Doing the Right Thing

We can't be all things to all people, but we try to be the best we can for you.

At a recent meeting of the Business First Political Action Committee, one of the PAC’s local members noted that it is hard for the business community to attend the wide range of seemingly non-stop board and council meetings to advocate for a business friendly environment. There are literally dozens of local boards and commissions that have the power to take actions of direct and indirect impact on our members.

For instance, the Washington and Warren County Boards of Supervisors meet during the day as do most of their committees which is when most business executives are focused on their day jobs, meeting payroll, making sales and serving their customers and clients.

"We realize that the world is run by those who show up and it is our job to show up whenever a decision is being made that will positively or negatively impact our members and our region’s economy," states Todd Shimkus , CCE, President/CEO of the ARCC. "As an advocate for the region’s business community, we don’t always take the most popular or politically expedient positions and there are certainly times where some in government will perceive us as the antagonist. We continuously strive to be a resource and to make our case on the merits of the evidence we have but this strategy doesn’t always work."

So what has the ARCC done lately in the role of advocate
(that has not caused a public sensation) …



Platforms and Big Ears -
(Not shoes and parts of the body, places and people.)
Our region is often overlooked or lumped in with places hundreds of miles away, slowly but surely, we have created a legitimacy to our region, actually appearing on the radar of politicians and others who can help us achieve the changes we need locally.

• I Live NY – On a Tuesday afternoon in August, the Governor’s office called and asked if the ARCC would be willing to put together a program for some of its members with the Governor’s wife Silda Wall Spitzer. Mrs. Spitzer is heading up an effort entitled "I Live NY " to identify strategies to reverse the Upstate "brain drain." Within a matter of hours, we had organized a focus group of area business and educational leaders with the help of Dr. Ronald Heacock, ACC’s new President, for the following week.The discussion itself was wide ranging with a great many suggestions made that are likely to influence the work of the Governor’s task force.

Advocating for function and form -
(Known for our forest, we can't forget the trees...
or the sidewalks, or the bus stops or the storefronts)
Realizing that sometimes the along the journey to progress even the most well-intentioned lose sight of the details, we endeavor to remind decision makers how we look from the outside looking in.

• Trolley Stops in Queensbury – On a Monday evening, in July, the ARCC attended a Queensbury Town Board workshop along with Scott Sopczyk of the Greater Glens Falls Transit Authority to seek the Town Board’s assistance with installing covered trolley/bus stops along Route 9. The ARCC and the Transit Authority were looking for the Town’s assistance in identifying and securing permission from property owners in ideal locations for these stops to allow for their installation as well as a means for funding this project. The goal is to provide a better, more convenient and more welcoming public transit system for tourists, visitors, residents and workers that use the trolley’s over the summer and now must wait on grassy knolls and street corners for the next trolley or bus to come along rain or shine.

A Powerful Voice -
(Not speaking louder, but stronger and reaching farther.)
By creating a shared literacy, within a dedicated group of respected professionals, of subjects that directly impact our region, the potential for getting the ear of people in positions capable of effecting change is increased.

• Regional planning in Washington County – On a Thursday afternoon, in August, a group of business and educational leaders who had taken part in the ARCC’s Intercity Visit to Hillsboro, Oregon, delivered a power point presentation and open discussion about what was seen and learned from this trip to the members of the Washington County Board of Supervisors.The Supervisors were given an opportunity to hear this presentation and to ask questions as part of the delegations outreach program to begin a dialogue about the types of actions our region might consider taking to improve its ability to achieve economic growth while enhancing our region’s extraordinary quality of life just as Hillsboro has done over the last 30 years.

Big Presence for Small Business-
(Big responsibility, little free time.)
The individuals who often need to speak the loudest are rarely free to leave the counter to speak up for themselves, we try to attend meetings in their stead.

• Sales Tax in Warren County – On a Wednesday morning, in August, the ARCC’s professional staff attended a meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisor’s Ad Hoc Sales Tax Committee. This committee has spent several months studying the costs and benefits of increasing Warren County ’s sales tax by 1 percent. The ARCC has attended each of the committee sessions held during this time and has repeatedly and publicly expressed its opposition to this tax increase. The ARCC has consistently noted that the way to control property taxes in Warren County is NOT to increase the sales tax but to better manage spending in the first place.

Fighting to Pave a Way -
(Because we think the accountable need to be held accountable.)
We are an organization driven by a dedication to helping small business. We are also families, tax payers, small business owners, parents and passionate individuals. We want the best for our region on many levels.

• Tech Meadows in Glens Falls – Over a couple of days in August, the ARCC wrote a letter and emailed the Mayor and members of the Glens Falls Common Council, the Glens Falls Local Development Corporation and the Glens Falls Industrial Development Agency urging the City to take whatever action is necessary to allow for more flexibility in uses of the City’s Tech Meadows property. This advocacy campaign began in response to the City rejecting one or more large scale development proposals for this land because the uses were not for technology companies. Either of these proposed uses, however, would have led to the City and the Glens Falls School District realizing hundreds of thousands of dollars of new property tax revenue at a time when the City desperately needs money to provide vital services and to fix aging infrastructure.

Safety -
(A hot button issue, but a little heat never scared us.)
Whether it's workplace safety, something related to our region's youth, or the safety of our visitors, we advocate vociferously for the greatest measures taken to protect those we serve.

• Cell Service along the Northway – In June, the ARCC promoted AAA’s letter writing campaign to the Governor’s office regarding the urgent need for cell service along the Northway. The ARCC reached out to its members via broadcast email. Those interested members who received this email in turn contacted the Governor’s office directly helping AAA generate thousands of signatories on their petitions.



These are just a few of the examples we can offer.

"Many times we simply make phone calls to advise elected officials of information we have that will help them to make the best decision," added Shimkus. "Other times we are able to partner with them and provide technical advisors to various committees they may form to deal with particularly complex issues. Yet the bottom line is that we’re willing to be a partner, a resource, an advisor and an advocate and to utilize every avenue we can think of to advance a public policy agenda that will help local companies to succeed, grow and thrive and to enable our region to expand economic opportunity."