Published: July 30, 2009 10:30 pm      

ERIE COUNTY: Marinelli vows to override veto

Erie County Legislature Chairwoman Lynn Marinelli says legislators will put their downsizing and term extending charter revision on the ballot despite the county executive’s veto.

Describing the legislation with the word “deceitful,” Erie County Executive Chris Collins vetoed the combined local law to downsize the legislature by two members and increase legislative terms from two to four years. Collins said the 21st Century Commission recommended a more drastic reduction and said combining the term extension and downsizing in one vote limits the options for voters.

“Simply stated, passage of this law is an insult to the recommendations of the commission, and is nothing more than election year politics being sold to the public as reform,” Collins said. “This legislature is once again attempting to mislead the public on this issue, and I cannot in good faith agree that this slight of hand is true reform.”

Marinelli argues that while the commission did recommend cutting the legislature by four seats rather than the two in the final law, that is the price of compromise between legislators who wanted more cuts and those who wanted none at all. As for the packaging question, she said the last round of charter revisions — adopted overwhelmingly by voters — were done the same way. And with all of the legislators, even the Republicans, supporting the move, she finds it curious that Collins would veto it knowing that the override majority already exists.

“The fact that we got unanimity on 13 I think is worth noting,” Marinelli said

Legislator Michele Iannello, D-Kenmore, is no stranger to Collins’ veto pen. Her Taxpayer Protection law that would give the legislature more power in reviewing and canceling county contracts was vetoed, put to a successful override vote and will be appearing on this November’s ballot. Iannello said Collins is spending more time raising funds for Republican legislature candidates and pursuing a negative campaign against Democrats than delivering on his promises to taxpayers.

“Mr. Collins promised the voters of Erie County big changes, but all that he's done is give them more of the same; higher taxes, pay hikes for patronage pals and road blocks to reform,” she said.

Collins said he vetoed the law “in the faint hopes that the legislature will do the right thing and present the voters with a real choice that separates the reform of reducing the size of the legislature from a self-serving incumbency protection plan.” But Marinelli said she plans to push for the override vote at the next scheduled legislative session on Sept. 10 with the law as it is. Legally, legislators could take up to 30 days to act on the veto, but Marinelli said she wants to get the item over to the board of elections as soon as possible since new voting machines are being used for the first time this year. With Iannello’s law, this downsizing measure and various other municipal downsizing referendums, she said the elections staff will have their hands full formatting all the information.

“There’s the potential for three or four referendums in some areas,” Marinelli said. “I don’t know what that looks like on the new machines.”

Even if the resolution is approved by voters, changes in term length or number of legislators won’t take place until the 2012 election. The legislature was originally made up of 20 members, then downsized to 17 members and eventually cut again to 15 members in 2003.

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