Archive: News

Utica, NY – Following the recent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and potential development of natural gas in Upstate New York, the Arcuri for Congress campaign this week called on Richard Hanna to clarify contradictions in statements he made during the 2008 election versus present day.

During the height of escalating fuel prices in 2008 Richard Hanna became increasingly critical of drilling moratoriums offshore and in Alaska saying, “it is urgent that we fast track the use of new energy sources.”

On 07/21/10 at 11:43 PM deputies responded to the intersection of Peruville Road and N. Triphammer Road in Lansing for a reported two-car motor vehicle collision.  As a result of the investigation, Edward C. Collins, age 68, of 674 Warren Road, Ithaca, was charged with felony-level Driving While Intoxicated.  The felony charge stemmed from a prior conviction in 2002.

Local governments and school districts across New York have lost a significant amount of revenue as a result of the Great Recession, according to the 2010 Annual Report on Local Governments released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. While there are some indications that New York’s economy is beginning to stabilize, the road to fiscal health will not be an easy one, DiNapoli said.

“In many respects, the true pain of the recession is continuing to be felt by local governments in New York,” DiNapoli said. “Local governments have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in local and state revenue. The road to recovery will likely be a long and tough one. In some cases, it could take years of sustained growth for revenue to return to the levels prior to the recession."

Seneca Falls- New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio blasted Governor Paterson’s veto of legislation that would restore the New York State Legislature's oversight and approval of any agreement or compact with representatives of the Indian Nations in New York State.

“Despite warnings from myself and my colleagues, the Democratic Majority that now controls the State Legislature, approved legislation that Governor Paterson included in his last budget extender giving the Governor and all future governors, the power to negotiate a compact or agreement with representatives of New York's Indian Nations without legislative approval. This legislation essentially empowers the Governor to negotiate unilaterally and eliminates the Legislature from having any oversight or approval of the decisions the Governor makes.” said Nozzolio.

The usefulness of data coming from a community survey to be used in helping to determine long term goals for the Lansing Central School District was challenged at last Monday's Board of Education meeting.  District officials are working with consulting firm PLC Associates, Inc. to build out a five year strategic plan that will influence all aspects of long and short term planning including budget and curriculum development, and capital needs.  Board members said that rather than a scientific, random sample approach, the survey is likely to simply reflect the opinions of people who wanted to take the survey.

"All these data show is what these 308 people felt, but it's not representative of Lansing," said board member Christine Iacobucci.  "It doesn't say anything about our community."

Monday morning was a milestone for the Town of Lansing, local business, and Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) when officials gathered for the ground breaking for the Warren Road Sewer Project.  Somewhat like the Phoenix, the project rose from the ashes of the town's larger sewer project that failed three years ago because of its cost.  When that project failed Transonic Systems Chief Operating Officer Bruce Kilmartin and TCAD's Heather Filiberto approached to town to see if a smaller project could bring municipal sewer up from the Village of Lansing's sewer to the Warren Road Business Park, where Transonic is located.

"We kept meeting and meeting and meeting until we found a way to get a sewer line to this business park," Filiberto said.  "And here three years later we're going to break ground.  We're going to grow a little bit."

Legislature Awards Contracts for Public Safety Dispatch/Data System

The Legislature awarded contracts to implement a new integrated public safety voice and data system, as the final phase of the County’s Public Safety Communications capital project.  The vote was unanimous, with Legislator Dooley Kiefer excused.

The project will replace the County’s existing computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, implement mobile data applications for emergency responders, and activate other voice and data components to achieve full integration through a standardized multi-agency records management system. 

When the New York State Comptroller's audit of the Town of Lansing's financial operations was publicly released on July 12, one of the findings it showed was that Town purchases from two companies constituted a conflict of interest for Supervisor Scott Pinney.  The Town Highway Department rented equipment from Eagle Rental and purchased gravel from Genoa Sand and Gravel, both owned by Pinney's wife Tracy.  While the audit found that the Town board had instituted a Code of Ethics in 2006, it also found that Pinney had a 'prohibited interest.'

Pinney's position is that it didn't represent a conflict of interest in part because he has no operational authority in his wife's companies, and in part because Highway Superintendent Jack French is himself an elected official who acts independently from the Supervisor.  Additionally French purchases through the County Bid process --  which gets the best prices for participating municipalities from qualified suppliers -- not directly with the companies.  Pinney outlined these positions in a 2008 Lansing Star article . 

Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit Inc.’s aggressive plan it launched four years ago to improve its fleet preventive maintenance program has paid off with TCAT now having one of the best inspection- pass records in the state, announced TCAT General Manager Joe Turcotte.

The New York State Department of Transportation recently lauded TCAT for having a high bus safety inspection pass rate, which by its standards, must be at least 90 percent.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton announced her bid for re-election last Friday to the 125th Assembly District seat.  This week she filed petitions with the NYS Board of Elections, signed by 1,436 of her fellow Democrats in Tompkins County, City of Cortland, and Towns of Cortland and Virgil. 

She has already received the endorsement of both the Tompkins County and Cortland County Democratic Committees in her bid for a fifth term.  Additionally, Assemblywoman Lifton has been endorsed by the NYS Working Families Party and has filed petitions to appear on the Working Families Party line, as well as the Democratic Party line in the November election.

Albany, NY -- Tompkins County Legislature Chair Martha Robertson was one of the speakers at a news conference yesterday outside Senate Chambers in Albany, communicating the Legislature’s support of a proposed moratorium on new natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale.

The event urged a Senate vote on the gas drilling moratorium, legislation sponsored by Senator Antoine Thompson   Featured speakers included musician Pete Seeger and actor Mark Ruffalo, both Hudson County residents.

Candidates to Represent Lansing in Congress
Take Different Campaign Approaches

Two years ago Richard Hanna challenged Michael Arcuri for the 24th District U.S. Congressional seat.  Arcuri, a moderate Democrat who had been Oneida County District Attorney for 13 years, had served one term in the office.  Hanna, a businessman and Republican, attacked Arcuri without really saying what he stood for himself.  On election night the votes for each candidate went up and down like a teetering scale.  With 98 percent of the votes in, Arcuri was ahead of Hanna  only by about 1,800 votes out of 209,000.  After the final count Arcuri won, but Hanna had 48% of the vote.

This year Hanna is geared up for a repeat performance that he hopes will have a different outcome in the last act.  Both candidates say the campaign will be different.  Hanna says that considering the time allotted and lack of experience in running a campaign that his 48% was remarkable.  He says that by starting the campaign earlier and learning from the last election he thinks he can win it this November.  Arcuri says that his team will have to be more effective in getting his message to the voters this time around.  He says that with two more years under his belt he has a record that supports his message.  And he says that Hanna has no message.