For Information Contact:

Brian Adey
 798-5800

Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced his first “coffee chat” of 2006 will be held at Casab’s Restaurant on Genesee Street in the village of New Hartford on Tuesday, February 28th, beginning at 6:30 am.

“The coffee chats we held in December were a great success,” Griffo said. “Over the course of two weeks, I met dozens of people who had great ideas and great comments about the future of Oneida County. I appreciate the many people who brought to my attention community and neighborhood issues that we in County Government can help resolve along with their local governments. New Hartford is a major growth hub in our region, and I want to start this year by hearing first-hand from people what they think about the issues on their minds.”

“I want to hear directly from the people we serve specifically what they want when it comes to consolidating services, and the ways they think we can best share the cost of the services that we will provide,” Griffo said. “I know there are some general sentiments that we should do things differently in economic development, and I’d like to hear what the people from the various parts of the county think. Consolidation means many different things to different people, and I want to hear from the people so that we can develop policies to put their ideas into action. ”

Griffo said other communities will be visited at a later date. “It is important to visit the towns and villages so that people can come out and say whatever is on their minds. I want to thank Casab’s for being willing to host us. I look forward to some good old-fashioned conversations about issues and a free exchange of opinions.”

“Government works best when people come out to talk with their elected officials about what they want, what they need and what they don’t like,” Griffo said. “As a public servant, I want to know what people are thinking. The more conversations we have, the better we can understand one another – even if in the end we disagree on an issue. The reason I am continuing these coffee chats is that people care very much about what we do in government. They want action on consolidation, and they want to be involved. That’s a healthy sign for our region as we face new challenges.”