Under a plan to balance this year's budget the Democrats in the New York State Legislature voted February 3rd to sweep $500 miilion from NYPA (New York Power Authority). At the time, many legislators rightfully cried foul, Senator Joe Griffo included. They felt the raid on NYPA funds was at the expense of rate payers and economic development projects in Northern and Western New York where the Authority generates it's revenue and that money should be used in those local areas not to balance the statewide budget.
They are right in both cases!
NYPA is now considering bonuses to all 1,500 employess, a rate hike of 12.1% and the swept money, which could be used for job creation/economic development is being used to balance a bloated state budget as an easy fix.
The increase affects 2.3 million residential households served by National Grid, New York State Electric & Gas, Rochester Gas & Electric and residential and business customers of 51 municipal and rural electric cooperative systems, in areas such as Jamestown and Akron. ... Downstate customers, with the exception of three Long Island towns, are unaffected.
Erie County Executive Chris Collins wrote a letter to AG Cuomo and in part he says:
“The decision to invoke what is essentially an upstate only tax on one of our key job creation resources, and then to turn around and issue bonuses to state employees, is not only an egregious abdication of NYPA’s responsibility to its rate-payers, but a direct blow to the economic development efforts of our region. I simply will not allow such abhorrent actions to go unchallenged.”
“The Niagara Power Project was historically intended to support economic development and job creation in Western New York,” Collins said. “The actions of this unelected, unaccountable authority have robbed our region of critical economic development funds at a time when we can least afford to lose them.”Read here, here, here
Joe Griffo, a Republican Senator from Utica and Western New York Assembly and Senate members are raising the roof in a rage over this and yet we have not heard a word on it from Addie Jenne Russell, Dede Scozzafava or Senator Darrel Aubertine. Are they fighting for us as their campaign commercials state?
5 comments:
PIV's got a good point on this one. But it is about money. The state can do what it wants to make the quick fixes and avoid changes. This is just another scam. Which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Shelly, new man Smith, and our weakened Gov.
Our local leaders have been told to shut up. They will.
Why would they shut up?
Are they puppets only?
They better smartin up and speak up or they will be gone!
Darrel could have stopped this is he would have taken the NYPA job that was offered him.
Now, instead of a North Country voice at the head of NYPA, we're stuck with Long Islander Richie Kessel who, in one of his first acts, steals hydro from St. Lawrence and sends it to LI.
Now, for Act Two, he's raising our electric bills and giving bonuses to his favored employees.
When is someone going to stand up for us -- the people who pay the bills?
Bayite 6:29:
I can appreciate the sentiment, but the politicians of which you speak will not be gone. They will be re-elected time and time again. It is because our memories are too short and good people have the sense to stay out of politics.
9:32 is on the money. He is so right it stinks.
I'm sorry he's right, but he is.
We're such stupid people. I can see these pols having parties, just slapping themselves with disbelief, wondering how we can be so dumb.
If you pay off the right people you can steal from the rest.
Again and again.
Congrats to the Gov, Shelly and that Smith guy.
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