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COLUMN:
Chamber Delegation Travels to Washington, DC
Darlene Kerr | Fri, June 15th, 2007

On May 9 and 10 our largest group of Greater Syracuse Chamber representatives ever, led by President Darlene Kerr, traveled the halls of Congressional and Senate office buildings in Washington, D.C. to participate in and represent Central New York in “New York Day in Washington.” 
“New York Day in Washington” is an annual opportunity organized by the Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS) for chambers of commerce and their members.  The purpose is to attend a special New York based briefing on key priorities, to network, to meet with members of Congress, U.S. senators, and their legislative staffs, discuss matters of community importance and, most importantly, the needs of their specific organizations.
Deb Warner, director of government relations for the Chamber, said each year our delegation gets larger and more diverse.  New York Day has proven to be a very rewarding event for our member businesses, large and small, to speak directly with our representatives and their staffs, do some topical matchmaking and plan follow up to meet some specific needs of our participating members.  Our orange lanyards and large nametags made us especially visible this year.
The group visited Washington armed with a list of priority topics including the reform of Alternative Minimum Tax, investment in technology and commercialization, affordable health care for small businesses,  the Chamber’s Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, the Department of Defense Commercialization Project and various economic development projects for the region.  The most important agenda item for each member was their own issue or request. 
Of particular interest to the group was government procurement and contracting.  For several for the newer members of the delegation, this was specific to the issue of minority and disabled owned businesses having increased access to government contracts and contractors. 
Delegates met one-on-one with Congressman James Walsh, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton and their respective staffs, as well as senior staff for Congressman Michael Arcuri.  Senators Schumer and Clinton addressed the Chamber’s participants as part of an appearance at a breakfast hosted by CANYS.  This year’s briefings also included Darin Douglas, who heads up Governor Spitzer’s lobbying arm for New York state in Washington. 
A good deal of effort went into finding ways to maximize the effectiveness of the visit.  We asked our members to give us a list of their priorities so that we could list them in a read ahead document that was forwarded to the staffs in advance.  The Syracuse delegation took advantage of this opportunity and was pleased with the attention they received from our representatives and their senior staff. 
According to first time participant Ellen Mitchell, director of communications and public affairs for Lockheed Martin, the trip was even more worthwhile than she thought it would be. She was impressed by the access we had to Sen. Schumer, Sen. Clinton, Rep. Walsh and Rep. Arcuri and their staffs, and the opportunity to advocate for our respective causes. She also was pleased by the attention that the Syracuse delegation received; we were the largest delegation and clearly carried some clout with both the other chambers and with our congressmen and senators.
Congressman Walsh was especially generous with his time during the visit.  The group thanked him for his support on so many important issues and the congressman said that strong business leadership in CNY has made his job easier in Washington. 
For added visibility, the Syracuse Chamber organized and sponsored the kick-off 2007 New York Day Legislative Reception at the Rayburn House Office Building, inviting all Legislative representatives and their staff as a special “thank you” for all they do for Central New York.  New York state wines, Baldwinsville-made Anheuser-Busch products and hors d’oeuvres were served to over 100 reception guests.
“New York Day in Washington” is made possible by the Chamber Alliance of New York State.  Chamber Alliance members from across the state joined together this year to discuss technology, trade and transportation issues as well as energy and workforce issues. This is the seventh year in a row that a delegation from the Syracuse Chamber has made the trip to Washington for this occasion.
You will find a complete list of Chamber members and staff who participated in this great event, along with the sponsors who made it possible at www.syracusechamber.com.  Click on News & Publications to see the June issue of Chamber News.
Due to the success and impact of this visit and growing interest among Chamber members, the Chamber and Manufacturers Association of Central New York will be returning in late September for another round of meetings on Capitol Hill with a joint delegation. 
If you, or a member of your staff, are interested in participating, please contact Stephanie Roehm in the Chamber government relations office at (315) 470-1882 or sroehm@syracusechamber.com.
Thank you for all you do.




Main offices:
5910 Firestone Drive Syracuse, New York 13206
Phone, Fax and Email:
(315) 434-1988 (315) 434-8883 jmartell@cnylink.com