Erie County Legislator Cynthia Locklear, a democrat, is siding with the Republicans calling for spending cuts and a reduction in the 8.75% sales tax rate.  Without Locklear’s vote, the Democratic majority will be one vote short of the votes necessary to extend the sales tax.

The Republicans are proposing cutting nearly $40 million from the budget by eliminating about 100 vacant jobs.  It sounds like a no-brainer to me, the County is functioning just fine with the jobs currently unfilled.  This is a step in the right direction, but only a step.  More cuts still need to be made to right-size the County government.

Locklear was elected last year while riding the wave of the tax revolt that arose due to the County’s fiscal crisis.  This clearly demonstrates that voters can make a difference.  Even though the elections are over, pressure can still be put on our current office holders.  We should all be standing up and demanding further cuts!