Who Runs New York?

Three-quarters of New York's residents support a property tax cap, but this Albany Times-Union article points out that it's the state's public employee unions that are calling the shots:

A special study commission led by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi recommended a number of property tax fixes earlier this month, but both Suozzi and Paterson said the first priority should be to limit annual school property tax increases at 4 percent, or 120 percent of the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The CPI tracks the increase in prices paid by urban consumers for goods and services.

The cap is the only way to force schools to budget more prudently, they said.

Voters across the state clearly like the idea. A Siena Research Institute poll released Monday showed that 74 percent support a proposed 4 percent cap on school property taxes.

"When you get 74 percent agreeing on something it's amazing," said Siena spokesman Steven Greenberg.

But it's not that simple. Here's why: Big-money interest groups

The state's education establishment is squarely against a tax cap. That includes the powerful New York State United Teachers, a top campaign donor to incumbents -- Democrats and Republicans alike. NYSUT can also target lawmakers who cross it.

And the gravy train just keeps chugging along...

The Mascoma Mystery

It's now been a week since the Mascoma corporation put together a deal to site a $30 million dollar experimental cellulosic ethanol plant at the Griffiss Technology Park in Rome. Well, that's the story that was released by the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency.

The company itself still hasn't announced the deal at it's website or via PR Newswire.

Not a single local politician has had anything to say about the deal.

Finally, the Town of Greece, just outside Rochester, still seems to think it will be hosting the experimental ethanol plant- since that's the location specified in the multi-million dollar state grant the company received to fund the plant's development.

A little odd, don't you think?

Ain't No Justice Without Custom Carpets

You might be worried how Oneida County is going to afford the $66 million dollar cost of a new sewage treatment plant. Or you may be concerned about how much it's going to cost to fix the second highest rate of lead poisoning in the state. Luckily, our elected officials have their priorities in order.

On Monday, Julian and several other justices unveiled a renovated third-floor courtroom that they believe reflects the kind of tranquil grandeur most fitting for the county's judicial domain.

Gone is the crumbling wall plaster, tattered seat cushions, phony walls and electrical wires that dangled from holes in the hand-painted ceilings of the previous courtrooms. In their place are plush carpeting, hand-carved benches and a blanket of blue, gold and white paint.

"Day-to-day justice — the trial of lawsuits, the jury trial — is integral to the very intent of the framers of our Constitution," Julian said during the unveiling. "Jury trials will be conducted here, and this is a courtroom that properly reflects the importance and significance of that constitutional guarantee."

Rest assured my friends, Justice is being done in Oneida County. Because nothing projects the awesome might of the rule of law like an attractive interior decorating scheme and matching accessories.

The renovation is part of an ongoing project at the five-story courthouse that has totaled around $40 million over the past decade, according to the Oneida County Comptroller's Office. The cost of rehabilitations for this particular courtroom, however, has been within the $5.4 million spent since 2004, Deputy Comptroller Sheryl Brown said Monday.

As an identical courtroom renovation awaits completion across the hall, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente vowed a continuation of support for such historical preservations.

"The people assembled here come for justice, come for comfort, come to see their problems get solved," Picente said. "We in county government really need to take hold of buildings such as this and landmarks that we have."

State Supreme Court Justice Bernadette Romano credited Julian's "dogged diligence and demeanor and his just never-say-die attitude" for keeping the project on track. Julian noted Romano's role in choosing the courtroom's deep blue and gold-trim coloring.

"You should also know the architects allowed us to design the carpet," Romano said. "I mean, we literally picked every color, and every nuance in the carpet was designed from scratch."

You know what makes this even funnier? Julian and Romano literally have no idea how self-involved they are. Maybe they haven't noticed, but they preside over the courts in one of the state's poorest counties. A third of the people in this area live below the poverty line, a place where putting food on the table takes precedence over picking out the perfect shade of paint or designing a custom carpet.

I predict there's going to be a huge backlash over this story, particularly in light of Mr. Picente's insistence that the county needs a tax hike to pay for "needed expenses". Custom carpeting ain't cheap, don't ya know.

Update: Here's what the spin is going to be when the backlash hits- "We were saving a historical landmark". Except, of course, that the multi-million dollar redecorating of these courtrooms has no connection with the historic appearance of the rooms at all.

Ethanol For One, And One For All

At first glance this seems like really good news:

Cambridge, Mass.-based Mascoma Corp. plans to use wood-based products to make cellulosic ethanol at plants in the Griffiss Business & Technology Park in Rome and an undetermined site in Michigan.

The cellulosic ethanol will be produced from biomass — paper sludge, wood chips, switch grass and corn stover — from New York state.

The Oneida County Industrial Development Agency approved a 20-year tax relief package, or payment in lieu of taxes program, for Mascoma at a board of directors meeting Thursday.

The deal will save Mascoma $1.25 million in property taxes and sales tax.

As part of its deal, Mascoma will be required to create 10 jobs over three years, said Rob Duchow, spokesman for the development corporation. He said the average annual salary will be $50,000.

The Rome site will be a demonstration plant that will produce as much as 2 million gallons of ethanol a year.

Maybe I'm overly cynical, but something about this announcement makes my spidey sense tingle. Why? First, it's coming out of the blue. Second, not a single politician has taken credit for what appears to be a multi-million dollar project that, conceivably, could have a huge economic impact on the area.

Update: The more I Google around the stranger this deal looks. Take a look at this press release about the original award of the $14.8 million dollar grant to put the plant just outside Rochester.

One of the companies – Mascoma Corporation – will build a 500,000 gallon/year facility in the Town of Greece, Monroe County. This project, which is a collaborative effort with Genencor, an enzyme company in Greece, along with Clarkson University, Cornell, and Khosla Ventures, has been awarded a $14,800,000 State grant and will include more than $15 million in private investment...

The State grants will be matched by the individual companies, resulting in significant private investments for the facilities. The projects are expected to initially create 48 permanent jobs, with the potential for additional job creation in the years ahead. In addition, the facilities will create new markets for 45 tons of biomass per day, which will generate approximately $10 million in the local economies over the next three years.

Mascoma Corporation is a recently-formed company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that specializes in cellulosic ethanol technology. The proposed facility will use paper wastes from International Paper’s Ticonderoga plant in Essex County and wood chips from a St. Lawrence County supplier to make the cellulosic ethanol, and will also eventually employ a range of New York-produced feedstocks on a test basis.

The details of the proposal have changed significantly in terms of location, by several hundred miles, by jobs, from 50 down to 10 over three years, and capacity, by over a million gallons per year. Isn't the company pulling a bit of a bait-and-switch on this?

You'll also notice the press release is filled with comments from elected officials, since this is just the kind of pork gobblin' project they love. I count...what...twelve different politicians, from the governor on down? Why would a project like this suddenly move from Greece to Griffiss without a peep from a single politician?

Update: The company still hasn't put out a press release about the move. Nothing via PR Newswire or the company's own website.

Reaping The Rewards

I'm a little surprised no one has commented on this:

The funds secured by Arcuri are included in the fiscal year 2008 Defense Appropriations bill, which was approved by the House Appropriations Committee last week and is expected to be considered by the House later this week.

$1.9 million for the Cyber Attack Mitigation and Exploitation Laboratory (CAMEL) Program, which will be conducted by CACI, located in Rome, through Rome Lab. The CAMEL program will provide Research and Development that will help protect Air Force operations in Cyberspace. Tools resulting from this research will be used to protect both military and national critical infrastructure from attack and exploitation by potential adversaries including nation states, cyber criminals and international terrorists. During the course of the research, samples of malicious software will be forensically analyzed to determine intent and points of origin.

Considering Mr. Arcuri's personal involvement in the Franco assault incident, and his strident opposition to the Iraq War, it's more than curious that he would secure close to two million dollars for a no-bid contract to a company implicated in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal by Amnesty International. (PDF link)

Amnesty International condemns the abuses allegedly committed by U.S. agents
in the Abu Ghraib facility in Iraq as torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. AI
has documented a pattern of abuses by U.S. agents against detainees in this and other
facilities and we feel that those responsible for abuses should be brought to justice in
accordance with U.S. obligations under international and domestic law. Your company
has performed services contracts with the U.S. military that have led to public allegations
of complicity in abuses against detainees by some of your employees. We hope and
expect that CACI will support and facilitate public investigations and help bring persons
found responsible to justice.

We would like to ask if CACI has a human rights policy, and if it does to tell us
about it. Under international law, all corporations have obligations to uphold, respect and
protect fundamental human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
calls upon every individual and every organ of society, which includes companies and
business operations in general, to promote and protect human rights and to strive "to
secure their universal and effective recognition and observance."

Obviously, as they say on Court Street, "Business is business".

Zeros Matter

In a speech about the abuse of earmarks earlier today, Sen. John McCain singled out the Long Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica.

• $16 million for display cases and interactive displays at at the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, New York.

The only problem being that the earmark, from back in 2003, was for $16,000, not $1,600,000. It was still a waste of taxpayer dollars, but not quite as monumental as Sen. McCain states.

Once More, With Feeling

Anthony Picente's battle to give Oneida County one of the highest tax burdens in the state, and hence the nation, continues.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said Tuesday state representatives will likely support his proposal to reduce the county sales tax to 8.75 percent.

Once again, Mr. Picente is not reducing the county sales tax. The "emergency", "short-term" sales tax increase that was passed back in 2005 ends on November 30, 2007. By law, it's over. Done. Finished.

What Mr. Picente wants to do is pass another sales tax increase that takes effect on December 1, 2007. Yes, it's at a slightly lower rate than the tax we have now, but it is most assuredly a new tax. Tellingly, you'll note that he isn't even bothering to characterize it as a short-term measure.

State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, the former county executive who implemented the 9 percent sales tax, will support the new legislation, said Ryan Nobles, director of communications and research for Griffo's office.

"After reviewing the information provided in (Tuesday) morning's meeting, the senator is prepared to honor home rule legislation once the requisite paperwork is provided," Nobles said.

He would not comment further.

Picente also said Griffo was committed to helping get the bill passed.

Mr. Griffo doesn't really have a choice in the matter, since a refusal would bring into question his own rationale for passing the original tax. The best thing he can do right now is keep his head down and hope the spatter from the soon-to-erupt crapstorm over the county's abysmal finances doesn't splash him too badly. I think that's an empty hope, to say the least. He's done more than enough to claim his fair share of credit for the tax hike already.

State Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, D-Rome, who also was present at one of the Tuesday meetings, said she does not have a position at this point and is still reviewing the information Picente gave her.

An optimist could take this as a sign that maybe, just maybe the Democrats have decided to put some chips on the table after all. Mr. Picente has tried to bluster his way through the tax hike like an enraged bull, debuting the idea publicly for the first time last Thursday and immediately demanding that representatives decide on the issue within a week. That's a classic example of governance by crisis and he deserves to be called on it.

Picente said state representatives seemed to understand the need to change the tax rate to 8.75 percent, rather than let it drop to the scheduled 8 percent.

Er..but I thought Mr. Picente was reducing the sales tax? Looks like someone forgot the narrative. Heh.

He said the county can't afford to lose the millions of dollars in revenue that would result from dropping the rate lower.

"I really don't understand what the alternative is," he said. "I think they recognize the significance of having the tax."

Well, perhaps Mr. Picente could enlighten the rest of us as to what's actually going on. Up to this point he's been remarkably vague about what, if any, efforts he's undertaken to cut county government. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with his tax jihad if he'd taken the time to explain why there's not another dollar to cut from the county budget. One almost gets the impression he hasn't even bothered to try.

Update: Picente was supposed to address the county legislature about the tax hike at 2PM, but as of yet there isn't any word about what was discussed.

Imagine That

While Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is in Albany desperately trying to get sponsors for his proposed hike in the county sales tax at least one county legislator is saying there's another way.

County Legislator Michael J. Hennessy wants to see a greater effort aimed at cutting the cost of county government as County Executive Anthony J. Picente’s sales tax extension proposal comes up for consideration.

Hennessy, D-2, Sherrill, says there are three main areas where savings can be achieved:
• Consolidation of the county’s finance and audit and control functions.
• Possible elimination of the Youth Bureau.
• Cuts in discretionary spending,
Additionally, he wonders if towns could take over some of the work now done by the county Department of Public Works and whether the county is overestimating how much it has to contribute to the retirement system.
"The bottom line is there’s many ways of cutting this budget, in my opinion," he said.

It's good to see someone is considering the possibility of cutting the budget, but it's a huge disappointment that more legislators aren't speaking publicly about the issue. Then again, maybe they are and we aren't hearing about it. I know that most of them rely on the area's traditional media, the Observer-Dispatch, the Sentinel, and what passes for news departments at the local broadcast outlets, so there's a good chance their message isn't going out. Not because of any idealogical conspiracy in the media, although I know a certain amount of that goes on, but because there simply isn't enough airtime or column inches to cover every single political item that gets faxed in.

But I digress.

Meanwhile, Picente and other county representatives were in Albany this morning meeting with the county’s state representatives in hopes of lining up their support for his sales tax plan. Board of Legislature Chairman Gerald J. Fiorini, R-20, Rome, was part of the county delegation.
"I’m waiting to hear from them," Assemblywoman RoAnn M. Destito, D-116, Rome, said of her scheduled late morning meeting.
State authorization — approval by the state Legislature and enactment by the governor — is required before a county can implement a sales tax.
If Picente can get state lawmakers in both houses to introduce the necessary legislation today or tomorrow, the issue is expected to come up at the county Board of Legislators’ meeting Wednesday afternoon. A simple majority — 15 — of the 29-member county board must vote for the resolution asking state lawmakers to enact legislation authorizing the county to enact a .75 percent sales tax.
The issue is time sensitive because the state Legislature is slated to end its session next month. If the state gives the go-ahead, the county legislature would then vote on the tax a second time.

It would be a terrible, terrible thing if the vote in the county legislature came down on party lines. I'd hate to think of the political fallout if every single Democratic representative followed Mr. Hennessy's lead and voted against the tax increase while the Republicans all voted for it. Sure, it would still pass, but then the local Republicans would own it. I'd hate to see any challengers rubbing their noses in it this fall during the elections.

Heh.

Mike Arcuri's Short Memory

Mike Arcuri speaks out on September 29, 2006:

We need to make sure that emergency spending is for emergencies: things like the war in Iraq and natural disasters are truly emergency items. The Republicans in the Senate recently passed an emergency supplemental spending bill that included such "Eemergencies" as for the Mississippi Children’s Museum ($500,000) and farm and rancher subsidies ($3.9 million).

Mike Arcuri speaks out on March 15, 2007:

Today, U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) outlined his strong support for The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health, and Iraq Accountability Act which would provide our troops with the equipment they need, require Iraqis to take control of their own country, establish benchmarks for withdrawal from Iraq, and help fight the war on terror in Afghanistan. The bill will provide $2.8 billion for veterans’ and troops’ health care.

Sadly, Mr. Arcuri's strongly held conviction about keeping emergency spending for emergencies didn't last past his election. His "strong support" included an endorsement of epic amounts of pork barrel spending, including:

$500 million for emergency wildfires suppression; the Forest Service currently has $831 million for this purpose;

$400 million for rural schools

$283 million for the Milk Income Loss Contract program

$120 million to compensate for the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the shrimp and menhaden fishing industries

$100 million for citrus assistance

$74 million for peanut storage costs

$60.4 million for salmon fisheries in the Klamath River region in California and Oregon

$50 million for asbestos mitigation at the U.S. Capitol Plant

$48 million in salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency

$35 million for NASA risk mitigation projects in Gulf Coast

$25 million for spinach growers

$25 million for livestock

$20 million for Emergency Conservation Program for farmland damaged by freezing temperatures

$16 million for security upgrades to House of Representatives office buildings

$10 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission for the Rio Grande Flood Control System Rehabilitation project

$6.4 million for House of Representative’s Salaries and Expenses Account for business continuity and disaster recovery expenses

$5 million for losses suffered by aquaculture businesses including breeding, rearing, or transporting live fish as a result of viral hemorrhagic septicemia

And on, and on, and on. None of which, by Mr. Arcuri's own admission, should have been included in this funding. Quite an accomplishment for a self-described "fiscal conservative".

Two More Years!

This is depressing. The GOP might not even bother running a candidate against Congressman Mike Arcuri next year.

Missing from the both lists is Rep. Michael Arcuri ☼, the freshman Democrat from New York who defeated Republican Ray Meier, 54%-45%, last November. Arcuri represents a district where Republicans have a 30,000 edge in registration and President Bush carried in both 2000 and 2004.

Does this mean Republicans will give Arcuri a free pass in 2008?

Last week when I asked Rep. Tom Reynolds about New York’s 24th District, the former NRCC chairman acted as though he didn’t hear my question. When I repeated it, he avoided giving me an answer. He first talked about New York’s 19th and 20th districts, where Democrats also prevailed last November. Finally, Reynolds wrapped up his answer by saying that he’d spoken to some Republicans who might be interested in running against Arcuri, but he also wouldn’t rule out another run by Meier.

One of the reasons Mr. Arcuri won is that Mr. Meier wouldn't effectively campaign against him because of their friendship, a problem exacerbated by the NRCC's inane mistargeting of the "phone sex" ad. I like Mr. Meier, but I don't think his campaign was run with any sense of urgency or aggressiveness. The taint of that failed campaign is, unfortunately, exactly why Mr. Meier shouldn't run again.

Who should run against him? At this point I don't know, but whoever it ends up being needs to pound Mr. Arcuri on the issues he's already flip-flopped on like single-issue emergency appropriations, earmark reform, pork spending, and the Oneida Nation. Anyone that doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to get into the race to win doesn't deserve to be in the race to begin with.

All Aboard The Gravy Train

Next stop, Little Falls!

The Little Falls Common Council will vote Tuesday about applying for a grant through the state Office for Small Cities. The city can apply for up to $650,000 for the waterfront revitalization project, which could cost up to about $1 million and create about 10 jobs, said David Carlson of Carlson Associates.

The project would improve the appearances of areas surrounding the Little Falls Canal Harbor and the Canal Place for tourists who visit the city, Mayor Ted Wind said.

"It's going to make it real attractive over there," Wind said.

Hey, that sounds great! What kind of public improvement projects are they going to fund? A full on landscaping project for the public park areas? New street lighting? Themed signage?

•At least four housing rehabilitation projects by the Little Falls Canal Harbor on Southern Avenue.

Er...so taxpayer dollars are going to pay for the "Extreme Makeover" treatment at four private homes? Huh?

•Facade improvements for the Little Falls Lumber Co., which also is located on Southern Avenue.

I'm sure the owners of Little Falls Lumber are great folks, but you would think they of all people would be able to handle fixing up their property with their own money. Why are public funds being used to for this?

•Establishing an inn with nine guest rooms on the third floor of the Stone Mill of Little Falls building. The four-story building already is home to several small businesses. A conference center also would be added.

Seriously, WTF? I'd love to own a tasteful little inn with a conference center too, but there's no reason the government has to pay for it. Maybe they can host business conferences on how to have your buddies in local government pay for your business expansion under the guise of "tourism improvements".

•The creation of a seasonal Adirondack-style ice cream shop on a currently vacant lot at 55 W. Mill St.

Hmmm..so how is this going to work?

Chris Connolly, owner of the vacant lot at 55 W. Mill St., hopes to open an ice cream shop in a building with a style that combines old canal buildings with an Adirondack feel, he said.

The shop might be named Old Sal's Ice Cream after the mule Sal from the Erie Canal song, Connolly said.

Connolly has been working on the project for three years and bought the lot near the Little Falls Canal Harbor and the Canal Place four years ago.

"That section of town I really think is taking off," he said.

Let me make sure I have this straight-

1. Buy vacant lot.
2. Have government pay me to build ice cream shop.
3. Profit!

It's admirable that Little Falls wants to develop the canal area, but none of these are public improvement projects. Every one of them should be paid for with private funds. Heck, if they really want to boost tourism you know what they could do? Build me a castle. I've always wanted a castle, with a real moat and gatehouses and those nifty little murder holes you can use to stab attacking soldier with spears. Just imagine how many tourists will come to see something like that!