Central NY politicians talk state budget, priorities for 2024

How will Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2024 budget impact communities across the Mohawk Valley?

Officials from all levels of government gathered to ideate the matter and more at the 24th annual regional legislative forum.

The Genesis Group and the Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley teamed up to co-sponsor the Friday, Jan. 26 forum at Hart’s Hill Inn. After surveying community leaders, students and residents, over 150 questions were boiled down to 12.

The nine panelists offering their thoughts were: Congressman Brandon Williams, state Senator Joseph Griffo, state Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschol, Assemblymen Brian Miller and Robert Smullen, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr., Herkimer County Legislative Chairman Bob Hollum, Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan and Utica Mayor Mike Galime.

The event was timed. Each official gave a one-minute opening statement then specific questions were directed to panelists; each response was allotted ten minutes.

Questions were asked by three representatives: Executive Director of the Herkimer Chamber of Commerce Dr. Denise Cavanaugh, Scientific Operations Director at the Masonic Medical Research Institute Dr. Jason McCarthy, and President of the Rome Chamber of Commerce Kristen Skobla.

Prison closures

Right off the bat, the carceral system was brought into question.

Griffo was asked about the legislation proposed in Hochul’s executive budget to close five correctional facilities in an effort to save $77 million in the 2025 fiscal year. He responded that closures don’t make a lot of sense.

“These facilities are important hubs,” said Griffo. “The Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome has a medical unit and the Marcy Correctional Facility offers mental health outpatient services. These programs serve a vital role in how our state’s correctional system functions.”

Instead of closures, Griffo urged attention be directed to implementing effective criminal justice policies instead. While he hopes local facilities are positioned to avoid closures he said the process will begin in June and the state will provide a 90-day grace period for selected communities to adjust.

For now, “we need to make an argument based not on economics but on merit– to prove we are equally as mission-effective as we are cost-effective,” Griffo said.

Education: funding and enrollment

Nearly 26 school districts in Central New York are expected to lose Foundation Aid under Hochul's current proposal. Buttenshon was asked to advise superintendents on how to best prepare for what’s to come.

She said, at the last New York State School Board Association Conference, that local superintendents had already joined forces and urged them to continue doing so.

“Nowadays educators do more than just teach– they provide mental health services and food to their students,” sympathized Buttenshon. “By providing facts on how much money they need and why I can advocate, using logic, on their behalf.”

In regard to higher education, area colleges and universities have faced post-pandemic struggles to maintain enrollment which has led to the closure of Cazenovia College and the College of St. Rose.

Smullen was asked what’s being done at the state level to provide assistance. He breezed past the structural issues, but pointed to the uptick in enrollment, within the SUNY system, instead.

“Forging collaborations between private and public schools – like Utica University and SUNY Oneonta already have – will be the way of the future,” said Smullen.

He noted that that as our culture shifts curriculums must, in turn, adapt.

“MVCC (Mohawk Valley Community College) has positioned themselves in all the right ways,” Smullen said. “By introducing the semiconductor industry they’ve shown that their finger is on the pulse."

Crime & public safety

During her State of the State address on Jan. 9, Hochul declared a war against shoplifting saying thievery has spiraled out of hand with many products now under lock and key. She unveiled a plan, including recent felonies for offenders who assault retail workers.

McCarthy asked Miller how crime would be combated regionally, given that “small businesses are the heart of our community.”

“Retail crime has exploded due to the disastrous bail reform laws thwarted on New Yorkers,” responded Miller. “These uphold a pro-criminal, anti-victim model we need to break.”

While Miller failed to outline a direct plan to combat crime, he assured there is support from the legislature and "the skill we apply will ultimately lend us the results we’re looking for."

That being said, with a primary focus of Lanigan’s administration being public safety, Cavanaugh asked what his plans were for making Rome a safer city.

“No matter how great your economic development is, if the community feels unsafe people aren’t going to want to live, work, and play there,” said Lanigan. “More cops on the street will help deter crimes. Moving forward I want to see our department become more proactive than reactive.”

Rome residents can anticipate an influx of patrol cars as well as a widespread "clean-up."

Lanigan said his administration has merged the neighborhood revitalization program with the remaining ARPA funding to offer a package deal to medium to low-income families. The goal? Further redevelopment.

Sister-city collaboration

When Galime was asked how he plans to attract new businesses to Utica, he shared his excitement for future collaborations with Rome.

“It’s a success to have both mayors of sister cities working together, since day one, with a county executive,” said Galime. “We’re going to market our partnership to manufacturing firms and this will benefit the region at large."

Picente said that due to the recent acquisition of Wolfspeed, and the Micron megafab project in Clay, the Mohawk Valley will be able to sustain economic development moving forward.

"Partnering up will be essential for connecting the dots and completing the corridor," he said.

Addressing the migrant crisis

To finish out the forum Skobla said Picente has been clear about the country's stance on migrants. She prompted Williams to expand on the crisis from a federal perspective.

Williams stated that the border is an ongoing dilemma that has continuously failed to be addressed.

“New York City deems itself the sanctuary city and provides services at the expense of taxpayers," Williams said. "They want to export their policies upstate but the truth is if additional folks are brought to rural communities locals will be pushed to the wayside and inadequately serviced.”

Griffo acknowledged the migrant crisis as “troubling” and applauded Picente for his leadership.

“It’s outrageous that Hochul proposed $77 million to be saved, by closing five prisons, while diving in to take $500 million from the reserve fund for undocumented immigrants. We are an accepting state but we need secure borders.”

Picente noted that the emergency renewal orders, in place for the past few months, have proven to be effective.

“I am doing everything I can to protect the community from full capacity," Picente said. "This is not about being immoral. On any given day we are housing 150 people that are homeless, suffer domestic abuse, or struggle with mental health. The state should be using the money to address the opioid crisis and poverty instead.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Key takeaways from Mohawk Valley's annual political summit