In the closing minutes of the forum on the future of municipal governments Thursday, one Portland resident asked her fellow audience members, "How many of you here, by sound of applause, do want to see a change and reduce to one or a few more governments?"
The crackling sound of applause quickly filled the 1891 Fredonia Opera House.
It was evident at that point that there were people from all over the area, including but not limited to the areas of Dunkirk, Fredonia, Panama, Mayville, Silver Creek, Harmony, Forestville, and Westfield that are ready for change in government efficiency.
Thursday evening's forum, which featured 10 panelists from all areas of government, business and commissions on consolidation, spotlighted the issues of future government including school and municipal consolidation. Panelists were given three to five minutes at the start of the forum to touch on where they see the future of government and their current or future attempts at reducing it.
"The size of this panel, in some way perhaps unwittingly, reveals the challenge that we're discussing," said Kevin Gaughan, a forum panelist and an advocate for government reform in Erie County. "We've lost, in Erie County, over 245,000 folks since 1970. That means ever hour and 40 minutes someone walks out of Erie County, not because they want to but because there is no opportunity. The Western New York region has lost more people between the ages of 18 and 34 than any region in recorded history in America."
Gaughan, who has brought change to the size of several municipal boards in Erie County, advocated that the time is now for true change in government to occur.
"As a head of a household, as a head of an institution, as the head of a business, as a human being if you can't change you perish and that's what's taking place here," he said.
Although only a forum with no action to take place, the mood was set for many area officials who participated in the panel to either rejuvenate past consolidation talks or push forward on current issues on the table.
"There is a lot out there that we can do. We could consolidate our two police forces in Dunkirk and Fredonia and in doing that working together with no additional force or personnel whatsoever to take on Pomfret, Sheridan, East Town and West Town of Dunkirk," Dunkirk Mayor Richard Frey said. "Our Fire Department can be expanded to take on the East and West Town of Dunkirk and do their jobs for them with the paid fire department and with no additional people in it whatsoever. Those are things that we can and should do."
Frey continued that he is looking to propose to the council in the coming weeks to reduce its members from five to three. Little steps such as these are what Fredonia Mayor Michael Sullivan said need to happen in order for people to be able to grab a hold of the idea of consolidation, and to see that it can work.
"We can't find jobs for the people to stay here. We're losing our families, and all along, government has continued to remain unchanged over that time period," Sullivan said. "We need to find better ways of running government. Whether it's consolidating the village and the town or whether it's regionalizing, I think we need to find one item to really run with and make a showing of how well we can do it.
Sullivan said the area that needs the most attention is water distribution.
The Chadwick Bay Group in Northern Chautauqua County has been discussing the idea of a north county water system operating under one or two distribution plants, to ultimately bypass the $35 million plus in required improvements to the current individual systems. Although not a beacon of identity for a community, the water distribution system, like municipal and school consolidation has been and will be met with continued opposition, as proven by the failed Westfield-Ripley School consolidation straw vote Thursday.
"The three ingredients that are absolutely necessary at the local level before cost saving consolidations can occur are: the will of the people and what our respective constituents want; the work of our elected officials and are we willing to put in the time and effort to effect real change; and the willing cooperation of labor," said Hanover Town Supervisor Katherine Tampio. "These are the three legs of our three-legged stool, and if you take one away it just won't work."
"The problem that I see is we spend way too much time talking about why we can't do something," Legislature Chairman Keith Ahlstrom added. "We've heard tonight that we have union issues, state issues, that there are all of these road blocks out there. It's time that you people as a group get to your local officials whether town or village or county and into the state and tell them it's time for them to find ways to do things. These obstacles can be changed and I believe they can be changed rather easily but won't be unless we demand the change."
Other panel members included: Westfield Mayor David Carr; Arkwright Town Supervisor Frederic Norton; President of the Fredonia Chamber of Commerce, Greg Krauza; and Pomfret Deputy Supervisor Patricia Christina.
Coming Saturday: How panelists and audience members discussed school consolidations including the challenges and the benefits.
Comments on this article may be sent to mrukavina@observertoday.com
