To the Editor:                                                           

The attainment of political power often results in deceptive and circuitous actions taken by those in control. One has only to look at the Albany County Legislature to see this theory unfold.

The majority Democrats have been in power for decades, and it is a true spectacle to watch the maneuvers and actions taken to maintain this power.

The latest is the move to create a special review committee, which has been set up to examine the recommendations made by another review committee, the Charter Review Committee.

Why would anyone need to create a new review committee?

For those who follow politics in Albany County the answer is obvious  — there are recommendations made from the original committee that erode the power of the majority.  The new committee’s responsibility will be to downplay, amend, or eliminate the recommendations not wanted by the majority, and to promote the recommendations that those in power support.

There is no reason why the entire Albany County Legislature cannot review the recommendations of the Charter Review Committee.

There is no need for interference and oversight by another committee manipulated by those in power. The spin put on this action by the majority is almost laughable as those members claim all recommendations will still come in front of the entire legislature.

If this is the case, why is there a need for this special committee? The need is exactly what I stated above, and that is to amend and eliminate recommendations that erode the majority’s political power base.

Each member of the Albany County Legislature represents a constituency that has elected him or her to debate and make decisions.  This is what democracy is about. It is not about manipulation to keep political power in the hands of a few. 

As a result, I commend my fellow legislators, both Democrat and Republican, who voted against the creation of this new review committee.

Deborah M. Busch, 39th District
Albany County Legislature

Editor’s note: Deborah Busch, a Knox Republican, is the minority whip.