Governor Will Travel to Each Region to Assess Progress Implementing Last Year's Plans and Hear How Councils Plan to Build on those Investments Going Forward
Councils Present Their New Grant Applications to SIAT
Albany, NY (September 20, 2012)
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he will visit, along with the regional council Strategic Implementation Assessment Team (SIAT), each of the state's ten regions in order to assess the progress the councils have made in implementing their economic development plans as well as hear presentations about their goals for the future.
The purpose of the visits is to give each region a chance to demonstrate the progress they have made, with state support, in their job creation and economic development efforts. During the Governor's visit, each region has the flexibility to use their time allotment to present to the Governor as they choose, with the goal of highlighting a key project or projects that they have made significant progress on and how they plan to build on those investments in year two. After the morning session with the Governor, each region will give a formal presentation of their second round applications to the assessment team.
"The Regional Economic Development Councils have transformed the way the state approaches creating jobs and growing the economy from a top-down approach, to a community based, collaborative process. The best way to demonstrate that is to get out of Albany and in to the communities to hear firsthand about the progress each region has made," Governor Cuomo said. "With new projects launching across New York, there is new energy and excitement around the state as each region is beginning to take their economic destiny into their own hands. This tour will give each region a chance to put their best foot forward and show me and their evaluators how they have used - and plan to use - the regional council process and the hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding to grow the economy and create jobs for their region."
Today, Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy, Chairman of the Economic Development Councils, sent a letter to each of the Regional Council Co-Chairs outlining the statewide tour that will take place this fall.
The letter is below:
Dear Co-Chair,
Governor Cuomo launched the Regional Economic Development Councils with a vision to provide each of our state's unique regions with an opportunity to guide the application of state resources to projects and industry sectors that most directly benefited the local economy to create jobs and spur private sector investments. Your efforts are transforming the Governor's vision into reality. The economies of your region and the state now have a foundation for continued long-term growth that makes New York State competitive nationally and internationally and I congratulate you on your achievements.
At the Regional Council Summit on August 21st, the Governor announced that the state will visit each of the ten regions, to hear oral presentations and participate in a tour of the Councils' implementation activity and priority projects. I am pleased to announce that the Governor will also participate in these events with a visit to each region to view progress and how the region intends to build on that progress. While no single visit can accommodate all of the projects throughout a region, the Governor's tour will provide the Councils with the opportunity to highlight those initiatives they feel are critical to the region's strategic vision.
The Governor's tours and the assessment team visits will begin in early October and are expected to be completed in about five weeks. The specific dates will be selected randomly so that all groups have an equal opportunity to prepare.
The proposed format of these tours will be a morning with the Governor, followed by an afternoon presentation to the Assessment Team. Councils should plan for a time frame of up to two hours for the Governor's visit, followed by up to four hours for the presentation to the assessment team. The assessment team presentation may include (and I would encourage you to consider) tours of Council projects and must include a one hour presentation of implementation activity and future plans.
We will be in touch with you shortly regarding the dates and specific details. Please note that all parts of the tour will be open to the press.
This is an exciting time for your region and for the state. Thank you again for your dedication to the Regional Council process and we are looking forward to the upcoming events.
Sincerely,
Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy