Assemblyman Phil Steck thinks Albany County Government needs to downsize - the Colonie Democrat wants to start cutting at the top.
Government gridlock has long been an albatross hanging on Albany County's neck. Former County legislator (now 110th district Assemblyman) Phil Steck thinks a little "weight loss" could allow for a more cohesive flow of the democratic process. Steck suggests the 39-member legislature slim its ranks - and while they're at it, legislators should give County Executive Dan McCoy the heave-ho, abolishing the position established in 1976, perhaps opting for an appointed county manager instead of an elected official to lead.
Steck says "Albany County has gone through a period of conflict between the executive and the legislature. I think it set back county government. I was a county legislator myself for 12 years, so I think I'm familiar with the situation. There's some opportunities for charter reform. I think it would be beneficial to reduce the size of the Albany County Legislature from the present 39-members to 29, and I think a hard look ought to be taken at the forms of government that other counties use."
McCoy was elected in 2011 as Albany county's fourth executive: he once chaired the legislature, which holds much of the power to run the county.
Steck argues "I represent Schenectady. Schenectady seems to be moving forward at the county level with more efficiency than we are here in Albany County. So I think it’s something to be looked at. It's not definitive, but changes do need to be made so that there's more harmony between the executive and the legislature."
McCoy pointed out that Schenectady county's population is about half of Albany's, and he says the Capital City went to having a county executive and legislature to make the county more independent from towns, cities and villages.
Steck cites the Federalist Papers to support his bid to modify Albany County Government. The collection of eighty-five essays written in the late 1780s by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to persuade the voters of New York to adopt the Constitution came to be known as "The Federalist Papers"- considered a classic defense of the American system of government. “The Federalist Papers are what designed American government and split the legislative authority between the Assembly, the Senate and the Governor at the state level, similarly between the House of Representatives, the Senate and the President at the Federal level. At the county level, we have a split authority between the legislature and the executive. We don’t have a senate because we’re too small a unit of government to justify that. One of the reasons they did the three-way split was to make it difficult for things to be accomplished. Well, we’re perfecting that at new levels in Albany County, so we need to look and see if there’s a better way at the county level.”
While Steck raises interesting questions observers believe it’s doubtful he can wield much clout when it comes to affecting any county-level change. Or if he even really wants to. When Steck was a candidate for the 110th Assembly District seat, he was endorsed by McCoy, and now McCoy has earned Steck’s endorsement in return… McCoy quipped "He actually sent me a letter. He endorsed me January 1st of this year, so he's endorsing me for my reelection whenever I announce it, when I announce I'll seek office again. So, it was nice of him, so, I don't know (laughs) - How about I leave it at that? I got an endorsement letter from him!"
