State Senator Joe Griffo poses with Boys’ Staters

State Senator Joe Griffo

At the Tuesday morning assembly State Senator Joe Griffo was the first person to address the Boys’ Staters.  He gave them the following mandates:

1. To be informed and know what’s happening, and understand what that means for you and your community,
2. To stay interested in politics, and
3. To get involved in your government.

Additionally, Sen. Griffo told Boys’ Staters to gain respect and appreciation for where they come from, as well as other people’s cultures. In order to create compromise between regions, we need to get to know and understand other people.

When asked what motivated him to run for office, Sen. Griffo responded that he wanted to make a difference in his community. “I thought I could make a difference in people’s lives,” he stated.

After the assembly, Sen. Griffo posted on his Facebook page:

“This is a group of talented young men with an eye toward public service, and I was glad to speak with them yesterday morning about leadership, citizenship and the importance of playing an active role in government. Their informed and enlightened involvement, starting at a young age, will help ensure that our future is in good hands.”

Colonel Kurt Wheeler

Another notable person speaking at Tuesday Morning’s was Col. Kurt Wheeler.  Wheeler is currently the mayor of Cazenovia NY, and has also served as a social studies teacher and as a cross country and track coach.  Some notable lessons from Wheeler’s speech were as follows:

• “You never know when something is about to change your life . . . Boys’ State made a difference for me and changed my life . . . I hope this will be a turning point for each of you.”
• It is up to each of us to keep our Democracy strong.
• Wheeler sees himself not as a politician, but as a public servant.  He says that politicians  often forget they are there to serve others.  Therefore, the success of the government is based on the people in office.

To learn more about Wheeler’s speech, read the Wednesday issue of The Statesman here.