Thursday, Rochester became the “Capital for a Day.” Governor Andrew Cuomo and his cabinet visited the city to learn more about this part of Western New York.
Cuomo held a cabinet meeting earlier in the day at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. A series of meetings were held throughout the area including one on the current anti-poverty initiative. Our reporters wrap two of the cabinet events below.
Michelle Faust reports:
Secretary of State Cesar Perales sat on a panel that heard from people who work with the area’s immigrant and refugee communities.
The Secretary of State says even though the legislature hasn’t passed the Dream Act—legislation that would assist children whose parents are in the country illegally go to college—the governor is committed to the proposed legislation.
While Perales says it’s up to the federal government to improve immigration policy. The governor has shown his support for DACA and DAPA programs that would defer deportation for migrant who qualify.
"I think the governor has made it very clear that he supports the president’s actions in trying to allow people who have entered the country illegally to stay if they’ve been here for many, many years, if they have never committed a crime, if they have close family relatives here." Secretary Perales said.
Representatives from assistance programs in attendance talked about a greater need for micro-lending programs, technical training, and support for refugees who settle in rural areas.
Veronica Volk reports on a panel hosted at the RBA dealing with anti-poverty initiatives:
RBA CEO and former deputy Governor Bob Duffy, hosted the event, called Public/Private Partnership to End Poverty. He was accompanied by a panel including acting commissioner for the department of labor Mario J. Musolino and other members of the governor’s cabinet.
Duffy says the RBA has been tackling job creation by putting forth their "one job" initiative. The idea proposes every member of the RBA - sixteen hundred businesses - hires one person who is trying to escape poverty. Duffy floated the idea back in April but so far there are no numbers on how many companies are taking part or how many people have been hired.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the community and various professional and nonprofit organizations. Initial presentations by state officials were followed by a question and answer segment - where discussions were temporarily derailed. Many people in the audience raised questions about transportation, education, and job training issues as contributing factors to cyclical poverty. As time went on, the tone of the meeting shifted from collaboration and partnership, to local organizations challenging state officials to confront the broad range of dimensions of generational poverty in Rochester.
The governor wasn’t in attendance. He and other officials were across town, at Rochester Institute of Technology, announcing a twelve million dollar grant for the game development center.
Here are some of the Governor's opening remarks.
