According to a release from the Governor’s office:

“Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Xerox Corporation will establish a call center in Webster that will create 500 new jobs over the next two years.

‘Xerox is a global leader that could have gone anywhere in the world to expand their business, but they chose New York because our state is rapidly becoming the place to be for businesses,’ Governor Cuomo said. ‘By forging successful public-private partnerships like we have with Xerox, we can leverage state resources to generate sustainable economic growth and long-term job creation.’

Utilizing $5 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits and a $1 million Economic Development Fund grant from Empire State Development, the company will invest $4.3 million to renovate a portion of Building 200 on the Webster campus, as well as purchase IT systems and equipment to create a 23,000 square foot state-of-the-art call center space. The Monroe County Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) has also approved a local tax abatement package totaling $271,040.

The plans call for the creation of 500 new jobs, including 350 jobs in 2012 and an additional 150 jobs by 2013. In addition to the 500 new jobs being created, the company will retain 70 existing employees at the project location. Renovation is expected to begin in February, with completion projected by the end of 3rd quarter 2012. Xerox expects to begin hiring employees in March. Positions will include call center agents and managers.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams said, ‘It is through Governor Cuomo’s efforts that home-grown companies, like Xerox, are choosing to stay here and grow here. This commitment to Xerox ensures that investment and jobs stay in the Greater Rochester region.’”

To read more click here.

Jimmy Vielkind of the Times Union writes:

“New state legislative districts were unveiled Thursday amid a fusillade of criticism — including an unprecedented veto threat by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo’s verdict came in a terse statement a few hours after the lines, which must be redrawn every 10 years to conform to the new federal Census, arrived at 2 p.m.

‘At first glance, these lines are simply unacceptable and would be vetoed by the governor,’ said spokesman Josh Vlasto. ‘We need a better process and product.’

New lines have been drawn by LATFOR, which is jointly controlled by Democrats who dominate the Assembly and Republicans who hold a bare 32-seat majority in the Senate. By long tradition, the majority party draws lines in its own house.

The process has long been criticized by good-government groups. In 2010, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch asked lawmakers to pledge to reform the system, and most — including Cuomo and Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos — signed on.

‘Today, victory lies with the enemies of reform,’ Koch said in a statement.’”

To read more click here.

According to a press release from the Marist Poll:

“New York State voters see a light at the end of the financial tunnel. A majority of registered voters statewide — 52% — believe the worst of the state’s economic woes are behind them. 44% think the worst is yet to come, and 5% are unsure.

This is in stark contrast with voters’ views from November. In that NY1/YNN-Marist Poll, a majority — 54% — thought there were more tumultuous economic times on the horizon while 42% said the worst was over. Four percent, at the time, were unsure.

‘More New York voters are beginning to see an improved economic picture,’ says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. ‘It’s not exactly rosy but the gloom is lifting.’”

To read more click here.

To view the poll click here.

Click here to view LATFOR’s proposed 2012 district maps for the Senate and Assembly.

According to a release from the Pollution Prevention Institute:

“Two Rochester-area agencies, five New York City-based agencies and a Long Island agency will receive this year’s grant awards. The organizations and projects they will be working on with funds from the grants are as follows:

• NCS Community Development Corporation, Rochester: Let’s Do Deconstruction Initiative Project
• Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, Rochester: Healthy Home/Lead Awareness for Parents DVD
• Pratt Center for Community Development, Brooklyn: Retrofit NYC Outreach Training
• East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corporation, Brooklyn: Clean Air for North Brooklyn
• Newtown Creek Alliance, Brooklyn: Green Infrastructure Outreach Initiative
• Green Home NYC, Manhattan: Green Buildings, Green Cities: Waste Prevention
• Center for Health, Environment and Justice, Manhattan: PVC-Free Purchasing for Pollution Prevention
• Citizens Campaign Fund for the Environment, Long Island: Long Island Water Protection Campaign

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute is housed at Rochester Institute of Technology and provides state-wide, comprehensive and integrated programming in technology research, development and diffusion, training and education aimed at making New York state more sustainable for workers, the public, the environment and the economy. The institute was created in 2008 through a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Additional partners include Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, State University of New York at Buffalo and New York’s 10 Regional Technology Development Centers.”

To read the entire release click here.

Julianna Goldman of Bloomberg writes:

“To give companies an incentive to create manufacturing jobs in the U.S., the president proposes to require that companies pay a minimum tax for profit earned overseas, a step that may offset the lure of low tax rates offered by some foreign countries.

Companies would be banned from taking a deduction on taxes and would be offered a 20 percent tax credit, an amount subtracted directly from taxes owed, if they brought jobs home, according to the administration’s fact sheet.

Obama also is proposing $6 billion in new credits over three years for companies that invest in facilities or production in communities that has had major job losses.

He also again is calling for reauthorizing a measure that lets businesses expense the full cost of investments in equipment and making permanent a research and experimentation tax credit.

The details of the plan will be included in the fiscal 2013 budget Obama sends to Congress on Feb. 13.”

To read more click here.

The following is an op-ed published in the NY Daily News:

“They just don’t get it or they just don’t care that public employee pension costs are crippling the city and the state.

Members of the Legislature on Wednesday held a first hearing on Gov. Cuomo’s critically needed reform plan — and promptly subjected it to withering dissection.

The questioning of Budget Director Robert Megna was so close that spectators could be excused for thinking union leaders had commandeered the legislative seats.

Literally, that is, not figuratively, which is clearly the case.

Democratic Staten Island Sen. Diane Savino, a former labor leader; Democratic Brooklyn Assemblyman Peter Abbate, who carries union water, and others took umbrage that future government workers wouldn’t enjoy the rich retirement benefits that the legislators themselves get.”

To read more click here.

The following is a letter that was written to Kassata Edwards (of WRGB Channel 6 News), who covered The Business Council’s Legislators’ Reception, along with the protest outside Hotel Albany (formerly known as the Crowne Plaza Albany). The author is Pete Bardunias, President/CEO of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County:

“Hello Ms. Edwards,

Thank you for the fair and balanced report on the protest at the Business Council event last night. Channel 6 did a good job of laying out the facts as you saw them for people to understand. I’d like to add a few things which may be helpful, although I in no way claim to speak for the Business Council of New York State or any other entity present last night.

I was an attendee at the event, the guy with the little round band aid on my face chatting as the camera pans the room in your video. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I walked in about an hour earlier with one of the protesters, who I approached because she was wearing a Business Council credential. The lady with the dark hair and small rimmed dark glasses. If you look at your video she is unpinning the badge from her sweater while she is chanting and then puts it in her pocket. Perhaps she is the one who let the people in through a back door, but she most assuredly came in the front, along with me.

What disappoints me the most is, as we made small talk in the elevator, she claimed to own a small business. If so, then it’s a shame she didn’t utilize the resources of the Chambers of Commerce who were present there, and I honestly wish I could sit down with her and clear up any misunderstandings as to what these organizations are all about. The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County, for example, has 950 members, 65% of which have less than 10 employees. We would gladly address her concerns just as we would any small business who becomes a member. The big issues mentioned in the parking lot by the protesters – fracking, health care, taxation, family issues, etc. are all very much on the minds of chamber executives and our members too. It’s a shame they were out there in the rain instead of inside engaging in civil discourse which is what the many attendees of that reception were doing. I did not attend the President’s event later in the evening, but rather went home to my family in Clifton Park.

BCNYS President/CEO Heather Briccetti is a fine executive who has worked hard and deserves the position to which she has been appointed. Again I won’t speak for the Business Council, but I am proud that my Chamber of Commerce supports businesses large and small, from Mom and Pop entrepreneurs (such as what this woman claimed to be) all the way to some of the largest companies on the planet. Southern Saratoga County is a place where all these various interests and factions come together, and work hard to make a difference in leading New York out of its economic doldrums. I am very proud to be part of this community at such an important time in our history.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts in this email. Should I be able to offer any other assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me, my information is below.”

E.J. McMahon of the Manhattan Institute said the following about pension reform during his testimony at a legislative budget hearing:

“Proponents of the status quo argue, correctly, that it provides employees with the greater retirement security. But it’s time to recognize that security comes at a cost - a cost borne by current and future taxpayers, a cost our current system does not even fully measure or acknowledge. The financial security of employees alone should not be the sole concern here. You also need to be concerned, above all, with improving the stability, predictability, affordability and sustainability of public finances.”

To view McMahon’s full testimony click here.

Heather Briccetti, President and CEO of The Business Council, released a statement yesterday on the same topic:

“The pension reforms the Governor has proposed would not impact a single person working in government today. Their “safety net” is safe. We are talking about future workers only. New York spends more than any other state in the nation on pensions for government workers, and the costs continue to escalate. That will force local governments and school districts to face tough choices between raising taxes and cutting jobs or services. Both are bad choices, especially when we have a sensible solution that does not hurt anyone with a job today. Pension costs are in fact a crisis for many local governments and will only get worse if we ignore them.”

The following statement was issued by Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, following President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“Tonight the President focused on the need to create jobs, shore up our energy security through increased domestic production and revive manufacturing in America. Yet his decision last week to reject the Keystone XL killed the promise of nearly 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs along with the 118,000 indirect jobs that would ripple across our economy. The Keystone XL pipeline could have accomplished the goals espoused in tonight’s speech and its rejection undermines the President’s commitment to them.

We agree with the President on one point. Manufacturers are poised for a renaissance. However, it is 20 percent more expensive to manufacture in the U.S. compared to our largest trading partners. This cost gap is a barrier that must be eliminated. The existence of this gap is not the work of our competitors but rather is self-inflicted by Washington. We have the opportunity to fix it and to reaffirm the global leadership of manufacturing in the U.S.”

To read the rest of the statement click here.