Tuesday, January 13, 2015

OH! What Have We Here?



Dear Nieces and Nephews, Your Auntie was worried. Auntie and the Team were losing sleep thinking that the businesses in Orange County did not have enough assistance or incentives. But, look! Never Fear! There is plenty of help available! No redundancy here!!! 

We were also worried that the persons in charge of these entities providing incentives were not fairly compensated. But no fear of that!

We have the  Orange County PartnershipOrange County Business Accelerator and the Orange County Industrial Development Agency  (This does not include the regional and state programs/agencies.) We will have more on these first two at a later date; but let's take a look at the OC IDA and who is involved.


From the IDA website:


"The Orange County Industrial Development Agency, a public benefit corporation organized under Article 18-A of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York, provides assistance to qualified companies through a program of incentives."

Reviewing the state statute reveals some interesting 'capabilities' for the IDA.

General Municipal Law

Article 18A

Title 1

§  858. Purposes and powers of the agency.  The purposes of the agency

  shall be to promote, develop, encourage and assist in the acquiring,

  constructing, reconstructing, improving, maintaining,  equipping  and

  furnishing industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, commercial,research

  and recreation facilities  including  industrial  pollution  control

  facilities, educational or cultural  facilities,  railroad  facilities,

  horse racing  facilities,  automobile  racing facilities and continuing

  care retirement  communities,  provided,  however,  that,  of  agencies

  governed by  this  article,  only agencies created for the benefit of a

  county and the agency created for the benefit of the city  of  New  York

  shall be authorized to provide financial assistance in any respect to a
  continuing care  retirement  community,  and  thereby  advance  the  job 

  opportunities, health,  general  prosperity and economic welfare of the

  people of the  state  of  New  York  and  to  improve  their  recreation

  opportunities, prosperity  and standard of living; and to carry out the

  aforesaid purposes, each agency shall have the following powers:



There is a list of 17 specific powers and duties but this last one should give you pause:

(17)  To do all things necessary or  convenient  to carry out its

  purposes and exercise the powers expressly given in this title.

This includes payments in lieu of taxes, accepting gifts and grants from any municipality, public or private corporation or legal entity and powers of eminent domain.



Scared yet?

But wait! What have we here? (Somewhere in the recesses of your mind is a drumroll!)
 
Jim (“What’s Wrong with You People?”) Petro!!!!  http://www.recordonline.com/article/20150110/NEWS/150119945/101010



PETRO is the PART TIME executive director of the IDA for 1,000 hours of work annually. He is now being paid $80,000/yr for 1,000 hours of work in a year! Wow! $80/hour!



This former, “Appointed-couldn’t-get-elected” legislator with the sensitivity of a garbage disposal, explains that the public doesn’t understand the need for incentives that affect mortgage and sales taxes. Yes, how could the stupid public understand such complexities? How could the editors of the THRecord understand when they asked who determines the  true effect of incentives on the community and established businesses?
 
   Jim Petro is also a PART TIME Planning/Zoning Coordinator and Property Development Manager for the Town of New Windsor NY. What in the World is a Planning/Zoning Coordinator? And a Property Development Manager? Why does a Town need those in addition to the usual departments and department heads?



Ah well, it is nice to see that the businesses have such good care in Orange County. Yes, having a good business environment does contribute to the overall well-being of a community. If you do not have thriving businesses, you don't have much of a community.

But let’s hope that homeless children in Orange County have as many resources. Let's hope that they have more than just the overworked employees of understaffed departments that the County Executive is looking to consolidate. http://www.recordonline.com/article/20150103/NEWS/150109814/0/


14 comments:

  1. Isn't it nice that Eddie has a buddy in the IDA? I wonder how much he gets

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  2. Big Eddie's job is voluntary... he does not get a red cent. Like we really believe that !!! IDA board members are unpaid. So, according to all in the know, our current CE was left in a big financial mess, and now Eddie to the rescue in the IDA. And Petro, as an OCL once said before sitting on the dais for the Donnery Special Investigating Committee was overheard saying "I cannot believe I have to sit and listen to this nonsense." How much more nonsense is he pulling in at $80/hr. It's your money taxpayer. Scared is not the word.

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  3. Well IF Eddie was the one to cause the financial mess (according to Steve) and then Steve gets him on the IDA to mess that up, then they are all nuts, stupid or just corrupt! I just don't understand all of this.

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  4. looks like the IDA has many of the powers of government but not one of the responsibilities Just exactly WHO do they answer to?

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  5. Will someone just connect all the dots. This grouping of who sits on what, who is friends with who, who knows what about who, and who really is running this county into the ground. It is our money paying all these bozos and I want my money back.

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  6. just keep your eyes open. if you pay attention, you will see who the puppet master is.

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  7. Are the initials of the Puppet Master B.D.?

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  8. Causing the financial mess that Orange County now is in must be a qualification for being appointed to the IDA just like the bankers and executives who ran the economy into recession kept their jobs and even got bonuses. As long as people vote for the same good old guys and gals, this is what we will get.
    In the end, we the voters get who gets the most votes. One can only hope better choices are made in the next elections.

    And let's not forget who pays the bills for all these incentives and in lieu of taxes---we, the ordinary taxpayers cover the bills.
    For every incentive dollar that is given away, the bill comes to each of us. Can the County afford to keep giving these away when the County budget is so deeply in the hole? Can the ordinary taxpayers continue to foot their bills? And how are the benefits that are suppose to accompany these give aways monitored and verified? If the goals are not met, how do we get our incentives back or refunded?

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  9. Here is a post on the THR website .... maybe the Auntie team need to look into this:


    the following is by Colleen McAvey

    Neuhaus covered up OC JAIL inmates being forced to change the grades, TABE test scores, falsifying of files and the exposing of LPN Students social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates so inmates were privy to all the students private info from the OU BOCES DOLSON AVE LPN Program with the help of OU BOCES, Carl Onkin and Terrence Olivo. FILE'S WERE REMOVED FROM THE SCHOOL AND TAKEN TO THE JAIL. I PERSONALLY INFORMED HIM and HAVE THE RECEIPT'S TO PROVE IT. ANYONE WANTING ANY DOCUMENTATION OF PROOF JUST ASK. I continue to work to expose this fraud and so much more. SEAN PACTRICK MALONEY was informed too. Both did nothing. The TIMES HERALD RECORD IS aware but refuses to follow up.
    People who don't take a stand get trapped in their benign choices. A newspaper who has the chance to make a difference and chooses not to is exactly what...

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  10. Iin future please post your own comments not comments by someone else that they posted on another site. We considered removing this comment but did not want to contribute to "conspiracy theorists"
    IF there is. EVIDENCE of these allegation please let us know.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Just wondering, was Senator Schumer's press conference today not important to Brabenec?http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2015/January/16/Rt17_widen_Schumer-16Jan15.htm

    Besides the senator, Assemblyman Skoufis and CE Newhaus were present and supported the senator. Didn't Brabenec pledge support "across the aisle" for the betterment of his district at a recent Chamber event? Did Stevie forget to tell little Karl?

    Route 17 goes right through Monroe which is in Brabenec's Assembly district! I find it hard to believe that Karl missed getting his picture taken.

    Speaking of loving the camera, where was Davy Hoovler and Carl DuBois? They both like getting their taken with Stevie too. Could it be that Stevie is trying to switch sides in order to save himself or perhaps the Republicans are avoiding him?

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  12. Funny you should mention switching sides. stay tuned.

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  13. Please don't leave us hanging!!! lol!

    The Wallkill River and Rondout Creek desperately need to be deepened and widened. Such an infrastructure bill would be the ideal mechanism to carry that funding, or another WRDA.

    By the way, speaking of "who is not in the picture" I heard that at the Judge's swearing in ceremony virtually every local Republican was there or sent a representative ... except ... the CE.

    http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2015/January/17/Krahulik_oath-17Jan15.html

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  14. Auntie said:
    "Funny you should mention switching sides. stay tuned."

    Is Auntie onto something?? Oh My, Oh My -- I've heard a few elected officials around here say: "I am ashamed to be a Republican anymore" ......

    What does Auntie know?????

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