As the Co-Founder of Primary Challenge in Erie County I am disturbed by Satish Mohans tactics, agenda and now his unwillingness to allow the People a voice in Town government.
Satish, what has happened to my old friend Satish.
In 2005 we endorsed Satish in the Republican Primary to run for Supervisor. Satish seemed like a guy that really wanted to change things, he won the primary and then went on to beat the Democrat incumbent.
The first official act he took was to personally sign every town employees paycheck, what a frenzy of criticism he started, I personally loved it, he found out things that would have remained hidden like excessive bonuses, pay for people sitting at home and the usual government employee abuses. He was on the right course in my opinion.
Then things started to unravel, he switched parties and became a Democrat. To this day I can’t figure out why, his excuse was that the Democrats represented the working man? Sure if you want to believe that, but he ignores that it is the unions that the Democrats represent, not the workers themselves. So his thinking is twisted. Donn Esmonde highlights it in the quote below.
A couple of things changed between now and then, other than Mohan’s mind. His switch to the Democratic Party becomes official Jan. 1. He is running for re-election next year and wants the party’s endorsement. Pushing for fewer politicians is not the road to party boss Len Lenihan’s heart.
He is running for re-election? He ran on the idea that he would only serve one term. At the beginning of his term he was setting the example as a reformer. People were hoping he would run for a higher office, but Satish was adamant in repeating that he was only there to serve one term.
So this decision, his decision to switch parties, his statement that pushing for fewer politicians is not the way, and finally his refusal to allow the people of Amherst vote on whether to downsize the town board or not really throws me for a loop.
How the hell is downsizing a town board a “convergence to dictatorship”? I’m really confused now…. When in Erie County there is more elected office holders than just about any county in the country, it is time to remove all the excessive layers. Satish my friend, you have been corrupted by the Kool-Aid that most all politicians drink. What a dam pity.
If I were to think strategy as a Primary Challenger, I would be looking for someone to run against him in the Primary. He has thrown out the window all we had discussed, all he proclaimed to be and has now turned into the very type of person we have come to despise in local politics.
Another reformer goes astray
Another one bites the dust. You hate to see it happen. But as sure as sunrise, the political system takes reformers and — with rare exception — pounds them into politics-as-usual pulp. Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes it happens fast. In the end, the result is almost always the same: They turn into the thing that they once condemned.
The latest public official misshapen by the pressures of a political culture is Satish Mohan. The UB professor was — without major-party backing — elected Amherst supervisor three years ago on a promise of change. If a recent stance is any indication, one thing that has changed is his reformist ways.
The latest litmus test for local politicians is self-downsizing. Civic leader Kevin Gaughan’s recent study showed we have more politicians than Idaho has potatoes. It costs us in tax dollars, in bureaucracy and in blurred leadership.
Gaughan’s remedy: Have the county’s 41 town and village boards downsize by two members apiece. Instead of forcing it down anyone’s throat, Gaughan wants each town and village board to let citizens vote on the question. It has been easier said than done. With a few exceptions, politicians in every village and town have refused to let people vote on the size of their government.
Gaughan’s road show recently hit the wall in Amherst. The board voted, 4-3, to deny residents the right to decide for themselves. Leading the charge against change was the so-called reformer, Mohan.
He told The Buffalo News the downsizing effort was a “convergence to dictatorship.”
Geez, I thought that dictatorship involved denying people a say in their own government. Thanks for the clarification, King Satish.
“I hoped that [Mohan] would be part of the solution,” Gaughan said, “not part of the problem.”
Tags: Erie County Insanity