POUGHKEEPSIE – The Government Services Committee of the Dutchess County Legislature Thursday voted to repeal the county’s electrical licensing law, but not before minority Democrats said it was a mistake and majority Republicans said the law was useless.

Freshman Republican legislator Joseph Incoronato said the current law is flawed and does nothing to protect the public.

“Has there been any rash of building fires resulting from faulty wiring? I haven’t read of any. Are people being electrocuted? I think this is smoke and mirrors.”

Democratic Minority Leader Sandra Goldberg said the law if flawed, should be corrected.

 “Throwing out the baby with the bath water does not make a lot of sense to me. This is a law for consumer protection,” she said.

In the end, majority Republicans canned the law.  The full legislature, with a Republican majority, will vote on the repeal next Wednesday.

One member of the public alleged that the new GOP majority was doing the bidding of Republican County Executive William Steinhaus, who didn’t want the bill, but whose veto was overridden by majority Democrats when they controlled the legislature last year.