ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York state Sen. Jeremy Cooney wrapped up his "Regener8" cities tour in his hometown of Rochester.

The tour's goal is to identify new and innovative policy solutions to systemic issues that face families in eight of the largest cities in the state outside of New York City.

The roundtable panel featured Mayor Lovely Warren, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy, United Way President Jaime Saunders, and a number of business, nonprofit and education leaders.

A few topics discussed during Wednesday’s panel were issues in transportation, getting people to and from work, child care and workforce shortage, plus the role officials and the community play in K-12 education.

“Cities outside of the Big Apple each have unique challenges, but we are united in our desire to grow New York state,” Cooney said in a statement. “The Regener8 Cities Tour is about creating new policy solutions to urban issues that have long gone unaddressed. Just like there are common issues between the five boroughs, there are shared goals and challenges across the eight largest cities outside of NYC. For the first time in years, the State Senate is creating a bipartisan space for these small and mid-sized city voices, which will result in legislative action in the next session.”

The eight cities the tour focuses on include Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Yonkers, Albany, Utica, Binghamton and Plattsburgh.