GREENE – Commerce Chenango held a meeting for legislative leaders representing Chenango County on Thursday, and discussed issues facing the county, state, and nation.

The event was held on Thursday morning at the Silo Restaurant in Greene.

According to Commerce Chenango Executive Director and CEO Kerri Green, yesterday’s event exceeded her organization's expectations, with a great turnout and community response for questions. Greene said the event was sponsored by Chobani, NBT Bank, and Preferred Mutual.

The main speakers included Senator Fred Akshar, Senator James Seward, Congressman Anthony Brindisi, and Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, along with New York State Economic Development Council Representative Ryan Silva and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Representative Greg Biryla.

“It was an honor to be able to give our members the time to speak with our elected officials and our partners from NYSEDC and NFIB,” said Green. “There were clear themes echoed throughout the Q&A and it was great to know our representatives are on the same page and are working to advocate for Chenango County.”

“Broadband, manufacturing, relief for small businesses and a focus on agriculture were threaded throughout their comments. I’d like to thank our speakers for taking the time to speak with us and thank our members for engaging in these important discussions.”

Each speaker discussed an array of topics, but a common theme throughout the event was the coronavirus and how it continues to impact New York.

Brindisi said he is working with a bipartisan group to ensure that another round of stimulus gets passed, and that he is working with representatives in Broome County as they deal with a spike in cases.

“We all need to stay focused and work together to get through this pandemic, and I am doing everything I can to get Upstate New Yorkers the support they need,” said Brindisi. “I was grateful for the opportunity to hear from Broome elected officials and Chenango small business owners today and I will continue to advocate for our district on the federal level.”

“Our communities will feel the aftershocks of this pandemic for a long time, and I’m working with folks on the ground to ensure they have the resources they need to keep everyone safe and rebuild our economy.”

He said he was a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and joined local elected officials last month to call on Washington to pass a bipartisan relief bill to help small businesses, working families, educators, essential workers, and state and local governments.

Akshar also spoke on the need for continuing support during the coronavirus, and said that if another round of coronavirus stimulus is passed and funding is set aside to help places like Norwich, then it must go directly to those municipalities instead of to New York State.

“I think what has happened here is that the governor is using the people of this state as political pawns,” said Akshar. “Rather than addressing the financial hardships that we’re currently seeing, the governor has put all of his eggs in one basket.”

Akshar said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is asking for 60 billion dollars in federal aid for the coronavirus to help cover the bill for poor spending habits. He said prior to the coronavirus there was already a six billion dollar deficit, and that currently there is approximately 15 billion dollar deficit.

He added that New York State should prioritize getting funding back to its schools, and look for cuts elsewhere.

Each of the legislators spoke at the meeting about bipartisanship and ensuring that the needs of their constituents were accurately represented in government. Akshar thanked Brindisi for his efforts as part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and said the group has an effective and pragmatic approach to getting things done.

“At the end of the day I may have an R next to my name but I represent everyone,” Akshar.