JOBS/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “New York officials have sought to help people in ailing upstate counties by offering jobs programs or tax cuts.
President Donald Trump this week suggested another plan for residents there: Leave.
‘When you have an area that just isn’t working like upper New York state…you can leave, it’s OK, don’t worry about your house,’ Mr. Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday [7-25-17].
His remarks have sparked a debate among New York officials and residents over whether moving out is a solution.
State lawmakers in both parties who have been trying to stanch New York’s population decline and revive the upstate economy pushed back. Some current and former upstate residents said Mr. Trump is right.
‘I would hope he has an affinity for his home state and understands the challenges confronting upstate,’ said Sen. Joseph Griffo, an Oneida County Republican, in an interview Thursday.
Mr. Griffo said Mr. Trump should push for infrastructure programs to help upstate rather than ‘discuss something so meaningful to so many people here in a manner that doesn’t do justice to the problems we’re facing.’
A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump didn’t respond Thursday to requests for comment.”
-Mike Vilensky, “Trump Remark Stings Upstate New York, Sparks Debate,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 27, 2017 08:51pm