Newsletter from TaxReformNiagara.com
It is Time for Change in the County Legislature!
It is time to "Vote Out" the Scandalous Majority Caucus!
It is Time to Vote for New County Legislators !
It is Time to end the vindictive and scandalous control by a small group who have political control over the majority caucus of the NiagaraCounty legislature. By all Accounts and simple observation of the votes of the County Legislature's majority caucus of 8 Republicans, one Conservative and 5 Democrats, the Taxpayers have seen these Legislators bend to the will of a few Republican party bosses in Niagara County.
This politically controlled caucus has played games with the biggest and most costly politically scandal to ever hit Niagara County politics; A $95 million dollar tax giveaway to AES Somerset's Coal Plant with no new jobs and no new construction. A scandal that will cause 12 years of unnecessary County tax increases to every senior citizen, every working family and every small business owner in every town in NiagaraCounty.
The Niagara County IDA could have been fired by the Legislature and replaced but the politically controlled majority refused and instead decided to hide behind a time delaying lawsuit that will cost the county thousands of dollarsin outside legal fees.The lawsuit landed into court of a politically connected judge who is closely tied to this same small group and was just recently seen at a local wedding in a close huddle with the party boss and a high ranking AES executive. The judge appears to have close ties with the engineers of this scandal. The right thing for the judge to do would have been for him to recuse himself for the case. Instead it appears the judge is waiting on his decision as long as possible in the case so that the School tax bill will go out first and AES will at least save $1 million dollars in taxes. If he delays his decision long enough, AES will save another $1 million dollars in CountyTaxes that all of NiagaraCounty will have to make up in their tax bills on january 1st.. The right thing for the legislature to have done was to fire the IDA, protect the taxpayers and save on thousands in attorney fees.
This kind of political control extends into many of our small towns with Republican committeemen who also vote in lock step with the County party bosses. Whether Republican or Democrat, it is time to make sure that all candidates are first loyal to the local voters and independent of party boss control. Party chairmen are there to assist and serve the needs of candidates and elected officials; they are not there to dictate and control the votes of our elected officials to the detriment of the taxpayers.
Ask yourself about your Town; Is the local political party committee controlled by true local Republicans or Democrats or is it controlled by people loyal to a State Senator or the County Republican Chairman only? Are they loyal to the chairman because they or their family member has a patronage job? Has that job ever been threatened by the political bosses?
Ask yourself who controls the Conservative and Independent Parties in Niagara County? All accounts point to the same small group weaving its tentacles into every small town in Niagara County. In Cambria, the Republican Town Supervisor gets dumped by the Republican Party chairman for endorsement because he did not toe the line. Is that what local voters in Cambria want?
This Primary on September 18 th is very important for all of Niagara County. This is where voters will truly make a choice for their candidate and not be forced to accept the Candidate propped up by a corrupt and vindictive group who engineered the AES political scandal. The label of Republican or Democrat is not as important as to finding out where their loyalties lie. That is evident in the County legislature where 5 Democrats( in name only?) were assisted by these same political bosses in getting elected. In turn they joined the Republican caucus and voted in lock step with them over the last 2 years.
This group of 14 Legislators brought you the biggest political scandal and largest loss of tax revenue, refused to fire those responsible, provided no information to the public in defense of their decision and continue to praise the work of the IDA when their combined 2006 and 2007 IDA projects have a net loss of over $90 million.
When given a chance to replace an IDA board member that moved out of state, 14 Legislators chose a man who says he would support the AES PILOT and the $95 million dollar loss to County Taxpayers. A Tax giveaway that has AES paying 1.4% of their full assessed value in taxes while Senior citizens and small business owners pay 3 to 5% of their full assessed value. Why are homeowners paying twice the rate of AES?? Is it because AES is well connected to our State Senator, the Judge, the IDA chairman and the County Republican chairman?
It is time to vote for independent minded Republicans and Democrats that will change the Niagara County Legislature and stop the kind of 19 th century party boss politics controlling 14 legislators and many other politicians in Niagara County.
Average citizens can get involved by looking for those independent minded candidates who are free from this influence. Vote in the primary on September 18 th and pick the Better Choice and the independent voice for that office that will represent you and not the party bosses.