Published: August 14, 2008 03:21 pm            

ERIE COUNTY NOTEBOOK: Reforms under one roof

With plenty of ideas for how to reform the Erie County Legislature floating around, Chairwoman Lynn Marinelli is aiming to get everyone on the same page.

To that end, the legislature is creating the Erie County Legislature 21st Century Commission to address issues like the ideal number of legislators, term lengths, staggering terms and term limits. The group will also examine whether district or at-large seats are best and how to handle minority representation.

The nine seated members of the commission should be selected by Labor Day, with six picked by Marinelli, one by Majority Leader Maria Whyte, one by Minority Leader John Mills and one by the legislature’s Government Affairs Committee.

That arrangement rubbed Republican Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer the wrong way, giving him “serious reservations” about the possibility for partisan politics in the process. At issue is the six picks given to Marinelli, a Democrat.

“The important issues that will be addressed by the commission should be done by as non-partisan a group as possible,” Ranzenhofer said in a released statement. “The current structure has the potential for the commission to be decidedly partisan.”

Marinelli disagreed, pointing to the fact that four of her six selections are for targeted stakeholder groups. Those four will come from an academic or civic organization, the business community, public sector union and community-based not-for-profits.

“I’m reaching out to the business community and have asked some of my colleagues for recommendations in the public sector unions and the non-profit areas,” Marinelli said. “So it’s not just me.”

An idea from Republican Legislator Edward Rath, to include people who can’t dedicate to the full term in the committee process, is another sign of cooperation, Marinelli said.

The goal is to have organization and research squared away by year’s end. In 2009, the commission will hold public hearings and create its reports in time for a public referendum in 2010. The changes would take effect in 2011, in conjunction with reapportionment and the election cycle.

That timetable isn’t fast enough for Ranzenhofer, who would like to see the referendum in 2009. He is also worried that voters facing a complete reform package won’t get on board.

“Voters should have the opportunity to vote on each of these reform measures separately,” Ranzenhofer said. “Otherwise, a voter might be compelled to vote against a package he or she favors due to a significant single objectionable item.”

But the entire philosophy behind the undertaking is to eliminate the piecemeal methods that have bogged down attempts at such reforms in previous years. The hope is that the commission, consisting of county residents, can hash out these concerns and create a package voters will get behind, Marinelli said.

“Some of the legislators are behind moving to nine members, but who’s to say nine is the right number?” Marinelli asked. “Why not seven? Why not a board of supervisors like we had before? These questions are the reason for this commission.”

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

        

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