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Information on NY's Public Authorities
Public authorities are corporate instruments of the State created by the Legislature to further public interests. These entities develop, operate and maintain some of New York 's most critical infrastructure including roads, bridges and schools. As a result, public authorities play a significant role in the debt structure of New York State. Currently, over 94 percent of all State-funded debt outstanding was issued by public authorities without voter approval.

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The 1938 Constitution "expressly empowered public authorities to contract debt independently independently of the State". [7] Because of this, the Court of Appeals has repeatedly affirmed that public authorities are distinct from the state and that the state carries no moral obligation to repay their debts. Although the Constitution prohibits the state from lending its credit to public authorities, it does allow the state to make gifts of money to authorities. As a practical result, this has resulted in some authorities receiving annual funding from the state on a consistent basis. Despite the fairly obvious moral obligation that the state carries to continue funding these authorities, which provide incredibly important public services such as road maintenance and transit operations, the Court of Appeals has continued to approve the fiction created by the Constitution's ban on moral obligation debt. As the Court of Appeals stated in Schulz v. State, 84 N.Y.2d 231 (1994), if "modern ingenuity, even gimmickry, have in fact stretched the words of the Constitution beyond the point of prudence, that plea for reform in State borrowing practices and policy is appropriately directed to the public arena".[1] See also Wein v. State, 39 N.Y.2d 136 (1976); Wein v. Levitt, 42 N.Y.2d 300 (1977).

Financing public projects through public authorities is also attractive because their independent corporate structure theoretically makes them more flexible and efficient than state agencies. Many restrictions placed on state agencies do not apply to public authorities, including, for example, general public bidding requirements (some public bidding requirements do apply under the Public Authorities Law). See Plumbing, Heating, Piping & Air Conditioning Contr. a**'n v. N.Y.S. Thruway Auth., 5 N.Y.2d 420 (1959). Most public authorities may also make contracts, and because of public authorities' corporate status, there is generally, no remedy against the state for the breach of such contracts. John Grace & Co. v. State University Constr. Fund, 44 N.Y.2d 84 (197. Many public authorities, such as Industrial Development Agencies and the Empire State Development Corporation, can also condemn property.

The New York State Public Authorities Control Board was created in 1976 to provide oversight for some of the state's most powerful authorities.[2] Sections 50 and 51 of the Public Authorities Law currently require 11 authorities to receive approval from the PACB prior to entering into contracts for project-related financing. There are five members on the PACB board, all of whom are appointed by the governor and serve year-long terms.[3]

Public authorities are currently responsible for more than 90% of the state's debt and 80% of the state's infrastructure, leading some to refer to them as the "shadow government."[8]

Quoted from bumblethru

There is presently NOTHING in schenectady to bring tourists to. Thinking that the canal 'waters' can bring in folks, when in the city, people are leaving by land is misguided.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

You obviously need to get out of your bunker and walk around the city -- there are quite a number of things that draw tourists.

The only misguided people are the nattering nayboobs of negativity who keep bashing and tearing down Schenectady.    These members of the far-reich wing have NEVER lifted a finger to help improve their community -- theyjust whine and moan and throw mud.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

You obviously need to get out of your bunker and walk around the city -- there are quite a number of things that draw tourists.

The only misguided people are the nattering nayboobs of negativity who keep bashing and tearing down Schenectady.    These members of the far-reich wing have NEVER lifted a finger to help improve their community -- theyjust whine and moan and throw mud.

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SCHENECTADY
Stratton faced down police force, shored up city’s finances
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    In the past three years, Mayor Brian U. Stratton fi nally came into his own.
    He beat the police union, and in doing so, finally stepped out of the long shadow of his late father, U.S. Rep. Sam Stratton, politicians said.
    But now that he’s managed what some say he always wanted to do, he is leaving political life to work as the director of the Canal Corp. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recommended him for the position Wednesday, and Stratton expects to leave by mid-March.
    Even those who regularly criticized the Democrat had to admit that he had succeeded as mayor in the end.
    “No question in my mind, his biggest accomplishment was what he did with the police department,” said resident and critic Vince Riggi, though he offered praise grudgingly. “He took a hard stand — fi nally.”
    Such was Stratton’s career. He has been mayor for just seven years, during which he guided the city out of a staggering defi cit and filled City Hall with professionals. But he rarely won accolades.
    Although no one had ever before managed to enact widespread discipline over the city’s police, residents criticized Stratton for taking too long and spending too much money on his effort to fi re offi cers who beat suspects, drove drunk or refused to do their jobs.
    Stratton didn’t back down. It took two years, but he managed to force out eight officers with such convincing cases that many others chose to leave rather than face a disciplinary hearing.
    Now, officers know that if they break the city’s laws or disregard their own rules of conduct, they’ll probably be fired. In the past three years, 55 officers left the department.
    “We’re talking one-third of the department,” said Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett, who sees the new recruits hired to replace them as a defi nite improvement. .......................>>>>.....................>>>>.....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00102&AppName=1

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