During his tour of Old Forge on Sunday, July 29 to discuss his tourism agenda, Republican congressional candidate Matt Doheny stopped at the Sweet Car Ice Cream Shoppe of local businessman Chip Kiefer and his family. Pictured are, from left, Mike Farmer, Matt and Mary Doheny, Chip Kiefer, and Dick and Roxanne Bird. Photo by Maureen McAuliffe.
Matt Doheny, Republican Congressional candidate for the 21st Congressional District of New York, was in Old Forge on Sunday, July 29 to kick off the tourism week portion of his 50 Businesses in 50 Days Campaign.
Doheny, his wife Mary, and staffer Maureen McAuliffe arrived at the Old Forge Information Center on Sunday to take a tour of area hot spots which included Enchanted Forest/Water Safari, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Souvenir Village, the Naked Moose, and Tony Harper’s, as well as to talk with area business owners, residents, and tourists.
Among those Doheny met with during the afternoon were Town of Webb Publicity Director Mike Farmer, Herkimer County Legislator Patrick Russell and owner of the Naked Moose, business owners Tim Noonan, Dick Bird, Chip Kiefer, Joan Marks and longtime Old Forge residents Bob and Lois Lowenberg.
“Matt Doheny’s campaigning district includes the entire North Country and the resort areas of Lake Placid and Lake George.
The fact that he picked Old Forge over those other areas to launch the tourism phase of his campaign is really significant,” Farmer said.
Visits to Lake Placid and Lake George followed this past week.
As part of his 50 in 50 Tour, Doheny will visit many different segments of the district to meet with residents and business owners who are helping to drive the economy.
Each week of his tour will focus on a different facet of industry: tourism, agriculture, health care, technology and communications, and manufacturing.
“We thought it was very important to stop in a great area like Old Forge where tourism is a critical part of the local economy,” Doheny said.One of the goals of tourism week, Doheny said, is to better understand what the exact underlying issues are that business owner’s face, especially in an economy where businesses must make a profit in a relatively short period of time.
“We discussed all the aspects of the tourism industry in the Central Adirondacks and how important it is to the economy of the area,” said Dick Bird, owner of Bird’s Marina and Adirondack Real Estate.
Among the factors discussed were government regulations, high fuel prices, and what an 82- day summer season combined with a hard winter will do to a tourism economy.
“It has been certainly outstanding the things that are going on, its truly heartening to know that even in the difficult conditions our small business people and entrepreneurs continue to soldier on no matter what the challenges they face,” Doheny said.
“So it’s been quite exciting and as a business person myself, I understand the challenges of making the payroll. I know what it’s like to make the type of budgeting decisions going out for one, three, and five years that need to be made in light of all of the uncertainty and all of the mixed signals that come out of Washington, and just the economy in general.”
Matt Doheny is running against incumbent Democrat Bill Owens in the November election.
