Utica native opens dream business

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UTICA — As a creative child, Nazaria (Nazzy) Deloach had a dream for a space where he felt free to be himself and create. As an adult, Deloach is making that dream come true with his new business, Dreamer Studios, LLC, which opened in June at 2507 Genesee St. “I fell in love with music […]

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UTICA — As a creative child, Nazaria (Nazzy) Deloach had a dream for a space where he felt free to be himself and create.

As an adult, Deloach is making that dream come true with his new business, Dreamer Studios, LLC, which opened in June at 2507 Genesee St.

“I fell in love with music early in life,” Deloach says. He was in band all through school, but things really changed in high school when he got a computer and a microphone. That opened up more opportunity for him to create and record music.

Eventually, that turned into recording music for others with equipment set up in his mother’s house. Deloach also attended Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), receiving an associate degree in business administration. Along the way, he met Shehryar (K-Twist) Khan, who produced his music for him.

Last year, Deloach had the idea that maybe he could turn his home studio into a business and began asking clients if they’d be interested in working with him in a professional studio.

After several months of polling his clients, Deloach decided to go for it and asked Khan if he’d be interested in working with him to launch a studio. Khan agreed to sign on as a producer and engineer, and the pair has been working since November 2022 to start the business.

It was a lot of legwork and planning behind the scenes, Deloach says, to figure out budgeting and what they could afford now or what needed to wait until later. They decided to inventory the equipment they each already owned and what they needed to purchase.

“We invested a lot of time into making sure this is something,” he says.

What does he mean by something? A lot of different things, actually, but firstly his goal was to create a safe space for youth and creatives. Of course, Deloach also wants it to be a successful business, but his goals stretch further than that.

Ultimately, Deloach wants the studio to be a multi-media company and maybe even have its own music label someday.

His current clients include a little bit of everyone, from individuals wanting to record something to businesses that need something recorded. He plans to add audio-podcast recording soon, with plans to add video recording later on.

“I take anyone who shares the same passion as us,” Deloach says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an 8-year-old or if you’re 65. You can come here and make beats. You can come here and make a commercial for radio.”

Some of his commercial clients include KISS-FM radio and the Levitt AMP Utica Music Series organizers. Deloach’s home-studio clients are still with him, and new clients are reaching out regularly, he says. He credits word-of-mouth advertising from existing clients and his membership in the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce, along with a need for another professional recording studio in the area.

Dreamer Studios (www.dreamerstudiosny.com) celebrated its grand opening on June 14 with a ribbon-cutting event with the Greater Utica Chamber.

State’s $55.5M Small Business Revolving Loan Fund 2 offers microloans

Banks & Credit Unions, Insurance & Financial Services, Small Business, Subscriber Only

ALBANY — New York State recently announced that its expanded $55.5 million Small Business Revolving Loan Fund 2 is available to provide shorter-term microloans and regular loans to address “inequitable” capital access “by bridging the financing gaps facing new companies, under-banked communities, and small businesses.” It’s part of New York’s broader Small Business Credit Initiative

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It’s part of New York’s broader Small Business Credit Initiative efforts led by Empire State Development, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an Aug. 7 news release.

This expanded program will leverage financial-loan capital to help generate economic activity by expanding access to short-term loan capital for small, micro and “socially and economically disadvantaged,” individual-owned businesses that have faced “historical barriers” to obtaining credit or adequate loan terms, Hochul’s office said.

The first round of the Small Business Revolving Loan Fund was launched in 2010.

“Ninety-eight percent of New York’s businesses have fewer than 100 employees and are a key driver of our economic growth,” Hochul said. “The Small Business Revolving Loan Fund 2 will bolster these small businesses, especially our minority and women entrepreneurs, and help build the economy of the future.”

“When our small businesses succeed, our communities succeed,” Hope Knight, president, CEO, and commissioner of Empire State Development said in the release. “The Small Business Revolving Loan Fund 2 will support our small businesses by providing capital to help businesses thrive, create jobs and grow New York’s economy, now and for the future.”

Small businesses may apply for lending through a participating community development financial institution (CDFI). Program lenders use the capital from the program, along with matching capital from other resources to further enhance available funding for small businesses.

Typical uses of funds are working capital; acquisition and/or improvement of real property; acquisition of machinery and equipment; and, in some cases, refinancing of debt obligations.

Microloans (loans between $500 and $25,000); and regular loans (typically as large as $250,000 or more depending upon the lender) are available with terms based upon each lender’s individual offerings.

Program lenders are the primary point of contact for borrowers, and each have their own loan-application process and loan products. Competitive interest rates, terms, and fees are determined by the individual program lenders, who are also responsible for applications and credit decisions, Hochul’s office said.

Participating lenders

Participating lenders for this program include Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union with a service area that includes Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.

Another lender is Adirondack Economic Development Corporation. Its service area covers Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Fulton, Herkimer, Oneida, Oswego, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties.

Finally, two other lenders include NYBDC (dba Pursuit Lending) and NYBDC Local Development Corporation (dba Pursuit Lending), both of which serve all New York counties, per Hochul’s office.

Five Star Bank partners with software firm on digital loans

Banks & Credit Unions, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

WARSAW — Five Star Bank is now offering digital-loan origination for small businesses through its partnership with Numerated, a Boston, Massachusetts–based software company. Five Star Bank is the wholly owned community bank subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), which is headquartered in Warsaw in Wyoming County in Western New York and has branches across

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WARSAW — Five Star Bank is now offering digital-loan origination for small businesses through its partnership with Numerated, a Boston, Massachusetts–based software company.

Five Star Bank is the wholly owned community bank subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), which is headquartered in Warsaw in Wyoming County in Western New York and has branches across that region and Central New York, including Auburn, Geneva, and Waterloo. Five Star Bank earlier this year entered the Syracuse market with a new commercial-loan production office at 115 Solar St. in the city’s Franklin Square area.

In the partnership with Numerated, new or existing New York small-business customers with a Five Star Bank business checking account may apply for term loans and lines of credit for total lending exposure of up to $250,000. They can apply online at www.five-starbank.com.

“We understand that business owners need ready access to capital to run their businesses, from managing cash flow to investing in inventory and equipment to support their growth,” Jeanne Stegmeier, VP and small-business leader with Five Star Bank, said in a news release. “Through our expanded partnership with Numerated, new and existing small business customers now have the option to apply for a loan or line of credit online…”

Five Star originally partnered with Numerated to support its participation in the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which involved forgivable loans designed to keep businesses afloat during the COVID crisis, in 2020 and 2021. Through both rounds of the PPP, the bank provided about 2,900 small businesses with more than $370 million in loans.

By leveraging the online loan-origination capabilities of Numerated, a business-banking fintech, Five Star is expanding its suite of products dedicated to supporting small businesses, the bank said. Services include payment management, remote deposit capabilities, and access to the Five Star Bank Marketplace of third-party financial apps.

C & D Advertising formally opens new office location

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

ROME — C & D Advertising has officially cut the ribbon on its new office space in its new hometown. That new home, at 103 West Court St. in Rome, was completely remodeled to become a modern office space not only for the advertising agency, but also for multiple business tenants. The project was several

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ROME — C & D Advertising has officially cut the ribbon on its new office space in its new hometown.

That new home, at 103 West Court St. in Rome, was completely remodeled to become a modern office space not only for the advertising agency, but also for multiple business tenants.

The project was several years in the making, thanks in no small part to the pandemic, but definitely worth the wait, Jenn Brillante, C & D’s president, contends.

Brillante and her husband, Chris, purchased the building in March 2020 with the intent of renovating it from its former use as a doctor’s office.

“It was definitely an interesting 2020 because we had the best laid plans and then COVID hit,” she says. Chris began gutting the second floor of the building and the couple slogged their way through renovations during the pandemic. They oversaw the project themselves, hiring various local contractors to do work only when needed.

Work included new insulation, a new driveway, electrical work, and designing open and inviting space for the advertising agency that helps foster collaboration among its 14 employees, Brillante says. They had funding help for the project in the form of a $50,000 Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from Rome and a $25,000 grant from National Grid’s Main Street Revitalization Program.

With work finished upstairs first, C & D moved into the second floor in January 2021. Previously, the agency had offices on Genessee Street in Utica. George Carpenter and Barry Damsky founded the agency in 1997. Brillante became the majority owner of C & D in January 2021.

She first joined the company in 2012 and feels fortunate to have learned from Carpenter. “I was able to learn from him and grow the practice,” she says. The agency built out new departments for services it used to contract out for, adding new employees and new clients along with those new departments.

“We basically have doubled our size in the last 10 years,” Brillante says, adding that the agency has tripled its client roster during that period.

C & D has carved out a niche with a focus on the tourism industry, with clients including Enchanted Forest Water Safari and Oneida County Tourism. As a full-service advertising and marketing agency, it has generated many other clients across numerous sectors including Symeon’s Greek Restaurant, Clinton Tractor, Buy Madison County, Gates-Cole Insurance, Edible Arrangements, and numerous nonprofit organizations. Services include business-strategy planning, media buying, social media, and video/graphic design.

In the new building, C & D offers photography, videography, and audio-production suites including an audio-podcast studio on the first floor, which also contains office space for lease, Current tenants include Brillante Enterprises, LLC, which is the Brillante’s real-estate management company, along with Chris Brillante’s Roman Cleaning Service. One Nine Photography is also located on the first floor, and there is one 1,200-square-foot suite still available for lease.

Brillante says she is excited to have her business poised to grow in her hometown and is proud to be part of the downtown revitalization and giving back to the community.

One way the agency is giving back is through the creation of a college internship program. While C & D has welcomed interns in the past, this year it made the program official with a two-year program where interns spend one year working with the agency and the second year working with one of C & D’s clients. It has five interns this year.

Along with celebrating the new location, Brillante is also working to get C & D Advertising certified as a woman-owned business.

SBDCs provided support for 24K NYS small businesses in 2022

New York News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

New York Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provided direct support to more than 24,000 small-business clients across the state in 2022. The work of New York’s 22 regional SBDCs last year resulted in more than $475 million in financial impact, 2,000 new business startups, and more than 10,000 jobs created or saved, SUNY said a

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New York Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provided direct support to more than 24,000 small-business clients across the state in 2022.

The work of New York’s 22 regional SBDCs last year resulted in more than $475 million in financial impact, 2,000 new business startups, and more than 10,000 jobs created or saved, SUNY said a July 26 news release.

SBDCs are administered by SUNY and primarily funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

“NYSBDC is a vital organization that truly is a lifeline for small businesses and the customers and communities they support,” SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. contended in the release. “SUNY is committed to economic development and upward mobility across the state. Hand-in-hand with the NYSBDC, SUNY showcases how networks of learning and entrepreneurship can fuel the future of business and the new world of work while creating a pipeline of support by educating the next generation of workers.”

The New York SBDCs work closely with other state economic-development agencies, faculty, and students at host institutions, as well as representatives from private industry and business to focus resources on assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The SBDCs emphasize counseling and training services for women, veterans, people with special needs, and minority clients, SUNY said.

In 2022, the SBDCs served a diverse group of clients with women accounting for 47 percent and minority groups comprising 40 percent. Another 15 percent of clients were from rural areas, 6 percent were veterans, and 2 percent were individuals with disabilities.

The New York SBDCs additionally served more than 17,500 individuals through a series of more than 500 webinars and workshops addressing various topics for entrepreneurs, including grant access, business-plan writing, and taxes. The webinars assist in attaining professional development and certification goals and help to ensure both advisors, NYSBDC clients, and the broader public have the necessary skills to tackle the challenges of business ownership. The SBDCs work also includes connecting potential employers with job-placement offices on SUNY campuses.

“I couldn’t have done it without the Onondaga SBDC & [SBDC Advisor Mark Pitonzo],” Michael Bower, president of Eagle Metalcraft, Inc. of DeWitt, said in the SUNY release. “They helped me with the business valuation, creation of a business plan and construction of financial projections for external funding.”

“As a result of the funding facilitated by the Binghamton SBDC, the majority of Quadrant’s employees in New York State were retained (43 jobs saved),” Richard Uhlig, CEO of Quadrant Biosciences, said. “Further, since August, we’ve added six new employees.”

Established in 1984, the New York SBDCs have worked with more than 519,000 businesses, helping them invest $7.5 billion in the state economy and create more than 240,000 jobs.

Banker offers small firms’ tips on navigating current economy

Banks & Credit Unions, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Insurance & Financial Services, Small Business, Subscriber Only

Despite the doom and gloom in the headlines, the overall small-business outlook is still fairly positive, says Lindsay Weichert, senior VP and commercial-banking group manager at Community Bank, N.A., a DeWitt–based commercial bank serving customers in upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Massachusetts. While the Federal Reserve is still working to cool down the

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While the Federal Reserve is still working to cool down the economy, experts are split as to whether there will be a recession, she says.

“So far, the economy has been really resilient,” Weichert notes, with many experts predicting any recession will have a “soft landing” and not be anywhere near as damaging as previous recessions. However, that doesn’t mean small businesses aren’t feeling the effects of economic conditions and the Fed’s efforts, she adds.

“Any time you have one of these inflationary environments, expenses can tick up,” Weichert notes. In particular, interest expenses have nearly doubled in the past year, meaning businesses should keep a close eye on their borrowing.

Another area to watch is the cost of shipping. With news of trucking giant Yellow Corporation’s bankruptcy and UPS workers in the midst of negotiating a new contract, shipping costs are likely to rise further, she says.

Yellow’s bankruptcy is also a warning to businesses to make sure they are monitoring the health of the businesses with which they do business. From suppliers to vendors to clients, make sure those companies are healthy and able to deliver the goods or pay on time, Weichert says.

The most successful business owners are the ones that stay on top of their own finances as well, she notes. Focus on finances at least once a month, she says. “Make sure you’re surrounded by a really good team,” Weichert says. That team of advisors should include a banker.

Finally, she recommends that new businesses, or people just thinking about starting a business, focus on building a banking relationship before they even need to borrow money.

“There’s definitely a lot of capital out there,” she says. “Banks are ready to lend.” However, it might be easier for an established business to tap into that funding than it is for one just starting out. That’s where having a banking relationship is key, she says.

“If I was someone trying to start up a small business, I think that would be something I would focus on,” Weichert says of cultivating a banking relationship.

More new small businesses than ever are starting these days, especially as the area continues its transition from a “rust belt” to a “brain belt” ecosystem with companies like Micron coming in, Weichert says. “That’s very exciting to me.”

Community Bank considers Syracuse a growth market with Micron and ancillary companies expected to create around 50,000 new jobs.

The year-old CHIPS and Science Act — which sets aside about $50 billion to boost the domestic production of computer chips — coupled with the state’s own investments into developing a chip corridor from Syracuse to Albany are key factors to the development of that new business ecosystem, Weichert says.

“That is a real area of opportunity for some businesses in New York,” she says. “We’re really poised to take prosperity here to the next level.”

Local perfume company works to expand its reach

Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

MARATHON, N.Y. — A Cortland County business is taking on the perfume world, one scent at a time, and now, one partnership at a time. Marathon–based Allure City, Inc., which does business as Press Gurwitz Perfumerie, recently launched its first partnership with Just Chill Custom Gifting by Carol in Cortland. The shop, owned by Carol

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MARATHON, N.Y. — A Cortland County business is taking on the perfume world, one scent at a time, and now, one partnership at a time.

Marathon–based Allure City, Inc., which does business as Press Gurwitz Perfumerie, recently launched its first partnership with Just Chill Custom Gifting by Carol in Cortland. The shop, owned by Carol Hill, now features a rotating collection of seven Press Gurwitz fragrance products in its retail shop at 4 Main St.

The company found Hill’s store in the free local What’s Hot magazine, based in Ithaca and Cortland, says Victor Rakovich, one of Press Gurwitz Perfumerie’s founders and its VP and director of operations.

It didn’t take long for both businesses to realize it would benefit them to work together, he says. Hill offers the products as an option in her customized gift baskets and boxes, and shoppers can buy Press Gurwitz products off the shelf in her shop.

Founded in 2019 by Rakovich and the husband-wife team of Michael and Alexandra Press, Press Gurwitz Perfumerie’s portfolio includes 15 signature scents offered as eau de parfum and eau de toilette, hair and body-care products, candles, and diffusers.

The trio not only enjoyed perfumes and fragrances but also realized the role scent plays in people’s lives, Rakovich says. Fragrance can bring people together, evoke an emotion, or even bring up a childhood memory. That’s what led the friends to start the business together.

While much of the perfume industry is built around distinct fragrances for men and other fragrances for women, he says they wanted to do something different at Press Gurwitz. Rather than create scents along gender lines, the entire Press Gurwitz line is unisex.

It just makes sense, Rakovich says. He and his wife Celeste, who also works in the business, enjoy many of the same fragrances, so why can’t they wear the same fragrances, he asks. “We like the same things, and it’s an expression of both of us.”

Rakovich hopes the partnership with Just Chill Custom Gifting by Carol will be the first of many similar arrangements as he works to spread the reach of Press Gurwitz Perfumerie.

“There are so many different businesses we will work with,” Rakovich says, adding that he’s in the process of generating a list of other firms to approach.

His list includes other retailers as well as businesses that can utilize the company’s home fragrances or body-care products including restaurants, hotels, and other venues. “All of these places we can work with,” Rakovich says.

Press Gurwitz Perfumerie, which has a showroom at 6 East Main St. in Marathon, crafts its products in-house with ingredients and oils from around the world. The company works with contract manufacturers on certain products like shampoos and lotion but otherwise remains very much a family business with their children and others helping out. The business employs 10 people in customer service and other non-production roles.

Ripley, Garlock & Associates adds experienced financial advisor

Insurance & Financial Services, Small Business, Subscriber Only

Ripley, Garlock & Associates Financial Planning has recently added Gagan Singh, an experienced financial advisor, to its team. Having served the financial industry for more than 20 years, Gagan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in various aspects of financial planning and investment management, the firm said in a news release. A graduate of

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VIEWPOINT: The Importance of Cyber Insurance & Cyber Assurance

Business Mentors, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

Cybersecurity, information assurance, and cyber resilience are essential for any organization. Despite the likelihood of being hacked, companies that implement effective protection techniques and have appropriate insurance coverage can minimize the damage of a cyber attack. Cyber risks present unique challenges to the insurance industry. Business interruption and data-breach litigation insurance were some of the

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Business interruption and data-breach litigation insurance were some of the earliest policies sold in the U.S. to protect companies. Ransomware insurance is now one of the most commonly sold policies, covering the risk of malicious hackers seizing a company’s data and holding it hostage for a ransom payment.

When seeking cyber-insurance coverage, insurance companies require policyholders to complete detailed questionnaires to ensure that the policies meet the company’s specific needs. In some cases, insurance brokers may possess sufficient IT knowledge to guide policyholders through the process. In most cases, unless a policyholder has an IT expert with strong knowledge in cyber assurance in their employ, they will need to hire a managed-security services (MSS) company to assist them.

The challenges are further complicated by the increasing number of malicious hackers, causing different organizations to create their own directives, standards, rules, and requirements on how to protect their related data, report incidents, and comply with government or industry regulations, such as HIPAA, for the protection of health information; CMMC, for the protection of non-classified Department of Defense information; PCI-DSS, for the protection of credit-card information; or GLBA, a Congressional Act passed in 1999 for the protection of financial information. These standards, rules, models, and acts offer solutions to protect sensitive data and each has its own unique risks, fines, and legal fees for noncompliance.

Status today

Cyber insurance is becoming increasingly important in today’s world due to the rise in cyber-attacks. The total written cyber premiums in the U.S. have nearly doubled from 2019 to 2021, from $3.4 billion to $6.5 billion, and some predict that the cyber-insurance market will reach $60 billion within a decade. Insurance companies had a loss ratio of 65 percent in 2020, which recovered slightly in 2021 to 62 percent. A loss ratio between 40 percent and 60 percent is considered good. Finding the optimum risk point is challenging for insurance companies and buyers as the cyber threat keeps changing, is unpredictable, and protection methods must be implemented before being attacked.

Issues for small to medium-sized enterprises: Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMSEs) face significant challenges as they often lack IT staff knowledgeable in cybersecurity. They require help filling out detailed insurance questionnaires and complying with different policy requirements based on their industry. Hiring an MSS provider or a qualified internal person can be expensive and difficult to maintain, as cybersecurity IT professionals are in high demand by larger companies and MSS providers. An MSS provider may cost $5,000-$10,000 per month to document the client’s IT infrastructure, perform penetration testing, perform a gap analysis, and manage the IT infrastructure by performing periodic testing, educating SMSE staff, software-patch management, and reporting to management. (Note: The provider may also charge an additional fee to develop a plan for filling the gaps and implementing policies and procedures required by the SMSE’s respective industry.)

This cost may be too high for some SMSEs. However, if the SMSE is attacked by ransomware, the costs will include the ransom, the forensic investigation, business interruption, bad publicity, and potential liability and legal-defense fees. It is important for SMSEs to weigh these costs and preventive benefits of hiring an MSS provider and purchasing cyber insurance to protect their business from cyber threats.

What does the future hold?: The Internet of Things (IoT) and integrated circuits (IC), in general are everywhere. They are in our homes, businesses, factories, power plants, etc. They provide hackers a significantly greater attack surface. The average internal-combustion-engine vehicle in the U.S. has 150 ICs. The average electric vehicle has 3,000 ICs. How many ICs will self-driving EVs have? Modern-day vehicles have been shown to be lacking in effective security countermeasures, and the electric chargers have been exploited to steal credit-card information. What will happen when a self-driving vehicle is electronically compromised causing an accident? Vehicles have already been attacked by ransomware, demanding payment from the driver to drive the vehicle. How will these occurrences effect the cost of vehicle insurance?

Near-term recommendations: Tips for SMSEs:

• Find a trustworthy insurance broker.

• Consider hiring a cybersecurity specialist, or outsourcing to an MSS provider.

• Perform regular internal & external penetration testing and develop a cybersecurity plan.

• Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA), backup your system frequently, and implement an endpoint detection and response (EDR) tool like Microsoft Defender.

Tips for insurance brokers:

• Engage an IT cybersecurity specialist to help SMSEs complete insurance questionnaires.

• Recommend a reputable cybersecurity expert or MSS provider to SMSEs, if needed.

Conclusion: SMSEs, insurance brokers, and MSS providers should collaborate to harden and maintain SMSE’s IT infrastructure, thereby lowering the risk of cyberattacks, which will reduce the cost of cyber insurance, and in time improve insurance companies’ loss ratios. This collaborative approach will benefit everyone.

Gerard Capraro, Ph.D., is the chief scientist of Capraro Technologies, Inc. Contact him at gcapraro@caprarotechnologies.com. Gary Scalzo is president of the insurance agency, Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig, Inc. Contact him at Gary Scalzo garys@szwinsurance.com.

OPINION: New York State’s Migrant Crisis Keeps Growing

Opinion, Subscriber Only

The response needs to catch up There are few instances in recent memory that so profoundly illustrate what not to do when addressing a public-policy crisis than our current migrant crisis. From Joe Biden’s failures at the southern border, to the empty “sanctuary” promises of Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams,

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The response needs to catch up

There are few instances in recent memory that so profoundly illustrate what not to do when addressing a public-policy crisis than our current migrant crisis. From Joe Biden’s failures at the southern border, to the empty “sanctuary” promises of Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, to the lack of communication and transparency at all levels of government, New York’s migrant crisis shows no signs of slowing down. No part of this emergency was handled properly, and the coming months will almost certainly bring more challenges for local officials and communities.

It was less than a year ago, last October, when Mayor Adams initially suggested the city would need $1 billion to pay for shelter and services to offer incoming migrants. At the time, this was an eye-opening request. But now, after 10 months of Democrats’ continued dysfunction, the mayor is estimating the costs will reach at least $12 billion over the next three years.

This is a staggering sum. Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams have each declared states of emergency on the migrant crisis, allowing them to spend taxpayer money without the normal oversight measures in place. As Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation pointed out in a recent letter to city and state officials, the contracts to develop the emergency infrastructure needed to house the migrants are being awarded without a competitive bidding process.

We witnessed similar missteps under the COVID emergency. Gov. Hochul was able to award a $637 million state contract to a loyal campaign donor, forcing taxpayers to pay more than twice the market rate for test kits. In an effort to avoid similar situations in the migrant crisis, Assemblyman Ed Ra (R–Franklin Square) introduced a bill — A.7508 — earlier this year, yet the effort was roundly rejected by the state legislature’s majority conferences.

The strain this massive migrant influx is going to have on our communities cannot be overstated. Already, school-district officials around the state are scrambling to come up with a plan for September, which is just a few weeks away. Education advocates, rightfully, have demanded transparency on how these children will be treated, where their mandated immunizations will come from, how much it will cost to educate them, and a host of other considerations associated with classroom management.

Ultimately, for as much money as this is going to cost New Yorkers, the true tragedy here is that those who are responsible for creating this mess have put all of us in danger — and that includes the migrants. Right now, the strain on these services is substantial and growing, and that puts us all at risk. Simply put, this entire situation was a disaster at every stage — from the White House to the governor’s mansion to city hall. It has jeopardized the well-being of New York City, communities across the state, and the thousands of migrants here with no real plan to house, educate, and protect them. We are facing a genuine crisis, and New York’s leaders have done nothing but illustrate what not to do during one.

William (Will) A. Barclay, 54, 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.

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