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A Matter of Choice

By Robert Brown
On November 5th, Genesee County residents will have the opportunity to elect the entire County Legislature body.  Of the 9 seats that are up for election, only 4 are contested.  It's disappointing to have the majority of our County representatives ushered into office without choice, not because those 5 people are unqualified or will do a poor job, but because we are missing out on the free discussion of ideas between a diverse base of candidates.  Options bring out the best of us and choices for voters make us stronger.  For the remaining 4 seats, we have 2 candidates each for Districts 5, 6, & 9 and 3 candidates for District 8 (City of Batavia Wards 2 & 3).
 
I am proud to be one of the 3 choices for District 8.  It humbled me to receive an endorsement from the Genesee County Libertarian Party when I decided to run for office as a group of people I had only known since January (save one person whom I had not seen since high school) had learned enough about me in the few short months it took for our party to form, organize, and hold a convention to put their trust and faith in me.  Those who saw me work as the initial Membership Committee Chair and currently as the Elections Committee Chair understand what I bring to the table in terms of dedication, drive, organization, and communications.  As a County Legislator I will leverage my 30+ years of professional experience to represent the citizens in District 8 with a commitment to fiscally responsible decision making and fairness.
 
We all know Genesee County is not treated fairly by the state.  We are taxed yet not equally supported.  What is imposed on us is not fully funded.  Despite our deep-seated belief in the Constitution we are squashed with rules and regulations like the S.A.F.E. Act.  However, what things are in our control we need to do a far better job of managing and our local government must first and foremost represent our citizens fairly.  What we cannot control locally, our elected local officials must actively fight for by relentlessly addressing concerns to our elected state officials.  Our local officials and government employees must not complain to the taxpayers about how mandates are crippling us, sigh, then invoke higher taxes.  Instead, we must represent those hardworking people and approach our assemblymen and senators, demand action, report on commitments and objectives, and call them out when there is no response.  The fight should not be left up to the every citizen to undertake alone.  As a County Legislator I will be committed to take Albany to task by engaging our state representatives on every possible occasion through every possible avenue to address our concerns.
 
The items under our immediate control are not insignificant.  The County Legislature instituted an additional 1% sales tax in 1994 to pay down debt.  Here we are 19 years later and we're not only still paying down debt, we're taking on new debt while the added tax lingers.  Sales tax revenue has increased over the last 10 years, but so have prices (most notably gasoline which has risen about $2/gallon over that period while influencing many other price points) and that simply adds to the burden on taxpayers who are paying more for less.  The County has a roughly $20M fund balance to bridge revenue gaps with an additional $9M in unallocated funds while carrying $14.5M in debt costing taxpayers $600K in interest payments in 2013 alone.  The County has borrowed millions to spend on infrastructure that only a few hundred of our 60,000+ citizens will ever use.  The County is losing over $1M annually on the County Nursing Home while the majority of our long-term care citizens have their needs met through privately run facilities in the county.  Band-aids will not stop the hemorrhaging.  The County has plans/commitments to spend millions on leasing space over the next decade.  Unemployment at or slightly below the state average is great, but it's been that way for years.  More telling is Genesee County's per capita income which is annually $4K-$5K below the state average.  The County annually funds the GCEDC with over $200K in cash plus pays one of the highest IDA salary and benefits packages in the state to their personnel who then waive millions in taxes for corporations who pay them 1% of every deal.  The jobs created under this model are often not full-time positions or able to raise the bar on per capita income.  The County implemented a local surcharge for auto registration, but what's the value add, especially to people who rarely drive?  To top it off, we're now facing a 2.22% increase in property taxes that will be enacted right after the election.
 
How is any of this fair to Genesee County taxpayers?  All of it has come to fruition through local decisions.
 
We need to make better choices and we need to change our approach.  We can learn from the folks at Independent Living of Genesee Region (ILGR) whose website (www.wnyil.org/ilgr) reads:
 
"ILGR is an agency dedicated to the idea the people deserve the right to live their life the way they choose.  Our philosophy is not to do things for you, but to give you the skills and resources to do it for yourself.  That’s the true meaning of independence."
 
Some of our most challenged citizens do not want handouts - they want to be educated, empowered to make their own choices, and treated with equality.  Long ago, I learned one of the keys to successful management is to break down barriers and provide the necessary tools for employees to get their jobs done.  Government needs to foster that for all of us.  Stop trying to do everything and instead start enabling.  Where we must offer services, we must do so with extreme efficiency.  We are not doing so today.
 
I continue to be available by phone, E-Mail, and social media.  Please take the opportunity to contact me with questions, concerns, and ideas.  I look forward to representing you and doing what I can to make Genesee County the most attractive and affordable place to live, shop, and do business in WNY.
 
Thank you for your consideration on November 5th.  Whatever your choice, please vote - you matter!

 

Dave Olsen

excellent points Bob. You show a far better grasp of the issues facing Genesee County taxpayers than any other legislature candidate. They are all crisis managers at best, incompetents at worse. Quite a few think that the GCEDC and their fallacious claims of future tax revenue will fix everything.

Nov 2, 2013, 3:09pm Permalink
terry paine

It's refreshing to see someone who has basic economic sense and whose platform is not to just kick the can down the road. So many people who serve this community are well intended, but fail to remember that every time they increase taxes, fees or fines, that is money that has left the REAL economy.

I only wish that every meeting would start out with a reminder that the dollars we'll be talking about tonight isn't only money, but a percentage of other people's labor.

Nov 2, 2013, 4:03pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

Bob your points and explanations on how to deal with all the pressing issues that face the county show how informed you are on these issues.Your point on debt and fund balances is eye opening...Why should we be spending $600,000 on interest payments when we have these fund balances, and at the same time the county manager is telling the legislators that they need to vote to over ride the property tax cap......Voters in Bob's district in the city would be well severed to elect Bob..Unless you change those that sit in those county legislator seats you will continue on this road of higher taxes and bigger government.....

Nov 2, 2013, 4:19pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

And why are we leasing buildings, when there are a number of empty buildings around Batavia which could be purchased cheaply?

Nov 2, 2013, 4:22pm Permalink
Brian Graz

As with any elected office, the Genesee County Legislature candidates should not be elected primarily based on Party affiliation. Unfortunately my experience as a Genesee County voter all my life, this seems to be too often the status quo. Once in a while a truly good, smart, common sense candidate shows up, and I feel that Bob Brown is just such a candidate. I have followed his campaign, and have had the opportunity to discuss issues with him personally, and I've always liked what I hear. I am disappointed that I won't be able to vote for him because I live in a different district. But I urge all voters in District 8 to take a close look at Bob Brown's positions and seriously consider giving him your vote on election day, Nov 5. IMO, He is the best candidate.

Nov 3, 2013, 4:26pm Permalink

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