Picente Joins Cuomo for Signing of Pension Reform Legislation

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. today joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the signing of the legislation to reform New York’s pension system and create a new Tier VI for newly hired public employees. County Executive Picente was also among those asked to speak by Governor Cuomo, along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Picente said, “I applaud Governor Cuomo for his leadership, and the State Legislature for working with the Governor to achieve real pension reform. The Governor’s willingness to take on the special interests to get this done demonstrates his dedication to the taxpayers of this state. Only by reducing the burdens placed on local governments will we be able to lower taxes and reinvigorate New York’s competitive edge in attracting residents and businesses."

Picente had been a leading advocate of reform to reduce the burden on county governments. He noted that from 2001 to 2010, Oneida County’s retirement system payment went up over 548% from 2001 to 2010. “There is no government that can deal with an increase of this magnitude and also support all of the essential services required by our people while also keeping taxes down. The only way to change the trend of increasing costs was to change the system, and I want to thank the Governor, and all of the legislators who supported him, for this action on behalf of not only county governments but all of our governments and taxpayers in Oneida County and across the state.”