Recently I received an e-mail from Cayuga County Legislator Schuster regarding the Blueprint Group and their involvement regarding economic development in Cayuga County.
Mr. Schuster portrays the group or at least some members as the bullies of Cayuga County.
I would classify us as the frustrated business people that seek change.
The sub-committee dealing with this topic included Guy Cosentino (Stardust Foundation), Rick Emanuel (The Citizen) and David Smith (Nucor).
This group has kept the Blueprint Group in the loop at each of our monthly meetings.
It appeared that everyone was making progress in working toward a common goal, but Mr. Schuster would rather paint us as troublemakers than solution finders.
What Mr. Schuster failed to acknowledge in his e-mail is that the county has tried numerous times to succeed with an economic developer of their own and the experiment has never succeeded.
In 2005, Senator Nozzolio gave the county the required funding to put this position in place for a year.
That's exactly how long the position lasted.
Apparently the county didn't think it was important enough to fund it again and that is what led to the frustration of the Blueprint Group to try and organize a successful organization within the county.
Mr. Schuster can put any spin on the situation that he sees fit, but the reality is this community has dedicated individuals that are working to ensure the future of our county.
Conspiracy theorists have no place in this vision and should step aside so that real progress can be shown.
Peter S. Maciulewicz
Auburn
Maciulewicz is a member of the Blueprint Group
I would classify us as the frustrated business people that seek change.
The sub-committee dealing with this topic included Guy Cosentino (Stardust Foundation), Rick Emanuel (The Citizen) and David Smith (Nucor).
This group has kept the Blueprint Group in the loop at each of our monthly meetings.
It appeared that everyone was making progress in working toward a common goal, but Mr. Schuster would rather paint us as troublemakers than solution finders.
What Mr. Schuster failed to acknowledge in his e-mail is that the county has tried numerous times to succeed with an economic developer of their own and the experiment has never succeeded.
In 2005, Senator Nozzolio gave the county the required funding to put this position in place for a year.
That's exactly how long the position lasted.
Apparently the county didn't think it was important enough to fund it again and that is what led to the frustration of the Blueprint Group to try and organize a successful organization within the county.
Mr. Schuster can put any spin on the situation that he sees fit, but the reality is this community has dedicated individuals that are working to ensure the future of our county.
Conspiracy theorists have no place in this vision and should step aside so that real progress can be shown.
Peter S. Maciulewicz
Auburn
Maciulewicz is a member of the Blueprint Group
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jim wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:02 PM:
For an economic development organization to succeed, it must be based on the Metropolitan Development Association model in Onondaga County. That private organization has seen tremendous success and consistently outshines the government agencies in stimulating the central New York economy. That the Blueprint group and Stardust are pursuing this approach is great news for our region. Count me in. "