×

VILLAGES: Mayors need to support dissolution

When it comes to sharing services, many elected officials are open arms. But when it comes to consolidation, it’s another story.

Take, for example, the village of Brocton. Mayor Richard Frost thanked Portland Supervisor Dan Schrantz for attending a recent village board meeting. At the meeting, Frost said he is always interested in areas of “shared service, not consolidation.”

Why?

Because consolidation would mean the village board would start to lose power. If they don’t have a Department of Public Works, if they don’t have their own courts, why have a village board at all?

Forestville officials fought tooth and nail to keep the village intact and keep taking residents’ tax dollars. Now that the village is dissolved (after two votes), Hanover officials are discovering what many suspected all along — the village was a mess.

Cherry Creek residents realized they didn’t need that extra layer of government as well. They voted by more than a 2-1 margin to dissolve the village. Mayor Bruce Fish wasn’t as outspoken to keep the village intact, but he wasn’t pushing for dissolution either.

Sherman should be dissolved today if it weren’t for a terrible law that prohibits villages from having a second dissolution vote after failing. Sherman residents voted 115 to dissolve and 117 against. Mayor John Patterson was an outspoken opponent of dissolution. If he and the rest of the village board just let the public decide, the village would have been dissolved. Instead, residents now must wait four years before voting again.

Frost won last year with only 20 votes because no one wanted to run to be mayor. When you don’t have people willing to run for office, there’s the first sign you should consider dissolution.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today