OPINION: Bashing China is easy but not always helpful to us

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Here’s one thing we can count on in the upcoming election year: American politicians will find ways to criticize China, even if they’re running for jobs that have little to do with U.S. foreign policy. China-bashing is a tried-and-true way to appeal for votes. It’s politically safe: China has few defenders anywhere in the United […]

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China-bashing is a tried-and-true way to appeal for votes. It’s politically safe: China has few defenders anywhere in the United States. Politicians can take shots at China without worrying that they will offend anyone or lose support. And, certainly, China often deserves criticism.

But there is a downside to reflexive anti-China rhetoric. With the world’s second-largest population and its second-largest economy, China is a force in world affairs. We need to push back when it threatens our interests, but we also need to engage with China when appropriate.

It’s understandable that China would be a target for attacks. We live in a bipolar world, with the U.S. and China competing for global influence. Under President Xi Jinping, China has positioned itself as our chief rival. And China’s actions often call for pushback. It engages in unfair trade practices, disregards intellectual-property rules and tramples on human rights. The nation has been accused of genocide against the Uyghur population in its Xinjiang province. It also threatens Taiwan and antagonizes its neighbors over the South China Sea.

To many Americans, China can seem foreign and far away. Its people look different and speak different languages. Its autocratic system of government is very different from our democratic system. A recent Pew Research Center survey found half of Americans consider China to be the biggest threat we face; that’s three times as many as view Russia as our biggest threat. In another survey, more than 80 percent of Americans had negative views of China.

Some of China’s actions do call for strong responses. We should expect candidates for relevant government offices to adopt clear positions toward China. But China-bashing can go too far. In Indiana, where I live, one candidate for governor has made “combating China” a centerpiece of his campaign. He and his rivals say they will confront China over fentanyl imports, online theft of personal information, and other matters. The next governor of Indiana will have a lot of important issues to address, but getting tough with China won’t be high on the list.

Demonizing China also has a long and sometimes ugly history in the U.S. Chinese immigrants in the 1800s did hard and dangerous jobs, working in mines and building railroads, but faced discrimination in housing, employment, and education. Anti-Chinese bias led Congress to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, barring further Chinese immigration. Sensationalistic newspapers fanned fears of a “Yellow Peril” that threatened native-born Americans. A 1924 law further restricted Asian immigration.

Some of those old prejudices can resurface today. One recent poll found that voters linked politicians’ anti-Chinese rhetoric to a spike in violence against Asian-Americans. With election campaigns getting underway, some experts predict a rise in hate incidents.

At the end of the day, U.S. officials will have to lay aside the rhetoric and engage with China. That means standing firm when China threatens our interests and those of our allies, but it also means finding ways to work together. We can, and should, cooperate on addressing climate change, combating terrorism, deterring drug smuggling, promoting free and fair trade, and other issues.

Lee Hamilton, 92, 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.

Watt reflects on time at NBT as he prepares for retirement

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NORWICH — While the Jan. 22 announcement that NBT Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB) President/CEO John H. Watt, Jr. will retire this coming May might have caught some by surprise, it’s a decision Watt says he reached last year. What spurred the decision? “The bench!” he tells The Central New York Business Journal. “The strength of

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What spurred the decision?

“The bench!” he tells The Central New York Business Journal. “The strength of the individuals on the team.”

The team he’s referring to are CFO Scott A. Kingsley, who will step into NBT’s president and CEO role on May 21 when Watt officially retires; Chief Accounting Officer Annette L. Burns, who will become CFO; and President of Retail Community Banking and Chief Information Officer Joseph R. Stagliano, who will become president of NBT Bank, N.A.

All of them are hardworking and exceedingly competent, Watt says. “Recognizing that, how could I not step aside and provide them opportunity?” he posits.

Part of being a good steward of a public company is not just training new leaders, but also providing the opportunity for them to lead, Watt says. The failure to do so could drive those leaders to look elsewhere for those opportunities.

Watt approached the board of directors with his plans to retire last year, and the board undertook a 10-month process to draft and approve a succession plan.

“I had a good run, no doubt about it,” Watt says of his time at the helm. He will spend the time between now and May ensuring a smooth transition to the new leadership team. “My job after that will be to get out of their way,” he says.

With his retirement, Watt won’t completely be stepping away from NBT, which he has led as president and CEO since 2016.

Watt is most proud of the team at NBT, especially with their efforts during the pandemic. The way that the entire team came together during that time to help the communities NBT serves, including initiating more than $800 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans, is nothing short of incredible, he notes. “I’m very proud of how the team came together.”

Another highlight is last year’s acquisition of Salisbury Bancorp, which expanded NBT’s footprint and number of employees.

NBT grew from about $8 billion in assets to nearly $14 billion during his tenure. “We needed to drive growth, and we did,” Watt recalls.

He’s also proud that the company’s C-suite includes six female executive VPs, something that isn’t common in the industry. They are true leaders that are harder working and smarter than him, Watt notes.

Watt doesn’t plan to spend his retirement days relaxing. Joking that he put away his golf clubs a decade ago because the sport is too frustrating, Watt says he feels the need to remain busy and work to give back to the company and the community.

He will continue to serve the board of directors as vice chairman, where he will provide strategic support for NBT’s initiatives along the semiconductor chip corridor, and also serve as an advisor through the end of the year.

“It’s such a unique, once-in-a-hundred-year opportunity,” he says of the growth the region, particularly Syracuse, is poised for with the semiconductor industry. To see combined federal and state support to re-shore the industry is transformational, and he doesn’t want to miss it.

Watt also wants to make sure that NBT benefits along with the community as the need for housing grows and as contractors, franchisees, and businesses of all sizes need loans to get started or grow.

“All of these things are going to multiply, and we have the opportunity to be part of that,” he says. People will need loans, insurance, and even wealth management. “We’ll be there.”

Watt also plans to remain active with OnPoint for College, a nonprofit education and career-attainment program that helps students pursue post-secondary educational goals. Last year, NBT committed to funding a career-advisor position at the organization, and Watt plans to continue to be involved with OnPoint.

He also hopes to do a little fishing. “I will admit that once in a while, I have a fishing pole in my hand, and I hope to do a little more of that,” Watt quips.

Headquartered in Norwich, NBT Bancorp is the holding company for NBT Bank, N.A. and has more than $13.8 billion in assets. NBT Bank has 153 branches in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut. The company also operates EPIC Advisors, Inc., a Rochester–based benefits-administration firm, and NBT Insurance Agency, LLC, a Norwich–based full-service insurance agency

OPINION: Congress Tests its Own Willingness to Get Things Done

Opinion, Subscriber Only

Back in mid-January, among people who pay attention to the state of American democracy, perhaps the most widely circulated quote from a news article had nothing to do with the presidential primaries or drama in Congress. Rather, it was from a European ambassador who likened the United States to “a fat buffalo trying to take

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The point this ambassador was making — along with other diplomats to whom Politico foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi spoke — is that as seen from abroad, the U.S. is failing basic tests. “The diplomats are aghast that so many U.S. leaders let their zeal for partisan politics prevent the basic functions of government,” Toosi wrote.

Normally, I’d read something like that, think, “Huh, that’s interesting,” and move on. But I keep returning to it in my mind.

“In our system, someone will always be unhappy.”

When I began work on this commentary, my plan was to praise the budget agreement that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer reached in early January. It was a sign that maybe Congress was ready to avoid a government shutdown and get its most important work done.

The waters have gotten muddier since then, though both houses of Congress did agree to another continuing resolution that will allow them to keep the government operating into March. The truth is, with a closely divided electorate and a narrowly divided U.S. House, this kind of brinksmanship may be the best we can expect. In our system, someone will always be unhappy. We make progress when political leaders who are willing to search for common ground find people with whom they can work.

To some extent, the diplomats [talking with] Politico [were] just reacting to the messy way policy sometimes gets made in the U.S. Still, there is no question that our ability to move forward as a country on key questions is hamstrung on Capitol Hill right now.

There are plenty of reasons for hopefulness, including a functioning Senate and a perception among Democrats that Johnson, as a Republican House speaker, has been willing to deal honestly with them. But the fact that there is so little predictability about Congress’s ability to get things done is worrisome. As long as congressional leaders on both sides can keep talking to one another and are willing to seek points of agreement, our system can function. If that stops, maybe we’re a fat buffalo after all.

People news: Security Mutual hires Kentch

Insurance & Financial Services, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ITHACA, N.Y. — Security Mutual Group recently announced the appointment of Samantha Kentch to the insurance company’s cancellations department. Prior to joining Security Mutual, she worked for two years at the Tompkins County Department of Social Services. Kentch is a graduate of Groton High School in Tompkins County and holds certifications in digital media and

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Winter Fair with food, rides, music set for this weekend at the Fairgrounds Expo Center

Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

GEDDES, N.Y. — Winter Fair 2024 is set for Friday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 4, at the Expo Center at the New York State

Destiny USA, Syracuse police say Flock cameras are preventing, solving crime

Manufacturing & Engineering, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only, Technology

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Destiny USA on Thursday said its license-plate reading (LPR) cameras have “proven to be a powerful tool in preventing and solving crime in the Syracuse community.” The announcement comes six months into its partnership with the Syracuse Police Department and Atlanta, Georgia–based Flock Safety Flock Safety cameras have scanned nearly 400,000 vehicles

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Destiny USA on Thursday said its license–plate reading (LPR) cameras have “proven to be a powerful tool in preventing and solving crime in the Syracuse community.”

The announcement comes six months into its partnership with the Syracuse Police Department and Atlanta, Georgia–based Flock Safety

Flock Safety cameras have scanned nearly 400,000 vehicles per month since the program began in August 2023, Destiny USA said. They’ve provided law enforcement with real-time data to identify the make, model, color, and license plate of each vehicle entering and exiting every vehicle entrance at the complex.

“Thanks to the Flock cameras and our partnership with the Syracuse Police Department, we’re literally meeting a small group of trespassed individuals and repeat shoplifters at the door — before they enter the property, and that’s an absolute game-changer in our efforts to provide a safe environment to everyone that visits Destiny USA,” Stephen Congel, CEO of Pyramid Management Group, said in a news release. “What’s more, our cameras are also enhancing the ways law enforcement agencies like the Syracuse Police Department are able to prevent and solve crime, and that’s good news for our entire community.”

Destiny USA provided a few examples of how the cameras have worked as a crime deterrent, including the prevention of shoplifting. The Flock Safety cameras have worked in “identifying and stopping shoplifters in their tracks.”

The real-time alerts sent to law enforcement have enabled quick responses to the arrival of these individuals on property, leading to apprehensions and reduced theft.

Destiny USA cited one example where after months of a “highly coordinated shoplifting campaign” by a group of individuals, license–plate data from one of the associated vehicles used was entered into the Flock Safety database.

The next time the individuals involved arrived on-site at Destiny USA, both mall security and the Syracuse Police Department were immediately notified, and the suspects “immediately apprehended.”

Oneida County Tourism launches revamped beverage trail

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County Tourism (OCT), the official tourism-promotion agency for Oneida County, has launched a refreshed, digital version of the Heart of NY Beverage Trail highlighting local wineries and breweries. The mobile, interactive trail — accessible on the OCT website — features 10 partners throughout the county. Those taking part in the year-long

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Oneida County Tourism has launched a new digital version of its Heart of NY Beverage Trail featuring craft breweries and wineries. (Photo credit: Oneida County Tourism)

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County Tourism (OCT), the official tourism–promotion agency for Oneida County, has launched a refreshed, digital version of the Heart of NY Beverage Trail highlighting local wineries and breweries.

The mobile, interactive trail — accessible on the OCT website — features 10 partners throughout the county. Those taking part in the year-long promotion are encouraged to responsibly visit participating locations to win an array of prizes including a sticker, hat, T-shirt, and hoodie.

“This new way to experience the beverage trail is easy and user friendly,” OCT President Sarah Foster Calero said in a news release. “Users can sort through locations by category and see coupons. Earning prizes is now more attainable for visitors, too. In the past, you had to visit every location to receive a T-shirt. Ultimately, a major goal of OCT is to bring visitors here. If people are in town for a visit or to attend an event, it’s still possible to visit a couple of spots and earn some type of prize.”

The updated beverage trail launched on Dec. 19, 2023. People can sign up on the website, following prompts to enter their phone number and email address.

The trail is a free, mobile-optimized web application. It’s not an app and is delivered to participants via SMS and email. Those participating check into trail locations on their phone using GPS technology and earn points for each check-in. Then they can redeem those points for beverage trail-themed prizes via the web application. Prizes are sent through a third-party company, so participants don’t need to redeem in person or be in the area to get their prize.

Bandwango, a technology company in the travel space, designed and executive the pass.

“We’re excited to switch to Bandwango,” Woodland Farm Brewery Owner/Brewer Keith Redhead said. “It’s an easier and more interactive way to explore the trail and collect points. My favorite part is that there are different prizes to choose from and rewards for weekend travelers who may only be able to hit up a few spots, but bigger rewards for those who check out all of the breweries and wineries across months of a year. A big plus is the discounts that many members are offering.”

Amy Rizzuto, owner of Villa Verona Vineyard, shared in the excitement for the new beverage trail. “The process is so much easier for the customers to check in and for all trail partners to be able to add discounts. Plus, there are great deals and multiple prizes. We can’t wait to many new and existing customers come into the winery and bistro,” she said.

For a full list of locations on the beverage trail, visit www.oneidacountytourism.com/what-to-do/visitor-trails/heart-of-ny-craft-beverage-trail/.

Mackenzie Hughes elects new managing partner

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse–based law firm Mackenzie Hughes LLP announced it has elected a new managing partner. The firm elected attorney Richard Engel for the role. He succeeds attorney Anne Ruffer, who stepped down as managing partner on Dec. 31, after having served in the role for six years. As managing partner, Engel will oversee

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Richard Engel (Photo credit: Mackenzie Hughes)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse–based law firm Mackenzie Hughes LLP announced it has elected a new managing partner.

The firm elected attorney Richard Engel for the role. He succeeds attorney Anne Ruffer, who stepped down as managing partner on Dec. 31, after having served in the role for six years.

As managing partner, Engel will oversee Mackenzie Hughes’ operations, chair the executive committee, and guide the strategic vision of the law firm, per its announcement. He joined Mackenzie Hughes in 2003.

Engel concentrates his law practice in business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, securities law, banking, commercial development, and IDA financing. He also handles securities litigation and arbitration before FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), private securities offerings, and federal and state regulatory compliance relating to securities and corporate governance.

During her time as Mackenzie Hughes managing partner, Ruffer oversaw the day-to-day firm operations, worked in supporting the firm’s various practice areas, and managed its fiscal responsibility.

Anne Ruffer (Photo credit: Mackenzie Hughes)

She also “successfully navigated” Mackenzie Hughes through the pandemic and its many challenges, the firm said. Ruffer has served in the firm’s management since 2007, when she was elected to join the firm’s executive committee.

In addition, while managing partner, Ruffer continued her law practice providing legal services in the firm’s estates department. She will continue her law practice, where she’ll work with clients on their estate planning, estates and trust administration, special needs and elder law planning, guardianships, estate litigation, and related matters, Mackenzie Hughes said.

Besides the change in managing partner, the firm also announced that attorney James Nicoll will serve as chair of the business department. Nicoll joined Mackenzie Hughes in 2014 and is a partner in the firm’s business department.

CenterState CEO report finds 55 percent of area firms expect to boost hiring this year

News, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A new report from CenterState CEO finds 55 percent of more than 165 businesspeople surveyed expect an increase in jobs and hiring in 2024 — down 17percent from 2023 projections. It also found nearly three quarters of those surveyed (72 percent) anticipate increased sales or revenue in 2024, down 1 percent from

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Pathfinder Bancorp pays dividend of 9 cents a share in Q4

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only

OSWEGO — Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBHC), the bank holding company of Pathfinder Bank, recently paid a quarterly cash dividend of 9 cents per share on its common stock. The fourth quarter 2023 dividend was paid on Feb. 2 to all shareholders of record on Jan. 12, according to an announcement from James A. Dowd,

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