Buffalo News - Control board odyssey

    Maybe he was naive. But Anthony J. Baynes did not expect it would be so difficult for a businessman to penetrate the curious world of government where, he has found, people say one thing while doing another and enjoy the comforts that come with spending other people’s money.

    “Politicians are caught up with fundraising and getting re-elected,” Baynes, the chairman of Erie County’s state-appointed control board, said recently. “It’s a whole different system. They don’t really grasp the fact they don’t have to make payroll.”

These two paragraphs say so much about our Erie County legislators and repeat the things I have been saying for years. They are more focused on getting re-elected and attending fundraisers that their union friends are throwing for them they will not focus on the problems that plague Erie County.

Erie County government has turned into a 1.1 Billion dollar drain on the economey and an employment agency for the politically connected. We need to disassemble county government and start all over. The departments are loaded with political hacks that have their jobs because the legislators need troops and people to attend their fundraisers. We have at least 40% more employees than we need, and each one of them is focused on their retirement pensions and health benefits.

I talk to real employees all the time and they are willing to give up things to help this county get back on track, it is the union leaders that refuse to allow anything to happen, give up nothing and demand more. If we are to see any type of reform, restructuring in this government, the unions have got to get new leaders and spokesmen.

Lenihan and Hoyt hijacked the elections last year and ran their candidates as “reformers” yet the very first meeting they voted to keep their district offices open, increased their employees, created 2 new highly paid positions at the legislature and took away funding from the Republicans so they have no staff down at the county. Any and all reforms the Republicans put forth are thrown into committee whare they die, never to see the light of day.

If Marinelli and Whyte were true to their campaign promises to reform government and want to properly represent the people of this county, they would allow open debate on all issues and allow them to be voted on. They won’t, they are to busy focused on higher offices, Marinelli for county executive and Whyte on the assembly, she is probably hoping that Marc Cappola wins so she will get Hoyts seat.

Lenihan and Hoyt are the puppet masters and give their marching orders from Dem hdqtrs where the legislators meet and put forth their own agenda. The outcome of all the votes is already known before anything comes to the floor. The 2 Dems (Locklear & Konst) and the 3 Republicans get the meeting agenda minutes before the meeting and are expected to vote on them with out knowing what is in front of them. All this sounds like Sheldon Silver politics and of course it is. Sam Hoyt has had a good teacher and dictator with Sheldon Silver.

It is time people to take back the government in Erie County and the State, get rid of this corruption that is being disguised as good open government. People need to see my former opponent Ianello as the union puppet that she is.