Town Supervisor Ken Harrington and the Republican Majority on the Brunswick Town Board is known for their grow the tax-base mentality, where they aggressively push development of the town to bring in more revenue in an effort to reduce the crushing load of taxes on the citizenry of their town. There town is not unique compared to other small towns across New York State.

Does the grow the tax-base mentality work? People like Brunswick Smart Growth argue that it does not work, that the cost of services usually exceeds the benefit of additional revenue. I will leave that question up to the economists, and point to a larger problem of how development changes communities and upsets the status quo.

Development, particularly sprawling development across mountaintops and next to farm fields and pastures creates the direct possibility of rural vs. suburban neighbor conflict. People typically move out “to the country” on their 3-acre estates not to smell cow manure, have neighbor's cows grazing on their lawn, listen to the neighbors riding their quads along trails on property lines, to enjoy the smoke from the neighbors' burning barrel, or to listen to firearms being fired during hunting season.

This all leads to more restrictions on land use. Activists, claiming to be for the environment, will demand more restriction on open burning and all-terrain vehicles. Safety people will call for more restrictions on firearms, such as requiring them to be locked and disabled or increasing the set back for hunting from 500 to 1,000 feet around schools and buildings. Aesthetics will demand people keep their yards “tidy”, along with more restrictions on “junk” cars. Other restrictions are automatic and part of state law – more development means less hunting grounds due to mandatory setbacks, or restrictions on open burning when populations increase beyond 20,000.

More important is that more urbanized areas tend to lean democratic. Many of the new people who will build their houses or move into new developments will be from urban areas, and have liberal ideas and will vote Democratic. This is a serious problem if your Republican majority depends on the current rural voter make up, and you are bringing Democratic voters to your town. It's unconstitutional and impractical to pass a law that would only allow Republican voters to move in. Zoning that prefers Republicans, keeps a town rural and spread out.

Development is the biggest mistake politically that many rural Republican-controlled towns have made in our state. There would be many more Republican strongholds in Upstate New York, had Republican town boards not been more interested in expanding their tax-base, then preserving their Republican majority. Indeed, with the waning power of former Senate Majority Leader Bruno, and those who receive their power indirectly from him, suggests that Brunswick will eventually go Democratic. It will entirely be the fault of a stupid town board, that allowed so many Democrats to move in their town.

The options rural town leaders face are daunting. They have little power to actually reduce the burdensome taxes placed on residents. They can't control the outrageous decisions by school boards to continue to expand spending, well beyond peoples means and the rate of inflation. They can't control state mandates. But they can fight back, and be forceful, a bit symbolic, opposition to higher taxes. They can become heroes to the right wing of their party, and get people passionate once again about their causes.

Town leaders can openly fight school boards. Elected officials have no loyalty to school boards, indeed schools are ran by non-partisan Board of Education, that have no connection to the party operation—be it Democrat or Republican. Town leaders can tell voters not to vote for school budgets, and use all tools in their powers to demand that schools do the right thing and cut spending. Town leaders could post publicly on town signs or send out mailers stating: “Ms. Smith on the Averill Park Board of Education Wants to Raise You Taxes 13%. Tell her your thoughts—Call Her At Home at 555-3264.” After a few hundred phone calls during dinner, Ms. Smith would learn that another property tax hike is unacceptable.

Town leaders can also refuse to enforce state mandates, and force the state to enforce mandates handed down by the legislature. That could mean refusing to comply with the law, and waiting for a citizen to sue the town for non-compliance. There may be legal costs associated with such a proposition, but the political benefits may far outreach any temporary costs to the town. Rosa Parks was a hero for refusing to give up her seat to white person. Ken Harrington could be hero for being arrested for refusing to enforce a mandate that would raise taxes. Imagine how that would embolden the Republican-base, and push him to a place of greater prominence.

These tactics are harsh, but certainly not unheard of in increasing competitive political races. If the old establishment wants to have any chances of surviving, they have to change, and learn how to fight back the smart way—adopting progressive policies and reasonable growth control, while aggressively fighting state mandates and school taxes.