Snow Covered City in Upstate, NY Hopes for Change in ’08 Election

Fulton Residents Highlight the Economy, Immigration

Melissa J. Hipolit NCC News Syracuse Reporting

Like many small cities in the northeast, Fulton, New York is in need of an economic boost. And, while its residents aren’t sure a new president can bring immediate help to Fulton, they are hoping a fresh face in the White House can improve the United States economy as a whole.

Struggling Economy

Fulton’s iconic Nestle Chocolate plant closed its doors in 2003, and has yet to reopen.  Miller Brewing and Sunoco had factories in Fulton, but both closed their doors in the 1990s. “We lost all our industry.  Our taxes are real high.  We need to do something to draw industry back into New York state,” said Fulton resident Jerry Schremp. Moreover, the city has a declining population, and an increasing number of low-income residents.  More than 40 percent of houses in Fulton are rented, not owned.

Campaign Issues

Mimi’s Restaurant is a diner in Fulton where people hide out from the cold to discuss everything from football to the presidential primaries.  Linda Edwards often eats lunch at Mimi’s with her husband Doug, and their friends Robert and Meg Carnes.  The two couples sit on opposite sides of the table, and the political spectrum—Ms. Edwards voted for George Bush in 2004, while Mr. Carnes describes himself as a democrat.  The remaining presidential candidates are a hot topic of discussion among the group.  “We’re coming to each other because we have a common problem. And, so, we don’t have heated debates over this,” said retired philosophy professor Mr. Carnes.  Nobody seems completely sold on any of the candidates. “I see no one emerging as this great leader.  Someone that is strong.  Has common sense,” offered Ms. Edwards.  “Who has ideas,” echoed Mr. Carnes.  Ms. Edwards is retired from Constellation Energy in Oswego and describes herself as middle class.  “You used to be able to enjoy life, and now you have to watch every little penny and thank God you’ve got it to watch.  And, you see so many others who have no health insurance,” said Ms. Edwards.

Nestle

Fulton Mayor Ronald Woodward Sr. is a former Nestle employee along with several members of his family.  He remembers a time when a young person could graduate from high school and get a good paying job at a local factory.  But now,  “the blue collar era is pretty much over,” he said. The closure of the Nestle plant greatly hurt the Fulton economy.  “When Nestle closed, we lost $22 million a year in payroll to the community,” said Mayor Woodward.

Weather

Mother nature is also hurting the Fulton economy.  Fulton sits in the path of lake effect snow from Lake Ontario, and is consistently buried under a mountain of snow.  “In the Northeast, it costs more to do business, even as a municipality, because you have long winters.  Buildings don’t last as long, maintenance is higher, street maintenance is much higher than it is in the South and West, where you don’t get winters,” according to Mayor Woodward.

Immigration

Just outside of Fulton in Oswego County is farm country.  Here, one can find immigrant workers from all over Latin America working on farms, including Morris Sorbello’s onion farm. Sorbello’s father came to America from Italy in the 1920s, and worked his way up from a tenant farmer to a farm owner.  Sorbello says he’s looking for a president who will start documenting workers.  “We need somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 people to run this line here.  I can probably get five local people to do it, and the rest have to be somebody comin’ from Mexico or Guatemala,” Sorbello said.

Candidates and Small Towns

Mayor Woodward says the presidential candidates should care about the issues people in Fulton are talking about—like the economy and immigration—because they are universal across the country.  “The small towns make up America.  They are the grassroots,” said Mayor Woodward.  Suggesting that as the candidates criss-cross the countryside, they can be sure people are talking about the issues on Main Street, and on the farm, and in the diner.  Especially, here, in Fulton, where year-after-year residents can be found digging out from debilitating snowfalls. And change is everything.