http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16677228&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6
05/23/2006
By Patricia Doxsey , Freeman staff
POUGHKEEPSIE - Republican Dutchess County legislators remained unconvinced Monday of the need to pour more than $750,000 into the Board of Elections to comply with state and federal regulations that require counties to assume responsibility for running elections.
Legislators met for more nearly 90 minutes with elections commissioners during a Committee of the Whole meeting, discussing their request for an additional $778,000.
Republicans peppered the two commissioners with questions about the plan, and then, behind closed doors, developed a list of more questions.
Democrats, meanwhile, said they are ready to vote in favor of the request.
At a Democratic caucus, Minority Leader Roger Higgins accused the majority Republicans of having "their head in the sand," and delaying action on the proposal "because they don't want to (act)."
"We have to act," said Higgins, D-Poughkeepsie/Wappinger. "They don't want to, but we have to."
The Dutchess County Board of Elections, like others across the state, must take on the responsibility - heretofore the province of individual municipalities - of overseeing all elections in the county, from hiring the elections inspectors and ensuring that there are enough chairs for them to sit at polling places to maintaining and storing voting machines.
Several counties throughout the region have already taken steps to centralize the elections operation.
Republican Elections Commissioner David Gamache and Democratic Commissioner Fran Knapp first submitted a centralization plan for consideration in developing the 2006 budget, but County Executive William Steinhaus rejected the request and the Legislature declined to reconsider it.
In March, the commissioners submitted a comprehensive plan that was shelved by the Republicans, who in May pulled Democratic resolutions that would have allocated funding to implement the plan.
Now, the commissioners have submitted another plan that calls for funding for new equipment and dozens of new employees. The plan calls for four new full-time positions and hiring 54 people, including 50 election inspector coordinators, to handle Election Day duties.
They've also proposed paying inspectors in the county $215 for the general election and $150 for a primary election.
State law requires inspectors from each party be present at each election district in the county. Gamache said there are 257 election districts in Dutchess County.
Most troubling to Republicans was the request for the 50 election inspector coordinators, who would each be paid $1,000 a year.
Gamache said the coordinators would take on the responsibilities now handled by town clerks throughout the county, who coordinate elections within their municipalities.
"I'm not happy with this $1,000 for 50 coordinators," said Legislator Robert Sears, R-LaGrange. "I think that's a little out of line."
Republican lawmakers also asked commissioners to develop job descriptions for each of the new positions and provide detail about how those positions compare with existing county positions, in duties and salaries.
Dutchess County legislators expect to act on the commissioners' request in June.
İDaily Freeman 2006