Hudson often suffers from county government's bad ideas, the latest being the acquisition of 11 Warren Street for use as county offices. Is it possible that having the county governed by a full-time leader, elected by the voters in the county, could benefit Hudson? The case for replacing Matt Murrell, the current chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, with a full-time county executive is made in this press release from the Columbia County Democratic Committee.
Columbia County Deserves a Full-Time, Elected Leader
Columbia County is governed solely by the Board of Supervisors (BOS), a part-time legislative body comprised of Town Supervisors. Supervisors typically split their time between day jobs, managing their towns, and serving on the BOS.
Only four counties out of 62 in New York State are still governed by a BOS, with Columbia County being the largest of the four. Every other county in NYS has either a full-time, elected County Executive or a County Manager/Administrator, putting us at a distinct disadvantage.
Our county has a budget of nearly $200 million, supervised part-time by Stockport's Town Supervisor, Chairman Matt Murrell. The Chairman's role is "part-time," meaning no individual works full-time to manage or oversee county governance. The Chairman was not selected by voters; rather, he was installed by politicians, bypassing direct public accountability. Mr. Murrell received less than 500 votes in his last election. There are over 61,570 residents in our county. Why should he get to make decisions for 99.2% of residents who never voted for him? Part-time leadership means we're getting part-time results.
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| Matt Murrell |
On March 1, a petition to establish a full-time, elected County Executive began circulating. In just over two weeks, hundreds of voters across the political spectrum have already signed because Columbia County deserves better. Organizers for this effort intend to gather 5,000 signatures to place the referendum on the ballot. Following the submission of signatures, there will be town halls and information sessions before a vote on the referendum this November.
"This effort is borne out of hundreds of residents throughout our county who are frustrated with our current ineffective model of government. Matt Murrell is lashing out at Democrats and bragging about raising our taxes and fees when he should be laser-focused on keeping costs down and making sure government works for everyone," said Sam Hodge.
Our current form of government lacks vision and a comprehensive plan for the future. Sales tax revenues are declining, yet no strategy has been proposed to address the shortfall. Taxes continue to rise amid an affordability crisis gripping the county, with no solution being offered.
Our population is shrinking, but there's no initiative to attract new residents. Schools face declining enrollment as families are priced out of the area, yet no action is being taken. Our community college is laying off workers, and our hospital is struggling--cutting services and staff--while leadership offers no plan to turn things around.
"We need a full-time advocate to work with our Federal and State partners. A full-time, elected leader will be accountable for getting Columbia's fair share in State and Federal funding to improve our programs and infrastructure. There's money out there that we could be applying for but aren't," said Mike Dvorchak, Hillsdale Town Supervisor. "With the possibility of Medicaid cuts and a recession around the corner, now more than ever, it's important to have someone full-time, accountable to voters at the helm."
Fifty-eight out of 62 counties have adopted a different form of government due to the shortcomings and inefficiencies of the Board of Supervisors model. Given the chaos in Washington, D.C., we need a full-time professional, not a part-time amateur. It's time to move Columbia County forward. We deserve better.
The Board of Supervisors (BOS) will continue to serve as the county's legislative body and partner to the County Executive in governing Columbia County. Its responsibilities include, in part, approving the proposed budget, enacting local laws, and confirming nominees for county positions. If the County Executive vetoes an action by the BOS, it can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the BOS. This is typical for all other upstate counties in NYS.
To learn more about the initiative, to sign the petition, or to volunteer to help in the effort, send an email to columbiacountyforward@gmail.com or visit columbiacountyforward.com.
🤔 🫏 So the Democrats are in favor of a "professional manager" (County Executive) for the County, but NOT in favor of a "professional manager" (City Manager) for the City of Hudson?
ReplyDelete(❓ Or are Democrat Party leaders, in fact, in favor of the City Manager in Hudson? Verity and Sam Hodge… please let voters know.)
🧐 And when Democrats pick their national leaders it is mostly power brokers behind the scenes who make the call, not the popular vote in Democratic primaries?
(See Bernie vs. Clinton '16, Bernie vs. Biden '20, and Biden vs. Harris '24).
Got it.
So are Democrats pro direct democracy, representative democracy, or single popular partisan leaders deciding what happens for all residents (Tammany Hall style)?
Or does it vary by City, County, and Country level based on where they have the majority?
Not an expert… but aren't the majority of NY State counties run by their elected legislative body appointed executives/managers/administrators?
Or is your point Sam that this is exactly why NY is not the least corrupt state? And you want to fight corruption?
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🤣 Also kinda funny that Matt Murrell's quotes in the Registrar Star sound a lot like Tom DePietro's on the same topic. Did not have that on my bingo card for 2025 but it is early.
p.s. Obviously the key difference here is at the County level they want the role to be directly elected by all county residents (slim majority Dem)... and at the City of Hudson level (almost entirely Dem) the City Manager would be appointed by the elected Council.
@Sam Hodge… it would be very helpful if you can share examples of individuals, at a County level with a population around 50k, who are both really good politicians and also really good executives and managers. My concern is that when you run a typical competent managerial leader through a political purity test you might end up with… a politician you like but not necessarily a competent apolitical manager. Evidence: City of Hudson dysfunction, Mayor Kamal and all his scandals, and CC President Tom assaulting people and breaking municipal laws.
Of course these unicorn leaders exist... but I'd bet there are fewer of them compared to people who are either great politicians, OR great "get it done" executives. And those unicorns might be incentivized to run successful large companies or serve in larger and more important government roles.
No offense... but I don't see a lot of Pete Buttigieg's around Hudson or the County... and when I see them around... it is for weekend trips.
I have only read a little bit of Columbia County history but it seems almost every other election there was some pay to play issue in county wide elections.
Whether Colombia or Columbia County… if an individual runs for office, and then after winning can spend a lot of tax payer money… and make a lot of hiring decisions…. it could create classic career politician moral hazards and rent-seeking incentives.
Which is why, I presume, the City of Hudson City Manager, under the current proposal, would be appointed and could be fired by the democratically elected council.
5,000 is a lot of signatures.
ReplyDeleteBut a lot of people want change so we’ll see. Interesting times.