Tattered civil war flags lay forgotten in the Onondaga County courthouse basement — until one person brought back to life the frayed pieces of cloth. Kathleen Rapp, the Republican floor leader for the County Legislature, says fellow Republican Bill Meyer rescued the pieces of history:  

“They had been kind of buried in the court house and he found out they were there. And I mean these are irreplaceable artifacts.” (Kathleen Rapp, Republican Party floor leader, Onondaga County Legislature)

Rapp credits fellow Republican legislator William “Bill” Meyer with single-handedly saving the flags in the 1990s with a fundraising campaign to have them restored. That dedication to the county’s history is one reason why Rapp and other supporters say Meyer deserves a 10^th term in the Onondaga County Legislature’s seat from District 3.

Meyer is facing a challenge from Democrat Ed Szczesniak. Szczesniak is a former Democratic committee chairman and election commissioner. District 3 includes Cicero and parts of Manlius.

Meyer did not respond to three requests for an interview for this story.

Meyer, a Cicero resident, is a graduate of West Genesee High School and attended Auburn Community College. He has a bachelor’s of arts degree in business and social sciences from Kansas State Teachers College. He is married and has two daughters and four grandchildren. Meyer is the owner of a State Farm agency in Cicero. He is also a member of the Cicero Chamber of Commerce.

Since 1990, Meyer has been a constant presence in the legislature. After districts were remapped in 2001, his seat has been challenged four out of five elections. He’s won handily each time.

Former legislature chairman Dale Sweetland worked with Meyer  for 14 years. In 2008, Sweetland left his county legislature seat from District 12 to pursue an unsuccessful bid for Congress. Sweetland says citizens continue to vote for Meyer because Meyer works to improve the lives of his constituents.

“I think that the experience that Bill has is he knows very quickly were to go to ask the questions to help that constituent solve the problem.” (Dale Sweetland, former Onondaga County Legislature chairman, 2002-2007)

Those problems could range from difficulty dealing with social services to a road needing repaired or an intersection needing a stop sign. Sweetland recalls Meyer fighting to get a four-way stop at a Cicero intersection. Meyer won. Sweetland says Meyer works so hard because he sees it as his duty as an elected official to help others. Sweetland describes Meyer’s view this way:

“I’m here to represent my district, I’m here to represent the needs of my district. If I can help the town government or I can help the village government within my district, or help my constituents, then that’s my first priority and my first job.” (Dale Sweetland, former Onondaga County Legislature chairman, 2002-2007)

Meyer has also taken a shot at a higher post in New York government. In 2006, Meyer ran unsuccessfully for an open seat in the 121^st District in the New York State Assembly. Democrat Al Stirpe defeated Meyer by close to 2,000 votes.

The same year,  say those who know him well, Meyer faced a number of issues that help define him today as a legislator. One issue: a proposed pay raise for legislators.  Meyer fought the pay hike. In the end, he was just one of two legislators to vote against it.

In 2008, Meyer was elected the chairman of the county legislature. In seeking re-election in 2009, as of  October 23, he had raised $14,299 for his campaign, according to the New York State Board of Elections. This total is for all of 2009. He’s raised more money this year than last.

His Web site lays out his goals for a next term:

• Fighting for property tax relief.
• Doubling STAR benefits for homeowners by requiring extra money in the state budget to be used for tax relief
• Acquiring more money for Central New York schools that would typically go to downstate schools
• Cracking down on Medicaid fraud

On the Web site, Meyer says cutting Medicaid fraud would save each homeowner about $400 a year. He voted against the proposal which would raise the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 19. Legislators supporting the proposal compared it to fighting Medicaid fraud because the health benefits of tobacco restrictions would save the county millions of dollars a year. Medicaid is the heath insurance program for the poor, paid for by state, county and federal taxes.

Meyer also wins praise from fellow Republicans for his attention to detail in the nitty-gritty of policy-making. Kathleen Rapp, the Republican floor leader, recalls a time when the legislature established a new program allowing not-for-profit organizations. The program would make it easier for not-for-profit groups to get tax-exempt financing for building projects. She says Meyer helped her and others to think through the problems with this new program and keep everyone on the right track.

“Bill was like, ‘You know, hold on. What about this? What about this? Where do the fees go? Who’s going to be on the board? How’s the structure work? What are the bylaws?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’” (Kathleen Rapp, Republican Party floor leader, Onondaga County Legislature)

Meyer is a long-time opponent of tax hikes in the county. In October 2009, for example, Meyer voted against a 2.9 percent property tax increase proposed by County Executive Joanie Mahoney in the 2010 budget.

And those tattered civil war flags that Meyer rescued from the courthouse basement? They’re now on display in the courthouse lobby.

The election is November 3^rd.

I’m Chris Shepherd reporting for Democracywise.

(Chris Shepherd is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in psychology.)

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