ONTARIO, WALWORTH, WILLIAMSON & GANANDA

WAYNE COUNTY MAIL

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TOWN OF ONTARIO, THE WAYNE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
 AND THE GANANDA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

An Empire State Weeklies Publication

Thursday February 21,2002

35 cents

Senator discusses
local economy
with area officials

by Patrick O'Mahgen
Mail Editor

Ontario - U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton met with county government officials and economic leaders Tuesday afternoon in Ontario to discuss ways to promote the economic vitality of the region.

Clinton arrived at Optimax Systems, Inc. located at 6367 Dean Parkway at 5 p.m. and met for about 45 minutes with a group of businesspeople and select county officials including chair of the County Finance Committee, Donald Colvin and chair of the Planning Committee, Donna Chittenden.  Afterward, Optimax President Mike Mandina gave Clinton a tour of the manufacturing facility and production process.  

In remarks to the press, Clinton said that Optimax, a precision manufacturer of optical lenses, was a model for upstate economic growth.

This is a company that took a unique product and grew rapidly using local resources and employees, she said,  "We need to take advantage of our intellectual capital, keep young people here and give them an innovative environment in which to work."

Adding that her meeting with local officials was "interesting," she said that she would be working with localities to help jump-start the upstate economy over the coming months.

In particular, Clinton remarked that she wanted to find ways to help companies reduce energy costs, saying that most business owners in the region listed energy costs as their No. 1 concern. 

The senator also added that she favored expanding the federal definition of manufacturing "into the 21st century," to make it easier for high-tech companies to get federal funding. 

In response to questions regarding the safety of New York's nine commercial nuclear reactors, Clinton said that she favored federalizing the regulations governing the security forces guarding the plants, but keeping private companies in charge of providing security personnel.  She explained that she believed private companies could do an adequate job guarding the facilities, but federal regulations could give them added powers to do their job within the facility.  She gave the example of federal forces being able to carry automatic weapons when a local law forbade it.

Optimax Systems Inc. Vice President Rick Plympton and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton discuss the fine details of lens production Tuesday during Clinton's tour of the business.