Six years ago the residents of Schenectady County sought new leadership with new ideas to rebuild our community.  Since that time, the members of the Schenectady County Legislature have worked tirelessly to fulfill this mandate.

We have assembled a team of talented hardworking individuals who not only have a desire to serve our community but also the commitment, skills, and knowledge to revive and reinvigorate our community.  We rejected the parochialism that had doomed past economic development efforts and instead focused on growing the economy of the entire county and we established the Department of Economic Development and Planning in county government to better support these efforts.

Today our community is reaping the benefit of the County Legislature’s vision, commitment, and bold action.  Our efforts have resulted in more than $400 million in new investment, the creation of more than 3,500 new jobs and the addition of thirty-one new commercial buildings to the tax rolls.  In the city, Proctors expansion, the Hampton Inn, the Bow Tie Theater and Angelo Mazzone’s downtown projects are bringing thousands of people downtown.  The $25 million RailEx project in Rotterdam, $10 million worth of development at and around the Nova Bus plant, GE’s Global Renewable Headquarters, new battery manufacturing facility, and  expansion projects in Niskayuna totaling more than $100 million, and the creation of a new Airport Business Park in Glenville are further evidence of the county’s recovery.  

This success has not gone unnoticed.  In July of 2006, Moody’s Investor Services removed the negative outlook that was assigned to the County reflecting our return to structural balance in fiscal year 2005 and balanced operations in fiscal year 2006.  Moody’s added that the tax base “is expected to continue to grow over the mid-term reflecting the benefits of a significant economic development effort in the county.”

Another goal we set out to achieve was improving cooperation among the various levels of government in the county to reduce waste and eliminate duplication.  Through intergovernmental cooperation we have saved the county and our communities hundreds of thousands of dollars and leveraged our combined resources and talents to secure additional state funds to expand upon this highly successful endeavor.  Again, our success has not gone unnoticed.  With each successful venture more communities joined with us and programs such as our vehicle maintenance program have been featured in national publications highlighting their efficiency and cost savings.

Our mantra over the past five years has been “working together works.”  As we look forward we will continue to operate by this doctrine.  Several additional economic development projects are in the works to further grow our economy, we are continuously seeking new ways to work together with the communities of Schenectady County to lower costs and operate more efficiently and are pursuing several bold new initiatives to improve the quality of life for County residents.

To all of those who have made this possible we thank you and look forward to continued success.

Susan Savage




Chair, Schenectady County Legislature