About that report card...

Shimkus talks to Governor Spitzer about Business Council Report Card

ARCC President Todd Shimkus was one of just two chamber executives in the upstate that had the chance to ask questions directly of Governor Spitzer during a 30-minute teleconference hosted by the Governor. The Governor’s office set up this teleconference to hear from Chamber executives representing communities that had not faired so well in a recent Business Council report card on economic growth. In his discussion with the Governor, Todd suggested that the state could better help Washington and Warren Counties to expand economic opportunity and to respond to some of the challenges noted in the Business Council’s report card by providing monies to encourage cities and towns to expand and connect regional water and sewer systems to increase the area’s shovel ready property for new industrial development. He also asked the Governor to consider ways the state could support Adirondack Community College’s higher educational facility. Once built, this facility will better enable local residents to secure four year degrees without ever leaving our region helping us to retain their talents and to improve our region’s educational attainment levels. In response, the Governor noted that the state’s higher education system is looking at better integration strategies to align the four-year and two-year college programs. He also noted that the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis/St-Paul has put a great deal of new focus on federal and state funding for infrastructure projects. He has a team now working on developing proposals for investing in key infrastructure projects throughout the state.