The Amherst Town Board is considering downsizing from seven members to five members and many residents are opposed to the idea. Last Monday night Bob Collins addressed the Board on behalf of his wife and himself. Here is the text of his message.
Concerning the proposal to limit Town Board to 5 members:
I feel that the Town Board should remain at the present legal seven members.
Our Council members have anywhere from four to seven Boards and Committees where they have been appointed as Liaisons. This is quite a burden now with six members and would be even worse with five. Council members are part-time, and have their own business and professions that understandably occupy their time. The obligation to the Town citizens also involves many other duties that require preparation prior to the Town Board decision. Our Town Board members are elected to term limits, come from all walks of life, and are not the professional politicians that seem to hang on in Buffalo and Erie County.
My opinion is that a professional pollster has the ability to formulate the question sent at random in such a way that it will influence the vote to favor the desire of the financial backer. I have more faith in the unpaid Bee opinion poll answered by subscribers that are interested in Town government, and knowledgeable of the many duties of the Council members.
The committees and Boards are volunteers who are willing to devote their time to make the government more effective. Their best route to the Town Board is when the Liaison will present a resolution based on their collective research and opinions, as voted by the majority.
Bob Collins, Snyder NY