Broome County hotels post drop in occupancy in April

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

BINGHAMTON — Broome County hotels registered a decline in overnight guests in April, as two other key indicators of business performance rose in the month. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 4.2 percent to 59.3 percent in the fourth month of 2025, compared to April 2024, […]

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Midstate Mutual Insurance names two new board members

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only

AUBURN — Midstate Mutual Insurance Company recently announced the appointment of Frances M. (Frank) Fetsko and Mark J. Modzeleski to the company’s board of directors.

Lockheed Martin’s suburban Syracuse plant wins $25M contract from U.S. Army for radar system services

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

SALINA — Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) facility in the town of Salina, north of Syracuse, was recently awarded a $25 million U.S. Army contract

Withrow joins Syracuse office of Harris Beach Murtha

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Harris Beach Murtha says senior counsel Maria Zumpano Withrow has joined its Syracuse office in the firm’s corporate, tax and trusts, and estates

Hancock Estabrook adds attorney to litigation and appellate practices

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Hancock Estabrook, LLP recently announced the addition of attorney Lillian Abbott Pfohl to the firm’s litigation and appellate practices. Abbott Pfohl assists clients with complex civil-litigation cases, including contract disputes, employment-law matters and First Amendment issues, the Syracuse–based law firm said in its May 8 announcement. Prior to joining Hancock Estabrook, she served

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Solvay Bank adds accounting professional to finance team

Banks & Credit Unions, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

SOLVAY — Solvay Bank recently added Brandon Schultzkie to its finance team as a senior financial analyst. Schultzkie has extensive experience in financial analysis and accounting, the bank announced. He began his career at Brown & Brown Insurance as a financial internal auditor, later advancing to accounting leader. Schultzkie holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

VIEWPOINT: The Failure of Raise the Age: A Gift to New York’s Gangs

Business Mentors, Opinion, Subscriber Only

Raising the age of criminal responsibility in New York state has created a nightmare scenario that opened statutory loopholes which prohibit law enforcement and prosecutors from doing their job. As a result of this reckless policy failure, youth violence in New York has skyrocketed while gangs recruit those under 18 to do their bidding knowing

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The statistics surrounding this failure are startling. Before New York changed its age of criminal responsibility to 18 years old, courts could treat 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds who committed serious felonies as adults. In 2017, nearly 60 percent of offenders charged with serious crimes were convicted in adult criminal court, and more than 1,000 received a prison or jail sentence. In 2024, however, less than 10 percent (435 of 4,475 offenders) received a felony conviction, with only 211 confined to an Office of Children and Family Services facility for more than a year.

These numbers are staggering, and to be clear, we aren’t talking about minor offenses. The crimes involved in these cases include:

• 159 arrests for homicide (completed /attempted);

• 613 arrests for firearms/dangerous weapons;

• 818 arrests for assault;

• 1,292 arrests for robbery;

• 65 arrests for sex offenses;

• 368 arrests for burglary;

• 730 arrests for larceny;

• 131 arrests for controlled-substances offenses; and

• 13 arrests for making a terroristic threat (source: Department of Criminal Justice Services).

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has rightfully called out these policies for what they are: reckless. Simply put, New York Democrats have created a system that gives dangerous criminals a pass. Charges of homicide, assault and sexual offenses have gone unprosecuted as a result of these so-called criminal justice “reforms.” The perpetrators of these crimes are old enough to know murder and rape are wrong. Refusing to allow prosecution of them isn’t reform, it’s insanity.

The Assembly Minority Conference has offered several proposals to address this problem.

• A.4705 (Barclay) — Prevents 16-year-old and 17-year-old adolescent offenders (AOs) who commit serious felonies from escaping criminal liability by being removed to Family Court. Requires 16-year-old and 17-year-old AOs charged with non-violent felonies to be removed to Family Court unless the court decides, after reviewing Family Court records, and upon a motion by the district attorney, that circumstances exist that should prevent the transfer to Family Court. Requires 16-year-old and 17-year-old AOs who commit any violent felony (e.g., gang assault, criminal possession of a weapon) to remain in the Youth Part of Superior Court, unless all parties (judge, defense attorney, prosecutor) agree the action should be removed to Family Court in the interest of justice. Requires victims to be made aware of the final disposition of a case in Family Court;

• A.3167 (Reilly) — Includes the possession of a loaded firearm as one of the circumstances that permits the AO defendant to be tried in the Youth Part of the Criminal Court and not escape criminal responsibility by being removed to Family Court or juvenile probation intake; and

• A.4124 (Reilly) — Prevents AOs from having their criminal case removed to Family Court from the Youth Part of Criminal Court if they are charged with the newly created crime of aggravated grand larceny or grand larceny in the fourth degree as defined in subdivision eight of section 155.30 of the Penal Law. Removes the requirement that a prosecutor must prove that extraordinary circumstances exist (one out of a thousand cases) that warrant the case to remain in the criminal Youth Part of Superior Court.

Without corrective action at the state level, the coming summer months will be especially challenging for law enforcement and residents in New York. These policies of [raising the age of criminal responsibility] have done nothing but make our streets less safe and empower criminal enterprises. Simply put, Raise the Age is a broken law that legislative Democrats refuse to fix. I strongly urge the governor and her legislative allies to change this policy immediately.

William (Will) A. Barclay, 56, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses all of Oswego County, as well as parts of Jefferson and Cayuga counties.

OPINION: Another 71,000 Unemployed Shows We Need Tax Cuts Extended

Opinion, Subscriber Only

Unemployment increased by another 71,000 in May, reaching 7.2 million, the highest since October 2021, [according to the jobs report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on June 6]. This is what usually happens following peak inflation historically after the American people max out their credit accounts — consumer credit is now down

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

This has been going on for a couple of years now, with unemployment now up by 1.49 million since January 2023, with most of the losses, 1.2 million, a relic from the Biden administration. In addition, the number of Americans saying they have jobs decreased by 696,000, worrisome in any month, although the labor market is still at peak employment at 163.2 million.

While everyone is hoping for the best economy possible, the reality is that the inflation under the previous administration left the economy in a weak state, as evidenced by the slow, steady rise of unemployment.

That’s usually a great time for Congress to provide some needed stimulus, in this case, by extending and expanding the 2017 Trump tax cuts, including adding no taxes on tips and overtime, providing tax relief to seniors, and including 100 percent expensing for domestic manufacturing and factories to bring jobs back to the U.S. These reforms will help blue-collar Americans and put the economy in a position for a solid recovery — a boom not seen since the 1980s — but only if members of Congress keep their heads. If Congress does not act, taxes will increase on 80 percent of Americans, and why would that help the economy? The American people voted against increasing taxes in the 2024 election, with 77 million voting for President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in Congress to get the job done and extend and expand the tax cuts. If the economy weakens, and Republicans fail to act, they will have lost their mandate to govern.

It’s true that more could be done to cut spending, even as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) notes about $1.4 trillion of offsets over the next decade in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. President Trump’s tariff policies also appear poised to bring in an additional $2.8 trillion, according to the CBO, including federal interest payments by $500 billion. That is good news and fully offsets the tax legislation. It also shows the long-term wisdom of the president’s policies and why they need to be sustained.

Still, some members [of Congress] also have highly legitimate concerns over voting to increase the debt ceiling. If that means there are not at least 51 votes in the Senate to provide tax relief and boost the economy, then maybe raise the debt ceiling separately, which might provide an opportunity to deal with the long-term fiscal challenges facing the nation, with more than 900,000 Americans retiring every year and not enough Americans being born to pick up the slack. It may be unreasonable to suggest all of these issues could somehow be addressed on what is expected to be the partisan budget-reconciliation process. To do that, Republicans need larger majorities, not razor thin majorities.

Sure, it would be nice if Democrats joined in extending tax relief and expensing factories in the U.S., and finishing the border wall, but until they do, Republicans have a simple math problem and a political problem: How to count to 51 and how to keep their promises to extend and expand the Trump tax cuts, … secure the border wall, and incentivize U.S. production. If more spending cuts are needed, then put them in there. If more tax relief is needed, put that in there. Whatever it takes. If Republicans keep their promises, the economy will be in a solid growth position, and then Congress can get to work on better prioritizing U.S. tax dollars via the debt ceiling if necessary and of course appropriations. The American people do not want to raise taxes to pay for our unsustainable $36 trillion in debt. The way not to become a debt slave is to lower taxes and urge government to do more with less.

Robert Romano is the executive director of Americans for Limited Government, a conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that says it is dedicated to restoring constitutionally limited government, allowing individuals to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.

OPINION: Human rights are an American ideal

Opinion, Subscriber Only

If there is an American creed, it’s expressed by the first words of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Note that the founders wrote that all men are created equal, not just certain

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Note that the founders wrote that all men are created equal, not just certain men. The rights they were espousing were human rights, given to us all. Governments are instituted, they said, to secure these rights, which all people should enjoy.

We count on our laws and the Constitution, especially its Bill of Rights, to protect rights for Americans. But if we truly believe human rights are unalienable, we should support them for people everywhere. And we have: For 50 years, promotion of human rights and democracy has been a central feature of U.S. foreign policy. We have used diplomacy, foreign aid, and multinational partnerships to advance human rights.

Unfortunately, there are signs that we are moving away from that role. The Trump administration has cut funding for programs that promote rights and democracy. Its crackdown on illegal immigration has come with disregard for the rights of migrants and newcomers, [I believe]. Trump has praised dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and expressed admiration for strongman rulers like Hungary’s Victor Orban. It’s concerning that, in a recent survey of more than 500 political scientists, the majority said the U.S. is moving away from being a liberal democracy and toward embracing authoritarianism.

The backsliding is coming at a bad time, as the rise of autocratic governments and the spread of armed conflict threatens human rights in much of the world. In the past year, a report from Amnesty International says, many governments “sought to evade accountability, entrench their power and instill fear” by banning media outlets, disbanding opposition groups and nongovernmental organizations, and criminalizing dissent.

It’s true that we Americans haven’t always lived up to our own ideals about human rights. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and drafters of the Constitution were slave owners. It took a bloody civil war to end slavery, and it took generations of activism to gain rights for minorities and women. Much of American history has been a struggle to extend the promise of human rights to all of us.

Support for human rights became more international after World War II, partly from the realization that the world should have done more to prevent the Holocaust. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, updated and expanded the idealistic language of America’s founders. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” it said. “They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” It called on nations to respect “the right to life, liberty and security of person.” The declaration was nonbinding but influenced international laws and agreements.

U.S. history is replete with times when we failed to reach our own ideals about human rights. Even after the Civil War, segregation and racist laws and policies prevailed in much of the country. Our country denied basic rights to Native Americans, Japanese Americans during World War II, and other groups. In foreign policy, we often looked the other way when our allies committed abuses. During the Cold War, we supported dictators if they were anti-Communist.

Naturally, tensions will sometimes arise between our values and our national interest. When that happens, a realistic assessment of our national interest will prevail. But if we truly believe the words of the Declaration of Independence, we should promote human rights to the extent that we can. Our values have made America a leader and a force for good in the world. The world will be worse off if we neglect them, and so will we.

Lee Hamilton, 94, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.

Ask Rusty: Social Security Questions Asked Over Coffee

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Dear Rusty: My coffee conversations among a group of friends have resulted in several questions about Social Security, including the following: 1. What happens to the Social Security account of someone who dies before retirement age? What happens to that money and where does it end up? 2. How does the decreased birth rate of

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Dear Rusty: My coffee conversations among a group of friends have resulted in several questions about Social Security, including the following:

1. What happens to the Social Security account of someone who dies before retirement age? What happens to that money and where does it end up?

2. How does the decreased birth rate of the United States affect future Social Security benefits?

3. Is a person who has never contributed to the Social Security System entitled to any benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA)?

4. Is there a central location online that a person can access that explains the history and current status of the Social Security System, which explains all of it in simple terms? I would like to be able to give this location to people I talk with about Social Security.

Thank you for considering these questions.

Signed: Curious Reader

Dear Curious Reader: Thank you for your readership, and I’ll be happy to tackle your “over coffee” questions about Social Security:

1. Social Security is a “pay as you go” program, where all money collected from workers is used to pay benefits for all those who are currently receiving Social Security. In other words, all money contributed is used to pay benefits to others already receiving benefits. It is not put into a separate account for each person, and that is a good thing. Most people get more from Social Security than they ever contributed, but benefits are paid for life, regardless of how long one lives. The specific answer to your question is that if someone dies before retirement age, the money contributed has already been used to pay benefits to others. Keep in mind though, that a surviving spouse or minor or disabled adult child may also collect benefits on a deceased person’s Social Security record.

2. The decreasing birth rate in the U.S. hurts Social Security. That’s because fewer babies mean fewer future workers contributing to the Social Security (SS) program. FYI, in 1950 there were about 15 workers contributing to SS for every one person collecting benefits, but today there are less than 3 workers for each SS beneficiary. That problem is exacerbated by the steadily increasing U.S. life expectancy. Beneficiaries are now often collecting SS benefits for decades from a program designed to pay benefits for only a few years.

3. Only those who have worked and contributed to Social Security through payroll taxes for about 10 years (40 quarters of SS credit) are eligible to collect SS retirement benefits. However, some dependent spouses and/or dependent minor or dependent disabled children who have never worked might also be eligible for benefits from the worker’s Social Security record. Along with each U.S. state, the SSA also administers another program, known as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), on behalf of the federal government. However, federal SSI benefits are not paid with Social Security funds. SSI is a separate government-benefit program, with federal benefits paid from the general U.S. Treasury.

4. There are lots of places to get information about Social Security, but I suggest you start at our AMAC Foundation Social Security information website, which can be found at www.socialsecurityreport.org. Here you will find numerous articles about Social Security, retirement, Medicare, etc., as well as all the Ask Rusty articles I have published weekly over the last eight years. You can also find excellent Social Security information on our AMAC Foundation main website (www.amacfoundation.org). And, of course, you can always ask any questions you have via email to SSAdvisor@amacfoundation.org. Or, if you prefer, you can just call us at (888) 750-2622 if you have questions about Social Security or about Medicare enrollment.

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained, and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Get our email updates

What's New

Upcoming Events

Tompkins Chamber 2025 Annual Celebration & Award Ceremony

Boys & Girls Clubs of Syracuse (BGCS) 2025 Clubhouse Classic

Women in Business Roundtable

CNYBJ Job Board

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get our email updates