May 19, 2004

 

 

Freeze On Pork Will Hurt US Community
 

US community groups will be seriously hurt if County Executive Joel A. Giambra goes through with his threat to freeze County Legislature spending for them, said Erie County Legislature Chairman George A. Holt Jr.

 

"The bottom line is this," said Holt, D-Buffalo. "The county executive is not hurting himself or any of our members. What he is hurting is children, senior and family services in this community, for which each legislator allocates resources."

 

Late Friday, Giambra said he intended to freeze the nearly $2.3 million in unspent "pork barrel" money that legislators are entitled to spend to support nonprofit groups within their own districts.

 

"If they're real serious about saving money," Giambra said of the legislators, "they should go on a pork-free diet."

 

As a result of budget negotiations between Giambra and the Legislature last fall, each of the 15 county legislators received $180,000 this year to spend on their own district's pet projects - the highest amount of pork barrel money ever distributed to individual legislators.

 

But Giambra threatened to freeze that money after the Legislature passed a resolution Thursday that demands the county executive's office cut costs and provide the governing body with detailed information on a variety of budget matters.

 

Republican Legislator Charles M. Swanick, R-Kenmore, tried to amend the cost-cutting recommendations outlined in the Democratic resolution to include "a freeze on all Legislature spending," but the Democrats voted against it.

 

"It's a lack of leadership in the County Legislature if (Democrats) think this spending should continue when the rest of the county is shutting down," Swanick said.

 

Some Democratic legislators accused Swanick of being hypocritical.

 

Several observers said Giambra agreed last fall to increase their pork barrel money if they agreed not to introduce any amendments to his 2004 budget proposal. As the chairman of the Legislature at that time, they said, Swanick negotiated the $180,000 figure.

 

Holt said he is optimistic that once tempers calm, the Legislature and the county executive will resolve their differences of opinion.

 

"I feel confident and comfortable that we just need to work through this," he said.

 

Democratic Majority Leader Lynn Marinelli also said all cost-saving ideas remain on the table and will be discussed over the next five months.