By Dan Murphy
WESTCHESTER, NY — In 2014, New York State began placing I Love NY signs, in an attempt to promote and highlight local historical spots and tourist destinations for travelers on the New York State Thruway and other state highways.
The signs feature a large blue and white backdrop with the state program, the website and the app, followed by four signs featuring local restaurants, historic locations and tourist attractions.
In total, 514 of these signs were erected, and by July 4, 2016, most of the signs were up using emergency contracts to hire the vendors and pay overtime to put them up on the Thruway. It is interesting to note that our state government did not hire a vendor from New York State to create the signs. In total, $8.1 million of NYS taxpayer dollars were spent on them.
The mistake, or error in judgement, made by the NYS Department of Transportation was that they ignored warnings from the Federal Highway Administration that the signs contained too much information and violated federal highway rules on what can’t be placed on signage along roadways, specifically that the promotion of a web address or a mobile application can’t be on the signs.
Over a three-year period, 2014 to 2016, state government either ignored or defied the FHWA warnings to take the signs down, and placed all of them up. Continued warnings from the FHWA under both Presidents Obama and Trump finally resulted in a $14 million fine, coming in the form of withholding federal aid for NYS as a result of the illegal signs. If the signs are removed by September, the state will not lose the federal highway funds.
Only after the fine was levied did the state Department of Transportation respond and react, albeit in what many view as a disingenuous way. In a press release sent to our newspapers and media outlets across the state, NYS Department of Transportation Commissioner Karas and NYS Thruway Executive Director Driscoll said:
“The overwhelmingly successful I Love NY campaign has supported and enhanced New York’s $105 billion tourism industry for five years. Since the governor initiated this branding effort, the number of tourists to New York State has increased by 18 percent and the direct economic impact of tourism on the state has skyrocketed by more than 20 percent. From Greater Niagara to Long Island, I Love NY signs have helped get motorists off the roads and into mom-and-pop restaurants, shops and historic destinations. This increased traffic has in turn boosted local economies that aren’t typical tourist attractions.
“As the current campaign and signs are entering their fifth year, this message has run its useful course and we already plan to launch a new I Love NY campaign this summer to support our tourism industry. The new campaign will be ‘NY has it all!’ The campaign will have, as usual, comprehensive television and print advertising, as well as new road signage. Existing materials will be reused but, as the signs will be redesigned for the new campaign, we will consult with FHWA during this process. It will be a new campaign launched for the summer tourism cycle and as such must be concluded before the September FHWA deadline anyway.”
The wasteful spending comes in the form of $8.1 million in signage that lasted only five years. Two Westchester Republican state lawmakers questioned the whole process, and rush to spend tax dollars and force the signs up in the summer of 2016.
“After the outcry on this blunder the state has announced it will in fact remove the highway signs that have cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” said State Sen. Terrence Murphy. “More questions need answers on how this came to be in the first place, and greater transparency of how our hard-earned tax dollars are spent by governmental agencies should be a priority. It’s like Groundhog Day all over again. Last year, the Senate Investigations Committee-NY, which I chair, highlighted the $8.1 million that taxpayers wasted on these signs the feds say are illegal. Now they’re costing us another $14 million in fines. Enough is enough.”
Assemblyman Kevin Byrne added: “Last week during our transportation budget hearing, Senate Finance Chairwoman Sen. Cathy Young rightfully asked NYS DOT Commissioner Karas if our state would be facing any federal penalties for its illegal I Love NY signs, which Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo has already spent $8.1 million of your hard-earned tax dollars on.
“The DOT commissioner’s reply… ‘There have been no penalties, no funding has been withheld. We are continuing to hold a dialogue with the federal highway administration about those signs. We think the outcome will be beneficial, but the dialogue continues. No penalties, no funding withheld.’
“Well, one week later, here we are and the feds are now docking New York State $14 million,” continued Byrne. “Now, in a shameless attempt to backpedal, NYS DOT and the Thruway Authority are saying they will remove the sings claiming ‘new signs are needed anyway for a new tourism campaign.’ As if this was always part of the plan. If that was the case, then why weren’t we notified earlier? The illegal I Love NY signs in question already cost the taxpayers $8.1 million. How much more will this boondoggle cost us?”
