Remaking Genesee Street . . .

I couldn't let this topic go without a comment since I touched upon it a couple years ago . . .

While Genesee Street is in bad need of a make-over, and FREE (not the proposed- pay-station) parking is needed near business places, preferably right on the street, for them to compete with their suburban peers, the idea of a median down the middle seems wrong-headed.

A median will destroy Genesee Street's special character. That street's width, combined with it cutting diagonally across other streets and the long view-shed from Smith Hill to Oneida Square creates a unique urban environment that is beautiful and prominently displays iconic pieces of architecture.  The wide views give a feeling that one is in a place of importance. Indeed, it is our place for parades and important events.

A median would make Genesee St. feel more intimate -- more like a suburb. But people look to downtowns for excitement! The median will destroy the unique niche that only Genesee can fill.

That said, I like the idea of remaking Genesee St. without a median. Look at the Champs Elysée as a model. Reduction of traffic lanes should be done only if supported by a traffic study based on current traffic PLUS that which would be generated by full occupancy of existing buildings.  Pedestrians should be given the right of way in designated crosswalks between Franklin Sq. and Court St. On street parking should be increased with diagonal parking on at least one side if the lanes can be narrowed or both sides if lanes are eliminated.

But whatever is done a traffic study must support any proposed changes to lanes.

Fear, Smugness, Arrogance? ... or Dirty Trick?

From the Binghamton PressConnects: Email: Hanna threatened to end ads if station didn't drop debate plan.

Rep. Richard Hanna told WUTR-TV in Utica he would stop running campaign ads with the station unless it dropped plans to co-host a debate in which Hanna refused to participate, according to an e-mail written by the station’s general manager. WUTR’s Stephen Merren said Thursday he accidentally sent the e-mail recounting the conversation to the spokesman for Democratic candidate Dan Lamb.

From the Journal News' "Politics on the Hudson" blog:

WUTR, an ABC affiliate, had planned to co-host a debate with WSYR, also an ABC affiliate, that would be taped Friday and broadcast later in the month. The new district covers three TV media markets—Binghamton, Utica and Syracuse. Hanna declined to participate in the one-hour event, which the stations then shortened to a half-hour session with Lamb only. WUTR pulled out of the debate after Hanna’s phone call to Merren on Tuesday. On Thursday, WSYR also canceled plans for the debate. “We are going to have to back out of this taping on Friday and deal with our relationship with Congressman Hanna on our own,” Merren said in his Wednesday email, which described Hanna as “angry.”

Initial reaction to these stories may be outrage.  This certainly will give some pause for pulling the lever for Mr. Hanna.  Debates have become an American tradition.  Not participating in them could signal fear of not doing well . . . or smugness that one doesn't have to be bothered because polling suggests one is ahead. Whatever the interpretation, non-participation deprives voters of a side-by-side comparison. Avoidance of scrutiny by a public servant will be taken by many as arrogance.

But something else may be afoot here . . . 

WKTV is already hosting a debate (10/23/12 @ 5:30p). WUTR recently established a news organization that directly competes with WKTV.  It would be natural for WUTR to want to be able to offer its viewers a debate like its competitor.  But the Hanna-Lamb debate schedule is rather intensive (see the Lo-Hud article).  How many debates can the candidates be expected to engage in?  Could some of them have been combined? Did the new guy on the block, WUTR, simply insist on a debate that Mr. Hanna had no time for ... and then threaten to give Mr. Lamb an "empty chair" to debate with when WUTR didn't get its way -- to bully Mr. Hanna into acquiescing?  If you are a candidate and were pressured like that, wouldn't you threaten to pull yours ads? The media where these stories are running would not be aware of the media competition going on in Utica -- and would be sympathetic to local-candidate Mr. Lamb.

The Binghamton article leaves out the fact that the contestants are already scheduled to do a debate in the same market on WKTV.

Mr. Lamb seems awfully quick to accuse Mr. Hanna (in both articles) of "using his money to influence the journalistic decisions of a local news station."

We can only speculate on what really happened, but the "accidental" nature of the e-mail from Mr. Merren of WUTR to Mr. Lamb's campaign seems suspicious -- as does Mr. Lamb's quickly jumping on the situation.

Regardless, these stories require Mr. Hanna to clarify what happened . . . otherwise his constituents will speculate whether his actions represent fear, smugness, arrogance ... or the product of a dirty trick.

The Limits of Tolerance . . .

Diversity is America's strength. Tolerance makes it work.
But tolerance has its limits...

Three stories from The Blaze this past week illustrate how this worked for one New York State Senator:

• Video Shows Dem. NY State Senator Walking Off Stage in Protest During Anti-Semitic Speech at NY Muslim Parade
• The NY State Senator Who Walked Off Stage at the Muslim Day Parade Has A History With Muslims
• NY State Sen. Breaks Silence About Why He Walked Off Stage at Muslim Day Parade: ‘Attack on Our Country’

Where does one draw the line between tolerance and political correctness? 
What should one do when that line is crossed?

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold 

is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

..........    Thomas Jefferson 

"Absolutely Uncertain"

Thought provoking . . .

OMH Disses West Utica . . .

... while Being its Most Prominent Slumlord!

Per WUTR last Friday: MVPC Brigham Building tour sparks controversy; some say public is being shut out

Some of the Utica City Council members were told they would be getting a tour of the facility this afternoon. Upon their arrival, they were told the tour was cancelled and they'd have to leave the premises immediately, otherwise we'd be forcibly removed.

Per an exchange of e-mails secured by Fault Lines, Councilman Vescera arranged with Gov. Cuomo's Regional Representative, Charles "Sonny" Greco, for a tour by three parties of the Brigham Building on the Office of Mental Health's MVPC campus on Friday, September 21st at 4PM. Mr. Greco made it very clear that a head count was needed, and that all tour participants were to "come prepared with hard hats, steel toed boots, and flashlights or he/she will not be permitted on the tour."

It's not clear from the story above what went wrong, but the prospective tourists were denied access in rather blunt terms. Did the tourists follow the rules? Did too many people show up?  No explanation is apparent.

Formerly a cornerstone of West Utica with a lot of good-paying jobs, the MV Psych Center has shed almost all of its employees over the years, recently closing its last ward. The hulking abandoned buildings, boarded up and with broken windows are unsightly. Additionally many former residents on the margins of the bell-curve of social behavior have taken up residence near by. The triple whammy of job-removal, slum-like buildings, and significant numbers of people with behavioral problems has contributed to the decline of the West Utica neighborhood.

The City of Utica, for the most part, has allowed all this to occur for years with nary a wimper of complaint.

However, as defective as the City's new Master Plan is, the Plan recognizes the importance of the Psych Center both to the neighborhood's current state as well as to it's potential renaissance. The Master Plan calls for the City and State to come up with a redevelopment plan where the campus could host private facilities as well as ones owned by the state ... much like the Harriman Campus in the western part of Albany.

The fact that developers are showing an interest in the Brigham Building is a good sign for Utica, and the planned tour was to be an aid in potentially redeveloping the site.

The State needs to do its part.  While it won't acknowledge its role in West Utica's decline, it could at least cooperate with those who are trying to build the area up.

State officials need to remember what is stated at the bottom of each of Mr.  Greco's e-mails: 
"WE WORK FOR THE PEOPLE"

DOT Ignores West Utica

... While Bulldozing its way through it!

Per YNN: Stakeholders give feedback about Arterial

Utica and the Department of Transportation are in the final stages of planning the $62 million North-South Arterial project. ... And to help them decide on the finishing touches, the D.O.T has pulled together a stake holders committee. . . .
It's a committee of 17 people who represent numerous organizations throughout the city, including the police and fire departments, Holy Trinity Church, the Chamber of Commerce and even the historical society. Their responsibility is to give feedback, specifically about the aesthetics.

.
But just who does DOT think are the real stakeholders? Check out DOT's list at left. Where are the people who live within a couple of blocks of the arterial who will have to walk out of their way to see their neighbors? Where are the businesses along the arterial (the ones not getting special treatment such as a parking lot) whose customers may get lost trying to find their shops after the arterial is finished?

DOT ignores the people and businesses most affected, while giving a seat at the table to "regional" groups such as the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce and Genesis.

And where is the City on this?  It's with the regional groups rather than its own residents!

Until government starts paying attention to how its actions affect individual people and businesses, economic activity will continue to be taken elsewhere.

More Public-Private "Partnerships" ? ...

. . . or more Giveaways of Public (Taxpayer) Money to Private Parties?

SUNYIT organization would help local manufacturers 

The new Center for Global Advanced Manufacturing will provide computer programs and other tools such manufacturers might not be able to afford on their own, so the businesses can better develop new products.
“Many small manufacturers here say low access to newer tools and processes keep them from being even greater,” said College President Bjong Wolf Yeigh at the Friday announcement. “Our aim is to provide the resource.”

In New York, we have about the highest tax burden in the country . . . but the taxpayer can still be tapped to subsidize private companies.  

 I would argue that this violates the NYS Constitution, but the Court of Appeals does not seem to care (too bad the judges are no longer elected). Regardless, some people will get help and others will not.  Those who do not get help -- including those who do not seek it -- are placed at a competitive disadvantage to their peers that get the help.  The government, essentially, picks winners and losers.  

This moves us in the direction of state-capitalism ... sort of like the old Soviet Union. . . . and we all should remember how well that turned out.

The Saga of the New Hartford Town Library Continues . . .

. . . as does the attitude problem of some employees and trustees.

The impression is that they do not care about those who are paying for their "private club."

Read about it on New Hartford Online Blog: New Hartford Public Library Trustee Meeting on Sept. 19, 2012

Underperforming Upstate . . .

An article was published in Business Insider this past week listing "The 11 Worst-Performing Cities in America."

Isn't it odd that the author chose to list 11 instead of 10?  Perhaps it was to avoid having the article over-emphasize New York since Upstate New York cities comprise four out of the "top"  (or should I say "bottom") worst-performing cities.  Those cities are Albany #4, Buffalo #5, Syracuse #9, and Poughkeepsie #10.

Albany is rather interesting being the worst in  NY considering the literally 100s of Millions of taxpayer dollars spent promoting nano-tech there.  I guess pouring tons of tax dollars into supporting private businesses just doesn't raise everyone's boat.

And before popping champagne corks over Utica not being listed, Utica-Rome Metro was not even considered because this area is no longer among the 100 largest metropolitan areas in population.

Considering that other "old" metro areas in the Northeast such as Boston and Worscester, MA are doing quite well should strongly suggest that the problem is rooted in NYS policies.

For detailed information on which areas are doing well and which are not check the interactive map on Brookings Metro Monitor September 2012.

Handouts!

Local jerky, country store to expand, relocate

Mohawk Valley EDGE presented Jodi-Lynn Patla, owner of Joe’s Jerky and Nonnie’s Country Store, a check for $32,500 last week to assist in the manufacturing expansion and retail relocation of her businesses.

Dependency  on government ... and government competing with local banks.  That's what's going on here . . . NOT economic development.

Suspicion Confirmed!

A week ago it was interesting to see a photo of Oneida County Executive Tony Picente standing with Oneida County majority leader George Joseph tagged "Friends of" the Orange County Candidate who is running against Claudia Tenney, the Assemblywoman from New Hartford in Thursday's Primary (9/13/12).

Well now it has been confirmed by the campaign flyer at left that Tony Picente has actually endorsed Ms. Tenney's opponent.

I don't know what axe Mr. Picente has to grind with Ms. Tenney, but his endorsement of someone from entirely out of the area requires some explaining.

Undoubtedly there are deep philosophical differences between Mr. Picente and Ms. Tenney with the former being a big government/spender type (Airport, NanoCenter), and the latter a conservative.  But to say through his endorsement that someone from over 100 miles away from New Hartford can better represent that Town (and the Town of Paris next door) than someone who actually resides in New Hartford is plain nonsense.  It appears that Mr. Picente cannot put his personal agenda aside for what is best for the area.

And we wonder why we have no clout?

Perhaps a comparison of the two candidates better explains Mr. Picente's endorsement.

Could Not Have Said It Better Myself . . .

So I will simply post a link to Bobby Sullivan's post about Vescera, The Common Council, and Freedom in City Hall!

Buying STEM Majors?

Hanna proposes college tax credit

 U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna was at SUNYIT Thursday promoting a bill he crafted that would provide a tax credit for students in science, technology, engineering and math.

“We have to acknowledge that this country has to step up and formally encourage people to do the things we say they should be doing,” Hanna said.

The last I checked it costs the same to get a degree in biology as it does in art. And we make up for our lack of STEM majors in the workplace by importing them from usually poorer countries such as India. Therefore, a lack of money does not seem to be the cause of so few people going into STEM majors ... so why should this solve the problem?

If this program does, somehow, encourage more to go into STEM areas, are they the type of students who really have the interest and aptitude for it?  Or are they just going for the money?  How effective will they be in the workplace?  Will they be happy?

I think this whole approach is wrong and, in an era when the Federal Government borrows 40 cents out of every dollar, incredibly wasteful.  This only benefits the higher education lobby and not the population at large.

Why are other countries more successful at recruiting STEM students?

Answer that question and you will know whether this program is appropriate or not. I suspect that you will find curriculum differences in K-12 education that have created the problem.

Marcy NanoCenter in the Balance - Part 2

. . . or "Why government shouldn't play entrepreneur" . . .

Yesterday's OD had an article The Marcy nano site: what now? That's a good question!

While this blogger  believes that EDGE is correct in that its site should be permitted, EDGE is dealing with administrative agencies (Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency) whose missions, protecting the environment, produce natural inclinations to expand their jurisdictions, prohibit everyone from doing anything, and force all who disagree to go through litigation where the deck is stacked against them. Even when a victory limiting an agency is won, as in the 2006 Rapanos Decision, it is often after a great toll, and what the victory actually means on the ground may still be unclear. These inclinations have only increased under the current administration in Washington where Executive Orders and guidance documents have pushed the limits of the law.

Prudent investors simply avoid getting involved with such situations.

But we are not dealing with prudent investors.  We are dealing with EDGE and Oneida County involving tax dollars, governmental power, and strong personalities. The wetlands issue has been known since 2001. Where private investors would long ago have insisted upon a permit before spending another dime, we continued to send our people around the world, build infrastructure, confiscate private farmland, and make plans for a chip-fab that may never come.

Of course we could always get lucky and have a manufacturer come here that is willing to deal with the ACE issue, but what is the chance of that when they can go anywhere in the world?

Surprising for an administrative decision, the Army Corps of Engineers described Marcy NanoCenter as a "build it and they will come"  project. That was derisive. If past is prologue, and consistent with other County-led efforts such as the Airport, the Sewer District and the Water Authority, we'll continue to dig in our heels, make things even "bigger" and "better," marginalize those who disagree with us as naysayers, and create a "too big to fail"  situation that requires another level of government to step in.

I propose skipping all the local taxpayer-sapping interim steps and bring in another level of government now.

EDGE and the County need to turn this problem over to Big Guns who are better equipped to deal with the Federal government and have as much, if not more, at stake:  the State of New York.  The State, after all, certainly talks a good game of being "open for business," has big plans for SUNYIT, and hangs its hat on a high tech future.  SEMI-NY was a State initiative. The State designated Marcy NanoCenter as one of its key development sites.  The State supposedly has economic development expertise.  The State has environmental expertise, has working relationships with the Federal environmental agencies, and even has a potential to assume some of the federal authority in certain circumstances.   Marcy NanoCenter is beyond local capabilities to pull off.

That done,  the county needs to discontinue its "entrepreneur" approach to "economic development." That is the responsibility of the private sector.  Instead, the county needs to focus on its job of governing in a manner that  ensures taxpayers get value for their dollars.

Well-run, competent, and efficient government will be the region's best economic development incentive.

Interesting . . .

The Oneida County Executive and the Oneida County Majority Leader are pictured at left with the Orange County challenger to the local candidate for State Assembly.

Interesting ...

Also interesting is the story of the Oneida County candidate that was published recently in the Colgate University newspaper.

Maybe it's just my imagination, but . . .

doesn't it seem that our local leaders fear those who may know more than they . . . and will even throw the region under the bus to shut those with different ideas up to protect their own turf?

Marcy NanoCenter in the Balance - Part 1

In case you missed them, there were two excellent interviews on WUTQ this week concerning Army Corps of Engineers' recent denial of a wetlands permit for the Marcy NanoCenter project pending that project signing up a tenant.

Jeff Hawk of Army Corps of Engineers vs Steve DiMeo of MV EDGE  

Administrative balancing . . . 

ACE is an administrative agency charged with carrying out the provisions of Clean Water Act Section 404.  It can only act within the authority found in its governing statute and regulations. Its decisions must be based upon substantive evidence.  It cannot act arbitrarily or capriciously. It also has an obligation to act and not avoid its responsibilities. ACE must balance each proposal against what is required by law. 

ACE is concerned that EDGE will never find a tenant, and that, per ACE's decision, the wetland “will be filled without purpose.”

"Purpose" is key to understanding this controversy . . .

As understood by the public, the  purpose of this project is to have an Oneida County site prepared where the semi-conductor industry can simply come in and break ground on a plant without delay, with the ultimate goal of producing local jobs. 

 

There is nothing in the Part 230 regulations that allows ACE to evaluate the purpose of the project beyond determining whether or not it is a water-dependent activity and whether it might be more appropriately conducted elsewhere with less adverse impact. ACE feels that it needs the tenant because it hopes to work with the tenant to get the tenant to modify its requirements to further reduce the impact to the wetland -- but that defeats the entire purpose of the project by injecting delay and uncertainty. Simply put, ACE does not have the legal authority to change the purpose of the project but its position is an attempt to do so.

Previously ACE had issued a permit to EDGE with the condition that no work be performed on the site without a written contract securing a tenant.   "In the District’s view, issuing a conditioned permit achieved the goal of identifying a site that was “pre-approved” or “pre-permitted” in order to attract a semiconductor facility . . . "  Mr. Hawk admitted during his interview on WUTQ that ACE has no expertise in the semi-conductor industry.  ACE's determination that its previously-issued permit was sufficient "to attract a semiconductor facility," thus, was a determination that was both outside its expertise and not based upon substantive evidence.   

As pointed out by Mr. DiMeo during his interview, ACE has issued similar permits for shopping centers without requiring the developer to have signed commitments from tenants. Why did not ACE require commitments in those situations to ensure that the wetland is not filled "without purpose" or to work with those tenants to get them to reduce their impacts by, perhaps, reducing the sizes of their stores?  What regulation allows ACE to make the tenant a requirement for EDGE's proposed shovel-ready site but not for shopping centers?  ACE is acting arbitrarily and capriciously when it requires tenants in one situation and not the other.

Simply put, ACE, without authority, without evidence, and without the proper expertise has arbitrarily imposed a tenant requirement to avoid conducting the review it is commanded by law to perform. We can only guess why it has done this.

This situation can only be rectified by ACE's recognition of its errors and doing its job, or by litigation.

Whether or not Oneida County should proceed to litigation involves another type of balancing ... but that will be discussed in Part 2.

County to Kill Businesses ...

... for a parking lot!

 Picente-proposes-downtown-parking-plan

Under the proposal, the county would buy three businesses on the south side of Elizabeth Street, raze them and build a parking lot with around 160 spaces

1) Who makes up the lost property tax to Utica?
2) Who makes up the lost sales tax to Utica?
3) Who makes up the lost jobs to Utica?
4) What makes up for the three fewer reasons to come to downtown Utica?

Add this to lost businesses for the Arterial remake ... and the new bus transfer station...

And this city and county wonder why Utica can't make ends meet!

Cheap Transportation and Cheap Power . . .

... built Upstate New York and made it thrive.

Our elected leaders have already trashed the cheap transportation part by not eliminating the Thruway Authority and its Tolls after all our competitors got free interstate highways.

Are they doing it again with power?  It sure looks like it:

 GOP senators say Canada to NYC power line will cost jobs . 

The proposed project does not seem to have the environmental/aesthetic disadvantages of the NYRI proposal.  So far, I do not hear that the proposal will raise Upstate power rates as NYRI was projected to do.  So what is the problem?

Sounds like Upstate power producers will have too much power on their hands if NYC stops purchasing it. They will have to lower the rates to get rid of it.  They will have to become more efficient.

Perhaps Upstate power rates will finally be brought into line what that of our competitors for jobs.

These senators seem to be more interested in protecting private business interests than bringing about an economic revival in Upstate NY.

Marcy Nano: Time to Move On . . .

In the OD's VIEW: Leaders must keep Marcy site on priority list

It’s time to stop the chicken-and-egg game between Mohawk Valley EDGE and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding development of the nanotechnology site in Marcy. And it’s up to our elected leaders to get that job done.

Agreed . . . But it's not going to happen.

Simply put, there is a matter of federal vs state jurisdiction involved and our elected leaders are not up to tackling that issue. The once Empire State is now a welfare queen, economically dependent upon the handouts of the federal government. Our leaders do not dare to bite the hand that feeds them.  

Marcy Nano is not going to happen either.

Federal wetland permit not withstanding, unless the State is ready to throw a $Billion or more into the local project like it did in Malta, it's not going anywhere. Our window of opportunity shut in 2006 when Malta was chosen by Advanced Micro Devices for its chip fab. We (supposedly) had the advantage of a shovel ready site because Malta had water supply and public relations problems back then. But Malta was chosen in spite of those issues. Anyway, that is the past.

Now that other areas with greater educational resources have sites of their own,  including Malta which was designed to accommodate 4 plants, what do we have to offer chip fabrication and distribution that cannot be found elsewhere .... and probably at a lower cost?

Even the Malta "success" must be recognized for what it is:  concentrated taxpayer spending on a particular business.  What happens when that business runs into trouble? Are we going to give them a bailout, too? Will the force of government be used to crush the competition? Developing the infrastructure and raising capital for particular businesses is the responsibility of the businesses, not the government and not the taxpayer.

It's time to move on . . .

We have wasted time trying to bribe, cajole, and trick businesses into coming here at taxpayer expense while failing to address the reasons why businesses already here continue to leave, i.e., We are too expensive and too complicated compared to other places.  The extra costs for taxes, tolls, fees, utilities, and regulatory compliance cut into potential profits and produce nothing of value for either the producers or the consumers. If we really want jobs, we have to identify what the costs are and bring them into line with our competition.   We may find that, to paraphrase Mies van der Rohe . . .

Less [government] is more [jobs].

No No Nano ...

When will SUNYIT nanocenter materialize in Marcy?

Since the respective announcements in 2008 and 2009 of $27.5 million for a Center for Advanced Technology, or CAT, and $45 million Computer Chip Commercialization Center, or Quad-C, projected starts to the project regularly have been pushed back. A source close to the project, however, said the delays were for a good reason: The scope of the project has grown, and the construction group, which is expected to be named soon, had to go back and alter the plans. That announcement is expected this fall, according to the source.

This is starting to sound like Destiny USA.

Guess that Explains the Ammo 2 ...

We've got too many agencies with armed-agents

As quoted on Fox in 2009:

THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA: We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

Can these dots be connected?

Onondaga County Gets It

Onondaga County Executive proposes new plan to stop suburban sprawl

Onondaga County lost 5,785 acres of farmland between 2002 and 2007, and 1,300 acres of forests were lost to development between 1992 and 2006. All the while, the county’s population growth has remained flat, so the same number of people have to pay to maintain a growing amount of public infrastructure such as roads, sewers and water lines.

Same population + more infrastructure = higher taxes and fees

What is so difficult to understand?

Onondaga County has recognized this problem since the late 90's and at least tried to deal with it, albeit not effectively.

Oneida County government does not even know that it has a problem. It not only has done zilch to control sprawl -- it subsidizes it with PILOTS, allowing illegal sewer hookups, expanding the traffic capacity of county roads in suburban towns, giving tax breaks for suburban development, etc. etc. And property taxes and fees in general go up and up.

I'm not sure that Ms. Mahoney's proposal for Onondaga County is right for Oneida County.... but can Oneida County at least stop the things it does which support sprawl?

Guess That Explains the Ammo . . .

Or does it?

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: SO HERE’S WHY WE NEED 174,000 HOLLOW POINT BULLETS… 

 

Compassion Aside ...

CBS: Window opens on Obama deportation delay program

Although this program seems to be the compassionate thing to do, there is a much bigger issue here:  the Breakdown of our government's system of checks and balances.

Simply put, the President is ignoring the law.

This seems to be a problem throughout government these days. The legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch carrys out the laws, and the judicial branch resolves disputes in application of the laws.  Constitutions, Federal and State, set the parameters of what government can and cannot do. 

But for government to work properly, there must be mutual respect of one branch for the others, and all branchs must respect the constitution.

The respect is gone.  And when that happens, the logical end result is anarchy or dictatorship.

Please Vote YES on the New Hartford Library . . .

... so I won't have to pay for it any more!

That is because I live in part of the Town of New Hartford that is not in the New Hartford School District.  If voters approve rechartering the NH Library from a town to a school district library, only the taxpayers in the New Hartford Central School District will be taxed to support the library . . .

And, apparently, what a tax it will be!

The library budget is proposed to increase 67% to $893,675!  And from the tone of the recently published statements of some of the incumbent trustees who are running to be elected to the new library board, further increases are to be expected to serve the increased demands of library "patrons."

But who are the "patrons" who are making such demands?

Since this is "New Hartford," it is likely that the current board of trustees reflects the makeup of the "patrons," i.e., they are fairly well-heeled persons who have the means to access information independently on their own dime without having to tap fellow taxpayers to pay for it.   As with any library, in all likelihood the "patrons" are an insignificant percentage of the population that is being asked to pay for the facility. Most taxpayers will seldom, if ever, actually use the library.  Given the library's physical location on the edge of New Hartford Village, it would appear that most patrons drive to the library rather than walk to it.  This begs the question: 

If most patrons drive to the NH library, why not drive to -- and fund -- the Utica Public Library instead? 

Libraries are important for giving the disadvantaged of a community regular access to information that the non-disadvantaged can obtain by other means. That gives the disadvantaged an opportunity to elevate their status through education -- which benefits the entire community.  But how may disadvantaged people reside in the New Hartford School District --  and also have a car to be able to use the NH Library?

Libraries are also important for giving the non-disadvantaged occasional access to hard-to-find information that they might not ordinarily be able to obtain.  How much of such information could or should a school district of only 2600 students be expected to accumulate?

The Utica Public Library is only a few miles from the New Hartford Library.  It may actually be more convenient to some parts of the NH School District than the current Town Library. 

The Utica Public Library is the region's public library.  It is the one that is located closest to the region's disadvantaged who need it the most.  It is also the most centrally located to the region's population who need the library for occasional use. It's collection is already fairly large and it is professionally staffed.  But through urban sprawl the population the Utica Public Library still serves no longer contributes to its maintenance. 

I believe that the hearts of the library trustees pushing this rechartering are in the right place -- but their execution is wrong.  The region can afford only one regional library.  If the trustees are serious about improving the community, they will explore ways to improve and fund the Utica library, and not continue with something that competes with it. If the region could pool its resources in Utica, just think of what a great library we all could have.

In the meantime, I selfishly hope that voters approve rechartering the New Hartford  Library as a School District Library so I no longer have to pay for something that does me and my community little good.

More information about this proposal, including a lot of statistics, is available on New Hartford Online.

Taking Power From the People

It's odd that this aspect of the Coroner/Medical Examiner controversy is not being discussed.

What the public is made to believe is that one of the County's ELECTED Coroners has not been doing his job properly, has caused problems because of it, and that this is why we need to go to a Medical Examiner system.

WHO IS THE DEFAULTING CORONER?

Is it not odd that for all the controversy we, the voters, do not know who this person is? That we, the voters, are being denied the opportunity to throw this person out of office ourselves?  Usually no one pays attention to the coroner's election because there is no controversy.  Well now there is.

We can debate the merits of  Coroner vs Medical examiner all day. What we should not be debating is giving the public a say in this process .... but there is no debate.  The decision which has been THE PUBLIC'S for generations is simply being taken from us by the Board of Legislators and the County Executive.

This needs to go to a referendum.

The Upstate Transportation Tax

Nice to see Assemblywoman Tenney speaking out against the new Thruway toll hike on trucks.  More of .... no ... ALL of our upstate legislators should be raising hell over this outrageous selective tax on transportation between most major upstate New York cities.  All the talk from the governor about wanting to help the Upstate economy is just that ... Talk.  Same goes for the state legislature.

The Thruway needs to be treated like other Interstate Highways in New York State.  I-81 from the PA to the Canadian border, I-87 from Albany to Canada, I-88 from Binghamton to Albany, I-86 across the Southern Tier, I-390 south of Rochester, I-84 in the lower Hudson Valley, I-495 from NYC to Riverhead, Long Island -- They are All FREE.

Why should the Thruway have its own separate bureaucracy at this point in time?  The Federal government at former US Senator Moynihan's urging gave NYS the money to pay for the Thruway in the late 1980s -- It should have been made free then.  The original bonds for the Thruway were paid off in 1996 -- The Thruway should have been made free then.  What has happened since is that because this was a separate stream of revenue --- and provided a nice place to put patronage jobs -- the no-longer-needed structure of the Thruway Authority was maintained.  So main-line Upstate cities are stuck with the transportation tax that is not imposed elsewhere in NYS.

It is a drag on our economy.

The time to dismantle the Thruway Authority and fold its responsibilities into the Department of Transportation is NOW.

Thinking Beyond the 911 Grant? Of Course Not!

From the OD: Oneida County's 911 system in financial bind 

The 911 center, which fields emergency calls from Utica and New Hartford and all the other municipalities in the county, is seeing $1 million drop out of its budget in 2013 as a pair of state grants run out.

And a hoped-for infusion of new funds related to surcharges on cellphones failed to make it through the state Legislature before its session ended in late June.

Now, county officials are trying to figure out a way to pay for the center, which costs the county almost $1.8 million even with the help of the expiring grants.

The only reason the 911 system was solvent all these years was because people in Utica and New Hartford were paying for the system like other county residents but they were not getting the service.   Now that both municipalities have joined County 911 the County cannot make ends meet!

Margaret Thatcher once said that the problem with socialists is that they eventually run out of spending other people's money. Oneida County just did . . .

And you thought Republicans were running Oneida County!

Where is OC Planning?

Another development in New Hartford! This time further out on Seneca Turnpike. This is pretty close to the edge of the urbanized area, pushing sprawl further out. While town officials think this is a good thing, town residents already know otherwise based on some of the comments to the OD article.

One has to ask, where is Oneida County Planning in all this? If anyone, those professionls Should understand the harm that sprawl causes the entire region... that the entire region is becoming unsustainable because there are too few of us to afford to pay for and maintain the additionl infrastructure needed to support it ... But they seem to rubber stamp anything a politically connected developer wants to do.

OC Planning rubber-stamped all the new suburban developments that plugged sanitary sewage
lines into a combined sewer overflow which led to our expensive Consent Order that we pay for in our sewer bills. OC Planning ignored its own planning documents when the County pushed to send Utica water to Verona. OC Planning sat idly by while a nice-sized airport was traded in for something our population cannot possibly justify.

Read Will Greater Cleveland squander its chance for sustainability planning. They could be talking about Greater Utica.

Why do we pay for a county planning department that misses the forest for the trees?

Challenge Federal Jurisdiction . . .

This nonsense has really gone on long enough: Officials wait for decision on need for permit for nano site.

But the Army Corps doesn’t want the site’s wetlands to be touched until a buyer is found.

The theory for federal control and the need for federal permission to develop the site is that the "wetlands" on the site are somehow connected to the navigible waters of the United States. But the federal government has really been pushing the envelope on this to the point where people cannot even develop their own homesites because a drainage ditch runs across their premises.

First, whatever is done to the Marcy site, there is no impact on interstate commerce whatsoever -- meaning that the federal government has no jurisdiction.

Second, there are no "waters of the United States" that could be potentially affected. Unlike non-colonial states that were carved out of federal territory which would have federal waters, New York State was an original colony. It was sovereign after Independence was declared. The waters belong to the state and not the federal government.

No one wants to challenge federal jurisdiction because of the potential loss of federal funds -- the strings holding our puppets. But this needs to be done, otherwise more and more decisions are going to be made by a far off bureaucracy that is unresponsive to local needs . . . unresponsive like King George was unresponsive to the colonies.

Assault on Private Business, Taxpayers, Insurance Buyers

Three recent stories in the OD:
Utica’s ambulance controversy becomes state issue
Utica fire officials urge state lawmakers on ambulance law
Proposed state law could end fight over Utica ambulance service

Changing the law to exempt municipalities from having to show a public need to run an ambulance service is a terrible idea.

First, it opens the doors in many places to government competing directly with existing private businesses in many communities.  Do we really want to encourage expansion of the roll of government?

Second, since government is almost never as efficiently run as private businesses, undoubtedly the taxpayers are going to wind up paying for some of this.  In the case of Utica, we have yet to see a complete accounting for what the ambulance service is costing taxpayers, particularly in the areas of overtime and increased cost to cover increased pensions generated by more overtime. Of course the fire department will support this!

Third, at least in the case of Utica according to news reports, charges to insurance companies for ambulance services have been significantly higher than what is being charged by the private ambulance service.  This will result in increased health insurance rates for the region.

The proposed law is anti-business and will wind up costing taxpayers and health insurance buyers more money.

Here We Go Again!

Western Oneida County Leader:'We need more water'

1. Western Oneida County municipalities which hope to grow and/or the Turning Stone Casino need to make the investments already made by Utica and its surrounding municipalities in developing their own water supply resources instead of Johnny-come-lately merely tapping into Greater Utica's/Herkimer County's supply. To the extent the Utica area has water to spare (legally doubtful) it needs to be kept in reserve for future growth in Greater Utica.

2. Oneida County needs to follow the water supply study it commissioned back in the late 1960s along with the State Health Department. It looked at all potential water supply resources in the Region and planned for significant future growth. No new study is needed. The plan is there. Other sources exist that are more appropriate for western OC to use.

3. Oneida County needs to understand that the water supply belongs to certain communities in Greater Utica and not to the County, and that certain Herkimer County municipalies already have been given rights to the Greater Utica supply. The communities with rights are specifically listed in MVWA's permit. Western Oneida County is not included.

4. The City of Utica, New Hartford, Whitestown and other municipalities currently listed in the permit need to impress upon their MVWA reps that any proposal to share water with Western Oneida County will limit potential future growth in THEIR areas.

5. Mr. Becher needs to be replaced.

ODstrich!

This is just so maddening: OD's View: We-need-to-work-on-improving-our-self-esteem
NO, WE DON'T!

There are many of us who see the good in Utica, promote it, and help Utica in whatever way we can.  But we are realists.  We are not going to pretend there are no problems.... Ignoring problems is a sure fire way of keeping them from ever being solved.

AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENT.

But silence is clearly what the O D wants of us if we cannot support the vision of the Editorial Board and the regional power structure that it supports.

The problem is not the people who are complaining. Rather, it is an arrogant regional elite who think they are smarter than everyone else, think only of themselves rather than the people they supposedly serve, and refuse to acknowledge the failure of their policies; and an Observer-Dispatch that lets them get away with it.

A Diploma for Every Occasion! or Purpose . . . or Whatever . ..

Seems like Global History is getting the short shrift in the latest "improvement" to come out of our Albany Educrats.

From OD's view: Regents' plan for diploma options should get OK

Beginning in 2013, students entering ninth grade would have a choice of three possible pathways to graduation:

The traditional Regents diploma. . . .

A Career and Technical Education diploma. This would require students to pass Regents exams in English, math, science and U.S. history. Instead of the global history exam, they would take a CTE assessment that meets the college and career-ready level of rigor.

The STEM diploma. This focuses on science, technology, engineering and math. Students who choose this path would substitute a second math or science assessment for the global history requirement. . .

What do the Regents have against Global History?

Read between the lines: The Regents are preparing students either for college or for some line of work as though those are the only two purposes of a public school education. 

What ever happened to the idea of creating a knowledgeable population that can think for itself?

While many fail to see the importance of learning history (I was once in this category) the things that are happening today in the news are really not that different from what has happened before. People should be aware of global history to be aware of where their society may be headed. With awareness comes the power to avoid the mistakes of the past through the power of the ballot box . . . Ignorance will doom society to repeat the sins of the past.

The intent of the Regents seems pretty apparent: The Regent's Diploma students get Global History. They are being groomed to be the future leaders of a new global society. The rest are trained to be cogs in that society's machinery, merely to produce needed goods and services. Deliberately keep them ignorant of global history and they won't be able to muck up the New World Order.

OD Blackout: Paladino Endorses Kicinski

From the Amherst Times: Paladino Endorses Kicinski for Congress
From WNY Media's Albany's Insanity: PALADINO ENDORSES KICINSKI FOR CONGRESS

  “In 2010, the TEA Party supported and campaigned for their present representative,” said Paladino. “But it is clear from the incumbent’s voting record that he is not listening to or representing the people of the district,” Paladino continued. “Mike can be trusted because he knows he is accountable to those who support him.”

Interesting . . .

Fishing for $$$!

This makes me crazy . . . 

Local resort receives $700,000 federal tourism grant (5/14/2012)

Fish Creek Cabin Resort has received a Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan for rural development totaling $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced Monday. The funding will allow the resort to purchase cabins and rental equipment and grow business beyond kayaking and canoeing to benefit skiers, fishers, and hikers as well, Schumer said.

Tourism grant awards announced (5/14/2012)

Oneida County Tourism has announced the recipients for its new Tourism Marketing Grant Assistance Program. The awards provide financial assistance for the promotion of tourism attractions, events and activities taking place in Oneida County . . . Fish Creek Cabin Resorts,. 5,625.00,. . .

Microenterprise Grant assists Fish Creek Cabin Resort to begin operations in Taberg, NY (10/27/2011)

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. announced today that Fish Creek Cabin Resort, LLC has received an Oneida County Microenterprise Grant in the amount of $34,200 to assist its startup operations. The Oneida County Microenterprise Grant program, administered by Mohawk Valley EDGE, utilizes Community Development Block Grant funding . . .

The grant will assist Fish Creek Cabin Resort with working capital as they commence a $1.44m civic, recreational and eco-tourism destination project that is transforming a once blighted landscape in the Town of Annsville from an income dormant rental housing community into a 7-acre four-season economically viable recreation campus. 

From a March 2011 OCIDA Notice of Public Hearing we find out that OCIDA

will provide financial assistance to the Company in the form of issuance of a lease for a term of five (5) years, exemptions from mortgage recording tax, exemptions from sales and use taxes and abatement of real property taxes for a period of five (5) years

and buried in this article Indium Corp. makes plans to expand (10/15/10)

the IDA also approved an initial authorizing resolution for the Fish Creek Cabin Resort, which would be located in Taberg and primarily target kayakers visiting the area.

What ever happened to people putting their own capital at risk?  or going to a Bank for a loan? or selling shares to investors to raise capital?

Through their government the Taxpayers have been a silent "partner" to this little Oneida County start up business -- or making "investments" as the politicians like to claim -- right from its inception. But unlike a real partner, they get NO right to a return on the investment of THEIR money: 

It seems like there's no such thing as a free market/level playing field anymore.  Government is involved in everything.  This is discouraging to those who don't want handouts because Government becomes their competitor.

Upward Bound: DEBT!

Per the OD: MVCC receives $250,000 grant to help students.

Mohawk Valley Community College will receive a $250,000 federal grant to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna announced this morning.

Wow ... this sounds like great news.  Who could be against helping disadvantaged students?

MVCC's Upward Bound program "aims to generate the skills and motivation necessary to complete a higher education degree," according to a news release. Students eligible to participate include first-generation college students, low-income students and those with disabilities.

Nice -- but how is this different from what we are already paying for?  Aren't our schools supposedly already geared to generate skills necessary to complete a higher education degree?  

And how does a federal program generate "MOTIVATION? The implication is that first-generation college students, low-income students, and those with disabilities somehow are not motivated.

Now consider that about 40 cents of every dollar of this grant (or about $100,000) is being borrowed by the federal taxpayer.

One's education is the responsibility of the parents, and ultimately, the students themselves.  There are so many opportunities already out there that no one should be lacking the education they want if they are really motivated.  No federal program can substitute for what must come from within.

What this program is ... like many others ... is to foster a culture of dependency on the federal government.  Look at the "Life of Julia" scenario promoted by the current administration.  The implication is that people need the federal government to get by.  But they don't . . .

The only thing Upward Bound by this program is our National Debt .... Debt to purchase government control of many people.

TEA Party: NOT Going Away!

As much as some Republicans wish it, the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party is NOT going away. Six Term US Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind) appears headed for defeat tonight in today's primary at the hands of Richard Mourdock, who was backed by Tea Party members. Surely his support for the UN's Law of the Sea Treaty, which was supported by both Bush and Clinton administrations, did not win any support among Tea Party members who view the treaty as an affront to US sovereignty.


In our own backyard we have a Tea Party Challenge to Representative Richard Hanna on the Republican ticket June 26 by Michael Kicinski of Earlville.  The OD (unsurprisingly) merely reported that Kicinski was running in a short blurb today not mentioning that Kicinski fought off a challenge to his petitions by the Oneida County Republican Establishment.

Unreported by the OD whatsoever is the fact that long-time local Conservative leader Julie Miller of Utica also filed petitions to challenge Mr. Hanna on the Conservative line. You have to read the Binghamton Press-Connects to find that out.  

Mr. Kicinski may seem like a long shot -- but maybe not. Mr. Hanna won with Tea Party support in his last run, but cannot count on that support now. The Tea Party favors limited government and fiscal responsibility, and abhors politics-as-usual. It thought it had a champion in Mr. Hanna who was not a politician.  However, Mr. Hanna not only has sounded very much like a politician after taking office, he has disappointed many with his votes to increase the debt ceiling three times and for more government programs. He gives no comfort to those who fear that government has simply become too intrusive into every-day lives, nor to those who fear that our national debt will become this nation's undoing.   Mr. Hanna could be viewed as an out-of-touch "1% er" -- in tune with the "global elite" compared to Mr. Kicinski who unabashedly admits to being unemployed on his web-site -- who like many others, has been the victim of an economy that has been shedding jobs to overseas locales under policies promoted by Democrats and Republicans alike. 

This could be a very interesting primary.    

Metro Government: Let's Get Started.

Every now and then, something comes along in the Observer-Dispatch on the subject of consolidation of regional services or "Metro Government."  Usually promoting the regional agenda of our "powers that be" that already control things  (you know, the people who always seem to manipulate government to wind up on the receiving end of the taxpayer largesse -- see recent posts in NH Online for the latest example), today's edictorial "Time to talk about metro government" is no exception.

The editorial gives three examples of businesses that have been/are being moved to Rome from Utica with county taxpayer (i.e., including Utica residents') participation. These moves manifest the "regional agenda."  Those who call these moves "hijacking" are dismissed by the O-D as "parochial." To the O-D:

The silly turf wars need to stop. We must see ourselves as a region . . .

I agree. The question is, is the Observer-Dispatch serious about our creating a true regional government that will REPLACE our current patchwork, or does the O-D want just enough "consolidation" to continue implementing its friends' current policies which have promoted one unit of local government cannibalizing another (with Utica seemingly always being the one eaten).  

The O-D needs to be reminded that these policies have created sprawl and given us a public infrastructure that far exceeds the needs and ability of our stagnant regional population to sustain.

To be Fair to the residents of the municipalities involved, "Metro" needs to be an "All, or Nothing at all" proposition... Responsibilities for both the good and bad in the region must be shared. One community should not be built up at the expense of another.

So, Observer-Dispatch, when you use these examples of businesses moving from Utica to Rome and promoting "Metro" government, are you ready for a merger of Utica and Rome and environs? Though more ambitious than what this blogger has proposed in the past, I actually think that would be a great idea! That way, when former Rome's tax-base gets augmented while former Utica's declines, some of that money will find its way back to pave roads in former Utica... and it will come back because more than 2/3 of a Utica-Rome Metro Council will be from former Utica and vicinity.

The "devil" is always "in the details,"  isn't it, O-D?


Somehow I don't think the Observer-Dispatch is really interested in Metro government, at least not one where ALL participating residents will share the benefits, ALL will share the burdens (including the cost of negative results such as declining tax base or incomes), and ALL will share in the decision-making. The O-D has always been there to demand that Utica "share" its benefits with the region, but has never demanded that the region share Utica's burdens . . . The region's principal city, Utica, is always left to fend for itself.    Like the pot calling the kettle black, perhaps the O-D is the one that is being parochial.....

But I could be wrong.   This is 2012 and some say the world as we know it is about to end.  If so . . .

Metro Government: Let's Get Started.

Cannabalism . . . While Utica Sleeps!

OD 10/15/10 Indium Corp. makes plans to expand

Indium Corp. is looking to expand its space of operations by moving into an additional building at 6149 Sutliff Road in Oriskany, company officials said Friday. . . .
The 64,000-square-foot building Indium Corp. is looking to purchase has an assessed value of $773,000 . .

Rome Sentinel 7/21/11: Rome? Georgia? China?

Indium Corp. wants to open a manufacturing plant in the West Rome Industrial Park and create 30 jobs over time, but the plan comes with some conditions. Before Indium buys and renovates the former ConMed building at 5836 Success Drive, it wants incentives from the county Industrial Development Agency and the state. While Kevin Martin, outside counsel for Indium, says Rome is the preferred location, he notes the company also is considering sites in Fulton County in Georgia, and China. . . .

Indium has its global headquarters in Clinton and a facility in Utica. It has 302 direct employees in Oneida County, plus contract workers that bring the total number to around 400, said Martin. The addition of a Rome plant would not affect employment at the other two locations in the county.

Rome Sentinel 4/20/12: $1M in grants and credits for Indium Rome expansion

 The company has already bought the former ConMed building at 5836 Success Drive and begun renovations. The new location will create up to 24 new full-time jobs. Indium currently has about 320 employees at its Clinton and Utica facilities.

Empire State Development Corp., New York’s economic development agency, is providing the company with a $347,939 grant to help offset the cost of the purchase of new machinery and equipment, as well as $652,061 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax benefits over five years.

 The project, estimated at $10 million, includes the relocation and expansion of some operations from Indium’s Lincoln Avenue location in Utica, including existing machinery and equipment. . . .  

116,124 square feet . . .

So plans have changed from "not affect"ing employment at the company's other two locations (July 2011) to relocating operations from Lincoln Ave to a location almost 21 miles away on the FAR side of Rome in April, 2012.  Pretty sad for a company founded in Utica in 1934. Indium can certainly do what it wants, and should do what it needs to survive and thrive, BUT

Why should taxpayers participate in this?  And where the heck were Utica officials all this time?

The answer to the last question may be that Utica officials and residents were already tapped out by this corporate pan-handler . . . 

OD Editorial 10/09/2007:  Indium deal lacking job information.

In its deal between the city of Utica and Indium Corp. that could be worth nearly $1.2 million, it’s not clear to the public whether Indium will be living up to its part of the bargain because it’s not fully forthcoming on job totals and job goals. By refusing to disclose that information, the company fails to provide specifics the public has a right to know as a partner in the deal.  That deal was announced last week following preliminary approval by the Utica Industrial Development Corp. of a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program and mortgage recording tax and sales tax exemptions that could total $545,000 over the next decade. That would be in addition to a $600,000 loan, approved by Utica’s Department of Urban and Economic Development in July. . . .

The $600,000 “loan” won’t have to be repaid if the company maintains 120 jobs at two Utica sites for five years. 

2007 to 2012 is -- 5 years!  Yup -- time to move on to the next community teat to milk. 

Enough is enough. Handouts are wasted money.  They do not fix the problem.

Cannibalism!

Indium receives $1M from state to expand 

Indium Corp. will move “selected” operations, including machinery and equipment, from its offices on Lincoln Avenue to a new facility on Success Drive in Rome.
The project will be supported by $1 million in a state grant and tax benefits, and $100,000 via the city of Rome.

It's interesting how often taxpayers pay for companies to move from Utica to Rome. Now people will have to drive farther (with $4.00/gal gas) to go to work! Even a move to the NH Business Park would have been preferable.

And Utica just sits there and takes it

Disgusting.

Viva la Résistance . . .

Per the OD: Utica teachers reject contract: What's next? 

Monday’s defeat leaves $5.8 million out of the budget that would have restored 90 classroom jobs, including full-day kindergarten. . . . 
Approximately $2 million of the $5.8 million would have come from a wage freeze. The remaining $3.8 million is promised in increased state aid if the teachers’ union and the administrators’ union agreed to the teacher and principal evaluation system negotiated in Albany this winter. [emphasis added]

There may be a lot more here than meets the eye.  Undoubtedly, some teachers may have voted down the contract out of greed . . . not wanting to give up the pay increases that almost all other public employees have given up. . . and not caring about the public's ability to pay.    For many, however, the evaluation portion may be the bigger issue.

Instead of being evaluated in accordance with standards set by their supervisors or local board of education, they will be evaluated per standards set in Albany . . . and ultimately Washington where this program is originating.

People take on debt to build their homes.  The nation is taking on debt also to build a structure:  A NATIONAL structure to control our local schools.

Control what goes on in our schools, and you control the population.

Viva la Résistance!

Marketing Effort? . . .

or Marketing Study?

Per the OD: Our view: Airport needs more aggressive marketing effort

According to the editorial, Fixed Base Operations at Griffiss "International"  Airport simply have not produced the profits anticipated (hoped-for) by Oneida County. But the OD has the answer:

What’s really needed is more aggressive marketing of the airport. That needs to be a combined effort, with the county, Mohawk Valley EDGE and the airport commissioner working in partnership with Million Air — Freeman Holdings’ franchise name — to secure more business. Their success would benefit everyone.

The unstated assumption, of course, is that there is a market for what Griffiss has to offer. . . This seems to be a reoccurring error of our "build it and they will come" county leaders who repeatedly show their ignorance of business basics by spending lots of money on facilities without knowing precisely what needs are currently unserved or underserved locally, how local people are coping with their needs, and who this region's competition might be. This blog talked about the County's lack of basic business information back in 2008 for example.

While it is possible that there is a perfect niche for Griffiss "International" Airport to fill, it is not clear what that niche might be (though there were signs of needs in the air cargo department about 10 years ago).  What is needed is a Marketing STUDY to determine what niches GIA might fill.


Diving into an "aggressive marketing effort"  without knowing the market may result in Oneida County spending a ton of money and effort on the equivalent of marketing snow to Eskimos.

Le Tour . . .

Le Tour de France is the world-famous bicycle race ... this year starting in Liège, Belgium, and traveling in stages over a three week period through numerous French cities (and part of Switzerland) from the English Channel south through the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea, then west to the Pyrenees Mountains then north to end on that famous Boulevard in Paris, Les Champs-Élysées (which handles some 90,000 cars a day when Le Tour isn't running).  People far and wide follow the Tour de France . . . Win it, and you are an international star.  But Le Tour de France is not the only bicycle Tour . . .

Le Tour d'Utica is . . . not quite as famous . . . nor nearly as long (about three hours)  . . . and not even a race.  It's just a time for bicycle enthusiasts to get together and have some fun taking a themed tour of their favorite city -- or least the one that they are closest to.

This year's theme is coffee ... and several stops are planned with coffee in mind.  So while Tour de France followers may want to check out the champagne cellars in Epernay, France, Tour d'Utica participants can check out the roaster at Utica Coffee Roasters on Baggs Square West.

Click on the image at left or visit the CNY-BAP home page for more details.

Join in the fun . . . You might even spot a famous gold bicycle on your ride.

Going Batty in New Hartford . . .

Per the OD: Newest obstacle in N. Hartford storm-water project? Bats The endangered species Indiana Bat to be exact . . .

The town is working to improve storm-water drainage in areas that have historically been impacted by flooding. . . .

But while environmental scientists were examining the upper portion of Beechwood Road, where phase two of the project will begin, they noted that the clearing and removal of trees may interfere with the bat species, said Senior Managing Engineer Charles White of Barton & Loguidice. 

 The firm alerted the Town Board of the issue earlier this month. Now, Barton & Loguidice will perform an environmental study costing about $11,000 to identify if the bats are in fact roosting in the trees. . . .

The bats have been on the endangered species list since 1967 and if they are found here, trees cannot be cleared until fall when the bats head back to the Indiana caves where they hibernate.  [emphasis supplied]

HELLO???   Based on the statement above, the prudent (and less costly) thing would seem to be to assume that the bats actually roost in Beechwood Road's trees and then do all tree clearing between the fall and the time that the bats return from Indiana, whenever that is. [There may even be time now if they hurry.]


Why spend money studying bats when tree-cutting can be timed for when they won't be around?

Not Budging . . .

At least that was the overall impression left after attending a rather frustrating meeting last evening with DOT officials about our favorite topic: The North-South Arterial.

Oh it was not that blatant.  There were the usual conciliatory tones that DOT is looking into "this" or "that"  alternative. . .  but we've been through the drill often enough to know that DOT only looks far enough to justify its own position which can be summarized as "My way IS the highway."  Then it becomes a matter of "expertise" (members of the public are not traffic engineers, you know) and current highway standards require X,Y and Z (i.e., DOT can't accommodate those needs).  The bottom line is that it's always a highway.

The inescapable fact is that the N-S Arterial is also a street -- an integral part of Utica's street grid -- but the proposal continues a 50 year tradition of making that local street system less functional by forcing people to drive out of their way for short local trips and to follow routes that are not intuitive.

Several Utica Council members being in attendance was no help.  Holding on to 62 million dollars seems to be their main concern as opposed to the dysfunction that 62 million will create in the Utica street grid. If I hear that we need to take a "regional"  perspective of the highway design one more time from one of these people it will be one time too many. Utica residents and businesses should not have to be inconvenienced to meet a "regional" need. If Utica goes down the toilet, the whole region will follow.

The take-away is that Sunset Avenue will ultimately be closed and a pedestrian bridge that few will use will take its place. 

Is DOT really incapable of designing a city street or streets that can accommodate the traffic of those who merely want to pass through? Somehow I find that hard to believe.

Sticking a Finger in Your Eye . . .

And Twisting It!

That is what a lot of local Republicans must be feeling today after reading of Congressman Richard Hanna's comments at an Equal Rights Amendment rally in the Huff Po article: Richard Hanna, GOP Congressman, Tells Women To Give Their Money To Democrats. 

"I think these are very precarious times for women, it seems. So many of your rights are under assault," he told the crowd of mostly women. "I'll tell you this: Contribute your money to people who speak out on your behalf, because the other side -- my side -- has a lot of it. And you need to send your own message. You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help."

"Precarious times for women?" Women aspire to the highest office in the land and head some of the nation's largest corporations.  Some would say these are the best of times for women.  .

"So many of your rights are under assault?"  Exactly which "rights," Mr. Hanna? Please be specific.


"You need to remind people that you vote" ... Really? In this day and age of minute-to-minute polling that slices and dices voting data among gender, age, racial, ethnic, sexual and political orientations?   

There are reasons why after 40 years the Equal Rights Amendment still has not been ratified by the required 38 states not the least of which are (1) it is not needed and (2) it will be used to distort rational decision making by elevating gender over other considerations.  But this post is about Mr. Hanna and not the ERA.  

When HuffPost asked Hanna after the rally whether he was bucking his party by encouraging women to give their money to "the other side," he said that he wasn't.
"I'm trying to help [the GOP]," he said. "I think it's the appropriate thing to do."

Mr. Hanna, you were nominated for your office by local Republicans as their standard-bearer with the full knowledge that you were an independent thinker and would not always "tow the party line." However, your nomination and election should not be confused with a willingness to be lectured by you as to what Party members should believe. 

You were elected to represent the people of this district in Congress, not to "help" the Republican Party.  Telling women to support Democrats is not "appropriate" because it undermines the Republican Party and many of your supporters rather than "help" them.  If you undermine your supporters, why should they continue to support you?

Mr. Hanna, you may have just lost Utica-Rome's seat in Congress to someone from Binghamton.

Not Buying It . . .

Officials: More money needed to protect Griffiss assets 

“New York needs to come to the table and they need to do it in a big way,” U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, said. “The governor has committed $500,000? I don’t think that’s near enough.”

Just exactly what will this money be buying?

A Monument to Ourselves . . .

. . . does not solve our regional economic problems. . .  and could exacerbate them. . . . Thoughts that crossed my mind when perusing "Grant will help build One World Garden in Utica"
in the OD.

Rust to Green Utica announced Wednesday the receipt of a $48,475 grant to design a community green space called One World Garden on Park Avenue behind the Stanley Center for the Arts. . . . .

The grant was awarded by the Baltimore-based TKF Foundation through its Open Spaces, Sacred Places program to celebrate and better understand Utica’s changing blend of people created by its long-settled immigrants and its more recent influx of refugees, according to a news release . . .

When you can't solve problems you can always honor yourself or one of your friends, right?  Don't get me wrong.  Utica has a story to tell -- a proud story -- of people of many cultures coming to this place with barely the clothes on their back but ultimately finding the American Dream. . . . Of a community willing to embrace people different from themselves and becoming all the richer for it.  But what more celebration do we need than the variety of names in the phone book, the restaurants and grocers catering to unique palates,  the different hued faces, tongues, and modes of dress on our streets?  Utica is a living celebration of itself, and Uticans don't need to be told of where they've come from. 

Uticans also don't need another public space to take care of , especially now when the city can barely afford to keep police on its streets.  In addition, this is prime downtown land we're talking of.  It needs to be placed into productive TAX GENERATING use if Utica is to ever grow itself back into a city capable of sustaining itself.  A park prevents that from ever happening.

While the Rust2Green folks need to be commended for their efforts, they need to apply their considerable knowledge and collective intellect to analyze why that parcel of prime land has not attracted private development thus far, and then work to identify and solve the problems that they find.

Regional Obligations in New Hartford . . .

Last night the New Hartford Town board considered zoning changes to the New Hartford Business Park (NHBP) to permit small businesses, retail, offices, and restaurants. The members of the public in attendance were overwhelming opposed to the changes. 

While this blogger is disappointed that the Town Board voted to allow mixed development along Seneca Turnpike (Rt. 5) (the last thing NH needs is more congestion in that area) , the board wisely tabled changing the zoning of the bulk of the project area. 

Ultimately, the Board needs to reject this zoning change.

New Hartford owes its attractiveness for development to a regional infrastructure that has been paid for mostly by people residing outside the Town.  It has a public water system.  It has a sewage collection and treatment system.  It has a system of state and county highways.  New Hartford could never have afforded these on its own -- and town development would never have occurred without them.

Since New Hartford's "success"  is largely the product of a regional effort, it is only fitting that the Town uses its regional assets for the regional good.  Back in 1999, Town leaders tried to do just that when establishing the NHBP zone.

When the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the NHBP zone was issued in 1999, the zone was promoted as a site for industrial use, for "new high-technology industries" intended to "meet the economic needs of the entire region . . ."
It was recognized that the region had a shortage of high quality industrial sites that were large enough to meet the requirements of modern industries. The entire region supported New Hartford's efforts because the lack of such sites was a hindrance to the region moving forward economically.

What has happened to NHBP since could kindly be described as a "drift" from its original purpose.   (Unkindly, some may describe it as a "bait and switch.")  Offices seemed to become the primary use rather than ancillary as intended.  Then a hotel . . . and now the current proposal. 

While ridiculous state and national policies have put a damper on industrial development, it is not going to last forever.  Leaders will eventually realize that the public still needs "things,"   that the "things"  need to be made somewhere, and that an inability to make certain "things"  here poses a national security risk.  Will this region be ready?

The region, which has given so much to New Hartford,  cannot afford to lose NHBP as an industrial development site. New Hartford  needs to return to its original vision . . . for everyone's benefit.

Control Board Nonsense . . . and The Solution: Leadership

With the huge Utica city deficit some people are actually flirting with the idea of asking the State to come in and take over Utica's fiscal mess with a control board.

DON'T DO IT.

The State of New York has problems taking care of its own affairs so why should anyone think State control will improve things? Look at the NY budget.  How about Buffalo and Erie County? They are still in decline in spite of being under control boards.  How about the 700 school districts taken over by the State?  No headlines about student achievement there.  Some point to New York City and its Municipal Assistance Corp.  as a turnaround example... but NYC's turnaround was not engineered by the MAC. Rather, NYC's turnaround can be attributed to one man: Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his strong leadership. And therein lies the answer for Utica . . .

Leadership.

Utica is not going to be bailed out by the Tooth Fairy (even the Tooth Fairy is broke these days).  Utica will have to GROW itself out of this mess.  Knowing what will result in economic growth has been the question of the ages and seems to be a matter of guessing by those pretending to be experts in the area.  We know, however, what kills growth.

High taxes kill growth.
 
An 18.2% city tax increase on top of already high city, school, and county taxes and water and sewer fees and high utility costs will cause more people to leave town ... some may even abandon their properties.  What good does that do?

Utica needs to REDUCE taxes permanently; reduce unnecessary regulations; create accessible places where small businesses can set up shop without causing problems for neighbors; stop petty bickering over individual projects that drive up developer costs; and stop sucking on the Federal tit for grant money to construct more housing for poor people who wind up being from NYC. Anything less will continue the city’s loss of the very people and businesses it needs to pay the bills to sustain city services.

The People are the answer.

Since there is no $$$, Utica must marshal and coordinate the talents of volunteers — treat them and their ideas with respect — and value their work . . . because they will be the ones doing the things that the city will no longer be able to do adequately itself.

An example of what NOT to do: Pixley Park. One woman with a lot of help from her neighbors beautified a little corner of west Utica. But someone at City Hall, because they apparently did not like the woman, took umbrage and had the DPW destroy the volunteers’ work. Such must NEVER happen again.

Something else that must not be done:  giving raises to employees while relying on volunteers.

People LOVE Utica.  They WILL volunteer their time if they feel appreciated, feel that they are accomplishing something tangible, and feel that they are not being taken advantage of.


The key to making this all work: Leadership.

Surprised? Really?

Officials, residents surprised by people exiting South Utica 

... population fell by roughly 7 percent in the decade, from 10,105 to 9,353. Surprised?
So were a number of city officials and residents.

This blogger was not surprised! And I bet my readers are not surprised.

Utica officials and various institutions, particularly not-for-profits, are singularly focused on getting as much grant money as they can. Most grant money is geared to programs for the poor. Ergo, Utica's focus has been on its poor.

The recently passed Utica Master Plan and its drafts put this in sharp focus.  Why in the world would Utica need more "affordable housing" as called for in the Plan when it already has the most affordable housing in the nation according to recent surveys?  Why try to require that all developers set aside 20% of their units for "affordable housing?"  The answer to both questions is that federal programs have a lot of money for "affordable housing" and the "20%" criterion is a requirement.  But the Federal programs are geared to large metropolitan areas where housing is very expensive -- which is not the case here.  So the result here creates more harm than good.

Utica's citizens who are a bit higher up on the economic scale have been paying the bulk of the taxes that keep the city going.  But their needs have been ignored because there is no pot of grant money for officials to dip into for them.

They are "getting out while the getting is good."