Archive: News

Robertson Elected to Fourth Year as Legislature Chair; Mike Lane Elected Vice Chair

The Legislature has reelected Martha Robertson to lead the Legislature during 2013 and elected Michael Lane to serve in the position of Vice Chair.  The positions of Chair and Vice Chair are filled each year by majority votes of members of the Legislature.

Incumbent Robertson (D – District 13/Western Dryden) and Lane (D – District 14/Eastern Dryden) were nominated for Chair at the Legislature’s 2013 organizational meeting, as was  Legislator Leslyn McBean-Clairborne (D-City of Ithaca) , who respectfully declined in view of family and work commitments.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125th AD) has announced her support of a package of gun measures that she thinks New York should enact into law at the start of the new legislative session next week. The package includes a ban on semi-automatic weapons, such as the Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle that was used at both the Webster, New York shooting that killed two firefighters and seriously injured two others, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, CT, where twenty young school children and six teachers and administrators were gunned down. She said that in the wake of these tragedies, these measures are urgently needed.

“The events that occurred in New York and Connecticut using the same Bushmaster semi-automatic weapon, are national tragedies. I grieve, as most Americans and New Yorkers do, for precious lives lost in both of these deadly attacks, and also for the hundreds of US deaths from gun violence since those two highly-publicized shootings,” Lifton said.

Rep. Tom Reed was ceremonially sworn in at Ithaca College on Monday, January 7, 2013. The ceremony took place at the college’s Campus Center Klingenstein Lounge with an oath administered by Col. Gary Yaple, CEO of Veterans Outreach Center.

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I grew up in a city called Newton (Fig Newtons were named for the city I grew up in, and I am very fond of Fig Newtons).  In 1691 it was named Newtown, so I always perk up when a Newton or a New Town are in the news.  So the story about the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut immediately caught my eye as I scanned my morning news.  And then another.  And another.  And another...

Here's the thing: everyone jumps on gun control as soon as a school shooting happens.  I think it is right to have that debate.  But the debate I see very little of is how the mainstream press sensationalizes the event, which I think has more to do with new school shootings than guns do.

Legislature Approves Mortgage Tax Initiative to Support TCAT
The Legislature will seek State authorization to dedicate revenue from a proposed quarter-percent increase in the county Mortgage Recording Tax to support mass transportation, as is done in 24 other New York counties, to address the ongoing structural deficit experienced by Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT).  Through the action, approved by a vote of 13-1 the Legislature requests the County’s State legislative delegation sponsor and support legislation to authorize such use under the “Additional Tax” element of the mortgage tax that counties are permitted to enact under New York State Tax Law.  (Legislator Dooley Kiefer voted no; Legislator Kathy Luz Herrera was excused.)

While counties are permitted to enact the “Additional Tax,” without State legislation authorizing a specific purpose, County Administrator Joe Mareane told legislators the revenue from such an increase would flow to the State or municipalities within the county.  The Legislature’s action does not levy the tax; it asks for State authorization for the requested purpose.

New York faces a shortfall of up to $89 billion in funding for water, sewer and transportation infrastructure over the next two decades, according to a report issued today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report is the latest in a series of reports DiNapoli will issue to highlight the causes of fiscal stress in New York’s local governments.

“There are growing cracks in New York’s public infrastructure,” DiNapoli said. “New York may have as much as $89 billion in unmet infrastructure needs in the next 20 years, and the effects of Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Irene have only compounded the problem. The longer we lose ground and push this problem out, the worse our bridges, roads, and sewer and water systems become.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today called on the State Education Department (SED) to increase scrutiny of special education contractors after an audit revealed SED has not conducted any on-site audits since 2007 and has no process to routinely review the hundreds of millions of dollars charged by these private providers annually.

DiNapoli’s office has uncovered widespread fraud and abuse by contractors providing services to children with physical, learning, developmental and other disabilities. The abuse has largely occurred because of lax oversight by SED due to inadequate resources, antiquated and complex processes and little follow-up.  Auditors have found numerous irregularities and instances of contractors who have cheated the system by using taxpayer funds to hire relatives at excessive salaries and to pay for personal expenses such as vacation homes, home entertainment centers and landscaping.

The Tompkins County Legislature will have two committee recommendations to consider when it next month takes up the issue of legislator salaries for the next four-year legislative term.

With three alternate proposals before them, the Legislature’s Government Operations Committee has recommended next-term salaries remain at the current $18,700 level, while the budget committee today voted to advance a recommendation that would increase salaries to $20,000 for the 2014-2017 legislative term.

New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio announced the New York State Thruway Authority’s proposed 45% toll increase for commercial vehicles has been dropped.  Today, The State Thruway Authority withdrew its disastrous plan to raise highway tolls on trucks and other commercial traffic.

“The Thruway Authority’s decision not to implement the proposed toll hike is a major victory for New York’s businesses and consumers.”  said Nozzolio, " There is no question that all businesses would suffer if this proposed toll increase has been allowed and the increase in transportation costs for consumer goods would have inevitably been passed on to individuals and families in our communities."

Tom Reed, the Greater Steuben Chapter American Red Cross Kids Youth Group, local New York State Legislators and the Helping Hands and Beyond program are joining forces to bring some much-needed relief to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The organizations will work together on an initiative to collect and transport new linens to areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

“We saw a niche that needed to be filled and we are happy to have joined with great organizations to help those affected by Sandy in this time of need,” said Reed. “I was at a Hurricane Sandy fundraiser just the other weekend talking with residents about ways to increase and maintain awareness. This project helps to fill a need and keeps us aware of those still suffering from damages and loss.”

NASA ImageFor those of our readers who are concerned about the Mayan Calendar and the alleged predictions of an apocalypse today, we have published this scientific measure as a public service.

If you can see this the world hasn't ended.
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Lansing's County Legislator Pat Pryor told the Lansing Town Board Wednesday that the County is considering additional financial help for four agencies that are suffering unusual budget challenges due to the faltering economy.  She said Tompkins County Area Transit (TCAT), the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL), Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD), and the Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District may need special financial help for 2013.

"We have several major agencies here in Tompkins County that, primarily because of the downturn in the economy, have tightened their belts," Pryor said.  "They have reduced staffing.  They have looked at every other way they could possibly save money and do things better with fewer resources."