WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. March 23, 2007 (EDITED): Westchester County government is “responsible, compassionate, efficient and productive,” County Executive Andy Spano said and the county is strong and well-prepared to meet the challenges ahead however complicated they may be.
“We’ve broken ground with decisions that have been heard nationwide,” Spano said in his 10th annual State of the County Address, delivered to the Board of Legislators in White Plains Thursday evening. Praising the partnership with the legislature, as well as those forged with other local, state and federal officials, Spano said, “Working together, I’m confident that we will stay on that track as we continue to chart a path others will want to follow.”
In his address, Spano said he would call a municipal Officers Association meeting to deal with the housing of the homeless — apparently in response to White Plains Mayor Delfino’s long campaign to get all the cities together to deal with the issue.
Spano stressed that the county would continue to be run in a “fiscally prudent” fashion. While county taxes make up less than 20 percent of a homeowner’s property tax bill, he said his goal “is to make sure our government focuses on our taxpayers as well as the people we serve in our programs.” He announced a major performance-management initiative encompassing hundreds of department heads and managers because “As taxpayers, you should know that your money is being spent wisely and that our programs are working and working efficiently.”
Some other initiatives stressed concern affordable housing, global warming, health care and public safety.
Spano said, “While we continue to keep our own house in order, we do face challenges that are not of our own making—but that we have a huge stake in resolving.” These include the future of the Tappan Zee Bridge, Indian Point relicensing, Con Edison power outages and housing the homeless street living in the street.
Spano used the occasion of his speech – as he has done in previous years – to acknowledge the loss of Westchester residents killed in the war. He offered condolences to the family of Army Staff Sergeant Kyu H. Chay from Chappaqua, who last October was killed in Afghanistan.
He also criticized the military for withholding the names of veterans returning to Westchester from overseas, making it difficult for the county to provide these veterans with appropriate services. “Our returning Westchester veterans, who have put their lives on the line and made personal sacrifices for all of us, should get immediate assistance in whatever they need. Our Office of Veterans Affairs stands ready to help them in any way we can: for employment, military benefits, housing opportunities, or simply recognizing them and welcoming them home. Unfortunately, we cannot reach out to these brave men and women, because the military is not giving us their names.”
In his multi-media address, the county executive applauded the special efforts of various residents who have made a difference in their communities. These included Ayana Davis of Peekskill, who created and started the STAJ dance troupe, which gives at-risk girls self-esteem and discipline; and Eric Appel who, as part of his Bar Mitzvah project, volunteered to serve as a buddy to kids in the county’s Miracle League, a baseball league for young people with disabilities.
In a major initiative, Spano announced the creation of the first-ever Housing Land Trust in New York State, whose main purpose will be to ensure that housing units that are designated “affordable” based on government help with financing remain affordable permanently.
Affordable housing remains a serious problem in Westchester, and Spano expressed concern it could get worse as 4,000 so-called Mitchell-Lama units that had been designated “affordable” for 40 years (with rental or resale restrictions) are now reverting to “market rate.” Other units built within the last 15 years are also affected. While the county is working with landlords to try to prevent this from happening, the decision is now up to landlords. By giving county land to the non-profit housing trust, future units can be made affordable permanently.
As part of his ongoing global warming initiative, Spano called on all households to switch to energy- efficient light bulbs and said that as an incentive to change, the county will give away a free compact fluorescent light bulb to every family who attends the county’s Kids Fair on April 21 or Earth Day celebration at Tibbetts Brook Park on April 22. “If all of our households replaced just 4 bulbs, we would reduce greenhouse emissions in Westchester by one million tons or 28 percent,” Spano said. “These bulbs last longer, use less energy and in the long run, will save money.”
He reiterated his vow to “not allow any homeless person to freeze on Westchester streets,” announcing he has set up a meeting with the executive board of the Municipal Officials Association to discuss the issue. “I m sure no one wants to see homeless men and women wandering through our neighborhoods or sleeping in cardboard boxes in front of restaurants, theaters, or parking structures. Let’s get some ideas on the table so we can give the street people a bed at night and at the same time give our residents and merchants a feeling of safety,” he said.
Public Safety Initiatives
Responding to construction accidents and building collapses, the county is creating, training and equipping a countywide Volunteer Technical Rescue Team to respond to such incidents.
For quicker police dispatch, the Department of Public Safety is implementing a new GPS system to automatically locate the police vehicles nearest to the scene of an incident. The police department has also just completed an in-depth analysis of vehicle accidents on parkways the county patrols, and this information will be used to target enforcement at the most accident-prone locations.
Spano also highlighted new and expanded programs to protect children from abuse and to deter underage drinking. He said he is joining with District Attorney Janet DiFiore to create new programs to crack down on merchants that sell alcohol to minors and others who make fake IDs.
Health Initiatives
Continuing his aggressive program to fight childhood obesity, Spano urged school districts to participate with the county Health Department’s Body Mass Index (BMI) survey of students in a effort to determine the extent of childhood obesity in Westchester and target programs accordingly. To set an example, the county will serve only healthy snacks at county-sponsored events for children; has eliminated or greatly reduced soft drinks with sugar in vending machines at county parks; and continues to work with the Westchester Rockland Restaurant Association to encourage food establishments to cook in oils without trans fats.
As part of its ongoing effort to deal with the disparity of health care in the minority communities, the county has awarded contracts to six non-profit agencies which have begun pilot programs in their communities to improve minority health care and patient navigation. In addition, the county has begun a mentoring initiative to attract more Hispanics and African-Americans to health-related careers.
Spano summed up the state of the county this way: “Yes, Westchester is blessed with resources that other counties envy – our preserved open space, striving cities, involved citizenry, and enlightened businesses. But it’s because of the partnerships we’ve forged — with you, our legislators, federal and state government, and local municipalities — that we’ve been able to make such great strides. It’s because of the remarkable people among us who work on behalf of us all, and the community organizations who pull together for the common good that we can speak so proudly about where we are today .”
