BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Some public officials remain confident that Tesla will contribute to the community in the long term, despite recent headlines highlighting the continued problems at its South Buffalo facility.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is among those who remain confident in the long-term outlook after news broke that Tesla claims to have more than 1,500 jobs in Buffalo and 300 others in New York State.
“That’s a good sign,” Brown said. “The plant was bustling when I and members of the state legislature took a tour of the plant. It was very diverse (the employee base). There were a large number of employees from the City of Buffalo.”
Tesla and Panasonic ended their partnership in producing solar cells after years of struggling to ramp up output from Buffalo. Panasonic will end all their solar panel operations in the United States by the end of the year while Tesla will continue operations.
403 people are losing their job at Panasonic.
Brown said the news doesn’t tarnish Tesla’s legacy in Buffalo because of the job numbers touted by the plant. He said he’s hopeful that all of those employees who lost their jobs will be re-hired.
WBEN contacted Assemblyman Sean Ryan, who recently toured the facility, and State Senator Tim Kennedy for comment but did not hear back.
The $750 million facility has been criticized for years for its use of taxpayer dollars to build the plant, including an illegal bid-rigging scheme that resulted in members of the Cuomo administration going to prison. There’s also been a lack of transparency from Tesla about the plant and concerns about the job numbers.