Upstate Advocates Highlight Winner's Commitment

Albany, N.Y., October 5—As he winds down a career in the New York State Legislature that has spanned the past four decades, State Senator George Winner (R-C-I, Elmira) continues to be recognized by upstate business leaders for his commitment to a legislative agenda focused on private-sector economic growth, job creation, and tax relief.

While Winner is not seeking re-election this November, he said that he still takes great pride in the ongoing recognition that his priorities as a state legislator have remained true to what he has often called the “four corners” of future success: lower taxes, lower costs, fewer regulations, and better jobs. 

He also stressed that he’s hopeful that it’s a tradition of service that won’t be lost in future legislatures.

“I’ve always relished the chance to constantly remind the big-city, downstate, urban interests that dominate state government in so many ways that there is a rural, small city, upstate New York region, consisting of more than three million residents, and it’s critical to the future well-being and overall prosperity and success of the entire state,” said Winner.  “They forget about us sometimes, and we can’t let them.  I’m hopeful that the voices of upstate will keep gaining momentum in the years ahead.”

In recent weeks, three leading upstate advocacy groups – Unshackle Upstate, the Business Council of New York, and the National Federation of Independent Business of New York (NFIB/NY) -- have released 2009-2010 legislative scorecards.  Each one has singled out Winner as one of the Legislature’s most staunch advocates for upstate.  In fact, in their respective analyses of 2009-2010 legislative voting records, the following organizations counted Winner as one of New York’s top-ranked legislators:

> Unshackle Upstate (www.unshackleupstate.com), a bipartisan coalition of over 80 upstate business and trade organizations, gave Winner its fourth-highest ranking among the state’s 62 senators;

> The Business Council of New York (www.bcnys.org), the state’s largest business advocacy group, identified Winner as the second-highest ranking senator; and

> The National Federation of Independent Business of New York State (NFIB/NY, www.nfib.com/ny), the state’s leading small business association, recognized Winner’s 100% voting record on its priority issues.  

Winner, who in the past has been designated as a "Business Council Champion” by the Business Council and as a “Guardian of Small Business” by NFIB/NY, issued a call to arms for future upstate legislators.

“It’s going to be a fight in this government to keep a commitment to the upstate economy and to the overriding need to make New York’s economy more competitive to create good jobs,” said Winner.

                               
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