I had a chance to talk to Republican State Senator Joe Robach yesterday about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address.

Robach said he was glad to hear the governor talk extensively about Upstate New York. Specifically, he was pleased with the governor’s plans to boost the area’s economy; for example, the governor is calling for better marketing of Upstate. The governor also proposes to turn 10 tech startup incubators into “hot spots” with additional services and tax benefits. Rochester’s universities and colleges produce a lot of research but the work to make products based on that research happens elsewhere.

“This is really the first time I can remember somebody putting some specific plans in place and really highlighting the importance of specific items to take place for the Upstate New York economy to prosper,” Robach said.

This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2013.

Covers county government and whatever else comes my way. Greyhound dad; vegetarian; attempted photographer with a love for film and fixer; sometimes cyclist.

One reply on “Robach: Cuomo’s Upstate plans could be good for the region”

  1. What speech was Robach listening to? Cuomo proposed a marketing campaign? Big whoop. 10 innovation centers? Shades of Empire Zones. What I heard (and read…at least Cuomo puts his stuff in writing) was billions of dollars for NYC infrastructure and transportation, but a marketing campaign and yet another government-run economic development program for Upstate. In other words, we get shafted, again. Although the enviro crowd may not like it, the ONLY prospect for jobs in this region is fracking and a return of manufacturing. But the former is not likely with Cuomo eyeing the 2016 Presidential race and not wanting to offend the enviro crowd, and he has shown zero interest in reducing our highest in the nation taxes and utilities costs (to the contrary, he seems determined to keep raising electricity and gas costs). Bob Duffy can hold as many of his goofy feel-good press conferences as he wants (he’s beginning to look and sound like that guy at the end of Animal House who’s standing amidst the chaos yelling ‘remain calm, all is well’), but the fact is our regional economy is continuing to shrink before our eyes. There was nothing in the SOS to suggest that 30 year trend will be reversed.

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