Report: New York Latest State To Make Its Pitch To GE

Apparently Florida Gov. Rick Scott isn’t the only governor to make a trip to Fairfield this summer with the hope of luring General Electric out of Connecticut and into their state.

Politico New York reports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, visited the Fairfield headquarters July 30 on a recruiting trip for a possible move to Westchester County and incentives New York might offer.

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Cuomo’s spokespeople have refused requests for comment for more than two weeks, according to Politico New York, but sources tell them Cuomo and several aides met with top GE executives but CEO Jeff Immelt wasn’t present at the meeting.

While he wasn’t at the meeting, Immelt has spoken with Cuomo over the phone about the possible move, according to Politico New York.

Upset over the state’s new business tax increases, Immelt sent an email to the company’s Connecticut employees at the beginning of June, notifying them that he has “assembled an exploratory team to look into the company’s options to relocate corporate HQ to another state with a more pro-business environment.”

Since then, Scott has taken out radio ads and made a personal visit to Connecticut. Also, Indiana took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal lending its support to GE and Governor Michael R. Pence sent a letter to Immelt.

Read more about Cuomo’s visit to Fairfield at New York Politico here.