"That's certainly not my expectation or my desire. That's not my agenda," said Assemblyman Joe Morelle, chairman of the Monroe County Democratic Committee in Rochester.

He said today's gathering, at a hotel in Kingston, grew out of a dinner that the chairs of several large urban counties held earlier this year. The chairs of several other upstate counties were not invited, and many did not know about the meeting.

Len Lenihan, the Erie County Democratic chairman, said he would not attend the meeting as he continues to recover from hip surgery.

"It's a meeting of large, urban counties to talk about issues prevalent in large, urban counties," Lenihan said.