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ABO report contains data on GCEDC's work and staff compensation

By Howard B. Owens

The Authorities Budget Office has released an annual report, along with several spreadsheets, that contain a range of data about the state's multitude of public authorities, including industrial development agencies, such as the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Here's what the report shares about GCEDC:

  • Total staff compensation for GCEDC's 12 employees was $772,360 in 2012, the third highest in the state behind Erie County, with 19 employees at $1.2 million and Yonkers with 20 employees at $1.14 million. Yonkers and Erie also have the largest staff of IDAs in the state, followed by Genesee and Jefferson with 12 apiece.
  • Eighteen authorities in the state paid performance bonuses in 2012, but only three were IDAs, and only GCEDC among IDAs paid bonuses in excess of $10,000. In all, six employees received bonuses of $10,000 or higher, including Steve Hyde, whose bonus of $142,000 put his total compensation for the year at $312,388.
  • The 51 other authority employees in the state that received performance bonuses in excess of $10,000 all work for health care agencies, such as the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and pulled in total compensation packages two and three times Hyde's compensation. The president and CEO of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation was paid $1.4 million in total compensation.
  • GCEDC has 11 projects that were approved in 2008 with total tax exemptions awarded of $2 million. Those projects were supposed to create 66 new jobs. There were actually only 14 jobs created, according to the ABO report. That's far from the worst performance in the state, however. The Albany IDA's projects came up 2,138 jobs short on promises and 14 other IDAs had greater deficits than GCEDC's projects.
  • In the list of new IDA projects for 2012, GCEDC ranks third with 13. Topping the list is Monroe County's IDA with 33 followed by New York City with 16.
  • On the same list, GCEDC is third in total net exemptions, having awarded  $3.6 million, behind Jefferson County with $5.34 million on six projects and Westchester County with $4.2 million on 11 projects. Monroe's 33 projects received $2 million in exemptions and NYC's $1.5 million.
  • Those 13 projects for GCEDC are expected to net 341 new FTE positions, which is the seventh highest projection in the state. NYC is number one with 1,409 estimated FTEs followed by Monroe County with 501.
  • Jobs created by IDA-funded projects are a self-reported number from the employer to the sponsoring IDA. As the sponsoring IDA, GCEDC reported 244 jobs created for its 2012 projects, which is 137 new FTE positions that didn't exist before the projects were approved, but still 97 fewer jobs than promised by the projects.
  • Those 137 additional jobs are enough to place GCEDC fourth in the state for IDAs creating jobs from approved projects. Tops is Monroe County with 1,369 new jobs, followed by NYC, 206, and Syracuse, 198.
  • Erie County actually lost 56 jobs on its 10 projects that received $1.18 million in exemptions.
  • Orleans County had one project in 2012 that received $3,000 in exemptions that promised three new jobs and three new jobs were created.  
  • The Genesee Gateway LDC gave out $5.8 million in loans for projects expected to create 244 jobs with 99 FTEs positions reportedly created in 2012. That's $58,435 of loan money per new FTE position, 10th on the list for highest loan amount per job. Topping the list is Washington County LDC, which gave out 33 loans totaling $3.4 million and had two FTEs created for an average of $1.7 million per job. At the other end of the scale, Livingston County gave out 16 loans totaling $1.1 million and those projects created 243 positions, for an average of $4,501 loaned per job.
Mark Potwora

GCEDC has 11 projects that were approved in 2008 with total tax exemptions awarded of $2 million. Those projects were supposed to create 66 new jobs. There were actually only 14 jobs created, according to the ABO report. ......That pretty much says it all...only 14 jobs.....And for all that Steve Hyde, who's bonus of $142,000 put his total compensation for the year at $312,388.....When will the county legislators wake up and see what BS GCEDC tosses around...

Jul 9, 2013, 11:55pm Permalink
John Roach

This November we can do something about this.
Vote out Ed DeJanerio (City of Batavia, 5th and 6th Wards) and S. Stien (Leroy). They both voted for this stuff.

This is the time to show them the way the GCEDC is no longer acceptable. Time to take a real stand.

Jul 10, 2013, 6:38am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Lorie I think you are mistaking GCEDC with GCASA, Also your 2nd comment is pretty self explanatory. If you can go to the Gcasa waiting are to buy drugs, then maybe thats why Gacasa has to lie and bully clients who are supposedly there to get off drugs. People need to take responsibility for their actions, or so the program says, the only person who makes these people lose their medicare benefits are the clients who are working the program just to get by, or are only there because the only other alternative is jail.

Every single person I have ever seen make these comments was either part of Gcasa's program or directly related to someone in it. I hear a whole different story from those who actually went there and got the help they needed.

Jul 10, 2013, 8:07am Permalink
Phil Ricci

How did it get onto GCASA?

Dave, it's news because it's facts, and contrary to popular belief...THAT is what the news is suppose to report.

Jul 10, 2013, 8:55am Permalink
Phil Ricci

By the way, I would love just one person to actually be able to substantiate one of those GCASA gives out drug claims. It's so nice to be able to say whatever you like when you don't have to prove anything.

Ironically, that is on the thread of an article where facts are given.

Jul 10, 2013, 9:02am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

LOL Phil it was Lorie that mistook GCEDC for GCASA. My wife worked for them at the Atwater House for years. But burnout in dealing with clients is high, as it is in most places that you are helping people that dont co-operate with being helped. But if they all got their wishes and Gacas suddenly shut down..... they would all be in jail or worse with nothing being done to help them.

It truly is one of those be careful what you wish for scenarios...

Jul 10, 2013, 9:15am Permalink
Phil Ricci

You're right, Kyle. Very few people actually understand all of the work that goes on there, which isn't uncommon, most people don't take time to understand what many agencies do, but I always just find it funny when people sling accusations absent of proof.

Jul 10, 2013, 9:28am Permalink
Beth Kinsley

Phil - they don't give out drugs but they do write a lot of prescriptions for Suboxone which is very controversial. http://www.suboxone.com/. There's only two doctors in Genesee County authorized to prescribe it and one is at GCASA. I'm not debating whether this is an effective treatment or not but many people are opposed to treating drug addicts with addictive drugs. And yes, Suboxone is an opiate and is addictive.

Jul 10, 2013, 9:39am Permalink
Lorie Cook

Sorry...didn't mean to be a crap stirrer but I never said gcasa gave out drugs. I am saying people are getting drugs from others there. People steal drugs there. I can definitely see the high burn out rate. And many are there because it is that or jail. I will walk away quitely.

Jul 10, 2013, 11:47am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Hey Uncle Dave.....lets really work those vocabulary muscles and come up with alternatives to prevaricate... like aspersion, backbiting, calumniation, calumny, complete distortion of the facts, corker, deceit, deception, defamation, detraction, dishonesty, disinformation, distortion, evasion, fable, fabrication, falsehood, falseness, falsification, falsity, fib, fiction, fish story, forgery, fraudulence, guile, hyperbole, inaccuracy, invention, libel, mendacity, misrepresentation, misstatement, myth, obloquy, perjury, prevarication, revilement, reviling, slander, subterfuge, tale, tall story*, terminological inexactitude, vilification, white lie*, whopper

Wait does the whopper come with fries or onion rings? LOL

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071230040110AANMXYr so there Beth :P

Jul 10, 2013, 10:21pm Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

OK... I was never given or offered drugs by any GCASA staff while I was a client, if they had offered, I would be in "phase 18"
by now. lol...

Jul 10, 2013, 4:33pm Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

Beth, giving an addict their drug of choice, which is any drug, is like trying to
cure an alcoholic with a drink or two, not happening. When they have
had enough, or they kill themselves, they will stop.
Not trying to bash GCASA, or any treatment program, but with addiction, the
chance of sobriety is thin, and if the addict doesn't want it, those odds
double.

Jul 10, 2013, 5:09pm Permalink
Bob Harker

Wow. Such a perfect example of the unrealistic promises of GCEDC and the abhorrent and arrogant abuse of tax dollars and the comments are off hand about GCASA and drug abuse.

Ed, here's my own: "Walking away with shoulders stooped, and sadly shaking my head".

Jul 10, 2013, 8:59pm Permalink
Lorie Cook

Frank, for once you and I agree. But when you add into it dealing with all those there to avoid jail it makes it extremely hard for people to focus on healing.

My home was also broken into to at the beginning of 2013. The young man police found in my house had been around the court system many times. He entered my home for the purpose of grabbing little electronics and prescription meds. The electronics to sell at the pawn store and the meds for himself...well, he did get one prescription he was probably after but interestingly enough I had another prescription that was a liquid he tried (LOL...I would have liked to have seen him after about 30 min after consuming that stuff). He had a very large knife with him...clearly he would have used it. Thank god I was not home at the time.

He also left his calling card in my house....I little cut out ad from a newspaper or magazine....for viagra.

Lewis Place = cockroach avenue...btw.

Jul 10, 2013, 8:32pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Sorry, Kyle! The Lewis Place comment was my 'tongue-in-cheek' way of saying that your extensive word list (probably) wouldn't be heard in most conversations conducted by the denizens of said Place. Although, there are times when one would be led to believe that such inhabitants have contributed to the Higher education of others (emphasis on High).

I need sleep! Have a good day, tomorrow! (I mean, I will walk away quietly).

Jul 10, 2013, 11:44pm Permalink

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