Seriously - Report original stuff or acknowledge you are reprinting Press Releases.

COMIDA awarded 3 companies various forms of assistance yesterday. Centrilogic INC, Lewis Tree Service Inc and Continental Services Group (dba ConsServe). On the surface the awards look - well better than the Brighton lodging award. I mean Brighton Lodging only had to create a single job. These companies at least - per COMDIA - supposed to create 48, 6 and 4 respectively (ConServe says it will create 30 but who is counting).

What pissing me off - is how this gets reported. 5 days after the Democrats in the Monroe Country Legislature held hearing and a public forum - the “News” media simply reprints press releases.

Take what passes for reporting from News10 NBC. Here what they posted on their web site. Here is the COMIDA Press release.

Compare them.

Remember just because you can cut and paste doesn’t mean you should. The bold text is the ONLY part of the report that is not from the press release - word for word.

3 projects receive COMIDA assistance

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks announced that the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) today approved assistance for three local economic development projects.

CentriLogic Inc., Lewis Tree Service, Inc. and Continental Services Group, Inc. dba ConServe are the 3 businesses receiving assistance from COMIDA.

About COMIDA
COMIDA is a not-for-profit, public benefit corporation and governmental agency. Its purpose is to actively promote, encourage, attract and develop job opportunities in the community, by encouraging established businesses to expand locally and attracting new industries to the Monroe County area. COMIDA incentives apply toward the purchase of land and construction of new facilities, the expansion of existing buildings, the purchase of new machinery and equipment, as well as the renovation of existing facilities.

COMIDA does not lend any money to these projects, and projects receiving assistance are required to use 100% local labor. Assistance is provided through tax exemptions and abatements, and access to lower interest rates through tax-exempt bond issues. COMIDA provides this assistance without any taxpayer dollars. Income is generated by the fees charged to applicants. These monies have been reinvested in the community to advance economic growth and job creation.

Thanks for nothing

Oh - my favorite line? of the Press Release? COMIDA provides this assistance without any taxpayer dollars.What they do is exempt companies from paying taxes so other people have to pay more.