When former state Sen. Jane Earll helped establish the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority in 2008, a single word resonated with her as arguably its most essential feature: its autonomy.
Earll, a Republican who chaired the Community, Economic & Recreational Development Committee, which oversaw the passage of the state’s casino gaming legislation , said ECGRA was purposely designed to be an independent authority, governed not by elected officials, but a volunteer board.
The thinking was that an independent board, although appointed by Erie County Council, would be the best way to ensure that local share gaming revenue was distributed fairly across the county and not be subject to political whims.
But recently, Erie County Executive Brenton Davis has chipped away at that philosophy, publicly criticizing ECGRA and threatening to dismantle it.
In recent weeks, Davis has singled out the authority for its operating costs and executive director’s salary; rebuked it in the news media as a “slush fund of walking-around money;” and floated the idea of dissolving the board altogether, placing all funding decisions squarely in the hands of political leaders.