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Griffo Visiting Other Upstate Counties
To Research Cost-Cutting ‘Best Practices’

Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced that he met last month with Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro, last week with Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen Jimino, and will be meeting soon with Monroe County Executive Jack Doyle.

Griffo said the visits are part of his ongoing efforts to use "best practices" to lower the cost of government while increasing results. "My track record in government has been one of collaboration regionally, statewide and nationally to find good ideas and adapt them to the needs of our community to provide efficient, effective government."

"These veteran county executives invited me to meet with them to see how their counties have dealt with budget and operational issues," Griffo said. "Because many of the issues facing Oneida County are facing all counties, I was pleased to accept these invitations so that I could compare what is being done in other counties to what has been done here."

Griffo noted that all three counties face serious fiscal issues due to rising costs of Medicaid and other programs, and have made, or are making, program cuts in response. "The issue is not whether programs are good or not; the issue is how to bridge the gap between what taxpayers can afford to pay and the costs of these programs," Griffo said. "We need to explore all possible approaches to ensure that we provide the services Oneida County residents want, but not at a cost they cannot afford."

Economic development is another key meeting topic, Griffo said. "A strong and growing economy allows us to build a stronger tax base," he said. "As mayor of Rome, I helped bring new jobs to the city while also bringing a sense of excitement and energy to our community. The transformation taking place in Rome and at Griffiss Park can ripple through our entire Oneida County economy if we bring creativity and new ideas to our efforts. Each of these counties has excellent public-private partnerships that have helped increase economic growth. That kind of effort can help us here."