Advocating for CNY

CenterState CEO’s Strategy, Policy and Planning team works closely without our elected officials to advance policies that help our region grow. Now with less than a month until the start of a new legislative session for both Congress and the New York State legislature, they’re identifying some legislative priorities for the upcoming year.

So what are we at CenterState CEO paying attention to, and what are we hoping to see? Joining this episode of  Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank is CenterState CEO’s Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations and Senior Aviation Industry Advisor Kevin Schwab.

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Host: Katie Zilcosky LinkedIn 

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This is Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, a semi-monthly podcast by CenterState CEO, Central New York's premier leadership and economic development organization. Join us as we meet the people and explore the projects driving the regional economy forward. This is Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank. I'm Katie Zilcosky, Director of Communications at CenterState CEO and your Host for Talk CNY. CenterState CEO's Strategy, Policy and Planning team works closely with businesses and elected officials to advocate for policies that will help our region grow. Now with less than a month until the start of a new legislative session in both Congress and the state legislature, they are identifying priorities for the upcoming year. So what are they hoping to see and what are they keeping their eye on? Joining me today on Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, is CenterState CEO's Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations and Senior Aviation Industry Advisor Kevin Schwab. Kevin, thank you for being here with us today. Thanks for having me. So we often talk on the podcast about the breadth of CenterState CEO's work from traditional economic development and chamber services to workforce innovation and government relations. And government relations is your area of expertise. So for people who might not know who you are or what you do, can you tell us a little bit about your role at CenterState CEO? Sure. As part of our strategy, policy and planning team, I oversee public policy, government relations, and things that fly on the side. So there is that, and that really means that I really work on studying policy, developing policy that aligns with the work that we are trying to do to advance business and economic growth in the region, advance prosperity for all people who live in this region. And at times it means we work directly with some of our members to engage on some of their growth opportunities. So how does this fit in the big picture of what we're trying to do? Very literally. Who do you work with? How do you work together within the team and in the community to get results and solutions? Sure. So we work closely with our elected officials and many agencies, whether that be at the local level, the state level, the federal level, and we are trying to advance a lot of the work that our other teams here in the building are doing day to day. So think, for example, workforce development, the ON-RAMP program is something that we worked closely to help devise and ultimately to fund and promote. And New York State thought that that was a great idea and decided to advance that. And you say, well, why is that important to what we're doing? Well, first and foremost, it is providing people with the training that they need to really develop a career path with livable jobs, with livable wages that they can really carry throughout their entire work life. But it also meets the needs of our member businesses who have job openings that need to be filled. Right now in this region, we are incredibly fortunate to have a 3.1% unemployment rate, which is incredibly low, but that means there are a lot of job openings out there that need to be filled and we need to develop as much talent as we can to accomplish that. That's just one example of the types of things we work on. So we definitely have a lot on our plates going into 2025. And I want to take a little bit of time to look into the future a little bit, look at some of our legislative priorities for this organization, both nationally and at the state level. So let's start nationally. What is on the plate for Congress in the upcoming legislative session? Well, we have a new administration coming in and we have new majorities in, well, we continue with the Republican majority in the house and a new majority in the Senate. You put all of that together, there is going to be a lot happening early. There's a lot of focus right now on the incoming administration's new cabinet picks and what the confirmation schedule will be like for that. We think that'll play out the way these always do. There will be a lot of attention to them, but there will be a lot of substantive work that'll have to happen in other areas too. And we'll be really focused on that Budget. First and foremost, before the end of this year, you're likely to see a budget extension that will push into spring when the budget that was due last September will actually be enacted. There's going to be an awful lot of pressure on that budget process and part of the reason for that is that we're going to be watching closely what happened with the 217 tax cut in Jobs Act, which is set to expire. And so with key provisions of that coming to a head and a budget process that'll be unfolding, expect that's going to take an awful lot of the attention in Washington for everyone there. As for what we're going to be doing, we're also going to be looking at some of the priorities for this incoming administration. Things like issues relative to trade with China and what that could have on what impact that could have on some of our key industries, think unmanned systems and drones. That could have real meaning for what we're going to be doing there. Think infrastructure investment. That's going to be very important for the growth that we know is coming. So we'll be paying a lot of attention to what's happening in Washington really in the first half of next year. Now, like you mentioned, there's a new administration and we have a number of new elected officials after last November's election, but our work here at CenterState CEO, this is not our first election. It continues. No matter who is in office. We will keep advocating for this region. Isn't that right? Definitely not our first rodeo. We have worked with and continue to work with members of both parties and independents. We're proudly a nonpartisan organization and we believe there are opportunities when you have new officials coming in who have a new of priorities. There are opportunities to work with them on those and also to share what we are trying to do in the region and really get them to advocate for the types of things that we're working on as well. So we have obviously a new representative in the state senate who will be joining and we've been engaging with him, Chris Ryan already. We're going to have a new representative in Congress, John Manion. We of course have known and worked with him from his time in the state senate, but we are already engaging with him on some of the things that he'll be working on in Washington as well as a new member of Congress. So we are proud to say that we live in a region where we are represented really by some fantastic folks who are Republicans, who are Democrats, who are independents, and we're able to work with all of them really to advance the agenda for a successful region. We are going to take a quick break here for our word from our presenting sponsor, NBT Bank, but we'll be back in just a moment. What I'm looking for in a bank is one that's looking out for me like NBT. I want a relationship and a team that supports me and my dreams like NBT. And let's face it, life can get challenging. I need a bank that's focused on me, they've been rated tops in all the things that matter, like trust, customer service, and financial advice. So when I need a bank I can trust it's always NBT and me. Welcome back to Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank. I'm Katie Zilcosky, Director of Communications at CenterState CEO and your host for Talk CNY. We are joined this episode by CenterState CEO's Kevin Schwab. Kevin, thank you for being here today. Glad to be here. So we talked a little bit before the break about the national scene and national legislative agenda, but there is a whole slate of priorities also at the state level. So that session is also soon starting. Can you tell us a little bit about what we are watching and hoping to see? Well, I think there's going to be an enormous amount of activity this year in Albany. It's almost a case of where to begin. We haven't really seen realignment in Albany the way that we've seen it in Washington, right? We still have essentially very similar makeup of the Senate and the assembly, and of course, the administration continues. There are key issues that are going to come to a head this year in Albany that I think are going to frankly require a lot of attention, certainly from the folks who were there, but from us as an organization and from our members. First and foremost, I think a lot of people have been worried about the budget coming up. I don't anticipate that this will be a particularly difficult budget year. The biggest reason for that is of course, that state tax receipts have been coming in better than originally projected. So what was looking like we were going to have a relatively significant budget gap to deal with. Looks like it's a much smaller budget gap, and that should make it easier to negotiate a top line number for the assembly of the Senate and the governor's team. That said, there are going to be some substantive issues that will come to ahead and some of this is because of what's happening in Washington and what's expected to unfold with a new administration in Washington. So for example, if you're watching Wall Street, there's a lot of talk right now about an increased level of mergers and acquisitions starting next yea. That's already producing talk of a backlash in Albany in issues like an antitrust bill that's been around for a number of years that could come to the fore, again. Frankly, it's a piece of legislation that we don't really love. We think there are a number of flaws with it that would be very, very harmful to doing business in New York. And it's really seen though as a reaction in Albany to changes in Washington. So something that was not really on the table last year we think is going to be something that will draw a lot of attention in the coming session. We know that energy is going to be a big issue in Washington, but also in Albany perhaps for entirely different reasons. We are now seeing more indication that the state is going to have a hard time meeting its climate law milestones. And New York is going to have to figure out what it's going to do about that, and we think that's going to require some activity in the upcoming legislative season, given that we think energy and environmental issues will be very, very big and frankly very important, housing has been one of the preminent issues in the last couple of sessions and we think it will rise to the forefront again in this year's legislative session. What we're really seeing is that there are significant funding gaps. There are also still issues relative to local government regulations, slowing down projects and adding costs to those, and Albany has taken a couple of different approaches to try to deal with that. The administration may again try to put a little more pressure to build some more housing in New York, and they may frankly offer more carrots in the coming year to help address some of the housing issues. So those are just a few, frankly, of the issues that we're going to see. The list is going to be pretty long. Yeah. I mean, let's dig in a little bit on energy. Why is energy so important to us right now? What are some of the current challenges and what are some of the solutions that we're hoping to see? Let's start with the good news. Yeah. Okay. Okay. The good news on energy right now is, and I think most people don't know this, so this is one that like to share whenever possible. If you look back at the last full year, 2023, right here where we sit in Syracuse and Central New York and much of Upstate New York, we have the cleanest power grid in the nation. Wow. Ninety-three percent of our electricity in 2023 came from hydropower, nuclear wind and solar. Those are zero-emission sources of electricity. So we are in great shape in our region relative to our climate goals and we have ample energy supply, but we are fortunate that we have a project like Micron Technology coming into the region. And because we have such clean energy, which is now a priority for so many companies, we are getting a lot of inbound interest from energy intensive industries that are saying we know we are going to have to frankly come up with ways to produce whatever it is that we make using cleaner energy and we have it. We see the demand rising dramatically because of that. We are a magnet now. So we're going to have to find ways to expand that energy generation for our region. And also we know that as you get downstate, that 93% number is a lot lower and we're going to have to find ways to meet those needs as well. Now, what are some of the solutions we're hoping to see on the energy front? What are we watching? What are we thinking we're advocating for in 2025? We're taking very much in all of the above approach when it comes to clean energy generation. Certainly, when we hear people talking about new wind projects, we're very supportive of those. When we hear people talking about new solar projects, we think that proper sighting is important, but we think that those are very valuable as well. We are blessed, frankly, in this region to have so much existing hydropower. I don't know that there are a lot of opportunities to expand that, but where those are, I think we would welcome those as well. But perhaps the biggest opportunity lies in the fact that we have three really well performing nuclear energy generators in Oswego, and there may be opportunities to draw more nuclear energy as well, whether it be potentially with expansion of the output of those plants. People are talking about SMRs as well, small modular reactors. So there is a chance as we look ahead that nuclear could be perhaps even more a part of the mix than it is now. It is certainly incredibly reliable and a great asset for our region. Moving on to another very big issue for the region housing, it's something that CenterState CEO has put a lot of time and effort into looking at and working on in the last year plus with our housing task force. So when it comes to housing, similar to the energy question, why is this, what is the challenge right now and why is this so important to our region to find a solution going forward? Sure. We, again, are looking square into the lens of what our future is going to look like here, and we see growth coming and we have to be ready for it, and we already have a housing crunch here in the region. We are projecting that over the next 20 years, we're going to need 2,500 units of housing developed per year. Last year we developed 350 units, so we need traumatic growth. I am pleased to say that recognizing that we see communities here within our region moving to become part of what the governor is calling pro-housing communities. This opens up new resources and frankly new funding opportunities for those communities. But what it really is, is a commitment on their part. So towns and villages and cities within the region who are saying we are going to be welcoming to new housing development. We just recently saw a project in Manlius, Twin Ponds. That's going to introduce 310 new units of housing, and more than 30 of those units will be considered affordable housing, which we think is going to be an incredible asset. This is the kind of housing that will be within reach for teachers and firefighters and office managers and accountants, and people who are perhaps facing that very housing crunch that we're talking about right now because of affordability. So we are pleased to see that those types of developments we think are really going to make a dent in what we need to do. We just need to see more of them, and we were thrilled to be able to work with not only the developers, but with the Town of Manlius in trying to advance this project. Yeah. Can you talk a little bit more about the Twin Ponds project? I mean, it was a project that might not have been even on the table in just a year, five years ago. So how did it come to be approved and move forward and put all these new units of housing in a community that needs it? Sure. So for folks who may not be entirely aware of where this project will sit, if you go out towards Fayetteville Town Center and you go down Burdick Street and you go just beyond, I think there are a couple of car dealerships there right in that area, and you go across the street from there, there's been land that's been sitting available for years and years and years, And it turns out it is a beautiful opportunity to build something within that area that is in keeping with the character of the area, adds density, but does so in a way that backs up to really a beautiful area. It's called Twin Ponds because it's got a couple of beautiful ponds that are right on the property that will be incorporated into how they design. This is near the Erie Canal Trail, obviously close to transit, close to shopping, close to restaurants. This is really what a good new infill development with density looks like, and when you see that demand coming, these are the types of opportunities that you look for. The town certainly had questions. There were issues that they wanted the developers to address, and I think they did a wonderful job of doing that, and in fact showed the long-term economic benefit not only to the town, but the positive benefit on the town and school district finances. So it's a win in every direction, and it's one we were happy to help advocate for, and I will say this, one of the things that was great to see on this project was how many people came out from the community in favor of this. We often hear the stories of people coming outright, NIMBYs saying, don't build this. Don't change anything. Don't put this in my backyard. We had a number of people coming out talking about the importance of people who teach in the FM school district, being able to live in the FM school district about people who are looking to downsize, having a nice option to move out of that four or five bedroom house into something that is more suitable now that they're empty nesters. So there are real opportunities that I think people in the community saw and they advocated in favor of it, and we think that's a real important piece of moving these projects forward. It is having people in the community advocate for legislation that advances community growth and prosperity. I mean, is there a way that someone listening to this who wants to be involved, who wants to take action to advance some of these policies? How could they do it? What's an easy path forward? Or even for a member, how could they be more involved in our work at CenterState CEO as far as legislative advocacy? So let's start with our members. We have a Government Relations Committee that is active. It meets 11 of the 12 months of the year, and we discuss these issues at every meeting. We have a guest speaker who comes in, usually an elected representative or someone speaking to a given issue that has expertise in that issue. So there's great back and forth in these meetings, but it's also a chance to make folks aware of things like the project that we just talked about in Manlius or others that may be under development, and it's a chance for them to step in and become active on those opportunities. If you're not a member, one of the best things that we think you can do is simply follow what's going on in your local city or town or village government. Make sure you get a copy of that agenda. Most of them will actually email them out every month to anybody who asks. If not, they're up on a website. Keep an eye out for things like, we need new housing. How can I be supportive? Right? Come out and learn about these projects, speak about these projects, show your support. We are going to need to see Twin Ponds happen many times over to meet the need that we have coming over the next generation here. This action, both with the Government Relations Committee and as individuals, it does have real results. I mean, just look at the last year. Could you tell us a little bit about how legislative advocacy has shaped some of the wins that we have been celebrating in 2024? Sure. Let's start at the sort of top of the pyramid, if you will. Let's talk about the wins in the federal government. You've just seen where we were able to continue to push for and where there is now a final agreement between Micron and the federal government for their CHIPS Act disbursement. That's the final piece to lock in that financing for that project. We spent a lot of time on that this year. Perhaps not everyone knows, but we received a federal Tech Hubs designation, only 12 in the country that received funding. We were the only one of those 12 to receive funding for our work in the semiconductor and microelectronics space. So really making us the hub of this activity and this growth for the entire country. Those are some real wins in Washington that had been supported by our members and had been made possible, frankly, through that support. In Albany, we certainly looked at things like, for example, most recently continued funding or expanded funding for Fast New York. This is what's really helping us develop sites for new companies that will be coming into the region. We also, frankly, if you look back over a number of years, I guess more recently, we had talked as well about ON-RAMP and what that will mean for workforce development, meeting our members' needs in particular when it comes to workforce. But over the years, you look at things like the Hotel Syracuse, if you go back a number of years that happened because of the Historic Redevelopment Tax Credit. That's a tax credit that we sort of led the advocacy for statewide. We see that coming up for renewal. That's something that we're looking ahead at to see how we can enhance that and make it even more effective for growth in our region. There's a long list, frankly, of issues that we've been able to weigh in on that have delivered a level of success because of the support of our members. Now, as we head into this new year, what is Kevin Schwab excited for in 2025? I'm excited that we are going to see a lot of the work that we have spent so many years pushing towards really take hold and be in the ground. I think we are certainly going to see movement with Micron. We, I think, are going to see real movement on housing. I think we're going to see real movement on energy. I think we've got a few more positive surprises in store for us, including at places, for example, like the airport. I think it'll be a big year for hotel development, really getting moving. I think we've got a lot of interesting projects that are coming our way in 2025, and it'll be pretty exciting to see these things really get moving. Well, Kevin, thank you so much for your time today, and we wish you all the best in the new year. Happy New Year. CenterState CEO's podcast Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, is available on Clickcny.com and all major podcast platforms. After each episode, you can join us on Click, where we'll continue to talk about this topic and provide additional resources and links. In Click, you can listen to or watch every episode of Talk CNY. Click is Centerstate CEO's digital chamber platform where our members connect, learn, and receive support from our staff. For new episode reminders, be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast listening app. If you're enjoying Talk CNY, consider leaving a quick review or a five-star rating.