books (98 of which were definitely inactive). The audit did not consider this a serious oversight but the corporation stated that it intended to dissolve the inactive corporations. In 2007, under Governor Eliot Spitzer, an Upstate ESD headquarters opened in Buffalo in recognition of the different economic challenges posed in the upper and lower (NYC region) parts of the State. Two chairs were appointed, one for ESD Downstate and the other for ESD Upstate. The ESD board also authorized the creation of another subsidiary, Upstate Empire State Development Corporation, to concentrate on Upstate issues. In 2008, Governor David A. Paterson brought the two components of ESD back together again, emphasizing that New York is truly “One State”. The former Upstate and Downstate offices now work together to ensure that New York's economic development strategy benefits the entire State, while being mindful of the specific resources and special challenges of each region. In January 2011, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo appointed Kenneth Adams as ESD President & CEO and DED Commissioner. Mr. Adams was confirmed by the Legislature on April 5, 2011. In May 2011, Governor Cuomo appointed Julie Shimer as Chair of ESD. She was confirmed by the New York State Senate in June 2011. State control over projects in New York City has often involved turf conflicts between the New York City mayor and the governor (including the fact that the state authority is exempted from city zoning rules). Many of the projects have had devastating impacts on neighborhoods and resulted in white flight and charges of reverse discrimination. As an example, the UDC's construction of the Harlem State Office Building in 1969 aroused intense opposition from the neighborhood which wanted the resources applied in other ways. Ada Louise Huxtable called the fight "Rockefeller's Vietnam". The term "urban development" took on a negative connotation and in 1995 UDC was renamed the Empire State Development Corporation. During the coronavirus pandemic, ESD was accorded a leading role in delineating what businesses would be considered essential in New York State. In a late 2020 per curiam decision of the Supreme Court, Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, ESD categorizations of essential services were noted for excluding religious services while, at the same time, not being limited to services which can be considered as essential. Avi Schick, former President of ESDC (2007-2009), criticized the corporation as acting beyond its purview in determining what