Kevin Gaughan
Encyclopedia
Kevin P. Gaughan is an attorney
and an advocate of government reform, in particular for the establishment of regional government
and regional consciousness within the Buffalo-Niagara
region, which encompasses the cities of Buffalo, New York
and Niagara Falls, New York
, their suburbs and surrounding rural areas.
Gaughan became a nationally recognized advocate of regionalism largely because of a series of regionalism conferences at the Chautauqua Institution
in which he organized in 1997.
In 1998 he was named a citizen of the year by the Buffalo News. In 2001 he became the yougest recipient of the Red Jacket Medal
, awarded by the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society
for civic leadership. He studied law at Georgetown University
and international relations
at the London School of Economics
.
for the 31st Congressional District. After serving for a few years as a legislative aide in the Erie County Legislature he opened a law office in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg
.
In 2001 he sought the Republican endorsement to run for the mayoralty of Buffalo and withdrew from the race once it was given to Anthony Masiello
. He again tried to run for the office of mayor for the City of Buffalo in 2005 losing the Democratic
primary
to State Senator
and eventual mayor Byron Brown
. As a result of this failed bid for mayor Gaughan was sued by the Hyatt Hotel over a $10,000 debt. In early 2006 he launched an abortive campaign for the senate seat vacated by Brown, but dropped out at the urging of local Democratic Party leaders, who backed another candidate. In 2007 he lobbied Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan for appointment as Erie County Clerk that was going to be vacant due to the departure of David Swarts
to become Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
Press in 2003. The book is a collection of speeches and short essays by Gaughan on such subjects as regionalism, government reform, race relations, US and local history, and patriotism.
In late 2006, he released the results of a study entitled The Cost which detailed the amount paid to elected and appointed officials at various levels of government in the Buffalo-Niagara region. He compared this to other regions and found that Buffalo-Niagara had significantly more paid elected officials than other regions in both absolute and per capita
measures. Additionally, a high number of small towns replicating services- such as police, highway maintenance and parks departments lead to a higher number of civil-service government employees. Gaughan used these numbers to support his thesis that entire layers of government should be done away with in Buffalo-Niagara.
and Evans
both passed the measures by large margins. On September 23, 2009, the town of Orchard Park passed a measure cutting its Town Board by two members by nearly a two-to-one margin.
On September 29, 2009, the town of Alden
voted 1,052 to 1,020 in favor of reducing the size of its town council. While Gaughan is the most visible proponent of downsizing in Western New York, there have been various groups in each of the towns which have aligned themselves with or distanced themselves from Gaughan to various degrees. In 2010, Gaughan campaigned to dissolve the villages of Sloan
and Williamsville
. The villages held dissolution referenda on August 17, 2010, and both failed overwhelmingly with "no" votes exceeding 80%.
On September 23, 2010, Grand Island, New York
became the first town to successfully resist the Gaughan downsizing and consolidation plan by voting down the referendum 2,155 NO votes to 1,805 YES votes. The decision was made by a 350 vote margin; and interestingly the turnout, for what was a special election, superseded the primary election some 2 weeks earlier by roughly 500 votes. Grand Island Republican Party Committeeman Mark William Webb, took a visible stand against what they felt was an intrusion into their government from external forces. Webb argued, "It's much harder to corrupt four men in a room than two", adding, "[W]e're a very strong community. We're a proud community. We love this town."
The village of Farnham, New York
had a dissolution vote September 28, 2010. Farnham Mayor Terry L. Caber Sr. said he believes that village government is most efficient. "The bottom line is, I just want to make sure the residents really understand the full picture, the full impact, and let them make the decision". Voters rejected the Farnham dissolution referendum.
BUFFALO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
“THE BMG”
1. The New Government's Structure
Executive Branch
Executive / Mayor: Elected county-wide; the chief executive officer and chief fiscal officer, in accordance with existing municipal corporation law.
Urban Advocate: Elected county-wide; powers are a hybrid of New York City consumer advocate and United States vice president; serves as president of the legislature with tie-breaking vote authority. Oversees the BMG’s service delivery in and public policies for the urban core.
Legislative Branch
5 Inner Ring Members: each of whom represent a district that includes a portion of the City of Buffalo, along with certain election districts in “inner ring” portions of the towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, West Seneca, Hamburg, and the City of Lackawanna (equal to 50% of county population.)
5 Outer Ring Members: whose districts represent the balance of the “built-up” and rural suburbs (equal to 50% of county population.)
Urban Advocate: presides over the body; possesses voting right in the event of tie; thereby assures that all policy matters before the legislature will be viewed from an urban center perspective.
This legislature would unite in interest Buffalo with its inner ring suburbs by tying those areas that share social-economic make-up (measured by per capita income, housing stock value; number of free school lunches). In effect, this would “enlarge” the city not through annexation, but through drawing the new government’s legislative districts to reflect today’s reality. Kevin Gaughan's legislative plan conceives of a ten member body with an eleventh member to cast a tie-breaking vote.
2. IDA Consolidation
At its inception, the suburbs do not participate in the new government. As a result, and to build confidence among city residents that the suburbs will sacrifice as well, there must be suburban sacrifice of individual benefit for a collective good. The birth of the newly merged city-county government should coincide with culmination of the lengthy debate to consolidate our several IDA’s into one.
3. Coordinate Governance and Education Reforms
The Erie County Association of School Boards (ECASB) is currently conducting a study to determine whether to reduce the number of school districts from thirty. Their decision will affect how students are educated throughout the county, including in the Buffalo School District. Reform efforts should not be conducted in separate vacuums, but rather be viewed as all of a piece, intended to strengthen the urban core and create a successful regional economy. To accomplish this, the city-county merger commission should collaborate with the ECASB to begin long-range plans for creating a viable urban school district.
4. Land Use and Regional Planning
Creation of the new government should also coincide with re-establishment of a Buffalo-Niagara planning council to organize regional growth in sustainable manner, re-direct investment into Buffalo, protect our area’s rural settings, and create consensus on those centers where we wish to concentrate commercial investment.
5. Public Transportation
The new government will open the door for public transportation reforms to re-connect inner city workers with growing employment opportunities in suburban locales.
6. Training for Displaced Government Employees
The purpose of consolidating local governments is not to put people out of work, but rather to help create an investment climate to attract more private employers. In the short term, however, combining two large governments may result in a need for less personnel. Just as our community did for displaced private steel industry workers in the late 1970s, we should be willing to create a support structure for public employees affected by reform. I envision a training and development center funded by a business / philanthropic community joint venture. Perhaps Erie Community College, which participated in steelworkers placement, can contribute to this effort as well.
7. Region-wide Competition to Name New Government
Buffalo County, Greater Buffalo, the BMG, Regional City of Buffalo –I think we can do better. Let’s tap into our abundant creative capital by conducting a contest to name the new government. It will symbolize the inclusive nature of the new entity, capture the imagination of young Western New Yorkers, and add excitement to the enterprise."
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and an advocate of government reform, in particular for the establishment of regional government
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
and regional consciousness within the Buffalo-Niagara
Holland Purchase
The Holland Purchase was a large tract of land in what is now the western portion of the U.S. state of New York. It consisted of about 3,250,000 acres of land from a line approximately 12 miles to the west of the Genesee River to the present western border and boundary of New York State.The land...
region, which encompasses the cities of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
, their suburbs and surrounding rural areas.
Gaughan became a nationally recognized advocate of regionalism largely because of a series of regionalism conferences at the Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Institution
The Chautauqua Institution is a non-profit adult education center and summer resort located on 750 acres in Chautauqua, New York, 17 miles northwest of Jamestown in the western part of New York State...
in which he organized in 1997.
In 1998 he was named a citizen of the year by the Buffalo News. In 2001 he became the yougest recipient of the Red Jacket Medal
Red Jacket
Red Jacket was a Native American Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan...
, awarded by the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society
Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Building
The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society is located on Nottingham Court in the city of Buffalo, just east of Elmwood Avenue, north of the Scajaquada Expressway, in the northwest corner of Delaware Park. It occupies the building constructed in 1901 as the New York State pavilion for that...
for civic leadership. He studied law at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Politics
In 1990 he ran unsuccessfully against former Congressman Bill PaxonBill Paxon
L. William Paxon , known as Bill Paxon, is a lobbyist and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York.-Early life:...
for the 31st Congressional District. After serving for a few years as a legislative aide in the Erie County Legislature he opened a law office in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg
Hamburg (village), New York
Hamburg is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,116 at the 2000 census. The village is reportedly named after Hamburg, a city in Germany...
.
In 2001 he sought the Republican endorsement to run for the mayoralty of Buffalo and withdrew from the race once it was given to Anthony Masiello
Anthony Masiello
Anthony M. Masiello was mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1994 to 2005. Prior to being mayor, he served as a New York State Senator.-Personal and Educational Background:...
. He again tried to run for the office of mayor for the City of Buffalo in 2005 losing the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to State Senator
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
and eventual mayor Byron Brown
Byron Brown
Byron William Brown II is the 58th and current mayor of Buffalo, New York, elected on November 8, 2005 and is the city's first African-American mayor. He previously served Western New York as a member of the New York State Senate and Buffalo Common Council...
. As a result of this failed bid for mayor Gaughan was sued by the Hyatt Hotel over a $10,000 debt. In early 2006 he launched an abortive campaign for the senate seat vacated by Brown, but dropped out at the urging of local Democratic Party leaders, who backed another candidate. In 2007 he lobbied Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan for appointment as Erie County Clerk that was going to be vacant due to the departure of David Swarts
David Swarts
David Swarts was the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, in the Cabinet of Gov. David Paterson. He was appointed to this position by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Dec. 21, 2006 and took office on Jan. 1, 2007, when the Spitzer Administration took office. He continued in...
to become Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
Writings and activism
Gaughan wrote At First Light: Strengthening Buffalo Niagara in the New Century which was published by the Canisius CollegeCanisius College
Canisius College is a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York, United States. The college was founded in 1870 by members of the Society of Jesus from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. The college is one of 28 institutions in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and...
Press in 2003. The book is a collection of speeches and short essays by Gaughan on such subjects as regionalism, government reform, race relations, US and local history, and patriotism.
In late 2006, he released the results of a study entitled The Cost which detailed the amount paid to elected and appointed officials at various levels of government in the Buffalo-Niagara region. He compared this to other regions and found that Buffalo-Niagara had significantly more paid elected officials than other regions in both absolute and per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
measures. Additionally, a high number of small towns replicating services- such as police, highway maintenance and parks departments lead to a higher number of civil-service government employees. Gaughan used these numbers to support his thesis that entire layers of government should be done away with in Buffalo-Niagara.
Downsizing movement
Gaughan has been a proponent of "downsizing" town and village boards, generally from five members to three. He sees this as a cost-saving measure. On June 3, 2009, the towns of West SenecaWest Seneca, New York
West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 44,711 at the 2010 census. West Seneca is a centrally-located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo...
and Evans
Evans, New York
Evans is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 17,594 at the 2000 census. The town derives its name from David E. Evans, an agent of the Holland Land Company and nephew of land agent Joseph Ellicott....
both passed the measures by large margins. On September 23, 2009, the town of Orchard Park passed a measure cutting its Town Board by two members by nearly a two-to-one margin.
On September 29, 2009, the town of Alden
Alden, New York
Alden, New York may refer to one of the following locations in Erie County, New York:*Alden , New York*Alden , New York...
voted 1,052 to 1,020 in favor of reducing the size of its town council. While Gaughan is the most visible proponent of downsizing in Western New York, there have been various groups in each of the towns which have aligned themselves with or distanced themselves from Gaughan to various degrees. In 2010, Gaughan campaigned to dissolve the villages of Sloan
Sloan, New York
Sloan is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,775 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and Williamsville
Williamsville, New York
Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,573 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler...
. The villages held dissolution referenda on August 17, 2010, and both failed overwhelmingly with "no" votes exceeding 80%.
On September 23, 2010, Grand Island, New York
Grand Island, New York
Grand Island is a town and an island in Erie County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town population is 20,374. This represents an increase of 9.41% from the 2000 census figure . The current town name derives from the French name La Grande Île, as Grand Island is the largest island in...
became the first town to successfully resist the Gaughan downsizing and consolidation plan by voting down the referendum 2,155 NO votes to 1,805 YES votes. The decision was made by a 350 vote margin; and interestingly the turnout, for what was a special election, superseded the primary election some 2 weeks earlier by roughly 500 votes. Grand Island Republican Party Committeeman Mark William Webb, took a visible stand against what they felt was an intrusion into their government from external forces. Webb argued, "It's much harder to corrupt four men in a room than two", adding, "[W]e're a very strong community. We're a proud community. We love this town."
The village of Farnham, New York
Farnham, New York
Farnham is a village located in the Town of Brant, Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 322 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
had a dissolution vote September 28, 2010. Farnham Mayor Terry L. Caber Sr. said he believes that village government is most efficient. "The bottom line is, I just want to make sure the residents really understand the full picture, the full impact, and let them make the decision". Voters rejected the Farnham dissolution referendum.
The Gaughan Plan
Gaughan presented his "Gaughan Plan" on regionalism to the Erie County Legislature Government Affairs Committee on April 27, 2005. The plan is as follows:I (Kevin P. Gaughan) propose a sweeping reform of our present government structure and creation of one new, unified government for Buffalo and Erie County.
Simultaneous to establishing the new government, we must seize the initiative and address related policies and practices that hold back our city and its economy.
BUFFALO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
“THE BMG”
1. The New Government's Structure
Executive Branch
Executive / Mayor: Elected county-wide; the chief executive officer and chief fiscal officer, in accordance with existing municipal corporation law.
Urban Advocate: Elected county-wide; powers are a hybrid of New York City consumer advocate and United States vice president; serves as president of the legislature with tie-breaking vote authority. Oversees the BMG’s service delivery in and public policies for the urban core.
Legislative Branch
5 Inner Ring Members: each of whom represent a district that includes a portion of the City of Buffalo, along with certain election districts in “inner ring” portions of the towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, West Seneca, Hamburg, and the City of Lackawanna (equal to 50% of county population.)
5 Outer Ring Members: whose districts represent the balance of the “built-up” and rural suburbs (equal to 50% of county population.)
Urban Advocate: presides over the body; possesses voting right in the event of tie; thereby assures that all policy matters before the legislature will be viewed from an urban center perspective.
This legislature would unite in interest Buffalo with its inner ring suburbs by tying those areas that share social-economic make-up (measured by per capita income, housing stock value; number of free school lunches). In effect, this would “enlarge” the city not through annexation, but through drawing the new government’s legislative districts to reflect today’s reality. Kevin Gaughan's legislative plan conceives of a ten member body with an eleventh member to cast a tie-breaking vote.
2. IDA Consolidation
At its inception, the suburbs do not participate in the new government. As a result, and to build confidence among city residents that the suburbs will sacrifice as well, there must be suburban sacrifice of individual benefit for a collective good. The birth of the newly merged city-county government should coincide with culmination of the lengthy debate to consolidate our several IDA’s into one.
3. Coordinate Governance and Education Reforms
The Erie County Association of School Boards (ECASB) is currently conducting a study to determine whether to reduce the number of school districts from thirty. Their decision will affect how students are educated throughout the county, including in the Buffalo School District. Reform efforts should not be conducted in separate vacuums, but rather be viewed as all of a piece, intended to strengthen the urban core and create a successful regional economy. To accomplish this, the city-county merger commission should collaborate with the ECASB to begin long-range plans for creating a viable urban school district.
4. Land Use and Regional Planning
Creation of the new government should also coincide with re-establishment of a Buffalo-Niagara planning council to organize regional growth in sustainable manner, re-direct investment into Buffalo, protect our area’s rural settings, and create consensus on those centers where we wish to concentrate commercial investment.
5. Public Transportation
The new government will open the door for public transportation reforms to re-connect inner city workers with growing employment opportunities in suburban locales.
6. Training for Displaced Government Employees
The purpose of consolidating local governments is not to put people out of work, but rather to help create an investment climate to attract more private employers. In the short term, however, combining two large governments may result in a need for less personnel. Just as our community did for displaced private steel industry workers in the late 1970s, we should be willing to create a support structure for public employees affected by reform. I envision a training and development center funded by a business / philanthropic community joint venture. Perhaps Erie Community College, which participated in steelworkers placement, can contribute to this effort as well.
7. Region-wide Competition to Name New Government
Buffalo County, Greater Buffalo, the BMG, Regional City of Buffalo –I think we can do better. Let’s tap into our abundant creative capital by conducting a contest to name the new government. It will symbolize the inclusive nature of the new entity, capture the imagination of young Western New Yorkers, and add excitement to the enterprise."
Sources
- Gaughan, Kevin P. At First Light: Strengthening Buffalo Niagara in the New Century. Buffalo, New York: Canisius College Press, 2003.