Speaker Heastie Visits Onondaga County on Annual Statewide Tour
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Pictured in the first photo with Speaker Heastie at JMA Wireless is (from left to right): Assemblymember Al Stirpe, Manufacturers Association of Central New York President and CEO Randy Wilkes and JMA Wireless owner John Mezzalingua. -
Speaker Heastie is pictured in the second photo sitting at the desk Matilda Joslyn Gage used when directing the operations of the National Woman Sufferage Association. -
Pictured in the third photo with Speaker Heastie at Side Hill Farmers is (from left to right): Assemblymember Al Stirpe and Side Hill Farmers owner Richard Law.
Speaker Carl Heastie today continued his annual statewide tour in Onondaga County with Assemblymember Al Stirpe. Together, they visited JMA Wireless, the Matilda Joslyn Gage Home and Side Hill Farmers.
"My statewide tour gives me the opportunity to see more of New York's history, and the people and enterprises that are building us a bright future. Today's stops allowed me to do just that," Speaker Heastie said. "Our first stop was JMA Wireless, where they are harnessing the high-tech manufacturing sector here in Central New York to create new technologies and change the way we communicate. Meanwhile, the Gage Home is preserving the legacy of Matilda Gage, an important part of New York's progressive history - from the fight for women's sufferage to abolition to Native American rights - that has been too often overlooked."
"It was great to have Speaker Heastie with us in Onondaga County today," Assemblymember Stirpe said. "From our rich history to our state-of-the-art industries like JMA Wireless, Central New York has so much to offer. I will continue to work with Speaker Heastie to support our families, communities and businesses."
Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Stirpe visited JMA Wireless in Liverpool where they were joined by owner John Mezzalingua. Access to internet is vital in our increasingly interconnected world and economy. A leader in mobile wireless connectivity solutions, JMA Wireless designs and builds next-generation in- and outdoor mobile wireless systems, enabling web access services on mobile operators' networks worldwide. Since expanding their headquarters in Clay in 2017, the company has added over 300 new high-tech jobs and had more than 1,000 employees worldwide.
The second stop was the Matilda Joslyn Gage Home in Fayetteville. Matilda Gage was a women's suffragist, Native American rights activist and abolitionist. One of the co-authors of the Declaration of Rights of Women, she is often overlooked because of disagreements with Susan B. Anthony over calls for the suffrage movement to join with conservative women's groups, which Gage opposed. The Gage home, where Matilda Gage hosted the National Woman Suffrage Association, is now a historic site and museum run by the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation with exhibits on her social justice work, including Women's Rights, Native Americans Justice, Religious Freedom, the Underground Railroad and Local History.
Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Stirpe concluded their tour with a stop at Side Hill Farmers in Manlius. Side Hill Farmers features fresh and locally grown meats, made from scratch prepared dishes and local foods. The Assembly secured $124,000 for the organization through Central New York Bounty for cold storage units, equipment and a new vehicle.