Town of Kent Public Hearing of 23 March re a Proposal to Change the Term of Office of the Supervisor from Two to Four Years (cont.)
Submitted by joyce.mitchell1 on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 5:24pm
Maureen Fleming, a resident and attorney, argued that if the Supervisor is held to a two-year term, so should the rest of the Board, who now serve for four years, but on a rotating schedule. Many informal comments by persons in the audience disagreed with Ms. Fleming, pointing out that the Supervisor is also the Financial Officer and holds much more power that that of a single vote.
George Baum, a resident and Chair of the Conservation Advisory Committee, said that he would have preferred to hear the Supervisor and/or the Board, give compelling reasons for this change, but none had been advanced in writing or at a meeting or workshop. Councilwoman Osborne, in response, took reponsibility for the introduction of this initiative, citing that there was so much work to do as Supervisor that four years is required to implement new programs. Other comments indicate wonder at such an assertion...especially for a Supervisor who has now spent nine(9) years on the Board. Most elected Supervisors in Kent have served formerly on the Board or in other government positions.
As mentioned in the earlier posting, a compelling Statement was made by Bill Noel, from which we now quote, as well as his statement concerning his relationship to Kent Fiscal Watch." I have not yet decided where I stand on active or public involvement with KFW as per our conversation this evening, but continue to wish you well in your endeavors."
"I rise tonight to formally express my absolute opposition to the proposed local law #1 of 2009 to extend the supervisor's term of office from two to four years and to provide some of the reasons that I am so opposed....As you are aware the current election cycle for the town board calls for the election of a two year supervisor and the election (of)...two town board members every two years for a four year term. The effect of these staggered four year terms and the Supervisor's two year term is that the majority of seats on the town board are before the voters every two years. ...the voters have the power to change town policy on any matter every two years by choosing candidates who share their views. The greatest impact that changing the Supervisor's term of office will have is to deny the voters the absolute power to control the course of the town at every town election. There is, simply put, no potential benefit which could be argued to come about from a four year term for the supervisor which justifies diminishing the rights and powers of the voters"
He went on to make the point that the majority of all levels of US legislative governments are before the voters every two years and that the current proposal,if enacted, would make the Town Board less accountable to the people than any other form of government that we have. He made clear that if one did not know what the job of Supervisor entails, they should not run for the office. "The potential," he stated, "for a smoother 3rd or 4th year for the right supervisor is not worth the risk of having the wrong person in office for twice as long as need be."
"...it is very easy for public officials to come to believe that what is in their best interest is in the public's best interest...I have been told by a few memers of the Board that it is 'up to the voters' or that they are supporting the supervisor's request because they are merely voting to 'let the voters decide.' ...that argument is...shirking your responsibility or...not understanding what your responsibility is....Voting in favor of this law is stating ...that you believe as a matter of public policy that the term of the Supervisor needs to be four years... The question before you is not should Kathy get a four year term, but should the balance of power of this and all future town boards be altered....The referendum is an appeal from your decision, not an excuse to pretend that you are not making one....In conclusion the proposed local law is not supported by any public policy rationale,...and can only be viewed positively in a limited and inappropriate political light.. I encourage and expect you to vote against it, to do otherwise will dishonor your oath of office."
Referendum
I am sorry I missed the hearing on extending the Supervisor's Term from 2 to 4 years. I also read a previous comment that said that attendance although better then usual was still low.
I now receive messages on Town Matter through eMail; is it possible for the Kent Fiscal Watch to obtain the email addresses of residents so that this organization can inform the local community, first of the organization's existence, and second of the issues and challenges facing the town.
Email is an inexpensive means of transmitting information to the general public and as recent trends have demonstrated most citizens do not read a newspaper.
I am sure there is a lot of information that the citizens of Kent need to be apprised of including the ongoing debate about changing term limits. I would also like to inform the citizens of Kent that we pay a Town Rate twice that of the town of Carmel; both are approximately $5.00 per $$1000.00, however Carmel is assessed at 50% of Fair Market Value.
Jim Kirk
Off Topic Information
FYI
The attached link provides information on the salaries of State Employees. It also provides links to current Union Contracts, included on this site is the current Carmel School District contract which expires in 2011.
I have included this link because a few associations have renegotiated certain provisions of their existing contracts, unfortunately the Associations that have been willing to change their contract have been mostly limited to Administrator Associations; two examples are Katonah/Lewisboro and the Arlington School District.
To my knowledge the Carmel Teacher's Association or the Administrator's have changed any of the provisions of their existing agreements.
Jim Kirk
http://www.seethroughny.net/
Thank you
Jim,