Audit Of Cuomo's Start-Up NY Finds $200 Million+ Program Has No "Tangible Results" (UPDATED)

Fred Dicker in the Post:

An audit to be released Monday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli raises “real doubts’’ about the value of Gov. Cuomo’s $200 million-plus “Start Up NY’’ advertising campaign to attract businesses to the state, The Post has learned.

The widely anticipated audit of the 1½-year-old program comes just a month after the Cuomo administration conceded the Start Up program, touted by the governor as a “game changer’’ for the state, had created only 76 jobs in 2014.

The new audit found that the massive national television advertising campaign for the Start Up tax-reduction program did virtually nothing to generate interest among businesses in coming to New York, a source familiar with the findings told The Post.

“The audit found that even though a significant amount of money was spent on Start Up NY advertising, the advertising did not increase the number of applications for the Start Up program,’’ said the source.

“The audit reveals real doubts about whether the advertising results can justify the costs that were involved.’’

If there was any doubt that the $200 million+ spent on Start-Up NY served little purpose other than to run ads touting Andrew Cuomo, that will be shelved by this audit.

We should add Start-Up NY to the list of corrupt activities Andrew Cuomo has engaged in.

This one should go under campaign finance fraud.

UPDATED - 12:30 PM: From State of Politics:

The state’s $211 million advertising campaign to promote economic development programs and attract businesses to the state has not produced any “tangible results” in terms of generating new jobs and business for the state, an audit from Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office found.

The long-awaited audit, released on Monday, critiqued the advertising campaign from Empire State Development Corp., which has had a near ubiquitous presence on cable television over the last several years.

Critics of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration had seized on the campaign — which aired both here in New York and in other states — as a back-door way of promoting the governor, though Cuomo himself by law cannot appear in the state-founded ads.

The advertising campaign has not shown any ability to boost job growth in the state or attract new businesses.

The state spends $211 million dollars for an advertising campaign for jobs/business that has "tangible results."

Andrew Cuomo's record in crystal form - all PR, no tangible results (except for the harmful ones, of course.)