With the arrival of the New Year, and all the sense of possibility it evokes, I wanted to let you know that for the past several weeks we’ve been giving considerable thought to how best to continue to advance our citizens’ movement.
Since our historic achievements last November - downsizing the Erie County Legislature and the Town of Amherst - I have furthered my research on local government structure, spoken with reform experts throughout the nation, and tracked Western New York’s continued decrease in people and jobs, and increase in taxes.
I spent many weeks re-thinking village reform, the law that governs citizens’ efforts to reduce overlapping governments, and the many lessons learned from our experience last year. I’ve continued my research on the cost, functions, and duties of Erie County government. And I’ve educated myself on the history, composition, and cost of the New York State legislature.
All in an effort to craft new ideas with which to greet the challenges of the New Year.
As we continue working to reduce the number of politicians and increase citizens’ voice, please know that we shall always be driven by our overarching goal: to create a government that serves its people, not itself, so together we can build a successful and sustainable Western New York.
January 3, 2011 at 8:10 am |
Happy New Year backatcha!
Thank you for your energy and help in letting the voice of the little guy be heard!
Pierre Wallinder
January 3, 2011 at 10:22 am |
Kevin – we both wish you all the best in 2011 – good health and good luck.
Jane & Larry
January 3, 2011 at 12:04 pm |
Hi Kevin, Best wishes from the Becker family for the new year! Call me when you have a moment, hopefully we can find time to have breakfast, lunch or dinner together, and discuss the events of the recent past and what we can collectively do to influence furure events, particularly in the Villages.
With deep respect,
Paul
January 3, 2011 at 9:39 pm |
Kevin,
Happy New Year.
Another year wiser.
Another year stronger.
Another year to lead.
Another year to be heard.
Another year to be the best.
And another year you can do it all.
February 1, 2011 at 8:50 pm |
“other words, our local board meetings have evolved into lectures when they should be conversations.
By reducing the number of politicians, we will return public meetings to their original intended purpose: private citizens and public servants working together to solve problems. ”
APPLES AND ORANGES HERE, or SMOKE AND MIRRORS, KEVIN!
I understand you! You make money by just stirring people up and using a LOT of mumbo-jumbo stupidity. There are a lot of people out there that hear one thing and one thing only! CHA-CHING! You effectively I might add, pander to the cha-ching.
Ive been in many town meetings where the public has to jump thru hoops to ask things or say things – this has NOTHING to do w/ how many people are elected or work for local gov’t. It has EVERYTHING to do w/ people NOT being involved. Not checking rules, not changing things they dont like. Being lectured to is what cha-ching is all about, (IE: we pay you to represent us, why do we have to get involved!)
DOWNSIZING WILL NOT NOT NOT GIVE ME A STRONGER/BETTER VOICE IN MY LOCAL AREA!!!!!!!!!! IT WILL TAKE AWAY WHAT SMALL VOICE I HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As it will for anyone else anywhere. Smaller groups of local people are better, not larger groups of people with diverse issues and LESS representation!
OK, right now its snowing like a B and I personally know 3 plow drivers and if Im worried I can call their homes asd ask how its going thru their wives – merge me w/ another area and that goes away for me. I know the people on the board, in our gov’t. They are neighbors, not strangers. If there are issues I need addressed, its on ME to put that before those we elect to have them dealt with.
Does it cost me, YES! I PAY FOR IT! I would rather pay for my little few square miles of locality than be on the hind end of a bigger one and pay just about the same. We in a community CAN, if we want, decide we dont need something, discuss it and vote on it.
You pander to the greed in people, to the fear they have of losing even 1 penny. To have been educated as well as you were is a shame. You look out first and foremost for Kevin. Well, Kev, I look out for me! I don’t need your help, and I think if all the lazy people out there who pay for others (you are an “other”)to think for them woke up they’d realize what a money shill you are. It is everyone’s responsibility in represenative gov’t to actually take part in it, not just say “do what ya gatta do to save me money”, and walk away.
I just wanted to get this off my chest because I feel violated by you and your cha-chinging, elitist ilk