Voters on Tuesday approved a proposition that called for the size of the Niagara County Legislature to be trimmed from 19 members to 15.
Unofficial results from the Niagara County Board of Elections show the measure received overwhelming support, passing 19,118 to 3,973.
As a result of Tuesday's vote, legislative districts will be re-drawn based on population data from the upcoming 2010 U.S. Census. Members of the new-look, 15-member Legislature would be elected for the first time in 2011.
The move will trim four legislative salaries from the county budget. Lawmakers currently earn $15,075 per year.
Supporters of the downsizing plan hailed Tuesday’s vote as an indication that residents are ready for a smaller, more efficient county government.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” said downsizing supporter and Legislature Chairman Bill Ross, C-Wheatfield. “You’ve got to show people that you are willing to do more with less. If you don’t set an example for your employees, you’re going to run into difficulty.”
Critics of the downsizing initiative were troubled by the lack of details associated with this particular plan to reduce the size of county government. Minority Leader Dennis Virtuoso, D-Niagara Falls, who voted in favor of a resolution calling for the downsizing plan to be presented to voters, had second thoughts about the idea leading up to Election Day.
“People generally support smaller government,” Virtuoso said. “I knew all along it would pass. I’m just worried that the voters weren’t given the information they needed before they voted.”
He campaigned against the measure, suggesting it was being pushed by Republican leaders in the county who were looking to eliminate seats in Niagara Falls, a city where the majority of voters are Democrats and one that will likely see a significant drop in population once the new census figures are released.
“I voted for it, but I’m worried that it’s going to hurt Niagara Falls,” Virtuoso said. “If it’s done equally and fairly then OK, but I don’t think they are going to play by the rules of the game.”
County lawmakers originally considered a plan to present the downsizing measure to voters in 2010 following the release of the census data. In June, they agreed to speed up the pace of the process by setting a public hearing date in anticipation of presenting the issue to voters this year. The original plan also called for the creation of a special committee to examine various issues related to the Legislature, including appropriate number of representatives and length of term.
Ross said he still may call for the formation such a committee but intends to run the idea by the rest of the Legislature before moving forward.
“I want to see if there is a the interest there,” he said.
Local News
ELECTIONS: County follows downsizing trend
- Local News
-
-
SLIDESHOW: Memorial Day Weekend 2012
Niagara Falls celebrates Memorial Day Weekend activities on Saturday with a parade on Pine Avenue, a memorial service and viewing of the new Veterans Memorial at Hyde Park, a concert series on Old Falls Street and free boat safety inspections by the Niagara County Sheriff Department Marine Division at the City of Niagara Falls Boat Docks on Buffalo Avenue.
-
Legislation protecting Falls air base units moves forward
The effort to protect jobs at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station got a boost from a committee in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
-
Korean student robbed at gunpoint in Falls
Detectives are investigating the robbery of a 25-year-old woman Wednesday night in front of a motel in the 400 block of Main Street.
-
Davis will not seek Murphy removal
Lawyers for accused killer Matthew “Bones” Davis say their client will not ask to have Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III removed from his case.
-
Labor group laments economic development efforts
Economic development in New York state has become a joke to some in the area. And many of them are demanding changes to a process which spends approximately $3 billion a year.
-
Repaving work on Old Military Road rises to $790K
Sometimes a change is good. Sometimes a change is bad. For the Town of Lewiston, a change can be pretty costly.
-
Fifth-grader presents list of 400 names asking for new playground
A 10-year-old boy carrying a petition containing more than 400 signatures asked members of the Niagara Falls School Board on Thursday to consider building a new playground at his school.
-
Bomb threat leads to arrest at NT school
A North Tonawanda teen was arrested Thursday morning for sending a one-sentence bomb threat to the computer of a fellow high school student, resulting in a brief lockdown of the school.
- Sense of resignation on AES pact
-
Marching to the new veterans memorial
It's the unofficial beginning of summer.
Memorial Day may mean cookouts with hot dogs and hamburgers, a trip on the river in a boat or simply a day off from work Monday.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
