Before it descended into political chaos this week, the New York State Senate, along with the Assembly, passed an ill-considered measure which supposedly streamlines the process to eliminate extra layers of government.

The bill was pushed through the legislature with breathtaking speed, with only seven business days from introduction to passage by both houses. Clearly, the sponsors of the bill were not seeking input from residents when they fast-tracked it.

State Senator Craig Johnson - (D) 7th District, an opponent of the bill recently issued some criticismx on the bill which deserve to be heard. (It's too bad that the legislature did not take more time to discuss comments such as his.) Some of his comments are as follows:

" * The threshold covering local government consolidation, or dissolution is simply too low. I do not believe that the establishment of a referendum based on the signatures from 1 out of every 10 people living within a local government reflects democracy. A low petition threshold leaves many of smaller government entities open to the whims of either a disgruntled few or the agenda of an outside organization.

* This legislation includes no requirements to directly notify residents of an upcoming referendum. I think that is fundamentally unfair in a situation where a vote can take place any time of year.

* The bill also would allow outside groups to organize petitions to abolish or consolidate local governments. It would be more prudent to require all petitions be carried by residents of the municipality under consideration.

* The measure's language also allows an open ended petition process - meaning that a petition drive could start now and last 10 years in order to get the required number of signatures.

* It also gives counties the authority to force a referendum on abolishing local governments: Fire and other public safety districts in particular. There is no provision to include towns in the process, and if a local government is abolished, it is unclear which entity would assume zoning authority and other powers — as counties do not provide many local functions."

The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Patterson.