Downsizing of Hamburg Town Board overwhelmingly approved by voters
By FELICE E. KRYCIA and DANIEL MEYER
Town of Hamburg residents voted overwhelmingly Tuesday (Nov. 17) to reduce the size of the Hamburg Town Board from five members to three.
With all 56 voting districts reporting results late Tuesday, the unofficial numbers found 4,424 voters in favor of the downsizing measure and 2,876 voters against.
By passing the special referendum, voters approved that the town council seat held by Kevin Smardz and the seat to be filled by Jonathan Gorman in January will be eliminated in 2012.
The Hamburg vote follows successful downsizing referendums in the towns of Evans, Orchard Park, West Seneca and Alden.
The decision to eliminate two councilmen from the board means that Hamburg is the fifth and largest town this year to move ahead on reducing the number of board members from five to three.
Downsizing advocate Kevin Gaughan and his dedicated group of volunteers celebrated Tuesday night at Romanello’s South Restaurant in Hamburg, basking in the glow of what they say is a historic vote.
“This is a great day for the citizens of Hamburg and one that will help with our ongoing effort to reduce the size and cost of local government in Erie County,” said Gaughan.
Gaughan filed the petitions requiring the referendum in time to have the vote on Election Day, but town officials said that since the petitions asked for a “special election” it could not be held Nov. 3.
Hamburg Town Supervisor Steven Walters, an opponent of the downsizing measure, was disappointed with the results, saying ongoing efforts by his administration to consolidate and streamline the way town business is conducted on a day-to-day basis.
“We have been doing our part to reduce our spending,” said Walters. “We have less departments than three years ago and our taxes have been reduced over the past three years. I have real concerns about this downsizing. There are some serious downsides to this. We will go forward and continue to serve the people of this town as we always have.”
The voting results are considered unofficial and include all absentee ballots but not any affidavits that were cast on Tuesday.
About 19 percent of the registered voters participated in the election.
The cost of the special election is expected to be somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000.
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