SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Stephanie Miner and the mayors of two other upstate New York cities, are responding to a New York Post article published Monday that claims they are looking for a bailout from the governor.

The column, by Fredric Dickers, says Syracuse, Rochester and Yonkers are “close to bankruptcy” and secret talks have been held in recent weeks on their financial options.

In a joint statement, Miner and the other mayors had this very poignant response: "Three things need to be re-stated on the public record. One, the cities of New York are not seeking handouts. We are trying to address a serious financial problem that affects many of the citizens of New York who live and work in our cities. Two, we have repeatedly and with great pain cut services and employees. Three, the budget gaps that are soon to appear in cities across the state are too large to be bridged from within those cities. To suggest otherwise only postpones the hard work of resolving the problem.”

We reached out to Mayor Miner, but were unable to get further comment.