Tuesday, February 13, 2007

COMIDA Strikes Again


Allworx: 5Linx Redux?

Three things we can safely assume:
1. Maggie likes to smile and have her picture taken with giant ribbons
2. COMIDA simply subsidizes existing businesses in the area rather than attracting new ones
3. Telecom companies like to spell their names with an X

COMIDA announced today more tax incentives for an area business. This time the recipient is Allworx, and what do they sell? . . . oh lord . . . that's right . . . VoIP! And what do they see as their target market to spur growth . . . yep, small to midsized businesses. Sound familiar?

This is almost the exact same line we heard regarding the 5Linx benefits a month ago and, like the 5Linx situation, the site developer also receives benefits under the guise of the achievements of the telecom provider. What did Techniplex do to warrant multiple incentives for the same site? Like LeFrois Development, this seems like an instance of one company piggybacking on another for tax breaks. Essentially, Monroe County has now subsidized two companies offering the same product to the same market section.

The County has changed its tune slightly, however, and we would like to think that the comments of the WBP (along with its comrades like RochesterTurning in the local progressive blogosphere) made the County realize that we will not be misled.

Whereas the 5Linx release promised the creation of "high-paying jobs," this release states the Allworx expansion "has resulted in more good paying jobs in our community." This quote is a grammatical atrocity, but that aside notice that there is no allusion to job creation. Are we to assume then that COMIDA is now helping businesses without any projection of additional job creation? At the least Maggie has realized she can't make promises which she cannot deliver on, such as the promise of 133 high-paying jobs that will never materialize.

Fortunately, Allworx is no 5Linx; they operate under a traditional business model that uses compensated, salaried employees and their founders do not have questionable backgrounds like Craig Jerabeck of 5Linx, or suspect government ties like William Faucette of the 5Linx Millionaires Club. Additionally, Allworx does not target private consumers and its consulting branch, InSciTek, is well-recognized within the Rochester business community.

It cannot be forgotten though that, despite the apparent success of this business, the tax breaks will eliminate any growth in our commercial tax base that would benefit Monroe County residents by helping to ease their tax burden.

Maybe Maggie needs to go back to her high school economics textbook and review the definition of laissez-faire. Being a Republican, it's a concept to which she supposedly subscribes.

Note: All 5Linx articles can be found in the January archives

39 comments:

Paige said...

I don't see a link in your article, nor can I find any link to the COMIDA announcement about this project or news stories about this.

I am very curious as to what possible rationale could be used for COMIDA to give tax breaks to an existing and successful business. I can think of a few, but I'd like to know what COMIDA was thinking.

HandsomeSwede said...

Sorry about that, the article has now been updated with a link to the COMIDA release. Here it is agin as well - http://www.monroecounty.gov/?q=node/3025

Unknown said...

Now that I have read the press release, I guess I don't have a big problem with COMIDA's assistance to Allworx. The company is growing, they need more space, and COMIDA is helping them continue to do business, making doing business in Monroe County more attractive and profitable. Isn't that what COMIDA should be doing? What am I missing?

HandsomeSwede said...

paige -

I don't think you're missing anything. Allworx seems like a well-run business poised for growth, that's what our region needs. What we have problems with here at the WBP is the following:

- There is no mention of job creation, hence, there is no way to gauge the contribution of this company to the economic community.

- In order to ease the second largest property tax burden in the nation, the WBP supports an economic development plan that seeks to attract businesses not already operating here. In that way we can grow our commercial tax base. These incentives did neither, Allworx was already here and any tax dollars they would have paid into the system no longer exist.

- The WBP believes providing these tax breaks to certain businesses provides an unfair marketplace advantage. If the County acknowledges that the costs of operating a business here are excessive then work to lower taxes across the board so that all businesses can benefit or do not interfere at all. Again, laissez-faire, Republican, blah, blah, blah. In many cases, the businesses that receive these benefits do so because they have made campaign contributions to the proper committee.

- As is the case with many COMIDA assisted businesses, there is actually a piggybacking of benefits where the development company which owns a facility, in this case Techniplex, receives tax breaks as well with no indication of what the company did to warrant the benefits. In essence, Techniplex received these incentives because they were in the right place at the right time.

All that being said, you are entitled to any opinion and we thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

I don't think we have a disagreement at all. I agree with your positions.

However, I would like to know what facts exist that support your statement "the businesses that receive these benefits do so because they have made campaign contributions to the proper committee".

HandsomeSwede said...

For example, Russell P. LeFrois Builder, Inc./LeFrois Development (who we covered in our series of articles on 5Linx), the recipient of multiple COMIDA benefits in 2006 & 2007 has contributed nearly $20,000 to the Friends of Maggie Brooks campaign committee, the Monroe County Republican committee and the Mon. Co. Conservative Party. Searchable records are available at http://www.elections.state.ny.us/portal/page?_pageid=35,1,35_8361:35_8411&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Anonymous said...

Isn't there a way to really pressure maggie brooks????

**FRUSTRATED**

HandsomeSwede said...

COMIDA existed before the Maggie Brooks administration. Although her use of the program is misguided, it would be difficult to just take Maggie to task for it; rather, as we head towards the County Executive election, it is important for voters to make it an issue and support a candidate who is open to revising, if not dismantling, the program.

We can take Maggie to task for other things, though, and it looks like it will mostly be up to the digital media to do so as the major Rochester media outlets seem unwilling.

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