BUSINESS AND LABOR COALITION OF NEW YORK
On Friday, June 25, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, hosted a breakfast forum at the New York Vicinity Carpenters Labor Management Corporation featuring Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. The theme of the event was ‘Building the Region in 2010 and Beyond’ and included expert panelists who discussed the state of infrastructure in New York State and nationally.
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Welcome & Opening Remarks by
- Elly Spicer, Field Representative New York and Vicinity Carpenters Labor Management Corporation,
- Bruce Ventimiglia, BALCONY Co-Chair, President & Chairman, Saratoga Capital Management, LLC
- and Lou Gordon, BALCONY Director
Elly Spicer, Field Representative for the New York and Vicinity Carpenters Labor Management Corporation welcomed the audience, which included approximately 150 representatives of labor, business, non-profits, and coalitions. She then introduced Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair of BALCONY and President/Chairman of Saratoga Capital Management, LLC. Ventimiglia spoke about BALCONY’s history and mission and expressed his excitement about the event. He then introduced the event’s moderator, Director of BALCONY Lou Gordon. Gordon spoke briefly about the themes of the forum before introducing Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ to talk about the Port Authority’s plans and perspective on the state of infrastructure in 2010 and beyond.
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“In less than two years, the Port Authority’s forecasted 10-year capital capacity for the period running from 2007 to 2016 has been reduced from $29.5 billion to $24.5 billion. The agency is further challenged by a growing need for long-term transportation capacity-enhancing projects and investment in state-of-good-repair programs, including maintenance of existing bridges and tunnels, the cost of which has risen to more than $500 million per year, while facing mounting security costs since September 11, 2001. The Port Authority’s net capital expenditures and return on investment are inverse, our budgeted operating expenses are well below our annual CPI growth, and our staff headcount is at its lowest in 40 years…this system is choking the capacity of our region – our model has to change.”
— Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ
Ward spoke glowingly about the Port Authority’s progress in building the World Trade Center memorial and said the project was on track to be completed by the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On another note, Ward focused on the cash-crisis facing the Port Authority and lamented that there is little money or political capital available to move forward on the myriad of infrastructure projects New York State desperately needs to focus on.
Click here to view Chris Ward’s PowerPoint presentation.
The other panelists responded to Ward’s speech and gave their individual perspectives on the state of infrastructure in the region and beyond.
PANEL PRESENTATIONS
View full version (BalconyNewYork.org): Balcony Forum Report
About Business and Labor Coalition of New York
www.BalconyNewYork.org
“BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, is committed to finding common ground between business and labor. We are concerned about the ability of our families to find jobs, the ability of businesses to thrive in our diverse and ever-changing economy, the ability of homeowners to afford property taxes, the ability of our schools to teach our children and prepare them for our collective future, the ability of companies to afford health care, workers’ compensation and insurance benefits for their employees, and the ability of our state to fund programs necessary to provide a healthy and vibrant economy for New York.”
Tags: BALCONY, Business and Labor Coalition of New York, Christopher Ward, Connecticut, CT, New Jersey, New York, NJ, NY, Port Authority of NY & NJ, Steven Anderson
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