New York Almanack

News and Views from the Empire State

Andrew Cuomo

Newly Appointed Adirondack Park Leadership Remains Lopsided

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APA Building in Ray Brook NYThe protection and planning for the Adirondack Park’s six million acres, one-fifth of the state, rests in large measure on the motivation and independence of the Adirondack Park Agency’s staff and board members in Ray Brook (APA).

Seven members were just nominated by Governor Andrew Cuomo and subsequently confirmed to sit at the APA’s table by the NY State Senate.

How should we think about them? How should we think about them in light of Governor Cuomo’s challenge to re-imagine and improve public policies and practices – to “build back better?” [Read more…] about Newly Appointed Adirondack Park Leadership Remains Lopsided

Cuomo Makes Adirondack Park Board Nominations

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APA Building in Ray Brook NYGov. Andrew Cuomo has formally nominated seven individuals to the board of the Adirondack Park Agency, which oversees land-use, planning and zoning on both public and private lands, in cooperation with other state agencies.

Three individuals who are currently serving were nominated for new terms and four individuals were nominated for their first terms. [Read more…] about Cuomo Makes Adirondack Park Board Nominations

Cuomo Break-Up Recalls Rockefeller’s Momentous 1962 Split

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Nelson Rockefeller and wife Mary“After more than a decade together, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his longtime girlfriend, Sandra Lee, announced on Wednesday that they are ending their relationship. The two confirmed the split in a statement.” – New York Times, Sept. 25, 2019.

A thunderclap this was not. But 58 years ago, a different New York governor’s personal life was in the Times. He was, after all, a Rockefeller – with presidential ambitions. And it was a different time. [Read more…] about Cuomo Break-Up Recalls Rockefeller’s Momentous 1962 Split

Erika Sanger: MEA Update, Museums Advocacy March 11-12

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NYS museums delegates with Senator Chuck Schumer Museums Advocacy Day 2019

I am writing from American Alliance of Museums’ Museum Advocacy Day where 300 museum professionals will be speaking up for museums on Capitol Hill, in Washington D.C. — 26 are from 18 of New York’s Congressional Districts comprising the largest delegation represented.

New York State Congressional Representatives are critically important to federal funding for museums. The new Chair of the House Appropriations Committee is Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17). Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) is the author of the Institute of Museum and Library Services re-appropriation letter in the U.S. Senate.  Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY20) is one of the bill sponsors in the House. [Read more…] about Erika Sanger: MEA Update, Museums Advocacy March 11-12

New York History and the Name Tappan Zee Bridge

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What can we learn from the controversy over the naming of the Tappan Zee Bridge? What lessons can be drawn by looking at the larger picture? I recently examined the issue by starting with the above-the-fold headline in my local paper on August 31, 2018:

Cuomo or Tappan Zee: Names Feed Identity Crisis by Frank Esposito, Rockland/Westchester Journal News [Read more…] about New York History and the Name Tappan Zee Bridge

Feinman: Make NYS History Great Again

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On August 28, 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo launched the Path through History program.

The plenary address was given by Kenneth Jackson of Columbia University. In his address, Jackson spoke of the ways in which New York had been a national leader over the centuries. He recounted various events, named various people and places, and highlighted the prominence of the Empire State. He also noted how much better other states like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia were at touting their history. You would never know that George Washington spent more time here than in any other state during the American Revolution.

How have things gone in the last six years? What should we advocate for during this gubernatorial election year? To read more go to Make New York State History Great Again.

 

How Business `Partnerships’ Flopped at America’s Largest University

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Campus of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Photo: Xakuri, Creative Commons, some rights reservedThe State University of New York (SUNY) ― the largest university in the United States, with nearly 600,000 students located in 64 publicly-funded higher education institutions ― has served an important educational function for the people of New York and of the United States. But its recent “partnerships” with private businesses have been far less productive.

In the spring of 2013, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, joined by businessmen, politicians, and top SUNY administrators, embarked upon a widely-publicized barnstorming campaign to get the state legislature to adopt a plan he called Tax-Free NY. Under its provisions, most of the SUNY campuses, portions of the City University of New York, and zones adjacent to SUNY campuses would be thrown open to private, profit-making companies that would be exempt from state and local taxes on sales, property, the income of their owners, and the income of their employees for a period of ten years. [Read more…] about How Business `Partnerships’ Flopped at America’s Largest University

New York State Historian: The Weible Years

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New York State Cultural Education CenterNew York State now has a new historian. In some ways that should seem like a routine announcement since the State is required to fill that position. However as people in the history community well know, the State, like many counties, cities, towns, and villages does not always comply with regulatory requirements. There is no penalty to the State for the failure to comply either and only a trivial unenforced one at the municipal level.

Even when the State and the municipalities do comply with the letter of the law, they don’t necessarily comply with the spirit. The position is often disrespected and/or disregarded excluding some ceremonial occasions and is not taken seriously when the real decisions of government are involved. The diminishment of the State position sets a poor but accurate example to the county executives, mayors, and town supervisors that local and state history really aren’t important regardless of any lip service at the press release level. How often is the voice of the history community actually heard in the REDC funding process (which is now beginning again for the 2016 cycle). How much funding is there for collaboration in the Path through History project regardless of how often the jargon is spoken? Message received. [Read more…] about New York State Historian: The Weible Years

State History Month: Resurgence

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New York State History MonthGovernor Cuomo issued a Press Release on November 2 launching the new “Path Through History” website. That alone was encouraging. But he did it “in recognition of New York State History Month.” This is the first time, so far as I know, that any governor has recognized NYS History Month, which has been on the statute books since 1997. [Read more…] about State History Month: Resurgence