Senator John A. DeFrancisco (R-I-C, Syracuse) today blasted Senate Democrats for once again taking care of Downstate New York, while ignoring the needs of Upstate. Senator DeFrancisco referred to an analysis released by Onvia, a private company that runs the recovery.org Web site, which details the massive amounts of stimulus dollars that are being spent in New York City.
According to the analysis, more than $1.3 billion of stimulus money is being spent on projects in New York City. That is more than half of the $2.5 billion available to the entire state.
“This news is troubling and highlights the ongoing problems created by the regional imbalance in Albany,” said Senator DeFrancisco. “The three New York City Democrats who are leading our state – Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver, and Senator Smith – have once again put Upstate and Central New York last. They have once again neglected our needs and pushed our projects to the side. It’s no surprise that the New York City Democrats are disregarding Upstate, but it is unacceptable.”
City projects highlighted in the analysis include $500,000 for installing a new fuel tank for Boston Secor Houses in the Bronx, $382 million to repair the Brooklyn Bridge, $15 million for Coney Island, and $1 million to rehab restrooms in Penn Station.
Senator DeFrancisco says this isn’t the first time Senate Democrats have shortchanged Upstate.
“Since taking the majority, Senate Democrats have continuously made decisions which hurt Upstate New York,” said Senator DeFrancisco. “The Democrats took away the STAR Rebate Checks that so many Upstate families and seniors rely on, created an MTA bailout bill that ignored the need for Upstate road and bridge projects, and increased our taxes to the point that an average Upstate family now has to pay an additional $2,350 a year. Now they are using millions of dollars worth of stimulus aid to fund their city projects.”
