?
I, like John, understood that it was NYCOM.
Wow...this is why I don't
Wow...this is why I don't write on here anymore. The reason why I placed fact in quotations "" is because I knew it was a training. Sorry my sarcasm is broke. My annoyance is that with this topic being discussed we sent someone who has been openly negative about it. She came back with only failures.
John, I prefer they didn't send anyone from tis council. I don't think anyone on this council is competent anymore. We are doing the same tired old things and calling it progress. They're living off the actions of three years ago.
NYCOM is a resource and a
NYCOM is a resource and a lobbying group for local governments. NYCOM has always been against consolidation because their membership is made up of politicians who will become unemployed if it succeeds.
Consolidation has been dead for over a year and it will never happen in any form because, the people don't want it too. People in NYS love their government sprawl and it's a waste of time even discussing a change.
Posted by Phil Ricci on March
Posted by Phil Ricci on March 6, 2011 - 7:39am
I don't think anyone on this council is competent anymore.
Pretty strong statement. Are you saying that, had you won the election, you would be the only competent person on the council?
I didn't win, Bea. I'm
I didn't win, Bea.
I'm talking about what this council's done, or hasn't done, in the past year and a half. I guess you like the fact that there is still no plan for a future. That the best answer to a dwindling population, rising property tax burden and decrease of business is to bring back a position that did little in its last incarnation.
Leave the last election alone. Get over it. Live in the now. I do and my taxes are going up in every facet of government. Meanwhile I haven't seen a pay increase in two year due to that economy, yet every union employee will see increases. Not to mention, will have their pensions protected.
No I don't think they're competent, because they applauded this budget, and those that didn't applaud haven't done a thing to stop it. Standing in front of anything that could possibly stop this steady increase makes them so.
Phil, You distorted facts.
Phil,
You distorted facts. You should know that the majority wins. Two council members voted NO, seven vote yes.
There is not much more the two could do, but lets hear what you think they could have done.
I distorted no facts John.
I distorted no facts John.
What has been brought to the table? Saying we need more cuts is not a solution. Since you, John are such a Rosemary supporter, please tell me what she has brought to the table? Not sitting in a meeting and saying we should do more. What have any of them done to lower costs?
Please...tell me.
Phil, They voted against the
Phil,
They voted against the Economic Development Director and wanted a zero tax increase. Seven to two on the vote.
You want the Police Department done away with and could not sell that idea when you ran. But at the same time you are also against even the small cut of eliminating the Youth Department, your pet project, so I doubt you would have done any better than Mr. Barone or Ms. Christian.
Demanding a cut you know has little support, but protecting a cut that could be made is a bit confusing.
Nice spin John. I like how
Nice spin John.
I like how you keep making it about me and an election that happened a year and a half ago. The youth board and all of their small budget is gone, yet we still have an increase. I don't understand John? I thought getting rid of that blight would save us?
Demanding a cut that has no positive effect on the budget while ignore the real issues is why we are where we are. It's why we'll continue to increase and why people like my family and I are leaving NY.
People who support and are in Unions seem to be all that speak up. Oh well.
Have a nice rest of your weekend, John. This bores me and it won't change anything anyway. We can quibble all day, but we're still paying more for less services. Later.
Phil, The City Youth
Phil,
The City Youth Department is still there, read the budget.
Time to clear out the last of the snow.
Couldn't you two guys do this
Couldn't you two guys do this over the phone......