WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. April 29, 2004: County Executive Andy Spano delivered an upbeat State of the County Address Thursday, in which he declared, “Our cities, towns and villages are flourishing. Our services are being used by more and more residents. Westchester County is stronger, safer and more livable everyday.”
Saying the county government has “raised the bar when it comes to efficiency, creativity, and vitality,” Spano declared, “Our county is solid and strong and continues to be a model for the nation.”
Referring to the county budget, the Westchester County Courthouse and the Medical Center, Spano said, “Although it has been a difficult year, we have shown that there is no problem we cannot solve and no challenge we cannot meet.”
He pledged to continue to focus attention on programs to protect children and called upon the state to enact new laws that would give counties better tools in this effort.
“No matter how many times I hear it, I can’t get over the fact that there are people — predators really — that want to hurt our children. Our efforts to tackle this problem will continue to be unrelenting. My Protect the Kids initiative was begun over a year ago when I formed a commission of judges, lawyers, and criminal justice, social services and mental health professionals to recommend ways to strengthen the sentences and monitoring of child molesters and sex offenders.”
He added, “Let the word go out tonight that we are raising the bar. I will stop at nothing to keep these predators away from preying on our children.”
Some of these initiatives need the assistance of Albany to be accomplished, and he thanked the members of Westchester’s state delegation for their assistance in the effort to keep children safe. For example:
- To deal with child abuse, Spano urged the state Legislature to enact a law to uniformly require that local law enforcement agencies investigate reports of child abuse within 24 hours of the report and to strengthen Megan’s Law.
- He repeated a call for the creation of a special court part in Westchester to deal exclusively with sex offender cases, saying this would help ensure that those convicted would receive stronger sentences and that cases would be handled in a more consistent fashion. He is asking the state to fund startup costs.
- Saying that the use by the county of lie detector tests on criminals convicted of sex offenses has led to the uncovering of hundreds of other sex crimes, he called upon the state to allow the county to make the offenders pay the costs of administering the test.
- To further deter teen drinking, Spano renewed his call for state legislation that would allow for the suspension of a minor’s drivers license (or delay in the ability to get a license) if a minor is found to be in possession of alcohol. And, he called upon the state to revoke liquor and lottery licenses of retailers who sell liquor to minors.
In this his 7th State of the County Address, delivered to the Board of Legislators, Spano said he will also continue to focus his attention on the needs of the elderly, who constitute almost 20 percent of Westchester’s population.
Noting the success this year of his WestchesterRx initiative, a discount prescription drug card available to all Westchester residents, seniors and everyone else, he said it was “beyond my comprehension” that the federal government was an obstacle to lower prices for medicines.
“We created WestchesterRx, because I believe that prescription drugs must be affordable,” Spano said. “Unlike any Federal program, our discount drug program is open to any Westchester resident regardless of age or income and gives people a choice of whether to purchase medications from local pharmacies, by mail order or through a reputable, licensed Canadian pharmacy. We made this simple and at no cost to the taxpayers. Discounts range from 10 percent to 50 percent.”
In contrast, the federal Medicare prescription drug discount program – available only to the elderly – is so complex that the county Department of Senior Programs and Services has set up a telephone line to give residents personalized help to decipher it.
In the course of his speech, Spano detailed the hundreds of county services that on a daily basis touch tens of thousands of Westchester residents: from programs to help seniors and consumers to programs that safeguard children; from initiatives to reduce electric rates and the costs of prescription drugs to services that provide recreation; from policies that protect the health and safety of people of all ages to those that promote economic development and thereby create jobs.
“Whether it is housing, transportation, recreation or affordable drugs, too often we don’t take the time to realize just how many lives are affected by what we do,” Spano said. “I fervently hope that every one of our 940,000 residents has benefited from county government. We do not operate in a vacuum. Our positions and our actions are meaningful far beyond our doors. We are here to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”
He added, “We will never lose sight of our pledge to the people of Westchester: to protect the health and safety of our residents, to keep our economy strong, to manage the government with fiscal integrity, and to offer the best programs and services to every member of our diverse population…. We will never abandon our efforts to ensure that children are protected from predators, to help victims of abuse and domestic violence, to assist seniors in their quest for affordable medications, to preserve our environment, to implement programs to keep kids healthy, and to protect ALL Westchester residents from the new threats to our security.”
While Westchester is strong, Spano indicated there were many challenges ahead.
“The biggest challenge facing our county taxpayers — the soaring costs of Medicaid — can only be solved by Albany. However I promise you this: I will not walk away from the fight to reduce the Medicaid burden on our taxpayers.”
Similarly, Spano pledged to meet the long-standing demands for affordable housing, detailed in a recently released report.
“My administration is committed to making this happen,” he said.
A highlight of the speech was the unveiling of the winning design for Westchester’s memorial to the 109 county residents who died in the Sept. 11 tragedy. A mural-sized photograph of the planned memorial at Kensico Plaza, titled “THE RISING,” was displayed and the architect, Frederic Schwartz, introduced.
“On Sept. 11, 2001 our nation changed forever. Here in Westchester 109 residents lost their lives. Two years ago, I promised that we would fund a memorial to remember them, that would be decided by the families. For the past year and a half, we have been meeting with family members to determine how best to remember who these individuals were. The families wanted a memorial that would be a welcoming destination for individual remembrance and reflection and that would leave the visitor with a feeling of hope for the future.”
Spano introduced 9/11 family members and art experts who were involved in the selection process, and said, “I believe that this memorial is the most meaningful project in the history of our county. Not only is it a tribute to those who died on that terrible day, but it is a recognition that we are all bound together.”
The county executive also acknowledged the sacrifices of many Westchester residents who are serving overseas in the War on Terrorism, including a Yonkers resident who was killed in action.
“On behalf of the entire county, I offer our sympathy and comfort to the family of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Anthony S. Lagman, who died in battle recently in Kabul, Afghanistan,” Spano said. “He is a hero to all of us and his sacrifice for what this nation believes in will be remembered in the years to come. Our hearts and prayers are with his parents Ligaya and Joaquin Lagman.”
There were many accomplishments of the year Spano said, adding, “We have accomplished all this because we forged an alliance — a web of a thousand relationships with elected officials on all levels of government, with our business community and our non-profit agencies, with our cultural institutions and school districts. Our strategies and tactics were flexible enough to make progress possible. But ultimately, it was the cooperative and trusting relationship between the Board of Legislators and the administration that led to our success.”
Among the accomplishments he cited were the following:
- A long legal battle came to fruition and helped reduce Con Edison electric rates in the county about 18 percent.
- Westchester was one of the first counties in the state to protect the public from second-hand smoke in bars and restaurants.
- Westchester, already one of the first counties to enact a ban on hand-held cell phones and driving, launched a crackdown on violators.
- Westchester led the way in banning the sale of ephedra and nicotine-laced water.
The county’s “Archie in Westchester” comic book, to help keep kids from drinking, received national attention and is being used as a learning tool in middle schools throughout the county.
- Through the pro-active work of the county’s Office of Economic Development, the county has persuaded companies to come to Westchester or expand, thereby creating jobs. These include: Nokia, New York Life, Cadbury Schwepps Motts, Morgan Stanley and Argent Mortgage, who are moving to Westchester, and others like Dannon and Endurance Reassurance, who are expanding.
- With a state grant, the county produced a series of 30-minute videos dealing with a variety of issues affecting teens, including sexuality, smoking and drinking.
- The Spano Administration created the Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Free youth, an umbrella organization for the many local coalitions that have been formed by parents and teachers to reduce underage drinking in their communities.
- The Board of Legislators enacted Spano’s proposal to authorize local police departments to impound vehicles operated by drunk drivers.
- The Health Department’s Fit Kids program to combat childhood obesity reached over 8,000 school children in 25 percent of Westchester schools.
- The county’s Youth Bureau helped 60 community-based organizations provide services to more than 20,000 young people.
- The Department of Senior Programs and Services had 633,000 contacts with older persons—providing meals, doctor visits, grocery shopping and trips to educational and entertainment activities.
- The county launched WestchesterRx, a discount drug program for people of all ages, all incomes who are uninsured or underinsured.
- The Department of Public Safety served as a resource for every jurisdiction in Westchester. In 2003, they provided 41,000 hours of services to local governments without any cost to them. These included crime analysis, ballistics, general investigations, special investigations and special victims unit.
- The county’s Department of Consumer Protection, funded by fees and not taxpayer dollars, assisted 75,000 consumers. Last year the office got back about $400,000 for those who had problems with home improvement contractors, banks, car dealerships, HMOs, utilities, merchants and credit card companies.
- The Department of Emergency Services has focused on ways to make the county safe. The county is about to complete its first “All Hazards Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan,” which lays the groundwork for a response to any man-made or natural emergency. This year, a new state-of-the-art emergency operations center will be opened.
- Hispanic residents have received special attention from the Office of Hispanic Affairs, with a new bi-lingual website.
- With the help of the African American Advisory Board, the county has developed an African American Heritage Trail, which is a tour and description of 13 significant sites that portray the rich history of African Americans in Westchester.
- The Department of Social Services has been successful in going after deadbeat moms and dads. The Office of Child Support collected over $53 million in child support payments last year.
- The Workforce Investment Program has served over 11,600 job seekers and 400 businesses. Over 160 companies listed over 2,500 job openings resulting in 1,200 job placements.
- The Westchester Scholars program, combined with the Jandon Scholarships, has changed the lives of 400 students whose parents are on public assistance. 65 college scholarships have been given out, including 15 to be awarded this year.
- The county’s nationally recognized recreation system continues to contribute to the quality of life in the county. The latest addition is the Hudson Hills golf course, which was built at no cost to the taxpayers.
