Watching the mini-drama between Cayuga County Mental Health Director David Blair and the Cayuga County Legislature reminds many of previous battles within county government over the last decade and a half.
In the immortal words of baseball sage Yogi Berra, “This is like deja vu all over again.”
While much has been made about the support shown by consumers and staff of the embattled mental health agency and worries about health care cuts, that is really not the issue.
The real issues are about power and accountability.
A few years ago, when some members of the Community Services Board, with members approved by the Cayuga County Legislature, started to ask tough questions and raise issues about the state of the local mental health facility, Blair did his best to limit the role of the board.
After a bitter and intense internal power struggle, most, if not all, of the dissenters on the board got their walking papers or quit in frustration. New members were approved by the Legislature, giving Blair breathing room.
Now, with the Legislature breathing down his neck, Blair indicates that it is the Community Service Board that he reports to, a board that now has several strong supporters of his, including, according to a legislator, one of his own employees. Confused? Don't be. This type of internal power play is not new to Cayuga County.
More than a decade ago, a similar dance occurred with then Social Services Commissioner Stefan Bandas, who tangled often with a faction of the Legislature and contended that he, according to a member of the Legislature, reported to Albany, not the county Legislature. After several attempts at trying to get him to follow its lead, the Legislature created the Department of Health and Human Services, picking William Catto to head the new conglomeration.
It didn't take long for the new director to get into a similar problem over the expenditure of funds, contending, according to this legislator, that he reported to an appointed Board of Health, not the Legislature. Soon after he left the post and later ran for a spot on the 15-member board, winning a seat. Looks like a familiar pattern for some.
The current test of wills between Blair and the Legislature may be easy to judge, looking at these past incidents. Given a Legislature that is committed to holding an employee accountable and willing to fight in the long term, including using its “power of the purse” it usually wins.
This is the first real personnel test for Cayuga County Manger Wayne Allen, who seems to have drawn a line in the sand. His future credibility within county government is at stake on how this ends.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com
While much has been made about the support shown by consumers and staff of the embattled mental health agency and worries about health care cuts, that is really not the issue.
The real issues are about power and accountability.
A few years ago, when some members of the Community Services Board, with members approved by the Cayuga County Legislature, started to ask tough questions and raise issues about the state of the local mental health facility, Blair did his best to limit the role of the board.
After a bitter and intense internal power struggle, most, if not all, of the dissenters on the board got their walking papers or quit in frustration. New members were approved by the Legislature, giving Blair breathing room.
Now, with the Legislature breathing down his neck, Blair indicates that it is the Community Service Board that he reports to, a board that now has several strong supporters of his, including, according to a legislator, one of his own employees. Confused? Don't be. This type of internal power play is not new to Cayuga County.
More than a decade ago, a similar dance occurred with then Social Services Commissioner Stefan Bandas, who tangled often with a faction of the Legislature and contended that he, according to a member of the Legislature, reported to Albany, not the county Legislature. After several attempts at trying to get him to follow its lead, the Legislature created the Department of Health and Human Services, picking William Catto to head the new conglomeration.
It didn't take long for the new director to get into a similar problem over the expenditure of funds, contending, according to this legislator, that he reported to an appointed Board of Health, not the Legislature. Soon after he left the post and later ran for a spot on the 15-member board, winning a seat. Looks like a familiar pattern for some.
The current test of wills between Blair and the Legislature may be easy to judge, looking at these past incidents. Given a Legislature that is committed to holding an employee accountable and willing to fight in the long term, including using its “power of the purse” it usually wins.
This is the first real personnel test for Cayuga County Manger Wayne Allen, who seems to have drawn a line in the sand. His future credibility within county government is at stake on how this ends.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com
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