A trove of purloined emails detailing how Sony Pictures Entertainment executives poured money into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign coffers after the state acted on a $26 million payout to the company has reignited criticism of New York's Film Tax Credit Program. Read More
As they compete for up to $500 million being offered by state officials in an economic development contest, several upstate business leaders are planning to hire private consultants to help them craft their bids. Read More
Few economic development initiatives in New York State’s history have been the subject of more marketing hype than START-UP NY, which created scores of tax-free micro-zones on and near college campuses around the state. Governor Andrew Cuomo has spared no superlatives in describing his expectations for the program, backing it with a slick, $47 million advertising campaign that touted START-UP as proof that “in New York State, we’re changing the way we do business.” But the results so far haven’t come close to living up to the governor’s rhetoric. Read More
Squirreled away in the new state budget is a provision—first proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo—that will guarantee future periodic pay raises for the governor, New York State legislators and other state government officials. But is it constitutional? Read More
There's $400 million for economic development projects, probably on Long Island, with details to come. Both the State Assembly and Senate have tens of millions to dole out to school districts and libraries, at their discretion. And at least 1,800 old earmarks for local governments and nonprofits around the state were once again given a lifeline, a total of $23 million for everything from the American Legion post in Wantagh to the Utica Zoo. Read More
Andrew Cuomo likes a good competition. Where should the state send school aid? Let’s have a contest. Who should build new upstate casinos? Let’s have another contest. What do we do about the aging Tappan Zee Bridge? Contest. How do we redesign the region’s major airports? Contest. Read More
At a campaign stop in Albany last October, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an ambitious new plan to revolutionize New Yorkers’ access to broadband internet with $500 million in state funding. Read More
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan for allocating $5.4 billion in windfall funds has survived, almost intact, in the agreed-upon New York State budget for the 2016 fiscal year, which starts April 1. Consistent with Cuomo’s original vision, the final plan shortchanges basic transportation and municipal infrastructure. Read More