From the President's Desk . . .

We continue to enjoy a low unemployment rate, but that means we don’t necessarily have an available workforce for companies looking to relocate or expand their operations. Our housing market continues its upward spiral, but that means many employees can’t afford to live here. Seventeen percent of our association’s membership is from outside the county and many of our member’s employees now reside in those other areas. But, this means we have a commuter workforce coming into Rockland and no mass transit systems to get them here.

We also have a general public and a number of public officials who don’t want development. We seem to be okay with filling the currently available commercial space, but we don’t seem to be willing to accommodate new commercial construction. The County and each of the five Towns are heavily committed to open space acquisition programs despite the fact that we bemoan the stress of trying to cover the rising costs of Medicaid, workers comp and public employee pensions. And, now we face the monumental task of complying with the court-mandated education funding issue of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.

Your association has been actively involved in advocating on your behalf for resolution to these issues. Some of the positives which I can point to, include:

• A willingness on the part of some public officials to join with us in educating their constituents on the beneficial role played by business. Without a constant regeneration of our commercial base, this, or any community, faces the prospect of losing its economic viability. The general public needs to understand this;

• The County Executive has created the Technology Leadership Council to serve as an advisory board on the tech issues faced by Rockland. This council was created as a direct result of the RBA's advocacy in the area of broadband infrastructure;

• The association has been an active participant, at both the State and Federal levels. We have had many sessions with our elected officials and their staffs on such issues as the reorganization of the Empire Zone program, the creation of the Senate’s Excell-NY initiative and the Assembly’s NY@Work program, the TEA 21 authorizations and the role of the Federal government in resolving the ever increasing costs of healthcare;

• Our Business Development Committee is engaged in a series of interviews with leading Rockland businesspeople to determine what is needed to grow business in Rockland and what role they see the RBA playing in that effort; and

• We continue to be the strongest voice for a transportation infrastructure that will allow Rockland and its neighbors on the West Bank of the Hudson, to realize its full economic potential. We must have a one-seat, dual-track rail link with Manhattan. This linkage should come across a new Tappan Zee Bridge, hook-up with the Port Jervis Line (that must be extended into Stewart Airport) and, eventually, continue on through Ulster and Greene Counties to Albany.

Recently, I had the privilege of participating in an aerial survey of the region relative to identifying right of way for this rail linkage. It exists. By 2008 there could be a rail station at Stewart and an extension of track from Salisbury Mills to the airport. With that in place, it becomes easier and less expensive to hook Rockland into a one-seat ride. Our neighbors across the river have three such lines; it’s long overdue that we get one. The helicopter survey flight was shared with Chuck Seliga, President/COO, Stewart Airport and Dick O’Bierne, President of the Construction Contractors Association. Our pilot was Sgt. John Cuneo of the State Police.

We need to be able to tap into the talent pool in New York City and the counties to the north. Our economic future is tied to the growth that’s already begun in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Greene Counties. And, to the extent that we can attract Manhattan-based companies, we need to provide them with an efficient rail connection. There will be jobs for Rocklanders with our neighbors to the north and we need to provide for transplanted Rocklanders so they can continue to work here.

Westchester has put together a formidable coalition to promote an East/West Rail Project. It’s also a worthwhile program, but there isn’t enough funding for both projects. The one we advocate provides a greater degree of economic benefit to a larger universe—all of the counties on the west side of the Hudson, as compared with a Westchester-specific project. It appears that Metro-North agrees with us. Not a bad ally.

Perhaps the most important aspect of ensuring the future of our county is to make certain that we have a well-defined vision of our economic development future and that it has the flexibility to be woven into the visions of our partners in the region. The RBA is uniquely qualified to be part of the crafting of that vision. We represent a true cross-section of the business community; our member firms employ nearly one-third of the county’s workforce; we have the appropriate relationships with elected officials; we enjoy the respect of statewide business organizations and we have the talent to get the job done. Just take a look at the RBA members honored in our Pinnacle Award program.

— Al Samuels