O'Mara: Regional councils will continue to develop plans, compete for jobs and economic development

Elmira, N.Y., December 8—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R-C-I, Big Flats) released the following statement after today’s announcement that the Southern Tier region will be awarded $49.4 million and the Finger Lakes region $68.8 million under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Regional Economic Development Council” initiative:

“First and foremost, my gratitude and thanks to the many regional leaders who worked long and hard over the past several months to assess our strengths and weaknesses, identify specific economic priorities, and put in place short- and long-term strategies to keep us moving toward a stronger and more secure economic future.  These regional public-private partnerships put our best foot forward and have now secured significant state funding that’s going to benefit more than 150 specific economic development projects throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions. This is just the first round, and  I have every confidence that these partnerships will continue to fine-tune local initiatives and compete effectively for job creation and other economic opportunities.”       

A total of $785 million in economic development awards were announced today in Albany following a report from the Cuomo administration’s Strategic Plan Review Committee, which analyzed and ranked the strategic blueprints for each of the 10 regions statewide that competed for this first round of economic development aid. 

Cuomo and legislative leaders also announced today that a second round of funding will be included in next year’s state budget.

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And local reaction here, and here