The Canary In The Mine

If you're an opponent of NYRI, or one of the people in the path of the proposed powerlines, you might want to keep a close eye on Congressman Arcuri's housing situation. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to pay attention to the real estate listings to see if a slew of homes along the proposed route suddenly go up for sale.

Just sayin'.

What's Up With Christian Garramone: Part Deux

Last month I noticed I was getting an insane number of hits from people searching for "Christian Garramone" and "Utica". A backtrack from one of today's hits on that subject led to the comments page for an underground hip-hop site. You might want to turn down the volume if you click through- the embedded video interview drops a few F-bombs.

Name: christian garramone (6/14/2007 3:25:00 PM)
Location: utica, ny usa
Comment: white people are oppressed too!!!! I am not immune to harrassment from cops because I am white....the gov't takes my money and uses it to wage war....this is a fascist country, and black and white people should leave the past in the past and unite to fight the real war.....the fascist regime that has always ruled this country/corporation!!!!!

The usual disclaimers about internet identities apply, but I thought it was amusing.

A Cry For Help

Both RoAnn Destito and Joe Griffo have op-eds in today's OD bemoaning the state's failure to site the promised data center at SUNY-IT. Both pieces feature a lot of talk about economic growth, high-tech development, and how hard they're both going to fight to make sure it ends up here, yesirree. I could spend a lot of time writing an insightful deconstruction of their respective works, but I'm lazy so I'll cut to the chase.

The state data center is never, ever coming to Oneida County. Nothing they do, from dropping even more money into the "UltraMega Nano-Center" black hole to putting together yet another economic advisory team, can possibly alter that fact.

Why?

Because the state public employee unions have already said they don't want it here, and what they say goes.

Urk! That's Greek For "This Is Terrible"

I dropped by at Symeon's with a few friends this week and was really looking forward to some great food.

By the time I left I was still looking forward to some great food, but I knew I wouldn't be finding it at Symeon's.

What the hell happened to that place? It used to have phenomenally good meals, but I felt like I'd ended up at the Bizarro world version of the restaurant I remembered.

Speaking Of Empire Zones

A terrible, terrible mistake has been made.

"I met the full requirement of my commitment," said Giotto, president of Fiber Instrument Sales, on Wednesday.

Empire State Development sent letters to about 3,000 businesses, including 157 in Oneida and Herkimer counties, notifying them that they are in danger of being decertified from the Empire Zone program because they failed to meet the requirements. The state based its information on 2005 annual business reports, but will make a final determination based on an audit of 2006 business reports.

Oriskany-based Fiber Instrument Sales had estimated a total investment of $4.37 million, including $3 million to construct a 40,000-square-foot building and $875,000 to develop products, when it was certified in the Oneida County Empire Zone in June 2002.

The company had only invested $1.3 million, or 29.8 percent, of its projected amount by the end of 2005, according to Empire State Development.

Empire State Development failed to include the $3 million that had been invested in the construction project by Aug. 1, 2001, nearly a year before the company was Empire Zone certified, Giotto said.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that the Fiber Instrument Sales building wasn't in an Empire Zone in 2001 and most of 2002. The borders of the zone, and "border" is a pretty meaningless term when it comes to how these absurd zones are configured, weren't revised to include that property until August of 2002.

It's not just an Empire Zone, it's a retroactively magical Empire Zone!

Update: An email asks "Isn't this the kind of basic fact-checking the reporter should have done while writing the article in the first place?" It does seem like the timeline of events would be pretty important to understanding what happened, and the validity of the actual Empire Zone credit, now that he/she mentions it.

Update: This would seem to support the idea that the Fiber Instrument Sales building was outside of the Zone when it was built.

Call The Waaaaahmbulance

Sen. Joe Griffo is upset with the revelation that the Empire Zone program is filled with failure.

State Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, wrote Gov. Eliot Spitzer's top Upstate New York economic-development official Friday questioning the state's tactics in enforcing Empire Zone standards...

In his letter to agency's Upstate chairman, Daniel Gunderson, Griffo asked what publicize the names of those companies is supposed to accomplish.

"I strongly believe that companies who accept Empire Zone benefits should live up to their end of the bargain," Griffo said. "However, (the state) went and posted a list of people they deemed to be not in compliance, without telling the whole story."

The O-D story neatly summarizes Sen. Griffo's press release, but why settle for the quick and dirty version when we can critique the real thing?

Dear Chairman Gundersen:

I have been in contact with a number of our local business leaders who were listed as not being in compliance with the standards set for accepting Empire Zone Benefits in the local media. While I strongly believe that companies that accept these benefits should fulfill their obligations, I take issue with the manner in which the report was released and the validity of the report’s findings.

Sen. Griffo's concerns about the release of the information are absurd. Once these companies agreed to reap the benefits of the Empire Zone program it became a matter of vital public interest if they were actually meeting their obligations. It's a bit disingenuous to suck at the public teat and then complain that someone is watching you slurp up that sweet, sweet milk.

On the other hand, it's a fair cop that there may be problems with the accuracy of the data.

Oh, and what do you want to bet that those "local business leaders" upset about being on the deadbeat list are also listed as making significant political contributions during the same time frame?

In particular, I disagree with the tactic of releasing the information to the press before contacting the business owners directly to work with them to discuss their status.

I disagree with the tactic of giving companies preferential tax treatment and then letting them skip out on their obligations. If shaming them gets them to live up to the agreement then so be it.

Publicly rapping companies that are on the road to compliance is not productive.

"On the road to compliance"? That's politician-speak for "not in compliance". As in "Sorry for not paying my video porn-on-demand bill, but I'm on the road to compliance. You can't cut me off now!" Sadly, I won't be able to watch Video Vixens 12: The Snake is Awake until I actually, you know, pay the bill.

It also does not present the image that New York wants to help industry flourish. It give the impression that your organization is just out to get them. That type of perception has dogged New York for many years.

Expecting companies to meet their obligations isn't a bug, it's a feature. See also: Hotel Utica.

I also disagree with the way that the report based its findings on old statistics dating back to 2005. As an Economic Development expert, I am sure you are aware that business ebbs and flows. A fluid program like Empire Zones should be designed to allow companies to adjust to changing environments. They should also be given the courtesy of using the most up to date statistics available. I am confident that a review of performance in 2006 would paint a much different picture of compliance.

Ebb. Flow. Whatever. If they took the tax break in 2005 they need to meet 2005's goals. In the private sector we call meeting 2005's goals in 2006 "Failure".

Finally, I want to stress the need for a Mohawk Valley Regional Empire State Development Director. We have been without this important official in our community since the Spitzer Administration took over. I wonder, if any of the companies who were rapped so publicly in your report, might have had a better chance of meeting their standards, if a local ESD director were in place?

I can answer that: no. A local ESD director isn't going to hire a single worker or spend a single dollar in investment. That's the responsibility of the company, not a highly-paid government errand-boy.

Filling this position is a vital component of the region’s economic growth and it would be a signal to our local business leaders that the Spitzer Administration is serious about improving the business climate in Central New York.

Yeah, that's just what we need. Christ, half the jobs in our area are in government or government-sponsored non-profits already. That's a disaster, not a "business climate".

I understand that your organization is evaluating all of the programs that were instituted by prior administrations and discussing the merits of keeping them going. I believe that is a needed exercise. However, while you are evaluating, our community still has important needs that must be met. We need a vision for the future of Empire State Development and when we can expect anticipated changes to these important programs.

Here's an idea- get rid of Empire Zones. Make the whole state an Empire Zone and give every single company the same benefits without any of the bureaucratic friction. Unfortunately, that would mean politicians would lose the ability to take credit for economic growth as well as the power to extract fealty from companies looking for favorable tax treatment.

And really, that's what the Empire Zone program is all about. Political power. As a great man once said, "The power to tax is the power to destroy." Empire Zones are just a dandified way of codifying tax favoritism based on patronage instead of letting the free market decide who succeeds and who fails. Maybe that's why companies that take a good, hard look at the state's horrific business climate decide that the real Empire Zones are "anywhere but New York".

With all due respect Mr. Gundersen, we are well past Day One and we have no clear idea of what this administration plans to do to improve our economic future. I think the time for action is now.

Okay, this part I can agree with. Speaking of pressing economic needs Sen. Griffo, there's this little sewer problem you might have heard about...

Up, Up, And Away

A little piece of the Mohawk Valley is bound for the Red Planet.

The CTM Corporation of Frankfort is going to Mars - not the whole company, but at least one of the items the company built is.

It is referred to as “the scoop” and it is primarily made out of aluminum and titanium and has an 8-foot-long arm attached to it. It also has a very small motor inside of it that is used to make it move. The scoop is used to dig trenches and dig up soil for analysis...

NASA refers to the whole item as the Phoenix Mars Lander. It will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard a Delta II rocket on a 423-million-mile trip. The three-week launch window opens today.

The lander is expected to arrive at Mars 10 months after it launches and is planned for a three-month mission.

Congratulations to CTM.

As an aside, I always thought it would be awesome if someone started an orbital cremation service. There are companies that will launch your ashes into orbit today, but I'd like to have my ashes dropped back to earth in a canister that would burn up as it re-entered the atmosphere. Could there be anything more romantic than having your friends and family watch you streak across the sky as a falling star?

It Was The Best Of Times...

Sorry for not keeping up the posting schedule, but I'm having one of those occasional "Why do I even live here?" periods. This usually happens when I meet up with friends that are in town visiting relatives, because they provide a telling perspective on just how hopelessly screwed our area, and the state as a whole, actually is. And every time it happens I move a little bit closer to finally giving up.

I wonder how many other people are going through the same thing? How many times do you have to have your friends tell you "There's nothing here, dude. Come to Austin!" before you finally give in and accept that it really is the best thing to do?

I desperately love a lot of things about our area, but how long can that balance out all the negatives?

Is sunrise in the Adirondacks really worth living downstream from a constant flow of sewage?

Is the fun and excitement of events like the Great American Irish Festival worth having to pay almost as much in property taxes as I pay for a mortgage?

Does being close to my extended family make up for idiocy like the Hotel Utica? Idiocy that's been going on for years? Decades, if you consider it's just the latest chapter in the whole sorry "Charlestown/Boston Store/How can we get them to pay for it this time" saga.

Why do I insist on living someplace that claims a third of my income just for the pleasure of being here?

How many times a day do people just like me ask themselves if it's still worth living here?

And how often do they come to the sad realization that the answer is "No"?

Why Settle For The Lesser Evil?

While the Mayor's race in Utica isn't lacking for entertainment value it does have a dearth of anyone with new ideas.

The mayor's race is a mess. You have five candidates, and the more I think about it, they are all old faces. They have all been in bed together at one time or another. Sullivan doesn't stand a chance in the primary. Roefaro and Trevisani should be interesting but in the end I think Roefaro wins. Then you have Ed Hanna. What the hell is he doing?

In November I predict you will see Julian on the Rep. and Ind. lines, Roefaro on the Dem and Con lines, and "possibly" Hanna on the "for the people" line. That makes for a hard to call three way race. But does it really matter who wins that one? The more I think about it, I just "may" pull for Julian in that one. It becomes picking the one of the three evils; I'll stick with the one I know, and live to play another day.

Have any of these people articulated a vision of what their administration would do to make the city a better place? More importantly, have they shown even a hint of interest in breaking away from the business-as-usual attitude that is slowly driving the most productive residents out of the area?

The Long Weekend Has Begun

Midnight rapidly approaches and I'm just getting in from the first night of the Great American Irish Festival. Despite the questionable weather there was a nice crowd, the music was good, and the beer was excellent. Yeah, it's the Americanized version of proper Imperial beer, but that's what makes it good. That, and the refrigeration. Why those poor sods insist on drinking warm beer is beyond me.

From the mailbag:

"Ha! You're being used by the Democrats!"- I assume this is in reference to the Julian photo which, I might add, provided a wealth of entertainment tonight. It took about ten minutes for someone to realize the boys looked exactly like Bill and Ted flogging their band, so "Wyld Stallions!" became the punchline for the night.

But I digress.

I'm shocked, simply shocked at the suggestion the photo might have come from someone that wanted to open both Mr. Julian and a member of his own party to mockery. Well, duh. So what? That makes it less funny? I'm not a fan of unquestioning tribalism, hence my merciless criticism of Republicans whose actions I find objectionable, and I'll take good material anywhere I can find it. An ass-munch is an ass-munch, whether he's riding a donkey or an elephant, and most of our local politicians are ass-munches first and party loyalists second. Anything that helps to make that more obvious is a very, very good thing.

Speaking of which, you should have seen the shameless schmoozing going on in the VIP tent tonight. There's nothing like an election year to turn a music festival into a full-blown political event, with enough facile back-slapping and glad-handing to make you reach for the hand sanitizer. A situation made even funnier because people were taking the "VIP" thing oh-so-seriously, as though it was a reflection of their actual importance. Believe me, if I could get in the bar was set pretty damn low.

Note: The timestamp reads 8:49 because of my clock settings, but this went up at 11:49. Over ten minutes to spare to make the daily deadline!

Photoshop Phunnies Phodder

"I told you it was on!"

"Pwned! OMFG! LOLrsk8tz!"

"See, I told you Arcuri saved all this stuff on tape."

I lub anonymous emailers. Click through for the full size version. I welcome any other suggestions for possible captions.

The Calm

An anonymous emailer tells me that the subject of Mayoral marital misconduct will indeed be a campaign issue this fall, despite pious protestations to the contrary. We can only such public-spirited inquiries extend to other elected officials from the area.

Oh, and Ed Hanna won't be on the ballot when November rolls around, but he'll be intimately involved with the election.

Although "intimately" might be a poor choice of words in this case.

Good News, Bad News

First, the good news. Utica has found a new tenant for the marina restaurant.

The city will lease its building at the Utica Historic Marina for $2,500 a month to a company operated by National Hockey League player Robert Esche, city officials announced Tuesday.

ED Ventures LLC, which is operated by Esche and business partner Alicia Dicks, will operate Aqua Vino Restaurant & Catering at the facility. The site was occupied by Kitty's on the Canal restaurant from 2002 until June 30.

The city chose not to renew the occupancy agreement with Kitty's on the Canal, whose owners owed back rent and a portion of utility payments to the city. There are no outstanding parties scheduled by Kitty's on the Canal that would have to be picked up by Aqua Vino, officials said.

This seems like a great deal for the city, particularly the fact that it's a straight-up lease with monthly rent and utility payments. The deal the city had with "Deadbeat" Dave Morgan was, to be kind, less than optimal. As the studios in Hollywood regularly demonstrate, and any accountant can verify, basing your payments on a portion of the profits is a losing proposition. Just ask Peter Jackson, the director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. While the films made billions of dollars in movie theaters and on video he's still waiting to see his cut of the "profits".

Now for the bad news: the canal adjacent to "Aqua Vino" is an open sewer. It's contaminated with human waste, and will continue to be so thanks to County Executive Anthony Picente's deft handling of the DEC consent order for the defective Sauquoit Pumping Station. Every time it rains millions of gallons of raw sewage is dumped into the Mohawk River and hence into the Erie Canal via the lock located about 800 meters west of the restaurant. Mr. Esche may not be aware of that, but I don't think it's a coincidence that he plans to glass in the restaurant's deck.

I'm also a bit disappointed that the city didn't accept my proposal for the facility- "McFloaty's, home of the Jalapeno Plopper!". Someday they'll recognize that my vision of a sewer themed eating establishment was brilliant.

I Only Need One

I sweat and I slave to come up with a daily dose of snark and what does everyone want more of? My toys. This is a copy of the "Golden Gun" reproduction I mentioned over the weekend, produced by SD Studios in the late 90's. You can just barely make out the "007" inscribed on the bullet in the picture.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Be thankful that last Friday's final night of baseball for the self-proclaimed New York State League of Professional Baseball, brought to you by Congressman Michael Arcuri, wasn't at his normal rates.

Monday, July 16th, 2007

A night at the ball park with Congressman Mike Arcuri (NY-24)

RFK Stadium

2400 East Capitol Street, NE

Washington, DC

Time: 7:05 PM
Requested Contributions: $2,500 PAC Host, $1,000 PAC Friend , $1,000 PAC Friend, $500 Individual Friend

I assume hot dogs and beer were extra.