Mohawk Valley Nine hold first meeting of 2018

The Mohawk Valley Nine met for the first time this year earlier this week.

The bipartisan group of state legislators representing Oneida, Herkimer and Madison Counties was formed in 2017 to address issues of concern within their overlapping districts.

In its first year of existence, the Mohawk Valley Nine secured a major tax relief package to keep Vernon Downs open.

This week's meeting touched on a wide range of topics including education, economic development, healthcare and the state budget.

The Mohawk Valley Nine issued the following statement:

“The Mohawk Valley Nine was established to boost our region’s profile in Albany and better advocate on behalf of our families, business owners, and local governments.  We had immediate success in our first year of existence and expect to take on additional challenges this year both at the Capitol and at home.”

The delegation is made up of Senators Joseph Griffo, James Seward, David Valesky and Jim Tedisco and Assemblymen Anthony Brindisi, Marc Butler, Bill Magee, Brian Miller and Ken Blankenbush.