UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - How can we make our region grow?

That was the focus of a political breakfast Friday morning in the City of Utica held by the Genesis Group at the Radisson Hotel.

In attendance was a veritable 'who's who' of political leaders from throughout the area, including mayors from both Utica and Rome, local state officials and Congressman Richard Hanna.

Each of the ten panelists spoke and all spoke about working together to build a better Mohawk Valley. You do that, they said by bringing jobs and retaining those jobs that are already here.

"We've got a core group of folks here," Congressman Hanna said. "If we appreciate and work with them, we ought to be able to grow this community. A lot of it has to do though, to be blunt, with the fact that New York State has become one of the least competitive places in the country to move to or indeed to stay. New York has to get off the back of local communities, in terms of unfunded mandates, quit talking about it and start doing it."

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente added that we are definitely facing some very difficult times, but with those tough times, come great opportunities, and he says there are some people at every level of government who are negative, and if everyone were to think positive and really work together, a lot more could and would get done.

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieiri talked about the tough challenges the city of Utica will be facing with this year's looming budget.