Grains of Salt (v53): Community Gridlock (Pt. 2)

In Part 1 of this series, I gave some background on the I-81 project, the current lawsuit, and state Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri's decision to allow work related to I-481 - but not the viaduct removal - to continue.

In this post, I explore some of the implications of his decision, starting with his comments on Micron.

The Micron project is expected to be transformational for Central New York. Over the next two decades, the massive chip manufacturing facility, about 14 miles north of the viaduct, is expected to bring tens of thousands of direct and ancillary jobs. The company is promising a $100B investment, some of which is already flowing into the community.

In his decision, CNY Central reported, Neri said

Unless Respondents [NYS, City of Syracuse] are arguing that statements by the Governor and other elected officials are not factually supported, the Micron Project dwarfs the I-81 Project, much less anything this community has seen. It is just too massive to ignore.

He also referenced "projections from Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon that the community will grow by 200,000 in 20 years, as well as figures from CenterState CEO that 125,000 will come in the next decade."

Below are a few of my thoughts on the Micron aspects of Neri's decision.

Where are those 125,000 - 200,000 people going to live? We have no idea, really. Some may choose an urban lifestyle and live in the city of Syracuse. Some may opt for a quick commute and live in Clay or Cicero. Others may want to live a little further out in the east or west suburbs, while others may go to the far reaches of Onondaga County or neighboring counties. Depending on where they end up, the presence or lack of a viaduct may be meaningless.

There may not be a single 'Micron project' resident impacted by the I-81 project. People who have jobs find a way to get to work on time. I'd suggest this is true of Micron's future employees, just like it's always been true of folks who work downtown, in the suburbs, or in a different county. 

By the way, that happens every day in Central New York; just ask anyone who lives in Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga, Madison, Cortland, or other counties and comes to work in Syracuse or the suburbs. They've figured out how to make it work, and they've been doing it for decades. Is it so hard to think that newcomers to our area wouldn't be able to figure it out, too?

The same may be said for commercial traffic, too. Micron isn't in CNY now; the company's US locations are in Boise, ID and Manassas, VA; the latter plant is about an hour away from I-81. Should we be required to project how trucks would move between the two plants? Or how suppliers would get from where they are to where Micron will be? At what point do the required projections stop?

What if the Micron project isn't fully realized? The company has been cutting staff and slicing executive pay as demand for their chips slows. Some people weren't convinced we'd see the whole project come to be, even before the cost-cutting measures were announced. But Syracuse will still be here, and the I-81 viaduct will still be past the 'death date,' already six years in the rearview mirror. At what point do we stop projecting and start working?

What comes after the traffic projections are made? Is merely submitting the report sufficient? Or, if the study Neri required determines that there will be an additional volume of cars using the community grid when the viaduct is taken down, what then? Who decides what the grid can support? City engineers? The NYSDOT? Justice Neri or some other elected official? And what criteria apply? Is it too many cycles through the traffic lights? The ratio of electric cars to the total population? How cold a cup of DD coffee gets while you wait?

More importantly, if the decision is that the grid can't support the projected volume, who decides which solution replaces or supplements the grid? Again, is that up to City engineers? The NYSDOT? Neri or some other elected official? 

Or - truly our worst nightmare - do we have to start the entire process all over again?

Quick Takes (v67): He Wants to Be The Gov?

Today was a day of celebration in my neck of the woods.

President Biden came to town, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Governor Kathy Hochul.

They were all here, along with Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, business and labor organizations, education folks, and other community leaders and invited guests, who joined Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra to celebrate the chip company's long-term, $100B investment in Onondaga County that will bring some 40,000 jobs to the area over the next two decades. 

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R- Crime Stoppers Fan Club) the guy who wants to be governor of our state, was in Syracuse to talk about crime (what else?) and was asked about the Micron project. Here's what he had to say about it.

I think the Micron deal tells you a story of where the business climate is right now in this state. See in other states, they have businesses coming to the state because of low taxes, the regulatory environment, state agencies are run with a very pro-business approach. The business climates in other states are so much better, businesses just move to the state. There’s no way to get Micron to come to New York for low taxes. There’s no way to get Micron to come to New York because of the great regulatory environment. They’re not coming here because the state agencies are run by this great pro-business culture. They’re not coming here because we have one of the best business climates in the country. 

You have to look at why they’re coming here, how we got here, what it took to get them here, because the fact that we’ve reached the point where we essentially have to bribe businesses to come to New York with billions of dollars of tax breaks, who won’t come here otherwise, I think highlights this state is heading in the wrong direction. Because we want other businesses to come to New York. 

And on what will happen if he's elected, he added

We’ll work with Micron. We’ll do whatever we can to improve the business climate in this state, but as far as bringing other businesses to this state, we really have to get much smarter with our mindset.

Perhaps Rep. Zeldin should get his head out of the daily NYC crime reports (he tweets them regularly), and pay attention to what's required to secure deals like this. The truth is, they don't just fall from the sky and land in someone's lap. It's not like the opening of a hot dog stand, for Pete's sake. 

If you don't believe me, listen to the people in central Texas, who fought long and hard for the Micron deal. 

LOCKHART, Texas — On Tuesday, Micron Technology announced a new investment worth up to $100 billion in Central New York. The company had forced a bargaining battle between Clay, New York, and Lockhart, Texas.

"It was billions in tax savings, both ad valorem and sales tax. It was billions in our rates for electric and water, so all of those combined made the billions of dollars," Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden said. "The art of dealmaking is knowing when to, you know, say, 'That's my best offer. It's my best and final.'" 

Haden led the team offering the multibillion-dollar incentive package for the Lockhart area. 

I guess we should be happy Zeldin will "work with Micron" if he's elected, but I can't help wondering what would have happened had he been the governor already. Would we be welcoming the company to New York, or would we be waving goodbye to the Micron opportunity as it passed us by on the way to Texas? (Speaking of waving goodbye to opportunity, here's what Rep. Zeldin had to say when NYC lost the Amazon HQ2 project to Virginia.)

As governor, would he have collaborated with everyone - folks from both sides of the aisle - to ensure passage of the legislation that helped bring this deal to NY? Who knows - but there is one thing we do know. 

He didn't vote for it. 

Grains of Salt (v47): Seize the Delinquencies

Folks here in the Syracuse area have been hearing, for longer than I can remember, about the battle between Onondaga County and the owners of the now nearly-empty ShoppingTown Mall in Dewitt.

In a nutshell, the mall owes the county over $9M in taxes, and refuses to pay. Well, let me correct that - they refuse to pay what they owe, but offered $10,000 as a good-faith payment while discussions and court cases continue on what their assessment should be and how much they really owe us. The latest salvo? A bankruptcy filing for the property, which will tie things up even longer. It's a mell of a hess, if you know what I mean.

And they're not the only business that's behind in their tax payments - for example, there's Great Northern Mall, another once-thriving retail center, which owes over $3M for their 2018 and 2019 tax bills.

But now, the County Legislature has a new plan for dealing with delinquent commercial properties like the malls. According to multiple media reports, including this one from WAER,

Onondaga County lawmakers have thrown their support behind a new strategy that could lead to the seizure of certain tax-delinquent properties. The county executive's plan to create the Onondaga County Accountability and Reinvestment Corporation is seen as another tool to go after commercial properties with the goal of future development.

The new corporation will be responsible for seizing delinquent properties when all other efforts have failed, and would hold the title while the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency works to get the property re-developed. Some properties would continue to be auctioned off following current guidelines.

There's about $45M outstanding on commercial properties, the report notes, even though we mainly hear about the big ones like the two malls. Or, we hear about the vacant, tax delinquent residential properties in the City of Syracuse, which we'll discuss in another post.

Legislators expressed some concern about taking property from a private owner, but ultimately, it comes down to fairness.  Here's Legislator Miles Bottrill:

I certainly believe in a property right, and this is a very significant issue relative to property rights.. However, this is really an abuse to the taxpayer and to this community.

One parcel has already been identified for transfer to the county - the former Syracuse Energy Power Corp. plant in Geddes, near the Fairgrounds. There's about $1M owed, and the county had to get a court order to make sure the out-of-state owner didn't dismantle any more of the property and sell it off for scrap. There are developers interested in the parcel, it seems, and that helped convince legislators that transferring this particular property is a good deal. Legislature Chair Dave Knapp noted

There have actually been some phone calls to the administration saying that, when the time comes, there could be some interest. It's in an industrial zone right off a railroad. It's an attractive piece of property for industrial use. 

No properties will be transferred to the new corporation without the legislature's approval. In addition to the Geddes parcel, there are others, including industrial sites, a hotel, and a marina, that could be transferred if there's no resolution to the delinquency. According to County Exec Ryan McMahon,

Many of (the delinquent parcels) are performing commercial properties that are receiving revenue that are just not paying taxes. So, that's why we look for a carrot and stick approach, but at this point we're coming down with a stick on these property owners to force their hands.

If you ask me, this is the kind of program we need to have, and be willing to use. I get that $45M may not seem like a lot of money out of a $1.3B budget, but it's a whole lot of unfairness for residents and businesses that have been paying their property taxes all along. Having this option in the county's toolbox is a good thing.

Grains of Salt (v45): The I-81 DEIS is Here

Grains of Salt

The long-awaited New York State Department of Transportation Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the I-81 viaduct project is finally here.

After months and months of fits and starts, including a call for a do-over from our Sonofa Gov Andrew Cuomo to consider a tunnel option, we now have the recommendation from the state, and they believe a community grid is the best option for the Central New York area.

Here's what the DEIS says on the proposed solution:

S.5.3 COMMUNITY GRID ALTERNATIVE / PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE Based on a balanced consideration of the need for safe and efficient transportation; the social, economic, and environmental effects of the project alternatives; and national, state, and local environmental protection goals, the Community Grid Alternative would be selected as the preferred alternative. FHWA and NYSDOT will consider all comments received on this DDR/DEIS. 

That's the answer that we've been waiting for here in the city - I don't think any of my city friends wanted anything but the grid; even a number of my non-city friends are grid supporters, as are a number of suburban folks who spoke at the listening session Rep. John Katko held in the city and in the three suburban meetings he held.

And while all of the Town Supervisors and the Republican-majority County Legislature supported a hybrid grid/tunnel combo, that was nixed , as were all of the other tunnel and depressed highway solutions in the DEIS.

Potential Alternative T-7 involves the construction of a high-speed, non-interstate tunnel in addition to all of the improvements associated with the Community Grid Alternative. The construction of Alternative T-7 largely would be implemented underground, using a tunnel boring machine and sequential excavation method. While there are some risks associated with all underground construction, the use of these conventional and known tunneling methods would allow the alternative to pass on constructability. Alternative T-7 would require the acquisition of 11 properties and would cost $2.5 billion, both of which are considered unreasonable. For these reasons, Alternative T-7 was dismissed from further consideration. 

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh released this statement:

I am very glad that the DEIS is out, and I’m pleased that it identifies the Community Grid as the preferred alternative. The DEIS is the most comprehensive source for the facts and data our community needs to evaluate the project. My team and I will be closely reviewing the report in the days and weeks ahead, and the City will participate actively in the public engagement process to ensure that the needs and concerns of the people of the City of Syracuse and the entire region are considered by DOT. The more people engage, the better the outcome will be.

County Executive Ryan McMahon's spokesman said McMahon was reviewing the report, and noted

As the County Executive has said repeatedly, this is a decision that will have impacts across the County and region and it is critical that appropriate mitigation measures are also taken to minimize any potential negative impacts. We cannot allow a single decision to halt the momentum our community is experiencing.

State officials were briefed on the report today; McMahon and others will be briefed tomorrow morning.

State Senator Rachel May, who represents my district, said this in a statement:

The grid has long been my preferred option, because I believe it offers the best opportunity to simultaneously redress historical injustices and help Syracuse become the engine of growth for the whole region There will now be a lengthy public comment period, during which we can all study the careful analysis DOT has performed and weigh in with our concerns and suggestions.

There'll be much more to come, but there's happiness in many parts of Central New York tonight, as well as dismay in others.

We've got quite a challenge ahead of us, and hopefully people will rise to the occasion, instead of falling to it.

Grains of Salt (v44): The State of the County

New County Executive Ryan McMahon gave his first State of the County address at the end of last month, offering successes from the county and various departments, as well as outlining a fairly moderate vision for the future.

You can watch the speech here, with closed captioning that, let's just say, added an unintentional air of comedy.

The successes included a budget surplus, increased sales tax receipts, significant economic impact from the amphitheater, and increased revenue from the Turning Stone gambling compact payments. Property taxes are lower than ever, and there's a lot more collaboration across all jurisdictions, including with the City of Syracuse.

Here are a few of the initiatives he mentioned:

• Implementing a ThinkDifferently plan here. Developed by Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a ThinkDifferently program ensures residents with special needs - those on the autism spectrum, or who have mental health issues or physical disabilities, are given appropriate support and services. There's a new position for a Deputy Commissioner of Disability Services included here, too. 
• Creating a Chief Diversity Officer; expanding minority representation in the county workforce to 20% by 2022, and recruiting county workers from the poorest zip codes in the city, the suburbs, and rural areas.  
• Promoting a bill that will make all plot and burial services for veterans and eligible dependents free at the Onondaga County Veterans Cemetery.
• consolidating all of the waste water infrastructure under the county, so that we can "fix the pipes once for the next 100 years" instead of making incremental repairs over and over and over for the next 100 years.

The main points of his address centered on what he calls the PIE agenda, focusing on poverty, infrastructure, and economic development. Let's look at some of the details.

Grains of Salt (v43): Hire Ground

Grains of Salt

Syracuse and Onondaga County are collaborating on a program that will help reduce panhandling and help establish an income stream for some of the city's homeless population.

In a few short months, we've moved away from plans to address 'aggressive' panhandlers via a local law, and instead will be looking to give people a leg up towards improving their situation.

How did this transition occur?  According to this article,

Four months ago, then-County Legislator Ryan McMahon proposed a different tactic against "aggressive" panhandling. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh voiced support for McMahon's efforts at the time, but stopped short of endorsing the legislation.

... after extensive discussions with social service providers and others, McMahon and Walsh unveiled  what they called "a better option."

That option? A $200,000 pilot program designed to provide jobs and support to this both visible and invisible population of the city.  The program, called Hire Ground Workforce Development, will provide transportation for up to eight people to job sites three days a week, and also connect them to services, such as drug counseling and health care.

McMahon, now the Onondaga County Executive, said his change in approach came from listening to the experts, something that a good leader should do. He said the old plan, the local law, never had the goal of putting people in jail, but was designed to avoid safety issues that come from panhandlers basically refusing to take 'no' for an answer.

Part of our dialogue was, is there an alternative approach to take, a conservative approach. That's kind of what we're doing here. 

Grains of Salt (v40): Ben Walsh Reflects

Ben Walsh, the Independent mayor of Syracuse, will give his second State of the City this Thursday at the Red House, the newly renovated arts center on Salina Street.

In advance of that address, he had a Question-and-Answer session with Chris Baker of the Post Standard/Syracuse.com, and an interview with India Miraglia of SU's The Daily Orange, In both of those interactions with the media, Walsh shared his thoughts on his first year in office. The information - and quotes - below came from both of the articles linked above.

Among the highlights, he said:

• hearing from people that there's a new energy and renewed sense of optimism for Syracuse;
• establishing a strong vision for the future - for Syracuse to be a growing city that embraces diversity and creates opportunity for all;
• having a very diverse team, at all levels;
• identifying strategic 'building blocks' of fiscal sustainability; neighborhood stability and economic growth; constituent engagement; and finding effective and efficient ways to deliver city services;
• holding spending flat, as well as identifying savings opportunities;
• the new sales tax agreement with the County; 
• focus on public safety (new police chief, new recruits for the SPD, and a new fire chief); and.
• and the summer jobs program.

What else was on his mind?

20 Questions, 20 Answers

Today's Post Standard editorial, It's Time to Play 20 Questions, is an open invitation for all of us to have a little fun.  It doesn't matter whether you're happy and optimistic, or a miserable, cynical skeptic; as a city resident, county resident or even an out-of-towner, you can chime in. Full disclaimer: in general I resemble at least few of those categories above: I'll admit to being an optimistic if skeptical city resident, at the very least. Answering the questions might put me in some different buckets, we'll see.

Here goes:
1. Is $17,000 to keep the bathrooms clean at the New York State Fair really an excessive expenditure when you figure in the number of bathrooms (about 40), the length of the Fair (12 days) and the loudness of the complaints when the bathrooms are disgusting and run out of toilet paper?

If you've ever been in one of the Fair bathrooms, you'll know that this is money well spent. Those 40 bathrooms have a potential customer base of between 50,000 and 100,000 users per day, and it's worth it to have someone supervise the people hired to clean them. And no, I'm not interested, at any price. 

2. Is Onondaga County government just being super-efficient -- kind of like the private sector -- in its super-speedy review of plans to build an amphitheater on the west shore of Onondaga Lake?

I have to admit, it was hard not to chuckle at the comments from Legislature Chair Ryan McMahon who noted that "This is the first time in my nine years in government, people have been criticized for moving too fast in government."  Apparently he's forgotten about the stadium project, which Onondaga County tried to get shoehorned into the Governor's budget without including Stephanie Miner?  

I would love to see the square wooden wheels of government turn more quickly, on several things -- most notably reform, consolidation and spending -- but when you're talking about $30 million taxpayer dollars to build a seasonal amphitheater on top of decades-old waste beds, in the backyard of the snowiest major city in the Northeast, is time really of the essence?

3. Or is Onondaga County Government trying to ram the project through while nobody's looking?

Yes. And not for nothing, I'm as interested in the comments from concert promoters as I am in the environmental impact statement.  "If you build it, they will come" might have worked in an Iowa cornfield, but I'm not convinced that it will work here, given all of the other entertainment venues that are available within an easy drive.

4.  Why hasn't Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said anything about the implosion of the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, whose members he deputized as special prosecutors?

Um, because he's as culpable in the failure of the Moreland Commission as our Sonuva Governor? Do you think he realizes that he dropped the ball, by not "talking to people" on the Commission, by not making suggestions to and meeting with the commissioners, including our own DA-for-Life William Fitzpatrick?  Or is it because he'll do just about anything to stay away from Cuomo at this point, since the two have long had a fractious relationship?

5.  What will the Syracuse University student -- the one who helped design an app to warn Israelis when rockets are about to fall on their heads -- come up with next?

Maybe he can warn us when the drones referenced in #13 are about to fly over our heads? 

6.  Why hasn't anyone built a glass-enclosed party palace in downtown Syracuse before now?

Lack of vision and lack of downtown momentum. Glad we've overcome both!

7.  Where are the Syracuse Chiefs fans -- considering the team is in the thick of a playoff picture, there's a ton of fun off the field and they're giving away a funeral this coming Wednesday, August 13th?

I'm still not convinced on that whole funeral give-away. That said, I haven't been to a Chiefs game since Josh Beckett did a rehab start for the Pawtucket Red Sox. I found my pictures from that night and guess what? There were about as many empty seats as filled seats, even for Beckett.

Now, had you asked me when that game was, I would have guessed a generic 'couple of years ago' --  but in fact, it was in July of 2010.  I had no idea it was that long ago.

I'm not a Chiefs fan, but what the heck's wrong with me that I haven't been to a game in more than four years?  That's a question most of us should ask ourselves.

8. Why is it taking so long to reconstruct West Fayette Street downtown?

The answer is 42. 

9.  Will Syracuse University get more applicants, now that it's been anointed the No. 1 party school in the nation?

Perhaps the better question is, how many folks will leave after the first semester when they realize that the ranking is unwarranted? And will they transfer to LeMoyne "we may be Jesuit but..." College, where at least they have Dolphy Day?

10.  Did President Barack Obama really think he could avoid being dragged back into Iraq?

Maybe he thought he'd be impeached first and wouldn't have to deal with it? On a more serious note, do we always have to go where others fear (or fail) to tread? Must we always be the world's police? Is our manifest destiny to continually try and secure the destiny of others? And how do we sit back and watch our ally Israel cause similar damage against Hamas in Gaza killing hundreds of innocent men, women and children in the process, at the same time we bomb others who cause the same carnage, albeit for different reasons?  Maybe 42 is the answer here as well. 

11. When is a political endorsement from a union not a political endorsement from a union? (Ask Dan Maffei and John Katko).

His uncle and my aunt were hanging up clothes. My union folded, it joined one of those. They support the other guy, so I had nowhere to go, but to throw my support to Cousin Katko. Or something like that, if Timothy Hogan spoke in verse.  

12. What is it with professional athletes and domestic violence?

From the time they're in junior high school, or even earlier, when they get discovered in Pop Warner or AAU leagues, promising athletes become a prized commodity; they're told they're special, and many are given special treatment, as soon as it's possible for someone to do so. Whether having female 'escorts' (wink wink) to them when they're college recruits, or not having to go to class, take tests or write papers, or being excused for sexual assault as high schoolers, or free clothes and all the rest, we show and tell athletes that they're special and all the rest of us are throw-aways, just like an old pair of free sneakers. Sadly, many of them learn that lesson more readily than all of the other critical life lessons that are right in front of them. 

And no, I'm not excusing the athletes' behavior, I'm complaining about the enablers, the ones who sweep bad behavior under the rug to make sure that (enter athlete's name) gets to play on (enter day of the week) in the big game against (enter key rival's name).  

And about league commissioners who put a higher price on smoking pot than on hitting a woman and then dragging her from an elevator.  

13.  With drones poised to start flying over Central New York, how soon before the fist invasion of privacy lawsuit is filed?

As soon as soybeans, corn, and wheat achieve personhood, or corporation-hood, and obtain free speech rights.

14.  Why can't Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand fly coach like the rest of us?

Good lord, is Chuck 'Touchdown' Schumer wearing those crazy astronaut diapers on his trips around the state?  He pays almost $300,000 to fly around on a plane that doesn't even have a bathroom? 

15.  Would it really be unethical to give experimental drugs to people dying of Ebola?

Ethical questions are supposed to be tough, and to me this one is. Would it be right to experiment on third-world people with the experimental drug, which might not even work? If it's wrong for us to have done that over the years with prisoners,blacks, mentally ill and the poor,how can it be right to do it now? And is it even necessary to do that, since traditional methods, if employed effectively, work effectively?  I think I'm on the 'yes' side of this one. I think.

16.  Can you believe it's football season already?

No. I sure hope my 49er's are ready. And I can't wait for us to get rolling with Scott Shafer press conferences after SU games.

17.  Who will be the next USA Basketball player to quit, after that gruesome injury to Paul George?

Can't say who will be next, don't know enough about it. But if the pros are afraid to play for fear they'll get hurt, perhaps with a career-ending injury, that leaves college kids. If they get afraid of maybe getting hurt before their NBA careers even start, will the USA be left fielding teams of walk-ons and high-school kids against the pros who compete with us (on our favorite teams) during the season and against us in international play? That would stink. 

18. Would today's hyper-partisan Congress have impeached Richard Nixon?

I can't imagine that they would have. Nor, if he was President now, that Nixon would resign. Back then, doing something for the good of the country meant something. Now, not so much. 

19.  Will we ever come to a consensus on Interstate 81?

I'm afraid our conversation will reach the end of its useful life about the same time the highway does.  At the same time, though, I'm glad that voices are being heard and that DOT is listening.  (Ryan McMahon, pay attention...)

20.  The State Fair is almost here.  Where did summer go?

A good portion of it went (as always) to work, weeding, and writing.  This year, we have to add in widing our bikes and dodging waindwops.

How would you have answered the questions? Share your responses in the comments.

Should We Gamble on Wilmorite?

Was the Onondaga County Legislature really thinking of throwing our support behind a proposed casino a few dozen miles down the road? Being developed by Wilmorite?

I say 'our' support, because Leg Chair Ryan McMahon and the rest of them are really speaking for us when they vote on and pass resolutions and laws.  And if you're wondering why they thought that throwing our support behind a project outside Onondaga County, proposed by a developer with a (at least recently) spotty track record inside Onondaga County is a priority, you're not alone.

As noted in a recent article by Michelle Breidenbach in the Post-Standard, Wilmorite is going to submit a proposal for one of the casinos authorized by last year's resolution to amend our state Constitution to

allow the Legislature to authorize up to seven casinos in New York State for the legislated purposes of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools and permitting local governments to lower property taxes through revenues generated.

The pie-in-the-sky constitutional amendment, a gamble in and of itself, was approved by 57% of New Yorkers hungry for any kind of tax relief, opening up the ground wars for developers to find places to put these job engines and start moving New York into a glorious state of economic boom.  Because that's what we promised ourselves, silly us.

As you recall, Onondaga County is not eligible for our own casino, being in an exclusive territory given to the Oneida Nation by our Sonova Governor Andrew Cuomo, who rolled the dice by negotiating with and securing an agreement from the Oneidas to protect their investment and share some of their wealth ($25 million a year) with the state and local governmental jurisdictions in the neighborhood surrounding their Turning Stone Resort and Casino.

Subsequent negotiations with other Native American casino operators established other exclusive zones around the state, leaving three zones where casinos could be built - the Fingerlakes area, including the Southern Tier; the Catskills, and the Capital District.

Enter Wilmorite, the Rochester developer who has long been engaged in Onondaga County as well:

• Think ShoppingTown Mall and Great Northern Mall, once glistening, booming retail establishments.
• And think the proposed OnCenter Hotel, to be built downtown using the proceeds from a racino that Wilmorite wanted to build in Cicero.  
• And think, more recently, of the defaulted mortgage on the old Sibley's building, which a local developer wants to get working on, and hopefully won't be delayed by Wilmorite's default. 

The racino project, which the Legislature voted to support back in 2011, had all the same promise as the casino -- jobs and sales tax revenue and the like -- except that it would have actually been in Onondaga County. Alas, nothing ever materialized on that deal, and early last year, the Legislature (with several new members) rescinded our support. We moved on, keeping Onondaga County safe from state-sponsored gambling which local politicians have long opposed here, and Wilmorite moved on to bigger and better things. Except that they came back, to ask for our support for their casino.

The casino is proposed for a spot north of the Thruway across from the big Petro station at the Waterloo exit, and across the street from an Amish family farm.  Wilmorite is again waving the promise flag, saying either that 60% of the jobs would come from Onondaga County, or that 60% of the jobs would go through unions in Onondaga County - there's some lack of clarity there, it seems -- and hoping that we would get on board to make their proposal (which promises the "high energy and excitement of Las Vegas") have more oomph than others that are expected for this gambling zone, including likely front-runner Tioga Downs.

Why are they the likely winner? Well, for starters, they have an existing racino, and more importantly, they have the advantage of being near another gambling state's border. And that was one of the big reasons Cuomo wanted casino gambling in New York, remember?

We literally hemorrhage people from the borders who go to casinos. I think it will keep the money in this state...

Legislature Chair Ryan McMahon pulled the vote on the resolution of support because it didn't have enough support even within the Republican caucus to pass, and at the same time chastised the people who would be directly impacted -- residents of Tyre -- noting that they were "muddying the issue with a fight they've already lost" and saying

They're looking at if from the merits of how it impacts them. We're looking at it from a standpoint of how this affects our constituents from an economic standpoint and it clearly would have been good as far as jobs go.

Because, as you know, once the floodgates are open and the promise of jobs is on the table, there's no reason for us here in Onondaga County to do anything other the muddy the waters in another county, and who really gives a rap about the people in the town of Tyre anyway?

Onondaga County is already using casino gambling as an economic development tool. For example, some of the money the county is putting towards the seasonal concert amphitheater on the west shore of Onondaga Lake -- a crap shoot worthy of any Las Vegas high roller --  is an advance on our projected share of the money from Oneida Nation/Turning Stone agreement, so from that perspective I guess it makes sense that we'd at least think about gambling again with Wilmorite.

Alas, as with most gambles, timing is everything. And so is picking the right horse. The fact that McMahon couldn't rally his troops and bring the vote to the floor means we missed the opportunity to support the deal, and it will hold (or fold) without us. That may be to our benefit, as it wouldn't look good on our resume if we backed the Wilmorite horse again - and lost, again.