Sounding a political mantra of “collaboration” at the start of his second term in office, Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said his “fast-acting, pro-business” administration will continue to work closely with the private sector to promote economic growth in the county.
Savoring his more than 12-point margin of victory in the November election and citing the roles of county development agencies in leveraging business and nonprofits”™ investments that retained and added private-sector jobs here, Astorino spoke to a breakfast audience of about 300 Westchester County Association members and guests Jan. 23 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown.
Likely disappointing some in his audience, he made no mention of his expected run for governor this year as the Republican Party”™s candidate against the heavily favored Democratic incumbent and fellow Westchester resident Andrew M. Cuomo.
Astorino indirectly joined Cuomo”™s many critics reacting this week to the governor”™s recent remark during a radio interview that “extreme conservatives” have “no place in the state of New York.”  Noting “the ”˜we”™ in Westchester,” the county executive said he had learned “the power of collaboration” in his first four-year term, reaching out to ethnic and racial minorities that historically have not voted Republican. “Whether you are liberal, moderate or conservative, there is always a place for you in Westchester,” he said.
Astorino said fees paid to the county Industrial Development Agency by businesses granted tax exemptions and other financial incentives for their job-creating projects are a “growth dividend” used by the IDA to support small businesses through SCORE Westchester, the Women”™s Enterprise Development Center and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center for government contracts. He said the IDA this year will also support the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Investment Board and One-Stop Employment Center and Community Capital New York, the nonprofit alternative lender to small businesses.
He said $100,000 of IDA revenue will be used to launch Hire Westchester, a Workforce Investment Board program. It will pay employers up to 50 percent of the cost of on-the-job training for hired workers, with a maximum payment of $20,000 per business.
Astorino, a member of the state Thruway Authority”™s mass transit task force for the new Tappan Zee Bridge, said he will continue to push for rapid transit lanes on the bridge and along the Interstate 287 corridor. “We need to build a bridge that can help serve as a catalyst for bringing business to Westchester,” he said.
The county executive said he will host a business roundtable at the County Office Building in February with developers, building owners and tenants “to see how the county can meet their needs.”
