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Highlighting Syracuse Happenings

By Lauren L. Kincaid, Syracuse Chapter President

I hope everyone is holding up through the busy season. By the time this article is published, the deadline will be upon us again. They seem to go by quicker and quicker. Since it is such a busy time of year for all of us, I do not have much to report, but there are a few events to highlight.

On Feb. 18, the Young CPA Committee hosted the annual Syracuse Crunch Night. There was a record turnout of approximately 80, including members and their friends and family. The interest in this event has grown over the years, and attendance has increased. This is a nice break from the busy season and gives members a chance to network with fellow professionals or spend an evening with friends and families. I would like to thank Michelle Taylor (Fagliarone Group CPAs) from the Young CPA Committee for coordinating this event. I know it’s a busy time of year and it’s greatly appreciated when members are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to support Society events.

On March 1, The Post-Standard, Syracuse’s local newspaper, hosted its annual tax hotline, which was manned by 11 local CPAs. The hotline is a chance for local taxpayers to call in with tax questions and get professional advice free of charge. The phone lines were open from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The questions ranged from simple questions regarding what lines to put pension distributions on and how to treat capital gain dividends to more complex tax questions such as how to treat timber sales. I would like to thank the following firms and their team members for donating their time during the busy season: Marty Knapp and Stephanie Bardekoff (Testone, Marshall & Discenza LLP); Michele Dickey and Tracy Buchester (Fagliarone Group CPAs); Carolyn Lawless and Karen Hovey (Grimaldi & Nelkin CPAs); Adam Panek, Paul Mahalick and Craig Christo (Green & Seifter CPAs PLLC), and Dave Prusinowski and Jim Corcoran (Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa PC). I know local taxpayers appreciate the advice and expertise that they might not be able to access easily if not offered by the panel.

The statewide subcommittee on Developing Relationships Between Accountants and Lawyers is looking for local members interested in exploring ways for attorneys and accountants to work in cooperation with each other to enhance our delivery of quality professional services. If you are interested and feel you can make a contribution to this effort, please contact Stephen A. Linker at 516-729-0895 or at salinker@aol.com.

Well, that will do it for now. I have to run and prepare a few more extensions. By the time you’re reading the next president’s message, the tax season will be behind us and we’ll have another year of events to bring to all of our members.

Remember that we are always looking for suggestions on events to add to our schedule, so please feel free to contact me at 315-472-7045 or at lkincaid@fmfecpa.com with any concerns and/or suggestions you might have for the chapter.