The Regional Economic Development Competitive Grant Contest was started over 3 months ago. Each of New York’s 10 regions were tasked with developing strategic economic development plans that would help their regions grow and expand, while creating an economic climate that would entice businesses to come to their areas.

The committees that created the competitive contest highlighted the following aspects that had to be apart of any regions successful plan.

1. vision: The plan must be realistic
2. Process: The plan must have an integrated approach to working with what already exists
3. Strategies: The plan must have a clear strategic plan that will incorporate all projects
4. Implementation: The plan must be able to actually take place (no pie in the sky)
5. Leveraging: The plan must be mulch-faceted and work with both public and private organizations
6. Performance Measure: The plan must be able to be evaluated.

With all of this in mind the 10 regions developed their individual plans and then presented them to the committee. The winners and amounts are as follows…

1. Central New York Region – 103.7 Million (Best Plan Award Winner)
– Focus on redeveloping urban cores and specifically funding manufacturing of Wind Power.
2. North Country Region - 103.2 Million (Best Plan Award Winner)
– Focus on developing their tourism, agricultural, and defense industries.
3. Long Island Region – 101.6 Million (Best Plan Award Winner)
– 13 separate projects that include re-developing transit hubs in minority areas. Also, working with Higher Education institutions to expand the number of local youth in STEM programs.
4. Western New York Region – 100.3 Million (Best Plan Award Winner)
– Western New York was amazing non-specific in their video. So, i would love to tell you, but i don’t know.
5. Finger Lakes Region – 68.8 Million
– Focused on re-developing Eastman Park into the manufacturing and research center for new Fuel Cell Tech.
6. Mid-Hudson Region – 67.0 Million
– Building a Bio-Tech incubator at NY Medical College in order to help expand the bio-tech industry in the area. Also, rebuilding local infrastructure including the Tappen-Zee Bridge.
7. New York City Region – 66.2 Million
– Redeveloping the Huntspoint Market and redeveloping the Bronx as a whole.
8. Capitol Region – 62.7 Million
– Maximizing the High-Tech development that is already taking place and redeveloping downtown and tourist locations.
9. Mohawk Valley Region – 60.2 Million
– 13 separate projects aimed at “charting a new course” for the Mohawk Valley.
10. Southern Tier Region – 49.4 Million
– Focus on re-developing local downtowns after flood damage. Also, would like to expand renewable energy manufacturing in the region (this is ironic since that region is the biggest supporter of Hydro-Fracking).

Moving forward, the another competitive grant will be generated by the state for the regional economic councils to compete for in the next budget. This is a big day for New York because for the first time in decades New York is making a real attempt to maximize its regional potential and bring businesses back to New York.

I waited to update you all on this until this moment for one particular reason, the Governor, the Speaker, and the Majority Leader and can all agree on one thing. However, until they actually call an extraordinary session, it is all lip service. Session has been called for December 7th at noon.

The main, and most likely the only, topic of discussion (if discussion takes place) will be on the new Tax & Jobs arrangement made by Cuomo, Silver, and Skelos. In the agreement there will be a few, and by a few I mean many, changes to the tax code in order to stimulate 2 billion dollars worth of additional revenue for New York State. Under the plan the tax brackets will be as follows…Lower than 40K, 40K to 150K, 151K to 300K, 301K to 2 Million, 2.1 Million or more.

If this new code is passed before January 1st, everyone in all brackets will be receiving a tax cut. However, after January 1st 2012 the top bracket will see a tax increase. This is leveraged by the fact that the middle class will see the lowest state tax since 1953. Not too shabby if I say so myself.

In return for lowering taxes for everyone (except the very wealthy) Senate Republicans requested that the MTA Payroll tax be reduced. Under the plan, if you are a company or non-profit organization in the MTA service area you will have to pay a tax if your pay-roll is over 1.25 million a year. If your company’s or non-profit’s payroll is between 1.25 and 1.5 million you must pay .11 percent. If it is between 1.5 and 1.75 than you must pay .23 percent in taxes.

Now, the other side of this agreement is Jobs. In order to stimulate job growth Cuomo, Silver, and Skelos have agreed to create the “New York Works” initiative. This will focus on infrastructure development projects like fixing bridges and roads.

In conclusion, the plan lowers taxes for 98% of New Yorker’s, it creates the “New York Works” initiative to begin redeveloping New York’s infrastructure, and cuts MTA taxes for organizations. As a result, New York will net 2 billion dollars toward closing its significant budget gap (which is around 2 billion dollars) all in time for the holidays!

This agreement essentially ends the possibility of Democrats being able to re-gain control of the Senate unless they run a primary challenge against IDC members. However, the chances of that are minimal for two reasons; 1. IDC members are very well liked by the local democratic party leaders in their districts, making it difficult to find someone to primary IDC members. 2. The State Senate Democratic Committee has very little money to waste on fruitless ventures. The SDCC has enough money to try to win back a few seats they lost in the Republican sweep last November, but not enough to try to wrestle seats out from under other democrats.

The only way this agreement could work for Senate Democrats is if they are able to win enough seats back to split the house 32-32. This would inevitably put IDC members in the broker position to decide which way the votes will break.

IDC members have stated that there is no agreement. However, followed that statement up with “it (referring to the truce, hence proving its existence) is about governing in a bi-partisan fashion.” I do not doubt this agreement is about governing in a bi-partisan fashion. However, I do not agree with the action taken by the IDC. When the new coalition was first formed, it was about opening government up to a 3rd caucus and creating a more open and transparent government that was not shackled by the two-party system. This agreement flies in the face of all of those perspectives.

How can you have open government and fair elections when your caucus is embedded in the dirtiest of tactics, electioneering? I know there are those out there who would say they are not fixing the elections. However, you are ensuring victory for your side by making it impossible for a legitimate candidates to run. That is electioneering. Even more to the point, the IDC touts that they are the champions of Independent Redistricting. What is the point of Independent Redistricting when you are going to rig the election anyway. Just leave the lines they way they are, at least that is political maneuvering we are used to and have come to accept.

Worst of all, in my opinion, is the fact that elections are about airing legitimate grievances with government and highlighting those grievances for the public to discuss as a community. By ensuring that any legitimate candidate can not run, you are stripping the public of this opportunity. This is the kind of closed-door deal the IDC should be trying to end, not join. If you want to be bi-partisan you do it in the open, on the floor of the Senate, not in some back room.

The Results: It passed! Yes, this time members of PEF decided to support having jobs, rather than watching 3,000 or so of their friends get laid off. It passed nearly 2:1 which is significantly different than the first voted which failed by nearly the same margin.

Cuomo’s office says that collaboration, once again, proved to be a more successful tactic than threats and combativeness. However, it should be acknowledged that Cuomo’s office did send out pink slips to all 3,500 employees. By making good on his threat, Cuomo made the idea of lay-offs very real for PEF members and probably influenced them to vote in the affirmative for the new contract.

In the new contract PEF members will be receiving…”a three year wage freeze, and larger contributions for health care coverage, although workers will now be able to offset the premiums by cashing in unused vacation time. Initially, Cuomo sought nine unpaid furlough days, now those days will essentially be converted to a pay lag, and union members will be reimbursed for those days at the end of the contract. Anyone who retires before then also gets the money for those days, and the salary reductions won’t count against the final pension amount. Workers were also give greater protection against lay offs in the future, a continuing concern as the economy worsens.” (Thank You WXXI for the info)

With the threat of Lay-offs behind PEF, the future does NOT look so bright for other, non-union, agencies. In the upcoming legislative session a 2 billion dollar hole must be filled, which could mean more lay-offs in other agencies across the board.

*personal Note* I apologize for the lateness of the post, I wanted to have the complete count and facts on the deal before I brought you the news.

The Governor stated that it is conceivable that by vetoing lines drawn by legislators he could be throwing the state into a bit of chaos. Since the lines have to be negotiated, drawn, reviewed, approved, and then signed/vetoed (This takes months to do). With elections coming up in 2012 the idea of “going back to the drawing board” after a veto would leave very little time to adjust the lines for an election.

This is why the Governor, and State Senators in the Independent Democratic Caucus, have championed legislation that would mandate lines be drawn by an independent redistricting entity that can not be composed of any current (or recently retired) elected officials. Should that legislation be passed, the whole idea of New York entering a chaotic state is stymied.

The problem: redrawing of the lines has already begun. In order to complete the process in time lawmakers must begin months in advance. This means that there is no time to debate and pass legislation that would change the way the lines are drawn. Hence why the veto/chaos theory is in play. Especially since New York is slated to lose a congressional representative in 2012 due to lower census data and the party in charge (Republicans) get to choose the districts that get merged.

What we could see is a definitive deal be made between Governor Cuomo and legislators. They get to draw the lines for 2012 but they pass redistricting reform that mandates an independent entity. It will be interesting to see how this plays out since the Governor has VOWED to veto any lines drawn by legislators.

For more background information please go here

All this past week Occupy Albany protestors have been camping outside the State Capitol Building in opposition to corporate greed and calling on the Millionaires Tax to be re-instated this coming January.

Now, we must look at both sides of this debate logically. Senator Dean Skelos and Governor Andrew Cuomo argue that by re-instating the legislation they are creating a tax increase and pushing New York’s Wealthiest residents out of the State and hurting small businesses. In my opinion, this is a half truth (which would mean they are half-lying).

It is obvious that some New Yorkers, not just the wealthy ones, will leave the state in order to avoid paying more in taxes. However, if they are truly “Millionaires” do you really think 1. they are doing their own taxes. and 2. They are not finding loopholes around the tax anyway (most likely because they are not doing their own taxes). Also, our state is currently about 2 billion dollars in the hole before our next fiscal year even begins. We need to utilize every source of income we can find.

That being said, if this legislation does get re-instated we must do a better job of sheltering small businesses from being negatively affected by it. Most small business owners appear to be “Millionaires”. In reality, most of their earnings are locked up in costs associated with maintaining their business. Therefore, it is earned money (taxable) that is actually existing for only a brief period of time.

In order to reach a happy medium on this legislation we have to research the average cash flow of a small businesses and their owners. We need to be able to distinguish between what is actual income and what is being funneled back into the business. Until that happens we will continue to have a fundamental divide over who is wealthy enough to afford a tax increase.

If the tax revenue continues to under-perform, the legislature will be forced to adjust their projected earnings for 2012. This is going to be very, very, tough in an election year. The projected budget deficit is a good litmus test for how intense budget negotiations will be. Add in the political grandstanding of an election year and we could be looking at a very long legislative season. Politicians in both the Senate and the Assembly will be forced to try to protect their local organizations and governments from having to take on more spending cuts in a poor economy.

It was initially projected that there would be a surplus of 800 million that could be utilized to cut taxes. However, that hope is dashed now. It will be interesting to see how this will play out over the coming months. Budget negotiations will begin once the Senate and Assembly re-convene after the new year and I will try to keep everyone up to date on how the legislature is going to back fill the 2 billion dollar hole.

The new contract is for four years rather than five and requires that wages be frozen for 3 of those four years. In the final year of the contract members will receive a two percent raise. In the original contract members would have received a five-year contract and received raises in the last two years.

In order to sweeten the pot, the Governor’s office conceded on paying out for a nine-day furlough at the end of the contract. Originally, Cuomo only offered a four-day pay out. In order to keep the contract cost neutral with the previous one, the additional costs of the furlough pay out will be leveraged by the loss of “retention payments” for the final two years of the new contract. (Retention payments, for those who don’t know, are monetary incentives so you agree to stay in your position for a set amount of time.)

Also, it should be noted that PEF will still be receiving the Health Insurance contribution increase that they hated so much. However, Cuomo’s office will allow for greater vacation time flexibility in order to leverage the increase.

All in all, if the PEF Executive Committee approves the new contract than the Governor’s Office has agreed to forgo any lay-offs until November 4th. If the contract has not been approved by then, than all 3,500 lay-offs will be finalized.

It is expected that the contract will be agreed to at 1:00 PM today (Oct. 17th). At that point PEF will once again be able to control their own fate and decide if 3,500 of their co-workers, friends, and in some cases family, have jobs for Thanksgiving. I hope they are able to make the intelligent choice this time around.

First of all, lets put to rest the notion that there is legislation under way. There is no bill. I have researched many sources in the Senate (open legislation, leginfo, and others) they all say that there is no CURRENT bill in regard to cyber bullying. So all the other blog writers out there who are telling you otherwise, are wrong.

What does exist is a website designed to help parents and children identify cyber bullying and how to stop it. Also, there is a survey on the site that children can fill out so that more information about cyber bullying can be generated. The more information you have on a topic the better equipped you are to deal with it.

Secondly, there has been a lot of fear mongering about how any legislation aimed at stopping cyber bullying is in direct contrast to the First Amendment. This is also wrong.

Senator Jeff Klein has stated that he would like to see legislation that prosecutes cyber bullies, who convince their victims to commit suicide, be charged under Manslaughter Statues. For those who know little about First Amendment Law, the protection of children has routinely superseded the First Amendment in The Supreme Court. Don’t believe me…look at any Child Pornography cases, or if you want something a little more interesting, F.C.C vs. Pacifica (Carlin’s 7 dirty words).

I know there are those of you out there saying “well, now I can’t say what I want because someone might kill themselves over it”. To that I say, if you are not harassing an individual person, or an innocent child, then you have nothing to worry about.

Lastly, there is a need for something to be done about cyber bullying. Many of us have been bullied and remember those fond memories of being shoved in lockers and mocked to no end. However, for many of us it stopped when we got home. That is no longer true.

Parents must take an active role in stopping cyber bullying. However, when the mocking, picking, and embarrassment reaches the point of sever depression, anxiety, and suicide the law must take action and there must be repercussions for those responsible. I applaud Senators David Valesky, Jeff Klein, Diane Savino, and David Carlucci for trying to protect New York’s children.

The law was passed by congress in order to ensure that those sending in absentee ballots (i.e. military personnel, people living in Florida, the elderly, etc..) would have a fair chance at being counted in the electoral process.

However, for the past two years New York has filed and received a waiver in order to continue to have the primaries in September. Citing the fact that moving our primary date so close to the end of session would cause further dysfunction and gridlock.

Currently, the U.S. Department of Justice has stated that primaries are not to be held any later than August in New York for this coming election cycle. However, Governor Cuomo has stated publicly that discussions are on going with the courts and legislators in order to find an appropriate time to hold the primaries.

While I agree with legislators that June could cause problems with the finalization of the budget; an August primary should be perfectly acceptable. Theoretically, the budget should be completed well in advance of any August date. Allowing legislators plenty of time to turn their attention to their campaigns.

However, in reality there are often times that our Albany does not complete the budget on time. For example, the ten years before Andrew Cuomo took office. So, my argument is, in reality legislators have worked around this problem before and should be able to do so again.

In fact, an August date should give them an additional reason to NOT drag out the State Budget negotiations, but hey, I am just a “glass is half full” kind of guy.