New York’s School Aid Cuts Will Disproportionately Harm Poor Districts

A recent Albany Times-Union report “recently warned officials they should expect state aid payments to be reduced by 20 percent.”  The source of the report was the Questar III Board of Cooperative Educational Services State Aid and Financial Planning.  The Times-Union article went on to report that “Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for the state budget […]

Covid-19: Rapid Growth in Cases Exposes Vulnerabilities

Although the Northeast, particularly New York State, was the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in March and April,  states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts imposed stringent measures that limited personal interactions, such as closing all non-essential worksites, limiting gatherings to groups of 10 or less, and requiring people to wear masks in settings […]

Despite Agitation to Reopen Businesses, Upstate Covid-19 Cases Are Not Declining

Upstate areas are seeing increasing pressure to reopen currently closed businesses as the economic damage from Covid-19 restrictions increases.  With millions of New Yorkers unemployed and businesses facing the prospect of permanent closure, there is real need for relief.  But reopening should take place in a way that does not lead to significant growth in […]

Reported Covid-19 Cases Increase in Upstate New York

Although New York State is seeing a decline in the number of new reported Coronavirus infections, the decrease is concentrated in downstate New York.  Reported new Covid-19 cases in upstate areas are increasing.  The increase is associated with an increase in the availability of tests for the virus. New Cases Decrease Statewide New Covid-19 cases […]

New Covid-19 Cases Decline Throughout New York

The number of new reported cases of Coronavirus in New York State has begun to decline.  The chart below, which shows the three-day moving average of new cases, indicates that after plateauing from April 3rd to April 10th, a decline began, with cases decreasing from a peak of more than 10,000 to less than 5,000 […]

Will New York Reopen for Business by May 1st?

Recent reports show that President Trump would like to reopen the national economy within a few weeks.  The Washington Post reported that “President Trump — concerned with the sagging economy — has sought a strategy for resuming business activity by May 1.”   More recently, the President said that he expected some states to reopen before […]

Local Leaders’ Role in Combating the Economic Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic

 The Covid-19 health response has shut down New York’s local economies.  With most business activities on pause, local government leaders should be addressing the economic impact now and preparing for the time when businesses are permitted to reopen. To date, the health impact of the virus in Upstate New York has been less severe than […]

New York’s Amazon Debacle – Some Lessons

Amazon’s decision to abandon its HQ2 project with 25,000+ future jobs in New York City led to acrimony with opposing politicians and some commentators blaming the company for abandoning its effort.   Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an early project opponent, tried to re-frame her stance, saying, “We do not have to settle for scraps in the greatest […]

How Amazon Could Help Upstate New York

One of the Thanksgiving meal discussions at my house involved Amazon’s new HQ2 and why Governor Cuomo didn’t get the company to locate its new facility in upstate New York.  And, though my argument that upstate metropolitan areas lacked technology focused labor pools of sufficient size to be seriously considered by a technology based firm […]