Recent Comments
Re: “Downtown's patron saint”
Patron Saint of downtown? Seriously? Could this interview be any more one sided?
When I saw the cover of City Newspaper I was stunned. I thought sure, this is going to be a puff piece. .
It is hard to get the true story out of corporations but I think it is time for developers to pay their own way rather than sucking up our diminishing resources.
There is nothing in this piece about all the money that Buckingham Properties taken from the city, county and NYS. There is nothing about the purchase of valuable real estate from the city for pennies on the dollar, if that. Nothing about the failed job development that caused Buckingham Properties to have tax incentives taken away by NY State. Most companies don't hire new employees when they move they just shift them around from place to place and get tax breaks.
Fair and balanced article? I think not.
The city and all the taxpayers are paying for a lot of these projects in the city.
Below is an excerpt from the article in The Rochester Business Journal with the link to the article included below.
The board's thumbs-down came May 4, upholding regulatory changes included in then-Gov. David Paterson's 2009-10 state budget. The decision was backed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of the Empire State Development Corp.
"The Cuomo administration has been clear that it views the Empire Zone program as a waste of taxpayer dollars, and we moved aggressively to eliminate the program," Adams said in a statement. "Therefore, I am pleased with the decisions by the Empire Zone Designation Board not to overturn the original decertifications by the commissioner."
Adams, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State Inc. from 2006 through 2010, was recruited by Cuomo to lead the ESDC in January 2011, replacing Pittsford resident Dennis Mullen.
"Applications were reviewed in a thorough and open process, and now a final decision has been reached by the board to affirm the decertification of businesses that were not in compliance with the requirements of the Empire Zone program," Adams said.
The three Buckingham Properties sites were among those decertified three years ago by the ESDC.
"We've been fighting it since 2009," said Laurence Glazer, Buckingham Properties CEO, of the ruling. "They were in place. They were halfway through, or two-thirds of the way through, the whole program."
Tax breaks for the 33 entities were quashed after they were decertified by the ESDC for failing to meet newly imposed requirements for job creation and capital investment.
All Empire Zone participants were reviewed by the ESDC in 2009 to determine whether workers and/or real estate were transferred to a business with similar ownership and whether investments met program standards.
Manufacturers were required to generate $10 in wages, benefits and capital investments for every $1 in tax credits to be accepted into the program, the 2009-10 budget stated. Non-manufacturers in Empire Zones were required to show a projected ratio of $20-to-$1.
http://www.rbj.net/print_article.asp?aID=191551
Re: “Keep Louise Slaughter”
Louise Slaughter is the most qualified candidate, her vast experience is needed, her knowledge and Congressional experience are priceless. Let's see, Gates Town Supervisor for 4 years against Louise Slaughter's knowledge. No contest, Louise Slaughter wins! I am also tired of the Republican's many failed attempt to limit health care, deny voter's their rights, making up false claims against the president and their questionable ethics in accepting money from corporations and special interest groups who benefit from their connections with politicians to get what they want. Vote for Louise who truly works for the people.