Gaughn is exactly right. Every town, village and city should cut two positions from their council. That would be one step in the right direction.

Gaughan challenges officials to downsize

Backed by his study of bloated government, Buffalo lawyer and civic activist Kevin Gaughan is launching a drive today to reduce the number of elected officials in Erie County.

Gaughan says he plans to appear before 45 town, village and city boards and councils to challenge them to downsize by eliminating two members through attrition. His first presentation is scheduled for 8 p.m. today in the Village of Lancaster.

“We need to create an economy that will sustain us and help keep young people here, but we’re utterly failing at this task. I’m trying to make a small step toward that goal,” he said.

Gaughan released a study last year on the size of local government in Erie County, consisting of 439 elected leaders and their immediate staffs in 44 villages, towns and cities. Support for that much government costs more than $32.14 million in salaries and benefits each year.

The study also concluded that the county exceeds other areas in the number of elected officials — twice as many as Indianapolis, five times more than in Charlotte, N.C., and eight times more than in the Baltimore, Md., area, he said.

Gaughan and other advocates of reform maintain that the size of government contrasts starkly with the area’s economic and demographic trends.

Erie County lost nearly a third of its young people during the past decade, posting the highest rate of decline for 25- to 34-year-olds in the nation. The economy remains weak, taxes remain high, and both the county and Buffalo, its largest city, remain under the oversight of state-mandated financial control boards.

“We’ve had to close churches, libraries and hospitals because we couldn’t afford them, yet the political community not only stays the same but continues to grow,” he said. “No one can defend the path this community is on.”
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