WNY's economy: the answer is that there aren't any answers. (Western New York)

The future of Western New York's economic recovery apparently rests in Washington's hands.

That's according to analysts who have been tracking the region's slow climb from the recessionary depths of 1990-91. They predict that President Clinton's economic programs -- and employers' reaction to them -- will determine whether the local recovery accelerates or stagnates.

Washington's influence is expected to be strongest in the area of employment, the focus of Clinton's $16 billion economic stimulus bill.

Other sectors of Western New York's economy have improved in the past two years, including stock values, U.S.-Canada truck traffic and residential construction. But not employment: The region actually has lost 5,400 jobs since February 1991, which was the heart of …