NORWICH — Commerce Chenango is gearing up for their second annual Legislative Breakfast, scheduled for Thursday, October 14, at the Silo Restaurant in Greene. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and the breakfast is set to begin at 8 a.m.

The event is an opportunity for Chenango County residents and business owners to meet with elected officials to discuss concerns, ask questions, and share stories, according to Commerce Chenango President and CEO Kerri Green.

"It's important because we really want to have an opportunity to have our community members and businesses have one-on-one time with those who represent us," said Green. "It's important for them to hear from us, from our mouths, about the things that we're working on, or what our concerns are or things that we're happy about are. But also it's a time for them to share with us where they're headed and what their priorities are."

Green said the breakfast began last year as a revival of a former Commerce Chenango program that hadn't been utilized in some time.

"We used to host some kind of a legislative update in previous years, but it had been a long time since we did. So when we were looking at kind of updating our programming and making sure that we bring relevant information to our members and to the county, we really felt like giving community members and businesses opportunities to have one-on-one time with their elected officials, which is really important," Green explained. "So we felt like this was a way we could provide that venue for them."

This year, the Legislative Breakfast will be hosting a number of elected officials, including Senator Fred Akshar, Assemblyman Joe Angelino, Assemblyman John Lemondes Jr., Senator Peter Oberacker, and a representative from the 22nd Congressional District. Attendees are encouraged to send in questions in advance that they would like to ask officials.

"We're not having an open Q and A, but I will be moderating it," said Green. "They are welcome to submit questions in advance, we're going to collect all the questions and we'll do a sort of moderated session to all elected officials, when we get to that point."

There will also be two guest speakers at the breakfast on Thursday: NYS Economic Development Council (NYSEDC) Executive Director Ryan Silva, and The Business Council of New York State (BCNYS) Vice President Ken Pokalsky.

"Not only do we have the panel, but we have Ryan Silva and Ken Pokalsky attending," said Green. "We're really excited to be able to bring [Silva]. He's going to talk about, you know, what the state is working on in terms of economic development, priorities, what their legislative agenda looks like right now. And Ken from the Business Council of New York will also be talking a little bit about what the Business Council is doing to help advocate for businesses."

"We also felt like it was great for our elected officials to hear from both Ken and Ryan about what they're working on with more of a state view. So that will be a nice addition," she added.

Attendance from the community is also looking good, according to Green. She said registration has already exceeded 50 persons, beating out last year's attendance. While the registration deadline was Friday, October 8, Green said those wishing to attend are still welcome to purchase a ticket.

"We can certainly serve probably up to 100 comfortably," said Green. "If you're a member of Chamber of Commerce it's $40 a person. We do open it up to anybody though, so if you're not a member it's $50 a person. It's just our way to add a little extra benefit to our members, thanking them for being a member."

Those who are unable to attend will be able to watch a recording of the breakfast afterwards, but Green said a definitive date and time has not yet been decided.

Green also expressed gratitude to The Silo Restaurant for their support of the event, saying, "We're very grateful to Gary Kurz at The Silo for hosting this event again for us. He does a really nice job, so I'd like to give him a shoutout."

While the event is only on its second year, Green said she hopes to keep it going annually.

"I think that by the number of people that have already said are coming, it shows that this is something that our members want, our community wants, you know, our businesses want," she said. "Again, that's why we make it open to anybody, because we feel like things like this are not just for the members of Commerce Chenango, it's for the entire county. So we really encourage people to take time to come and spend time with us, and get that one-on-one time."

Chenango County residents can register for the Legislative Breakfast by calling 607-334-1400, or visit the Commerce Chenango website at commercechenango.com. Questions for the panel can be sent to info@chenangony.org.