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The Latest in the Year of the Criminal in New York State
In New York, convicted felons are not allowed to vote until they have served their sentence. Voting rights are automatically restored after the sentence is completed. Whether the conviction is for homicide, rape, assault, or grand larceny, the conventional thought is that because the criminal broke the social contract that all citizens have with their […]
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In New York, convicted felons are not allowed to vote until they have served their sentence. Voting rights are automatically restored after the sentence is completed. Whether the conviction is for homicide, rape, assault, or grand larceny, the conventional thought is that because the criminal broke the social contract that all citizens have with their community, they should lose their right to vote. However, in light of the shift of political power in the state, and under the guise of social justice, Democrats in Albany have now made a renewed push to provide incarcerated felons the right to vote.
Last month, legislators introduced a bill that, if passed and signed by Gov. Cuomo, would allow convicted felons in county jails and state prisons to vote via absentee ballot. In addition, the bill proposes to establish an inmate voter-registration program, provide access and assistance with voter-registration forms, and a mechanism for voting, including but not limited to, absentee ballots.
This legislative push to provide voting rights to criminals is on par with actions taken by Cuomo. As some may recall, in May 2018, the governor issued 24,000 conditional voting pardons for convicted felons who were on parole. Traditionally, restoring voting privileges for parolees was considered on a case-by-case basis. However, Gov. Cuomo, without legislative input, has broadly restored the right to vote for parolees through the use of pardons. In the past year and a half, Cuomo has periodically conditionally pardoned large numbers of parolees at once in order to allow them to vote and ensured that each is provided with a voter-registration form. At last count in August, more than 44,000 parolees have been conditionally pardoned to vote.
As if providing conditional pardons to all parolees and proposing to allow incarcerated felons to vote isn’t enough, last year legislators introduced a bill that would allow inmates, 55 years of age or older and who have served at least 15 years of their prison sentence, to be automatically eligible for early release on parole. The early release would come, according to this bill, even if the inmates have not served the minimum sentence imposed and regardless of the crime they have committed. This bill, dubbed the Elder Parole Bill, did not move in either house of the state legislature, but there is little doubt that there will be a renewed effort to enact it during this upcoming legislative session.
You can find previous columns of mine that attempt to explain more on this trend to protect criminals here: https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/William-A-Barclay/story/87422 and here: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/William-A-Barclay/story/82866. Ultimately, with any criminal-justice reform there needs to be acknowledgment of the victims of the crime, protection of the public, and then lastly help for the criminal. Sadly, too many of the criminal-justice reforms that continue to be introduced and enacted in this state focus solely on expanding criminal rights.
William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us or (315) 598-5185.
We Make Progress When Citizens Tackle the Small Stuff
One of the not-so-small gifts of living in a representative democracy is that you can’t accomplish things alone. Whether you’re trying to get a stop sign put up on a dangerous corner or to change U.S. policy on greenhouse-gas emissions, you have to reach out to others. And learning how to persuade, motivate, and involve them
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One of the not-so-small gifts of living in a representative democracy is that you can’t accomplish things alone. Whether you’re trying to get a stop sign put up on a dangerous corner or to change U.S. policy on greenhouse-gas emissions, you have to reach out to others. And learning how to persuade, motivate, and involve them — learning the skills of active citizenship, in other words — makes this a stronger, more resilient country.
So, I want to make a case for building and using those skills by tackling the issues right in front of us. We all live in communities that we know better than anyone who doesn’t live there — including the policy makers who every day make decisions on larger issues that affect our lives there. Who better than those who live in a particular community to step up, identify its problems, and then work to solve them?
As a member of Congress, I was constantly impressed by the issues that constituents wanted addressed: they were usually linked in some way to the larger issues we took up on Capitol Hill, but always approached with the unique perspective of the particular community.
These approaches ranged widely. One group’s purpose was to upgrade railroad warning lights, after too many accidents at crossings spurred them on. In a drought-stricken community, residents came together to manage the use of water in their watershed. Schools were a constant concern, as parents struggled to make sure that bright kids could be challenged while kids who were struggling or in some other way disadvantaged got opportunities to find a path to success. Hospital emergency rooms, roads and bridges, community centers and programs for the elderly — all of these commanded attention from ordinary people who identified the problem, gathered allies, debated tactics, and found a way to make their communities better.
Often, these were people who were not closely connected with politics or government. They just wanted to improve something in their community, so they learned how the system works, and then learned how to make it work to help them accomplish their goals. Some of them, over time, became community leaders and moved on to school boards, city councils, and state legislatures after honing their democratic skills by working on problems of immediate concern. Others went back to their lives, pleased that they’d improved one aspect of their neighbors’ lives.
I came to see these examples as the wellspring of representative democracy.
To be sure, even at the local level, things can get complicated. It used to puzzle me when someone would come forward with an idea to improve a water system or a sewer system, and just as quickly opposition would pop up. Often, this was because improvement required change — including, sometimes, a tax increase. And there will always be voices for leaving things be. But that’s the nature of the democratic process: change deserves debate, and learning to marshal facts, find and work with allies, and ultimately sway public opinion is part and parcel of living in the system we enjoy.
The more people are willing to do this, the more confident we can be that the answer to Lincoln’s question at Gettysburg — can this nation “long endure” — is Yes. It works if citizens step up to address the needs and conditions they face. Participating in the process challenges us to make our case, develop our skills of persuasion, and become better at speaking, listening, building consensus, and being an engaged member of a community.
These are the bedrock skills on which democracy rests, and the more of us who possess them, the stronger our system will be. Nothing in public life gave me greater pleasure than to see citizens in action.
Lee Hamilton, 88, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at 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.

MIRIELLA ROSENBLUM has joined DiMarco, Abiusi & Pascarella CPAs, P.C. as a staff accountant. She will specialize in commercial real estate and hospitality audits. Rosenblum holds a master’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego.
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MIRIELLA ROSENBLUM has joined DiMarco, Abiusi & Pascarella CPAs, P.C. as a staff accountant. She will specialize in commercial real estate and hospitality audits. Rosenblum holds a master’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego.

Pinckney Hugo Group has hired OLIVIA RICKENBACHER as an account manager, and JESSICA CARON and JOE PETRIN as assistant account managers. Rickenbacher previously worked as director of communications at the Alliance of New York State YMCAs. She also gained experience in communications and marketing at other organizations in Albany. Rickenbacher has a master’s degree in
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Pinckney Hugo Group has hired OLIVIA RICKENBACHER as an account manager, and JESSICA CARON and JOE PETRIN as assistant account managers.
Rickenbacher previously worked as director of communications at the Alliance of New York State YMCAs. She also gained experience in communications and marketing at other organizations in Albany. Rickenbacher has a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Marist College and a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a minor in public relations, from the College of Saint Rose.
Caron previously gained experience in marketing and communications at various organizations in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey. She has a master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University.
Petrin is a Google Qualified Individual with a certification in Google Ads. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in business administration from the Madden School of Business at Le Moyne College.
JAMES CHANTRY has been promoted to art director at Pinckney Hugo. He was previously a junior art director and has been with the agency for two years. Chantry has a bachelor’s degree in advertising design from Cazenovia College.

GAIL RIZZO-SPILKA has been named assistant VP of membership development at AmeriCU, a state-chartered credit union headquartered in Rome. She comes to AmeriCU with 10 years of prior credit-union experience and has more than 15 years of sales and business-development experience.
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GAIL RIZZO-SPILKA has been named assistant VP of membership development at AmeriCU, a state-chartered credit union headquartered in Rome. She comes to AmeriCU with 10 years of prior credit-union experience and has more than 15 years of sales and business-development experience.

NBT Insurance Agency, a unit of Norwich–based NBT Bancorp, has hired GREGGORY BUCKLEY as its new business development manager in the Capital Region. He brings more than eight years of experience in sales and insurance to his new position. Prior to joining NBT Insurance Agency, Buckley was an agent and sales manager with Lia Agency
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NBT Insurance Agency, a unit of Norwich–based NBT Bancorp, has hired GREGGORY BUCKLEY as its new business development manager in the Capital Region. He brings more than eight years of experience in sales and insurance to his new position. Prior to joining NBT Insurance Agency, Buckley was an agent and sales manager with Lia Agency in Schenectady. He has also worked with Farmers Insurance and State Farm.

MEGAN THOMAS has joined Mackenzie Hughes LLP as an associate attorney and will concentrate her legal practice on civil litigation, including medical malpractice, construction and architectural defense, and appeals. She spent six years as a Teach for America Corps member prior to becoming a lawyer. Thomas holds a juris doctorate from the Syracuse University (SU)
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MEGAN THOMAS has joined Mackenzie Hughes LLP as an associate attorney and will concentrate her legal practice on civil litigation, including medical malpractice, construction and architectural defense, and appeals. She spent six years as a Teach for America Corps member prior to becoming a lawyer. Thomas holds a juris doctorate from the Syracuse University (SU) College of Law, a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Public Citizenship at SU, a master’s degree in elementary education from UNLV, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Marist College.

SRCTec, LLC has promoted several employees across the company’s manufacturing and operations divisions. STEVE MIDECKE has been promoted to director of manufacturing at SRCTec. He has been with SRCTec for eight years, most recently serving as a senior manufacturing manager. Midecke brings more than 10 years of manufacturing experience to this role, having previously held
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SRCTec, LLC has promoted several employees across the company’s manufacturing and operations divisions.
STEVE MIDECKE has been promoted to director of manufacturing at SRCTec. He has been with SRCTec for eight years, most recently serving as a senior manufacturing manager. Midecke brings more than 10 years of manufacturing experience to this role, having previously held leadership positions in quality, lean deployment, supply chain management, and program management. He received an MBA from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Clarkson University. He is Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt-certified.
KRAIG RANDO has been promoted to director of operations at SRCTec. He has been with the company for 15 years, most recently as a senior program manager for radar and counter-UAS programs. Prior to joining SRCTec, Rando served in the U.S. Air Force. He received an MBA from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Columbia College. Rando received his Lean Leader certification from the Center for Excellence in Lean Enterprise.
GARY STEVENS has been promoted to VP of manufacturing at SRCTec. He has worked at the company for 13 years, most recently as assistant VP, manufacturing. Stevens earned an MBA from Syracuse University, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and an associate degree from Onondaga Community College. In 2015, Stevens received the Manufacturers Association of Central New York Innovator of the Year Award.
BOB DEROSA has been promoted to director of hardware engineering. He served in the U.S. Navy for six years and has worked at SRC for 15 years, most recently as senior manager of radio frequency engineering. DeRosa has made valuable contributions to SRC’s programs that include the FORESTER foliage penetrating radar and the CREW Duke counter-IED system. He has also led large scale multi-disciplinary development efforts like the Advanced Ground EW System (AGES). DeRosa earned a master’s degree in computer engineering from Syracuse University, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an associate degree in engineering from Mohawk Valley Community College.
KEVIN DEVANEY has been promoted to director of systems technology. He has worked at SRC for 31 years, most recently as director of systems engineering and has made major contributions to a variety of SRC programs. Devaney earned a master’s degree in management from Fielding Graduate University, two master’s degrees, one in computer engineering and one in electrical engineering, from Syracuse University, and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Georgetown University. He served in the U.S. Air Force for five years. Devaney is also a graduate of the class of 2017 of the Leadership Greater Syracuse civic-leadership training program.
SHAWN FREED has been promoted to director of firmware engineering. He has worked at SRC for 14 years, most recently as manager of digital engineering. Freed has contributed to numerous SRC programs, including the FORESTER foliage penetrating radar, the OWL omni-directional weapon locating radar, and the SkyChaser on-the-move radar. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Taylor University.
BEN GREENBLATT has been promoted to director of engineering strategy and technology. He has worked at SRC for 18 years, most recently as director of engineering for the electronic warfare and communications business unit. Greenblatt earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University. He has served as the VP for ritual and as a member of the personnel committee at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, and in 2006 was named the Technology Alliance of Central New York’s Young Technologist of the Year.
PETER LIU has been promoted to director of software engineering. He has worked at SRC for 27 years, most recently as a senior principal software engineer. Liu has provided software technical leadership on numerous programs and served as the software technical area manager for electronic warfare. He introduced software open-architecture concepts to SRC, which led to several successful radar software architectures and demonstrated the viability of systems of systems solutions. Liu earned a master’s degree in computer engineering from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from SUNY Buffalo.
GREGORY LOW has been promoted to director of engineering operations. He has worked at SRC for 17 years, most recently as a senior program manager. Low has contributed to many SRC programs, most notably managing the SR Hawk product line and leading the Ground-Based Sense and Avoid (GBSAA) program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a DARPA Certificate of Appreciation for his work on the Persistent Operational Surface Surveillance and Engagement (POSSE) program.
MICHELLE PALMER has been promoted to director of test engineering. She has worked at SRC for 10 years, most recently as manager of the test engineering group. Palmer has made important contributions to numerous SRC programs, helping to ensure the operational effectiveness, integrity and quality of SRC solutions. She earned a master’s degree in information systems from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in computer systems from Mercyhurst University.
JIM WERNER has been promoted to director of systems engineering. He has worked at SRC for eight years, most recently as senior manager of systems engineering. Werner has made important contributions to numerous SRC programs and products in the electronic warfare and radar business areas. He earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from SUNY Binghamton, and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Clarkson University.

Syracuse, three Ithaca firms win prize money in Grow-NY contest; Geneva firm wins grand prize
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Dropcopter, a tenant of Syracuse’s Tech Garden, on Wednesday captured one of two $500,000 prizes at the pitch event of the inaugural

Syracuse firm is runner-up in IDEA NY business-accelerator competition in Mohawk Valley
ROME, N.Y. — PreVision Corp. from Syracuse won $100,000 as the runner-up in the IDEA NY business-accelerator competition. United Aircraft Technologies (UAT) of Albany won
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