JP Morgan Chase Hiring for Syracuse Tech Center (New York, Buffalo: apartment, condos)

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by phaelon56

Wow. I couldn't have been further off. here's a very interesting interview with Donald Mawhinney about the history of OCC and whay it was placed where it is.

DSpace at SUNY: Onondaga Community College

Scroll down on that page and look for MS Word item labeled as Mawhinney,Donald.doc

Intersting read and considering the amount of land OCC has, I still think it is a matter of time before it becomes a 4 year school.

[RollsRoyce]

Originally Posted by Sgoldie

I have always thought it was an excellent idea for kids, and people in general, to leave this area and travel or work elsewhere for a while. It's one of life's great learning experiences. something I did and impressed upon my kids.

It's also nice to have a solid background from growing up in a place like this and memories of the beautiful place it is. There are many things that will draw people back, not all for sure. It does in a way give us an edge with them anyway for whatever help they can be.

Although I didn't grow up in Syracuse, I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents in the eastern suburbs as a kid and young adult. I've always liked the Syracuse area's excellent quality life, lack of traffic, varied recreational opportunities, scenic countryside, and down-to-earth people. This is a far cry from the White Plains area where I grew up and my parents relocated to for better job opportunities before I was born. My father who came to Syracuse to study law at SU wanted very much to stay in the area with my mother, a CNY native. Growing up in Brooklyn, my father liked the manageable size of Syracuse and the affordable cost of living. There are likely tens of thousands of people like me in their teens and twenties that didn't grow up in Syracuse but have one or both parents that are CNY natives. I've always considered CNY my second home as it was (and still is) our primary vacation destination during the summer and during Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.

If the area could attract more higher paying jobs and a diversified white collar job base, Syracuse could be a very attractive destination for young families priced out of major east-coast metro areas and for younger professionals who are open to living in a smaller city with attractive cultural options and an affordable cost of living. I perhaps have an outsiders perspective yet with intimate local knowledge, through local family, attending college in CNY and working here for 1 year after graduation. Although there are certainly parts of the city and some older industrial villages that are depressing, there are many neighborhoods like Sedgwick, Westcott, Winkworth, Strathmore, Bradford Hills, Armory Square, Hanover Square, and Franklin Square that impressive and easily rival many communities near vibrant and more affluent cities. The suburbs for the most part are very attractive and while some in-fill development is needed in areas we always discuss on this forum they are competitive with many of Syracuse's sister midwestern and northeastern mid-sized cities. Communities like Skaneateles and Cazenovia along with places like Fayetteville, Manlius, and DeWitt would be seen as very attractive by top level management, doctors, and attorneys from larger cities.

A good way in reversing the exodus aside from higher quality jobs, is an extensive marketing campaign that is done with a top marketing/pr agency. While costly, Syracuse has too many redeeming qualities to let it slip away. Why let a bunch of jaded Long Island, Westchester, and Northern NJ SU alumni and disgruntled ex-residents be allowed to spread venom on how inferior Syracuse to the rest of the country. Although this will always be an issue, Syracuse needs to be positioned better with a strong and coherent message. The Creative Core website in my opinion is lacking, although the moniker could be a good opportunity to brand the region as "Green."

[Sgoldie]

New York's Creative Core

Their main page doesn't look too bad.

[RollsRoyce]

Originally Posted by Sgoldie

New York's Creative Core

Their main page doesn't look too bad.

The website looks fine aesthetically but I find it hard to navigate. It also needs to be updated since some sections reference stats and figures from 2008. I think it has good potential and am glad they finally branded the region. Albany has the "Tech Valley" brand which has been very successful in securing additional developments like the chip plant in Malta's Luther Forest and several projects by IBM and GE in the Albany suburbs.

[RollsRoyce]

Originally Posted by RollsRoyce

The main obstacle in my mind aside from an incompetent mayor (and another one soon to be elected, based on the slate of candidates available sans Steve Kimatian) is the MDA-controlled University Hill Development organization. Their website has been dormant for years and their board of directors reads like a who's who of political hacks and the same tired leadership from the MDA. Approximately a year or so ago, the MDA and several major employers on the Hill commissioned a study on traffic patterns and ways to guide future development. More than a year later, none of the recommendations proposed have been implemented or given any consideration at least per newspaper accounts. True to form, local leadership loves to engage a whole litany of consultants and noted experts (ie. Richard Florida and Andres Duany) to give the appearance to who they perceive as the "stupid yokals" that they are "doing something" to address major problems like the economy and the brain drain. Yet after each of these studies has been completed and the press releases and photo ops have been done, all of the findings wind up on a shelf with hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of previous studies.

Since many of the best and brighest with political aspirations move away, the local leadership consists of mostly simpleton hacks (many of the blue collar variety) that have low standards (ie. Nick Pirro, Matt Driscoll, Joanne Mahoney, 95% of the Common Council and county legislature). Until non native Central New Yorkers and those originally from Syracuse that returned from more prosperous areas run for office, I don't see any immediate change. I love the area and miss it greatly. Syracuse and Central New York have great potential and nothing would make me happier than to see the region prosper. The biggest inhibitor to growth locally aside from the state's anti-business mindset is the poor quality of local elected officials and economic development organizations.

This article in the City Eagle by Walt Sheppard illustrates why the slate of mayoral candidates is troubling:
Cnylink Local News: Harlow runs on hope

Walt in his class warfare and divisive tone interviews democratic candidate Carmen Harlow on his plans for Syracuse. I have never seen (aside from the interviews with Alfonso Davis and Joe Nicoletti) so many platitudes and general statements that lack not only in specifics but overall intelligence. Harlow says people should elect him because he was born, raised, and educated here. When asked of his game plan for economic development he says, "We have government, not that you want bigger government, but we could do more with public works. You could have seasonal people." So apparently government is the answer to employing the thousands of laid off and uneducated people in this city? When asked the role of the city school system he says, "I’m a product of the Syracuse City School District, and I was no brain coming up."

Perhaps most disturbing was Walt's classic injection of the race card when he asks this question:
There is some cynicism about the Say Yes Program, with critics saying the major aim is to "attract white folks back into the city.

Harlow's response was:
"I don’t think it has a color on it. If that’s the case, I’ll keep track of it. But people who are in the city now can’t allow that."

One can easily deduce from his statement is that only existing city school students (the majority of whom are black) should benefit from the program and Say Yes shouldn't be too successful so it attracts white suburbanite families and their children. How can a mayoral candidate not want the school system to attract middle class families back into Syracuse, regardless of race? It's almost as if he wants the schools to remain substandard so more white families (and black middle class families) flee to the suburbs.

When asked of his vision Harlow says:
"Of course public safety is there, but people want their garbage picked up, too, their potholes fixed. You can’t always look at the big picture. You’ve got to look at the little things, too"

So instead of looking at the big picture in attracting new jobs, commerce, people, and investment to Syracuse we are supposed to look at the "little things" like trash pickup. Although trash pickup and DPW items are very important it seems that Harlow, a former DPW Commissioner has made these the center of his campaign. The big problem with local leadership is that they only look at the "little things" that are specific to their race, ethnicity, community, religious affiliation, occupation, alma matter, and union yet fail to look at the bigger picture. Harlow seems like a genuine person and I don't question his committment to Syracuse. That being said, what qualifies him to be mayor? His general answers to some very specific questions are very disturbing. His tenure as a city worker is the exact reason why he shouldn't be elected. It embarassing that in a city of just under 140,000 residents with a law school, medical school, and national university we are stuck with this pathetic slate of political hacks and simpletons.

[acknight]

Originally Posted by RollsRoyce

So instead of looking at the big picture in attracting new jobs, commerce, people, and investment to Syracuse we are supposed to look at the "little things" like trash pickup. Although trash pickup and DPW items are very important it seems that Harlow, a former DPW Commissioner has made these the center of his campaign. The big problem with local leadership is that they only look at the "little things" that are specific to their race, ethnicity, community, religious affiliation, occupation, alma matter, and union yet fail to look at the bigger picture. Harlow seems like a genuine person and I don't question his committment to Syracuse. That being said, what qualifies him to be mayor? His general answers to some very specific questions are very disturbing. His tenure as a city worker is the exact reason why he shouldn't be elected. It embarassing that in a city of just under 140,000 residents with a law school, medical school, and national university we are stuck with this pathetic slate of political hacks and simpletons.

I'm pretty sure quality of life issues and dealing with the litter and general image problems this city has is high up there on the list of what we should be looking for in a mayor.

Economic development is one piece. Keeping the people who're left and making it more attractive to those outside the city is an important piece as well.

The interview was certainly flawed, and the responses vague, but I don't think you should be dismissing a focus on cleaning up the city and dealing with quality of life issues.

[RollsRoyce]

Originally Posted by acknight

I'm pretty sure quality of life issues and dealing with the litter and general image problems this city has is high up there on the list of what we should be looking for in a mayor.

Economic development is one piece. Keeping the people who're left and making it more attractive to those outside the city is an important piece as well.

The interview was certainly flawed, and the responses vague, but I don't think you should be dismissing a focus on cleaning up the city and dealing with quality of life issues.

I never stated quality of life issues or cleaning up litter lacked importance. The ability of a municipality to properly fund such expenditures is determined by a healthy tax base with adequate incoming revenues and a stable population of taxpayers. When you have neither, it makes simple meat and potato issues like upkeep very difficult. You can plant nice flower beds (which I support by the way) but without private sector jobs, a vibrant downtown, and professional job opportunities to attract or retain top talent, the viability of Syracuse is limited at best. His emphasis on job training for dropouts with 9th grade educations and the chronically unemployed is important, but shouldn't be his sole focus as it appears evident from this article and the statements from most of the other mayoral candidates. Obviously they are all trying to curry favor with the lower income/poorly educated voters and the do-gooders in the 17th ward, both which comprise most of the city's voting base for that all important primary. Without a knowledge-based workforce this city has no fighting change of survival.

Sometimes I question whether this city has a DPW. How can he run on a platform of cleaning up the city when he has failed so miserably? I'm sure he'll attribute the city's poor appearance to a lack of funding, though partly true doesn't explain the entire picture. Perhaps the main reason he's focused on DPW related matters is because it's the only thing he's articulate enough to discuss.

[Cleveland Park]

Well this is one temporarily transplanted Syracusan, registered in the 17th Ward, who certainly won't be voting for Harlow or any of the other egregiously unqualified candidates in November. Miner will likely bring at least four more years of disappointment, but she's worlds more qualified than her predecessor, not to mention some of the folks she's running against. Having a Harlow or a Nicoletti elected to high office really could be -- along with a decision to replace the I-81 viaduct with another viaduct -- the last nail in Syracuse's coffin.

Things are looking brighter up there, but this really is a crucial election. At the very least, get a mayor who can hand the reigns to Syracuse University and other prominent, not disinterested, players in the private sector, and see if the tax base can be boosted. Drop the race nonsense, make the city a more livable place for the real contributors to the community -- no more pandering to the lowest bit of the electorate.

[RollsRoyce]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Park

Well this is one temporarily transplanted Syracusan, registered in the 17th Ward, who certainly won't be voting for Harlow or any of the other egregiously unqualified candidates in November. Miner will likely bring at least four more years of disappointment, but she's worlds more qualified than her predecessor, not to mention some of the folks she's running against. Having a Harlow or a Nicoletti elected to high office really could be -- along with a decision to replace the I-81 viaduct with another viaduct -- the last nail in Syracuse's coffin.

Things are looking brighter up there, but this really is a crucial election. At the very least, get a mayor who can hand the reigns to Syracuse University and other prominent, not disinterested, players in the private sector, and see if the tax base can be boosted. Drop the race nonsense, make the city a more livable place for the real contributors to the community -- no more pandering to the lowest bit of the electorate.

Thank you. My thoughts exactly.

[CUPlanner]

The Creative Core website in my opinion is lacking, although the moniker could be a good opportunity to brand the region as "Green."

I am a big supporter of fostering a sustainable, "green" community and image in Syracuse. Although the word "green" is thrown around too much these days, very few places Syracuse's size and larger really embody the principles and fundamentals of environmentally-friendly design and sustainability. The City of Syracuse already has strong urban form and at least the building blocks of quality infrasturcure, as well as a high percentage of pedestrian commuters (something like 11% or so) and a good number of commuters who car pool and take the bus. I think that doing things like improving the side walks and mandating the removal of snow from them, expanding the number of bike paths in downtown and throughout the city, along with bicycle rental stations downtown, creating a bigger car sharing program, and actively pursuing the renewal and expansion of OnTrack services, possibly into a commuter role, are all things that are doable in the near future and would greatly advance the sustainability agenda here. Let us not forget that Syracuse is very close to Ithaca, too, which is often voted the "greenest" place in America, and I dont think it would take too much effort to reinevent and market CNY and Syracuse as a sustainable environment and the city as something of a "Portland-East." These types of initiatives not only improve the quality of life for area residents, but create a cooler and hipper environment than we currently have as a marketing tool, especially for younger people.

I have a lot more ideas to go along with those I just listed, but the bottom line is that, like RollsRoyce said, the city has a lot of strong assets, they just need to be connected and put to better use. As someone who studies city planning and has looked at the various revitalization efforts of cities throughout the US and Europe, one of the first things that needs to be done is to improve the quality of life in and the image of the city. Of course aggressive economic development recruitment and retainment efforts should be carried out simultaneously, but without improving quality of life and image, as well as the level of civil prode and involvement, the efforts will fall short, I guarantee it. Economic development around here is not just about moving businesses in and trying to locate them downtown, it is also about showing that we have something to offer which trumps or is at least competitive with things that can be found in NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, DC and, more importantly, Raleigh, Charlotte, and other midsize Southern and Mid-Atlantic cities.