August 1, 2011
There exists a strange feel to County
Executive Chris Collins and his unique management style. He employs a mixture of arrogance and despotism, a resolve that lacks the ability to compromise or even negotiate, and an insistence on the sacredness of his and only his view. To be sure, he routinely promises great things—more jobs and lower taxes, but these promises never quite materialize. In fact, Collins has once again vigorously sought the New York State Legislature’s authorization to continue our “temporary” 1 percent sales tax surcharge, a tax that we have all been paying since 1985.
A clear example of this style is his recent attack on Mark Poloncarz’s campaign efforts. Specifically, Collins’ campaign manager has stated that by accepting campaign monies from a service union, Poloncarz “cares more about special interests than the taxpayers of Erie County.” By this logic, all campaign funding is suspect. And given the fact that Collins has collected 10 times the campaign contributions of Poloncarz, are we not urged to conclude that Collins is 10 times more likely to care more about his special interests groups than the county taxpayers?
This type of dishonest rhetoric is nothing new for those who have observed Collins in action these past four years. We should expect more of the same hypocrisy during his campaign.
So, while most of us are busy with our personal lives, our local political situation requires us to act in order to end the suffering this political bully has inflicted on our region. Four more years of tax breaks for his business pals, high salaries for his handpicked administrators, a contemptuous attitude toward middle-class workers, costly legal litigations and cuts to cultural institutions are too much to ask from us ordinary folks.
Alphonse Kolodziejczak
Williamsville