Booklet urges county reforms

Paper: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY)

Date: June 29, 2007

Joseph Spector

Staff Writer

Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature on Thursday laid out more than a dozen proposals to reform county government, alleging that the current Republican majority has made the county less accountable and less responsive to the public.

The 23-page booklet titled "We the People. A Citizen's Guide to Taking Back Monroe County" comes as Democrats target a potential takeover of the County Legislature in the November elections, which would require them to pick up three seats from the 17-12 Republican majority.

The Democrats' platform features proposals that include reducing the size of the 29-member legislature, independent redistricting of legislative lines, greater oversight of local development corporations and moving the county's budget submittal deadline from November to October.

"We're showing to the general public that there's a different way to do business in this county," said assistant minority leader Harry Bronson, D-Rochester. "There's a better way."

Republicans were quick to dismiss the platform as election-year politics.

Majority Leader Bill Smith, R-Perinton, said most of the ideas have already been vetted or are being reviewed by the county. And he said the proposals miss a critical point: finding a way to solve the county's yearly budget deficits.

"It does not offer a single idea that has to do with the one issue that we have to face in this county: a structural budget deficit brought on by mandates from Albany," Smith said.

He also chided Democrats for trying to distract voters from the fact that the party has yet to find a candidate to challenge County Executive Maggie Brooks, who is seeking re-election this year.

"The fact that they have not come up in the last two years with a single, real workable idea to solve the budget problem is becoming as big an embarrassment for the Democrats as not having a candidate for county executive," he said.

Democrats, who haven't controlled the legislature since 1992, have long railed against the Republican majority for failing to enact reforms and to make county government more efficient. But they have been unsuccessful in getting their agenda approved, typically having ideas shot down by GOP legislators.

Yet with 14 legislative seats on the ballot this year, Democrats said they want to give voters a clearer sense of the party's agenda.

The platform proposes a committee be formed to explore how to reduce the size of the legislature, but doesn't give a recommendation on how many seats should be cut. The proposal also calls for abolishing the embattled Monroe County Water Authority, which has been under siege for poor management under former executive director John Stanwix.

The plan also calls for a variety of fiscal reforms, such as implementing long-term solutions to deal with the county's budget gap.

And it seeks to restore an October deadline for the yearly budget submittal after the legislature earlier this year agreed to push back the deadline to November — after the election season.

Democrats said they will be distributing the booklet to voters and may hold public meetings to seek input on additional ways to improve county government.

"It is our position that by providing accountable, transparent and efficient government, residents of Monroe County will have more control over how their tax dollars are spent," the proposal states.

JSPECTOR@DemocratandChronicle.com

The platform

Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature laid out their proposals Thursday on how to improve county government. Here are some of the ideas:

·Reduce size of Monroe County Legislature from 29 seats to a number determined by a blue-ribbon commission.

·Establish independent, nonpartisan legislative redistricting.

·Prohibit elected officials from appearing in publicly funded advertising.

·Televise and webcast legislative sessions.

·Streamline freedom of information process.

·Abolish Monroe County Water Authority.

·Strengthen COMIDA accountability standards.

·Accurately forecast property tax revenue.

Author: Joseph Spector

Section: Local&State

Page: 1B, 5B