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OPINION: Comptroller Report is a Reality Check on NYS’ Energy Overhaul
As New York State attempts to meet the requirements of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), it is becoming clearer that the fears about its shortcomings are about to become a reality. More evidence of this came by way of New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who [recently] released a report emphasizing how far behind […]
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As New York State attempts to meet the requirements of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), it is becoming clearer that the fears about its shortcomings are about to become a reality. More evidence of this came by way of New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who [recently] released a report emphasizing how far behind the state is in meeting the unrealistic demands required under the new environmental policy.
According to the report, the state would need to increase renewable-power generation by more than 200 percent compared to how much was being produced last year. DiNapoli notes that in order to generate the vast majority of the state’s power from renewable energy, much more needs to be done. The report says “… this is a big ‘if.’”
Making matters worse, the comptroller’s report also highlights some of the erratic decisions leading up to the 2019 CLCPA, indicative of the state’s poor track record on environmental policy making. It adds: “In reviewing the State’s prior performance, a case can be made that the State was inconsistent in its funding commitments to meet the goal of generating 30 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2015.” If we had a hard time hitting 30 percent due to a lack of coherent policy making and execution, there is little reason to be confident about the next 70 percent of the process.
The stakes could not be higher. Failing to hit these benchmarks means an unreliable energy grid — and considering our needs during the cold winter months and especially warm summer ones, not having enough power is simply not an option. At the end of June, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) expressed concerns that the rush to full electrification combined with the closure of fossil-fuel plants is compromising the reliability of the state’s energy grid during peak power months, especially in New York City.
Even in a best-case scenario, the CLCPA also fails consumers as costs are expected to skyrocket either way. Energy costs are already wildly unaffordable, and a recent report that supplier National Grid is looking at another potential 21 percent hike for ratepayers is terrifying. Consumers already have enough to contend with considering the price of utilities, goods, and other everyday items are already through the roof; the burden of transitioning to near-total renewable energy so quickly seems economically unfathomable, yet we are inching closer to it every day.
As I have said before, New York’s power grid demands a diverse portfolio that guarantees reliable, affordable energy. Renewable energy should be a part of our energy portfolio, but it cannot be the only plan. While the state’s progressives continue to develop ineffective and frivolous policies like banning gas stoves and pizza ovens, the Assembly Minority Conference will continue to develop an energy plan that delivers reliable, affordable energy for our residents. Anything else is irresponsible and dangerous.
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.
OPINION: The System Works — But It Also Needs Attention
Back in mid-July, an eye-opening poll came out. It raises some serious questions about Americans’ underlying confidence in our democracy. The poll, from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, was filled with dire findings: only about half the country thinks democracy is working at least somewhat well; a majority of U.S. adults believe
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Back in mid-July, an eye-opening poll came out. It raises some serious questions about Americans’ underlying confidence in our democracy.
The poll, from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, was filled with dire findings: only about half the country thinks democracy is working at least somewhat well; a majority of U.S. adults believe our laws and policies do a poor job representing what most Americans want; 53 percent of Americans say views of “people like you” are not represented well by the government; and the same percentage say Congress does a poor job of upholding democratic values — while just 16 percent say it’s doing a good job.
You can see why all this might be troubling. To be sure, individual respondents expressed a range of concerns, from the sense that Congress is arguing over issues that have little to do with the realities and struggles of their lives to the belief that political contentiousness is turning many Americans away from getting involved in public and community life. But it’s not a very big step from a sense that things are awry with our system to a conviction that the problem is the system — our representative democracy —itself.
Now, I don’t believe that most Americans favor authoritarianism. They want a voice in government. But they also want decent lives for themselves and their families, and if they don’t see our elected officials addressing the issues they believe matter, it’s a problem. As tempting as it might be to coast on the assumption that belief in democracy is such a bedrock value that we can take it for granted, we cannot. Democratic governments like ours have to perform. They have to show they can improve the quality of their citizens’ lives.
Over the centuries, of course, this is exactly what our system has done. Through world wars, the Civil War, economic recessions, depressions, and enormous challenges, America has not just survived, but also improved. We continue to live in the world’s largest and most competitive economy, we have bettered the lives of countless older Americans with programs like Social Security and Medicare — remember, these were once just ideas that got turned into legislation and then into daily reality — and we’ve improved the lives of many younger people through access to college, training programs, and broader opportunities. Perhaps most important, we have created a country where economic and social opportunity, while still not as evenly distributed as they should be, are available to the overwhelming majority of Americans. This remains a land of opportunity because our system makes that possible.
So, while I get that these are politically divided and contentious times, I also take heart by looking back at the course of our history. We’re coming up on 250 years of practice in resolving issues that arouse great passion and affect the nature of life in the U.S., and only once has the system failed — with the disastrous result, of course, being the Civil War. That great national trauma ought to be a reminder that we Americans thrive best when we settle our differences through the political process: We bring our beliefs into the voting booth, genuine grassroots-lobbying campaigns, organizing efforts, and other means of peacefully advancing our points of view.
One key aspect of that recent poll gave me hope as I read the results. Where people express disappointment, it’s with the system falling short of our ideals, not with those ideals themselves. We believe that Congress and other representative bodies should do just that: represent the concerns of a majority of Americans. And most Americans recognize that reaching practicable solutions usually means finding areas of common ground with political opponents — and that, win or lose, there’s always a next time.
So as we look ahead, it doesn’t hurt to look back and reflect on all the challenges we have overcome. It’s an impressive record. The strength of our country lies in the fact that over our history, Americans have always found a way forward by embracing the opportunities that our system offers. That’s no less true now than it ever was.
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.
Broome County hotel occupancy falls slightly in June
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels registered a dip in guests in June compared to the year-ago month, while two other business indicators increased significantly.The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county edged down 0.9 percent to 66.8 percent in the sixth month of this year compared to June
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels registered a dip in guests in June compared to the year-ago month, while two other business indicators increased significantly.
The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county edged down 0.9 percent to 66.8 percent in the sixth month of this year compared to June 2022. Year to date through June, occupancy was down 1.8 percent to 56.2 percent.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), an industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, increased 9.1 percent to $80.28 in June versus the year-prior month. Through the first six months of 2023, RevPar in Broome County was up 5 percent to $61.64.
Average daily rate (ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, jumped 10 percent to $120.17 in the county this June, compared to June 2022. During the six-month period to start this year, ADR increased 6.9 percent to $109.61.

MATHEW MILNE has joined Beardsley Architects + Engineers as electrical engineer I in the firm’s Auburn office. He is a 2018 graduate from Clarkson University with five years of experience working with commercial and health-care clients. Milne is a problem solver with experience that ranges from project planning and coordination to systems design and programming,
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MATHEW MILNE has joined Beardsley Architects + Engineers as electrical engineer I in the firm’s Auburn office. He is a 2018 graduate from Clarkson University with five years of experience working with commercial and health-care clients. Milne is a problem solver with experience that ranges from project planning and coordination to systems design and programming, the firm said. At Beardsley, Milne will be working on projects with civic and federal clients.

GREGORY HOFFMAN-FRAGALE was recently named associate chief nursing officer at Finger Lakes Health. Most recently, he served as the director of nursing operations for imaging sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he made significant improvements in leadership development, patient satisfaction, and nurse-sensitive clinical outcomes. As a registered nurse, Hoffman-Fragale worked at Community
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GREGORY HOFFMAN-FRAGALE was recently named associate chief nursing officer at Finger Lakes Health. Most recently, he served as the director of nursing operations for imaging sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he made significant improvements in leadership development, patient satisfaction, and nurse-sensitive clinical outcomes. As a registered nurse, Hoffman-Fragale worked at Community General Hospital in Syracuse, and held his first directorship at Auburn Memorial Hospital, before heading downstate to the New York City metropolitan area, where he held various administrative nursing roles in acute care, critical care, and post-acute nursing for 12 years. Hoffman-Fragale is dual board-certified as an advanced nurse executive and gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He earned his doctor of nursing practice degree from Old Dominion University and his master’s degree in health-care administration (MHA) from St. Joseph’s College of Maine. He completed both his bachelor’s and associate degrees in nursing from Excelsior University in Albany.

Special Collections Research Center
NICOLETTE A. DOBROWOLSKI was promoted to director of the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at Syracuse University Libraries effective July 1. Dobrowolski had been serving as interim co-director of the Special Collections Research Center since November 2021. She has more than 22 years of experience in academic special collections and has served as assistant director
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NICOLETTE A. DOBROWOLSKI was promoted to director of the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at Syracuse University Libraries effective July 1. Dobrowolski had been serving as interim co-director of the Special Collections Research Center since November 2021. She has more than 22 years of experience in academic special collections and has served as assistant director of collections and access services at SCRC since 2016. Dobrowolski received her master’s degree in information studies from the University of Texas and has been active in the Rare Book and Manuscript section of the Association of College and Research Libraries within the American Library Association. She has participated in the university’s Women in Leadership program, the ARL Library Management Skills Institute, and the Special Collections Leadership program at the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School, among others. Most recently, Dobrowolski was instrumental in building SCRC’s staff and operations post-pandemic, advocating for the Libraries Module 2 Storage Facility, which was designed to provide optimum environmental conditions for the storage and preservation of unique, rare, and fragile items from SCRC, and worked closely with Libraries Advancement for the expansion of the in-house Joan Breier Brodsky Conservation Lab. Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center collects, preserves, and provides access to materials that document the history of Syracuse University and global society, including rare printed materials, original manuscripts, photographs, artworks, audio and moving-image recordings, university records, and more.
JACKSON ADAMS recently joined Syracuse University Press as promotion and publicity coordinator. Syracuse University Press, part of Syracuse University Libraries, was established in 1943 and has published groundbreaking works in academic publishing. Adams came from the University of Nebraska Press, where he worked as a publicist. Prior to that, he was the interactivity editor for the Lincoln Journal Star in Lincoln, Nebraska and also worked as a reporter at the Effingham Daily News. Adams received his bachelor’s degree at Bradley University in Illinois.

Vera House recently named DAQUETTA P. JONES as its next CEO, following a nationwide search. She will be relocating to Central New York and will start full time in September, managing overall strategic and operational responsibilities for Vera House staff, programs, and finances, as well as executing its longstanding mission of preventing, responding, and partnering
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Vera House recently named DAQUETTA P. JONES as its next CEO, following a nationwide search. She will be relocating to Central New York and will start full time in September, managing overall strategic and operational responsibilities for Vera House staff, programs, and finances, as well as executing its longstanding mission of preventing, responding, and partnering to end domestic and sexual violence and other forms of abuse. Jones, who hails from Troy, N.Y., has extensive experience in nonprofit and human-services leadership. Most recently she served as director of equity and inclusion initiatives at the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region. In a career spanning more than 20 years, Jones has also previously served as co-director consultant for the University at Albany’s Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development, deputy commissioner of administration for New York State Department of Civil Service, executive director of YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, domestic violence counselor for Unity House of Troy, HIV services operations manager at Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Services, assistant director of community based services at the Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth, and program director for Equinox, Inc.’s House for Youth Shelter. Jones has also served as a consultant, providing advisory services to nonprofit executive leaders and boards.

JAMES (JIM) MAHLER has been promoted to director of food & beverage at Loretto Housing. He previously managed food and beverage operations at The Nottingham’s independent living, assisted living, and memory care residence facilities in Jamesville. In this expanded role, he will continue to manage operations at the Nottingham, as well as oversee the food
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JAMES (JIM) MAHLER has been promoted to director of food & beverage at Loretto Housing. He previously managed food and beverage operations at The Nottingham’s independent living, assisted living, and memory care residence facilities in Jamesville. In this expanded role, he will continue to manage operations at the Nottingham, as well as oversee the food and beverage operations at Buckley Landing, Sedgwick Heights, the Bernardine Apartments, and the Heritage Apartments. Mahler joined Loretto as dining services director at the Nottingham in 2016. During his time at Loretto, he has been recognized with the organization’s Star Award for his exemplary work with the design and operations of The Bistro and The Clubhouse at The Nottingham — which bring new healthy and “in-demand” options for Loretto’s next generation of residents. Prior to joining Loretto, Mahler served as director of food and beverage at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo for more than a decade.

Tops Friendly Markets, a grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, has promoted COLE BICKAL to produce/floral specialist in the East Region for Tops. Bickal will be responsible for the Syracuse Northeast & Hudson Midstate districts. He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations and merchandising for the produce and floral
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Tops Friendly Markets, a grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, has promoted COLE BICKAL to produce/floral specialist in the East Region for Tops. Bickal will be responsible for the Syracuse Northeast & Hudson Midstate districts. He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations and merchandising for the produce and floral departments within those districts. Bickal started with Tops Markets in 2001 and over his 22-year career has held various positions including produce clerk, produce manager, and most recently operations manager of the Elmira Tops.

License-plate reading cameras installed at Destiny USA vehicle entrances to help prevent crime
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Destiny USA on Wednesday announced a partnership with the Syracuse Police Department and Flock Safety, a crime-solving technology company. Flock Safety license
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