STATE OF NEW YORK FOR RELEASE:
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER IMMEDIATE, Tuesday
ELIOT SPITZER, GOVERNOR January 2, 2007
Contact: Christine Anderson
518-474-8418
RENEW NEW YORK AGENDA SEEKS UPSTATE TURNAROUND
Governor Eliot Spitzer today announces a major new effort to spark an
economic resurgence in Upstate New York.
“We are making a commitment at the start of the new administration to do
something about a long-standing problem that affects millions of New
Yorkers,” Governor Spitzer said. “The turnaround we seek won’t be easy and
won’t occur immediately, but we will keep at it until the job is done.”
As part of the effort, the new Governor promised to report each year on the
State of the Upstate in conjunction with his Annual Message to the
Legislature. This presentation will track the progress of specific
initiatives designed to strengthen the region’s economy.
In 2007, the administration will focus on a series of measures that emerged
as top priorities in consultation with regional officials during the
gubernatorial campaign. These measures will be aimed at creating an
innovation economy, reducing costs and investing in infrastructure. These
measures include:
* Implementing a major property tax reduction targeting most of its
benefits to the middle class;
* Designating an Upstate Chair of the Empire State Development Corp (ESDC)
and Upstate headquarters in Buffalo;
* Significantly expand State aid to distressed upstate cities and towns.
With this new aid, we will require municipalities to practice better
financial management and make stronger efforts to achieve governmental
efficiencies;
* Reforming mandates like Wicks Law and Workers Comp;
* Launching a Universal Broadband Initiative that will ensure that New
Yorkers in upstate cities and rural towns have access to affordable,
high-speed Internet service;
* Expediting key infrastructure projects that will help the entire region,
such as the Peace Bridge expansion;
* Fixing the State’s brownfields program that prepares former industrial
sites for redevelopment;
* Providing new assistance to small businesses that create the majority of
new jobs;
* Implementing a comprehensive plan that promotes enjoyment of outdoor
activities and stimulates tourism in Upstate New York;
* Convene an emergency preparedness summit of state and local officials;
and
* Expanding aid to Upstate schools.
“The vision and goal of this effort is to tackle the underlying structural
problems, make strategic investments and develop new engines of economic
growth throughout the region,” Governor Spitzer said.
On January 1, the Governor signed a series of executive orders establishing
higher ethical standards for the administration. The Renew New York Agenda
is the first program announcement for the new administration.
#
2007 Upstate Agenda
Renew New York
Upstate New York used to be an economic leader. Its cities and towns were
vibrant manufacturing centers that powered the nation’s emergence as an
industrial giant.
But today, the once roaring factories are silent and plywood on storefronts
is an all-too common sight. There has been a decades-long decline in the
region, an exodus of jobs and people that has left scores of communities on
the verge of bankruptcy.
Perhaps the most telling statistic is that the region lost more than 30
percent of young people between ages of 25-34 during the last decade.
No one disputes these difficult conditions and everyone wants to see
change. And yet, little has been done to address the negative economic and
demographic trends that plague the region.
It is a top priority for the Spitzer administration to reverse this decline
and bring about a true resurgence in Upstate New York. As part of this
effort, the Spitzer administration will take the following administrative
and legislative actions in 2007:
1. State of the Upstate
The Governor will report each year on the State of the Upstate in
conjunction with his Annual Message to the Legislature. This report will be
prepared by a group senior administration officials dedicated to
implementing programs and policies that address the underlying structural
problems in the region.
2. Property Tax Cuts
The administration will implement a 3-year, $6 billion property tax
reduction plan that targets most of its benefits to the middle class.
Middle class young people have left the state in large numbers in recent
years.
3. Job Creation
The Governor will appoint an Upstate Economic Development Czar, who,
working from offices in Buffalo, will be responsible for refocusing
economic development programs and resources to meet upstate needs.
4. Aid to distressed upstate cities and towns
The administration will significantly expand the States Aid and Incentives
to Municipalities program and concentrate that aid on Upstates most
struggling cities. This new aid will be tied to critical belt-tightening
measures that will set the municipalities on a path toward long-term fiscal
stability.
5. Reforming Mandates
The State will do its part by reforming mandates such as the Wicks Law and
Workers Comp that impose undue costs.
6. Small Business
The administration will take a number of steps to assist small businesses,
which are the source of most of the job creation in New York today. It will
work to reduce workers compensation and health care costs, and create a
Stem Cell and Innovation Fund to help create and retain start-up firms.
7. Universal Broadband Initiative
The administration will launch a universal broadband initiative to ensure
that New Yorkers in distressed upstate cities and rural towns will have
access to affordable, high-speed Internet.
8. Infrastructure Enhancement
The administration will prioritize and advance regional infrastructure
initiatives including: the Peace Bridge expansion, Fort Drum connector and
the conversion of Route 17 into Interstate 86.
9. Energy
The administration will revamp low-cost power programs and look to expand
generating capacity throughout the state. In addition, it will make a
concerted effort to increase the number of wind turbines sited in upstate
New York and other renewable technologies.
10. Brownfields
The Governor will direct the Empire State Development Corporation and the
Department of Environmental Conservation to fix the lagging brownfields
program to ensure shovel-ready land for development, while also protecting
public health and natural resources.
11. Upstate Crime Initiative
The Governor will create an interagency task force and expand state
assistance to combat violent crime, drug trafficking and gang activity in
upstate cities.
12. Agriculture
The Governor will create a Pride of New York Wholesalers Market in New York
City for upstate farmers to connect to downstate markets. The Governor
will also expand the Environmental Protection Fund to protect prime
farmland from being consumed by suburban sprawl.
13. Outdoor Agenda
The administration will implement a comprehensive plan for promoting
enjoyment of outdoor activities and tourism in upstate New York.
14. Emergency Preparedness Planning Summit
The administration will convene a summit of state and local officials to
develop plans to deal
with persistent flooding in the Southern Tier. The effort will be led by
the State Emergency Management Office.
15. School Aid
The administration will significantly increase education investment to
distressed cities and towns under a new school-aid formula.
***
Details of these and other initiatives will be provided in the Executive
Budget presentation later this month.
