There have been a number of recent articles that I've seen about an exodus that's expected from Governor Andrew Cuomo's office after this year's election. There are quotes from unidentified sources that indicate staff in the Governor's office are frustrated with his micro management style and hands on approach to every issue and system. Others say the exodus is about economics, salaries and what people can make in the private sector and the Governor has made statements agreeing with some of this. It is of course interesting that the Governor called for capping the salaries of administrators at non-profits but now speaks eloquently about the need for higher salaries in state government. In addition, there have been some recent departures of chief strategists and key staff members that have more to do with the Governor's re-election campaign as it has been made clear that these people are leaving to be involved in Cuomo's campaign and that seems to be legitimate.
From the time of his election as well as in his previous roles at both HUD and as NYS Attorney General, there have been criticisms relative to Cuomo's management style and his heavy handedness in management decisions. Right or wrong, there seems to be a belief that there is a culture of fear among his staff and key managers. He certainly is a strong personality and doesn't seem to have any problem picking up the phone and dealing with reporters as well as subordinates about his opinion, his wishes and desires. Some people would call this strong leadership and welcome it as long as it gets things done. Others think it's bad management.
There does seem to be a my way or the highway style as well as over control and involvement in operations and issues. One of the best places to see examples of this is by following the Governor's Twitter account. Here he shows his daily involvement in everything from emergency management to buying newly designed license plates, economic development and tourism promotion. Now, I'm not naive enough to think he's sitting at a computer or on his supposed smart phone, posting these tid bits, but I'm sure he has set the tone for what he wants posted.
One of the best examples of his over reach and some would say interference are his Tweets during snow storms this past winter telling people to stay off the roads, etc. These confused employees, employers and sheriffs who would normally make such pronouncements. Usually essential workers are told to report due to the necessity of essential work needing to get done even in and sometimes especially in emergencies. By about the fifth storm, the Governor or his ghost writer seemed to understand the confusion being caused. There are many other examples.
Rumors do persist that key managers can't make independent decisions and are fearful of the Governor's wrath. Some of this may be just that, rumor, as well as an indication of the quality of some of the Governor's appointments. I've seen people, good people on his staff, speaking out and speaking up but they do seem to be in the minority.
In addition, the Governor is having his problems with the liberal constituency that helped get him elected. He also seems confused by this, pointing out his liberal record and blaming the Republican Senate for various liberal agenda items not being moved forward. His dilemma seems to be that he is liberal on many of the social issues yet extremely conservative on economic issues - same sex marriage, guns vs dollars for social programs and the economically disadvantaged. How will this impact his re-election? Hard to say right now. The Working Families Party is threatening to run a strong candidate and that would certainly siphon votes from the left. Cuomo is reaching out to these folks to try to make nice, The Republican candidate seems to be trying to move further to the right which should help Cuomo in the end. But it's a long time until November. We'll see how NYWorks, Open For Business and Start Up NY along with tax caps and the Safe Act all play out. In the meantime, if it snows between now and then, please stay off the roads.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Solitary Confinement
Last night I watched just a few minutes of Solitary Nation on PBS before I had to turn away and stop watching. Having said that, I would recommend that everyone watch it as well as Part 2 which will be shown in the next few weeks on Frontline.
Let me share why I had to turn away. As I've shared in posts on this site, I've been involved in various civil rights, anti war activities and other social justice issues throughout my life. Some of those activities got me in trouble with the law. I have spent time in jail, prison and solitary confinement as a result. Some times were short lived while others seemed endless. I don't talk about those experiences very much but they certainly influenced my life and helped me understand the problems with institutional and congregate living. Solitary confinement, "the hole" is the worst time that anyone can spend in jail. It is meant to be destructive to the individual. It is meant to be nothing but punishment and it is meant to be demeaning and to break you.
There are people who will read this or who will see Solitary Nation and say "what's the problem". "These people are getting everything they deserve." That's their opinion but it certainly isn't mine. Watching just a few minutes made me ill and emotionally weakened. Frankly, I'd call it an episode of PTSD in a very real sense. You see I experienced being treated like an animal, being left for hours without light, heat, or human contact other then another caged person screaming in the night. No food utensils, a mattress on the floor with no blanket, no change of clothes, nothing to read, nothing to do, no human contact, nothing. Yelling and screaming in the hallway, clanking of doors and orders from guards were the sounds heard throughout the night and the day.
We need to understand why we do this to each other. We need to resolve what justice means, what rehabilitation means and why we're so cruel to one another
I can't watch it but hope you do - Solitary Nation Part 1 and Part 2.
Let me share why I had to turn away. As I've shared in posts on this site, I've been involved in various civil rights, anti war activities and other social justice issues throughout my life. Some of those activities got me in trouble with the law. I have spent time in jail, prison and solitary confinement as a result. Some times were short lived while others seemed endless. I don't talk about those experiences very much but they certainly influenced my life and helped me understand the problems with institutional and congregate living. Solitary confinement, "the hole" is the worst time that anyone can spend in jail. It is meant to be destructive to the individual. It is meant to be nothing but punishment and it is meant to be demeaning and to break you.
There are people who will read this or who will see Solitary Nation and say "what's the problem". "These people are getting everything they deserve." That's their opinion but it certainly isn't mine. Watching just a few minutes made me ill and emotionally weakened. Frankly, I'd call it an episode of PTSD in a very real sense. You see I experienced being treated like an animal, being left for hours without light, heat, or human contact other then another caged person screaming in the night. No food utensils, a mattress on the floor with no blanket, no change of clothes, nothing to read, nothing to do, no human contact, nothing. Yelling and screaming in the hallway, clanking of doors and orders from guards were the sounds heard throughout the night and the day.
We need to understand why we do this to each other. We need to resolve what justice means, what rehabilitation means and why we're so cruel to one another
I can't watch it but hope you do - Solitary Nation Part 1 and Part 2.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Caregivers Deserve A Living Wage and More
I like many others have watched the NYS Budget process and at the same time followed the national debate on raising the Federal minimum wage. I've also read about the rumblings from liberals and progressives in NYS relative to their disappointment with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on economic issues. All of these things make me think about policy decisions that have kept people and organizations from experiencing the economic growth that everyone touts as critical.
It's always interesting after budget negotiations to see announcements by both the Gov. and the Legislature dribble out about new money for this or that new project. No one seems to be aware of these items as negotiations are being held behind closed doors but when the budget is announced the news and at least promises of money start flowing. That's what happens in a non transparent process. Deals are made and certain constituencies' requests are met. But the worst part is that others' aren't.
The specific constituency I'm talking about are the caregivers and direct support workers who provide, care, support, relationships and so much more to NYS's vulnerable populations. Again, specifically, I'm talking about those employees in the non profit, private sector. Vulnerable people are the elderly and people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities. They live throughout NYS. Sometimes but not often enough, these people live in their own homes. They also live in approved residential settings or larger facilities like nursing homes and sometimes at home with family members. There are in fact a lot of options. The one consistent issue though is people who support them.
I and others have written about the employees who provide support to these people before. The reason is simple. Their dilemma is great and ongoing. In many cases these hard working folks are paid $7.50 to $8.00/hour based on the kind of reimbursement that organizations who hire them get paid. The high end of starting wages for these workers is $12 to $15/hr.
The other day I saw information from an advocacy agency saying something like "good news for direct support workers". This was referencing a 2% increase for these employees in this year's NYS budget. To put things in context, there haven't been increases for these positions in four or more years. Given inflation, these organizations and employees should have received somewhere around an 8% increase. How can organizations who are advocating for these people and the people they support be celebrating this good news? I also saw an article where a NYS Assemblyman was indicating that this 2% increase would help stop abuse as well as help control turnover. Really! I'd like to understand how that will work.
In the late 70's when institutions were still the places where the majority of people with intellectual and development disabilities resided, NYS made a deal with the public employee unions to not equalize the pay of those employees and non profit, private sector employees. That deal has driven the pay inequality for decades. A system was built on that inequality and continues to exist today. To fix it would cost millions. Yes, the millions that are spent on pet projects every year. The millions to revitlize athletic stadiums or to bring movies and TV shows to NY. There are so many millions it's hard to fathom and yet it becomes a battle to get a 2% increase for hard working people over four years. So high turnover, some abuse and mistreatment, will continue as people and organizations try to provide support to our most vulnerable citizens. Voices of advocates just aren't there or are ineffective.
It's always interesting after budget negotiations to see announcements by both the Gov. and the Legislature dribble out about new money for this or that new project. No one seems to be aware of these items as negotiations are being held behind closed doors but when the budget is announced the news and at least promises of money start flowing. That's what happens in a non transparent process. Deals are made and certain constituencies' requests are met. But the worst part is that others' aren't.
The specific constituency I'm talking about are the caregivers and direct support workers who provide, care, support, relationships and so much more to NYS's vulnerable populations. Again, specifically, I'm talking about those employees in the non profit, private sector. Vulnerable people are the elderly and people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities. They live throughout NYS. Sometimes but not often enough, these people live in their own homes. They also live in approved residential settings or larger facilities like nursing homes and sometimes at home with family members. There are in fact a lot of options. The one consistent issue though is people who support them.
I and others have written about the employees who provide support to these people before. The reason is simple. Their dilemma is great and ongoing. In many cases these hard working folks are paid $7.50 to $8.00/hour based on the kind of reimbursement that organizations who hire them get paid. The high end of starting wages for these workers is $12 to $15/hr.
The other day I saw information from an advocacy agency saying something like "good news for direct support workers". This was referencing a 2% increase for these employees in this year's NYS budget. To put things in context, there haven't been increases for these positions in four or more years. Given inflation, these organizations and employees should have received somewhere around an 8% increase. How can organizations who are advocating for these people and the people they support be celebrating this good news? I also saw an article where a NYS Assemblyman was indicating that this 2% increase would help stop abuse as well as help control turnover. Really! I'd like to understand how that will work.
In the late 70's when institutions were still the places where the majority of people with intellectual and development disabilities resided, NYS made a deal with the public employee unions to not equalize the pay of those employees and non profit, private sector employees. That deal has driven the pay inequality for decades. A system was built on that inequality and continues to exist today. To fix it would cost millions. Yes, the millions that are spent on pet projects every year. The millions to revitlize athletic stadiums or to bring movies and TV shows to NY. There are so many millions it's hard to fathom and yet it becomes a battle to get a 2% increase for hard working people over four years. So high turnover, some abuse and mistreatment, will continue as people and organizations try to provide support to our most vulnerable citizens. Voices of advocates just aren't there or are ineffective.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Colleges A Great Resource To Communities
Last week I had the opportunity to attend a terrific talk by Dr. Warren Cooper from Rochester, NY at Keuka College just outside of Penn Yan, NY. Dr. Cooper is a former NYS Regent and was a research scientist at Eastman Kodak until his retirement in 1986. He has also been involved in the struggle for educational equality for Black Americans. He spoke at Keuka's commemoration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr during the anniversary of his death and the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
That opportunity got me thinking about the great resources that colleges provide to surrounding communities. Opportunities for education of course, but also cultural events and experiences - from talks like Dr. Warren's, to musical, acting and other artistic endeavors. There are also opportunities to interact with students, teachers, administrators and other members of the community in general. These are really wonderful opportunities that frankly are often not taken advantage of by the public and sometimes not even by the student body various institutions. I see this in Geneva, where Hobart and William Smith Colleges offer similar opportunities as well as Elmira College and other colleges in the area. Isn't it funny too that Keuka's campus is outside of town and Hobart and William Smith as well as Elmira College are in their towns.
So the question becomes, why is participation so low at some events and what can be done to improve the level of participation? I think the why belongs to both the communities surrounding colleges and to the colleges themselves. To me there can never be too much communication and outreach on the part of everyone. Colleges have communication departments and all of the latest technology, but sometimes connections are surprisingly shallow. It can be hard to break into the institution's network of communications. Much of what goes on is extremely internal and students are being educated to be independent and to discover things on their own. Community leaders on the other hand, can also be very myopic in their approaches and want the colleges to come to them. There's obviously a middle ground. One in which colleges and communities commit to working together, volunteer together, learn together.
The Town and Gown push and pull has been going on for hundreds of years I would guess and some places have accomplished more than others in terms of bringing people together or minimally communicating with each other. Communities and colleges that do it gain everything. There's no losing in this adventure. I'm hopeful that we'll see more effort as colleges look at reinventing themselves and communities look at dwindling resources.
In the meantime, talks like Dr. Cooper's are fantastic to have access to in small communities. Thanks to Keuka College. Next up, Scott Simon, journalist and host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, will be at Norton Chapel on the Keuka campus on May 6, 2014.
That opportunity got me thinking about the great resources that colleges provide to surrounding communities. Opportunities for education of course, but also cultural events and experiences - from talks like Dr. Warren's, to musical, acting and other artistic endeavors. There are also opportunities to interact with students, teachers, administrators and other members of the community in general. These are really wonderful opportunities that frankly are often not taken advantage of by the public and sometimes not even by the student body various institutions. I see this in Geneva, where Hobart and William Smith Colleges offer similar opportunities as well as Elmira College and other colleges in the area. Isn't it funny too that Keuka's campus is outside of town and Hobart and William Smith as well as Elmira College are in their towns.
So the question becomes, why is participation so low at some events and what can be done to improve the level of participation? I think the why belongs to both the communities surrounding colleges and to the colleges themselves. To me there can never be too much communication and outreach on the part of everyone. Colleges have communication departments and all of the latest technology, but sometimes connections are surprisingly shallow. It can be hard to break into the institution's network of communications. Much of what goes on is extremely internal and students are being educated to be independent and to discover things on their own. Community leaders on the other hand, can also be very myopic in their approaches and want the colleges to come to them. There's obviously a middle ground. One in which colleges and communities commit to working together, volunteer together, learn together.
The Town and Gown push and pull has been going on for hundreds of years I would guess and some places have accomplished more than others in terms of bringing people together or minimally communicating with each other. Communities and colleges that do it gain everything. There's no losing in this adventure. I'm hopeful that we'll see more effort as colleges look at reinventing themselves and communities look at dwindling resources.
In the meantime, talks like Dr. Cooper's are fantastic to have access to in small communities. Thanks to Keuka College. Next up, Scott Simon, journalist and host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, will be at Norton Chapel on the Keuka campus on May 6, 2014.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Memories of Matt
I lost a great friend and colleague this past week, another victim of cancer at too young an age. I met Matt many years ago at a social gathering of peers, a hospitality suite after a business meeting where as usual, bad news ruled the day. I was new to the scene, young and feeling my way around the social network of this group, a bit uncomfortable. I grabbed a beer from the bathtub filled with bottles and ice. Next thing I know another young man who seemed to know everyone came up, shook my hand and pulled me into his conversation with two or three others. That was my introduction to Matt. He wanted to know everything about me. Where did I come from, what did I think, how was I doing? That's how it continued for 30 plus year's. "Hey Jimmy, how's it going, what are you up to, are you ok?" Always about you, never about him and always with a laugh. Matt really cared about other people and it always came through in those conversations. Welcoming and probing, making sure you were ok.
At some point I thought maybe he just did this with me but over the years I watched Matt. He was the same with everyone. Never self pretentious, always caring about what was going on with other people. If he saw someone alone in a corner, Matt would go over and engage the person and listen to what they had to say, with interest. There are those of us who are the opposite. You know the type, always turning the conversation around to them. Turning everything into their personal story. How different it was to encounter and engage with Matt. And if you let him know something or someone bothered you, his counsel was always wise - "Forget about it. Don't let it bother you."
He was a simple man. He loved family, good company, laughter and all the things that go with it - food, drink and camaraderie. He also loved nature. He would hunt and fish on a moments notice. He loved to fix things. There are two schools of thought on his mechanical prowess. Those who think he could fix anything and those who thought he was all thumbs. I think Matt was a little bit of both. He'd mess up sometimes when fixing something, springs, nuts and bolts flying thru the air but in the end, and it could be hours later, he'd always win.
Although he was simple in terms of life's pleasures, he was smart, bright and complex in his vocation of providing support to people with disabilities. In my view, he never got the credit he deserved as a leader in the field of supporting people with developmental disabilities. He was an early mover and shaker. He wasn't afraid to speak up and challenge those in power but he always did it in the nicest way. Many times they didn't even know what happened to them when Matt was at his best, advocating for people, for families or for staff. He annoyed some people with his persistence but they never got his goat.
We all lose good friends when their mission here is done. We've all experienced the loss and it never gets any easier. The memories are what we have and it's wonderful if those memories are all good. In Matt's case that's what it is for me. All good memories. Always a smile, always a kind word or a joke, always engaging the other person, that's how I remember Matt. The last time I saw him, we talked about me, not him. Damn, he did it again. Peace brother.
At some point I thought maybe he just did this with me but over the years I watched Matt. He was the same with everyone. Never self pretentious, always caring about what was going on with other people. If he saw someone alone in a corner, Matt would go over and engage the person and listen to what they had to say, with interest. There are those of us who are the opposite. You know the type, always turning the conversation around to them. Turning everything into their personal story. How different it was to encounter and engage with Matt. And if you let him know something or someone bothered you, his counsel was always wise - "Forget about it. Don't let it bother you."
He was a simple man. He loved family, good company, laughter and all the things that go with it - food, drink and camaraderie. He also loved nature. He would hunt and fish on a moments notice. He loved to fix things. There are two schools of thought on his mechanical prowess. Those who think he could fix anything and those who thought he was all thumbs. I think Matt was a little bit of both. He'd mess up sometimes when fixing something, springs, nuts and bolts flying thru the air but in the end, and it could be hours later, he'd always win.
Although he was simple in terms of life's pleasures, he was smart, bright and complex in his vocation of providing support to people with disabilities. In my view, he never got the credit he deserved as a leader in the field of supporting people with developmental disabilities. He was an early mover and shaker. He wasn't afraid to speak up and challenge those in power but he always did it in the nicest way. Many times they didn't even know what happened to them when Matt was at his best, advocating for people, for families or for staff. He annoyed some people with his persistence but they never got his goat.
We all lose good friends when their mission here is done. We've all experienced the loss and it never gets any easier. The memories are what we have and it's wonderful if those memories are all good. In Matt's case that's what it is for me. All good memories. Always a smile, always a kind word or a joke, always engaging the other person, that's how I remember Matt. The last time I saw him, we talked about me, not him. Damn, he did it again. Peace brother.
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