Control Board Says Giambra’s “Diet” Budget More Like a Binge

(Buffalo, NY, May 31, 2006) - - Erie County Executive Joel Giambra is calling his plan to balance next year’s budget by borrowing millions of dollars a “debt diet”, but the county control board says there’s still plenty of fat.

Giambra told control board members there are advantages to borrowing, rather than paying cash, and cited a capital improvement project at ECC and a consent agreement with ECMC.

But the board says Giambra’s “diet” is more like a binge.

Erie County control board member Sheila Kee said, “Our job here is to be able to provide recommendations, to be able to show how you can reduce debt as you go forward, so that we can help prevent future tax hikes in Erie County.”

Giambra and the board may be heading for a showdown in two weeks, when they do a line-by-line review of the borrowing plan.

Oh boy, can’t wait to see this years budget and the coming showdown.

There has been group after group, study after study and reccomendations that have been given to reduce the size, scope and expense of county government yet nothing, virtually nothing has been done and all the reccomendations have been for naught.

Giambra and the group of thugs at the legislature continue to go on like life is just a bowl full of candy with no end. No jobs have been cut, but more have been created and other positions once cut have been refilled.

This freshman crew and the remaining legislators are worse than last years crew. Oh, but I forgot, Maria Whyte the freshman legislator and new majority leader said that with all the Democrats winning they have a mandate, I guess that mandate is to continue to grow county government, raise taxes and create more jobs for their political hacks, campaign workers and campaign managers. Stupid is as stupid does.

What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results… Yup, sounds like Erie County and Albany.