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We'd like to extend a warm welcome to our newest contributor to the Local Writer's section, Mr Jim Pfiffer and his column, "Pfiff's Life" Many of you will remember Jim not only from his amazing work as director and co-founder of the Chemung River Friends, but also his time as a writer for the Star Gazette. Namely, his Humor column in the 90's and early 2000's. Jim is now retired and will be sharing his writing with us here. We're thrilled to have him on board. Remember, if you or someone you know enjoys writing, we always have room for more writers! The "Local Writers" section is an all volunteer group of folks throughout the community who contribute and make what is arguable the best part of this website! Simply send an email to Chris with your ideas ( twintiersliving@gmail.com ) and we'll do our best to make it happen

Just to be clear….is “Efficiency” of County Government Operations supposed to be a dog whistle for concentrated power and doing away with those tedious and “inefficient” checks and balances?

Thank you @Lawana Morse I truly hope that the IDA provide the transparency and accountability that we all expect and deserve. Including a past accounting of their use of taxpayer money to give the Legislature and the public a full context. Okay, we can all agree that the misguided decision to “invest” $1.25 million into the (then) “City of Elmira’s” hockey arena was made by county Legislators who have all since ‘left the building’. Even in 1999, that decision was not without controversy (I believe a 10-5 vote). However, a number of our current legislators were in office by the time the last "private" owner (current Aviation Director, Tom Freeman) occupied the Arena. All of the Legislators who have currently held four or more terms of office voted for a 25yr commitment (2014 – 2039) to provide $103,000/yr of Room Tax Revenue to the IDA for the Arena....as well as in 2016 when the IDA made the decision to “assume temporary ownership” of the Arena and the Legislature voted to also funnel $1 million in Casella funds to the IDA’s acquisition of the Arena. (That 25yr Room Tax commitment makes one wonder just how “temporary” the arrangement was intended to be. We’re 10 years [over $1 million] into it with another 15 years [1.5 million] to go.) And in the last 2 years... the $875k in ARP funds. I can’t be certain that other county tax money hasn’t been spent (it’s quite likely I’m unaware of some). But those I’ve noted amount to over $2.9 million paid to the IDA in last 7 years.....and another $1.5 million committed through 2039. Room tax (2014-2024) $103,000x 10yrs: $1.03 million Casella funds (June 2016): $1 million ARP funds: $875,000 Still promised, Room tax (2025-2039) $103,000x 15yrs: $1.545 million And then there is whatever Donner may or may not have deposited into that wonderful “capital” account that the latest (Nov 2021) IDA lease required. That agreement was made under the current IDA leadership – no passing the buck to “past actors” who mismanaged the situation. That provision “guaranteed” a minimum of $125k per year from Arena revenues (with promises that it would likely be at least twice that amount). How much had Donner put into that ‘kitty’ in the 20 months before the lease was terminated? And where is that money? If that amount is anything less that a quarter million dollars....can we have some explanation from Margeson/Roman why they abjectly failed to hold Donner to that agreement (and some justification on why/how we should trust them now?

Here is a publications regarding the background of the IDA. It is from May of 2006. Industrial Development Agencies in New York State: Background, Issues and Recommendations (ny.gov) The IDA is not a county entity. The IDA organization is a state creation. They have oversite from the OSC. Each IDA has a governing board and a director that is in charge of the day to day operations. "Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) are public benefit corporations originally authorized by the Industrial Development Agency Act of 1969 and governed by the provisions of Article 18-A of the General Municipal Law. Since that time, 177 IDAs have been legislatively authorized and 115 remain active today." (At time of publication of above document) The county gives organizational funding to the IDA each year just as funding is given to CCE, STC, Soil and Water, etc. (You can see this information on the budget overview portion of the 2024 county budget.) IDAs receive funding from the state. They also can issue bonds, hold a lease, and "typically maintain their operations by charging various fees to the businesses that participate in their projects". I am unsure if the IDAs are able to go after grant funding themselves also but they do work with other organizations that can obtain project grants. I fully admit that I am still learning and gathering information on the IDA organizations across the state and how they have actually helped the communities. Anyone that has resources and articles that give the facts of the IDAs across the state, please feel free to email me links.

Honestly good. If you can't do it right, shut it down. It's not fair to local venues or businesses. It's sad that Lowmaster and Dunce didn't do this right from the start but I hope this showcases not just the need for a small venue like this, but that it could work and be popular in the area. Hopefully someone comes around, opens a real location, and does it the right way.

Remember the horror we all felt when Columbine happened? Now something like this barely gets a reaction out of many of us. Just another day in America. This nation has been rotting from the inside out for decades. Focusing on and making laws based on what feels “good” vs what feels right. This is the result. But the cries will sound, blaming the inanimate object because that’s the easy thing to do. Far easier than looking in the mirror and realizing the real problem is us.

Does Mr. Brennan always spend that much time on his cell phone during meetings? Can any of our neighbors tell us why they would want to reelect him? My husband and I will be voting for Mr. Bond.

So...the take away I'm getting is that facility (as it sits) is not good for concerts, which in all likelihood would have more demand. But, as a sports venue, there is not enough demand. So...whether the answer is renovations that would improve sound quality, or razing the place to build whatever is in demand ......those changes should be made by (and expenses incurred by) whatever private entity decides to take on whatever private enterprise that may be successful in that space. Government (local or otherwise) should not exist to prop up private enterprise.

My bride and I just left there! What a place, they took the former Newberry's dept store and made it into a antique store. It is broken down into sections and a different person rents each section. The best part is you only pay at one location for everything instead of paying at each booth. They have almost everything you need and tons of stuff you don't need, but want. We got out of there relatively easy on the wallet. Since each section is owned by a different person some prices are reasonable, some seemed high. My wife found a mug that she liked for $6 in one location and then she saw the exact same mug in a different location for $18. Plan on spending a number of hours there because it is 2 floors of stuff. They have something for everyone. https://www.earlyowego.com/

Those are very good insights, Kathleen. Your interest and analysis affirms the position that independent-minded people from the community have a lot to add to this discussion and are a necessary component. I hope the legislators selected to sit on the Committee are not so committed to their viewpoints that they cannot step back and consider what so many members of the public - like you and others on this thread - have offered so far, but I unfortunately don’t have a lot of faith that will be the case.

He didn't call for any (corporeal) bloodbath, he's simply predicting an (economic) bloodbath if the current administration continues its path. And he's not necessarily wrong about that. But it's not his supporters who are spreading the inflammatory out-of-context phrase....the problem is those who are against him that are hoping to foment fear and counting on the idea that voters who "don’t understand context" will believe he is calling for a "bloodbath" if he doesn't win.

I hope for his sake he doesn’t throw out his own ballots.

It’s official: After a two hour delay due to issues on board, we’ve landed a lunar module for the first time in 50 years. Took them some extra time to find the module, as it landed intuitively, in other words it decided where the safest landing zone would be on its own. The confirmed a faint signal and are now working to refine the signal. Apparently we’ll get images from the moon at some point. Too cool.

Considering that Granicus has not provided adequate support for their Streaming platform, it does not give me a lot of confidence in their PEAK agenda software that the Exec purchased. I'm further amazed that a few people commented on Strange's post that the County should consider hiring outside IT services to get the Streaming issues resolved. For the $26k/year subscription that we are paying them, Granicus should be able to work with our County IT Department. And if we need "outside experts" because the County IT Department isn't proficient enough to handle it, the Legislature should be considering whether the 15 FTE employees with a payroll of over $800k/year plus benefits are a good investment.

Yes. It's frustrating watching from the outside and frustrating seeing it more in depth from the inside - especially when you're damned if you do - damned if you don't. I saw on another forum someone playing the party blame game "This wouldn't be happening if partyX was in control". All I can say to that is a big ole' "B-S". This isn't a party issue. It's a personality issue. An issue of forgetting - or never even caring - why you are elected in the first place. There is blame on both sides and nothing is going to change unless the desire for complete control is abandoned.

I would love to hear some feedback from more in the community regarding the resolution we passed through committee last night that supports an end-to-end audit of the NYS voter rolls. I have heard a few voices for and a few against and all are very passionate in their stance. I voted it through the committee and am most likely going to vote it through on the floor for a few reasons: I see this resolution as a show of support to those in the community who feel like something is off with our voter rolls in the state. I honestly don't think that resolutions from the counties and towns do much to sway the state floor. During Covid, one of the biggest frustrations for me was feeling like concerns were simply swept under the rug. I remember conversations with school officials that I left feeling like I wasn't taken seriously and that I was given a pat on the head and told to run along rather than having my concerns actually addressed. Those interactions made me think there was some stuff going on that shouldn't be. If there's nothing to hide, will it really hurt to put the concerns and fears to bed? I don't see how asking for confirmation that all is well feeds into the "misinformation." I appreciate all the work our county BOE does (there are things they go above and beyond to do that are not required to help ensure our county rolls are accurate), but as I saw while out campaigning, there is cleanup needed. I like to think I am an honest person with integrity and that I don't have a scammer's imagination, BUT I can think of at least 4 different ways how I could commit election fraud. I can't even begin to imagine all the ways someone with bad intent and lots of resources could do so.

Everyone here knows me as a legislator but my bread and butter job is a tax accountant working with small businesses in the area. Every once in a while there are items of interest that I'd like to get out to the public beyond just my clients because I don't see information being circulated through traditional news outlets. Once such item that has been a hot topic in the accounting world for a year or so now is a reporting obligation that just took effect 1/1/2024. FinCen is requiring any business that has done a filing with the secretary of state (so LLCs, Corps, and a few other types such as trusts and non-profits) to report the Beneficial Ownership Information. This is being requested to try to deal with shell companies and other foreign illegal entities. In reality, the only thing different for this reporting over the registration with the SOS is uploading a form of identification. If you have a business and it falls under an LLC or Corp, you have until 12/31/2024 to complete the filing. (It took me 10 minutes and 5 of those were spent trying to find my husband's driver's license in his hodgepodge wallet.) If you are looking to start a business in 2024, you will have 90 days from filing to complete the BOI requirments. If you start a business after 1/1/2025, you will have 30 days. Anytime there is a change of ownership you have to update the reporting. You can find information on the FinCen website under BOI reporting. (A google search will get you there).

“We reached out to all 15 legislators for a comment on how they voted. In an email, Chairman Mark Margeson, who voted in favor of the raises, said “I currently have no comment.” Source How absolutely insulting to the taxpayers ( you know, those of us who aren’t able to give ourselves raises ) to tell us we need to cough up more money, then take more for yourself. This scenario seems familiar to me… “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples….Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples.” And then to just say, “No comment?” C’mon Mark, you can do better than that. At least explain your rationale for taking money out of our wallets and putting it in your own. Granted, it won’t make it alright, but it’s less a slap in the face than “no comment” and carrying on, business as usual. A huge THANK YOU to Bill, Lawana, and the others who tried to do the right thing for the people they represent. I hope Moss vetoes this pay raise.

A side note related to this, there has been a bill that keeps trying to go round at state level to stop elected officials from holding a place on the IDA boards. Legislator Chalk spoke to me a few meetings ago and told me that he specifically asked to be on the IDA board because he too was concerned with the amount of time the meeting went to executive session and because he has a desire for the transparency to be there. There are a few members of that board that are new as of 2023. I believe they are seeking the greater transarency, accountability, and to make positive changes, but it is slow going. It is not easy to come onto a board and implement changes. It takes some time. The frustration on the public side is the lack of communication. If the new members would just say "hey, this is what changes I'm working towards and this is what is being accomplished" it would go a long way to create some trust from the public ESPECIALLY when the prior leadship of an organization has caused a lot of mistrust.

This was the headline that got my attention: Source He sounds like a scorned lover. I have a solution. How about we stop funding BOTH!

The Church, Adam and whomever the poet is knew of Scotts past. Many witnessed it first hand. And they still went along with it. Terrible actors.

Let me get this straight, they didn't know about any of the zoning and tax issues yet were disgusted about it when they found out but it's the towns fault for finding out about improper zoning and the stations fault for reporting the news??? Even if it's all on Lowmaster, Bunce continued to operate the illegal opperations long after Lowmaster left mid summer. To get mad at the station and the town is laughable beyond belief.

Exactly..... If they want to demand the steadily increasing rents, they'd need to bring back the benefits that they removed over the last several decades that had made that square footage "gold" in the first place. From the time the Arnot Mall was built until somewhere in the mid-late ‘90s, it operated with the basic recipe/formula that made other malls across America thrive (and justifying the higher rent costs to their tenants). Free Events like pageants, art shows, parades, etc drawing consumers into the facility. Non-Competition clauses in their leases that promised tenants that they wouldn’t have to fight over customers for identical goods and services right down the hall.....while providing consumers with a Wide Variety of shops & services. Anchor Stores comprised of large, popular, national retailers with traffic from a consistent customer base. Then we saw some of the “ingredients” in that recipe being skimped on (or completely omitted) in order for the Mall Management to squeeze more profits...... Instead of hosting free events, they began charging vendors to participate (like the Farmer’s Market Chris mentioned). Eventually, they just offered up corridors full time to any fly-by-night junk dealer who wanted a booth. There was also no longer any attempt to protect older tenants from competition. Any new booth or storefront can come along and sell the same stuff as the next guy. And with the rent being too damn high.....a lot of those new tenants don’t invest in any remodeling or refacing of the old business. They just throw tarps up as walls and use temporary banners for signage. Whereas people used to show up for themed free events, no one goes to the Mall for the enjoyment of browsing a dozen cheap booths and trashy stores full of the same Chinese junk they can get at Dollar General. So...less traffic. And less traffic means more of the businesses leave– so raise the rent of course! Because going back to the business model that was successful would just be crazy.

The old Macy's is currently being utilized as an event space. There were several "community gardens" started over the years. I know there was on in Elmira. There was one up here in Erin where I live. Interest in them lasted 2 or 3 years.

A millennia of fiction writing proves that ‘imagination’ is limitless. However, realism and pragmatic solutions are constrained by actual real-world boundaries. And remember that we’re talking about hypothetical uses for a privately owned, commercial property (that once hugely contributed to financial prosperity in the area). Unless one's “imagination” includes a fantasy world where tax revenue is not needed, and hinges on the expectation that the owners should just surrender their asset for “the public good”....those three ideas would need to be at least analogous in that they are profitable and produce more jobs and tax revenue. And in the interest of distinguishing mere ‘imagination’ from realistic scenarios.....each concept should include cited examples of anyone, anyplace actually achieving them for some realistic length of time. There are plenty of criticisms we can throw at the current Mall management for its deteriorating role in the local economy. Wanting it to be even less economically successful seems like the antithesis of a solution. It’s beyond asinine to suggest reducing the Mall’s business revenue when the local economy needs the opposite. We already have a surplus of underutilized publicly owned and completely vacant/derelict private properties that are currently less beneficial to the community than they should be.....even less so than the mall. The Arena, Erie Plaza, Hills Plaza. While it’s still probably an impractical idea to invest millions of dollars into re-inventing those places as public resources like community gardens and municipal centers....at least doing so would not eliminate existing business revenue potential.

For most things in my own life, I absolutely prefer a practical approach of reusing and repurposing. But million+ square foot commercial properties aren’t like old sinks that can be painted a new color and used for some completely different function, like a kitschy planter. It’s one thing to add non-structural walls to a relatively small building and create office space and/or studio apartments, etc. However, the larger the property that was built to accommodate a specific enterprise, the more impractical it is to “revamp” to another use. Yes, third world countries (that do not have the means to start over) are often forced to try things like turning abandoned factories into hospitals. But those “repurposed” facilities are not by choice. They are substandard and far inferior to their practical and functional counterparts that were built to serve as hospitals. Example: Over its 25 years of dormancy......it was painfully clear that the A&P Plant as it stood, would never have been practically suited for anything other than what it was built for. No amount of retrofitting and redecorating could have ever turned it into some other use that would be modern, operational, and profitable.....like a Walmart, a hotel, a medical center, a truck plaza, or an apartment complex, etc. Period. And the Mall, as it stands, will never be practicably suited for any of those uses either.

I will, and I intend to remain active

Just makes you wonder whose buddy is fixing the clock tower so many better ways to spend that 3.5 million. Most people can only read digital clocks these days anyways

Well, a home improvement company certainly would have a bonanza in Elmira 🤣

September 19th 6:30pm at Ag Society office at fairgrounds there will be the annual meeting of Ag Society to bring on new board members to begin planning for 2024 fair. They are looking for 4-7 new members. Show up if interested in being part of bringing the fair back to something to be proud of.

I don’t think the Republican Party is all that behind Trump. It’s the people. What upsets me is that on most of the news channels all you see and hear is about Trump and indictments. To me, this smells of election interference, what Trump is accused of doing, in my opinion. The focus is on Trump and nothing about the Bidens and the possible corruption there. A can of worms has been opened. Was it Lenin or Marx who said “accuse the other side of that which you are guilty”. In my opinion, that’s what is happening now.

Oh I didnt mean from me.

Not saying NO pay should be given, but lets look at their compensation 15k or more plus health insurance for less than part time hours(actually worked) yet other part time County employees are prohibited from getting insurance. Many of these Legislators have served multiple terms and when topic of term limits comes up they, like clockwork, reply with elections are the opportunity to limit terms, yet they do not/would not trust those same voters with determining whether they deserve raises or not. so they continue to reward themselves....which goes to your second point: there are SOME who are interested in working to improve governance, that being their primary intention, not their primary source of income

"Less 'upper crust' = more public trust," would be a great slogan. Just sayin'

I have no doubt that the census data would say that poverty rates have increased over the years in Chemung County. On the other hand.....I think there’s a good chance that the “visible signs” (decrepit conditions and disrepair) that the original post mentions is probably increasing faster than actual “poverty” (whatever the current official economic definition is). Poverty (lack of income to meet the cost of living) does not necessarily create the shabbiness and squalor the author speaks of. During the Great Depression, true poverty was much more widespread...and in often resulted in self-sufficiency and frugality. Imagine The Waltons... Clothes were laundered, mended, patched and passed along. Homes, furniture and vehicles were maintained to prevent the need for repair....or worse yet replacement (which might take years to save for). Without public assistance in its innumerable modern forms, it was an absolute necessity to maintain everything - almost obsessively. The value of material goods was appreciated because there was no EBT debit card getting reloaded monthly to toss stuff out and buy another.

that you should always look both ways before driving into any intersection, no matter what color the light is.

I'm still shocked by the price of eggs in the stores and how little people around here with a home flock are charging. With feed prices around 19.00/50# for layer ration, you're losing money at 3.00-3.50 a dozen. And yet people are still only charging 2.00. When it comes to other foods, I've seen the price of some items jump by 20 cents between purchases. A hint though: If you're a Sam's club member you can save dollars off of some items if you buy it there vs the grocery store. A block of cheddar cheese was 2.00-3.00 cheaper at Sam's. And you can buy things like Ballpark Franks in larger quantities (24 ) then break them down into three bags of 8 and freeze them. I figure we save at least 5.00-6.00. You just have to put a little thought into it.

massive solar flare or giant meteor is the only thing that can fix this worlds problems at this point

As I've said before, "Concealed means concealed" and then worry about it later. But at least he ( and others ) are around to sort it out. What's the worst they'll do, ban him from the mall? They should be kissing his feet.

I just watched a show and they were in Detroit where the city was selling vacant, neglected lots to people for $100, as long as they planted gardens on them. I think that's a neat idea!! Guide+to+Purchasing+Land+for+Urban+Ag.pdf

We have pollinators in residence:

I will never forget when we finally got more than two tv channels here in our part of rural Chemung County. It was 1994, and we'd gotten the first mini-dish in town, Primestar was the company name. I came home that night from work and I think I stayed up til 4am flipping through the channels. Not only was there more than just 18 and 36, it was crystal clear! LOL of course now we take it for granted. And when seeing some of the garbage on tv now, I think perhaps we were better off with only two channels.

This says a lot about public opinion of the Arena:

If there is a demand for whatever events are offered, consumers will show up and pay enough to cover operations/utilities, staffing, improvements, maintenance and [get this].....property taxes. It is abundantly clear that public demand is lacking for hockey, supplemented by electronics road shows and such. I'd think Tag's is living proof that people will show up and shell out $$ for stuff they actually want.

Also, this is genius:

Hammer, meet the nail:

OK…I finished the audio from the advisory committee meeting (2/22). The participation from CGR representatives and the members’ questions to them were worth listening to. As Exec Moss pointed out, these consultations historically result in “nicely packaged study of what the legislature, who commissioned the study wants outlined in the report”. With that in mind, the discussion in yesterday’s meeting certainly did not contradict Moss’s hypothesis…. It’s perhaps worth noting that the backgrounds of half the members of the CGR team are in journalism and sociology. That fact does seem to insinuate that “messaging to the public” is a significant priority for the $48k service. It is also a bit concerning that the CGR lead noted [at around the 50 minute mark] that the committee will receive a Draft Report that is not subject to FOIL until…. “we make sure that it’s an accurate reflection of the work you’re expecting from us”. In other words, “the committee can withhold any data that doesn’t support their agenda” from the final report and public hearing presented by CGR...and the public will never be given access to that, even if they try to request it via FOIL. If a redacted version of the report can be offered, then all the oozing about “ensuring transparency” by an independent study is nothing more than posturing….no matter how professionally prepared and expertly messaged the report CGR presents is. The last 10-15 minutes sounded like a lot of lip-service for the tape recording. While I’m sure some of it was sincere….the assertions that ‘it’s all for the good of everyone in the county’ and ‘no politics are involved’ fall flat in contrast to the earlier declarations that some have zero interest in any concerns that aren’t from “their” voters. And speaking of committee members only feeling compelled to consider “their own” constituents.... They may claim not to have been contacted directly by “their constituents”, but at least one of the letters read aloud at the full Legislature meeting on 2/8 and listed in the minutes looked like it might be from a citizen in one of the districts represented on the committee. Even if the public comment has been from outside their respective districts.....it still raises a few points for me: 1) The excuse that “I have not been contacted by constituents expressing XYZ position” is hollow unless they can argue that they have been contacted by constituents supporting the opposite position. Otherwise, they’re really just speaking on their own behalf – not for any of their constituents. 2) Since part of the conversation included them all acknowledging that their districts will likely change, “no one from my district has contacted me” is pretty short-sighted anyway. Someone who may not be “their constituent” today…could very well become part of "their" district once this project is complete. During a campaign can be an awkward time to suddenly "care" about someone whose concerns you contemptuously dismissed in the past.

a more advantageous move would be to legalize Hemp. Commercialize it and it could be a boon to central/southern tier/finger lakes regions. Commercial hemp production could help revitalize economies across the State, and have a positive impact on the Environment.