George Winner's posts related to Economic Development

Last week we received word about the creation of an exciting new organization that I’m hopeful will help pave a few roads on the way to an economic renewal across upstate New York.  At the very least, it appears this organization will be a source of timely, thoughtful, vibrant, and worthwhile ideas and awareness.

This new organization is being called the “Manufacturing Research Institute of New York State.”  It’s been established by the Syracuse-based Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), which is the largest association of its kind in New York and one of the nation’s oldest.  MACNY represents approximately 350 businesses and 55,000 workers across 19 upstate counties.

A New York Times headline not long ago could stand alone as a call to arms for Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature in 2011, “One Way to Trim Deficit: Cultivate Growth.”

It falls in line with a theme that I, together with many legislative colleagues, have been sounding since the beginning of the state’s current fiscal crisis in late 2008.  And as I wind down my own tenure in office over the next few weeks, I think it’s worth sounding one more time. 

As news of New York’s fiscal crisis has dominated headlines and steadily worsened over the past few years, many have been asking this question again and again,  “What are we doing in New York State to encourage economic activity and growth?”

So what’s the latest piece of evidence to back up the belief that New York State really has its work cut out?

You could make a strong argument that the answer to that question can be found within newspaper headlines like the following one that appeared in our region late last week, “New York has worst climate for business.”

The accompanying article highlighted the most recent report from the Tax Foundation, which found that New York’s ranking fell, from 49th to 50th, among states with the worst tax climate in the nation.  It wasn’t good before, but it just became worse: Dead last in the nation.

It spells trouble for the state economy and points to the overriding need for reform, and fast.