Resolution gives new student voice to local government

Students have a new voice in local government, thanks to the efforts of one UB student and the Amherst Town Board.

Peter Rizzo, a junior English major and SUNY SA delegate, had his Student Liaison Resolution passed by the Amherst Town Board with a unanimous vote on Monday. Rizzo called the vote a major step in improving UB/community relations.

"This will force us to shed light on what goes on outside of the university community," he said.

Rizzo's efforts are part of an Advanced Honors Program project he is undertaking, and are the first of two resolutions he expects to pass: one with Amherst and one with the City of Buffalo. The Buffalo resolution will go before the Buffalo Common Council soon, according to Rizzo.

The resolution, sponsored by Councilwoman Shelly Schratz, creates a student liaison position on the Amherst Town Board to facilitate communication between the town board and UB's community relations advisory board.

"(The advisory board) will give (the liaison) things they wish to bring to the town board's attention, and they will bring issues facing the community back," Rizzo said. "There are so many things that UB does that are truly assets to Western New York and a lot of people are unaware of our involvement."

Mary Clare Fahey, UB's community service-learning coordinator, said the position won't have a vote on the town board, but it will bring a much-needed UB influence to the town's legislative body.

"Being involved with elected officials is always going to improve the relationship," she said. "Often, someone will sit on a board and be ex-officio - it's still a way to keep the board informed."

A student appointed by UB's Community Relations Advisory Board will fill the liaison position. Students will apply for the position through the Leadership Development Office, and Rizzo said South Campus accessibility would be increased by allowing applications to be accepted through the Institute for Local Government and Regional Growth offices on South Campus.

The position will not be at all connected with the Student Association, meaning that any UB student, both graduate and undergraduate, can apply for the position.

Councilwoman Shelly Schratz views the position as a way to rejuvenate Town of Amherst government.

"I think it's a great idea to get college-aged students involved in local government," she said. "We could use some young blood in government."

She did say, however, that success for the position is on the shoulders of the appointee.

"It's only as good as that person," she said. "The town needs a lot of volunteers for a lot of different things, and that's one way the position can be useful."

Schratz said that while there aren't any specific projects that the board has in mind for the liaison early on, she speculated that the position could be integral to creating a better way to get students to use the Amherst Pepsi Center.

"There are so many different things we could do. There could be more involvement with UB and the Pepsi Center, with ways to make it easier for students to go over and use the facilities there more often," she said.

While Rizzo didn't speculate on future projects, he said the position remediates one glaring problem between UB and local government.

"Right now, (there is) little to no communication between departments on community involvement," he said.

The next step for Rizzo is getting the Buffalo Common Council to pass a similar resolution, a step he said is all but certain.

After working with Councilmember Marc Coppola, who was Rizzo's initial contact in developing the project, he determined that the best place for a student representative would be on the Common Council's Community Development Committee.

"It wouldn't be appropriate to have a student on the Common Council," he said. "A lot of what they do is push paper along; stuff that would be a waste of the student's time."

He said the liaison would be most successful in the Development Committee because Buffalo growth affects UB growth.

"This position provides students a direct outlet into the planning process of the City of Buffalo," he said. "Any progress the city is making will have the input in what young people want to see."