Finger Lakes Today

Today we conclude our election series by talking with the incumbent in one of the highest-profile races in the Finger Lakes. Supervisor Mike Ferrara lost a Republican Primary in June to challenger Frank Schmitter, who was also endorsed by Democrats. However, Ferrara secured the Conservative endorsement thereby setting up a rematch. He joined us in-studio to talk about his campaign, and the ways in which he wishes to continue to the work from the last four years if elected for a second term.

Today we near the conclusion of our series previewing local elections by talking with the candidates running in competitive races across the region. Mike Pfeiffer has served two terms on the Waterloo Town Board, and right now, he's in the midst of a competitive race for re-election. He says one of his major goals is continuing the water service expansion work the Town Board has set out as a goal over the last eight years. While the coronavirus pandemic slowed things down, Pfeiffer says the Board has been moving along well and will continue to get the work done in the coming years.

On this edition of FLX Today we near the conclusion of our meet the candidate series as we sit down with one of the individuals running for Canandaigua City Council in Ward 3. Earlier we caught up with John Nagle-Caraluzzo, and today, we talked Donna Cator, who once served on an interim basis on city council. She talked about her experience in the community and desire to make it a place where young people want to call home. Check it out below or on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series prevewiing local elections by talking with one of the candidates running for Seneca Falls Town Supervisor. Frank Schmitter defeated incumbent Mike Ferrara in a primary in June to run on the Republican line. However, he was also supported by Democrats at their caucus. While Ferrara has continued his campaign, running as a Conservative in the general election, Schmitter has shifted his focus to issues he says have an impact on day-to-day life for residents. Infrastructure issues related to street and basement flooding, as well as building stronger relationships with entities like the Cayuga Nation.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections by catching up with one of the candidates running for Waterloo Town Board. Ted Young served as mayor in the village of Waterloo for years, and now, as he works part-time for the Town, has found reason to get involved with local politics again. He talked about some of the issues he's seeing, his campaign, and what he'd like for the Town of Waterloo to achieve over the next four years if elected.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections by catching up with one of the candidates running for Cayuga County Legislature in District #5. Aileen McNabb-Coleman is seek re-election for a third term, which would be her last due to established term limits. She has previously served as Chair of the Cayuga County Legislature, and says creating a more family friendly environment that promotes economic development is essential.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections by catching up with one of the candidates running for Seneca Falls Town Board. Wendy Crane says she became involved in town government by attending meetings, seeing things that frustrated her. In all, Crane hopes that if elected, she can be a voice for residents and young families.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections catching up with candidates across the region running for local office. In this edition, we talk with Seneca County District Attorney Mark Sinkiewicz. The incumbent touts two decades of experience in the office, and says running an office like the DA's requires a range of skills.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by catching up with one of the candidates for Canandaigua City Council. Patrick Rhodes says his campaign is based on the need for the City to responsibly grow, become a better destination for young professionals and families, as well as balance. We talked about an array of issues, including his first run for city council, which came in the previous cycle. Check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by catching up with one of the candidates for Geneva City Council. Antonio Gomez is making his second run for City Council in recent years. Gomez says it's time for more diverse representation on City Council, and that he's the answer. He talked about his experience in the private sector, and how his goals align with the city's needs.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by catching up with one of the candidates for Auburn City Council. Brian Dahl spent 15 years in emergency management at the county-level and has spent time leading a local volunteer fire company. Now, he's put his hat in the ring to serve on Auburn City Council.

What's going on this month at the Montezuma Audubon Center? Today we get into it all in our monthly chat with Chris Lajewski, who serves as center director at the Audubon Center in Savannah, Wayne County. There are several opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy everything the Audubon Center has to offer during the month of November.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections by catching up with one of the candidates running for Geneva City Council. Peter Gillotte hopes to represent residents in Ward 4 when a new city council is seated next year. He joined us in-studio to talk about the biggest issues on voters' minds as Election Day approaches.

On this edition of FLX Today we're joined by one of the candidates running for Seneca Falls Town Board. Steve Churchill has been a longtime figure in local politics, and while he didn't expect his run in local government to last this long - he's embracing the challenge - seeking re-election to town board. He talked about the biggest issues he's hearing from residents, including the landfill, infrastructure, and the need to revive the community in Seneca Falls.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections with our second conversation with Auburn Mayoral Candidate Jimmy Giannettino. He currently serves on Auburn City Council and says that a large part of his goal is to continue building on the succeses of Mayor Quill's administration. He talked about the importance of maintaining services like fire, police, and EMS, as well as working on environmental issues like Owasco Lake's water quality.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections catching up with one of the candidates running for Geneva City Council. Cassie Sneider is running in Ward 2 as a Democrat, and says her goals if elected are to improve the quality of life for everyone living in the city.

Today we continue our series previewing contested races across the Finger Lakes by sitting down with one of the candidates running for Seneca Falls Town Board. Jackson Puylara is unusual, given that he is the youngest candidate in a contested race in our coverage area. He says his candidacy was born out of an interest in town government, which came from seeing a number of hot-button issues make headlines and raise concern among residents. Whether it's flooding caused by outdated infrastructure, the need for affordable single-family housing, or development around tourism - all three are important, Puylara says, to the future of the community.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the region. Nancy Augustine is running for Ontario County Coroner. Response time has been a major concern among voters for this position, and a priority for all four candidates. We caught up with Augustine to talk about her personal and professional background, as well as what brought her to running for office.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the region. Laura Swarthout is running for Ontario County Coroner. Response time has been a major concern among voters for this position, and a priority for all four candidates. We caught up with Swarthout to talk about her personal and professional background, as well as what brought her to running for office.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the region. Tom Cheney is running for Ontario County Coroner. It's a competitive race, which he says is driven by the fact that residents have made it clear over the last year that coroners need to show up when the community needs them. He talked about his priorities, goals, and experience as Election Day approaches.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the region. Joshua Czyz is running for Cayuga County Legislature, and he believes the County should play an integral role in the future direction of the community. That said, he wants to see a county government that walks a line between over-involvement and too hands off. Czyz talked about the biggest issues he's hearing about from Cayuga County voters.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by talking with one of the candidates running for Geneva City Council. Chris Lavin is widely known around the city as the director of the Boys and Girls Club there, but also had a decorated 40 year career in journalism, working for the Rochester Times-Union, St. Petersburg Times, and San Diego Union-Tribune. Among his biggest priorities if elected, making sure that city council works well together, while holding surrounding communities that take advantage of city services financially accountable. He says that the city has some major opportunities for development, which includes job growth and housing, but that it will take a focused effort from city council in the coming years.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by talking with one of the candidates running for Cayuga County Legislature. Redistricting has reshaped how Cayuga County's governing body will look in the future, but Lydia Patti Ruffini is a familiar face, who hopes to continue representing voters after Election Day. She says her calling ties back to being a voice for those who are concerned about the future of the county and region.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by catching up with one of the candidates running for office in the town of Marion. Situated in central Wayne County, the community is host to a contested race for town supervisor. Summer Johnson is running for the job because she says transparency, community relations, and economic development have fallen behind. She joined us via Zoom to talk about her campaign, and how she aims to make the town a better place for everyone who lives and pays taxes there.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by talking with one of the candidates running for Geneva City Council. Wil Wolf moved to Geneva a little more than a decade ago, and sees a lot of opportunities for a city that has struggled to modernize within economic development, infrastructure, and how its services operate. He sat down with us to discuss his campaign for Ward 5 city councilor, and some of his goals if elected in November.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by talking with one of the candidates running for Canandaigua City Supervisor. While most city-bound elected offices involve representing City Council, Canandaigua and Geneva's city supervisors have a different responsibility: Representing voters on the County's Board of Supervisors. Rich Russell has been serving on that body for nearly a decade-and-a-half, and says it can play a vital role in making life better for everyone living in Ontario County. He joined us in-studio to discuss his campaign and some of the biggest issues facing Canandaigua residents in his wards, as well as the county-at-large.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections across the Finger Lakes by shining the spotlight on Canandaigua. Erich Dittmar is seeking re-election to Canandaigua City Council this November, and he says his motivation is simple: Make Canandaigua a better place for everyone. While major flooding in his ward made headlines over the summer - an array of issues remain priorities as he looks at a second term.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections by catching up with one of the candidates running for Bristol Town Board. Nancy Napurski says she's running because of an eagerness to learn more about town government, as well as her strength and experience in the communications world. Napurski talked about that experience, and ways she believes the town can more effectively communicate with residents to drive engagement and make government work better.

Today we continue our series previewing local elections by catching up with one of the candidates running for West Bloomfield Town Board. Vincent Salvati joined us via Zoom to discuss his campaign last week, and what he hears from residents and business owners as the biggest issues. Among them -- identity -- which he believes West Bloomfield can work on quickly without having a negative impact on the Town's budget.

Today we continue our series spotlighting local candidates running for office across the Finger Lakes. Tim Lattimore is running for mayor in Auburn. The longtime public servant has held an array of offices and titles in Auburn and Cayuga County, several of which were elected. And this year, he says his campaign for mayor is about building the city for growth. That means better preparing it for young people to buy homes, maintain its environmental resources, and be proactive in public safety.

Today we continue our series previewing local, contested elections across the Finger Lakes as we sit down with one of the candidates for Cayuga County Clerk. Earlier this year longtime Clerk Sue Dwyer announced that she would not seek re-election. That has since set into motion a competitive race for the job. Kristine Lytle joined us via Zoom to discuss her candidacy, the most-important issues she sees facing the clerk's office, and how she would work for the residents of Cayuga County to address them.

Today we continue our series previewing local, contested elections across the Finger Lakes as we sit down with one of the candidates running for Canandaigua City Council. Guy Turchetti has lived in the city since the early 1990s, and says Canandaigua is poised for success. He says thats in part due to solid leadership on city council over the last several years. However, he says it will require continued strong leadership to maintain that success. He was in-studio this week discussing his campaign and the ways he wants to help contribute to that success by serving city council.

Today we continue our series previewing local, contested elections across the Finger Lakes as we sit down with one of the candidates running for Geneva City Council. James Petropolous says he wants to help the city be better, through civil government that works for its staff and residents. He joined us via Zoom this week to discuss his campaign and goals if elected.

AARP New York is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to reject a proposed utility rate hike.New York State Electric and Gas, and Rochester Gas and Electric are proposing a 62% electric delivery rate increase for customers. Both utilities said the increase would be used to help pay for climate change initiatives. Experts estimate the increase would force customers to pay $900 over the duration of the proposed increase.Bill Ferris, legislative representative for AARP New York, said it could harm already flailing ratepayers."There are close to over 130,000 people in the NYSEG area who are 60 days behind on their bill," Ferris pointed out. "If you look at the same data, there's over 70,000 people in the NYSEG area who received a final termination notice, and 1,500 people were terminated this year in the month of August."He added upstate ratepayers are already facing stark poverty rates. The New York State Comptroller finds in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, one in four people was living in poverty in 2021. The state's Public Service Commission will vote on whether to approve the rate increase today.Outside the governor's intervention, Ferris noted a piece of legislation could help ratepayers afford their utility bills. He described how the bill's implementation of data matching can aid ratepayers."If someone is on this Energy Affordability Program, and they're on the HEAP program -- which is a program helping people pay for those bills -- use the data between those programs, and enhance and increase the roles of people to get them more of a benefit, of a low-income benefit," Ferris outlined.Although the bill passed both chambers of the New York State Legislature, it has yet to be signed by Gov. Hochul. Recently, separate legislation was approved to protect consumers from surprise energy price increases. The measure requires energy service companies to get customers' consent before any material prices increase.

Today we continue our series previewing local, contested elections across the Finger Lakes as we sit down with Geneva Mayor Steve Valentino. The Democrat was endorsed by Republicans ahead of a contested primary in June, in which he was defeated by Jan Regan, who joined us last week in-studio for a conversation about her campaign and the issues in the city. Valentino says he's drawing from experience on city council and first term as mayor, as he looks ahead to a possible second.

Today we continue our series previewing local, contested elections across the Finger Lakes as we sit down with Michael Mills. He's running for Canandaigua City Council and says he entered the race to drive economic development, protect the city and region's natural resources, and increase collaboration between local governments. He joined us via Zoom for an interview ahead of Election Day to talk about his campaign and more.

Today we continue our series spotlighting elections for local office across the Finger Lakes as one of the candidates seeking to represent voters in the city of Geneva joined us in-studio. RJ Rapoza is in the midst of a competitive campaign for Geneva City Council in Ward 4. He talked about his desire for a city council that's more unified and effective, as well as policies that he thinks can benefit all residents.

What makes a good prosecutor? That question is central to the debate happening in Seneca County about who should lead the District Attorney's office moving forward. On Monday, we caught up with John Nabinger, an attorney with decades of experience, who is running for DA. He talked about his experience, the core reasons he's running, and how he feels the office can be bettered for county residents and victims of crime.

On this edition of FLX Today we continue our spotlight of local elections with one of the candidates running for Canandaigua City Council. John Nagle-Caraluzzo is running to represent voters in Ward 3, and hopes to bring a fresh perspective to city government. He has an optimistic view of the city's trajectory, but says some things can be changed to make it even better for families and community engagement.

The state of New York has taken steps to ensure its building decarbonization plan is on track, but more work needs to be done.Earlier this year, the state implemented an all-electric buildings law, which prohibits installation of fossil-fuel systems in new buildings. The law takes effect for small buildings in 2026, and in 2029 for large buildings.Deb Peck Kelleher, deputy director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, described the work being done to decarbonize older buildings."Through NYSERDA, the state's research and development authority which offers incentives and rebates for homeowners and building owners to make those investments in their homes to weatherize them, to insulate, and to electrify them by installing heat pumps," Kelleher outlined.Utility companies in the state also offer the incentives. State-level incentives for cold-climate air source heat pumps can be $2,000 to $3,000 for whole-home solutions. The Inflation Reduction Act provides additional funding for incentives.In the next legislative session, there are hopes to pass bills aimed at furthering the state's decarbonization goal. One such bill is the New York HEAT Act, which was passed by the state Senate, although it failed in the Assembly in the last legislative session.Kelleher described what the law is designed to do."As we start to decarbonize, our goal is to decarbonize in less than 30 years, so how do we pay off that infrastructure that we're no longer going to need?" Kelleher asked. "That is part of what the HEAT Act does. It takes a look at how can we disinvest from this infrastructure in an appropriate way that's fair and equal for all New Yorkers."She noted New York's old building stock and skyscrapers make decarbonization a bit more challenging. Kelleher said it's important to have a trained workforce to educate homeowners about the best options for weatherization and electrification.

Jim Kennedy was appointed by Geneva City Council to fill a vacancy last September on the Ontario County Board of Supervisors representing Wards 1 and 2. He called it some of the most invigorating work he's done in his career, and has spent countless hours talking with neighbors and community members about how the county can work better for city residents. He's running for a full-term this November and joined us in-studio to talk about his campaign and what it means to represent the city at the county-level.

Today we continue our series previewing local, contested races across the Finger Lakes region, as we sit down with Jean Chrisman, who is running for Ontario County Clerk. She touts more than two-and-a-half decades of experience, and aims to bring trust and confidence back to the county clerk's office. She says residents need an advocate who understands the systems the clerk has to work within and will maintain an open door policy to constantly improve service. Check out our conversation with Chrisman below or on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.

A recent poll found more than half of Hispanic college students considered leaving in the last year.A Lumina Foundation-Gallup poll showed one in four Hispanic students frequently or occasionally feel discriminated against in post-high school programs. In New York, 50% of Latino students left 2-year programs, with only a quarter of students graduating in 2021.Courtney Brown, vice president of strategic impact and planning for Lumina Foundation, said campuses need to address discrimination and harassment."They need to work on those policies," Brown asserted. "They need to make sure they can educate all their faculty and staff on discrimination. They need to establish a process for publicly resolving discrimination issues, and make sure that they have an anti-retaliation program so that students feel safe in even reporting the harassment."While respondents report such feelings in all college programs, they were highest in industrial certification programs, which are often taught outside higher-ed classrooms. Brown argued it is up to industry to address the problems.Aside from feelings of discrimination, other factors are keeping Hispanic students from staying in school. Taking care of family members and money problems were forcing kids to drop out, too. Brown noted the barriers go beyond paying tuition."Just the cost of tuition isn't the only financial barrier these students face," Brown emphasized. "You know, they still have to pay rent, pay for food, and pay for child care. And, so that's why having on campus child care is so important, having food banks, having emergency financial services."Though Hispanic students are experiencing these feelings, the National Center for Education Statistics finds enrollment grew between 2000 and 2020, but has declined in recent years, which some attribute to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this edition of FLX Today we're joined by Jan Regan, who is running for Geneva Mayor against incumbent Steve Valentino.

A new report found raking and bagging leaves could be doing a disservice to your yard or garden.A National Wildlife Federation survey showed most people know throwing away their fall leaves is not ideal but they often do it anyway. Leaves on a lawn can serve as mulch. They keep the soil moist, suppress weeds, and cover roots to protect them in the winter.Jim Bitner, executive director of the New York State Horticultural Society, is a fruit farmer who is always puzzled by seeing people bag their leaves. He described how they can use those leaves to benefit the soil."Shredding the leaves, hitting them with the lawnmower and breaking them into smaller pieces so they drift down through the mat, on the ground, below the leaves of the grass," Bitner explained. "If you've got a whole lot, composting is a great way of handling them. On-site composting is not that hard."Bitner noted the common reason people remove their leaves is aesthetics, to have a neat and tidy-looking lawn. While 82% of people surveyed said they are willing to "leave the leaves," 36% said they have to rake them, to comply with a city ordinance or a homeowner's association.Along with bolstering lawn life, fallen leaves can keep songbirds and insect populations up.David Mizejewski, naturalist for the National Wildlife Federation, said pesticide-ridden yards are preventing species like the monarch butterfly from flourishing."The monarch butterfly is disappearing before our eyes," Mizejewski pointed out. "In some years, their populations have been down by as much as 90% for the Eastern population, and for the Western monarch population, over 99%."He noted the leaf cover on a yard can be used by numerous bird species as they develop their habitat. The National Wildlife Federation finds most birds rely on butterfly and moth caterpillars in the leaf layer as their primary food source during nesting season. Removing fallen leaves means there will be fewer insects, and fewer birds, too.

Sean Buck is running for Canandaigua City Council. It's his third run for office, and over the last six years being involved in the community -- he says many lessons have been learned. Today we sit down with him to talk about his campaign, what good development in the city looks like, and how to protect the long-term health of Canandaigua Lake -- one of the city's greatest assets. When he's not running for elected office, he's often organizing and participating in dives on Canandaigua Lake, helping clean it up.

James 'Jim' Basile is running for another term as a legislator in Cayuga County District #1. The longtime public servant recently appeared on FLX Today to discuss his long list of goals for the next four years. He'll appear on the Conservative Party line on the ballot; and says Cayuga County is well-positioned after the last two years of effort by the legislature-at-large. Among his top priorities are: Improving access to broadband across the entire county, supporting and promoting tourism, as well as agriculture, and finding ways to stay competitive when it comes to bolstering first responder services.

New Yorkers are preparing for an impending government shutdown.State officials are worried about how it could impact the work state agencies have been doing for migrants. Meanwhile, residents are concerned about how a shutdown could affect federal benefits they receive.Make the Road Action held a press conference this week urging U.S. Rep. Anthony D'Esposito - R-Island Park - to stand up to hard-right Republicans taking budget negotiations hostage.Angel Reyes Rivas, Long Island organizing coordinator with Make the Road Action, said a shutdown would be financially disruptive for New Yorkers."For Social Security and Medicare, the checks are sent out, but benefit verification as well as card issuance would cease," said Reyes Rivas. "Also, SNAP, that many low-income families use on Long Island also would, the ability to send out food stamp benefits could be affected by the shutdown."The Center on Budget Policy and Priorities finds almost 3 million New Yorkers received SNAP benefits in 2022.Earlier this week, Gov. Kathy Hochul implored members of Congress to avert a shutdown - noting that among the many other problems it would pose, New York's 51,000 federal employees would be out of work.The Senate passed a measure to fund the government until November 17, though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he will not take the measure up as it is.Reyes Rivas said any kind of budget must be bipartisan and based on what constituents want."A solution would be for the people, being Democrat or being Republican, that really care about these communities and understanding the importance of these benefits to pass something, right?" said Reyes Rivas. "There's a government shutdown, it's unacceptable."The Senate's budget bill would have provided around $6 billion for Ukraine war efforts and another $6 billion for disaster relief in the wake of recent floods, and wildfires in the U.S.

Liz Yockel wants every resident in Ontario County to feel served by the clerks office. Whether it's DMV, property records, or anything in-between - when she began her campaign for Ontario County Clerk the goals centered around responsible improvement of services. On this edition of FLX Today we continue conversations with local candidates for elected office by learning more about Yockel, who is aiming to be the next clerk in Ontario County. Check out our entire conversation with Yockel below on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

Fall is here and that means its prime time to get out to the Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, Wayne County. The center has an array of events coming up, including conservation/volunteer opportunities on September 27 and September 30, as well as a youth pheasant hunt with multiple spots still open (as of publishing). We caught up with Chris Lajewski, Director at the Montezuma Audubon Center, to talk all things outdoors. He broke down the fall migration, as well as some species like the Canada Goose and White Tail Deer whose populations have fallen out of synch across the region and state. Check out our entire conversation with Lajewski below on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.