Now that New York's junior senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has suspended her presidential campaign, it is time for her to refocus on her day job: representing the citizens of the Empire State. With all of her focus on primaries and caucuses over the last 18 months, it is time for her to re-establish her ties to New Yorkers with what can possibly be called a “re-listening tour.”

Her staff will likely be the first to tell you that her representation of New York did not suffer in her failed bid for the White House. That constituent service never slackened and that she was regularly in New York, attending to business. All that may be true. Only the cynic would say that her time in New York was either spent at nationally covered media events, campaigning for New York's primary delegates or raising presidential campaign cash.

Whatever is the case, it is time for the former first lady to do what she did eight years ago - visit all of New York's 62 counties and listen to people. She did this prior to her first run and it was a great success. She wowed citizens all over the state with her interest and what seemed to be genuine sincerity. Many skeptics softened their carpetbagger image of her.

There can be several reasons to re-buff a “re-listening” tour now. They may range from that she has just come off a national campaign and needs a break or that she needs to be available to Sen. Barack Obama, especially if he wants to make her his vice president (odds are that will not be the case) to that she needs to campaign for the national ticket and candidates. All these excuses are just that - excuses. Her main job, first and foremost, is to represent New York in the Senate - something she promised to do in two runs.

One of New York's statewide officials who may best exhibit the practice she needs to adopt is Sen. Charles Schumer, New York's senior senator, who makes it a point to visit all of New York's 62 counties annually (usually many more than that). Every statewide office holder, including New York's new governor, David Paterson, should follow his “Rule of 62.”

Making these visits will be no easy task for someone who came as close to winning the Democratic nod for president as she did. Going county to county she will hear from a lot of people who will remind her, by way of a condolence, about her failed run. Making a “re-listening tour” now, will help New Yorkers believe that she still plans to represent them. We need to know she is focused on serving New Yorkers from now until her re-election campaign in four years and is not focused on another White House run in 2012, if Obama does not win or a presidential appointment if he does.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com