Wilmers quits job as chairman of state development agency
Published: June 11, 2009, 3:41 pm
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ALBANY — Just one year after becoming the state's economic development czar, Robert Wilmers is stepping down from the post, the latest in a growing line-up of officials departing the Paterson administration.
Wilmers, who is also chairman of the Buffalo-based M&T Bank, made his resignation known in a letter to Paterson, a government official said on condition of anonymity.
With much fanfare and as a bow to upstate, Paterson tapped Wilmers last June to lead the state's Empire State Development Corp. At the time, economic development organizations praised the choice, which raised some eyebrows because of the stinging criticism Wilmers has leveled over the years at the state government and its handling of upstate's economic problems.
Gov. David A. Paterson this evening confirmed Wilmers' departure, and said he will appoint Dennis Mullen, a Rochester businessman who has been serving as the agency's upstate president, as his replacement.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I thank Bob for us unwavering commitment to our great state," Paterson said in a statement. He noted Wilmers took over the agency during one of the worst economic years in the state's history.
"Bob recognized the statewide challenges facing New York, and his efforts in the restructuring of Empire State Development ranged from enacting critical reforms to the Empire Zone Program to ensuring that important development projects like Brooklyn Bridge Park and the revitalization of Buffalo's Erie Canal Inner Harbor forge ahead," Paterson added.
Wilmers, in his own written statement, attributed his departure to increasing demands in his day job.
"The ongoing crisis in the financial sector and in the overall economy has imposed a burden of work that I did not anticipate, and I consequently feel obliged to resign the chairmanship. I'm grateful for having had the opportunity to serve in this role, and am especially appreciative of Governor Paterson's support and commitment to economic development issues in New York state, and to the upstate economy in particular," he said.
The resignation is effective Friday.
The agency has seen its share of infighting, sources have said in recent months, with tension between the various upstate and downstate offices of the department. A source said recently that Wilmers also has expressed frustration with the musical chairs among high-ranking officials in the governor's office over the past year -- making it difficult for the agency to get adequate attention at the Capitol.
Wilmers' departure comes less than a week after Marisa Lago abruptly left as president of and chief executive officer of the ESDC. She was replaced by Mullen, who served as the upstate president of the agency. Sources have said Wilmers and Lago clashed, at times, on various internal matters.
The Buffalo News first inquired on May 21 when a well placed source said Wilmers was leaving the agency. "The chairman continues to work with ESD's professional staff on the many priorities facing the state," Warner Johnston, an ESDC spokesman, said at the time.
On Monday, the response did not change. "The chairman asked me to inform you that there has been no change in his comment since we last corresponded on May 21," Johnston wrote in an e-mail.
The list of senior officials leaving the Paterson administration grows seemingly by the week. Among those leaving in recent weeks and months is the governor's budget director, insurance superintendent, press secretary, and secretary, which is the highest-ranking job on the Capitol's second floor. Also, his deputy energy secretary is leaving, and two other senior officials also are said to be on their way out.
The governor has said he is running in next year's election, but his poll numbers have been in the basement for months. Also, he is facing a possible challenge for the job from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a popular fellow Democrat.
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