RUS THOMPSON
Candidate for the 10th District Erie County Legislature
Agenda for Change ~

I have not used this blog to help my campaign much, a Press Release here and there and maybe a statement or two but, with the media in the Buffalo area, mainly the Buffalo News endorsing my opponent and clearly endorsing the status quo. I need to put out my platform and my agenda for taking the steps for changing the way Erie County performs it’s business.

If you find it in your Heart to help us win this election, you can donate online using PayPal right here. We are down to the final weeks and we need all the help we can get.
A sincere Thanks to all my daily readers.

#1 ~ Remove the Grand Island Bridge tolls!

I will continue my 12 year fight to eliminate the Grand Island Tolls. So many people miss the big picture of double taxation, the environmental concerns, the traffic hazards and the unnecessary traffic backups. New York received $1.6 Billion from the Federal Government in highway tax reimbursement, and out of that, $400 Million was earmarked to Western New York. We only received $18 Million. Where is the $382 million? In Albany. It needs to be here to help us fix the roads and bridges to take the burden off the local taxpayers.

#2 ~ Clean up the Tonawanda Landfill

The Tonawanda Landfill is a dumping ground for nuclear waste left over from the Manhattan Project of the 1940’s. Highly radioactive Uranium and Americum is buried there, and there has been a high rate of illnesses and cancer deaths. The DEC says clean it up, and the Corp of Engineers says all is well, just cap and close it.

So we now have two government entities at odds with each other and having meetings does nothing but anger the residents while pandering to their emotions. What needs to be done in order to move this forward in either direction, is to have definitive proof either way. How is that accomplished? Glad you asked.

Three simple steps and three simple tests.

#1: For the 22 Children that live on Hackett Drive, a simple CBC blood test needs to done, and in minutes the results will be in hand.
#2: Radon testers needs to be placed in the basements of the houses that back up to the landfill. After two weeks the testers can be removed and results tabulated.
#3: Test the groundwater in the sump pump pits. If there is any type of radioactive material seeping into the groundwater, this will be the first place that it can be spotted.

When these test results are done, we will have a definitive answer, and that will dictate which direction we need to go. Either the DEC is right and we can then remove all the toxic waste, cap and close the landfill. Or the Corp is right and we can simply cap and close the landfill. What could be simpler? Or are they afraid of the truth? Now is the time to act. Not a year from now after the Corp reads all the comments that were submitted. Dragging this out any longer is no longer acceptable.

#3 ~ Consolidate & privatize services

We have duplication of services that needs to be eliminated, consolidated and if need be, privatized. Why do we have a highway department in every community and also at the County level? Turn the roads back over to the individual communities. The same goes for the Parks department.
The county government is the worst at managing our tax dollars. Look how things fell apart during the budget crisis two years ago. Parks closed, yet town parks stayed up and running. County roads are a deplorable mess. The local government is where the management needs to be and remain. Eliminating these two departments will start lessening the tax levy on individual communities.

#4 ~ Reduce size of Legislature to 9 seats & close district offices.

With the population of Erie County diminishing rapidly, there is no longer the need for 15 legislators. Closing all district offices and cutting the seats in half will save the taxpayers upwards of $2 Million. Lead by example by doing it. We are all forced to live within our means and cannot live off credit cards. County government must lead the way toward reforming the way we do business.
A central staff needs to be at County Hall where all constituent services can be handled in an effective and efficient manner. A legislator’s number one job needs to be turning around the great ship titanic before it goes down at the cost of the taxpayers. Legislators need to be Focused on streamlining government services and implementing policies that lead us in the right direction.
Satellite offices need to be set up in various City, town and village halls. Set hours every week will give the legislators the ability to work closer with the Mayors and Supervisors in our communities. A working relationship is crucial as we focus on our fiscal stability.

#5 ~ Require a coherent agenda, published 3 days prior to public meetings and make government accountable.

This is crucial and covers so much, yet each step will hold all legislators accountable. The agenda for each and every legislature meeting needs to be written in understandable English, not bill numbers and codes that only they interpret. The agendas need to be published in the News and local papers and also on the internet three days prior to the meetings on Thursday.
Concerned citizens need to be included, and this will allow and encourage citizen participation and involvement. Knowing what is to be voted on days ahead of time also gives legislators time to form an educated opinion, and time for discussion with others.
No more circumventing the Open Meetings Law by splitting into two small groups as the Democrat Majority have been allowed to do. Of course they will deny this but that is exactly what they have been doing.
In addition, Legislature meetings need to be held at night. Most people work during the day and even if they wanted to go to meetings, they cannot understand the agenda. Try reading it some time and tell me if you understand it.

All in all government in Erie County is to big and bloated, it needs to be downsized and brought back closer to the people. We all have more input and control when we can work closer to our town and city councilman. We are dictated to by Albany, well let Albany take over the excessive costs that is now mandated to the county and the burden placed on the local taxpayers. We have to take right steps and make bold initiatives and the above are steps in the right direction.

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