Thomas L Holling – Mayor of Buffalo 1938 – 1941
Seems like similar issues 69 years later, doesn’t it?
On December 19, 1937, Holling held the first of several round-table meetings with his new department and administrative heads.
Mayor Holling delivered his Inaugural Address to the Common Council on January 1, 1938.
“Our new administration is face to face with grave responsibilities. We assume our existing duties in one of the most trying and difficult times in the history of this city.
“Our financial condition is critical, but I know and you know that it is not hopeless. Problems ahead of us can be solved, but in order to find the solution, we must unite our efforts to furnish an unselfish, faithful, humane and clean administration.
“The general principles and policies, which I shall endeavor to follow during my four years as mayor of Buffalo were clearly set forth in a ten-point program published during the general campaign. These ten points are still my program. They read as follows:
1 – Necessary services to the people must be maintained at all times, but in an efficient manner and at reasonable cost to taxpayers.
2 – The department of education is of great importance to the people of Buffalo and must be operated by the nonpartisan board of education, free from interference. No education appropriation shall be reduced at any time to provide money for other departments.
3 – All department heads and workers shall be appointed on a basis of experience for their jobs and not because of any record of political servitude.
4 – City departments must be operated within their budgets.
5 – Departments must not be padded with unnecessary workers drawing political pay at the taxpayers expense. No increase in payrolls at election must be tolerated.
6 – The greatest good for the greatest number of Buffalo citizens must be in the basis of all city legislation.
7 – Political groups must not expect special favors from the city government.
8 – An honest tax rate is the basis of honest city government.
9 – The city government is the biggest business in Buffalo and must be operated honestly, efficiently and economically.
10 – It is my intention and pledge as Mayor to so operate the city government of Buffalo
“I feel that in order to restore the civil service to its rightful place in the life of our city, a complete reorganization of the municipal civil service is necessary.
“We all realize that real property owners of Buffalo are bearing a heavy tax burden. The city tax rate is $30.05 and the county tax rate is the highest in its history.
“We may as well face the fact squarely that any reduction in taxes in the very near future is impossible in view of our strained financial situation. Before a lower tax rate can be expected the city’s debt load must be materially lightened. Good management and sound government demand this.
“This welfare problem which we must face at once deals not only with finances but also with our fellow human beings who are in want.
“It is apparent that the City of Buffalo cannot continue to carry the welfare load on its present basis. There is neither fairness nor logic in our present welfare situation.
“In Buffalo , we have the department of social welfare and the emergency relief board. In Erie County the ERB has recently been merged into the regular social welfare structures.
“A tremendous, complicated overlapping, and expensive structure has been haphazardly developed.
“The Erie County Survey Commission recommended a county welfare board under which all the many relief functions would be centralized.
“The Buffalo Council of Social Agencies…has recommended centralization of relief activities.
“I have given much thought and study to this problem. I have come to the conclusion that there are only two possibilities in this connection. The first is to continue relief in the City of Buffalo under the present setup, and to raise the cost by a retail sales tax on goods sold in the City of Buffalo The second possibility is a transfer and consolidation of all these welfare functions under the Erie County government.
“After careful consideration I have rejected the first alternative. Without going into detail, I want to tell you that we have been unofficially informed that the state government will not extend to any city the right to impose a sales tax.
“I therefore turn to the only other alternative – county consolidation. Due to reasons which I have just explained, I recommend for your consideration the transfer as soon as possible under state legislation all welfare functions of the City of Buffalo to the County of Erie.
“Of course, no thorough discussion of a new administration would be complete without stating my program of municipal economy. The time has arrived when the city government of Buffalo must stop unnecessary spending and confine all expenditures to absolutely necessary items.
“It would take no genius to balance a city budget by simply refusing to spend funds for any purpose, but that cannot be done. However, it can be made certain that money is spent only for efficient operation of necessary services and for capital expenses which are essential to the maintenance of adequate city government.
“Now I want to speak of our traffic problem. It is obvious to every thoughtful citizen of Buffalo that traffic fatalities in this city during the year of 1937 reached far too high a total. This traffic toll must be cut down and I am determined that it shall be cut down.
“Again we come to the question of expense. Every other city which has cut its traffic death rate has accomplished such an end only through the medium of a comprehensive citywide traffic survey. Then a remedy is put into effect on the basis of need as discovered in such a survey. In my opinion, it is one of the most vital problems confronting us as we take over the administration of our city government.
“It is a fact not generally known that among large cities of the United States, the City of Buffalo stands second in the volume of snowfall per year. The citizens of Buffalo know from painful experiences that we are not properly equipped to cope with large and sudden snowstorms.”
