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County Clerks Concerned About New Plate Production

By Patty Ritchie, St. Lawrence County Clerk

(Nov. 19, 2009) Thirty-one County Clerks sent the attached letter to Gov. Paterson following media reports that the state will proceed with production of the new Empire Gold license plates, despite promises to cancel the new license plate requirement.

County Clerks have been leading efforts to stop the plate reissue, and have collected more than 100,000 names of New Yorkers opposed to the plan on petitions that were delivered to the Governor and legislators who backed it.

November 18, 2009

Honorable David A. Patterson

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Paterson:

We were greatly troubled to read published reports that the State, at your direction, plans to proceed with the manufacture of the new Empire Gold license plates, despite commitments by you and legislative leaders on both sides of the political aisle to scrap the controversial reissuance plan (“Paterson admits license fee was a ‘revenue grab,’ ” Democrat and Chronicle, Nov. 18).

County Clerks from across the State have gathered more than 100,000 names of New Yorkers who are opposed to the license plate reissue, through online and paper petitions that were delivered to you and legislative supporters of the original plan. The people of the state have spoken up that and said that they don’t want the Empire Gold plates, nor do they feel that the reissuance plan was justified by Albany’s desire for more revenue.

Facing a $3.2 billion budget gap, and in light of the Legislature’s pledge to undo the license plate mandate, it makes no sense that you should continue to produce these plates, at a cost to the state that you have placed at $32 million.

County Clerks respectfully ask that you rescind the order to begin manufacturing the new plates pending legislative action on the repeal of this ill-advised plan.

County Clerks have proposed additional ways to cut state spending and improve government efficiency to help deal with the budget deficit, and we await your response to our request for a meeting to discuss these and other ideas.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Ritchie

St. Lawrence County Clerk

President, NYS Association of County Clerks

Richard R. Blythe, Broome County Clerk

James Griffith, Cattaraugus County Clerk

Susan Dwyer, Cayuga County Clerk

Sandra K. Sopak, Chautauqua County Clerk

Catherine K. Hughes, Chemung County Clerk

John H. Zurlo, Clinton County Clerk

Elizabeth Larkin, Cortland County Clerk

Bradford Kendall, Dutchess County Clerk

Kathleen Hochul, Erie County Clerk

Joseph Provoncha, Essex County Clerk

Don M. Read, Genesee County Clerk

Michael Flynn, Greene County Clerk

Jane S. Zarecki, Hamilton County Clerk

Sylvia M. Rowan, Herkimer County Clerk

JoAnn Wilder, Jefferson County Clerk

Douglas P. Hanno, Lewis County Clerk

James A. Culberston, Livingston County Clerk

Cheryl Dinolfo, Monroe County Clerk

Wayne F. Jagow, Niagara County Clerk

Sandra J. DePerno, Oneida County Clerk

M. Ann Ciarpelli, Onondaga County Clerk

John H. Cooley, Ontario County Clerk

George J. Williams, Oswego County Clerk

Frank Merola, Rensselaer County Clerk

Kathleen Marchione, Saratoga County Clerk

Indy Jaycox, Schoharie County Clerk

Judith M. Hunter, Steuben County Clerk

Robert Woodburn, Tioga County Clerk

Aurora R. Valenti, Tompkins County Clerk

Dona Crandall, Washington County Clerk

County Clerks Concerned About New Plate Production

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