Parker's Predictions 2008

Rochester Business Alliance President and CEO Sandy Parker offered her 10th annual Parker's Predictions in a speech before Rochester Rotary Jan. 9.

Here 2008 Parker's Predictions are:

1. Unshackle Upstate will continue to gather momentum, scoring a significant victory in legislative reform.
2. Midtown Plaza will be demolished and numerous developers will step forward with plans for rebuilding on that site.
3. Progress will continue to be slow on Renaissance Square as the community questions the project's sustainability.
4. The business community will push for a serious review of mayoral control of city schools, working with our local delegation to garner support. Statewide, Gov. Spitzer will urge major metro areas to consider this system as well.
5. Gov. Spitzer will be a more effective leader in 2008. He and the state's legislative leaders will recognize that they must mend fences to end the political partisanship and bickering that have dominated the state's agenda.
   
6. Rochester will be successful in its campaign to get more equitable state funding for the city, and with the support of our legislators, the Rochester Community Coalition will succeed in getting funding for a significant number of projects on its agenda.
7. The two-year streak of on-time state budgets will be broken as key state legislators find themselves distracted by the upcoming fall elections.
8. Most of our region's incumbent state legislators will easily win re-election. The Assembly will stay under Democratic leadership and the Senate will remain in Republican hands.
9. The Democratic nomination for president will come down to the wire in a tight race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who will pull off an upset and be the nominee. As for the Republicans, John McCain will stage a comeback and head the ticket.
10. And while I said I would no longer predict the win-loss records of our local teams, the Bills will remain in Buffalo and the Amerks will still be Rochester's hockey team.

Click here to read Parker's Predictions from 2007 and see how she fared.

Media Coverage:

• Democrat and Chronicle - Parker predicts solid year for area businesses
• Rochester Business Journal - RBA chief spells out '08 predictions
• RNews - RBA President's Annual Predictions
• WHEC - Parker's predictions for 2008
• WHAM - Parker's Predictions for 2008 - more upbeat than 2007