UTICA - The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted Senator Joe Griffo and his guest, newly-elected Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Senator Griffo feels Senator Dean Skelos' prompt visit to his district shows his commitment to upstate.

Skelos certainly doesn't sound like an upstate resident, but the downstate senator and highest-ranking member of the Senate says he's sympathetic to upstate's challenges, and realizes that they require special attention.

"And I'm hopeful that within the next month that we will be putting out an upstate economic development package that will help create jobs," Skelos said.

Senator Skelos also committed himself to achieving a goal that so far has eluded local government and business leaders in spite of trips to three continents to track it down and bring it home.

"What my goal is in working with Joe and the chamber, quite frankly, is to find an AMD for Marcy," he said.

AMD - a chip fab plant whose owners chose to locate north of Albany, in Malta. Mohawk Valley Edge President Steve Dimeo is grateful for the new senate leader's commitment to bringing a similar plant to the empty lot of state land in Marcy, and says, it will happen.

"There is interest," Dimeo said. "New York State is very well recognized and there's a bright light shining on New York State as a place for this particular industry."

Senator Skelos was elected as former Senate Majority Leader and longtime Senate powerhouse Joe Bruno's replacement just two weeks ago.

And we just learned Tuesday that Bruno might not even fill out his Senate term, which is up at the end of the year.

The 79-year-old says he might leave in a few weeks.