Asleep at the Switch

The Sub-Standard reported this today:

Syracuse is among New York's most fiscally imperiled cities, and other Central New York cities aren't doing much better, according to a new report from state Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

[...]

"The financial condition of many once-flourishing cities in New York State is truly troubling," Hevesi said in a statement. "For decades, these cities have seen demands for municipal services increase while their tax bases continued to erode. Most troubling, cities all across New York State continue to lose population, which has made achieving fiscal stability even more challenging."

[...]

The New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials, opening its annual legislative meeting in Albany Monday, released results from its own - similarly ominous - survey of budgets in the 61 cities outside New York City.

The group found 31 percent reported worsening financial conditions in the past year, 59 percent are raising property taxes, and 90 percent get less inflation-adjusted unrestricted aid than they did 15 years ago.

When it comes down to it, this is ultimately about planning and executing a loan term vision to grow our local economy. Jim Walsh has had 17 years in office to come up with a plan, and has we reported before, this is the best Jimbo could come up with.

Luckily, we have two candidates with a real plan to get Central New York back on track.

Here's some of Dan Maffei's vision:

Modern manufacturing. While vast factories employing thousands are unlikely to come back to Upstate New York, we must have a plan in place to maintain the streamlined factories that stayed and insist that workers continue to have collective bargaining power to ensure fair wages and benefits for their work.

Technology and Innovation. We need to encourage a new marketplace of high-tech industry with tax credits, opportunity grants, and other incentives.

Leveraging a Top-Notch Educational System. We need to take better advantage of the educational resources of Syracuse University, Upstate Medical University, SUNY-ESF, LeMoyne College, and the many other colleges and schools in the region. These schools are already hubs of economic activity but Federal policies such as inadequate funding for graduate medical education, wrongheaded limits on stem cell research, and not enough emphasis on environmental research stifle their potential and need to be corrected.

And here is some Paloma Capanna's plan:

development of a high technology corridor from Syracuse through Rochester into Buffalo,

building upon local resources and assets, and consistent with state and local government objectives;

expansion of high-quality mass transportation between Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo;

encouragement of entrepreneurs and attraction of existing businesses into our region; reduction of business relocation, benefit reduction, and bankruptcy;

There is a clear choice in this election between change and more of the same. We can either go with more of the same, an out of touch Congressman who doesn't have a plan for the most important issue facing his district, or change, two candidates with a real desire for a better Central New York. I know my choice.

Crossposted at The Walsh Watch.