“New York state leads the nation in outmigration,” said Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R, C, I-Red Hook), one of the sponsors of the RemaiNY “road show.” “We’re losing our kids.” And though hard figures are hard to find for Columbia County, according to Todd Ehrling of the Columbia-Hudson Partnership, his research suggests that “the glass is half full.”
Ehrling suggested that the county was holding its own. In an audience that included Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera, Columbia Greene-Community College President Jim Campion, Democratic Senate candidate Ken Dow, and a host of economic planners and business men and women, it seemed clear that whether half-full or half-empty, the local economic glass could use replenishment.

Joining Molinaro at the head table were his assembly colleagues Pete Lopez (R, C, I-Schoharie) and Jack Quinn (R, C, I-Hamburg), each of whom expressed concern about the “brain drain” in the state. The trio are conducting a series of forums on the brain drain question all over the state but seem not to want to talk about the essential problem. “We know that property taxes and the cost of doing business in the state are the two overriding issues,” admitted Molinaro, “but we want to focus on quality of life issues, including jobs. Good jobs and how to get them.”   

They invited Tina Sharpe, head of Columbia Opportunities, David Paciencia, interim superintendent for the Hudson City School District, and Mike Sullivan, a partner at Crawford & Associates Engineering, to address the brain drain issue locally.

The three assemblymen have been on their tour for several months, visiting venues all over the state, from Syracuse to Long Island, and they hope to have a list of action plan ideas by the end of the year. 

“There is a drum beat of people leaving the state,” said Lopez, whose district includes primarily Greene and Schoharie counties but extends across the river to include five towns in southern Columbia County. “Unless we find people jobs, we will continue to lose people.” 

Jack Quinn, who represents Buffalo in the legislature, believed that there was “far too much pressure” on kids to go to college. “Being in the trades is important,” he said, urging a greater focus in high school on vocational training. 

Dave Paciencia, interim superintendent for the Hudson City School District, suggested that the most important thing was “attitude.” And he encouraged the group to think positively about the region. “I’m an optimist, not a pessimist,” said Paciencia, who has had twenty-three years of experience as a school superintendent and ten years of experience as a teacher. “Everyone thinks that the opportunities are ‘somewhere else,’” he told the group of local business leaders.  “But we have opportunities right here. It’s about attitude, not money.” 

Paciencia suggested that “we are all part of education” and encouraged his audience to get involved in the local schools, including running for school board. He also offered several practical suggestions, including encouraging local businesses to use school facilities and equipment during downtime. “We want to open our doors to the business community,” he said. “Two thirds of the time our computer equipment is idle. They could be used for start businesses.”   

Tina Sharpe, a Columbia County native, talked about leaving the area, but “came back in order to give back.” She has now been with Columbia Opportunities for twenty years. And her concerns were with the “growing homelessness” and “lack of affordable housing” in the area. She pointed out that all homeowners already benefit from “subsidized housing” by virtue of the mortgage interest deduction given them by the federal government. Sharpe spoke in detail about the new “workforce” housing development in Hudson, Crosswinds, which has seventy units ranging in price from $575 to $675 per month and are “beyond wonderful.” 

Mike Sullivan offered an interesting peek into the demographics of a business. He said that Crawford & Associates has a staff of some thirty engineers, most of them young, and that it’s difficult to keep them here. “Many are young and single, and they miss a more vibrant nightlife.” Sixteen of the current staff of twenty-eight live outside Columbia County. Those with school-age children were, for the most part, not sending them to local schools. “School reputation is important,” said Sullivan. 

From the audience, Art Baer, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors (R-Hillsdale), cited a recent Cornell University study that concluded that New York could not be competitive in the job market unless it improved its infrastructure and reined in its unfunded mandates. Former Hudson City Council member Sarah Sterling noted that many people, including two of her children, are coming to the area because they are “burned out” from the city. “We have to think about those people as well, older people.” 

Molinaro said that the road trip would continue for several more weeks and promised that he and his colleagues would go back to the Assembly and develop an action plan for keeping young people in the state by the end of the year.