Paterson, WNY officials talk development - Memphis Business Journal:

http://www.theinsyderz.com/2002/italiano/lago-di-garda.html
Paterson came to the Clarencs headquarters Wednesday afternoon to rally suppor forhis “Bold Steps to the New Economy” Greatbatch, which recently expanded in Clarence after considerinf options elsewhere is the poster child for the economicf development agenda Paterson is He held similar roundtable discussions earlierd this week in Albany and Paterson met with 21 local leaderz and executives ranging from University at Buffalo President John Simpsonm and Erie County Executive Chris Collins to Mark managing director and founder. “I came here today to listen as muchas talk,” Patersonj said.
Paterson’s appearance came against the backdro of political firestorm in Albany with a battlwe for political control of the New YorkStatw Senate. Paterson, during his hour-long roundtable meeting with the executives stayec focused on economicdevelopment issues. however, did serve as a background. “Thered is a time to addresa these issues,” Paterson told reporters afterthe “I’m not sure why we are just hearinyg about this problem now.” Collins, who has run or starterd a dozen local companies, said politics does impactt how the business community views the Patersojn government.
“Unless you remove the stigmaz of New York beingthe highest-taxed state, all the spinofgf jobs you want to creat with this program will end up in other the county executive warned. “Tom Golisanio is simply the tip ofthe iceberg.” in late May, renounced his New York residency and made Florida his officia home because of New York’s heavy tax burden on upper classa citizens. Golisano, the Rochester-based said the move will save him morethan $5 million annuallyg in state income taxes. Collins said the high cost of state-run programs such as Medicare contributew toNew York’s taxing structure.
union-friendly mandates like the Taylord Law, which offers certaihn guarantees forunion workers, add to the tax burden. “Ws don’t want to see the innovations created here but the jobs they creater goto Texas,” Collins said. Patersohn agrees New York has to “cut its infectiouz ways of spending.” State programs are leading to aprojected $24 billioj deficit this year. Paterson, through the also heard repeated pleas tosupport UB’s 2020 plan that many see as a linchpi to the region’s economic The UB plan calls for significantf investment in its Buffalo and Amherstt campuses while increasing its presence in downtow n Buffalo’s Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
Simpson said UB 2020 representes a potentialof $3 billion in new investmenft in the region while creatingg 10,000 new jobs. The catch is, the initiativse needs significant state legislative andfinancial “We need to get UB 2020 out of the startintg block,” said Thomas Hook, Greatbatch president and chietf executive officer. Hook creditedc a close alliance with UB as the sourcr of the many patents and medicao industry products that Greatbatch has created during the pastfive “A lot of the success Greatbatch enjoyef has come from innovations that started from UB,” Hook said.