ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- For years, the village of Fayetteville has held their elections in March. Mayor Mark Olson says voter turnout varies depending on the whether the race is contested or not.
"The last contested race was 500 voters, which we feel is a good turnout," said Olson, who is also a member of Consensus. "Could it be better? Yes. Everybody should vote. It's their God-given right. Every election should have more people voting, but the problem is, we can't force people to vote."
What village officials can control though is when the election is held. Onondaga County elections commissioner Dustin Czarny says only about about 10 to 15 percent of the population votes in village elections. He believes that number would increase with a fall election.
"The villages would have zero costs to run their election, whereas they pay for all their election costs now, and the other big advantage is moving it to November will align it where when people are focused on the elections so better turnout as well," said Czarny.
This discussion comes as the entire idea of how local government works is being debated in Onondaga County. As Consensus continues to discuss the possibility of consolidation that would include an opt-in for villages, some have asked if the village system has outlived itself.
"I'm not disagreeing that we have got to modernize government. We have got to find a better way to serve our public, And what we're saying and what I've agreed to do as part of the Consensus program is okay, let's continue down this road, let's continue to listen to what they have to say, because we know we can do better," Olson said.
Better, but, not necessarily bigger.
"The big answer is not one larger government with all the state mandates and all the state programs that are burdening us now. That isn't going to help anybody," he added.
What it could come down to is another vote. Olson says if Consensus moves forward, village residents will have to turnout and decide if they want to join.