In support of the charter

To the editor:

I urge all voters in Montgomery County to support the upcoming ballot on a new County Charter. As a member of the Charter Commission, I participated in the development of a plan that set the overall view of local government while working through the associated details. I have listened to concerns of the public and the Supervisors and offer a few brief points.  

Our county budget is approaching $100m/year — I view that as a major business providing services to, and employment of, the citizens of the county. A business of that size warrants one full-time person to oversee the operations, just as a large business has a Chief Executive Officer. The proposed County Executive would serve that function.  

Some have challenged the choice of an elected Executive, but history of attempts to use an appointed County Administrator in Montgomery have failed and the Board of Supervisors directed that this charter be based on an elected person. Just as many public elected officials (including the President of the United States on down the chain to the County Legislators) few specific qualifications are mandated — it is a system with a proven track record of centuries.  

The majority of current Department Heads support such a position to provide them with a single manager rather than having to address concerns of multiple supervisors.  

The County Executive reports to a “Board of Directors” via the proposed County Legislators — a smaller group which will focus on overall policy and direction of the future of the County. This allows the County Executive to focus on the day-to-day operations.

As to the cost ramifications of this change to county government, I believe focusing only on the direct salaries of the proposed system versus the existing is very misleading, and more directly, it is miniscule in comparison to the total annual budget. A more efficient form of management can lead to many opportunities for savings. A study conducted by Columbia County during its adoption of a County Charter identified means of saving millions of dollars over a term of the County Executive (or in another comparison — 6 to 25 times the salary of the Executive) by more efficient handling of County projects.

Finally, I served as Deputy Commissioner of Public Works in another rural up-state New York County for over eight years. Similar in many ways to Montgomery County, it too was managed by a large Board of Supervisors. I have participated in the operation of local government under that system first hand. I see so many advantages of a County Executive via this proposed County Charter that it would fill this paper.

Please explore this important topic before voting, but do vote.

Phil Pierce, Amsterdam