I was right.
Governor Paterson has given the legislature the okay to get rid of the plans for the new plates, as long as they can find a way to come-up with money that the plates would have brought in.
Just got this email:
Dear Signer of the License Plate Petition,
I want to thank you for taking the time to sign our on-line petition opposing the mandatory license plate re-issuance and fee increase that was scheduled for April, 2010. On November 16, I took the thousands of signatures we collected both on-line and at the auto bureaus directly to Albany and presented them to the Governor and State Legislature.
I am extremely please to confirm that from my conversations with leadership in both the Assembly and Senate, the ill-conceived plan will not go forward. Our entire Western New York delegation was unanimous in standing with County Clerks against this plan, and I am so grateful that together, we gave New Yorkers a long -overdue victory in rolling back unnecessary fees and mandates. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.
While we have verbal commitments to repeal the plan and in fact I spoke to the Governor about this personally this week, I assure you that I will remain vigilant in this fight to make sure there is not a change of heart. But for now, let’s savor this win.
I wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Kathy
Kathleen C. Hochul, Erie County Clerk
92 Franklin St.
Buffalo, NY 14202
716.858.8867
Get Your Enhanced Driver’s License Now!
Visit [SIZE=2]www.erie.gov/clerk[/SIZE] <[SIZE=2]https://secure.erie.gov/exchange/ErieCountyClerk/Drafts/www.erie.gov/clerk[/SIZE]>
wow. ive never seen an online petition work before.
sweet.
now i won’t be so pissed off when i register the audi this friday.
Thank god we elected Kathy Hochul county clerk and not that airhead Shelly Schratz…She has some pull with the DMV since it’s run by Dave Swarts, her old boss.
you’ll be pissed about how much more it costs to put a car on the road anyways. I transfered plates and it was still 75$
yeah. i figured it wasn’t going to be cheap but atleast i don’t have to get new plates.
Update:
Dear Erie County Resident:
Once again, I thank your for taking the time to sign our online petition against the mandatory license plate re-issuance proposal. As an update, I wanted you to know that Governor Paterson called me personally this week to let me know that he heard all of our voices on this issue and that the plan was indeed dead.
I recently learned from the NYS DMV that since the new 'Empire Gold" plates were already in production, the DMV plans to start adding these plates to our existing inventory beginning in April. New car owners will have the option of choosing which plate they want until the old inventory is exhausted, probably at the end of the year. Regardless, the victory lies in the fact that New Yorkers will no longer be required to replace their existing plate with a new one, a clear money grab for the State. You can keep your existing plate.
I will keep you informed of any further updates. Again, I truly appreciate your support in this cause.
Kathy Hochul
Erie County Clerk
So basically, I’m SOL when I have to get new plates for my summer car when I put it back on the road in spring 2011. Unless I get custom plates now and have the DMV store them for the winter. Could be worse I guess.
uggghhhhh my reg is up next month
It says new car owners will have the OPTION.
I dont mind it, if I wasnt just transfering plates from my winter ride to my summer ride, I’d get them, if they were the same price 
From the article it sounds like they aren’t making anymore old plates. Once the old plates are gone, they’re gone, so if you need new plates for another car you better act quick. Don’t quote me on that, it’s just what I got out of the article.
What I’m getting out of it is that the gold plates which were already produced, will be available as an option to those who want it until THOSE are exhausted. However, the old design is what will continue to be produced for long term availability.
I guess we’ll see.
Hmm, after re-reading it, it seems like it could be either. Poorly worded. If so, they’d probably have a stock of those forever since everyone hates the ugly things.
once they change over they will phase them out just like the old plates
this is the kind of shit that makes me want to go to the floor of the state senate during session and fart into the mic
i dont see what the big deal is.
people should be more concerned with getting the registration and inspection off the windshield and on the plate.
Also getting rid of the front plate.
↑Why off the windows? It would be easier for a cop tailing you to see if your inspection is up, wouldnt it?
If you kept your inspection up to date, who cares? They can see just fine when they drive past you in the opposite direction anyhow.