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Among My Biggest Disappointments in Politics is Voter Suppression
The other day, a friend asked what surprised me most about politics. This may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about the question. My response was off-the-cuff but heartfelt. The biggest surprise is also among my biggest disappointments with American political life: the ongoing effort by politicians to suppress votes. When I began in […]
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The other day, a friend asked what surprised me most about politics. This may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about the question.
My response was off-the-cuff but heartfelt. The biggest surprise is also among my biggest disappointments with American political life: the ongoing effort by politicians to suppress votes.
When I began in politics, I thought that everyone was on board with the idea that the more people who vote, the better. Boy was I naïve.
The truth is, people work hard to prevent other people from voting. They do this by requiring voter IDs — and then limit which IDs are valid (a gun permit is fine, for instance, but not a student ID). They close polling places, often in poor and minority communities. They conduct sweeping purges of voter rolls or restrict eligibility for absentee ballots. They refuse to invest in elections infrastructure, resulting in breakdowns and long lines that discourage potential voters. And that’s only a partial list.
The people who oppose making it easier to vote often cite as their reason that they’re trying to prevent voter fraud. But rampant voter fraud simply doesn’t exist in this country. Efforts to prove that it exists have failed. There is simply no tidal wave of illegal voting in the U.S.
What does exist, though, is an epidemic of efforts to suppress the vote, a basic right of citizenship. Voting is the foundation of a democracy — people’s ability to participate and engage with the issues facing their communities and their country. I’ve always believed that you win power by convincing people that your ideas and proposals are right. Winning power by keeping people away from the polls is a perversion of what democracy is about.
Because voting laws are in the hands of the states, there are plenty of counter-examples — states that have worked to make voting easier, to expand hours, to allow same-day registration, and the like. But this struggle, between expanding the vote and trying to limit it, is not going to be resolved any time soon.
I’m always distressed when I encounter efforts to suppress the vote. But I take heart from the fact that over the course of American history, the dominant trend has been to expand citizens’ access to the polls, and I hope that over the long term, we continue in that direction.
Lee Hamilton is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years, representing a district in south central Indiana.
Fust Charles Chambers LLP has hired ASHLEY E. REESE as a data analyst. She joins the firm after holding several financial accounting and analyst positions within the commercial and health-care industries. Reese obtained her MBA with a concentration in accounting from SUNY Oswego.
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Fust Charles Chambers LLP has hired ASHLEY E. REESE as a data analyst. She joins the firm after holding several financial accounting and analyst positions within the commercial and health-care industries. Reese obtained her MBA with a concentration in accounting from SUNY Oswego.
Generations has hired MICHAEL WILLIAMS as an investment-advisor representative. He will be focused on the Western New York market. George Awad, another investment-advisor representative, will remain focused on the Finger Lakes market. Williams has been in the financial-services field for about 18 years and has held a variety of leadership roles in the insurance and
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Generations has hired MICHAEL WILLIAMS as an investment-advisor representative. He will be focused on the Western New York market. George Awad, another investment-advisor representative, will remain focused on the Finger Lakes market. Williams has been in the financial-services field for about 18 years and has held a variety of leadership roles in the insurance and financial services industry including, VP of independent distribution, divisional VP, and director of distribution. He is a certified financial planner and holds Series 7, 24 and 63 registrations along with licenses in life insurance and accident and health insurance. Williams received a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oswego and his master’s degree from the University of Detroit.
AnCor, Inc. has promoted ADAM FLOOD to VP of operations. He joined AnCor, Inc. as a project manager in 2007, and was promoted to director of operations in 2013. As VP of operations, Flood serves on the firm’s executive management team in addition to his other responsibilities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology management
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AnCor, Inc. has promoted ADAM FLOOD to VP of operations. He joined AnCor, Inc. as a project manager in 2007, and was promoted to director of operations in 2013. As VP of operations, Flood serves on the firm’s executive management team in addition to his other responsibilities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology management with a minor in business administration from SUNY Oswego and an associate degree from the School of Engineering from SUNY Canton. Flood also has a certificate in electrical construction and maintenance from SUNY Canton.
Tioga Downs Casino Resort and Vernon Downs Casino Hotel have added ANDREW HAMILTON to the leadership team of both establishments. He has been named senior regional director of food and beverage. He has 40 years experience in the food and beverage industry, 24 years of which he spent with Hyatt Hotels and Hyatt Gaming. There,
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Tioga Downs Casino Resort and Vernon Downs Casino Hotel have added ANDREW HAMILTON to the leadership team of both establishments. He has been named senior regional director of food and beverage. He has 40 years experience in the food and beverage industry, 24 years of which he spent with Hyatt Hotels and Hyatt Gaming. There, Hamilton worked at 14 properties in various leadership roles, ranging from executive chef to assistant general manager. He opened 12 properties with Hyatt Hotels. Hamilton also spent time as VP of food and beverage for Jack Binion at the Horseshoe casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. Most recently, he served as the food and beverage director in Rochester, Washington, where he completed a $45 million renovation for the Washington Chehalis Tribe.
ANDREA GODFREAD-BROWN has joined the Harris Beach office in Syracuse after more than 10 years in private practice and another seven years as an in-house immigration counsel at Syracuse University. She is joining an immigration law team that provides legal guidance to organizations around the state in hiring, transferring, and retaining non-U.S. talent. Godfread-Brown regularly
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ANDREA GODFREAD-BROWN has joined the Harris Beach office in Syracuse after more than 10 years in private practice and another seven years as an in-house immigration counsel at Syracuse University. She is joining an immigration law team that provides legal guidance to organizations around the state in hiring, transferring, and retaining non-U.S. talent. Godfread-Brown regularly handles J waivers, H-1Bs, O-1s and EB Permanent Resident petitions for many industries. She also handles employment-based Green Card work for health care, IT consulting, and engineering firm clients, and assists small and start-up tech and engineering companies in sponsoring employees for H-1B and EB-1/EB-2 Green Cards. In recent years, she has specialized in representing hospitals and medical practice groups when they hire foreign-trained nurses, physicians, physician assistants, and other allied-health professionals. Godfread-Brown earned her law degree from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
KATHERINE STEWART has joined Smith Sovik Kendrick & Sugnet PC as an associate attorney in its Syracuse office. She is a Rochester native who graduated from Syracuse University. Stewart attended Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining Smith Sovik, she was an associate at Harris Beach PLLC, focusing on commercial and intellectual property litigation.
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KATHERINE STEWART has joined Smith Sovik Kendrick & Sugnet PC as an associate attorney in its Syracuse office. She is a Rochester native who graduated from Syracuse University. Stewart attended Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining Smith Sovik, she was an associate at Harris Beach PLLC, focusing on commercial and intellectual property litigation.

ShoppingTown Mall owner, behind on its taxes, threatens second lawsuit against Onondaga County
Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II on Thursday provided details during a morning news conference at which he provided reporters a copy of the
Sutton Real Estate Company recently hired DEVIN SHERMAN as a real-estate salesperson. He has been in the commercial construction field for more than 25 years, as a union mason for most of that time. Sherman has an extensive background in new commercial real-estate development from his time in the construction field, ranging from the planning
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Sutton Real Estate Company recently hired DEVIN SHERMAN as a real-estate salesperson. He has been in the commercial construction field for more than 25 years, as a union mason for most of that time. Sherman has an extensive background in new commercial real-estate development from his time in the construction field, ranging from the planning stage to final completion. He has been in the private real-estate sector for about 18 years developing and investing in real-estate renovation projects.
CODY RADZIEWICZ has joined Sutton’s brokerage team as a real-estate salesperson. He is new to the commercial real-estate world. Radziewicz is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland with a degree in political science. He played Division I men’s lacrosse all four years at Johns Hopkins and was a graduate assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Le Moyne College for one year. Radziewicz now plays professional lacrosse in the MLL for the Dallas Rattlers and in the NLL for the Philadelphia Wings. JAKEISHA SUTTON has joined Sutton as a property accountant. She graduated from Wilmington University with an MBA in accounting. Sutton previously pursued a career in nonprofit and public accounting.
Two members of the Syracuse Athletics Department and Carrier Dome Ticket Office are transitioning roles. Associate Athletics Director JEREMIAH MAHER is moving from his role as the supervisor of Syracuse ticketing and customer service in the Carrier Dome Box Office operation to become the associate AD for premium seating and major gifts. Maher is a
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Two members of the Syracuse Athletics Department and Carrier Dome Ticket Office are transitioning roles. Associate Athletics Director JEREMIAH MAHER is moving from his role as the supervisor of Syracuse ticketing and customer service in the Carrier Dome Box Office operation to become the associate AD for premium seating and major gifts. Maher is a 12-year veteran of the Orange Athletics Department, who joined after serving as the director of ticket sales at Seton Hall University. He began his career in college athletics at Siena College as an assistant director of sports information and marketing. Maher earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from Siena and holds an MBA, with a concentration in sports management, from Seton Hall. MARK POTTER has worked in the Carrier Dome Box Office since 2009 and will now serve as the interim director of ticket operations. He joined the Syracuse Athletics Department staff in November 2009 and moved to the box-office staff in June 2010 as a manager for outbound ticket sales. Potter was promoted to assistant director of ticket sales in 2013 and became associate director in January 2018. Prior to joining the box-office staff, he completed an internship with Syracuse ISP Sports, where he assisted the corporate sales team with the day-to-day operations and with many of the promotions executed at the Carrier Dome during Syracuse Athletics events.
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