For Immediate Release: Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Buffalo, NY and New York, NY--This afternoon, members of the Getting Our Money’s Worth Coalition commented on Good Job First’s new report, Money for Something: Job Creation and Job Quality Standards in State Economic Development Subsidy Programs, which ranked New York State 43rd. The report provided more detailed rankings for New York’s main subsidy programs: Brownfield Cleanup Program, Empire State Film Production Credit, Empire Zone Program, Excelsior Jobs Program, and Industrial Development Agencies.
Statement by Allison Duwe, Executive Director, Coalition for Economic Justice
New York took a step in the right direction last week by funding Regional Economic Development Council initiatives that prioritize distressed communities, smart growth principles, high-skill green industries, neighborhood-level projects and affordable housing. However, Good Jobs First’s latest report shows New York still has a long way to go to ensure all of our economic development programs are meeting the most basic test of creating jobs.
Statement by Matt Ryan, Executive Director, ALIGN
Our ranking of 43rd demonstrates that New York can and must do better to coordinate and connect its economic development programs to concrete quality job creation goals. These programs cost New Yorkers billions of dollars each year and should be rigorously evaluated in light of our continued jobs crisis and budget gap.