“Over six years, this county executive has had over $150 million to work with,” Hennessy said. He just wants a fair playing field and now that the Oneida Indian Nation is paying $19 million to the county, Hennessy wants the money to go to smaller communities. When asked by a local resident if he would be tough on the Nation, Hennessy said he wasn’t going to be tough, but instead fair. I’ll be calling for a referendum on that.” And if Utica wants that to happen, I think the residents should vote on it and go one way or another. “That’s fine if you want minimum wage jobs, if you want social service costs to rise and if you want crime to rise,” Hennessy said. One of the issues Hennessy touched on is the Oneida Indian Nation and the possibility of a new casino in the Utica area. Hennessy hopes by creating a better job market and getting taxes under control, Oneida County can be a better place to live and a place people want to live. Hennessy said it isn’t right that the county invests so much into the education of its children, only for them to leave in search of a better life. He said Picente requires two phone systems for the Utica and New Hartford fire departments, while the county only pays for one.Īnother issue Hennessy said he’d like to discuss is the future of children in Oneida County and how people are leaving for new opportunities instead of staying in New York. Hennessy pointed at Picente and chastised the county executive for forcing local fire departments to pay unneeded expenses. “We, the public, have been dealt out,” Hennessy said.
In 2015, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente ran unopposed. Hennessy said he wants to give residents a choice in the democratic process. He also served four terms on the Oneida County Board of Legislators. Hennessy served as the city of Sherrill commissioner from 2012-16. Hennessy said with his business background, he wants to try and turn a new corner by cutting taxes, cutting spending and being more fiscally responsible. On Tuesday, April 16 at the Spaghetti Factory in Verona Beach, Hennessy sat down with around 30 people and outlined his platform. Hennessy said while he is not against the new downtown hospital, he wants to sit down and crunch the numbers first before coming to a conclusion. Oneida County put $60 million towards the construction of the campus, which is opposed by some Utica residents who feel it is impacting the character of the city and removing resources from St. The Mohawk Valley Health System has begun building a new hospital campus in downtown Utica. Lost jobs, bankruptcies at record rates and we’re at $155 million in debt, with another $50 million to $60 million from the hospital. “In the greatest economic recovery this state and country have succeeded in, Oneida County has not. “The people of Oneida County have had a difficult time these last 10 years,” Hennessy said. – Mike Hennessy said it’s time for change and has thrown his hat into the race for Oneida County Executive in the 2020 election.
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