The House of Representatives has passed legislation that, according to its proponents, will put Great Lakes ports in a better position to compete for certain federal funding.
Irondequoit
Posted inNews & Opinion
Election guide
Our endorsements and coverage of the fall campaigns:
Endorsements for Rochester mayor, City Council, school board, and the casino proposal; a look at the Green Party and its 2013 candidates; news summaries of candidates for Rochester City Council and school board.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Medley looms over Irondequoit races
To make sense of Irondequoit’s politics, it helps to think of the town as Monroe County’s swing state. Party affiliation doesn’t seem to mean much to Irondequoit voters. And they aren’t reluctant to bounce sitting officials out of office. As a result, town elections are often tough, hard-fought contests, and the 2013 races are no […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Officials will meet on Medley Centre issues
Next Friday, Medley Centre owner and developer Scott Congel will be in a room with representatives of the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency, the Town of Irondequoit, and the East Irondequoit School District. On the agenda: Congel’s failure to meet the most recent milestone in a tax incentive agreement. Congel requested the meeting, says Michael […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Senecas casino announcement: what was the point?
Yesterday’s announcement that the Seneca Nation of Indians is looking at Henrietta as a possible casino site caught a lot of people by surprise, including town officials. Many people are trying to figure out what the nation’s announcement is supposed to accomplish. Last night, I caught a Twitter conversation between WROC reporter Rachel Barnhart and […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Irondequoit Dems lay out Medley plan
There’s no way around it, Medley Centre will be an issue in the Irondequoit town elections. And this morning, the Democratic candidates for supervisor and Town Board held a press conference to lay out their plan for dealing with the dead mall. During a separate interview, Adam Bello, who’s challenging incumbentRepublican Mary Joyce D’Aurizio for […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The Empire Zone strikes back
The Medley Centre project in Irondequoit isn’t held in high esteem by the public. Neither were the state’s Empire Zones — businesses in these designated areas were entitled to tax incentives. Even state officials agreed the zones were so flawed the whole system had to be junked. But combined, Medley and the zone program make […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Irondequoit Republicans come out swinging
Two years can be a lifetime in politics: just look at the way Irondequoit’s elections are shaping up, especially the tone of the races. In 2011, Republicans and Democrats cross-endorsed a slate of candidates for the Town Board. The parties agreed that Supervisor Mary Joyce D’Aurizio, a Republican, and the two Democratic board members up […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Comptroller: Medley created zero jobs in 2011
It’s time to beat on Medley Centre again. The state Comptroller’s Office just released a report on statewide industrial development activity in 2011. The report devotes a fair amount of space to exemptions for retail projects, which it says have increased each year since 2007. Prior to 2008, a provision of state law prohibited IDA’s […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Week Ahead: Your say on the city budget, Pittsford elections, I-Square tax deal, eastside Dems endorse
This week, the City of Rochester will conduct the first of four public forums to gather input on next year’s budget. The 2013 to 2014 budget has a gap of about $28 million. At the meeting, Mayor Tom Richards will describe the city’s fiscal situation and share some proposed cutbacks. Your job is to tell […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Irondequoit Tops getting tax breaks, too
Last month, I wrote about a Henrietta Tops store that received tax breaks to move from one plaza on Jefferson Road to another. Now a similar scenario is happening in Irondequoit. Earlier this week, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency approved tax breaks for the market at 1455 East Ridge Road to move to the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Irondequoit board backs tax incentives for I-Square
For I-Square, the third time was the charm. Last night, the Irondequoit Town Board voted to support a PILOT – payment in lieu of taxes – for the proposed mixed-use project. Although the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency would provide the PILOT, the Irondequoit Town Board has to approve it. Last night wasn’t the first […]
