OPINIONS FROM FORMER LEGISLATIVE CHAIRMEN, CHARTER COMMISSION MEMBERS, REDISTRICTING COMMITTEEMEN AND ELECTED OFFICIALS TAKE A LOOK BACK AND SHARE A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF ULSTER COUNTY CHARTER GOVERNMENT!
Forum assesses new Ulster County Charter
Copyright © 2011 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc.
NEW PALTZ – Numerous public officials attended a conference featuring members of the Ulster County Charter Review Commission, held Tuesday at SUNY New Paltz. The event was hosted by the Center for Research, Regional Education, and Outreach (CRREO).
Ulster County adopted its charter changes three years ago and is gearing up for its mandated five year review. Tuesday’s forum served as a sounding board for review commission members to consider while making their eventual recommendations to the legislature.
Conference mediator Dr. Gerald Benjamin, distinguished professor of political science and director of CRREO at SUNY New Paltz, said the new charter was designed to insure separation of powers, redistricting and goals as opposed to actual experience.
For the most part, it has been working, but he would recommend some modifications in the applications.
“Part of it is educating the people on their roles and responsibilities,” he said. “I think the comptroller’s office needs to be bolstered with more resources. I think there are changes in detail that are needed in the redistricting process, although that was an enormous success.”
“The charter for the most part eliminated the historic practice of department heads being feudal lords, based on their diplomatic skills,” said Marianne Collins, former Charter Commission member. “The charter, for better or for worse, installed leadership and accountability as the criteria by which the citizens of Ulster County evaluate their chief elected.”
The revised charter “seemed to be a near perfect document, implemented by imperfect people,” said County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach. And, politics really seeped into the implementation of it.” Auerbach said that after charter adoption, his office has both praised and criticized his county government as part of its mission. “We sort of have become a political science experiment.”
Dave Donaldson, minority leader elect and former commission chair, said that before the new charter, “transparency was definitely not part of the program.” However, he said they don’t see “a great deal of transparency in the new form, the way it’s working now. He cited the recent Golden Hill senior care privatization plan. “There was nothing transparent about that; it was handed down during the budget period, with a short period of time to make very important decisions that are going to affect the county for decades to come.
1 comment:
As long there is money to be mismanaged,misdirected, and just stolen, the role of the comptroller will be to protect the taxpayers from being robbed. Pay close attention to who complains the most and therein you'll find our most egregious offenders. I haven't heard about all that uncollected revenue from the poorly run clerk's office yet. Better start soon to avoid those predictable claims of political motivation.
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