July-August 2017

NCVOA JULY-AUGUST 2017 NEWSLETTER

Published by the NCVOA

P O Box 484, New Hyde Park, NY 11040

516-437-1455 F 516-437-1456

ncvoa.org

SAVE THE DATE

2017-2018 Testimonial Dinner

Honoring Mayor Bernard Ryba

NCVOA Immediate Past President

and Mayor of the Village of

Old Brookville

Thursday, September 14, 2107

Westbury Manor, Westbury, NY

Cocktail Hour 6:30PM -7:30PM

Dinner Program -8:00PM

___________________

Guest Speakers

HONORABLE THOMAS SUOZZI

NY 3^rd Congressional District

and

HONORABLE ELAINE PHILLIPS

NY State 7^th Senate District

For more information on this event please contact

NCVOA Co-Director Warren Tackenberg at 516-437-1455

From the President’s Desk:

Dear Colleagues:

I am honored to have been elected NCVOA President for 2017-2018. I have been an active member of our organization for the past several years. During this time, I have been fortunate to collaborate with so many talented and dedicated public servants. I would like to publicly thank Mayor Bernie Ryba for his outstanding leadership as NCVOA President this past year. I look forward to working with the Executive Committee as we continue to build on the accomplishments of Mayor Ryba and our previous presidents.

I also would like to thank New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for taking time from his busy schedule to administer the oath of office to me and Mayors Celender, Ekstrand and Lieberman. Tom is one of our state’s most highly regarded and respected elected officials and has been a longtime supporter of village government.

Changing of the Guard

For the past 17 years Warren Tackenberg has admirably and effectively served the NCVOA as Executive Director. His passion for our organization is unwavering as Warren has been known as the NCVOA’s heart and soul. I have enjoyed working with him and learning from his vast experience. Warren recently decided it was time to reduce his hectic schedule and retire from the Executive Director position. Accordingly, the Executive Committee met prior to the June 29 General Membership meeting and selected Ralph Kreitzman as the next Executive Director. Ralph is a former Great Neck Mayor, NCVOA past president and former member of NYCOM’s Executive Committee. He has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience and we are confident he will capably serve our organization. Ralph and Warren will serve as co-Executive Directors during a transition period that will continue until December 2017. I thank Warren for his dedicated service and wish Ralph success in his new role.

The Year Ahead

As I begin my term as president, there are several issues I believe should be our focus for the upcoming year. First and foremost, I would like to continue the outstanding effort initiated by Mayor Ryba in making the need to increase AIM funding a highly visible objective for municipalities across the state. There has been no AIM increase for the past eight years, yet increasing unfunded mandates have placed unfair burdens on local governments. Now that the AIM funding increase has become an issue, I am confident we can make it a reality in the next state budget.

Additionally, I am looking to address the following:

1. Increase Nassau County’s sharing of sales tax revenue with villages. Nassau County’s 64 incorporated villages annually generate hundreds of millions of sales tax revenue yet had only received a mere $1.2 million annually to share. This past year, the county budget did not include any sales tax revenue for villages. This is unacceptable. We need to increase the percentage we receive and make the distribution permanent and not subject to County discretion.

2. Install surge barrier gates at Jones Inlet and Reynolds Channel to prevent the devastating effects of a future storm of the magnitude of super storm Sandy. Retractable surge barriers have been successfully operating in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Stanford ,Connecticut for the past forty years. The installation costs far outweigh the costs of potential property destruction.

3. Create new revenue sources to support NCVOA programs and activities.

4. Increase the participation of member villages. American journalist Mark Shields once said, “There is always strength in numbers. The more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better.” The NCVOA can become a legitimate force with our county and state elected officials if we have the support of every Nassau County village. I understand we all maintain hectic and demanding schedules. The small amount of time you invest in the NCVOA can pay huge dividends for your village. I encourage every village to have a presence at our meetings and participate in the activities we develop to further the village perspective in the eyes of our state colleagues. I hope we can count on your support during the upcoming year.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Mayor Robert T. Kennedy

Former Great Neck Mayor Named Co-Executive Director of Nassau County Village Officials Association:

Ralph Kreitzman

The Honorable Ralph J. Kreitzman, former mayor of the Village of Great Neck, has been named co-executive director of the Nassau County Village Officials Association (NCVOA). The NCVOA represents 64 incorporated villages with more than 450,000 residents.

The NCVOA Executive Committee selected Kreitzman to replace as a co-Executive Director along with Warren Tackenberg, who recently announced his plans to retire at the end of 2017. Kreitzman and Tackenberg will serve as co-executive directors during the transition period.

A resident of the Village of Great Neck, Mayor Kreitzman is a long-time public servant in his community, having served as trustee, deputy mayor, member of the Architectural Review Committee, and chair of the Village of Great Neck Planning Board. He was mayor from 2007-2014. He also was a director of the Water Authority of Great Neck North and president of the Great Neck Village Officials Association.

While mayor of the Village of Great Neck, Kreitzman served two years as NCVOA president and also was a member of the executive committee of the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM). With more than 590 municipalities and 7,000 local officials, NYCOM advocates for city and village interests in the state legislature and with state agencies.

Mayor Kreitzman currently serves as vice chair of the Water Authority of Great Neck North, a director of the Town of North Hempstead Community Development Agency and a member of the Great Neck Board of Education Building Advisory Committee.

Mayor Kreitzman has been associated with the international law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, based in Manhattan, for the past four decades, having served as associate, partner, past chair of the worldwide Real Estate Group, and currently senior counsel. He has been active in New York City and State bar associations, authored articles and has lectured regarding real estate and related areas of law and municipal matters.

JUNE 2017 MEETING ATTENDEES

Bernie Ryba delivers his final remarks as he concludes his term as NCVOA president.			NCVOA president-elect Robert Kennedy addresses the membership following the installation ceremony.

NCVOA president Bernie Ryba with NCVOA Albany lobbyist John Kiernan.			NYS Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli administered the oath of office to the newly elected NCVOA officers and served as the evenings keynote speaker.

NCVOA counsel Gary Fishberg with Sea Cliff mayor and NCVOA Treasurer-elect Ed Lieberman			Farmingdale mayor and NCVOA 1st vice president-elect Ralph Ekstrand with Lynbrook village clerk John Giordano

Former Great Neck mayor and NCVOA ncvoa past president Ralph Kreitzman with Great Neck Plaza mayor and NCVOA 2nd vice president-elect Jean Celendar			Kings Point village clerk Gomie Persaud secretary to the board Maltie Velez and building department representative Mara Mignott

NCVOA executive director Warren Tackenberg NYS Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli and North Hills mayor and NCVOA past president Marvin Natiss			North Hills trustee Elliott Arnold and Great Neck Plaza trustee Jerry Schneiderman

NYS Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli administered the oath of office to the newly elected NCVOA officers and served as the evenings keynote speaker.			Old Westbury mayor Fred Carillo North Hills mayor and NCVOA past president Marvin Natiss, former Westbury mayor and NCVOA past president Ernie Strada and North Hills deputy mayor Dennis Sgambati

Plandome Heights trustee Al Solomon and mayor Ken Riscica			Plandome Manor mayor and NCVOA past president Barbara Donno with Plandome mayor Lloyd Williams

			The Last Word: “If you don’t climb the mountain,you cant see the view.” Anon