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March 15, 2010


Hon. John Sampson (also sent to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver)
Senate Majority Conference Leader
New York State Senate
409 Legislative Office Bldg.
Albany, NY 12247 

Dear Senator Sampson:

On behalf of the 2,500 employer members of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, I write in very strong support of the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA), included in the Governor’s 2010-11 Executive Budget. For Buffalo Niagara, PHEEIA will be instrumental in allowing UB2020 – the most aggressive economic development opportunity our region has ever seen – to progress.

Buffalo Niagara is heavily invested in UB2020 – so much so, in fact, that in our annual Regional Agenda the past three years, the program has been agreed upon as our #1 economic development priority. Our region’s employer, labor and taxpayer communities believe in the promise of UB2020: tens of thousands of jobs, badly-needed public and private investment in downtown Buffalo and an economic impact to our region of over $2.6 billion. For a city that has been identified as the 3rd poorest in the nation, this is an opportunity we can not afford to delay, or worse, pass up.

While UB2020 is vitally important to Buffalo Niagara – something to which our state delegation will attest – we clearly understand the challenges facing New York State government currently. However, now more than ever, we believe that the state should be focused on short- and long-term economic development and job creation. It is true that there is likely not “extra cash” to be throwing into economic development programs – that’s what makes PHEEIA so practical and timely. It is a no-cost, high-impact economic development initiative that the state legislature can move forward immediately, even in the midst of budgetary challenges.

As you know, for the past two years, the Partnership and our partners in the Buffalo Niagara region have worked toward passage of similar legislation specific to UB. The logical question for anyone outside of our community was “what’s in it for me?” We’re pleased that our regional effort has inspired the rest of SUNY to see the potential that can come from the components of PHEEIA, including rational tuition flexibility and the ability to engage in strategic public-private partnerships to grow. The estimated impacts listed above are for Buffalo alone – imagine the impact on communities SUNY-wide!

Having been in the SUNY reform “business” for a number of years now, it is understandable that Buffalo Niagara is the first to have a strategic plan, implementation schedule and community-wide grassroots support. As other regions are beginning to develop their plans to take advantage of PHEEIA, our region is reaching out to help that happen. The economic development possibilities we see in Buffalo are to be shared statewide. That’s why UB is reaching out to other SUNY institutions on planning. We’re reaching out to other business organizations to talk about what PHEEIA means to regional economies. Our young professionals program is reaching out to statewide young professional programs to discuss “big picture” economic opportunity. Organized labor is reaching out across the state to talk about the promise of jobs and workforce development. And our local elected officials are doing the same with their counterparts.

New York State is at a crossroads, with our economic future on the line. We must find a way to attract new private sector investment and create and retain jobs. Here in Buffalo Niagara, the foundation is already laid for UB2020 to be a catalyst for that effort, and other regions across the state are quickly following suit. I urge you to set the vast economic development opportunities in motion with the passage of PHEEIA.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Rudnick

cc:    Governor David Paterson
         WNY State Delegation