By Dan Lenard
Buffalo, NY – Last Thursday, the Erie County Legislature failed to override County Executive Giambra's veto of Local Law 1-1 (2006) which would have required all contractors doing business with Erie County to have a New York State Department of Labor-approved worker-training program in place. The only beneficiaries of this legislation would have been big construction companies and big Labor. DOL-approved worker training programs cost about $25,000 per participant, paid for by employers. This is costly for small businesses - both union and non-union. It would have meant better educated contractors- many of whom have worked on public projects for many years - would be ineligible once this law went into effect, as well as many other trades, including roofing, glazing and others that have no DOL-approved programs in Erie County on record, union or open shop. Under the language of the law, it would be impossible for Erie County to have all types of work done with local labor.
Proponents of this legislation said it would have promoted competitive bidding, reducing costs. The fact is, this law would have immediately eliminated nearly 70% of the business community from bidding on Erie County projects. So much for competition. Not only would have this costs jobs in our area, but according to studies from 2000, it would increase the cost of County projects by over 3%. For example, The City of Schenectady, was forced to pay an additional $69,000 for a water project due to the elimination of competition through a similar apprenticeship requirement.
Fortunately, just like with last years Tax Revolt, the people of Erie County stood up to be counted, inundating their legislators with angry calls and E-mails. Caught with their pants down, trying to sneak by an ill-conceived, questionably legal and big union conspired law, the Democratic sponsors of the bill put their collective tails between their legs and ran for cover. Let's look outside the box to see why this legislative malfeasance is happening again.
Last November, Erie County voters, incensed at the Republican Joel Giambra's in-your-face nepotism and patronage, voted in a Democratic super majority in the Legislature in hopes of reforming the hopelessly dysfunctional body. The Erie County Democratic party machine painted Giambra as the reason for the budget mess and that these reformers would set the County and Giambra straight. The true cause of the Counties budget problems, as I have said many times here, is the spiraling, cost of State mandated programs such as Medicaid. Instead of being the reformers, we were promised; this new batch of representatives is proving to be a throwback to the days when the Domed Stadium in Lancaster was nixed by crooked legislators. It's back to "business as usual," only worse. These first time legislators either were completely na ve, deliberately turned a blind eye or were complicit to this giveaway, hoping no one would notice.
Ironically, if County Executive Giambra had not been looking out for us, as well as other private sector leaders who were paying attention, this law would have gone into effect, under the radar, without public hearings. Having a chance to actually look at the law, ones sees it was full of special interests and was worse than similar laws enacted in other counties, only to be struck down by the State Supreme Court as being unconstitutional. The Democratic sponsors of Local Law 1-1 2006 have some major explaining to do.
For one shining moment, the taxpayers of Erie County got off their butts and sent a clear signal to the political hacks on Delaware Ave. No more business as usual! Do lawmaking openly or be prepared to face the public's rage or even worse, civil disobedience! Despite this lame attempt to put one over on us, we may have actually turned the corner in our efforts to make our local government accountable and cost effective.
"Looking Outside the Box" with veteran broadcaster and professional narrator Dan Lenard is a monthly feature of WBFO News.
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