Thank you to Governor Cuomo for hosting the Bassmaster Governor’s Challenge here in Massena on the majestic St. Lawrence River at Hawkins Point this past weekend.
The event teamed up several local dignitaries with anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series in the morning, culminating in a luncheon attended by Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul in the afternoon.
Governor Cuomo has taken many steps to boost tourism and recreation in our state including streamlining hunting and fishing licensing, reducing licensing fees, and highlighting the many opportunities this state offers for recreation. This directly benefits sportsmen and sportswomen while increasing tourism across the state including in the St. Lawrence River area.
The tourism industry is thriving under Governor Cuomo’s leadership and we know that it plays a vital role here Northern NY, as demonstrated by the great success our friends and neighbors in Waddington have had with events like the Bassmaster series, and the many other successes communities in the region are having throughout the year.
By highlighting Massena as a fishing destination, Governor Cuomo and his team are providing our area with increased exposure and the opportunity to build upon one of the greatest assets we have – our rivers - for both economic development and recreation.
One of my primary concentrations as your Mayor is economic development. We must utilize our rivers along with the unique opportunities we have with four seasons in order to capitalize on New York’s more than $8 billion tourism industry to grow our local economy.
Thank you to everyone that played a role in this event. It was a great day for Massena and the St. Lawrence River region.