Keepin' The Money Flowin'

While Salt(ed) City's contributors have their own political opinions, just like anyone else, the point of this blog is definitely not to air them. We want to stay on task with discussing smart, innovative, realistic-yet-imaginative ways to spur economic development in the 'Cuse. But, inevitably, politics does creep in from time to time.

Let me make this one point. Congressman Walsh's narrow brush with electoral defeat this week would not have boded well for Syracuse from a cold, hard cash perspective. Regardless of what one might think of the process of earmarking (a lovely euphemism for members of Congress inserting provisions in giant spending bills for money to be directed to pet projects in their districts), Syracuse has benefited greatly from Walsh's position as chairman of a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Even as ranking minority member, a position he will assume in the next Congress in January, he will have far more influence over helping out the 'Cuse with federal dollars than Dan Maffei would as a freshman Congressman.

I'm not saying that the ability to funnel money from the feds back home should be our primary criteria in electing officials (I don't think that at all). Nor am I endorsing earmarking - or, as some might say, pork barrel spending - as an ideal element of the federal budgeting process (actually, I think it's pretty troubling). But speaking objectively as possible, Rep. Walsh has done a lot for this city, and many good projects - including the long awaited clean-up of Onondaga Lake - are owed in large measure to his influence.

We can and should have a vigorous debate over who represents us in Washington. And we must weigh many, many factors in our decision. But, as a current resident of the DC metro area, I'm just saying we must also be politically astute, and recognize the way things work inside the Beltway.