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On January 1,
2010 Elma became a
ONE-PARTY Town.
A single political party now
dominates Elma town government. Other than a single town justice
post, it controls all the elective government offices and 98% of the appointed
positions--paying positions. This effectively makes Elma a
Republican party machine. One party now sets the agenda,
passes the ordinances and executes all the laws and regulations relative
to every facet of residents' lives, from levying taxes to land
development to home assessment to building permits to filling potholes.
Elma town government now speaks with one voice. If you
disagree with that voice, there is nothing you can do, no place for you
to go. With no oversight, you must put your blind faith in a
closed group of like-minded officials and bureaucrats. Oversight
in the recent past uncovered an illegal transfer of thousands of dollars
of town money to a private club.
It's
all about checks and balances.
Elma is a pretty good place to live. Sure, there are things
that annoy us but overall, our experience has been that town government
seemed to get its job done
without being intrusive. It's the overwhelming desire of
residents that government maintain the special rural character
of our town, while delivering quality services. To this end,
progressive actions have been taking place for several years that led to reorganizing the zoning codes for commercial properties and a
plan to do the same with residential codes. It is no accident that
Elma residents got this type of responsible government. The
Elma Town Council was bipartisan for the vast majority of its over
150 years of existence. The varied points of view that
bipartisanship brought to the table and the scrutiny afforded by a loyal
opposition delivered the checks and balances essential for good
government.
What can you do now?
Participate in all town and board meetings, speak out when you disagree,
be the eyes--and--ears of the people. You, as citizens, are now the
only check against back-room politics. Officials, even
with the best of intentions, follow the expedient at the expense of the
equitable. The two-party system mandates that people
with different points of view face each other as equals, not only
at the good graces of the other. Support the candidacy and
election of highly-qualified Democrats to town government and their
inclusion in other official town matters.
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Elma Democratic Candidate's
Pledge:
To be honest, fiscally responsible, independent and far-sighted.
And, most importantly, to be responsive to our constituents. |
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Countdown to the
re-establishment of two-party government in Elma: |
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Election Day, 2011 |
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Get Involved!
We need your
help in this important campaign to bring back checks and balances to
our town government. If you are willing to volunteer your
services, make a monetary donation or share your views, please click
the elm tree below: |
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