Cayuga County should not take money from private organizations to fund a new local economic development approach, one county legislator is now saying.
Daniel Schuster, chairman of the county Legislature's committee on planning and economic development, is not happy with a local organization's proposal for a “first stop” development agency. Schuster aired his grievances Sunday night in a lengthy e-mail to local community leaders, county and Auburn city officials.
“As far as I am concerned, Cayuga County should not accept any money from Stardust (or any other private organization) for the purpose of funding a service program that the taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill for,” Schuster stated.
In the 5,000-plus word statement, Schuster singled out two private organizations involved in the process, Stardust Foundation of Central New York and A Call to Action: A Blueprint for Our Region's Future, and implied that representatives from each are trying to use private money to influence public policy.
His complaints also touched on what he stated he sees as an overall lack of transparency in the process. And he accused individuals of threatening to use the local media against the county if their demands are not met, going as far as to state the county is being held “hostage” by these private interests.
Representatives from both groups say the development proposal is an attempt to succeed where government has failed, and any problems informing the public are the county's fault.
The situation revolves around a proposal to form a development agency that would serve as the first stop for any organization or company wishing to do business in the county. Both the Blueprint group and the county Legislature are interested in creating such a position, but have different ideas on how it should look.
The county's plan is to use the Cayuga County Development Corp. The already-formed, but currently unused, organization could be resurrected to fill this need, Schuster said.
The Blueprint group maintains that a new agency should be built from scratch because existing agencies have failed to deliver. That organization should be run by a nine-member board that includes four public representatives and five members from the private sector, according to the proposal.
The Blueprint group has also stated that the Stardust Foundation would provide funds to launch and temporarily support such an agency until it becomes self-sustaining.
According to Schuster, this plan is problematic. It can take more than a year to establish an organization and secure non-profit status, he stated. But if the CCDC is used, these steps are already covered.
The county is facing some hard times, and the window for appropriating the proper funds may close in a year, Schuster stated.
“We will be talking about a significant tax increase in the next budget,” Schuster wrote. “We will be talking about the possibility of staff reduction and service elimination.”
But Stardust Foundation Director Guy Cosentino said the county needs to “start anew” with this developer, as a number of past attempts have not been successful.
The former incarnation of the CCDC failed because of issues with contracts and long-term funding, he said. The county also ended up dissolving a state-funded development position three years ago after the money ran dry, Cosentino said.
“It almost looks like they are looking for someone to blame for the inaction of some people,” he said.
In his statement, Schuster said Cosentino has also pointed to the Saratoga Cheese Corp. project as an example of a need for a fresh agency. The county is currently working out a deal with Auburn to land the company in Aurelius, but there have been disagreements over some of the terms.
But Schuster said in his statement that both parties are looking to work out a deal that will benefit all, and such negotiations would take place even if there was a first-stop agency.
“That type of thing would still be an issue,” Schuster stated.
Schuster maintains that Cosentino and fellow Blueprint member Rick Emanuel have indicated that they would fight through the local press a decision by the county to fund the CCDC. Because Emanuel is the publisher for The Citizen and Cosentino writes a political column for the same paper, such “threats” are “not idle,” Schuster stated.
The Legislature would then be in a “terrible” situation, as it would have to fight negative public opinion, he continued. And as such negative press could jeopardize future development projects, many people “feel intimidated” to go against the organizations, Schuster stated.
“Even if the vote did turn out in the positive, ...effectively what has happened is that a group of non-elected people (with their own interests and operating outside any local government) will have essentially dictated ... the course of public policy,” Schuster wrote.
Schuster also feels the whole process has lacked the transparency necessary when making public policy, he stated.
Many of the decisions have been made at “secret, invite-only, closed-door meetings,” and both members of the public and government have been “kept out of the loop,” Schuster says in the statement.
When a few people were presented with a written outline of the proposal, they were asked to keep it relatively confidential, Schuster continued.
“What they want us to do is agree to whatever they ... decided through their own closed-door process,” Schuster stated. “They want us to say that their ideas are good for the public at large without public debate and without alternative approaches considered.”
Emanuel has never used the paper to either advance the Blueprint group's plans or diminish the ideas of those who disagree with them, he said Monday. He leaves coverage decisions to reporters and editors, he said.
But if county representatives are intimidated by anything, Emanuel continued, it could be the fact that they may allow $500,000 in private money get away because they are not willing to have the development agency be run by a board of mostly private citizens.
“If they feel intimidated, they need to toughen up and think about getting out of politics,” Emanuel said.
Both Emanuel and Cosentino said the Blueprint has been more than willing to address the entire Legislature, city council or any other public entity about the proposal. The organization also held public meetings in January 2007, as well as October and May of this year, Cosentino said. Blueprint representatives have met with numerous local representatives and city and county staff members, he said.
“Whether or not they have told their boards and committees (about the proposal), that is not our job,” Cosentino said.
It is not clear if Schuster was speaking for the county with his statement. Roger Mills, chairman of the Legislature, and County Manager Wayne Allen did not return phone calls for comment. City Manager Mark Palesh and Auburn Mayor Michael Quill declined to comment on Schuster's statements.
State Sen. Michael Nozzolio was not available for comment Monday. But Nozzolio spokesman Justin McCarthy did issue a statement on behalf of the senator, who has been a major organizer of the Blueprint project.
“He does believe that the Stardust Foundation and the Blueprint group have all played important roles in advancing the important issues that face the local community,” McCarthy said.
Cosentino also said the Blueprint representatives did initially ask that the details of the proposal be kept relatively quiet when they were first handed out because there was a hotly contested race for mayor of Auburn at the time, he said.
But any desire to keep the proposal quiet wrapped up with the election, Cosentino said.
Cosentino said he thinks public discourse is a good thing. He also said that both organizations will continue to look for ways to improve the county through development and other means.
“We've tried, and we will still try to work with the county to promote economic development,” Cosentino said.
Schuster said Monday that the whole reason for writing the letter was to get the information into the public so people can discuss and think about the issues involved. The most important thing is that everyone is on the same page, he said.
“Hopefully we can all realize what everyone is thinking and use it as a basis to move forward,” Schuster said.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net
“As far as I am concerned, Cayuga County should not accept any money from Stardust (or any other private organization) for the purpose of funding a service program that the taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill for,” Schuster stated.
In the 5,000-plus word statement, Schuster singled out two private organizations involved in the process, Stardust Foundation of Central New York and A Call to Action: A Blueprint for Our Region's Future, and implied that representatives from each are trying to use private money to influence public policy.
His complaints also touched on what he stated he sees as an overall lack of transparency in the process. And he accused individuals of threatening to use the local media against the county if their demands are not met, going as far as to state the county is being held “hostage” by these private interests.
Representatives from both groups say the development proposal is an attempt to succeed where government has failed, and any problems informing the public are the county's fault.
The situation revolves around a proposal to form a development agency that would serve as the first stop for any organization or company wishing to do business in the county. Both the Blueprint group and the county Legislature are interested in creating such a position, but have different ideas on how it should look.
The county's plan is to use the Cayuga County Development Corp. The already-formed, but currently unused, organization could be resurrected to fill this need, Schuster said.
The Blueprint group maintains that a new agency should be built from scratch because existing agencies have failed to deliver. That organization should be run by a nine-member board that includes four public representatives and five members from the private sector, according to the proposal.
The Blueprint group has also stated that the Stardust Foundation would provide funds to launch and temporarily support such an agency until it becomes self-sustaining.
According to Schuster, this plan is problematic. It can take more than a year to establish an organization and secure non-profit status, he stated. But if the CCDC is used, these steps are already covered.
The county is facing some hard times, and the window for appropriating the proper funds may close in a year, Schuster stated.
“We will be talking about a significant tax increase in the next budget,” Schuster wrote. “We will be talking about the possibility of staff reduction and service elimination.”
But Stardust Foundation Director Guy Cosentino said the county needs to “start anew” with this developer, as a number of past attempts have not been successful.
The former incarnation of the CCDC failed because of issues with contracts and long-term funding, he said. The county also ended up dissolving a state-funded development position three years ago after the money ran dry, Cosentino said.
“It almost looks like they are looking for someone to blame for the inaction of some people,” he said.
In his statement, Schuster said Cosentino has also pointed to the Saratoga Cheese Corp. project as an example of a need for a fresh agency. The county is currently working out a deal with Auburn to land the company in Aurelius, but there have been disagreements over some of the terms.
But Schuster said in his statement that both parties are looking to work out a deal that will benefit all, and such negotiations would take place even if there was a first-stop agency.
“That type of thing would still be an issue,” Schuster stated.
Schuster maintains that Cosentino and fellow Blueprint member Rick Emanuel have indicated that they would fight through the local press a decision by the county to fund the CCDC. Because Emanuel is the publisher for The Citizen and Cosentino writes a political column for the same paper, such “threats” are “not idle,” Schuster stated.
The Legislature would then be in a “terrible” situation, as it would have to fight negative public opinion, he continued. And as such negative press could jeopardize future development projects, many people “feel intimidated” to go against the organizations, Schuster stated.
“Even if the vote did turn out in the positive, ...effectively what has happened is that a group of non-elected people (with their own interests and operating outside any local government) will have essentially dictated ... the course of public policy,” Schuster wrote.
Schuster also feels the whole process has lacked the transparency necessary when making public policy, he stated.
Many of the decisions have been made at “secret, invite-only, closed-door meetings,” and both members of the public and government have been “kept out of the loop,” Schuster says in the statement.
When a few people were presented with a written outline of the proposal, they were asked to keep it relatively confidential, Schuster continued.
“What they want us to do is agree to whatever they ... decided through their own closed-door process,” Schuster stated. “They want us to say that their ideas are good for the public at large without public debate and without alternative approaches considered.”
Emanuel has never used the paper to either advance the Blueprint group's plans or diminish the ideas of those who disagree with them, he said Monday. He leaves coverage decisions to reporters and editors, he said.
But if county representatives are intimidated by anything, Emanuel continued, it could be the fact that they may allow $500,000 in private money get away because they are not willing to have the development agency be run by a board of mostly private citizens.
“If they feel intimidated, they need to toughen up and think about getting out of politics,” Emanuel said.
Both Emanuel and Cosentino said the Blueprint has been more than willing to address the entire Legislature, city council or any other public entity about the proposal. The organization also held public meetings in January 2007, as well as October and May of this year, Cosentino said. Blueprint representatives have met with numerous local representatives and city and county staff members, he said.
“Whether or not they have told their boards and committees (about the proposal), that is not our job,” Cosentino said.
It is not clear if Schuster was speaking for the county with his statement. Roger Mills, chairman of the Legislature, and County Manager Wayne Allen did not return phone calls for comment. City Manager Mark Palesh and Auburn Mayor Michael Quill declined to comment on Schuster's statements.
State Sen. Michael Nozzolio was not available for comment Monday. But Nozzolio spokesman Justin McCarthy did issue a statement on behalf of the senator, who has been a major organizer of the Blueprint project.
“He does believe that the Stardust Foundation and the Blueprint group have all played important roles in advancing the important issues that face the local community,” McCarthy said.
Cosentino also said the Blueprint representatives did initially ask that the details of the proposal be kept relatively quiet when they were first handed out because there was a hotly contested race for mayor of Auburn at the time, he said.
But any desire to keep the proposal quiet wrapped up with the election, Cosentino said.
Cosentino said he thinks public discourse is a good thing. He also said that both organizations will continue to look for ways to improve the county through development and other means.
“We've tried, and we will still try to work with the county to promote economic development,” Cosentino said.
Schuster said Monday that the whole reason for writing the letter was to get the information into the public so people can discuss and think about the issues involved. The most important thing is that everyone is on the same page, he said.
“Hopefully we can all realize what everyone is thinking and use it as a basis to move forward,” Schuster said.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 6 comment(s)
brew1234 wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:26 AM:
edmudiro wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:35 AM:
brew1234 wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:02 AM:
anonymous wrote on Jul 22, 2008 6:39 PM:
Sounds like some young man is afraid his little empire is crumbling before his eyes. How dare they come in and interfere with HIS downtown.
What a petulant little boy. "
Andy b wrote on Jul 22, 2008 4:44 PM:
Jim wrote on Jul 22, 2008 3:15 PM:
Transparency? Who needs it? I want results! It's the private sector that gets results. When did our County government EVER do anything but muck things up? "