State Sen. George Winner (R-C-I, Elmira) is asking area residents for their opinion on a plan by Gov. David Paterson to eliminate New York’s Empire Zone economic development program.
In his State of the State message to the Legislature on Jan. 6, Paterson again called for dismantling the state’s most well-known economic development tool, which is already set to expire this June as part of last year’s state budget.
On his Web site, winner.nysenate.gov, Winner is currently giving area residents the opportunity to weigh in on the Paterson proposal through an online quick poll that can be found in the left-hand column of the home page.
“Eliminating the Empire Zone program and working to replace it with something that’s equally effective for the upstate economy is going to be one of the key battlegrounds in the 2010 legislative session,” said Winner.
Yesterday Paterson unveiled his own plan, “Excelsior Jobs,” to replace the Empire Zone program and refocus New York’s economic development investments toward growth in the so-called new economy: clean energy and other “green” industries, high technology, and research and development.
Winner and other upstate leaders have expressed concern that many existing businesses and industries that have received Empire Zone benefits would not be eligible under the new plan, which could lead to job losses across the upstate region.
