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Pretend for a moment that you run a multi-million dollar business (I say pretend with confidence, this being Niagara Falls) and need to fill a management position.
Do you: A) Seek out the best available candidate, regardless of race, creed or political background; or B) Hire a crony based on qualifications that have little or nothing to do with the job and without consideration for your shareholders?
If your answer was B, start forming an exploratory committee for the 2003 campaign season, because you'd be perfect for the Niagara County Legislature.
Last week's flap over Youth Bureau Director Teresa Holland's criminal record pointed up the flaws in a system in which legislators double as Niagara County's executive branch.
Which isn't to say Holland isn't qualified -- she holds a bachelor's degree in social work and a master's in Student Personnel Administration from Buffalo State College. And whatever lessons she learned from her decade-old legal troubles may well better suit her to run an agency, whose job should include serving the thousands of Niagara County kids who grow up in an all-too-real world of poverty and worse, than some idealistic suburbanite.
But most of the Democratic majority that approved her hiring in January never knew about those experiences. "There were some things that weren't disclosed because she didn't think they were necessary," county attorney Mort Abramowitz said.
Like just about every other hire by the Legislature, the only thing that mattered was an item that did make it on to Holland's resume -- her extensive background working on the campaigns of Legislator Renae Kimble (D-Niagara Falls). I still haven't quite figured out how working a phone bank, going door-to-door with campaign literature or hawking fund-raiser tickets qualifies one for any governmental job, but maybe it's just me. And it's not like any other members of the Democratic caucus showed any interest in Holland's past until last week.
"In light of the fact I was unaware of these things that may have happened in the past, I'll have to do some due diligence myself and look into what exactly happened," county Legislator Sam Granieri (newly D-Niagara Falls) said in last week's edition of the Reporter.
"Due diligence," in political terms, means something that should have been done months ago.
None of which should be taken as singling out Holland, Kimble or the Democrats. They're only the most recent beneficiaries of patronage, which has long been as much a part of political life in these parts as cruddy chicken dinners and immediately forgotten promises.
Take, for instance, the plank in last fall's Democratic platform that promised a more efficient, streamlined government -- one that would avoid anything remotely resembling the 22 percent tax hike rammed through by the old Republican majority.
The Dems started off promisingly enough when they made a loud point of not naming a new Parks Commissioner, instead planning to shift those responsibilities of the Public Works Commissioner. Consolidation this, savings that, they said.
Whatever.
First, they created a new full-time job -- golf pro at the county course in Lockport -- to take on some of the duties of the old Parks position. Still, they'd saved taxpayers about $5,000, thanks to the pro's lower salary.
But then Dennis Virtuoso (you guessed it, D-Niagara Falls) decided David Kinney had earned a political plum and presto, Niagara County had itself a Parks Commissioner again.
And a golf pro.
Then there was the Democratic "reform" of the Elections Commission. Last year, each party had full-time representatives and one part-time employee. Then Democratic Deputy Commissioner Holly D'Angelo's resignation left a vacancy on each side.
Rookie Legislator Kyle Andrews (D-Wilson), chairman of the Legislature's administration committee, saw an opportunity for some meaningful reform. Just eliminate one position on each side, along with more than $60,000 in salaries.
Efficiency this, savings that.
Heh, heh.
At least until a Democratic legislator from Niagara Falls (I'm really, really trying not to pick on Kimble here, so I won't mention any names) started insisting on another turn at the patronage trough.
That one hasn't made it to a vote in the Legislature yet, but here are two good reasons to believe it's all but inevitable -- they got away with the Parks switcheroo and the legislator in question isn't about to forget the deal made in exchange for supporting Brad Erck's bid for Legislature Chairman.
That is, Kimble's vote in exchange for a patronage appointment (hey, I tried).
Let's add up the totals on the Democrats' "streamlining" of county government. They could have saved more than $100,000 in salary alone by eliminating the Parks and Elections Commission posts. Instead, to keep their fragile majority intact (both Virtuoso and Kimble threatened to bolt to the Republican side during the process of selection of a chairman if they didn't get their way), the Dems chose to spend at least $25,000 extra (not including benefits) to make the part-time pro's job into a full-time gig.
With sales-tax revenues plummeting and state aid remaining level in a best-case scenario, that sort of reform can only lead to a second straight massive tax increase.
The Republicans, who ran things before Jan. 1, proved just as incapable of keeping spending in line or almost anything else besides spending the county's tobacco settlement money. As a result, GOP lawmakers can do little but sit and watch while the Democrats take their turn.
Four months into their reign, they have yet to make a meaningful change that benefits their shareholders -- the 220,000 people of Niagara County. The 10 legislators who constitute their working majority (Dan Sklarski ran as a Democrat but caucuses with the GOP) are apparently much, much more important.
Hope they enjoy it while it lasts.
Because no one else is.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | April 30 2002 |