Bill Krause sat alone among rows of mostly empty benches at Tuesday's Onondaga County Legislature meeting. Krause, 60, of Liverpool said he'd come intending to learn more about the county's issues, but walked away understanding the public's general lack of participation in local government.
Krause said it could be difficult for someone to understand how the legislature works because the public meeting only "amplified the partisanship and how much is actually decided in private before the meeting," such as during caucuses.
Wearing a wool shirt and jeans with his long, thinning hair pulled back into a pony tail, Krause distantly watched his polished representatives in suits and ties converse among themselves.
As legislators laughed among themselves between items on the agenda, Krause sat expressionless, hands folded in his lap, never taking out the piece of paper folded in his front pocket to take notes.
As Bernard Kraft, R-Clay, defended an argument saying, "I represent the taxpayers," Krause said he did not share that feeling. He felt like an outsider.
With little or no discussion they passed resolutions to put GPS bracelets on high level sex offenders and to spend more than half-a-million dollars to pave roads. Even the vote to override County Executive Mahoney's veto of Tobacco 19 brought no serious debate as the legislature fell two votes short of the 13 needed.
Halfway through the meeting, Krause said none of the votes surprised him--and the empty benches surrounding him did not surprise him either.
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