Gates supervisor calls promise of thousands of photonics jobs an empty one

Gates, N.Y. – It was a $500 million project marketed to transform the entire Rochester community by using light in new ways. Now, a local town supervisor says photonics and the thousands of jobs some politicians said would come with it is nothing more than empty promises.

Gates Town Supervisor Mark Assini is now sharing documents he obtained in writing. He believes they prove there is no business plan and nothing to back up the claim that thousands of photonics jobs are coming.

But the congresswoman promising these jobs is firing back. It was a promise Congresswoman Louise Slaughter campaigned on last year – 6,000 photonics jobs coming to Rochester.

Supervisor Assini ran against Slaughter. He said those jobs coming to Kodak Business Park are nothing more than a pipe dream.

“There is no business plan or documentation that shows up to 7,000 jobs,” said Assini. “It doesn’t exist.”

SUNY Poly, a major partner in the photonics deal, told Assini it can’t back up Slaughter’s claims, writing, “Members of the staff of the research foundation determined no responsive records exist.”

Assini said these thousands of jobs are rooted in the belief that Rochester will capture one-eighth of all global photonics jobs by 2025. He says, in reality, the number of jobs is looking closer to 50.

“What is really going on with this project?” Assini asked. “We have a right to know, as taxpayers. We’re talking about a half a billion dollars!”

Some in Gates are skeptical, saying they haven’t seen any progress.

“I don’t really believe everything they say can be done,” said Phillip Smith of Gates. “If they promise this promise is going to happen, and we don’t see it anywhere in the future that it’s near happening, I won’t really believe it.”

Assini said he’s not letting the issue go. He says he’ll follow the money.

“I am calling on the comptroller publicly to review the entire photonics project from top to bottom, to find out where the money has gone,” said Assini.

Slaughter’s office said 24,600 people are already working in the industry in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region, and that SUNY Poly made the estimate of 5-7,000 jobs. Her office says they have independently fact-checked every aspect of this and find Assini’s attempts to disparage the industry disheartening and rooted in politics.