Bee Editorial
Keep campaigns separate from current duties
Can elected officials separate their current duties from campaigning for another office?

Many elected officials have put themselves in that position when seeking office at another level. In this past election, Cheektowaga Supervisor Dennis H. Gabryszak ran a successful campaign for State Assembly while keeping his supervisor seat. And in Amherst, Council Member Shelly Schratz made a run for Erie County clerk while serving on the Town Board.

Now Amherst Board Members Dan Ward and William A. O’Loughlin Jr. have both announced their intentions to run for county executive in November 2007.

Schratz was guilty of mentioning her campaign during Town Board meetings, and Ward has already brought up the topic while the board was in session. Many times it was done in jest, but nonetheless, it was done at the

wrong place and time. Even O’Loughlin choosing Amherst Town Hall as the venue to announce his intentions for county executive was a poor choice compared to the many town facilities he could have chosen.

It blurs the line of where they are now and where they want to be.

When asked, “Should an official campaigning for another office resign?” 82 percent of Amherst Bee readers said yes and 18 percent said no.

Voters showed they wanted officials to separate their current and prospective offices. Campaigning for another position shows that they have their minds set on that position and are ready to leave behind their present role.

Does that mean they can’t do a good job as a member of the board they currently sit on? Not necessarily, but they have made a decision that they are ready to move on — if the public chooses them. Had it not been up to a vote, they would have been gone in a flash.

An official moving from a town or village to a state or county position can be a great move for the region by bringing in someone with experience and leadership skills, but it all has to be done in sequence. The officials need to decide where they want to be.

Although it has been past practice, and many officials can balance and separate the two parts of their lives, as a general rule we would like to see officials take a stance one way or another.

In the private sector, employees found to be job searching or interviewing for other positions usually don’t last too long in their current positions.

Should officials stay in office, we ask that they keep mention of their campaigns out of the board room.