Published: March 25, 2009 11:38 pm      

ERIE COUNTY NOTEBOOK: Budding campaigns a sign of spring

Snow has melted, Mississippi Mudd’s is open and Democratic legislators in our local districts are getting the word out about their upcoming re-election runs.

Legislator Michele Iannello, D-Kenmore, is already hosting events and ramping up her run. Iannello said she ran for the office because the county needed serious reforms and that the work is progressing but not yet done.

Iannello said she wants more accountability and transparency in government, citing the recently-passed taxpayer protection law that would give the legislature the power to review all county contracts as a step in that direction. If the law escapes County Executive Chris Collins’ veto, it will go on the ballot in November.

Green issues are also a big part of Iannello’s platform, and she was recently appointed head of the Green Actions Community Committee.

“I pledge to continue my fight for real reform and to deliver real relief to the middle class. My priorities include rolling back the Collins tax hike, cutting wasteful borrowing and spending, and making county government leaner and greener,” Iannello said.

Chairwoman Lynn Marinelli, D-Town of Tonawanda, said she’s going to be doing her campaign kick off in April and has several issues she’s looking forward to working on in the coming years. Work on a library for her North Buffalo constituents, help to the Olmstead Parks and distribution of stimulus money to the right places are all on the agenda. Resolving the mess that is the county borrowing situation is also a top priority.

“Hopefully that’s something that will be coming unknotted soon,” Marinelli said.

Finishing the work of the 21st Century Commission is another of Marinelli’s interests, one that is shared by Legislator Thomas Loughran, D-Amherst. Loughran’s resolution to shrink the legislature from 15 members to 9 spurred the creation of the commission, and he’s hopeful the commission’s input generates enough public support to put it over the top.

“Ultimately it’s not for me or my colleagues to decide. It’s up to the voters,” Loughran said. “But I’ve run into no opposition in the people I’ve talked to, except for my colleagues. We have five votes to get this done, but we need 8.”

Keeping the budget balanced is another of Loughran’s main concerns. He decried the legislature’s acceptance of Collins’ zero-growth sales tax estimates, saying the economy would likely cause them to drop, and now he’s confident recently released figures have proved him right. While his pleading has sometimes fallen on deaf ears, Loughran said it’s important that he keep at it to try and bring reason back to the county’s fiscal policy.

“When I ran I said you’d hear my voice, and I think you’ve heard it,” Loughran said.

Republican candidates for these districts have yet to appear, or at least make themselves known to us. But campaign season is still young, so we’ll be on the look out.

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.