>> Coming up.
The Republican margin in the state Senate is down to two and the process rolls on.
We will start with the state Senate.
JOE ROBACH.
A new group tries to stop the no snitching culture.
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This is "need to know."
>> Julie PHILIPP has been on vacation.
I am Peter IGLINSKI.
JOE ROBACH represents the 56th District in the New York State Senate that includes the towns of GREECE and most of the City of Rochester.
He is my guest for this segment.
Welcome.
>> Thank you, Peter.
I'm glad for the opportunity.
I would also like to say I enjoyed watching it and the in-depth nature of "need to know."
>> Let us start with the budget.
You cannot figure out how much to spend less you know how much you have.
How close is the Legislature to agreeing on revenues?
>> I think this year the issue will not so much be revenue, I think the governor is starting out with wanting to increase spending by 5%.
I think what the real debate is going to be is there are several areas where money is being diverted out of upstate New York and going to NYC.
The first and one of the biggest ones is in school aid.
Your show and many news outlets cover a good foundation formula announcement -- a formula that was supposed to run for four years to meet the needs of all schools already in the second year.
The government has suggested sticking money to the New York City school system and $20 million out of my region.
We want to change that.
The governor should live up to his pledge and promise that school aid recently in of the media has been going to transit spending up 5%.
9 percent cut suggested for our bus system.
It takes our poor people and our elderly and others who have no other means for transportation.
We like to rectify that.
We have increases and we would like a better share for ROCHESTER.
I will be leading this fight.
This particular year, office speeches and after the black and white budget, there are serious things that would hurt ROCHESTER in upstate New York.
We're hoping to rectify that before we get done with the budget.
We're working inside the cap of the budget revenue that the governor has given.
>> A couple of the priorities -- schools.
You mentioned the schools.
The town schools are sensitive before spending money because they lost much of the increase throughout the plan.
What can they expected this year?
>> Well, I'm working with every school district.
Parents, PTA groups, teachers, everyone across the process.
I want to make sure that I am doing and we're working together to make sure the state can do everything they can.
And also deliver what they promised.
Last year, we got the foundation paid spread out not only in New York City but across the state.
It led to record increases in Brighton, 13% increase, a 9% or 10% in the city of Rochester, big dollars went in.
We spent the most amount of money on K through 12 education.
And we want to keep that there but we also want to make sure that it is equitable.
I want to do all I can at my level of government to bring as much of that revenue back on a broad based cents.
To help school districts not only have a quality education but also to fill in in a avoid that being pushed.
With the governor coming out of that anticipating the second year revenue, and in some cases cutting back in half or 7% decrease to our areas.
Two $0.5 million away from the GREECE School district.
3 Million from the city school district.
That is not a good start.
We minimally have to fill that back in and rectify that.
Again, this should be easy to fix.
We all agreed that we have a four-year formula.
We're not spending less money but he is trying to drive more money to New York city.
That is unacceptable.
I'm not going to support a budget that treats the people in equitably here in Rochester where I get the honor and privilege to represent.
>> As you know, the school district -- and it is important for them to know how much they have to work with it -- will the state budget be done on time?
>> I am always hopeful.
As you know, I have been on many shows here across the whole state.
This is on budget reform.
We have had a Budget for three years in a row.
Two years with the previous governor.
Last year, were able to agree with the current executive.
We have a Budget done on time.
I am hopeful we will continue, but again, why we use conference committees and open it up and make it more transparent, that is not a lot.
It is still at the will of the leaders.
I'm hopeful that we can but, again, there are some big challenges this year.
I believe Tom in this is critically important, and I'm very concerned about some of the things that are in the budget.
I'm just hitting the big ones.
There are some other things that are also not good here.
There is also, despite the speech, the proof is that $1.7 billion in fees to people, businesses, working men and women, registering their car, even taxes and fees and health care which are very much opposed to, that the governor is proposing, I'm hoping that we can come to a compromise and everyone will listen to the other one and be willing to compromise.
Again, this idea, though, that has been put out by the executive, this is the budget, take it or leave it, it will add to spending.
He has to be willing to work in that cap so that we can all compromise and come to a good solution.
My job, and I know some people almost accuse me of it like it is something that and I think it is great, is to put the needs of Rochester first and foremost.
I've always done that and I will do exactly that again.
>> People upstate are excited about the billion dollar upstate revitalization fund.
Do you see that passing this year?
>> Yes.
Clearly, we have been really having big pools of capital money for the past six years.
Whether it is called one thing or the other, which is a lot of money through the Medical Center here, RIT, something called Empire State Development, we have had this historical, and I think everybody in the Legislature knows that is good.
What we want to make sure is, again, we maximize every dollar we possibly can.
There been some good projects outlined.
That is not part of the budget that we think will be so contentious.
I think it will be the other portion.
>> It has been a significant week for the state senate.
North country special election state Senate seat has been held for years by Republican and went to a Democrat.
What is the message?
>> You know what?
>> The margin is down 32 to 30.
>> I tend to be, ironically, I am not a very partisan person.
I am a very geographic person.
I think the message for me is to continue to get results and work for everybody.
I do point out that for someone who has been in both houses and has had a very different past, there is no doubt in my mind that the facts and shown that you have two leaders from Manhattan and New York city.
If you're the third one doing that, it will not go well for ROCHESTER and upstate New York.
We need people willing to stand up.
I have been independent putting ROCHESTER first.
We have to have that.
We have to have some leaders there that also believe in that mission.
First and foremost.
We should expect a full place at the table.
Not willing to take a table scraps, whether it is on resources for health care, education, economic development, or even policy.
And then the other thing I would point out, good or bad, our Senate Majority, the Republicans, upstate focused, have been the ones who demanded and got the star program, some degree of tax abatement to property-tax buyers, which is on everyone's mind in upstate New York.
It is not even an issue with my colleagues from New York city.
They say it openly.
It would even say that we think we ought to be taxing more.
I say let them do to down there.
Let them raise their property tax, which is very low compared to ours.
Multimillion-dollar properties paying less than the average house in ROCHESTER New York.
There are some real geographical differences and issues.
I think that is the message.
>> There's an interest in your seats right now.
Two Democrats have already announced.
What is possibly going to announce here.
That would make three Democrats.
What are your plans and they seem to be targeting your district.
>> They are really targeting the entire state.
The New York City group definitely wants to take over and control everything.
They offered me a job.
It would double my salary.
I turned them down.
There been threats and different things.
I have to do what is in the best interests of the people.
I have the honor and privilege of representing them.
The good dollars for me is all the people running -- I would not say all the people -- a lot of people running know how much I have even delivered for them in for the City of Rochester.
My running is not for ego or self service.
Otherwise it would take in the money.
We need an independent voice for ROCHESTER.
I think the public hear it knows that.
So I am ready for the challenge.
I think it is absolutely the right thing to do.
And in the best interests of the people who have given me the privilege of representing them over the last six years.
>> You're definitely running for reelection?
>> Right now, I'm focusing on the budget.
At the proper time, we'll get into politics.
I have a strong passion to make sure that our voice is heard.
Not controlled by any leaders.
People who are willing to stand up and challenge anybody.
I would do just that.
>> Thank you for being with us.
Thank you.
>> You can go online to listen to this interview and other segments.
Type in www.wxxi.org.
Click on the link for audio Podcast.
>> The community form was held last Tuesday night.
The goal was to counter the note snitching culture by encouraging people to cooperate with police investigations.
Joining me are pastor Marlowe Washington and the chair of the planning committee.
Welcome to the show.
>> Thank you.
>> You had a Tuesday forum that came in the big midst of a winter storm but it did not seem to turn people away.
You must have felt encouraged.
>> We were very encouraged.
We were feverishly trying to remove all the snow from the parking lots and the sidewalks and we were like, OK, what is going to happen?
The next thing you know is the floodgates opened.
We had a full House on Tuesday night.
>> Pastor MARLOWE, the bottom line is that people who cooperate with police investigations are being threatened, their families are being threatened, how do you begin to fight that fear?
>> Well, I tell everybody is a big elephant we have to take it down a little by little.
I think one of the ways in which we need to do it, that we should agree, is through law-enforcement.
I think we can work better if we can get cooperation between law enforcement and the community.
Since it is a big mistrust there, we need to begin to bridge the gap.
I think the church and its role is to bring the two factions together and begin to dialogue and talk.
And begin a strong campaign that begins to eliminate the fear to create different initiatives on how we can get the community to cooperate with the police and vice versa.
What's the very basic question -- what is it exactly that people are nervous about?
Are they never is that they think they're anonymous tip will stay anonymous?
>> Yes.
That is one thing.
Also that the police themselves at times snitch.
By the way, MARLOWE said that you were the one who was out there at the crack house or standing on that corner or whatever.
By the next week, you'll be attending my funeral.
There is a big fear that if I'm trying to do the thing, if I want to do the right thing, my name becomes public.
As an example, because judges will not close certain cases or close cases.
, therefore is open.
It is open to public scrutiny.
So there is a big intimidation factor because of those areas.
So I think what we're doing in terms of law enforcement from the police, even to the traditional family, it is obviously not working.
There has to be some kind of changes and readjustments in order for them to want to operate to the community and the police.
>> I'm guessing that they would be afraid that if they are privy to exclusive information, then the tip can easily be traced to that person.
>> Exactly.
And I think that is what they do not want.
They want to help, but of course people are fearful of their lives.
They're fearful of what is going on.
By doing something like this, and creating some kind of program or even suggesting to the law enforcement in traditional family that we have to change business.
We have to change the way we operate and what we do things.
I think we will start seeing a greater cooperation from the community to authorities.
>> What was the upshot of the meeting on Tuesday?
>> The fact that we came together as one.
As one community.
The Law Enforcement Council and the community of ROCHESTER, which came together as one.
And we opened up a dialogue.
We started talking, we started letting the law enforcement officers and know exactly what it was that our concerns were.
In the number one thing that came out of that meeting through some of the raw data was that the community wants to help the law enforcement.
They want to build that relationship.
And they want to have that trust.
But it is a two-way street.
>> Mission statement for the campaign is to change the method that law-enforcement comes to the community and minimize his fear and maximize the stress.
What should law enforcement do differently?
>> One of the things they can do is get to know the people in their community.
Get out of their cars.
Walk.
Talk to people.
Meet people.
Especially our youth.
A lot of them, they look at it as being us against them.
It has to be we.
It has to be we.
That is the first thing that should take place.
>> I like community policing.
I think that is where it takes to build a lot of trust and to build that friendly person walking down the store front and saying, hello, How are you doing?
We miss that.
A lot of people missed the friendliness of the police department.
One what it once was.
Not come up with anything new, go back to what really worked.
>> Obviously, the follow-up is important.
Immediately following up is important.
What is the next step?
>> Just like was mentioned, guest today, we had a big meeting.
Nazareth College just announced that we will have that data prepared for us by March 20.
At that point, we begin to develop the next stages of what we need to do in order to look at what it is that the community is saying.
And how we will put it in a neat package and begin to approach the elected leaders and approached the law enforcement leaders to begin to make systemic changes.
>> That no such culture in Baltimore is especially violent.
What needs to be done in Rochester, or are you concerned that we are approaching the tipping.
In this community?
>> I believe we are.
We both agreed that -- we would be beyond the tipping point.
FOX News Baltimore called me and spoke with me because they do not have anything like this in Baltimore.
There is a larger city down there with a lot of killing going on.
But nothing is taking place.
That was what one of the reporters shared with me.
I guess they picked it up over the wire and wanted to inquire about what it is that we're doing.
I said, hey, what we're doing is brand new.
This is not a model.
We're not going across the country looking -- this is because of the anger that we are experiencing and we are feeling in what we're doing.
I think what we need to do, I really believe we're plowing away, she slowly but surely, to really sit down and say, what really works?
How can we best implement what works?
>> Our people cooperating little bit more with police the same?
Are you seeing any sign that people are willing to cooperate with police investigations?
>> I think it is a little too early to gauge whether or not that is happening.
We've only been in existence for about two months now.
We are forming a partnership with the new 311 center that has its grand opening today.
We met with the officials from that center.
We're going to start measuring the types of calls that are coming in.
And we're going to see if there is any relationship between "you bet I told" and those phone calls.
>> What is going on with 311?
>> It is a campaign commitment that the mayor stated that he would do in trying to create a better customer relations system in the city.
And bring it under one umbrella.
That is a champion promise he fulfilled.
The 311 is the non-emergency response of people in the community and city want to call in about anything from crime to your refuge to what ever.
And report it and talk about it and get something done.
So for us, 311 becomes a better option and before we just had 911.
It was a fire, police, ambulance, and when he dispatched the police, but slowly when you see a heinous crime, you did not want a police car in front of your house.
Not with uniformed officers.
311 give you an opportunity to negotiate and remain anonymous in the process, which we never had before.
>> Pastor MARLOWE Washington, Ella Dean, thank you for being with us.
Time for a look at business with the Democrat chronicle.
>> Joining us is our business reporter.
The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was in town to try to urge the community to form collaboration's.
What would be different?
>> With the general counsel is trying to push it is this idea that right now when we're addressing community issues, business-related or societal, there are 15 under different priorities that this community has.
They are all sort of lost in the drone of being talked about.
What he is trying to do is push the idea of one group, one community-wide committee which has represented us all over the place from labor to business.
Faith based organizations, etc.
Sitting down and saying, here is our number one focus of our first couple of focuses.
Let us do some things to tackle those and then move on to Party member to and party No. 3.
It is really about simplification, narrowing of focus.
>> Is their commitment to do that?
>> That remains to be seen.
Basically, it is an idea.
He was out there this week throwing it on the table to the business community at large.
The next up is to see if some of the action picks up the flag and runs with it.
>> The NYC controller is not happy with the way that development agencies are reporting results.
What is the problem?
>> This is not the new criticism from the controller's office.
It is repeated criticism that they brought up for some time.
There are about 116 including the one in Monroe County, and there is not very good tabs' kept on the job promises that are made.
Companies getting a tax break and then saying that they will create 50 jobs or what have you.
There's not much on whether the company is following through in exchange for the tax breaks.
That is where the controller is raising the concern.
It is interesting that criticism comes at a time when the Center for government to research came out with a new report earlier this month talking about how ida's are creating jobs in the state and doing a great job.
That was in response to earlier study by an activist group saying that ida's are doing a poor job.
>> One year after going public, there was significant growth.
It seems like it is one good decision after another.
>> 2007 will be tough to beat.
It will probably looking back on 2007 For years going, remember the golden days?
The company went public this year.
It bought another firm which is what led to the public.
It made the announcement about we're going to put a new corporate headquarters in downtown Rochester.
It made this announcement that we're going to by McLeod U.S.A.
This Iowa-based telecommunications firm with a massive fiber optic network nationwide that really expanded the footprint of the market hugely.
2007 was a really something that caused them to push the envelope.
They got a higher profile.
>> Quickly, domestic auto dealers are feeling the pinch from foreign competitors.
What is the take in Rochester?
>> This comes at the time, right now, where the annual auto show is at the convention center.
What you have is a situation where, the Tivoli Chrysler and GM, there in the midst of these big plans and pushes to try to consolidate the number of dealers across the country, including ROCHESTER, where the dealerships are selling their vehicles.
In Rochester, there are 10 or 11 Chrysler dealerships around here.
Chevrolet dealerships.
There are only four Toyota dealerships.
If you get market share, Toyota is gaining and Chevrolet is losing.
What this means is there is a lot of pressure to consolidate or close.
If you're selling domestic cars.
>> That is it for this edition of "need to know."
Thank you for joining us.
>> Previous broadcasts can be seen if you have time Warner's on demand service.
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Then you will find the selection of recent "need to know" programs.