Lawmakers don't always know who gets the jobs

WASHINGTON – If you’ve wondered which local jobs were created or saved by the $787 billion stimulus bill Congress passed in February, you’re not alone.

Some members of New York’s congressional delegation are wondering the same thing.

Phone calls and e-mails to lawmakers representing the Hudson Valley and upstate congressional districts found that many needed a day or two to find examples of an impact on local employment.

Rep. Eliot Engel of the Bronx said he asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner a similar question recently and was waiting for a response. Engel’s district covers parts of the Bronx, Westchester and Rockland County.

A spokeswoman for freshman Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei said the stimulus package boosted summer youth employment in Maffei’s hometown, Syracuse, but his staff did not know whether it had helped people in the western past of his district, including the Rochester suburbs.

Only one lawmaker – Rep. Eric Massa, a freshman Democrat from Corning – had an immediate example of the stimulus package’s local impact.

Massa said he ruined a pair of shoes walking on hot tar when, “on a lark,” he stopped to interview a road crew working near a sign saying the work was financed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The crew confirmed the project probably would not have received funding without the stimulus money.

Here’s a summary of responses by congressional district:

19th District, Rep. John Hall, D-Dover
Hall’s staff researched the request for two days. According to spokeswoman Meaghan Smith, the economic stimulus is paying for a seven-member work crew to fix guide rails on county roads in Westchester and Putnam counties.
Hall’s spokeswoman also listed five school districts that have saved or created jobs -Garrison Central School District (four positions saved), Haldane Central School District (two teacher’s aides and one maintenance worker’s job saved), Putnam Valley Central School District (two teaching jobs saved and three special-education jobs added), Peekskill City School District (14 positions saved), and Dover Union Free School District (four full-time and one part-time job saved).

20th District, Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls
After two days of research, spokeswoman Maggie McKeon sent an e-mail saying the Early Childhood Learning Center in Greene County received more than $1 million in stimulus money, which allowed the center to create four new positions.

22nd District, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley
After two days, Hinchey spokesman Jeff Lieberson offered several examples:
* The Tompkins Community Action Program added 18 jobs, and 10 more employees are being hired.
* Cornell University received $11 million through 47 grants and hired 17 people, and more hires are in the works.
* The Orange County Office for Employment and Training (Orange Works) has hired dozens of young people for summer jobs, including a few dozen from the City of Newburgh.

In addition, Hinchey’s office pointed to Tuesday’s announcement by the Obama administration that the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program will enable Monticello to save one police officer position, while Newburgh will receive money for four officers, and Poughkeepsie will receive funds for five officers.