Reinvent Albany Calls For Major Reforms In Response to Massive State Bid-Rigging Scandal

     

Close to $2 Billion in public funds in play

Today’s sweeping indictments by federal and state prosecutors resoundingly confirm that the state’s use of non-profits and SUNY to award billions in state economic development contracts has created huge and systemic opportunities for corruption.

These indictments shine a light on a broken and corrupt system, not a few bad apples. It is a recipe for disaster to allow billions in state funds to be contracted through state controlled non-profits, including SUNY Poly, Fort Schuyler/Fuller Road Management and SUNY Research Foundation – all of which are exempt from the bidding rules for state agencies, and exist in a deliberately designed legal gray area of non-accountability.

Major reforms are needed, and we call for:

  • Immediate freeze on new economic development activity by SUNY Poly, Fort Schuyler/Fuller Road Management Corp.;
  • Phase-out of use of state controlled non-profits and SUNY as conduits for economic development funds;
  • Use of uniform contract award process by state agencies, authorities, SUNY, and all state controlled non-profits;
  • “Pay to play” controls which cap contributions from people doing business with New York State entities;
  • Creation of “Database of Deals” which clearly reports and provides data for all state subsidies and contracts to a given business;
  • Pre-contract review by the State Comptroller of contracts issued by all state entities, including all SUNY, all state non-profits and all state authorities.

Click here to download the statement as a PDF.