“I would like to thank and congratulate the members of both the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) for their tireless planning and efforts to help stimulate our area’s business climate.”

“Today, both REDCs earned ‘Top Performer’ status from the governor’s office and will be allocated a total of $161.5 million in economic development aid. The Southern Tier REDC will receive $80.8 million and the Finger Lakes REDC will receive $80.7 million.”

“The respective efforts of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes REDCs have generated critical state investments to grow our local economy. These capital investments are certainly welcomed and important, but it is equally imperative that the legislature and the governor take bold and aggressive measures to reduce the tax and regulatory burden that is placed on our small businesses, manufacturers and job creators.”