Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C-East Aurora) is slamming Gov. Cuomo for continuing to spend money advertising START-UP NY following a damning report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, which stated the advertising provided “no tangible benefit.”

“The comptroller, a member of the governor’s own political party, has clearly stated that there is no benefit from this program, and yet, here we are, spending another $25 million on it,” DiPietro said. “That’s absurd. This isn’t Monopoly money. People in my community and in our state work hard for this money, and the governor is spending it hand-over-fist on a failed program. Spending another $25 million won’t make this advertising a good idea, and spending this money won’t make START-UP NY a success. You don’t create businesses from top-down government interference. Government has to get off Main Street’s back, and let the people work for their own version of the American Dream. This program is an expensive disaster, and it’s well past time to put an end to it.”

DiPietro voted against START-UP NY in 2013, and has called for sweeping regulatory and tax reform for all businesses as the solution to struggling Main Street businesses. He is the Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Committee on Small Business and has run his own small business for nearly 25 years.