Governor Paterson Announces Upcoming Date for Public State of the State Town Hall Meeting in Broome County

Governor David A. Paterson today announced the dates of three State of the State Town Hall meetings that he will host in the next week. The meetings will be held in Johnstown, Auburn and Binghamton, and will be open to the public. On January 5, Governor Paterson announced that he would hold a series of town hall meetings across Upstate New York to give the public a chance to discuss New York's fiscal crisis and the themes of the Governor's State of the State address. The first of those meetings was held in Watertown on January 11.

"Now is the time for State government to take action and confront the worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression. It is equally important that we take the time to hear directly from New York residents about their concerns as we move to address these problems," said Governor Paterson. "The opinions and suggestions I have heard during these town hall meetings have helped to shape state policy, and I look forward to hearing from more New Yorkers as we move forward in this unprecedented time."

Governor Paterson will continue to travel throughout Upstate New York, and will hold additional town hall meetings and other public events as part of his State of the State tour. In addition to these stops in Fulton, Cayuga and Broome Counties, Governor Paterson plans to hold State of the State Town Hall meetings in Western New York and the Finger Lakes region. The time and location for those meetings will be announced at a later date.

The Binghamton town hall will take place at the West Gym at Broome Community College, 901 Upper Front St. on Wednesday, February 4. Attendees should enter through the North Entrance. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., with the event scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Those wishing to attend any of the above meetings are asked to RSVP on the Governor's website at www.ny.gov/governor/townhalls. Those wishing to submit questions or comments may do so at the same address. For all town hall meetings, seating is limited and will be provided on a first come first served basis.