Is EDGE laundering money?

[countrygal]

I'm just an average person who doesn't really get into all the complicated stuff regarding EDGE. But if the Legislators wants to know what "average" people think about EDGE.....I'll tell ya that we think they're useless and that Mr. DiMeo is just another somebody that gets paid a lot of money to do not much. That might not be true, but that's the impression a lot of us have about him and EDGE. Not a very good impression to have and I would like to think somebody would try to change that image by doing some positive things.

P.S. I'm sure it would have been good for the area, but I'm glad the Bio research place didn't come to Rome. I know there has to be testing done on animals, I just don't really want it in my back yard so that I'm reminded of what's going on with them on a daily basis. Just my opinion.

[tanouryjr]

Jul 17, 2008 10:55:07 GMT -5 @dgriffin said:

But back to "money laundering." I would say that is misappropriation of funds and that is a serious charge. I was thinking maybe Larry was getting at something like EDGE dealing contracts to its friends or something like that. I wonder what he means?

And here's an offer that I might even be able to pull off. Have the BOL give me a cool million and I'll give 950,000 to Joe Bruno and your fortunes will do a complete turnabout. Really!

Although, to an extent, the title of the video is simply reflective of the Majority Leader's comment - and meant as an attention grabber - I do believe there may be something very bad going on there. The fact that they are blatantly hiding from my questions - which by the way, many others have the same questions but don't have the bully pulpit to ask them from - is reason enough for me to keep pushing on.

Hopefully that little video will get them to call me and say "hey, enough is enough and here is everything" and hopefully there is nothing wrong and they are as great as they say they are. But I doubt it. The county's funds are only 17% of their total budget. But Mr. Dimeo said on the floor that night that EDGE doesn't receive any other grants or taxpayer money. I could have sworn that it was EDGE that administers all of those millions in grants for the "NanoCenter" and every other pie in the sky project around here.

We'll see where this leads though.

[dgriffin]

Larry, I don't mean to give you advice, but using a phrase like "money laundering" just for its attention-getting power could come back to bite you, especially if it isn't literally true.

I could have sworn that it was EDGE that administers all of those millions in grants for the "NanoCenter" and every other pie in the sky project around here.

You should be able to easily check that out by viewing the BOL resolutions. They're on line.

[dgriffin]

Jul 17, 2008 11:44:30 GMT -5 countrygal said:

... what "average" people think about EDGE.....I'll tell ya that we think they're useless and that Mr. DiMeo is just another somebody that gets paid a lot of money to do not much. That might not be true, but that's the impression a lot of us have about him and EDGE.

Damn right, I'd say. I don't think these guys do very much because I don't think there is much they can do when all the decision are made in Albany and Washington.

I visualize a poster that has a guy in a suit with a $200 haircut leaning on a shovel at the edge of a pit. He's saying, "We're shovel ready. We're digging our own grave."

[tanouryjr]

Jul 17, 2008 14:17:18 GMT -5 @dgriffin said:

Larry, I don't mean to give you advice, but using a phrase like "money laundering" just for its attention-getting power could come back to bite you, especially if it isn't literally true.

I could have sworn that it was EDGE that administers all of those millions in grants for the "NanoCenter" and every other pie in the sky project around here.

You should be able to easily check that out by viewing the BOL resolutions. They're on line.

I agree Dave, but that is why I put the question mark after it. I guess the message was supposed to be that the longer they avoid my questions and defeat my proposals, the more my suspicion grows. And I didn't want to make any claims that they are laundering money, I simply took a statement from a legislator and questioned whether that was what may be going on. I sure hope it's not literally happening.

[Swimmy]

I find it awfully easy and over simplified to blame the EDGE's shortcomings to Albany. Sure Albany plays its hand. But from the examples I showed, it's incompetence on EDGE's behalf covered up by blaming Albany.

I do not know how true, but I have heard rumors of EDGE using taxpayer money to fund their friends' companies and organizations. Take that with a grain of salt, I have no proof and cannot verify those rumors.

[tanouryjr]

I'll tell you this... From all of the stops they are throwing at my legislation, I would LOVE to see them sue me for that video. Maybe that would allow for the only opportunity to actually subpoena records from EDGE in order to get to the bottom of this. Pretty unfortunate, but I'm sick of watching this area die while a select few get rich.

[dgriffin]

Swimmy: OK, granted, I like to over simplify. And I am not apologizing for the EDGE organization. I will make the assumption they are not dummies, however, even if they do not properly attend to duties as you describe.

But I just can't see the IBM's, AMD's and other large corporations of the world dealing on the local level. This stuff is done on the state and national level, I believe, where the big dicks swing the big bales of cash. IBM just agreed to put 1.5 B-I-L-L-I-O-N into New York state at SUNY Albany and their Fishkill chip site. The State will pony up 140 million. I'd be surprised to find that the Dutchess County (Fishkill) economic development authority even got seats at this negotiation. Guys like Dimeo shine shoes for those big time players.

[wilum47]

Is EDGE laundering money?



;)Brought to you by Dimeo Laundry and Dry CLEANERS

[Ralph]

I have to agree with Larry.

The place is like Hotel California............money goes in but nothing comes out.....ever.

[Swimmy]

So Dave, are you saying that IBM remained headquartered in Binghamton, NY for so many years because Albany said it was ok? Or that it donated a whole IBM research lab to SUNY Binghamton because some big wigs in Albany said it was ok to do so? So what Albany decided IBM couldn't stay in Binghamton anymore so IBM left the state for North Carolina? Did Sun Microsystems only donate an entire computer lab to SUNY Binghamton because Albany said it was ok?

You cannot convince me that Albany has had the final say on every project that has come to central new york. Albany seems to be an easy scapegoat for all politicians to skirt their accountability. It's no different than with the OIN. "Hey we tried to do it OINs way or UCEs way, but in the end the courts made the final decision." It's just the area's politicians avoiding having to take responsibility for their own shortcomings!

I find it all too easy to sit back and blame Albany. Did Albany tell GE it could no longer have a facility in New Hartford, NY (suburb of Utica) and that's why it left the region in the mid-1990s? Was it Albany that decided Texas would be better off with the bio-defense research facility? Blaming Albany for all of cny's woes masks the real issues and trivializes nfp's massive profits. You think Dimeo wants to see actual development? it would mean he has to share the taxpayers' money with people other than his friends. He would no longer have a purpose if Oneida County became self-sustatining and prosperous again.

[Swimmy]

At this point, I think I just have to agree to disagree with you on this.

[Ralph]

Someone once explained to me that the purpose of 95% of the not-for-profits in existence is to put themselves out of business.

Homes for low incomes, cures for cancer, cure for diabetes, development of the MV.........get the picture?

He also explained that you would never see that happen! For EDGE to complete its mission it would be essentially putting itself out to pasture. And Steve would be unemployed........can't have that now.
And his perks are ENORMOUS!!!!

IBM was moving south way before they announced it a zillion years ago.
If they really wanted to influence a place that needed it, they could always revisit Kingston, NY. They left that place high and dry way before it became fashionable.


EDGE itself? Larry has done some extensive digging into this, this stuff is very hard to locate unless you really get hands on.
They refuse to explain why there are "two" EDGE's, and where the money really goes.
$400,000- is a drop in the bucket to what they really receive every year.

Paul Harvey would love the rest of this story!!!!!

[boomer]

The EDGE to me is a sort of "interface" between public dollars and a private accountability. I don't necessarily think it was 'designed' this way but it DOES seem like a potential conduit to send public funds to more private and unaccountable hands, if one were unscrupulous.

The EDGE just needs to pack it in. Really.

Forget all the noise; What are the results of what? A decade of the EDGE? We've seen how the EDGE has dropped the ball on some real doozys that could have been Godsends to the economy they all claim to want to improve.

Swimmy, I don't know that most people think that Albany "OK's" various companies investments and relocations to New York, it just seems that the people in Albany are very interested in CONTROL of it all. As we saw how AMD was seemingly swiped away to Albany.

It seems more like a case of whenever anyone in Albany gets wind of saome company looking to set up[ or invest in New York, the very few self-appointed powerbrokers in Albany move in and perhaps steer the goodness elsewhere.

Larry T, you are a very unique politician. I can't think of any other politician at all that openly signs onto the crazy internet and says "let's talk"! I can think of several local leaders who couldn't make it five minutes like this before someone came up and, not trashed them, but just showed cooly and clearly how they just "aren't making the cut".

Either you are the real deal or plain crazy. You definitely have people's attention and soon people will tire of hearing the "Larry Smears". Stay Cool and they won't be able to touch you. The greatest fear is a "boat-rocker" around here!

That being said I think Swimmy is right to caution you to remember the literal translations of what you say. It's refreshing as all hell to hear you subject yourself to "whatever" could come, but it would stink if they can catch you crossing the literal line. Whether you're right or wrong the only thing they have to oppose you with is to somehow drag you down.

God bless anyone who dives into a mess like this but don't go after too much at once. You're going to be outnumbered for a while yet, and controversy is the one way they can attack you.

Play them guys cool. Less 'yelling' maybe. As long as you're right victory is assured if you are patient enough. You're 'accessability' to the citizens via the web is also something they can never have or top.

[tanouryjr]

Ralph, that was a pretty interesting and revealing take on the whole idea of these agencies. I know that there are many that do great work, but unfortunately there are many more that hide behind the "NFP" name in order to act as if any attack on them is an attack on all service/NFP agencies. And I think you know of several that I'm talking about.

I appreciate all the comments on here and it proves that I am not wrong when I tell these folks that the people are not as dumb as they think. They have been allowed to get away with this for so long for one reason only...They have controlled the information being given to the public. They were not ready for someone willing to take their message to the people and the internet. They vastly underestimate the impact of the internet and, more frightening, they underestimate you.

Someone told me today that a fellow legislator told them that "Larry doesn't have any support." That person - a Party Chairman - said "he may not have the support of you politicians on the 10th floor, but he has the support of the people." I hope he is right. I know I'm taking some major risks, but I have been given a great opportunity by the people of the 25th District, and I simply won't take it for granted. Also, as corny as it may sound, I truly love the City of Utica and Oneida County and believe that we can take it back from the wretched policies that have ruined it.

I must add though, there are a few other good legislators that have been very supportive. Shannon Scott, D-22, is another new legislator from West Utica that , although not as vocal, has been fighting right alongside of me. Joe Furgol, D-27, has been a great watchdog and has a pretty good voting record. Frank Tallarino, D-Rome, is one of the most independent and loyal legislators I've seen. He fights the old guard at every angle. Rick Flisnik, R-Marcy, has been the only Republican willing to break ranks with the leadership in order to vote against quite a bit of wasteful spending. Mike Hennessy, D-Sherrill, is one of the hardest working legislators there. We have differed on many issues but I definitely respect him a great deal and I know he has fought against the old guard as well. I just though I should mention a few of the other guys too. But, with 29 members, we need more new faces in order to implement new policies.

And Boomer asks about what the results are? I asked Dimeo the same questions and I'm working on putting together the video of the entire debate on the EDGE contract so you can see what happened. It was over 30 minutes after all the motions I made and debates that took place.