“The goal is to spend the $1 billion, but all of it in Upstate,”

That statement sends shivers up my spine… Like when I was in the Army we HAD to spend the whole budget or lose that portion in the next years budget. Now I have a bunch of questions and would love to hear details, not just focus on the sound bytes. Sound bytes always sound great, the devil is in the details.

Who is going to be in charge of “spending” this money, how is it going to be spent, who is accountable for what is spent, is this going to be run like the IDA’s where only the IDA’s are scrutinized and not the companies that are given the tax breaks and incentives. The IDA’s now have to respond to the state for monies distributed but now the budgets they have end up being sucked up by the new bureaucracies that have been created.

Very rarely does government investment ever work, all it does is end up growing out of control, then end up as an authority and we curse it for years after because it gets away with sucking more money out of our pockets.

Call me skeptical.

EC Leg receives Upstate update - Business First of Buffalo:

The proposed $1 billion upstate economic development revitalization plan was met with a rousing, but also frank, greeting as a state official outlined the proposal to the Erie County Legislature.

Christina Orsi, Empire State Development Corp. regional director, spent more than one hour detailing the initiative, which is considered the backbone of efforts to reinvigorate the sluggish upstate economy. The meeting was held between Orsi and the legislature’s Economic Development Committee, but several other county lawmakers and representatives were also in attendance.

“The reason this was created is because there are some very unique challenges and opportunities in Upstate,” Orsi said.

The initiative covers myriad topics from brownfield redevelopment incentives to aid for small businesses to support for larger, big ticket items like the construction of the Peace Bridge and the development of the Canal Side project in downtown Buffalo.

“There isn’t a single solution for Upstate,” Orsi said.

The key, Orsi said, is making sure state lawmakers keep the $1 billion initiative in the proposed $124.6 billion budget. Gov. David Paterson, in his first visit to Buffalo as governor, said he remains committed to the plan and is confident it will survive Albany’s scrutiny.

The plan, announced in Buffalo by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer in mid-January, has been gaining momentum even with the change in leadership in Albany.

Orsi said the diversity of the program is one of its key selling points.

The plan encompasses the entire region, from Western New York to the Albany area and the Southern Tier. It offers incentives for tech-based firms looking to expand as well as tourism and cultural assets and the funding for more shovel-ready upstate development sites.

“The goal is to spend the $1 billion, but all of it in Upstate,” Orsi said.