The often-rocky relationship between the Dutchess County Legislature and County Executive Bill Steinhaus took another strange turn this week, as Legislature Democrats, who own the body’s majority for the first time since 1977, discussed a possible lawsuit against Steinhaus to counter a hiring freeze he instituted on Dec. 20, before ultimately pulling the resolution before a Jan. 8 meeting.
The order by Steinhaus called for hiring for all “units” of county government to be frozen pending the release of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s state budget on Jan. 22. With Spitzer’s recent announcement that the state is facing a $4.3 billion budget gap, Steinhaus said he was concerned about the gap’s impact on the county budget, of which nearly 17 percent, or $68 million, comes from the state level. The freeze remains in effect, pending the state budget’s impact on county finances.
Complicating matters is the fact that Democrats planned to replace the staff of the County Legislature, including a clerk, deputy clerk, counsel and assistant to the chairman, among others. That’s not at all unusual when leadership bodies change hands, particularly since Democrats have assumed power for the first time in 30 years. Steinhaus’ hiring freeze does more than just protect the county from a possible deficit at the state level – it also handicaps the Legislature from making the decisions it needs to move on with new business.
But for their part, the Democrats chose to rise above the opportunity to play political games with Steinhaus, instead removing resolutions from this week’s agenda to appoint the clerk and deputy clerk and deciding not to pursue any kind of legal action against the county executive. Democrats cited a lack of Republican support for the resolution to take legal action, but it’s clear that common sense won the day – a positive sign for the new Democratic leadership and the chance for progress in 2008.
As for how long the hiring freeze lasts, the ball is clearly in Steinhaus’s court now, but he runs the risk of alienating a Legislature that is clearly willing to try compromise before hard-line politics. His decision to conserve funds may be a wise fiscal move for the county, but it may also impact the efficiency and effectiveness of the Legislature. If the county must make difficult financial decisions in the wake of Spitzer’s budget release, so be it. The Legislature should at least have the benefit of a full staff at what will be a difficult time.
And if the hiring freeze ends up being a thinly veiled attack on the power of the new Democratic leadership, then they have acquitted themselves quite well so far. The challenge will be in continuing that spirit of compromise and cooperation. It appears they’ve already taken a step in the right direction.