Inaugurated as an ongoing series in August 2006, Regional Institute Policy Briefs provide objective data and succinct analysis in an illustrated format to frame issues, inform decisions and guide policy action. The series has addressed such issues as the exodus of young from the region, air quality, public transportation, the cross-border economy and rural demographic change.
Communities in Western New York are deliberating reforms aimed at decreasing the size of city, town and village boards to save money and streamline municipal action. Size choices have tradeoffs, however, and there is no optimal legislative size to maximize performance on all municipal goals. An examination of Erie County conditions, conducted jointly by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute and University at Buffalo Law School, finds that any cost savings from downsizing are negligible and must be weighed against disadvantages in representation and responsiveness. The dilemma, as James Madison remarked over two hundred years ago, is to size a legislature large enough “to guard against the cabals of a few” and small enough “to guard against the confusion of a multitude.”