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OPINION: 2025-26 New York Budget: State Spending Continues to Soar
After 11 extenders and more than a month past its April 1 deadline, the 2025-2026 New York State budget is finally complete. The unprecedented $254 billion spending package again does little to truly move the needle to make life in New York more affordable. The lack of fiscal relief and restraint provided by this budget […]
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After 11 extenders and more than a month past its April 1 deadline, the 2025-2026 New York State budget is finally complete. The unprecedented $254 billion spending package again does little to truly move the needle to make life in New York more affordable. The lack of fiscal relief and restraint provided by this budget is disappointing, and so, too, are the watered-down policy changes accompanying the spending plan.
The components that held up budget negotiations were policy measures involving the involuntary commitment of individuals suffering from severe mental illness, the use of masks during protests, and laws dictating how evidence is handled in criminal trials. While some adjustments were made to make it easier for law enforcement and prosecutors to do their jobs, the resulting legislation could have been stronger, compared to the substantial time it took legislative leaders to draft it.
Further, the budget also provides for two notable bailouts: one for the state attorney general and one for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA has consistently shown it is unable to manage its budget, and the service commuters are getting is nowhere near commensurate with the enormous sums of money the state has provided the failing agency. Also, $10 million set aside to defend criminal charges unrelated to a public official’s duties as Letitia James faces fraud allegations [over personal mortgages] is an insult to taxpayers. These are the types of measures that get included in a budget negotiated behind closed doors and passed hastily before most lawmakers can even read it.
As is the case with most budgets, there were some items included for which the Assembly Minority Conference has advocated. The state will finally address overdue unemployment-insurance payments owed to the federal government — a huge victory for small businesses; an expansion of the Empire State child credit paired with middle-class tax cuts are positive steps in the right direction. Central New Yorkers should celebrate
$450 million to help Upstate University Hospital implement critical upgrades.
However, the best way to evaluate our spending plans is by looking at the return on investment. The 2025-26 plan is
$13 billion more than last year and has increased by $77 billion in the last five years. Despite the state’s runaway spending, the quality of life, economic stability, and public safety continue to lag behind other states that spend far less money than we do. This budget, ultimately, fails to fix what’s actually wrong with New York. Unless the governor and her legislative allies take this reality seriously, we will be having this same conversation next spring.
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: Abraham Lincoln’s speeches glimpsed the future
When Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for his second term as president, the United States was divided as never before or since. The Civil War had killed more than 600,000 Americans, North and South. The end of the war was in sight, but bitterness remained. Lincoln could have celebrated the Union’s approaching victory
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When Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for his second term as president, the United States was divided as never before or since. The Civil War had killed more than 600,000 Americans, North and South. The end of the war was in sight, but bitterness remained.
Lincoln could have celebrated the Union’s approaching victory or claimed a mandate for his policy goals. Instead, he adopted a conciliatory tone. He called on both sides to make peace and face the nation’s challenges together.
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right; let us strive on to finish the work we are in,” he concluded. “To bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Lincoln’s second inaugural address is one of the most consequential presidential speeches in U.S. history, both for its eloquence and its impact. At only 703 words, it was the third-shortest inaugural address in history, longer only than George Washington’s second and Franklin Roosevelt’s fourth. Yet it remains relevant after 170 years.
I’ve always felt that Lincoln glimpsed the future in some of his better-known addresses, including his second inaugural. For example, in calling for “malice toward none” and “charity for all,” he evoked qualities the world would need 80 years later.
After World War II, much of Europe was in ruins. America’s allies — including France, England, and the Soviet Union — and our enemies — Germany and Italy — were devastated. More than 50 million had been killed, including the 6 million European Jews who died in the Holocaust. Governments and economies were crippled.
The U.S. responded with charity and not with malice. The Marshall Plan helped rebuild Europe. There were also private efforts, including a “friendship train,” named for Lincoln, that crossed the country collecting food and clothing for the war’s survivors. In subsequent years, we partnered to create NATO and other alliances to keep the world secure.
Lincoln also called for reconciliation at his first inauguration in 1861, hoping to avoid war. “Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection,” he said, appealing for the “mystic chords of memory” to “yet swell the chorus of the union.”
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered in November 1863, is even briefer than the second inaugural and better known. In just 272 words, Lincoln honored the Civil War dead, called for perseverance, and appealed to a generous vision of America’s future. He looked ahead to the challenge of reconstructing the nation and called for a “new birth of freedom,” words that have inspired generations.
Unlike modern presidents, Lincoln didn’t employ speechwriters. He wrote his own speeches by hand, sometimes asking aides for suggestions but laboring over the text. He preferred simple, direct language, not the flowery oratory that was common in his era.
Ted Sorensen, a speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, recalled that Kennedy asked him to prepare for the job by studying Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and all the previous inaugural addresses of the 20th century. “I did not learn much from those (inaugural) speeches … but I learned a great deal from Lincoln’s ten sentences,” he wrote.
Lincoln was a skilled writer with a poetic sensibility who deftly used rhetorical devices and biblical references, Sorensen said. But his speeches resonate because his ideas and values were timeless. In today’s divided times, we would do well to take to heart Lincoln’s words, phrases and, especially, his ideas. Showing malice toward none and charity for all is as valuable today as ever.
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.

VIEWPOINT: Integrated vs. Specialized Agencies
Navigating the two approaches to marketing Media consumption has undergone a massive shift in terms of which content (news, advertising, entertainment) is consumed on which platforms (television, social media, websites). Numerous means exist for reaching a targeted audience. Against this backdrop, marketers must remain vigilant about how to optimize their messaging for specific audiences across a
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Media consumption has undergone a massive shift in terms of which content (news, advertising, entertainment) is consumed on which platforms (television, social media, websites). Numerous means exist for reaching a targeted audience. Against this backdrop, marketers must remain vigilant about how to optimize their messaging for specific audiences across a broad spectrum of mediums. That’s easier said than done.
One integrated marketing agency can do that for your organization, or you can do that in partnership with a handful of specialized agencies. Regardless of how your organization allocates its marketing spend, there is still a need to integrate it all under a unified strategy. The process of choosing between a specialized agency (which executes a designated portion of your campaign tied to its area of expertise) and an integrated agency (which executes and integrates a diversified campaign on your behalf) requires care. Avoiding the pitfalls of the wrong choice can save your business time and money upfront — and result in both a short-term and long-term payoff via measurable ROI.
A closer look is needed at what integrated and specialized agencies can and can’t do, and why there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of which is the better choice.
An integrated agency’s approach involves marketing by any method necessary to deliver a client’s desired results. Recognizing that the landscape is diverse and fragmented, it pulls from a big toolbox to reach the intended audiences in a coordinated set of interactions. The integrated agency’s job is to be aware of the best means for reaching specific audiences, and pick the right tools.
Some, most, or all of the personnel responsible for the individual facets of a multimedia marketing campaign might be in-house employees of the integrated agency. Others might subcontract on an as-needed basis. Either way, the process looks the same: your organization contracts with the integrated agency, which executes the campaign from strategy positioning to execution.
Specialized agencies, by contrast, do not pull from a big toolbox. Their personnel specialize in specific forms of marketing — email, social media, SEO, media — and focus on that branch of the campaign. When contracting with a specialized agency, the process looks different: integrating the various facets of a campaign is often the client’s job, not the agency’s. The expectation is that each selected partner has depth of experience that will facilitate efficiency and quality in their specific effort.
It is the client’s job to determine which tools are needed to achieve the desired result, and to hire the best personnel to execute on the plan. Clients are also responsible for creating clarity and connection among the plan’s goals, resources, and outcomes. Whether they operate collaboratively or work with partners in isolation, clients bear greater responsibility to help outside partners visualize the broader picture.
Globally, the specialized-to-integrated agency ratio is roughly 1-to-1. But this might change over time. Specialists in email marketing did not exist 30 years ago; specialists in social-media marketing arose in the last 15 years. Something will arise in the next 15 years that does not exist today. As the science of marketing evolves and the number of popular mediums expands, expect specialty marketers to proliferate further.
Both approaches to outsourcing marketing campaigns invite risk.
An integrated agency promises the ability to draw from a full toolbox, and know which tools are appropriate for the job. Each of the following issues can thwart the agency’s best intentions:
• One or more tools are weaker than the others. All the tools are there, but not all are necessarily equal to the task at hand. An integrated agency might be able to execute a social media and email campaign, for example, but one delivers more consistent results than the other.
• One necessary tool might be missing, but the agency doesn’t realize it. The integrated agency might not be facile with print advertising, for example, but might not consider that a problem for the job at hand. That could be a miscalculation if the ROI on the print campaign justifies the effort necessary.
• One step in the process falls short. The integrated agency must be able to conceive, integrate, and execute a holistic campaign. Each of those steps invites the potential for missteps. Even choosing good tools, and the most-appropriate tools for the job, cannot overcome a misstep early in the conception process.
A specialized agency avoids each of these issues in its own way. It must execute a plan conceived by the client; the agency need not integrate it with other components of the client’s marketing plan. The specialized agency does not have to shuffle between multiple tools; rather, it specializes in one marketing tool only. And if that one tool is weak in the client’s estimation, the specialized agency won’t (or shouldn’t) get the job in the first place.
When hiring a specialized agency, most of the risk lies on the hiring organization’s end. In either case, you should be able to discern your needs, and the marketing agency should be able to discern yours. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might struggle to find it.
Some organizations will be better served by partnering with an integrated agency. Others would prefer a specialized agency, particularly when their marketing needs are narrower or the campaign is more clearly defined. A couple factors worth considering are:
• Sometimes the product at hand will self-select the kind of agency you partner with. What’s the motivation of someone looking to invest in an inherently exclusive product, like a million-dollar yacht or a giant piece of farming equipment? If I assume their reasons for buying a product are similar to different kinds of consumers, my messaging might miss the mark.
• Some industries are more highly regulated than others — finance and health care, for example — around how marketers are able to target potential customers with ads. Not knowing these regulations could risk penalty under law.
In each case, a business must scrutinize a potential partner’s portfolio, carefully vetting whether their history suggests they are up to the task at hand. When requesting a proposal, include a checklist, then advance to more specific and granular conversations only if all the boxes are checked. Performing this due diligence upfront will help clarify whether a specialized or integrated agency is better suited for the job, and which agency suits your needs.
Jordan Buning is president of ddm marketing + communications, a marketing agency for complex and regulated industries, including health care, financial services, and global manufacturing, as well as public transportation, higher education, and recreational products.

2025 Mohawk Valley GEAR Event Supplement
Click here to read this year’s Event Supplement and learn more about this year’s honorees!

Einstein Bros. Bagels formally opens at Syracuse airport
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Einstein Bros. Bagels location at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) is now in operation. The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) and

Willow Point names new administrator
VESTAL, N.Y. — Sonya Moshier is Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center’s new administrator, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar announced Thursday. Moshier brings more than 30 years of experience in health-care leadership to the role. She previously served in both public and private settings around the state and has a strong background in senior-care operations
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VESTAL, N.Y. — Sonya Moshier is Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center’s new administrator, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar announced Thursday.
Moshier brings more than 30 years of experience in health-care leadership to the role. She previously served in both public and private settings around the state and has a strong background in senior-care operations and strategic planning, according to the announcement.
Since Feb. 1, Willow Point has welcomed 71 new employees across a variety of critical positions including certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, unit aides, and other roles that support daily care and operations, the county executive said.
The additions followed wage increases from 16 percent to 20 percent implemented by the county earlier this year. The pay scale for supervising nurses, certified nursing assistants, and licensed practical nurses was increased.
Willow Point, owned and sponsored by Broome County, specializes in long-term and short-term care, hospice services, dementia care, and rehabilitation programs aimed at maximizing independence.

UHS to receive nearly $4 million from Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — United Health Services Inc. (UHS) announced it will receive nearly $3.9 million in multi-year funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation’s new

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ANDRO selected to participate in Army initiative
ROME, N.Y. — The U.S. Army selected ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC to participate in Cyber Quest 2025, an Army-focused warfighting experiment (AFWE), the Rome company announced in a press release. This will allow its team to conduct soldier touch point (STP) experiments for its artificial intelligence (AI) driven electronic-support technology, DeepSPEC. ANDRO’s DeepSPEC and related
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ROME, N.Y. — The U.S. Army selected ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC to participate in Cyber Quest 2025, an Army-focused warfighting experiment (AFWE), the Rome company announced in a press release.
This will allow its team to conduct soldier touch point (STP) experiments for its artificial intelligence (AI) driven electronic-support technology, DeepSPEC.
ANDRO’s DeepSPEC and related solutions use AI to deliver electronic warfare, providing enhanced situational awareness, streamlined electronic operations, and improved effectiveness of Army forces in complex environments. As part of Cyber Quest 2025, DeepSPEC will undergo a series of critical field trials in real-world STP experiments, allowing the Army to assess its impact on operational effectiveness and battlefield performance.
“We are honored to have been selected by the U.S. Army for this experimentation opportunity,” Jithin Jagannath, ANDRO chief technology officer and chief scientist, said in the press release. “The integration of our DeepSPEC technology into STP experiments marks a significant milestone in the advancement of AI-driven EW solutions.”
The Cyber Quest 2025 initiative is a forward-looking program designed to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies that support the Army’s modernization priorities. STP experiments are a critical component of the initiative, providing an opportunity for soldiers to interact with new technologies in operational environments and provide feedback for further development and refinement.
“The collaboration with Marconi-Rosenblatt AI Innovation Lab of ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC, and the integration of DeepSPEC into our soldier touch point experiments will provide us with invaluable insights as we continue to push the boundaries of innovation and ensure our soldiers have the tools they need to succeed in the rapidly evolving landscape of modern warfare,” Major James Harryman, Cyber Quest 2025 lead planner, said in the announcement.
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