Economic Growth & Infrastructure: Rebuilding New York with Purpose

Governor’s Note: New York is not broke. It’s been robbed—by failed leadership, bloated bureaucracy, and corruption disguised as government. Our economy can thrive again, but only if we stop propping up dead policies and start building real systems that work for real people. I have a plan to restore our economic might by rebuilding from the ground up—literally.

What It Takes to Get It Done: A new economy for New York demands bold action, not band-aids. As Governor, I will:

• Launch Operation Ghost Town to repurpose vacant government buildings—including jails, schools, and offices—into housing, mental health centers, and small business hubs.
• Establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Local Empowerment Zones (LEZs) that suspend burdensome regulations and taxes to encourage investment in struggling areas.
• Introduce the New York Second-Chance Enterprise Act giving formerly incarcerated individuals access to state-backed loans, licensing waivers, and startup assistance.
• Enact the Infrastructure Rebuild & Restore Act prioritizing state funds for roads, bridges, rural broadband, and water systems—while eliminating wasteful green vanity projects.
• Eliminate the New York Business Tax Cliff by restructuring corporate tax tiers and killing stealth inflation taxes that punish small and mid-size businesses.
• Streamline state contracts and procurement processes to allow small firms and local vendors to compete for state and municipal projects.

Why This Matters to You

• Over 50,000 businesses have closed in New York since 2020—many of them permanently.
• We’ve lost more than 500,000 residents in under four years due to high taxes, bad services, and political instability.
• New York has the second-highest property tax rate in the U.S., and one of the highest per capita debt loads in the nation.
• Nearly 30% of NY bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
• High-speed internet access remains unavailable for nearly 1 million New Yorkers—mostly in rural or low-income areas.
• Small businesses pay effective tax rates up to 12.5%—double that of large corporations with loopholes and lobbyists.
• New York ranks near the bottom in economic freedom indexes, due to overregulation, legal uncertainty, and runaway public spending.
• The average government construction project in NY costs 45% more than comparable projects in other states due to union mandates and red tape.
• Unemployment remains highest in areas with the most empty buildings—buildings we pay to heat, guard, or demolish with your tax dollars.
• Homelessness and crime thrive in economic dead zones—but shrink when investment, jobs, and hope return.

This is our chance to stop managing decline and start building something better. We don’t need another bailout—we need a blueprint.