This is the second in a series on the Cayuga County Legislature's proposal to create a county manager position.

One of the great problems with the current discussion of the county manager proposal is the lack of public input, not only in the process thus far, but also in the failure to seek the imprimatur of the public, through a referendum, in the final decision.

Not including the public in the process is a big reason why there is not a consensus to make this change starting in January.

While the chatter from the media, party leaders, political junkies and pundits may indicate there is a need to change the way the county does business, talk to some county legislators and ask them where the public is on the subject. They will respond, "What public?"

While there seems to be a consensus for change, rank-and-file voters and taxpayers have not stormed the sixth floor with demands for reform.

In several conversations with legislators over the last few weeks, I have found that many feel, while it may have been a hot topic on this page and on the front page for the last year and a half, it hasn't resulted in the public calling up their local legislators and asking for change.

And residents have not expressed a preference for an elected county executive or appointed county manager.

When legislators do get calls, it is on issues such as public safety (take-home cars for deputies), financial issues (how much taxes are going up) or miscellaneous issues (upgrading Emerson Park). Reforming the management structure at the County Office Building, according to several legislators, just isn't up there on their list of important items.

Watch a legislative meeting on television and you find that the most vocal speakers on the issues are either those who represent political parties, are possible candidates for office or those who love the minutia of government. Everyone else seems to be disengaged. The question is whether people just don't care, aren't educated enough about the issues, or are just too frustrated to want to involve themselves in a process they see as a never-ending spinning wheel. Any of the above should be enough to concern members of the Legislature.

So if the public either doesn't care, doesn't know the issues or is frustrated, is that reason enough to make this reform without them?

No. The Legislature has failed to do the one piece of heavy lifting that really is needed in this whole discussion - getting the public engaged.

There is no easy way to do this. But it is important to have the public buy into whatever is done. It means having a frank discussion with the public and then getting authorization for a change. Not doing so is a big mistake.

Cosentino is a former mayor of the city of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com