WSKG on environment

 

WSKG: Neighboring Steuben County placed a six-month moratorium on new permits for sewage sludge spreading on farms, crops, and land. It has been shown to contain pollutants like PFAS forever chemicals that are toxic to people and wildlife. How does Chemung County review its biosolids use policy/s and place regulations on public/private permits for the use of municipal sludge on farms, crops and land in the county? Should there be more regulation or deregulation on this topic for the county?

A: According to a Water Quality Strategy Plan from the 1990s which is on the Chemung County website, sewage sludge is sent to the Chemung County Landfill. https://www.chemungcountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/885/Chemung-County-Water-Quality-Strategy-Plan-Update-PDF

In any case, if toxic chemicals are found to be leaking into the environment, from either the county landfill, a local farm or business, we would need to take immediate steps to stop further damage to the environment and take steps to make sure the contamination does not continue. That may require the involvement of state and federal agencies. When I was a reporter, I wrote about how Bloomington, IN, had been devastated by the contamination of PCBs coming from the landfill. I will never forget interviewing the residents who suffered long-term, debilitating health issues and meeting the widows of those who slowly died of cancer and other diseases. 

WSKG on public health

WSKG: What is the most pressing public health issue facing Chemung County residents today? 

A: Poverty. It’s the 4th leading cause of death in this country. We have a high poverty / homelessness rate for a county of our size. Poverty impacts every part of a person’s life. Not getting the right nutrition or amount of food leads to severe health issues, not having access to health care leads to worsening health problems. The county helped with part of this recently with the establishment of a federally qualified health center in Elmira that will offer care to any resident no matter their health insurance status or even if they are homeless. But there is more work to be done. Improving transportation so that people can get to their medical appointments are key. We need to make it easier for the elderly to get the services that they need. Their costs keep going up and their ability to reach help are going down. This all impacts our quality and length of life. We all hope to live to be senior citizens, but when we get there we want to be healthy and not impoverished. 

WSKG question on taxes

 

WSKG: What is your tax policy for the county and how will you implement the policy while maintaining services to residents in your district? 

A: If we really want to lower taxes for residents, we need to work harder on creating shared services between the county and the municipalities, especially Elmira. Years ago, there had been a joint county-city committee formed with the idea of finding ways to cooperate and save each other on costs. That committee was killed by the county executive. I think it’s time to bring it back. There are still some shared services agreements between the county and Elmira, but we can do better than this. So, one of my first actions would be to request that this committee be reestablished. 

WSKG question on Flock cameras

 

WSKG: What role do Flock-type cameras, AI-powered license plate readers and automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) play in public safety in Chemung County and what is the overlap, if any, with citizen privacy rights? Do you support the county’s current use of Flock-type cameras, AI-powered license plate readers and ALPRs and any expansion of such devices in the future?

A: The Elmira Police Department has Flock cameras, but the Chemung County Sheriff’s Department does not. As I understand it, they have a couple of pole cameras, used on a temporary basis for critical incidents. If the sheriff’s department were to consider Flock-type cameras, I would have issues and questions. 

• How long of an agreement would we have with the company? 

• Do the companies that provide the cameras own the data?

• How do we ensure the data is not being exported to outside agencies or groups?

• How can this data be misused? What safeguards can be put in place to ensure our right to privacy and the right to not be stalked?

• How reliable is this technology for identifying people for arrest?

• Do the law enforcement agencies have the training to double-check the information to make sure the technology has not identified the wrong person. 

There might be a value for law enforcement, but the heavy reliance on AI leaves it open to being misused, abusing our rights and leading to unsupported prosecutions. Is there a way to use a less-smart technology that would be useful to the police while protecting our rights?

WSKG on businesses

 

WSKG: How will you build and maintain businesses in the county and Legislative District?

A: We need to help people who already live here and love the area to start their own businesses. They already have the incentive to grow, hire workers and stay. I started my small business in 2019 with the help of an agency called Incubatorworks, which has since been brought into Chemung County to run an entrepreneurship center in Elmira. Full disclosure, I work part-time on an as-needed basis as IW’s makerspace coordinator and also assist in giving business presentations. IW helps aspiring business owners get started, guiding them around all the classic traps and pitfalls, teaching them about finances, product development, legal obligations, marketing, customer discovery, etc. I think this is key to turning things around in Chemung County. Let people pursue their dreams and create their own opportunities. Entrepreneurs become small businesses, which become bigger businesses and possibly large businesses. We may help create the next big thing. So, Chemung County needs to continue to help small businesses find the missing pieces that will lead to success.

WSKG on the Industrial Development Agency

 

What role, if any, should the county play in appointments to the Chemung County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) board and public information regarding business opportunities and contracts in the county through the CCIDA? How will you maintain transparency at the CCIDA? What are projects spearheaded by the CCIDA that should be kept from the public?

A: What I would do is ask that the IDA make a presentation to the legislature on how their efforts have been going to date. We have data from the NY State Comptroller’s office from 2024 on Chemung County’s 49 active projects. These companies are given generous tax-incentives to bring jobs to the community, and the public deserves to scrutinize the success of these deals since they impact our tax burden.

Some challenges and questions we are facing:

• There are 106 other active IDAs in this state and Chemung County is competing with all of them. What advantage sets us apart from the rest? If we don’t have one, how do we create one?

• Are we getting the best bang for our buck by drawing the types of companies that create the jobs we need?

• Are we always sure that an IDA deal was the only way a project would go through? 

• How many businesses leave before the end of their IDA deal?

• How many businesses become full, tax paying partners in the community after the conclusion of their IDA term? How many simply demand an extension or threaten to leave?

Other thoughts, raising questions beyond Chemung County’s control:

• The IDAs are an idea created in the 1960s to give municipalities a tool to draw business and jobs to their communities, but there was not much thought going into what happens next. Perhaps there needs to be a successor program, available to businesses after they have completed their initial IDA agreement. 

• If the hope is that the IDA results in a long-term relationship with a company that stays in the community and eventually pays full taxes, perhaps IDA terms should not have fixed rates for the entire length of the agreement, but to slowly phase in the tax increase over time. 

WSKG on state mandated programs

 

WSKG: What actions should the county take to mitigate the cost of state mandated programs that are not reimbursable and passed on to the taxpayers? 

A: This is a good reason to support the passage of the New York Health Act. This bill, perpetually stalled in committee for decades, would create a simplified, streamlined health care system. Rather than going through a profit-driven system bloated with corporate bureaucracy, residents would pay a much smaller amount based on income. For example, a self-employed worker making $62,400 a year could pay only $214 a month, as opposed to the thousands of dollars we all pay each year in co-payments and deductibles. This would not only save the county on health insurance for its employees, but it will significantly cut down the $24 million a year the county is paying in Medicaid, the single biggest part of the unfunded mandate. https://ebondny.blogspot.com/2026/08/its-time-to-bring-single-payer-health.html