Hawley participates in Ag Literacy Week at John Kennedy School
As part of Ag Literacy Week, Assemblyman Steve Hawley was at John Kennedy School this morning to read to a group of students from a children's book about a grape farmer.
As part of Ag Literacy Week, Assemblyman Steve Hawley was at John Kennedy School this morning to read to a group of students from a children's book about a grape farmer.
An officer just received a walk-up complaint about a parrot. A citizen found a "lost" parrot and wants to help it. An animal control officer is going to the place where the parrot is located, no word on where that is, to get the parrot and try and find an appropriate rescue facility for it. "It's as big as a pigeon," says the officer.
UPDATE 12:30 p.m.: The officer who handled the walk-up complaint says the bird has been confirmed to be a cockatiel, not a parrot, and it's been turned over to animal control.
A car has gone off the road into the woods on Main Road in Pembroke.
No injuries reported.
The location near the Pembroke Fire Hall, 630 Main Road.
Pembroke fire and Indian Falls fire along with Mercy EMS dispatched.
A driver is reportedly uninjured but trapped in her car after a rollover accident in the area of 6790 East Bethany Le Roy Road, Le Roy.
The car is on its side.
Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responding.
While the State of New York is reporting its lowest unemployment rate in a decade, at 4.4 percent, Genesee County saw a slight uptick in its year-over-year unemployment rate, according to data released today by the Department of Labor.
The local rate is 5.8 percent. A year ago in February, it was 5.6 percent.
The state records 21,900 jobs in the county. This the third straight year the total number of jobs for February in the county hit 21,900. The highest February number over the past three decades was 22,400 in 2008.
Even at 5.8 percent, the jobless count is still lower than it has been over the past several years. with the exception of last year. The lowest local rate for February was recorded at 4.7 percent in 2001.
The February unemployment rate for the nation is reported at 4.7 percent.
A key indicator of the overall national employment picture is the prime-age percentage of the population in the workforce. It fell to 75 percent at the depths of the recession in 2010 and 2011. In February it hit its highest level since the recovery, 78.3 percent. Prior to the 2002 recession, it was as high as 82 percent.
The other interesting study that came out today, related to the national economy, is a report on what are called "deaths of despair" -- people dying of suicide, alcoholism or drugs, which rose dramatically among middle-aged whites from 2000 to 2014. According to the map, Genesee County was one of the few areas in the country that didn't see an increase in that statistic.
The Genesee County Job Development Bureau hosted a job fair today for area high school students. A total of 11 local employers and 13 vendors were on hand along with Job Bureau counselors.
Speakers attended from Genesee Valley Partnership, Genesee Community College, and Empire State College. They discussed vocational or educational goals with students.
There was also staff from the Department of Labor to review student resumes and offer tips.
(Thanks to Tim McArdle for supplying photos of Le Roy students at the event. We had it on our schedule to cover but couldn't make it because of the accident in Alabama this morning.)
On Wednesday, Le Roy High School inducted 34 new members of the National Honor Society. These students have maintained an overall GPA of 90 percent and possess the five qualities of a model student: scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship. Sr. High Math teacher Mr. Zach Paley was our induction speaker and gave a great motivational message challenging students to learn through their failures.
From Principal Tim McArdle: "This is a wonderful honor and accomplishment for our students and their families. I would like to thank Mrs. Qadiri for organizing with our officers a quality program for our students. We would like to congratulate the families of our new members. We all know, it takes a team to be successful!"
Photos and info submitted by Tim McArdle.
Top photo, Officer Peter Flanigan, Batavia PD, reads to students at Jackson School during the school's annual parents' night reading program last night, this year dubbed "Camp Read-A-Lot." The evening featured community members reading to students, games, activities and a campout with camp music in the school's gymnasium.
Press release:
New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has been appointed to two joint budget subcommittees: Education and Transportation. Subcommittees, composed of both members of the State Senate and State Assembly, will work this week to finalize the details of the 2017-18 State Budget.
“The Senate’s one-house budget makes a record level of investment in education, while committing more funding to repair local roads and bridges,” Ranzenhofer said.
“It is so important for Western New York to receive its fair share of state funding for our local school districts and local infrastructure projects. I will be advocating, as a member of these subcommittees, to get these two proposals in the final fiscal plan.”
Both the Senate and Assembly passed separate one-house budget resolutions last week. The Senate plan restrains spending growth, rejects new taxes and fees and delivers small business tax relief.
The highlights of the Senate proposal include:
- Rejecting $800 million in new taxes and fees proposed by Governor Cuomo;
- Expanding the existing Personal Income Tax exemptions for small businesses and small farms and reducing the Corporate Franchise Tax business income tax rate from 6.5 percent to 2.5 percent over a two-year period;
- Bringing ride-sharing services to Upstate New York.
The Senate budget proposal also makes a record level of investment in local infrastructure projects. Under the plan, state funding for the Local BRIDGE NY program would increase by $50 million for a total of $150 million. State funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway (CHIPS) program would be increased by $75 million for a total of $513 million.
Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) spoke with pro-Second Amendment groups as well as a number of hunters, sportsmen, wildlife and fishing advocates from around the state on Wednesday at Albany’s annual Sportsmen’s Day.
Among the groups in attendance were the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA), the New York State Crossbow Coalition, New York State Conservation Council Inc. and Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education (SAFE).
“I have always prided myself as being an outdoorsman and advocate for the Second Amendment,” Hawley said. “Things like hunting, fishing and target shooting are ingrained in Western New York’s culture and require consistent protection from downstate interest groups who seek to infringe on our rights.
"I was one of the first legislators to fight against the unconstitutional SAFE Act and have consistently advocated for hunting and trapping rights in the counties I represent. I enjoyed speaking with various statewide groups and was impressed by their knowledge, passion and commitment. I look forward to this event each year and thank those who came to advocate and participate.”
An 81-year-old passenger in a 2004 Mercury sedan suffered severe injuries this morning, according to State Police, after the vehicle went underneath the trailer on a big rig at the intersection of Route 63 and Route 77 in Alabama.
The roof of the sedan was sheared off and became lodged in the rear axel of the trailer.
The vehicle was driven by Donna L. Wolter, 69, who sustained head injuries. Her passenger was Purcil E. Buzard. Both are from Medina.
Both patients were transported by Mercy Flight to area hospitals.
State Police investigators believe Wolter failed to stop at the four-way intersection.
The 2017 Kenworth tractor-trailer was eastbound on Lewiston Road and making a right-hand turn to head south on Alleghany Road when it was struck by the Mercury, which was on southbound Alleghany Road.
Wolter reportedly swerved to avoid hitting the cab of the truck and went under the trailer, then struck a vacant building on the southwest corner of the intersection, bounced off the building and hit a sedan stopped in the eastbound lane of Lewiston Road.
NOTE: Story updated to correct the names of the officers involved.
The two men who allegedly broke into a home at 49 Swan St. at 2:22 a.m. Thursday told occupants of the house that they were police officers.
They then attacked the occupants and caused physical injury, according to police.
Kolton Cotter, 22, of Eagle Harbor Road, Albion (top photo), was charged with: robbery; burglary; coercion; conspiracy; criminal possession of a weapon; criminal impersonation; petit larceny; criminal mischief; assault; possession of burglary tools; unlawful imprisonment; criminal obstruction of breathing; obstruction of governmental administrationl; resisting arrest; and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Andrew Morris, 19, of Main Street, Attica, was charged with: robbery; burglary; coercion; conspiracy; criminal possession of a weapon; criminal impersonation; petit larceny; assault; possession of burglar tools; and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Officer Felicia DeGroot and Sgt. Eric Bolles were first to respond to the report of a break-in in progress and found Morris inside the residence and took him into custody. Cotter fled and was chased by Bolles and Officer Eric Foels. Also assisting in the apprehension of the suspects were Officer Jason Ivison and Officer Darryl Streeter.
Genesee County Sheriff's deputies also assisted at the scene.
Bolles and Foels caught up with him on Graham Street and one of them deployed a Taser to help subdue the suspect. Cotter was transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC for evaluation.
Batavia PD said Morris and Cotter identified themselves as undercover police officers in an attempt to steal property.
At one point, a suspect reportedly told the victims that at least one of them was armed. No firearm was recovered. The type of weapon recovered was not identified by police.
The suspects were arraigned in City Court and jailed without bail.
Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation directors this morning approved a resolution to contract with Keeler Construction of Albion to renovate the parking lot of Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road.
"The parking lot is a go," said Michael Nolan, chief operations officer, referring to approval from the New York State Gaming Commission for the $508,128 project, which is set to begin in early May and be completed by the end of that month.
Nolan advised that the reconstruction and repaving of the parking lot, which currently can handle 1,043 vehicles, will be done in three phases -- with Downs' officials taking steps to minimize any inconvenience to their customers.
"When crews are working in one section, and cars have to be parked further away from the building, we will set up a shuttle service," Nolan said. "We will do everything we can to accommodate patrons while the work is being done."
Scott P. Kiedrowski, vice president of operations, said the contract with Keeler calls for "digging out portions of the lot that are the worst, making sure the drainage is functioning properly, putting a layer over the entire lot and restriping."
"We are driven by the fact that it has reached its age; the time is now for major improvement," he added.
Director Edward Morgan (Orleans County), who has extensive experience in road resurfacing, will be acting as a volunteer liaison for WROTB during the project.
In an unrelated matter, the board has addressed a situation surrounding criminal charges against WROTB President Henry Wojtaszek, who, according to published reports, pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge on Wednesday in connection with an ongoing probe into election law violations.
The violation apparently took place in 2012 when Wojtaszek, the former Niagara County GOP chairman, failed to properly file a statement with the NYS Board of Elections.
The investigation has led to indictments against State Senator Rob Ortt and former state senator George Maziarz -- with Ortt's charges involving three counts of offering a false instrument for filing, according to The Buffalo News.
WROTB directors issued a statement supporting Wojtaszek, who was appointed as WROTB president last year. Details of Wojtaszek's plea have yet to be revealed.
The statement reads, in part, that Wojtaszek will pay a fine to receive a "conditional discharge" and that he "fully accepted responsibility" for failing to properly file the document.
"The board supports him, including me, to a man," said Director Richard Siebert (Genesee County). "There is nothing here that will cause him to lose his lawyer's license or his Gaming Commission license."
A phone call to Wojtaszek was not returned at the time of this posting.
In other developments:
-- A summer concert series is scheduled for six Saturdays in June featuring nationally known recording artists who will perform on the track's infield. Although not confirmed, possible acts include Lee Greenwood, Lou Gramm, Eddie Money and Lone Star.
-- Nolan reported that the Gaming Commission also approved plans for a new paddock at Batavia Downs. He said once the bid process is completed, he expects construction to start in June or July.
-- Operational earnings of $111,857 in February represent a $98,000 increase from the same time period last year, Comptroller Jacquelyne Leach said. The track's EZ Bets handle was up 12 percent in February (compared to February 2016) and is up 41 percent this month (compared to March 2016).
-- Racing Director Todd Haight reported that live harness racing will begin on July 26 and run through Dec. 16 for a total of 71 dates. Post times will be 5 p.m. on Wednesdays (except for opening day when it will be 6 p.m.), 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1:15 p.m. on matinees and Sundays.
The track's Family Fun Day, featuring weiner dog races, is set for Sunday, Aug. 27.
-- More than $400,000 in winning or refundable pari-mutuel tickets across the state from 2016 must be cashed by March 31 or that money goes back into NYS coffers, Haight said. About $25,000 of that amount was generated from activity at Batavia Downs or WROTB parlors.
Those holding these tickets can go to a local OTB branch or Batavia Downs to claim their winnings.
A motor-vehicle accident with possible serious injuries to reported on Route 77 at Lewiston Road, Alabama.
Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE(S)(By Billie) 9:37 a.m.: The availability of Mercy Flight is being checked. Eastbound traffic on Lewiston Road will be shut down. Mutual aid from Shelby Fire Department is requested.
UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: The address is 6655 Lewiston Road. Two Mercy Flight helicopters are heading to the scene -- #5 out of Batavia, #7 out of Buffalo.
UPDATE 9:57 a.m.: Mercy Flight 5 is on the ground. One patient is being put on board now. Another patient is in an ambulance awaiting loading onto Mercy Flight 7, which just landed. Both were said to have been extricated from a vehicle underneath the undercarriage of a tractor-trailer.
UPDATE 10:23 a.m.: Mercy Flight 7 is airborne and going to ECMC. Mercy Flight 5 is airborne and going to Strong Memorial Hospital. The State Police crash investigation team is on scene. A tractor-trailer was eastbound on Lewiston Road and at the intersection with Route 77, the trucker was making a right-hand turn to go southbound on Route 77. A Mercury sedan southbound on 77 slammed into the big rig; the impact sheared off the roof of the Mercury sedan, which is still embedded in the axles of the tractor-trailer. The damaged sedan continued and hit a building on the southwest corner of the intersection, then careened off the building, striking a sedan that was stopped at the intersection. But only the two occupants of the Mercury were injured, one seriously, the other very seriously.
UPDATE 1:11 p.m.: The intersection just reopened.
Batavia Police responded a few minutes ago to an apparent "home invasion" at a house on Swan Street after a resident called to report someone was breaking into the house. Upon arrival, an officer said a person was exiting the building.
A backup unit arrived immediately, and a person was said to be running eastbound on adjacent Graham Street, then south.
A police officer chased a suspect on Graham. A Taser was deployed and Mercy medics were then called to 4 Graham St. to evaluate that subject, who was in custody.
The residence on Swan Street was checked and a second subject was arrested.
"Unknown property" was reportedly removed from the residence during the incident.
"The subject told the victim he had a gun. ... Nothing displayed," said an officer.
UPDATE 2:48 a.m.: The person who was tased is being transported to UMMC.
UPDATE 3:03 a.m.: The person arrested at the residence was apprehended on the second floor. Police say the pair possessed burglary tools and at least one weapon -- not a gun -- was recovered.
The suspect in a Dec. 2 shooting on Jackson Street has been indicted on a count of attempted murder by a Genesee County Grand Jury.
Jeremy R. "Boog" Armstrong, 26, of Batavia, faces six felony counts stemming from the incident which seriously injured a victim who has not been identified by authorities.
The counts also include assault in the first degree, criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, criminal use of a firearm in the third degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Armstrong was picked up earlier this month in East Hartford, Conn., on a warrant.
Police say Armstrong fired several shots at close range.
He allegedly shot a person while on Jackson Street and the two men reportedly knew each other.
According to sources, the victim suffered shoulder and chest wounds. He was treated first at UMMC and then transferred to ECMC.
Armstrong was located in East Hartford outside the residence of a family member, according to police. He was taken into custody without incident.
Individuals with information that may assist in the investigation are asked to call Det. Eric Hill (585) 345-6373, Det. Thad Mart at (585) 345- 6372, or the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.
Press release:
At the annual “Night for Independence Gala,” on May 20 in Salvatore’s Italian Gardens, Western New York Independent Living Inc. Family of Agencies (WNYIL) will salute a member of the disability community with its Independent Citizen Award. WNYIL is requesting that the public submit the names of candidates for this distinguished honor, prior to the Monday April 3 cutoff for nominations.
To be considered, the individual would have shown support, assistance and inspiration to others while demonstrating the five core values of this award:
Anyone who is aware of an individual with a disability who would meet all these criteria should contact Heather Mattiuzzo of the WNYIL Office of Community Outreach at (716) 836-0822, ext. 146; or email her with the candidate’s name, a paragraph about his/her qualifications and contact information, as well as the submitter’s name and contact information, to hmattiuzzo@wnyil.org.
WNY Independent Living, Inc. is Western New York's largest cross-disability, consumer-directed, non-residential organization for persons with disabilities. At WNYIL, individuals of all ages and all types of disabilities learn to exercise their freedom of choice to take control of their own lives in order to live more productively in, and contribute to, the community.
Victor Michael Delatorre, 34, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Delatorre allegedly damaged property of the Genesee County Jail.
Eric McWethy, 20, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, is charged with loud muffler and unlawful possession of marijuana. McWethy was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during at traffic stop at 9:11 p.m. March 16 on Ellicott Street, Batavia, by Officer Chad Richards.
Keaira Sharee Jones, 25, of Jay Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Jones was a passenger in a vehicle stopped at 12:34 p.m. March 17 on Washington Avenue by Officer Frank Klimjack.
Cassi A. Schutt, 29, of West Crest Drive, Rochester, is charged with driving on a suspended registration, aggravated unlicensed operation, driving without insurance and failure to stop at sign. Schutt was arrested on a warrant for the listed charges.
Carlton L. Beardsley, 22, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal obstruction of breaking and menacing, 2nd. Beardsley was arrested following a complaint of a domestic incident at 4:45 p.m. March 17 on Walnut Street, Batavia. He allegedly threatened a female with a knife and then choked her. He was jailed on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond.
Shane K. Borton, 44, Chase Park, Batavia, is charged criminal contempt, 1st, and harassment, 2nd. Borton was allegedly involved in a physical altercation at 6:02 p.m. Saturday, which also violated an order of protection.
Donald Egan Jr., 26, of State Street, Seneca Falls, was arrested on a warrant. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.
Gangi Steven Perez, 21, of Bridge Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, possession of alcohol in a vehicle, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Perez was stopped at 12:27 a.m. Saturday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Arick Perkins.
Jamie L. Soto, 42, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with offering a false instrument for filing, 1st. Soto allegedly filed a sex offender change of address form with a false address. This is an additional charge added to previous charges.
Ifrah Mohammed Jajimusse, 38, of Main Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Jajimusse was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during at traffic stop at 8:25 p.m. Monday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Deputy Richard Schildwaster.
Jacob J. Russell, 21, of Walkers Corners Road, Byron, and Salvatore M. Schwable, of Weber Avenue, Oakfield, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Russell and Schwable were in a vehicle stopped by members of the Local Drug Task Force and were allegedly found in possession of marijuana. Schwable was also found to have an arrest warrant of out Batavia Town Court for alleged petit larceny and criminal mischief.
Press release:
The Town of Batavia Republican Committee is seeking interested residents who would like to serve on the Committee and participate in their local government process. The requirements to serve on the Committee is to be 18 years old and a registered Republican.
The Committee seeks and endorses candidates for Town and County offices, carries petitions to allow candidates to be on the ballot, and raises funds to support the local campaigns. This is an opportunity to serve your community and be more informed on what is happening in your town.
If you would like more information please contact the Chairman, Steve Hawley at shawley@smhawley.com or Committee Secretary, Kathy Jasinski, at 762-8239. The next meeting is scheduled for April 12th at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. All Republicans are welcome to attend.
A proposal to block New York from using county taxpayer money to pay for Medicaid sounds good on paper, but as always, the devil is in the details, says County Manager Jay Gsell.
Gsell's biggest fear is that even if the proposal is passed by Congress, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office would just find a way to shift other expenses to the counties.
"My sense of the reaction from the governor and the lieutenant governor over the last week is that it is very likely how they would respond," Gsell said. "They’re still putting a state budget together. Things could change on a dime."
The proposal comes from Rep. Chris Collins, who is having it added as an amendment to the House GOP's health care bill aimed at replacing the Affordable Healthcare Act.
From a Collins press release put out earlier today:
The Medicaid Local Share Limitation, which was proposed by Congressmen Chris Collins and John Faso, would bar federal reimbursements for New York State Medicaid funds raised from local governments. The proposal would only apply to the $2.3 billion being raised from counties outside of New York City. New York State currently raises $7 billion from its local governments to fund its $27 billion Medicaid liability, which is the largest amount in the nation.
“This is a huge win for our constituents,” Congressman Collins said. “I want to thank President Trump, House leadership, Congressman Faso, and the rest of my fellow New Yorkers for getting this key provision included. Year after year, Albany’s leadership relies on counties to foot the bill for New York State’s out-of-control Medicaid costs. Enough is enough.
"This amendment will stop Albany from forcing its unfunded mandate down the throats of taxpayers, and help counties lower the property tax burden on hardworking families. We understand the devastating impact New York’s reckless spending is having on everyday New Yorkers, and I’m proud to join with members of our delegation to bring vital tax relief to our constituents.”
In a tweet today, Collins said his amendment to the bill, called "Ryancare" by some, and "Trumpcare" by others, would save Genesee County taxpayers $9.4 million that the county currently pays as a local share of Medicaid expense.
Gsell said it's more than $9.6 million of an overall $68 million expense, with the Federal government and state government picking up the balance of the cost.
The proposal from Collins has brought forth blistering attacks from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Last week, Hochul said in a statement:
"What’s worse, a New York Republican Congressman, Chris Collins, is offering an amendment that would wreak havoc on the state. While I understand that the Democrats in Washington are attacking Collins on ethics issues and are having a heated political fight, they shouldn’t be played out at the expense of everyday New Yorkers.
“Here are the facts: The overall Medicaid plan would cost the state billions of dollars of lost federal funds and jeopardize hospital stability."
She said the Collins proposal would amount to a $4.7 billion tax increase on the people of New York.
According to a report in the Democrat and Chronicle, Cuomo ripped the bill as a "death trap" that would devastate hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Upstate New York.
"My greatest fear from last year’s election has actually come true, which is you have a rabid, conservative ideology in Washington that would tell New York to drop dead, and that is exactly what is going on," Cuomo said.
At $60 billion per year, New York is topped only by California (at $85 billion) in total Medicaid spending. In New York, counties cover $7 billion of the state's share of the Medicaid expense, by far the highest share of any state in the union.
This for a program that is defined by the Feds as a "Federal and state" (not county) medical coverage benefit for people with limited income.
In her statement last week, Hochul offered up a history of how counties came to help pay for Medicaid, saying the counties agreed to take on this expense, but Gsell said that's not his understanding of the history.
Gsell said the counties got roped in against their will in the 1960s when Congress created a long-term care program and ordered states to help pay for it and New York turned around and told counties they would share in the expense. Then when Medicaid was created a few years later, New York told the counties they would pick up 25 percent of the tab, though at the time, the program was a lot less expensive than it is today.
"I saw some comments by Ms. Hochul last week that said, ‘oh, the counties have nothing to be grousing about -- they've been funding Medicaid forever,' " Gsell said. "She alluded to this one- or two-year-old piece of Federal legislation from the early '60s and says, ‘yeah, the counties volunteered to do it.’ No, even then, the state told the counties, 'you will fund this program.' "
New York's Medicaid bill is so high, Gsell said, because the state covers the full smorgasbord of coverage. Whereas the Federal government has only about 15 services that are mandated, New York offers the full slate of available options, more than 30 altogether.
At no time, Gsell said, have states been given any opportunity to have a say in who is covered, how they are covered or what is offered. Everything is mandated by the Federal government or the state.
When Gsell became county manager 23 years ago, the county share of coverage was about $4 million, but the expense started increasing at 5 to 10 percent per year until the county share was capped a few years ago.
The Collins amendment is designed, in part, to help secure support from New York's congressional delegation. That overt political maneuver prompted another statement from Hochul today:
"Mr. Collins has perpetuated a political scam on New York. As Mr. Trump’s bag man he has had to buy votes to pass the Affordable Care Act and did it by promising counties relief from their share of Medicaid. He now wants New York State to pay his $2.3 billion political IOU.
"The state cannot and should not. If Mr. Collins wants to buy votes let the federal government pick up the share rather that the people of New York. Local county taxes or state taxes New Yorkers still pay. One way or another, it is still coming out of New York taxpayers’ pockets. Let Mr. Collins help New York State and his district by having the federal government pay – that is why he is in Washington."He could easily help pay by reducing the $150 billion tax cut to the richest 1 percent of Americans or buying one less tank from Trump’s record defense budget. Why make the people of his district pay for his politics. We do know Mr. Collins is adept at corrupt financial schemes but this is the ultimate insider trading scam."
Ryancare/Trumpcare is by no means assured of passing. It will obviously receive Democratic opposition, but a number of House conservatives also oppose it. It will also face a tough fight in the Senate.
Still, if it does pass, Gsell is far from certain it will lift the burden from Genesee County for unfunded mandates. He believes, based on the stern opposition to the cost shift from Cuomo and Hochul, that Albany will just pull the purse strings tighter on other programs with county-state cost shares, such as indigent defense, Safety-Net, Pre-K early intervention and probation assistance. The state share of a total of nine state-mandated programs exceeds the potential $9.6 million in cost savings offered by Collins amendment.
"The money that the state has to start absorbing could turn on our budgets in these other areas with less state aid," Gsell said. "The state is not going to go quietly into the night."
Michael McAdams, a spokesman for Collins, rejected this contention outright.
"That's an unfounded hypothetical," McAdams said. "There's no basis for thinking that would actually occur."
The ironic piece of this fight between Collins and Hochul (who lost the congressional seat to Collins after one term) is Hochul has long been a strong proponent of local communities, making a point to shop local every holiday, for example, even stopping in Batavia stores.
Through the governor's press office and on Twitter, we reached out to Hochul to ask her to address the seeming contradiction of supporting local communities while backing an unfunded mandate, but we haven't received a response.
Gsell thinks Hochul's position may not be entirely her own.
"It struck me as she was being instructed," Gsell said. "This didn’t sound like a Kathy Hochul thing. It mirrored very much what the governor’s thing is, which is, ‘counties, shut up. You’ve got your Medicaid cap. We’ve given you pension reform with Tier 6. You’ve gotten enough. Go away. We’re not going to cost shift from counties to the state.' ’’
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