We continue to be plagued by economic and political shortfalls at every level of government. I have worked hard to make sure the troubled economy has the least impact possible on all New Yorkers, and of course have focused particularly on Westchester and Putnam Counties. I will continue to work on reforming state government so that our state can function smoothly no matter which party is in power.

This past April, I launched my Shared Services Task Force of the 90th Assembly District. My thought was to empower community members to understand how we can work together to make every level of government leaner and more efficient.

I am very excited to announce that for the next Shared Services Forums, our New York State Attorney General’s Office and the State Department of Education will pay us a visit and lead a discussion on Local Government and School Consolidation. Attorney General Cuomo sponsored a bill which I co-sponsored and which Governor Paterson signed into law to make it easier for citizens to change the structure of government and consolidate when they think it might be necessary to improve services or cut costs.

I have also invited Lee Kyriacou to speak at another forum to discuss countywide revaluation of property. Mr. Kyriacou heads the Office of Real Property Services and sees first hand the inequitable apportionment of property tax payments throughout the state as a result of outdated processes and specifically outdated property assessments.

I hope you will join me, the task force, and these knowledgeable state leaders so you can learn more about how we can partner to overhaul government, make it more efficient, and lower property taxes.

Aside from the forums, I have also highlighted the results of my last survey and the legislation relating to those results as well as some government reform efforts I will continue to fight for. I invite you to join the Shared Services Task Force as well, and let me know if you have any ideas for forum topics for the future.

I hope to see you at one or both of my forums. Please feel free to contact my office with any questions you may have.

Question #2
The Assembly passed legislation which I sponsored simplifying the absentee ballot process. Bill A.5276-A (Galef) removes the requirement of certain information. This will make registering for an absentee ballot easier. Currently there are lengthy, unnecessary questions that are of little value to the Board of Elections that do not contribute to the reason for needing an absentee ballot, such as where the voter will be and how long the voter will be away. When not filled out properly, absentee ballots could be delayed or voters may miss the opportunity to vote. In addition, requiring documentation of personal details such as a trip length could jeopardize a person’s safety and privacy.

Question #7
On June 24, 2009, Governor Paterson signed into law legislation which I co-sponsored that makes it easier for citizens to consolidate or dissolve certain local government entities. This bill (A.8501) allows local governments and citizens to dissolve municipalities in two ways — by the entities’ governing bodies or by petitions by constituents. These petitions must be approved with a majority of the vote in a district wide election. New York State has more than 10,521 local governments and consolidating creates the opportunity for efficiencies and cost savings. My forum with the Attorney General’s office on October 15th will go into more depth on the ramifications of this new law.

Question #10
One of the largest overwhelming “yes” responses to my survey was regarding drivers under the age of 18 being banned from using electronic devices while driving. Many in the comments section said they would like to see this ban apply to all drivers. On August 28th, the Governor signed into law bill A.8568-B, which I co-sponsored and which prohibits all drivers from using portable electronic devices such as iPods, PDAs, GPS devices, and cell phones, including text messaging. This will effectively limit the distractions to drivers while on the road and create a safer environment for everyone. In addition, this legislation includes concepts that I had been advocating for several years to increase the number of required driving hours for new drivers from 20 to 50, including 15 hours after sunset. Further, junior drivers will be limited to one non-family member passenger under the age of 21 without an adult present. This bill prevents both new and seasoned drivers from many dangerous distraction hazards that all too often cause crashes.

In February, Mayors, Supervisors, and County Executives’ representatives within my district joined me and Al DelBello from the Local Government Efficiency Commission, at Cortlandt Town Hall to discuss ways in which their governments are already pursuing shared efforts and other ways they might consider for the future.

This past spring I launched the Shared Services Task Force of the 90th Assembly District as a way to explore options to relieve the tax burden on New Yorkers. The group is made up of residents from municipalities throughout my district who are interested in learning from one another about grassroots efforts they can take to streamline and possibly consolidate functions, departments, and purchasing in government entities and school districts. Members of the Task Force represent a wide variety of organizations including local activist groups, municipal and school board trustees, representatives from state government, and private community members. All are interested in finding ways for governments and school districts to reduce wasteful practices and systems that have been part of the culture of New York for far too long.

April 17th, 2009
Task Force Kick Off
The Task Force met for the first time in April to discuss their overarching thoughts and concerns for sharing services in the 90th Assembly District and the State as a whole. In particular, Task Force members were concerned with redundancies in the many levels of government in New York, as well as within the many school districts in Westchester and Putnam Counties. Members explored an array of possible solutions to these problems. Some of the options the task force discussed included municipalities sharing assessors, school districts and municipalities sharing negotiators and grant writers, and consolidating school district and municipality’s back offices and departments.

NYS Office of General Services Commissioner John Egan & I just following my Shared Services Forum on Purchasing and Procurement at Croton Village Hall.

May 28th, 2009
Police and Highway/Public Works Services
The second Shared Services Task Force meeting took place in Cortlandt Town Hall and delved into sharing and consolidating police departments and highway/public works departments. Ossining Town Highway Superintendent Michael G. O’Connor, Retired Ossining Town Chief of Police Ken Donato, and Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi led the debate about the potential benefits and risks of consolidation. The Task Force looked at the Town of Cortlandt as a model, which has kept taxes stable over the last 10 years. Cortlandt eliminated their town police force, and relies on the state police and a contract with the county police for law enforcement, and also developed a Department of Environmental Services, which consolidates several Municipal Maintenance and Recreational services. Pros and cons of consolidation and elected versus appointed positions were discussed among the panelists and Task Force members.

July 23rd, 2009
Shared Purchasing and Procurement
The third Shared Services Task Force meeting held at Croton Village Hall focused on shared purchasing and featured a panel of experts from the state and county as well as BOCES and the Westchester Library System. Commissioner John Egan from the New York State Office of General Services (OGS) kicked off the panel discussion with a brief history of the OGS and how it works to save money for state and local governments by offering state contract rates for goods and services to counties, municipalities and schools. The other shared purchasing panelists included OGS Deputy Commissioner of Information, Technology and Procurement Services Carla Chiaro, Westchester County Director of the Bureau of Purchase and Supply Jim Ferarra, Putnam County Director of Purchasing Alex Mazzotta, Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES Business Manager Todd Currie and Westchester Library System Chief Financial Officer John Smith. Counties, Libraries and BOCES also offer cost savings through shared contracts and bulk purchasing.