Common Council renews Charter Spectrum deal, recognizes Lunar New Year as school holiday

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The Syracuse Common Council finalized the renewal of a 10-year deal with Charter Spectrum to provide its cable television services to Syracuse residents during its Monday afternoon meeting.

The Common Council held a public hearing regarding the renewal of the deal, where Marty Nave, a Syracuse resident, voiced his dissatisfaction with Spectrum and the city’s deal with the company. Nave, a Democrat, is running to represent District 1 of the Common Council in its upcoming election and won the Democratic primary in June.

“I feel that Spectrum has created a monopoly, and that the taxpayers are being overcharged,” Nave said.

Nave said the monthly price of cable television has risen to an unsustainable rate, saying that his cable bill was once just $15 per month. Now, many residents can’t afford to pay their cable bill, he said.

The council introduced the deal during its Sept. 18 meeting. As part of the agreement, Spectrum will continue to pay the maximum possible franchise fee of 5% to the city of Syracuse. The council passed the renewal unanimously.

At the end of the meeting, Councilor Chol Majok, who represents District 3, recognized Gov. Kathy Hochul’s legislation that designated Lunar New Year as a statewide public school holiday. Hochul signed the bill on Sept. 11. The first day of the upcoming Lunar New Year will be Feb. 10, 2024.

The Council’s meeting agenda referred to the passing of the bill as “an important step in acknowledging the contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities to the rich cultural diversity of New York State.”

Lining He, the president and director of fundraising of the Syracuse chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, came to the meeting to speak about the bill. Lining — who previously interned for William Colton, the New York State Assembly member who sponsored the bill — said the effort to make Lunar New Year a statewide public school holiday had been ongoing for 15 years.

“Lunar New Year is not a new year just for the Chinese or the Vietnamese or any particular culture,” Lining said. “Let’s celebrate Lunar New Year all together. The key of this holiday is sharing — sharing of love, sharing good food, and sharing of hospitality.”

Other business:

• Common Councilor At-Large Rita Paniagua proposed an amendment to an agreement with the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities Initiative. The initiative, which was originally launched in August 2021, educates residents about COVID-19 vaccination and opportunities for immunization, according to the meeting notes. The amendment passed unanimously.
• The agreement originally received $700,000 in city funding, but with today’s meeting, the funding has now been amended to $1,799,436. The CDC announced a new recommendation that Americans aged 6 months and older receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 12.
• The city will be installing an honorary street sign for Michael Yorton, who owned the now-closed Blue Tusk bar in Armory Square. Yorton, a lifelong Syracuse resident, died in November 2022 at the age of 49. Councilor Latoya Allen of District 4 introduced the legislation, and the council approved it unanimously.