It’s Official, I have gotten double the signatures to get Lysle Obad and I on the ballot this September 18th in the Independence Party Primary for Hamburg Town Council. We also have gotten enough signatures to have a slate of candidates for the 146th assembly District Judicial Delegate Convention.
There has been a lot of support out their helping us get the required signatures. A full team of IP members have gone door to door the last few weeks and I have a lot of thanks to hand out. First I would like to thank Boston Town Supervisor Bill Eagan and his team for their help with getting signatures in the South Towns for the Judicial Delegate race. It is greatly appreciated and I believe we can win with their help. Also Jim Klinger, Sherrie Pluta, Adam Schreckengost and the Hamburg Independence Party Town Committee need to be thanked for their help, well wishes and support during the last month while I gathered signatures on petitions. It’s very much appreciated.
Lysle and I are looking forward to a campaign bringing Independence Party issues to the forefront and we will continue to be in contact with IP members every day until the election. Thanks to all those who assisted in this effort and look for my announcement in the Hamburg Sun this coming week.
Our platform is as follows:
We have strong opinions about the direction our town has taken and where we need to work to bring our town back to “The Town that Friendship Built”. With your vote in this election you can have a true say in that direction. These are some of our positions.
1.) Over the last 20 years I can’t remember a single year that there was no tax increase. I believe that even though our town needs to appropriately negotiate fair contracts for town employees and pay them a decent salary that we must in turn ensure we receive a fair days work for a fair days pay. Should I be elected I will lead the way for performance based incentives that will bring moral back to the residents and employees of our town.
2.) A lot of talk has been ongoing about the removal and merger of the Police/Emergency Service Dispatchers in our town with Erie County Government. Even though I believe that as a town councilman it would be my responsibility to review these kinds of matters, I also believe you should have the final say. Should I be elected, I will insist that any elimination or merger of any town department with the county shall first need to be passed in a referendum by the residents of our town. You should decide whether or not to raise taxes to keep duplicate services not just the town council alone.
3.) The previous Democratic led town board has been handing out union contracts to everyone and anyone who wants it, including top managerial employees. Many of these employees make over $90,000 per year in just the base salary. I believe that any top managerial position that earns $90,000 or more should be an elected position. I will work hard to convince other town councilmen and local State elected leaders to help pass legislation making it so.
4.) Positions within the Town Attorneys office should have a mandate that the attorneys not be registered with any political party and be free of political involvement of any kind. This is the only way our town can get fair unbiased legal advise that benefits the residents and not a political philosophy.
5.) All managerial positions in our town should be salary based. The day of top managers racking up overtime and padding their salaries needs to come to an end. I will work tirelessly to make that a reality.
6.) Our town needs to begin investing in our financial future with secure long term stock/bond purchases. I intend to introduce financial experts who can make our town money from portfolios of similar stocks used by some of the most successful municipalities in the country. These municipalities use dividends from investments to pay for projects that would have ultimately raised taxes. Hamburg needs to come into the 21st century and I will be the strongest voice in that agenda.
7.) I will insist that our town form a State and Federal grant research team that will turn over every stone and dig into every molehill to find our town grant money to help us keep tax increases at an absolute minimum. I believe there is State an Federal programs available and I know of at least one person who does this professionally. With her help we can educate our town financial team to apply for every grant that will help alleviate a growing tax burden.
8.) I will insist on every issue brought before the town council be made public at least one week in advance. This recent deluge of late resolutions that the public never knows about and is intentionally brought late for political motivations needs to stop immediately.
9.) I will ask the town council to bring a resolution calling for a referendum on the Towns Recreation Department Facilities that lose money each year. I would like to ask the residents to make these departments much more user financed to eliminate a rising tax burden and to keep them open. As I said before you should have the final say. Do you want your taxes to go up to keep them open or do you want to make those who use them pay for them? It should be up to you to decide.
10.) This is your town and if I am elected I will try to allow you to participate more in the decision making. The Hamburg Town Council should be open to every resident who lives here legally.
