ALBANY – A bill sponsored by State Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall) that would prohibit elected officials from serving on the boards of industrial development agencies has failed in the state legislature.
Skoufis, head of the Senate Investigations Committee and an IDA watchdog, is disappointed that the measure, which was approved in the Senate, did not win approval in the Assembly.
“I won’t name names, but you can read between the lines. You had elected officials that served on the Orange County IDA board and many other IDA boards for many years. They will give out all these tax breaks, all these PILOTS, some of which are warranted and some of which are unwarranted, and then they run for higher office, and then the Rolodex comes out and they call up all these folks,” he said.
Skoufis suggested that some of those electeds who serve on IDA boards may solicit campaign contributions when they seek higher office years down the road.
