NYS Senator Jeremy Cooney Kicks Off ReGener8 Cities Tour in Albany

(ALBANY, NY) - Senator Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) hosted a city roundtable discussion in Albany as part of his Regener8 Cities tour. Attendees were local stakeholders, including Senator Neil Breslin, SUNY Albany President Havidan Rodriguez, Albany CSD Superintendent Kaweeda Adams, United Way of the Capital Region President Peter Gannon, as well as senior representatives from the City of Albany, to discuss issues that impact cities outside of NYC. 

Sen. Cooney is leading a bipartisan “Regener8 Cities” tour to focus on listening to the experiences of families, educators, business leaders, and municipal officials in eight cities: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Yonkers. The objective of the Regener8 Tour is to identify new and innovative policy solutions to systemic issues that face families in eight of the largest cities in the state outside of New York City. Albany was the first stop on this eight-city tour.

Sen. Cooney, who represents the City of Rochester, was named the first chair of the new Cities 2 Committee by Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. He is committed to ensuring cities outside NYC, like those on this tour, have access to resources and are part of the statewide conversation on economic development. ​​The tour will be followed by a legislative package dedicated to poverty relief and economic regeneration that will be introduced in the Cities II Committee in the upcoming legislative session.

Senator Jeremy Cooney
"Cities outside of the Big Apple each have unique challenges, but we are united in our desire to grow New York State. The Regener8 Tour is about creating new policy solutions to urban issues that have long gone unaddressed. Just like there are common issues between the five boroughs, there are shared goals and challenges across the eight largest cities outside of NYC. For the first time in years, the State Senate is creating a bipartisan space for these small and mid-sized city voices, which will result in legislative action in the next session."

Senator Neil Breslin
"I applaud and thank Senator Cooney for inviting me to this important discussion about cities outside of New York City. As the proud representative of five cities, it is important that their needs are heard, and our upstate communities are not short changed."

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
"It is clear that cities outside of NYC have unique needs. That’s why I created the Cities 2 Committee earlier this year and appointed Senator Cooney as Chair.  These roundtables are just the beginning of much needed opportunities for Senator Cooney and his Committee to hear the needs of these cities and help to find innovative and collaborative ways to address them. Together we will build a future where all New Yorkers can thrive."

Peter Baynes, Executive Director, New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM)
"NYCOM applauds Senator Cooney for leading a bipartisan effort to address the economic development challenges and opportunities in all of New York’s cities. Cities serve as the economic centers of their regions and they can achieve their potential only with a true state partner. The Regener8 Cities Tour has the potential to jump start that partnership and NYCOM looks forward to working with Senator Cooney and his colleagues to convert the Tour’s roundtable discussions into legislation that strengthens and empowers New York’s cities."