Governor Andrew Cuomo visited the North Country last week, pushing his message that New York state has to undergo a profound economic transition.<\/p>\n
In the future, Cuomo argues, we will rely less on government jobs and more on innovative, high-tech businesses.<\/p>\n
To that end, he wants to create ten economic development councils that will work in tailored, targeted ways to attract and retain employers.<\/p>\n
In his state of the state address, Cuomo argued that old economic development approaches simply weren’t working.<\/p>\n
“We spend about $1.6 billion per year in economic development and we are number 50 in terms of results,” he argued.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the new administration would like to have more time to put its new policies and programs in place, but in government you’re not always allowed the luxury of time.<\/p>\n
Right now, Gov. Cuomo faces the loss of the Adirondack Park’s most innovative, high-tech, forward-looking private employer.<\/p>\n
The Trudeau Institute is exactly the kind of biotech firm that New York state — and Upstate in particular — can no longer afford to see depart.<\/p>\n
But right now, New York state is being outhustled by other economic development teams, in North Carolina and apparently also in Florida.<\/p>\n
According to Chris Knight’s latest report, Gov. Cuomo has reached out personally to the head of Trudeau Institute’s board of directors.\u00a0 That’s a good start.<\/p>\n
But it appears that our competitors in other states are offering\u00a0 more tangible incentives, which Trudeau will be hard-pressed to turn down.<\/p>\n
It’s time for Team Cuomo to spring into action, organizing the kind of targeted, focused task force that can get New York state back in the game of saving this company.<\/p>\n
This task force should report back directly to the second floor in Albany and its leader should be given the directive that this is a symbolic fight, a line in the sand.<\/p>\n
If we win, by anchoring Trudeau here and making it even stronger, the victory will mark one early sign of New York’s turnaround and a sign that the Cuomo administration can move with agility, and mobilize effectively.<\/p>\n
But the ramifications of losing Trudeau will be severe, in real terms and in the message it will send about our ability to turn the corner.<\/p>\n
Saranac Lake is the largest, most economically diverse community in the Adirondack Park, and a rare success story in the region.<\/p>\n
If Trudeau closes its doors, or shifts a substantial amount of its operations elsewhere, the hole that is New York’s economy will be that much deeper and that much harder to crawl out of.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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