Cortland Standard answers: Paul Allen
Personal info
Name: Paul W. Allen
Party Endorsements: Republican, Conservative
Office: Cortland County Legislator
Cortlandville - 14th District
Address: 3999 Crestwood Court, PO Box 323, Cortland, NY 13045
Day Time Phone: 607-543-0336
Occupation: Account Executive / Businessman
Age: 34 years old
Married to Betsy (38)
Children: Abby (13) and Blake (7)
What is your main motivation for running?
My main motivation for running is to improve the quality of life in Cortland County. I believe that this is accomplished through a low cost of living and good employment opportunities, coupled with a long term commitment for investment in the future of our community.
My wife Betsy and I both had grandparents who made their homes in Cortland County. Both of our families have stayed here for the most part ever since. I want to continue to work to make Cortland a place that our children can one day choose to raise their families.
Having the right team is critical to attaining long term goals. We have a great team working together in the legislature. I have found that being a part of that team, which is effective, and is accomplishing what we said that we would, is very exciting. I want to continue what we have started.
In your opinion, what is the function of local government? Describe your political philosophy.
The function of local government is to ensure our limited resources are efficiently and effectively utilized. As legislators, we listen to our neighbors and hear first hand about their concerns; it is honest Grass Roots politics, in that we see tax payers ever day on the street or in the stores. This closeness promotes checks and balances; it allows local people to have a greater level of control.
I consider myself a conservative. It is my conservative nature that I rely upon when deliberating on how best to use the limited resources to meet the specific needs of Cortland County.
As Chairman of the Governance Evaluation Committee, you helped create Proposition 1 which gave voters a choice of replacing the elected treasurer with an appointed comptroller. If you could go back, what would you have done differently, and why?
I was pleased to be asked to chair the Governance Evaluation Committee. I have a strong interest in government and really welcomed the challenge to evaluate Cortland County’s structure. The GEC is a committee made up of interested county residents. It is not a committee made up of just legislators. We have a very diverse group of folks from all walks of life.
When we ran in 2003, it was on a platform of open and honest government which operated with greater public accountability. We asked people for their vote, and in exchange we promised to make fundamental changes that were badly needed. We told voters that if we were given a chance to lead that we would instill greater accountability and address areas of deficiency. As we took office in 2003 with a new majority the NY State office of Comptroller issued a negative audit which sited three areas of inadequate oversight on behalf of the previous legislature and three areas of deficiency in the Treasure’s office. We committed to fix the problem. We felt that it was prudent to first ask voters how far to go. Should we fix the problems and leave the office as it is, or adopt a different structure that has been used in other counties.
The referendum certainly has changed the dynamics of politics in Cortland County. I believe that Proposition 1 gave county residents a real voice in government! Members of the GEC went to the City Council and every Town and Village Board that would allow public discussion on the referendum. Even though it was negatively publicized at times, we put the question before the people, and we listened to what they said.
The tax rate jumped 9.5 percent in 2003 and 2.9 percent in 2004. While taxpayers welcome smaller, or non-existent, tax increases, there is the fear that the rate will go up again. Has the Legislature made permanent changes to the government that will keep the tax rate from jumping in the future? What were those changes?
In 2003, voters sent a clear message to elected officials, either reign in massive tax increases, or over burdened taxpayers would vote them out. In 2003 the legislature passed a 9.5% tax increase. This brought the cumulative tax increase dangerously close to our constitutional tax limit. This legislature made considerable cost cutting measures a top priority and passed a 2.9% tax increase last year.
From 2000 - 2002, under the previous leadership, the legislature spent up 74% of the County’s available cash reserve. In just two short years they spent $3.12 million from unreserved fund balances which brought the total down to less than 2% of the annual budget. Consequently, the County had been forced into a position where we had to borrow money in order to pay routine operating expenses.
Two years ago Cortland County residents made a decision to change the leadership of their county government. The new Republican leadership in the legislature passed a law that the County must maintain a 10% cash reserve. By the end of 2005 Cortland County Legislature will have put well over $8 million into reserve.
Voters told us that they wanted responsibly administrated social service programs, where people in need could find help. We should be helping those who are able, with the transition towards self sufficiency. We won an award from New York State for helping people who get off welfare to successfully stay off welfare. We increased our efforts in welfare fraud investigation and subsequently increased arrests for welfare fraud from 1 in 2002 to 15 in 2005.
We believe that voters should have the right to know what the tax rate will be for the following year before voters are asked to decide who to vote for. In 2001, some candidates were called “Chicken Little” because we told voters that the budget would come out after Election Day and it would include a huge tax increase. This year, for the first time in history, the legislature will have a budget on the table before the election. We are, in part, able to do this because we took the results of the NYS Comptrollers audit very seriously. If reelected, we will move to make this change a permanent requirement of legislators.
Additional Comments:
I firmly believe everyone involved in the county knows we are serious people with a serious mission of improving our situation. We have strived to increase accountability and better balance it with responsibility and authority. Although there is still a long way to go I think it is clear to anyone watching the situation that a great deal of progress has been made.
Name: Paul W. Allen
Party Endorsements: Republican, Conservative
Office: Cortland County Legislator
Cortlandville - 14th District
Address: 3999 Crestwood Court, PO Box 323, Cortland, NY 13045
Day Time Phone: 607-543-0336
Occupation: Account Executive / Businessman
Age: 34 years old
Married to Betsy (38)
Children: Abby (13) and Blake (7)
What is your main motivation for running?
My main motivation for running is to improve the quality of life in Cortland County. I believe that this is accomplished through a low cost of living and good employment opportunities, coupled with a long term commitment for investment in the future of our community.
My wife Betsy and I both had grandparents who made their homes in Cortland County. Both of our families have stayed here for the most part ever since. I want to continue to work to make Cortland a place that our children can one day choose to raise their families.
Having the right team is critical to attaining long term goals. We have a great team working together in the legislature. I have found that being a part of that team, which is effective, and is accomplishing what we said that we would, is very exciting. I want to continue what we have started.
In your opinion, what is the function of local government? Describe your political philosophy.
The function of local government is to ensure our limited resources are efficiently and effectively utilized. As legislators, we listen to our neighbors and hear first hand about their concerns; it is honest Grass Roots politics, in that we see tax payers ever day on the street or in the stores. This closeness promotes checks and balances; it allows local people to have a greater level of control.
I consider myself a conservative. It is my conservative nature that I rely upon when deliberating on how best to use the limited resources to meet the specific needs of Cortland County.
As Chairman of the Governance Evaluation Committee, you helped create Proposition 1 which gave voters a choice of replacing the elected treasurer with an appointed comptroller. If you could go back, what would you have done differently, and why?
I was pleased to be asked to chair the Governance Evaluation Committee. I have a strong interest in government and really welcomed the challenge to evaluate Cortland County’s structure. The GEC is a committee made up of interested county residents. It is not a committee made up of just legislators. We have a very diverse group of folks from all walks of life.
When we ran in 2003, it was on a platform of open and honest government which operated with greater public accountability. We asked people for their vote, and in exchange we promised to make fundamental changes that were badly needed. We told voters that if we were given a chance to lead that we would instill greater accountability and address areas of deficiency. As we took office in 2003 with a new majority the NY State office of Comptroller issued a negative audit which sited three areas of inadequate oversight on behalf of the previous legislature and three areas of deficiency in the Treasure’s office. We committed to fix the problem. We felt that it was prudent to first ask voters how far to go. Should we fix the problems and leave the office as it is, or adopt a different structure that has been used in other counties.
The referendum certainly has changed the dynamics of politics in Cortland County. I believe that Proposition 1 gave county residents a real voice in government! Members of the GEC went to the City Council and every Town and Village Board that would allow public discussion on the referendum. Even though it was negatively publicized at times, we put the question before the people, and we listened to what they said.
The tax rate jumped 9.5 percent in 2003 and 2.9 percent in 2004. While taxpayers welcome smaller, or non-existent, tax increases, there is the fear that the rate will go up again. Has the Legislature made permanent changes to the government that will keep the tax rate from jumping in the future? What were those changes?
In 2003, voters sent a clear message to elected officials, either reign in massive tax increases, or over burdened taxpayers would vote them out. In 2003 the legislature passed a 9.5% tax increase. This brought the cumulative tax increase dangerously close to our constitutional tax limit. This legislature made considerable cost cutting measures a top priority and passed a 2.9% tax increase last year.
From 2000 - 2002, under the previous leadership, the legislature spent up 74% of the County’s available cash reserve. In just two short years they spent $3.12 million from unreserved fund balances which brought the total down to less than 2% of the annual budget. Consequently, the County had been forced into a position where we had to borrow money in order to pay routine operating expenses.
Two years ago Cortland County residents made a decision to change the leadership of their county government. The new Republican leadership in the legislature passed a law that the County must maintain a 10% cash reserve. By the end of 2005 Cortland County Legislature will have put well over $8 million into reserve.
Voters told us that they wanted responsibly administrated social service programs, where people in need could find help. We should be helping those who are able, with the transition towards self sufficiency. We won an award from New York State for helping people who get off welfare to successfully stay off welfare. We increased our efforts in welfare fraud investigation and subsequently increased arrests for welfare fraud from 1 in 2002 to 15 in 2005.
We believe that voters should have the right to know what the tax rate will be for the following year before voters are asked to decide who to vote for. In 2001, some candidates were called “Chicken Little” because we told voters that the budget would come out after Election Day and it would include a huge tax increase. This year, for the first time in history, the legislature will have a budget on the table before the election. We are, in part, able to do this because we took the results of the NYS Comptrollers audit very seriously. If reelected, we will move to make this change a permanent requirement of legislators.
Additional Comments:
I firmly believe everyone involved in the county knows we are serious people with a serious mission of improving our situation. We have strived to increase accountability and better balance it with responsibility and authority. Although there is still a long way to go I think it is clear to anyone watching the situation that a great deal of progress has been made.
posted by Doc Paul @ 12:52 AM
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