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By NICHOLAS L. DEAN OBSERVER Mayville Bureau MAYVILLE — Who would want a tax named after them? County legislators from both sides of the aisle asked themselves and their fellow lawmakers that very question recently, responding to a proposal put forth by David Wilder, D-Silver Creek. Looking to pay tribute to a former legislator, Wilder has asked that the 2 percent occupancy tax be renamed the Joseph Trusso Jr. Lakes and Waterways Fund. Discussed by both the Administrative Services Committee and the Planning and Economic Development Committee last week, the resolution will go before the full legislature on Wednesday. “While I appreciate the intent of what I believe Mr. Wilder is trying to do,” said Maria Kindberg, D-Jamestown, during the Planning and Economic Development Committee meeting on Tuesday, “and I haven’t spoken with him, but just in reading the language here it seems clear that he is trying to pay tribute to a former colleague— I’m not sure that naming a tax after somebody is the best way to go about doing that. “I know, as a sitting legislator, I would not want to have a tax named after me upon my leaving the legislature,” Kindberg continued. “I don’t know if Mr. Trusso has been contacted or has made a formal statement about whether or not he would like to have a tax named after him, but I find it an odd choice.” Kindberg then asked Legislature Clerk Janet Jankowski George to research whether the county has ever named a tax, fund, activity or anything other than a building after a person. Interested in having that information, the committee tabled Wilder’s proposal until its next meeting. The resolution will still go before the legislature Wednesday, however, as it was unanimously approved by the Administrative Services Committee. Like Kindberg, James Caflisch, R-French Creek, questioned the logic of naming a tax after a person — similarly saying that he hopes one is never named after him. “Larry Barmore and I were quite surprised to find the resolution on the agenda,” Caflisch said of the Administrative Services Committee meeting. “Then I found out that Chairman (Keith) Ahlstrom didn’t know it was coming, so I think the Democratic caucus was caught off guard by the proposal.” Assuming it was something Wilder was proposing with his party’s support, Caflisch said he and Barmore, R-Gerry, approved the resolution in committee thinking “if that’s what they want, that’s fine.” Since the committee meeting, however, Caflisch has questioned whether the Democratic caucus is really on board with the proposal. “It’s an issue that I would give deference to them on at this point,” Caflisch said. “I don’t think they want to name a tax after one of their former legislators, but if their caucus is wholeheartedly behind it, then I might give them my support. But I want to see where the support is for it at the end of the day. And again, I would never, ever want a tax named after me and I didn’t get into the legislature to have anything named after me anyway.” The County Legislature will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Gerace Office Building in Mayville.

 

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