As President Joe Biden, Gov. Kathy Hochul and different political leaders gathered in Syracuse Thursday to mark Micron’s first steps to speculate $100 billion over the following 20-plus years to construct a modern reminiscence megafab, Republican candidate for governor Lee Zeldin criticized the state’s enterprise local weather.

Zeldin, a congressman from Lengthy Island, was additionally in Syracuse Thursday morning to debate crime at an house advanced with a troubled previous.

“Twelve days out from an election, this can be a political go to that’s happening,” Zeldin stated earlier than Biden’s arrival.

Micron plans to construct a chip manufacturing facility within the White Pine Commerce Park within the city of Clay, probably bringing tens of hundreds of jobs to the area.

“I believe the Micron deal tells you a narrative of the place the enterprise local weather is true now on this state,” Zeldin stated. “See in different states, they’ve companies coming to the state due to low taxes, the regulatory atmosphere, state businesses are run with a really pro-business strategy. The enterprise local weather in different states are so a lot better, companies simply transfer to the state. There’s no technique to get Micron to return to New York for low taxes. There’s no technique to get Micron to return to New York due to the good regulatory atmosphere. They’re not coming right here as a result of the state businesses are run by this nice professional enterprise tradition. They’re not coming right here as a result of we have now probably the greatest enterprise climates within the nation.”

Certainly, based on a survey launched Tuesday, New York’s total tax local weather ranks forty ninth out of fifty states, between California (ranked forty eighth) and neighboring New Jersey (fiftieth).

“It’s a must to have a look at why they’re coming right here, how we acquired right here, what it took to get them right here, as a result of the truth that we’ve reached the purpose the place we primarily need to bribe companies to return to New York with billions of {dollars} of tax breaks, who gained’t come right here in any other case, I believe highlights this state is heading within the flawed path,” Zeldin stated.

If elected governor, Zeldin stated he would work to alter that system. 

“We’ll work with Micron. We’ll do no matter we will to enhance the enterprise local weather on this state, however so far as bringing different companies to this state, we actually need to get a lot smarter with our mindset,” he stated.

Zeldin additionally lamented the state’s unemployment charge, which is one-third of what it was in comparison with this time final 12 months, however stays greater than the nationwide common because the state tries to get better from the COVID-19 pandemic.