November 2015

           NCVOA NOVEMBER 2015  NEWSLETTER 

NCVOA November 2015 General Membership Meeting

Tuesday, November  10, 2015

Guest Speaker

Hon.Norma Gonsalves

Presiding Officer

Nassau County Legislature

City Cellar Restaurant

Westbury, NY

Cash Bar 6:30pm-Dinner/program 7:30pm 

 

 

 

Norma L. Gonsalves
Legislator
Presiding Officer

Mrs. Gonsalves serves as the Presiding Officer of the Legislature, the Chair of the Rules Committee, Vice Chair for the Budget Review Committee, and as a member of the Minority Affairs Committee.Mrs. Gonsalves serves as the Presiding Officer of the Legislature, the Chair of the Rules Committee, Vice Chair for the Budget Review Committee, and as a member of the Min      

 

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State Representatives Address Membership at October Meeting

 

 

NYS Senator Jack Martins and Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel were the guest speakers at the October General Membership meeting, held at City Cellar in Westbury. As expected, they received a warm welcome from every attendee as they are widely recognized as our most ardent supporters in state government.

In her remarks, Assemblywoman Schimel focused on the 2% tax cap stating, “It really isn’t 2%.” She believes that while the intent of the law is logical, the language is flawed, making it too difficult for local government to adhere to. She is sponsoring legislation to change the law. Calling it “2% is 2%”, she hopes to have the CPI clause removed so that local governments will be allowed to cap annual budget increases at a true 2%.

Senator Martins began his remarks by lauding Assemblywoman Schimel, crediting her with securing the additional $2 million in state funding to be used towards electronic voting machines in Nassau County. Urging mayors to continue their efforts in Albany, the senator told the group, “Let’s fight the fight together. My door is always open for you.” Senator Martins also expressed his skepticism at the $15 minimum wage legislation. “If you set policy, you need facts to support it. We have a responsibility to all our residents and we cannot afford to pass legislation that is not factually based.”

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 FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK:

 Dear Colleagues:

As elected village elected officials, we are the level of government closest to the people. Our residents rely on us to make prudent judgmental and fiscal decisions to protect their quality of life and justify the reason they chose to live in a village.

While we take this responsibility seriously, we cannot do it alone.  We rely on our colleagues at other levels of government, particularly our state representative, to listen to our concerns and assist us in advocating for our villages and residents.

We are especially fortunate in Nassau County to have two extremely solid state legislators in our corner – Senator Jack Martins and Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel. While their ideologies and party affiliations differ, they never let that interfere with doing what they believe is in the best interests of their residents. And they have demonstrated that commitment time and again, often bucking party lines to work together for our benefit. As former local elected officials, they get it.  They continue to carry that local experience and insight with them as they make decisions in Albany that impact all our state residents.

Several years ago, Mayor Marvin Natiss dubbed them “The Dynamic Duo”. I could not think of a more appropriate phrase to describe how well they work together as a team.

Jack and Michelle made time in their busy schedules to be with us at our October General Membership meeting. They provided their perspectives as to the Albany landscape and let us know what they think will be the key topics in this year’s legislative session. It was clear from their comments that we need to continue or advocacy efforts on behalf of our residents. Both Jack and Michelle acknowledged the excellent working relationships they have with Nassau County villages and encouraged the NCVOA to maintain its advocacy efforts on important issues impacting their villages. As always, we greatly appreciate Jack and Michelle’s unwavering support.

Networking is Invaluable

We often talk about the value of membership in the NCVOA. Those who regularly attend monthly membership meetings develop solid networking resources, which are invaluable when you are encountering a situation for the first time or just need some help in maneuvering through the multi-layers of government bureaucracy. A case in point was this past general membership meeting. During a question and answer session, Karen Navin, clerk/treasurer of the Village of Laurel Hollow, told Senator Martins that the state has been non-responsive to her numerous requests to obtain the 10% matching funds from the State of New York for expenses incurred during the Super Storm Sandy recovery. Senator Martins responded that he was told the funds were dispersed and would investigate for her. A few days later, the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery contacted Ms. Navin with a response on the status of the allocation of funds. I know Karen was pleased she attended this meeting.

Presiding Officer at November Meeting

Norma Gonsalves, the Nassau County Legislature’s Presiding officer, will be the guest speaker at the November General Membership meeting, which will be held Tuesday, November 10 at City Cellar Restaurant in Westbury. This meeting occurs shortly after Election Day, and it will be interesting to hear Presiding Officer Gonsalves’ insight as to the election results and Nassau County’s challenges for 2016 and beyond. Please mark your calendars to be with us November 10, 2015 I look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

Mayor Barbara Donno, President

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A Time Change:

Beginning  Tuesday, November 10, 2015 being the date of our next General Membership meetings, we will be moving our starting time to 7:00PM for that and all other future meetings of the NCVOA.

The meeting will start with a Cash Bar at 7:00PM and then we will  start our Dinner/Program at 7:30PM.

Also, we would like to clarify our agreement with the City Cellar Restaurant. When the wait staff takes the dinner order, it is then that the staff will offer the diner a complementary glass of wine. All beverages ordered at the cash bar, must be paid for at the Cash bar.

Thank you for your understanding of these issues and we hope to see you on November 10, 2015 at 7:00PM.

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                                     October 2015 Meeting Attendees