Even at hospital shindig, political wounds don’t heal
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Upbeat music played in the distance in anticipation of the arrival of New York state Gov. Kathy Hochul last week in Fredonia at the East Main Street site where a new north county hospital is being constructed. With the location basking in the sun, more than 100 community members and local officials were seated at the ceremony that celebrated a ground-breaking that was a decade in the making.
Once the project for a new Brooks-TLC Hospital and partnership with Kaleida Health was first announced by the state in March 2016, there were plenty of doubts the $223 million facility would ever occur. Debates over site selection and fears regarding whether Albany would come through with its promise of $74 million in funding were two of the dilemmas.
Add in a national trend that included 146 hospitals in rural counties being closed or converted to non-acute care and it was obvious why the worries were warranted. Care centers in smaller communities continue to struggle financially, according to a 2025 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Brooks-TLC is certainly in that mix. From 2018 to 2021, the hospital reported deficits that totaled more than $55 million during that time period.
Without the commitment of New York state and assistance from Kaleida, there might not be a future for the health-care provider. Hochul's visit in 2024 to the State University of New York at Fredonia made the project a reality. Her stop here last week marked its progress, while also spotlighting a continuing divide.
Less than 24 hours earlier, popular state Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor had held a town hall meeting 12 miles away in Silver Creek that was attended by about 40 residents. Both officials offered an update on Albany's spending -- about $277 billion for the fiscal year -- as well as its policies while taking questions.
Borrello also noted at the beginning of his session that the Empire State has lost a lot of its balance. Before 2019, the Democrats had the advantage in the Assembly while the Republicans had the edge in the Senate.
Differing parties at the helm of each legislative branch brought more accountability. It also encouraged communication. Instead of discussing issues with criticism, those elected had to have a conversation to find a common ground.
One party control, however, can become expensive. With Democrats holding the purse strings, Borrello said, Albany's spending has increased by $109 billion over the last eight years - or nearly 40%.
That's an unpopular message for big blue.
One glance at the governor's north county gatherings -- at both the hospital steel-signing ceremony and the affordable housing news conference in Dunkirk -- shows a large sector of local Democrats. Neither Borrello or Molitor were there.
This is not a criticism. It is a reality.
Ten years ago, the two parties were not always on the same page but they were visible together. In 2013, when former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to Dunkirk to discuss a potential NRG repowering project, he went out of his way to praise the efforts of former Sen. Catharine Young and Assemblyman Andrew Goodell -- both Republicans -- for their diligence and hours of work.
Cuomo did it again in 2016. In announcing the Athenex project, which is now in ImmunityBio's control -- he included the Republican Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan while allowing then U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, another from the GOP, the courtesy of addressing the crowd at Dunkirk High School.
Similar acts of bipartisanship are not evident today.
Both Goodell and Borrello played important roles in the progress of the Brooks-TLC project by commissioning a report in 2022 that called the new building “essential.” Yet their work seems forgotten.
One non-Democrat visible at both Hochul ceremonies in the north county last week was Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel. Despite his numerous criticisms of Albany, Wendel has mastered an ability to dictate local Republican policy while maintaining a non-combative relationship with Hochul that dates back to numerous COVID conferences in 2020.
But this is an election year. With more than 10 weeks to go before voting begins, accusations and tensions from both sides will become louder.
For the moment, however, we can all rest easier knowing the new hospital is a reality -- with a big thanks to Hochul and the work of all local representatives.
John D'Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and the Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.