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January 2017: Do or Die for the Shawangunk Journal.
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A Multifaceted State Of The State
Governor Addresses Regions With Regional Speeches

REGIONAL – Governor Andrew Cuomo tried something new this past week. Instead of a single State of the State speech to legislators up in Albany, he split his presentation into regional speeches — talking, as he put it, for a full nine hours by the time he was finished. He put forth 35 proposals, from big airport fixes and more millions for Buffalo to new ethics promises, water cleanup funding, the lowering of prescription drug prices, the creation of a new industrial hemp industry, legalized ridesharing upstate, early voting, more wind power, more shared services, and the eventual closing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Speaking to the Mid-Hudson region at the SUNY Purchase performing arts center in Westchester County Tuesday morning, the governor gave a shout-out to attending county executives and legislators, and extolled the rising tourism dollars being spent in the region.

"What is the condition of New York as we enter January 2017? Well the truth is that our ship of state is stronger than it has been in decades. We have made remarkable economic and social progress," he intoned. "Not since the time of FDR and Robert Moses has our government produced more, achieved more, passed more meaningful legislation, and built more for the people of the State of New York."

Cuomo went on to praise his own plan for regional economic development councils, made up of appointed business and academic leaders, noting how they had created 210,000 jobs through 5,200 projects all across the Mid-Hudson area.

The governor touted local tourism, with a shout out to Minnewaska and a huge investment being made to improve roads and create a transportation center near Woodbury Commons in Orange County. Then he shifted to what seemed to be his crown jewel for much of Upstate... a proposed Empire State Trail system linking existing rail trails to newer pathways along the Erie Canal and Hudson Valley Greenways.

"When we're talking about recreation and health and wellness, it would be a phenomenal activity center in our own backyard," he said while plugging the success of the Walkway Across the Hudson. "Imagine what the longest trail in the country could actually do, and how many people would come here to visit it and see it, especially when you think about what you would be able to see."

He spoke in detail about phases to complete his plan, and a total trail cost of $200 million. And all starting in the Hudson Valley.

"At this time of upheaval and transition and at this time when people are looking for their foundation and looking for their moorings I think it's more important than ever that New Yorkers stand true and firm to who we are and what we believe," Cuomo finished up, leading towards a rousing emphasis on the state motto, Excelsior, and his own addendum, "Ever Upward!" "We are the progressive capital of the nation... We are the state of diversity because we are all immigrants."

In reactions to his speeches, Ulster County executive Mike Hein lauded the trail idea as an extension of Ulster County initiatives. Orange County executive Steve Neuhaus praised the Woodbury roads investment, as well as free tuition and better shared services across the map.

By the end of it all, many were talking about the governor's having started his 2018 reelection campaign early. But also about 2020 aspirations.



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