Congressman Plays and the Taxpayer Pays

A special election will be held in a couple of weeks for the seat vacated by Christopher Lee's resignation. Despite, his choice to resign, the taxpayers have no choice but to carry the financial burden of his actions.

A special election is an election that takes place when there is a vacant electoral seat that needs to be filled. Special elections can take place for various reasons. They can take place because a elected official is elected to a new position. Special elections can also be called because of death, criminal or ethical convictions or for some other reason an elected official is unable to fulfill the requirements of the office. In the case of the 26th congressional district, a special election was called after the sudden resignation of Christopher Lee, who after being sworn in only 3 weeks earlier resigned when pictures of him shirtless in a Craigslist advertisement surfaced in a newspaper.

When Chris Lee resigned, Governor Cuomo called a special election to fill the seat. In 2009, when Eric Massa resigned amid accusations of ethical
violations. At that time, Gov. Patterson chose not to call a special election to fill that vacant seat. The reason given by Gov. Patterson for not calling a special election was e-mailed to the Gannett News Service by the Gov.'s spokesperson, Maggie McKeon. She stated, "We have some serious concerns about the financial impact that a special election could have on the county level, especially because those counties are facing the same fiscal crisis that the state is facing," One of the candidates running for Congress in the special election is Jane Corwin, a current member of the New York State Assembly. If elected, this could create a rippling effect because another special election might be called to fill the vacant Assembly seat.

Which brings into question the cost estimated cost of the 26th Congressional Districts special election. Parts of 7 counties make up the 26th Congressional District. Each county is responsible for the implementation and cost of the special election through Board of Elections. So even though the special election is called for by State officials, the cost comes out of the counties budgets. Due to the unexpected need for the special election, the Boards of Elections did not anticipate the cost into their budgets. Although some county Board of Elections have a reserve funds, some might not have enough to cover the cost. In that case, the counties might have to increase taxes to cover the shortfall. Monroe county had budgeted for a possible special election for Mayor of Rochester, but did not anticipate the special election for the 26th Congressional seat. If another special election was needed, a charge back system would take place. The Board of Elections would have to pay the costs and then the county would have to possibly increase taxes to payback the extra costs. The following is a breakdown of the cost per county of the 26th Congressional District special election. All are estimates provided by each county's Board of Elections.

Monroe county - $130,000- $170,000
Orleans county - $23,000
Genesee county - $58,000
Erie county - $90,000-$100,000- cost lower because Erie county prints their own ballots
Livingston county - $25,000
Wyoming county - was unable to give a cost estimate
Niagara county - $200,000

Chris Lee, who is married with a small child, ran on a platform of the "sanctity of marriage", fiscal responsibility, among other issues. Lee appears to have talked the talked, but not walked the walk. The question is should taxpayers be held liable for the cost of a special election, due to candidates resignation because of scandal or cases criminal or ethical violations, or should these elected officials who disgrace the elected office they hold and disrespect their constituents be held responsible. Chris Lee resigned in shame, but faces little consequences for doing so. Instead, taxpayers are left paying for the fiscal fallout from his
actions.