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March 15, 2011 at 3:00pm Chris Keeley

917-847-3625 | ChrisNYSA@gmail.com

Pressure Mounts Against Governor Cuomo’s Job Killing Budget As “New Deal for
New York” Campaign Calls for Millionaire’s Tax Extension & New Jobs Initiative

NJ Governor Chris Christie impersonator honors Governor Cuomo in his fight to protect
millionaires while regular New Yorkers suffer job loss and public service cuts; thanks him
for $350 million budget windfall coming to New Jersey from millionaire’s tax cut proposal

Albany, NY- An impersonator representing New Jersey governor and Tea Party favorite Chris Christie
joined community advocates with the New Deal for New York campaign at the state capitol today as
they mocked Governor Cuomo for proposing tax cuts for millionaires while millions of New Yorkers
are out of work and losing basic safety net programs and other public services. Advocates were
blocked from entering “Fort Cuomo” while trying to deliver a message to the governor’s senior aides
supporting an extension of the millionaire’s tax.

The Chris Christie impersonator did deliver a certificate to Governor Cuomo’s office for trying to
make New York the most friendly state for millionaires while blaming poor and working New Yorkers
for the state’s revenue crisis. The NJ Star Ledger recently reported that Governor Cuomo’s proposal to
give tax cuts to millionaires would actually mean a $350 million windfall for New Jersey’s budget.

New Deal for New York is a coalition of independent, grassroots community groups around the state
working together to develop an innovative jobs program that would position New York as the nation’s
leader in state-level efforts combating unemployment and ensure critical public services are
maintained. Their new website is at: www.NewDealForNewYork.org.

In addition to delivering the mock certificate to Governor Cuomo, advocates visited the office of
Senator Majority Leader Dean Skelos to demand a meeting about how tax breaks for millionaire’s will
impact education, healthcare and social services throughout the state. Advocates also made green
energy jobs and home weatherization a centerpiece of their protest as they stopped by the state Public
Service Commission to call for public hearings in Buffalo to insure National Fuel, their local utility,
pays its fair share to reinvest in a revived Buffalo.

New Deal for New York groups have engaged a series of direct actions that raised awareness about the
state’s revenue crisis and highlighted the importance of job creation and preserving public services as
solutions to our economic crisis. The groups, some of which have been working very publicly in
opposition to the governor’s efforts to give the tax break to the richest 5%, recently released “The
Committee to Scam New York” with the Public Accountability Initiative and issued a statement in
response to the news that Richard Lipsky, a Committee to Save NY lobbyist, had been indicted.

Statements from New Deal for New York member organizations:

Central New York

“I want my kids to have the same opportunities I had growing up, like a good education where they
can get to the places they dream about,” said Kanessa Keene, a parent and leader with Syracuse

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United Neighbors (SUN). “As a healthcare worker, I take care of the elderly and know the
importance of keeping people in their homes and out of the hospital. The people I work with can’t
even afford soap to wash their hands. The reality is that we didn’t create this mess and we shouldn’t
have to pay for it. All New Yorkers need to pay their fair share.”

Western New York

“Failing to create jobs is not a sound budget strategy,” said Bob Cook, a leader in VOICE Buffalo.
“Investing in green jobs like weatherization achieves a number of goals for New York, including
energy conservation, saving money for homeowners and businesses, and, most importantly, putting
people back to work. This isn’t a deficit crisis, it’s a revenue crisis and we need to ask everyone to
pay their fair share.”

“It’s ridiculous that Governor Cuomo is willing to cut education across the board while giving tax cuts
to millionaires,” Lisa Crapnell a teacher from Niagara Falls and a leader in Niagara Organizing
Alliance for Hope (NOAH). “As a teacher who specializes in urban education, I’ve seen the damage
that happens when we cut education. Local schools are scrambling to make cuts before the budget has
even passed. It doesn’t make sense to spend $250,000 to incarcerate a juvenile delinquent when it’s
cheaper to give a child a good education and future opportunities. Extending the millionaire’s tax
would pay to keep many of the services Governor Cuomo’s trying to cut.”

“Going green isn’t about a lifestyle for us, it’s about surviving these harsh, cold winters in Buffalo,
Brenda Miller a grandmother and leader in PUSH Buffalo. “New York’s already taken a first step to
create green jobs and weatherize homes, but the Conservation Incentive Program (CIP) isn’t working
for low-income families like mine. Making the CIP work for working families would lower my
heating bill, mean fewer trips to the heat office because my gas won’t be turned off, and will mean my
family doesn’t have to worry about unhealthy and unsanitary conditions. We can afford a better CIP,
but we need all New Yorkers to pay their fair share.”

Hudson Valley

“We need to stop business as usual in Albany,” said Loretta Manning, a mother of six from Newburgh
and a leader in Community Voices Heard (CVH). “Giving the richest New Yorkers tax breaks will
just make them richer while making the gap between them and the rest of us grow further. It would
mean stagnation for the rest of the state in terms of denying our kids a chance to learn and other public
services we really need.”

New York City

“It seems like Governor Cuomo is competing with Chris Christie for being the Tea Party’s favorite
fiscal conservative,” said Gustavo Pedroza, a VOCAL-NY leader from Richmond Hill. “Governor
Cuomo has to know that he cannot get away with being a friend to millionaires, billionaires and
corporations while blaming the rest of us for our state’s revenue crisis. Wall Street caused our state’s
budget problems, not people like my family and neighbors. So why are Governor Cuomo and his
allies in the Committee to Scam New York trying to balance the budget on the backs of the middle
class and poor when we had nothing to do with the crisis?”

“We’re sending a message to Governor Cuomo not to ignore his base of supporters in low-income
communities,” said Ferdinand Joseph, a leader in the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy
Coalition. “His budget proposal takes funding away from public services that help lift up all New
Yorkers in order to give tax cuts to the rich, who are doing just fine right now. Representing the
interests of the richest 3% at the expense of the rest of us is not leadership for all New Yorkers.”

The New Deal for New York coalition is led by community organizations from around the state,
including Community Voices Heard (CVH), Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope (NOAH), PUSH
Buffalo, Syracuse United Neighbors (SUN), Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY),
VOICE Buffalo, and the Board of Directors of Alliance for Community Transformation of Syracuse
(ACTS).
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