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ROTTERDAM
Town hires economic strategist
Board hopes official will draw business
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Town officials are hoping that an investment this year will bring a steady flow of business to Rotterdam in the future.
    Members of the Town Board unanimously approved the hiring of Aurelia Lazzari on Wednesday as Rotterdam’s first economic development specialist. The former employee of the Schenectady County Economic Development Corp. will be paid $47,500 annually, plus benefi ts.
    Supervisor Steve Tommasone, who battled to keep the position in the 2009 town budget, said Lazzari will help develop strategies to bring business to the town and act as a liaison between the town and other economic development entities, among her other duties. He said adding the position will help the town compete with other municipalities seeking economic development opportunities.
    “We have not had anyone to specifically manage all the economic development we’ve had in town,” he said.
    But some argue that the new position is redundant considering the other entities that help coordinate Rotterdam’s economic development. Among these groups are Rotterdam’s senior planner, the town’s economic development committee, the Rotterdam Industrial Development Agency and the county’s Metroplex Development Authority.
    Former Town Board member Bob Godlewski said these agencies should be more than enough for the town to cash in on any opportunities. Since the budget discussion last fall, he’s argued that the money spent on creating the specialist position will have diminishing returns for the town.
    “The message you’re sending is you want this person to carry the banner for the town and you have all these other agencies that supply the same services,” he said Thursday. “In this economic environment, you can’t justify that.”
    Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen said it’s up to the town to decide whether such a position is needed. He said his agency is more than willing to work with the new specialist.
    “We’ll work with everybody and anybody to bring in jobs and investment,” he said.
    However, he expressed concerns that a “fractious approach” to economic development could create a situation in the county similar to the one that preceded the creation of Metroplex. At the time, more than ...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01102

How about the towns stop funding Metroplex and let each town attract it's own new businesses. Let the city fund Metroplex because that's where most of the money raised is spent anyway.

I guess I don't understand the move here. Does Rotterdam need this almost $50,000 + benefits position because they need someone to work with the plex? How is this all going to work now....will Lazarri try to lure businesses in and then approach the plex for help in funding? I guess I just don't understand the reasoning here.  

Let me break it down for you. Rotterdam is getting the s*** end of the stick from Metrograft. They are cherry picking companies and moving them to the City, with your tax dollars! This erodes our tax base and does nothing to help the City, since they are also giving away property tax breaks. Remember how long it took to seat a representaive from the town to the Metrograft Bored?

   Forget what Godlewski says. He is another puppet on the strings. Between Ang and Ms. Lazzari we have 2 dynamic business leaders. They will try and undo some of the damage of 10 years of Metrograft. Only a complete nit wit would support Metrograft.

I don’t know Ms. Lazzari and my opposition to this position is no reflection of her abilities.  However, the position is redundant – pure and simple.  It fragments economic initiative for the area rather than enhances it, in my opinion.  Metroplex effectiveness aside, even Benny admits Rotterdam does have a Metroplex representative.  Rotterdam also already has it’s own IDA.

Remember too, that the creation of this new position was partly responsible for the tax increase just passed in Rotterdam’s latest budget.  This is a nearly $50,000 per year + benefits position.  Will it be cost-effective?  So not only do we get to pay taxes toward Metroplex efforts but now we get to pay taxes for yet another economic specialist.  The added competition is very liable to be cannibalistic, as each entity undercuts the other to lure a project.  The likely winner is the project…able to play off the competing interests to garner the most lucrative deal and thus diluting taxpayer benefit.  

Yes, Rotterdam has a "representative" who Ms. Savage refused to seat for many months. Big Deal. Funny when people protest a small cost that will more than repay itself if one business comes to town but are silent when major companies are hijacked by Metrograft.

     Agree in principle, we do not need additional employees. The problem is Metrograft and the $7,000,000+ anually drained from County taxpayers pockets. With Ang and Ms. Lazzari something postive will occur-relying on Metrograft will only means more raids and continued job erosion.

I don’t want to beat this to death because I recognize the shortcomings of Metroplex and the potential benefit Ms. Lazzari might provide.  However, taxes increased to duplicate an effort that is predicated on an ‘if’.  Every elected official in Town campaigned on increasing economic development but instead resorted to increasing taxes.  If the Town wants/needs this new position to provide economic development, then it should have found a way to fit it into the budget without a tax increase.  (I’m not making the argument that this position is solely responsible for the tax increase, just to be clear.)  My point is that there is apparently plenty of fat in the budget as evidenced by the ability to carve out funding for the ambulance service a few short weeks after the budget passed.  Further, all descriptions of the position that I heard in public described the position as some sort of liaison/coordinator to other (ie: IDA and Metroplex) efforts.  It sounds redundant and unnecessary.  I only hope I’m proved wrong because I’m paying for it now.  I sincerely hope she is successful in her new role.

I'm an enema specialist......

You're going to bump all topics from 7 years ago??

I just find it interesting that we are 'here' after 7 years.....

where is that?

Really?

Looks like the town is taking more of our money in order to cause the reduction of our home values yet increase our taxes.

Gee, they can afford something that will cause home values to go down, but there is supposedly no money to provide a service (yard waste collection)

redundant ??? what the hell are these supposed people doing now - nothing - get rid of them and lets see what this guy can do really - sr planner - he tries but nothing noithing nothing !!!! What the hell does Tom Yule do send him packing will ya -

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redundant ??? what the hell are these supposed people doing now - nothing - get rid of them and lets see what this guy can do really - sr planner - he tries but nothing noithing nothing !!!! What the hell does Tom Yule do send him packing will ya -

Here is what you should be saying BIAGGIO:

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I was happy to get rid of terrible Tommasone and look what wonderful people I helped put in!

wow back to the idiot making statements he has no clue about - stick with what you know best - oh NOTHING lol -