Newsday, by James T. Madore, July 27, 2011. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo tapped the presidents of Long Island's largest business group and private university Wednesday to lead a regional council charged with creating jobs.
Governor Cuomo announced the membership of the new Western New York Regional Economic Development Council today. Regional Councils are the state’s flagship job creation program, and it’s expected that the Governor will announce appointments to the Finger Lakes Regional Council when he stops in Rochester and the Central New York Regional Council when he stops in Syracuse later today.
The announcement comes several days after the release of a fifty-two-page plan for Regional Councils, which laid out more detail about their operation and how membership on the Councils will be structured.
Capital Tonight, By Liz Benjamin, July 26, 2011. As we learn who will serve on some of the state’s regional economic development councils, the Alliance for a Greater New York says there are not enough viewpoints included on the councils. As Allison Duwe of the Coalition for Economic Justice explains, they want to see more labor and community organizations working alongside business leaders.
Capitol Confidential, by Jimmy Viekland, July 26, 2011. During a swing through Upstate America, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the members of Regional Economic Councils covering Western New York, the Finger Lakes and Central New York. Cuomo first promised these councils in January, and is finally unveiling their make-up after announcing “phase II” of his administration last week, with a top priority of “jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Brooklyn Courier-Life, by Alex Rush, July 26, 2011. Opponents of Walmart’s move into Brooklyn are accusing the state of giving a developer a sweetheart deal when it renegotiated the sale of state land the big-box retailer is believed to be eying. Assemblywoman Inez Barron (D–East New York) — a staunch foe of the superstore — says that the government slashed its price on a 14-acre plot off the Belt Parkway — after the zoning was changed from residential to commercial, which should have increased the value of the land.