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OPINION: Remember What Government Can Do Well
Here’s a question: When was the last time at least half of Americans said the government in Washington, D.C. could be trusted to do the right thing all or most of the time? It was right after 9/11, according to the Pew Research Center, and that was really just a blip. Before that, you’d have […]
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Here’s a question: When was the last time at least half of Americans said the government in Washington, D.C. could be trusted to do the right thing all or most of the time?
It was right after 9/11, according to the Pew Research Center, and that was really just a blip. Before that, you’d have to go back to the 1960s.
And after the 9/11 bump subsided? You won’t be surprised to hear that ever since the end of the George W. Bush administration, the percentage of those trusting government all or most of the time has been hovering in the low 20s or even the high teens.
“When many Americans think of the government’s spending priorities, they imagine that outsized proportions of taxpayer dollars go to others…”
This is not a good state of affairs. Trust is a bedrock requirement of democratic governance. When it’s gone, replaced by suspicion and lack of confidence, our system cannot work. For representative democracy to function as it should, the public officials, politicians, and policymakers who act in our name have to have the support of ordinary people — who can trust that our representatives will level with us without half-truths and that government can efficiently and effectively deliver the goods, services, and policy impact we expect.
There’s no question that over the past decades — starting with the Vietnam War and Watergate — that faith has been put to the test. In many respects, Americans have taken a dimmer view of the effectiveness and relevance of government the more it has been hamstrung by partisan division just as they’ve been feeling left to their own in the face of economic and cultural dislocation. Globalization, the changes wrought by technology, skyrocketing income inequality, slow wage growth for working families, concern about hot-button social issues — all of this has ratcheted up a sense of loss of control. And that was before the pandemic.
Yet despite all this, when I look around, I’m reminded of just how much our government has accomplished — and how thoroughly it’s taken for granted by many Americans. People often question the value of government in their lives, even while depending on a monthly Social Security check, driving on an interstate highway, attending college thanks to a student loan, relying on the overall safety of our food and medications, or escaping to a national park for vacation… You get the idea.
When many Americans think of the government’s spending priorities, they imagine that outsized proportions of taxpayer dollars go to others — to foreign aid, say, or welfare. In fact, the biggest chunk of federal spending has traditionally gone to Social Security, Medicare, and other programs for elderly Americans, surpassed recently only by the money for economic stimulus and family income support that kept the economy from crashing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I’m not going to bore you with a long list of things the federal government has done well. But I do want to say that it takes only a moment’s thought to look back — at everything from the creation of the land-grant colleges, to establishing the rules by which American businesses operate, to Medicare, to the civil-rights legislation of the 1960s, to more recently, the Affordable Care Act, and to the rapid development and approval of life-saving COVID vaccines — to recognize the cornerstone role our government plays in shaping American life.
So yes, while government has its failings, it’s also crucial to understand that it can be made to work effectively and fairly — and that we cannot address many of the challenges we face as a nation without a government that has the public’s confidence. The character, resourcefulness, and resilience of the American people have always been key to the nation’s success, but so have key government initiatives that marshal our strengths. They range from good education to basic scientific and medical research to the physical and legal infrastructure that undergird our economy.
In the end, there may be plenty of reasons to worry about government’s effectiveness, but government must also be part of the solution. Our charge as Americans is to ensure, through wise use of our votes and our voices, that it can be an effective force for meeting our challenges.
Lee Hamilton, 91, 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.

Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC
Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC recently hired two new associates in its Syracuse office. KATHRYN STOVER has joined the accounting firm as an audit and accounting associate. She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego. Prior to being hired on a full-time basis, Stover interned in the Audit and Accounting department at
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Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC recently hired two new associates in its Syracuse office. KATHRYN STOVER has joined the accounting firm as an audit and accounting associate. She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego. Prior to being hired on a full-time basis, Stover interned in the Audit and Accounting department at Dermody, Burke & Brown. She is working to complete the certification process to earn her designation as a certified public accountant (CPA).
RONALD SMITH has joined the firm as an associate in the Audit & Accounting department. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego. Prior to being hired on a full-time basis, Smith interned both in the Audit and Accounting department and the Tax department at Dermody, Burke & Brown. He is working to complete the certification process to earn his designation as a CPA.

SUNY Oswego recently hired GABRIEL MARSHALL as its new associate VP for student affairs. Marshall’s duties include direct responsibility for four units — Student Engagement and Leadership, Campus Events and Conference Services, Campus Recreation, and Student Orientation and Family Engagement — providing visionary and strategic leadership to ensure that vibrant, inclusive, and educational opportunities abound
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SUNY Oswego recently hired GABRIEL MARSHALL as its new associate VP for student affairs. Marshall’s duties include direct responsibility for four units — Student Engagement and Leadership, Campus Events and Conference Services, Campus Recreation, and Student Orientation and Family Engagement — providing visionary and strategic leadership to ensure that vibrant, inclusive, and educational opportunities abound for student engagement. As a member of the VP for student affairs cabinet and the Division of Student Affairs leadership team, he will provide and offer division-wide leadership for assessment and learning beyond the classroom; staff development and talent management; diversity and inclusion initiatives; student recruitment, retention and success strategies; renovations that impact the student experience; and serve as the divisional liaison to the new master’s program in higher education leadership. Marshall most recently served as assistant VP and senior advisor for student success and retention at Buffalo State College. He previously served as the director of student access and achievement programs at Nazareth College, senior Educational Opportunity Program coordinator at SUNY Brockport, resource specialist at Monroe Community College, and taught undergraduate courses. Marshall earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Daemen College, a master’s degree and certificate of advanced study in counseling from SUNY Brockport, and his doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College.
Herkimer County Community College has appointed COLLEEN BENTLEY-CICCONE, of Frankfort, to the position of purchasing agent. Bentley-Ciccone will manage and process all purchasing activity and oversee the mailroom, copy center, fleet- vehicle assignments, and telephone attendant. She has served as assistant director of business services, responsible for purchasing & accounts payable, at Utica University since
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Herkimer County Community College has appointed COLLEEN BENTLEY-CICCONE, of Frankfort, to the position of purchasing agent. Bentley-Ciccone will manage and process all purchasing activity and oversee the mailroom, copy center, fleet- vehicle assignments, and telephone attendant. She has served as assistant director of business services, responsible for purchasing & accounts payable, at Utica University since 2014. She is a certified purchasing card professional, accounts-payable manager, and notary public. Bentley-Ciccone holds an associate degree in liberal arts & sciences from Mohawk Valley Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business, management & economics/human resource management from Empire State College.

Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt (KHH) — a design firm specializing in structural engineering, landscape architecture, and building-envelope systems — recently added four people to its staff. STEVE DARCANGELO joins as a senior engineer with more than 20 years of experience in civil design. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
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Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt (KHH) — a design firm specializing in structural engineering, landscape architecture, and building-envelope systems — recently added four people to its staff. STEVE DARCANGELO joins as a senior engineer with more than 20 years of experience in civil design. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
MATTHEW LEACH has come aboard as a landscape architect. He brings seven years of experience in stormwater design and construction administration. Leach received a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from SUNY ESF, with a minor in sustainable construction.
MICHELLE KIVISTO has joined KHH as administrative and marketing assistant. She has more than 10 years of experience working in administration and customer service. Kivisto graduated with a degree in business administration from Le Moyne College.
ETHAN GLADE has joined KHH as an AutoCAD drafting intern for the summer. In the fall he will return to the Brigham Young University-Idaho campus, where he studies virtual design and construction.

TAMMY NATOLI, a long-time employee and registered nurse, has been promoted by Loretto to director of marketing and intake at PACE CNY. In her new leadership role, Natoli will play an integral part in promoting PACE CNY programs and services by developing, maintaining, and implementing existing and new marketing plans that align with Loretto’s business
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TAMMY NATOLI, a long-time employee and registered nurse, has been promoted by Loretto to director of marketing and intake at PACE CNY. In her new leadership role, Natoli will play an integral part in promoting PACE CNY programs and services by developing, maintaining, and implementing existing and new marketing plans that align with Loretto’s business initiatives. Natoli will report to the executive director at PACE CNY. An employee of PACE CNY since 2001, Natoli has spent the past 21 years working at the organization as a registered nurse intake coordinator, a role that also supports the sales and marketing department. Before joining Loretto, Natoli worked as a registered nurse at POMCO and at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital. In her new role, Natoli will collaborate closely with the VP of marketing to develop and execute new marketing efforts that meet all government regulatory guidelines while supporting Loretto’s overall business goals and initiatives. In addition, Natoli will maintain regular contact with established markets and identify new opportunities. She will also supervise, educate, develop, and direct all intake specialists and admissions representatives to maximize potential in reaching their personal and enrollment goals of PACE CNY. As a director, Natoli will also help support the career development and growth of other PACE CNY employees. Natoli is a graduate of the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing and worked as a charge nurse on a cardiac telemetry unit and then an endoscopy unit at the hospital.

Ichor Life Sciences, a pre-clinical contract-research organization offering services in discovery through pharmacology, announces the hiring of CHRISTOPHER SCHILLO as its new vivarium director to expand the company’s ophthalmology capabilities and capacity. Schillo is responsible for overseeing all operations within the vivarium, which includes managing staff, animal husbandry, and research operations as well as acting
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Ichor Life Sciences, a pre-clinical contract-research organization offering services in discovery through pharmacology, announces the hiring of CHRISTOPHER SCHILLO as its new vivarium director to expand the company’s ophthalmology capabilities and capacity. Schillo is responsible for overseeing all operations within the vivarium, which includes managing staff, animal husbandry, and research operations as well as acting as Ichor’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) chair, a requirement for all vivariums that house USDA species. Prior to joining Ichor, Schillo served as the director of preclinical operations for Ora, Inc., a provider of eye research for pharmaceutical companies, where he oversaw pre-clinical operations and provided expertise in ocular drug development. At Ichor, Schillo will augment Ichor’s current offerings, including ophthalmology, oncology, geriatrics, and more.

Northland Communications, a Central New York–based telecommunications provider, has named a new VP of sales and customer relations to its leadership team. JIM FIRENZE brings nearly 30 years of experience with him to his new role and specializes in customer service, account management, and client relations. Firenze and his team will focus on enhancing Northland’s
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Northland Communications, a Central New York–based telecommunications provider, has named a new VP of sales and customer relations to its leadership team. JIM FIRENZE brings nearly 30 years of experience with him to his new role and specializes in customer service, account management, and client relations. Firenze and his team will focus on enhancing Northland’s sales and customer-service experience to create quality connections between Northland Communications and its customers. He will work to align the customer relations, sales development, and account departments to balance consultation and implementation, empowering Firenze and his team to recommend strategic unified-communication opportunities and solutions. Firenze is looking forward to accommodating both current and new Northland customers to provide them with the business communication solutions that they need to succeed.

People news: Chimera Integrations promotes O’Donnell to sales manager
CICERO, N.Y. — Commercial security systems and communications technology integrator Chimera Integrations has promoted Ryan O’Donnell to sales manager. O’Donnell joined the company in June

ConMed reports net loss despite sales gain in the second quarter
In spite of increased sales, the company reported a net loss of $168.3 million for the quarter, compared with net income of $13.3 million a
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.