The leader of the State Senate says it's up to the governor to answer questions surrounding the delay in payments to the Solar City construction project in Buffalo. The delay in state payments led to temporary pink slips being issued to dozens of carpenters and other tradesmen at the Solar City site because the contractors ran out of money. Once word of the layoffs surfaced, state officials responsible for the project responded quickly by finding a mechanism for releasing the $82 million in funding.
During an appearance at the state Republican convention in Buffalo late last week, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan was asked about the controversy. Flanagan said Governor Cuomo and his administration are responsible for what's happening.
"When things are going swimmingly well, they'll take all the credit in the world. When things go wrong, the buck really stops at the governor's doorstep," Flanagan said.
Flanagan said the amount of money involved in the controversy could warrant having a conversation about it. He stopped short of saying whether he'll call for a legislative hearing.
Flanagan said the next step would be reaching out to members of the Western New York legislative delegation for their views.