Onondaga County Budget Forum

There was a lot more interest at the annual budget forum than last year, which apparently drew nine speakers. You can read about it here.

Highlights:
Joanie Mahoney did not have the decency to show up at the meeting. She thought it was more important to go to the museum than to listen to her constituents. She sent some lackeys in her place, including the deputy county exec, and the chief fiscal officer. Workers meanwhile commented that while she wanted to cut our pay she could pay thousands to redecorate her office with Stickley furniture.

Bernie Kraft's widow showed up to basically say to the legislators, hey, my late husband would be ashamed of you and this budget proposal. “This is unfair, and you and I both know it is unfair,I can say without hesitation that my husband would never have backed such a proposal.”

There were many good arguments against the furloughs and budget cuts, some particularly good ones coming from the probation department in regard to monitoring sex offenders. Some good ones were also made from social service employees in reference to child and adult protective issues.

Lots of people advocating for the Human rights Commission and the Student Assistance Program, the former being proposed to be dissolved and the other proposed to be cut down. SAP folks commented that most of the funds are paid by the schools, not the county, and therefore the county gets 8 full time positions for the $80000 a year it wants to chop out. Seems like school counseling for troubled kids is a great return on an investment that small.

That's my summation. I expect soon to start posting my endorsements for County Leg, County Court Judge, and Syracuse Mayor.