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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF WESTCHESTER
Making Democracy Work |
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A One-of-a-Kind Opportunity to Learn and Question: with featured speakers Anne Reasoner, Westchester County Budget Director; Arthur Vietro, Deputy Budget Director; John Delaney, First Deputy Budget Director Thursday, November 20, 2008 What are the duties and responsibilities of the County as it prepares the 2009 budget in light of this economy? How will fiscal decisions affect social services, environmental programs, housing needs, transportation issues, infrastructure problems, flooding plans, and, of course, your TAXES? $$$$$$$$$$$$$ Here are the dates of the County's budget study sessions, public hearings: Friday, 11/14 – Budget Release by County Executive For more information, call 949-0507
Update: The Tappan Zee Bridge On September 27th, New York State officials announced their newest proposal for the Tappan Zee Bridge and Route 287 corridor. It calls for a new, wider bridge north of the present one, a bus rapid transport (BRT) system across the corridor from Suffern to Port Chester and a train in Rockland County from the Port Jervis line to Metro North's Hudson line in Tarrytown. The cost of the project is estimated at $16 billion: $6.4 billion for the bridge, $2.9 billion for the BRT and $6.7 billion for the rail line. The authorities foresee two years for design and environmental review. Bridge construction would begin in 2012. The bridge would open four to five years later, with bus transport opening at the same time and rail transport after that. The old bridge would remain open until the new one is built. The State also expects to engage a financial adviser for the project. Merrill Lynch/Bank of America has been mentioned. Presentations of the new proposal are scheduled: Thursday, October 16th, for the stakeholders (representatives of participating organizations who serve on existing committees), at 7:00 p.m. at the Westchester Marriott, 670 White Plains Road (Route 119), Tarrytown. Tuesday, October 28th, for the general public, at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., at White Plains High School, 550 North Street. If you are interested in joining the Study Committee of the Westchester County LWV please contact Chairman Kristina McCarthy c/o the Westchester County League. 2008 Directory of Officials of Westchester County Cities, Towns, and VillagesThe Directory of Officials, published annually by the League of Women Voters of Westchester, is a compact booklet which includes the names and contact information of all elected and many appointed officials for Westchester at county, city, town and village governments, and federal government and judicial positions. In addition, it contains maps, plus voter registration, election and other useful information. Individual copies of the Directory of Officials are $5 plus $1 each for postage and handling. For further information, including rates for orders of 50 or more, call 949-0507, or e-mail LWVwestchester@verizon.net. The New Selling of the President 2008: Hosted by LWVW and Jacob Burns Film Center
A Q&A panel included David Schwartz (chief curator, Museum of the Moving Image where he curated the exhibit The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2004 www.livingroomcandidate.org), Allison Fine (author of Rebooting America and CEO of E-Volve Foundation), Micah Sifry (author, activist, teacher, and the co-founder and executive editor of Personal Democracy Forum, which explores the way the new networked world intersects with politics) and Steve Apkon (executive director, Jacob Burns Film Center). Report on Reform Day In Albany April 29, 2008 by Birgitta Sherman, Bronxville LWV Reform Day is an annual event not to be missed. It is organized by Common Cause/NY with support from and participation of many civic organizations, the League of Women Voters prominently among them. As I had never seen more of Albany than some shopping malls I was eager to observe where the legislators work in the Historic District. I joined a busload of mainly League members for Reform Day. The purpose was to ask our legislators to take action on ethics reforms, campaign finance reform, redistricting reform and rules reform. We gathered in “The Sign of the Tree”, a restaurant in the Empire State Plaza. The day was fast-paced, and I did not have time to see much of the buildings and the monumental works of art. Everything was on a large scale with much marble being used. Susan Lerner of Common Cause NY welcomed the participants and explained how the day would progress. We had already got background material with a list of problems and suggested actions we would bring up with the legislators. We had also received losts of potential answers and suggested counterarguments as well as a page of “do and don’t”. Blair Horner of NY Public Interest Research Group, who has spoken about “Project Sunlight” at one of our coffee mornings, addressed Ethics reforms in his enthusiastic way. The state need an independent ethics commission, real restrictions on the “personal use” of campaign contributions, a ban on “pay to play” contributions from lobbyists and those receiving government contracts, and more disclosure of lawmakers’ financial dealings including whether they have business relationships with lobbyists. Jess Wisneski of Citizen Action and Susan Lerner covered Campaign reform. New York needs a campaign finance law that includes lower campaign contribution limits, improved disclosure, tougher enforcement and a voluntary system on public financing of elections. Dick Dadey of Citizens Union dealt withy Redistricting reform. The legislative districts should be established by those with no vested interest in the outcome; an independent redistricting commission using objective criteria. Allowing legislators to draw their own district lines is a clear conflict of interest. Beth Foster and Andrew Stengel of Brennan Center talked about Rules reform. The legislature should empower rank and file members, give the representatives the power to bring bills to a vote and distribute resources fairly. Several lawmakers, but alas not our new Governor, came to listen to the speeches by the Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, the State Comptroller Thomas Di Napoli and the Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on the reform issues. They all stressed the importance of reforms and highlighted their own efforts to reform the state government. And now the pace picked up. We had been seated in teams. My team was “W” and consisted of Judie and Marcia from LWV Suffolk branch, Rosemary MacLaughlin from Bedford, whom you might have met at our Annual Meeting Luncheon, and myself. We had not seen Lisa Ritchie, our captain yet. We grabbed our lunch boxes and had hardly taken the first bite before Lisa stormed in and told us to get moving. What a fire storm she was! She is quite the activist with excellent command of the issues, well versed in lobbying techniques, without fear of authority or old age and only 22 years old. We were allotted four lawmakers: Senator Jeffrey Klein who is our State senator, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz from Brooklyn, Assemblyman Adam Bradley from Rosemary’s district and Assemblyman James Conti from Nassau, the only Republican. We had a list of their committees and sponsorship if relevant bills as well as a list of questions which were as follows: Legislator’s position on redistricting: Do they support an independent commission? Public hearings and public access to maps and reports? Well-defined guidelines in statute? Off and running. First to Senator Klein who received us graciously. We had a most enjoyable time and found that Sen. Klein agreed with most of our points of view. We were enthusiastic, but Lisa thought he should have promised more direct actions. Felix Ortiz was not in, but an aide, Dan Oosthuizen listened to us and answered our questions to the best of his ability and promised to follow up. Mr. Bradley has sponsored a bill creating an independent redistricting commission and well as one on public financing of election campaigns, so we sang from the same hymn sheet to a great extent. Mr Conte has been a minority member for 25 years and seen it all. He was rather pessimistic about the outcome of our proposals. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It was quite exhausting really. The day was to close with a rally out of doors to tell Albany “Enough is enough! Change the way business is conducted in Albany, and only real campaign reform is acceptable”. As the weather was iffy there was an alternative venue: The Egg, an egg-shaped auditorium. Team W pronounced the weather inclement and marched off to the Egg where a the homosexual, bi-sexual and transgender lobby already had a rally. We ended up in limbo in the corridors of power under the Plaza and retired to our bus which brought us back to Westchester. Next year I will not miss the rally and will wear running shoes. I hope you will join me. It is an informative and exciting day. Property Tax Relief Forum The League of Women Voters® of Westchester co-sponsored an information meeting hosted by the Westchester County Association on the recent recommendations proposed by the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief. If you did not get to the meeting learn more at the Commission’s website is: http://www.cptr.state.ny.us/. The Commission’s report and recommendations may be accessed here: http://www.cptr.state.ny.us/reports/ WESTCHESTER LEAGUE KEEPS US CONNECTED WITH The new 2008 League of Women Voters® Directory of Officials is now available. This popular annual publication organizes the contact information for those who serve us in government into one convenient guide. The Directory provides current names, addresses, and phone numbers of all elected officials and many appointed officials who represent Westchester residents at the federal, state, county and local levels. When possible, web sites, e-mail addresses, organizational structure, meeting days, maps and other useful details are also included. Anyone may purchase a copy of the Directory of Officials by sending a check for $6.00, made out to The League of Women Voters® of Westchester, to 200 Hamilton Ave., White Plains 10601. The $6.00 cost includes postage and handling. For further information, including rates for volume orders, please call 949-0507, or e-mail at LWVWestchester@verizon.net. “The Directory is an important resource for all Westchester County residents,” Mary Beth Gose, LWVW president, said “It is especially useful for people in government, business, library reference departments, nonprofit organizations, the media, and civic and advocacy groups.” Printing of the Directory was made possible through a contribution from ConEdison. Download order form (Word doc) The League of Women Voters® is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization which promotes informed and active citizen participation in government. Membership is open to all citizens over 18; others may join as associates. League Opposes County Purchase of 450 Saw Mill River Road for Board of Elections The League of Women Voters® of Westchester today sent a message to the entire Westchester County Board of Legislators and County Executive Andrew Spano opposing the proposed purchase of 450 Saw Mill River Road for the Board of Elections. Read the letter (Word document) outlining the reasons for the League’s opposition that was sent March 9 to county officials by League President Mary Beth Gose and Chair of the League’s County Budget Committee, Barbara Strauss. ACT NOW It's time to kick our campaign on the BBBB into high gear. We only have a short period of time left to have an impact on the state budget. I have an urgent request. Please -- Click the following link: Thanks to Westchester Election Commissioners for protecting our vote! Westchester County Election Commissioners chose the optical scan voting system to replace lever machines in compliance with the Help America Vote Act. Westchester voters will now have a voting system that can be verified by paper ballots marked by the voter. This is the only safe way the authenticity of all elections can be upheld. Westchester Voters: Get Info Just in time for the March 18th Village elections, Westchester voters can now access updated election information at www.SmartVoter.org. This non-partisan League of Women Voters® of Westchester website provides easy access to useful, personalized voter information on the upcoming elections taking place in 16 Westchester Villages*. Offices to be elected include Mayor, Trustee and Village Justice. Don’t know your specific polling place or hours? Unsure what offices are being contested? Care to see a sample ballot or read through a local referendum before you arrive at the polls? Smart Voters can simply type in their address and, with the click of a mouse, find all this useful, non-partisan information and more. www.SmartVoter.org also connects users to other useful links that help residents determine their voter eligibility, how to obtain an absentee ballot, and more. Anyone can access www.SmartVoter.org on public computers at local libraries. * Briarcliff Manor, Bronxville, Buchanan, Croton on Hudson, Elmsford, Hastings on Hudson, Irvington, Larchmont, Pelham, Pelham Manor, Pleasantville, Rye Brook, Scarsdale, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and Tuckahoe.
Paper Ballot Scanners Approved; DRE's Rejected Report from Elections Specialist Aimee Allaud of NYState LWV Jan 24 This week at the NYS Election Commissioners Association mtg. in Saratoga Springs, the three appointed commissioners of the NYS Board of Elections (the fourth is in hospital having undergone heart surgery), exercised their legal authority and responsibility by approving three paper ballot scanner systems and rejecting DREs for use in 2008. The three commissioners had to agree that each system submitted for the 2008 accessible poll site requirement of the Federal Court met the legal requirements of the federal HAVA and NYS requirements for a full face ballot presentation and independent verification of the ballot by persons with disabilities. On these criteria, only three systems, were able to muster the majority votes necessary for approval. Two other systems, DREs, were rejected because they failed on the same criteria. Multiple votes were taken over the course of the two days in a number of sessions until agreement could be reached. Finally, on the fourth try, in a Thursday morning session, three paper ballot scanner systems were approved. Commissioner Douglas Kellner (D) was key in the success. We applaud his determination to evaluate the machines solely on their ability to meet the legal requirements. The machines will begin a certification process by an independent testing authority, SysTest, next week and county election commissioners will choose one for deployment this fall. More than likely, that choice will be the same system they will choose and deploy for the rollout of lever replacement in 2009 -- acquisition and longer term costs in a time of tight local budgets will enter their decision. We will need to continue to monitor the certification process for the voting machines to be sure that our stringent NYS statute and regulations is upheld -- the devil is in the details -- so enjoy our victory but work lies ahead as the League develops our role of educating voters on a new way to vote. Our 2008 legislative priority in elections is reform of the application for the absentee ballot (see information on the LWVNYS website) -- we will need your help! League Meeting with
League Opposes Stipend The League of Women Voters® of Westchester sent on Dec. 9 a message addressed to the entire Westchester County Board of Legislators opposing proposed stipend increases for the Board’s Chair, committee chairs and the majority and minority leaders. The League acted immediately upon learning that the Board’s Rules Committee just passed a resolution to raise member stipends on Friday, December 7th, two days following the deadline for public comment on the proposed 2008 Westchester County Budget. The League’s position that all legislators’ remuneration should be detailed within the budget and subject to public review has remained consistent since 2005, when the League also communicated with the Board of Legislators, expressing its opposition to stipend increases. Today’s e-mail to the Board of Legislators from League President Mary Beth Gose and the League’s 2005 Letter outlining its reasons for opposing the legislators’ stipends appear in their entirety below. E-Mail Message, sent December 9, 2007: In 2005, the League of Women
Voters of Westchester opposed the stipends which had been proposed for the Board of Legislators. Our position has not changed for the reasons cited in the following letter, dated December 23, 2005, which had been e-mailed to each member of the 2005 Board of Legislators. Read the letter of Dec. 23, 2005. Read the League's Consensus Statement. Environment and Open to anyone who wants to observe it, our County Legislative Environment Committee becomes opaque if no one shows up to see what's going on. Issues that affect your home, town and taxes directly are discussed and positions are recommended in these committee meetings. That's where the LWVW can be an invaluable "fly on the wall", reporting on and publicizing the issues this committee discusses. No other non-profit group fills this niche. The fact that we are non-partisan carries extra weight in the minutes we report. The more of us who join, the easier it will be. Just one afternoon every other month (currently Mondays at 3:00) and a few paragraphs of minutes that will be disseminated to our County Voter and web site will create a valuable resource to those interested in the workings of our local government and it will create another tangible reason to support our local LWVs with membership and donations.So give it a try. It's fun and usually very interesting. And you might just find out what the county is up to in your home town!
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Calendar LWVW Calendar for 2008-09 Nov. 20 County Budget Mtg & consensus Dec. 2 UN Briefings: Global Warming For more info on events around the county click here and give us your email address 2008 UN Briefings on Global Warming Tues. Dec. 2 by Betsey Swan On Tuesday, December 2, 2008 the League will sponsor its annual briefings at the United Nations. This year’s event will be “Briefings on the Impact of Global Warming on Women and Children Around the World.” The briefings will begin with an optional tour and lunch in the delegate’s dining room, with the briefings to follow in the afternoon. The cost is $55 for League members, $45 for students, and $70 for others. In conjunction with this year’s briefing, we are pleased to offer individual sponsorships for $250. Each individual sponsor will be listed as a patron in the program and will receive a complementary ticket for the tour, lunch, and admission to the briefings. Tours are scheduled prior to and following the briefings. The tour cost $12, and the luncheon is $40. League members registering for all three—the tour, the briefings, and the luncheon—pay only $100. The registration form is available here: For further information, please contact Stephanie Lopez at the LWVNYS office 518-465-4162 or Stephanie@lwvny.org. Are You Drinking Your Neighbor's Sewage? Most people have no idea how a septic system works. In fact, when new homeowners discover that they have a septic system their response is something like, “You mean our sewage eventually ends up in our yard?” Well, not exactly. The League of Women Voters (the League) has spent the past ten years investigating water quality issues and has completed read more> LWV of Westchester Statement on Proposed BOL Stipends – Presented during Public Comment at the BOL Meeting on December 10, 2007 Chairman Ryan and Honorable Members of the Board of Legislators: I will now read a portion of that letter, dated December 23, 2005, because it is as applicable today as it was then: Although we have the highest regard for our elected officials and the good work that they do, the League of Women Voters of Westchester was dismayed to learn of the substantial raises in pay and stipends proposed for the members of the Board of Legislators. This proposal was made public at the eleventh hour, providing little time for public notification and review. Further, because the number of positions, legislators’ salaries (separated out from staff salaries), stipends and fringe benefits are not listed in the Board of Legislators’ section of the county operating budget, the citizens of Westchester County cannot make an informed decision as to whether the increases are warranted. We ask for more details in the budget and an explanation of the board’s needs. The League opposes stipends for everyone other than the chair of the Board of Legislators. However, we want to emphasize that we consider the proposed $40,000 stipend for the chair to be excessive. $40,000 was the amount that was proposed and passed in 2005. We understand that the current proposed stipend for the Chair is $75,000, and the League views both amounts as excessive. The League believes that legislators should be viewed as professionals fulfilling their responsibilities to the county and the electorate. There is no need for financial incentives beyond a base salary. Stipends are not always based on comparable responsibilities or merit. We appreciate the many hours legislators work on the county's business, but we do not accept the argument that their jobs are full time. When elected, legislators knew that their positions were considered to be part time. If there is to be a change in this designation, it needs careful consideration and the approval of the citizens of Westchester County. We recommend the appointment of a non-partisan committee, with citizen participation, to study this issue. Thank you for your time.
County League Seeks Volunteers If you know of someone who may be interested in serving on the County Board, or if you have an interest in doing so, please contact Susan Schwarz, Nominating Committee Chair, or any of her Committee members listed below. In particular, we need a Voter Service Coordinator. Chair: Susan Schwarz (914-332-1301 or sdschwarz@aol.com) Westchester Voters Westchester voters just got smarter. With www.SmartVoter.org, county residents now have an interactive source for non-partisan voting information, thanks to the efforts of the League of Women Voters® of Westchester. Just in time for the September 18th Primary Elections, the League website is ready to provide Westchester voters with easy access to personalized local election information. Don’t know your specific polling place or hours? Unsure what offices are being contested? Care to see a sample ballot before you vote? Want to learn more about the candidates’ experience, credentials, and endorsements? Smart Voters can simply type in their address and, with the click of a mouse, find all this useful, non-partisan information and more. The website also allows users to view results of recent and past elections. While the League of Women Voters® of Westchester will continue to publish and distribute its traditional Voters Guide, both in English and Spanish, in time for general elections, www.SmartVoter.org now provides county voters with a continuously updated source of election information. Don’t have a personal computer? Most local libraries provide access to www.SmartVoter.org on their public computers. More details on our page about voting Download a pdf of the flyer about SmartVoter Westchester County Needs Septic Management! The League of Women Voters of Westchester and LWV New Castle have been collaborating to advocate for a Septic Management Plan for the county. Based on findings and consensus from one county study and two New Castle studies, oversight of these systems is essential to ensure proper functioning and long-term efficacy. To date there have been no requirements for maintenance of the LWV Responds to Draft of The Croton Watershed is a series of interconnected reservoirs and lakes that provides approximately 10% of New York City’s drinking water during normal times and up to 30% during times of drought. It also provides drinking water to parts of the towns of Somers, Yorktown and Cortlandt. Protection of the watershed is critical to ensure safe drinking water to these communities. In January 1998, the ten Croton Watershed towns, Westchester County and he NYC Department of Environmental Protection agreed to participate in the development of the Croton Plan. The purposes of the Plan were: to identify significant sources of pollution in the Croton watershed system; to recommend measures that can be taken by NYC, the counties and the municipalities to improve water quality and to prevent degradation; and to recommend measures to protect the character and special needs of the Croton Watershed communities. After waiting for almost 10 years, a draft of the Croton Plan was finally released in July (to read the draft of the Plan go to www.westchestergov.com/planningdocs/ Download Word doc LWV comments Read the LWV of Westchester newsletter, the COUNTY VOTER Download a pdf file of County League's current newsletter here (past issues, too) See other Leagues' newsletters Take Action! Our Citizen Action Toolkit is an easy-to-use resource for contacting elected officials, or to send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Support League issues with just a few clicks of your mouse. You can sign up for action alerts on the issues that are important to you.Make your voice heard!
Join the League! The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan grassroots organization which promotes informed citizen participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. League members make a difference in their community, statewide and nationally through active volunteering and/or financial support. Membership is open to all citizens of voting age. Non-citizens may join as associates. Students may join at a reduced rate. For further information on membership, contact a local League through the link on this page or e-mail www.lwvwestchester.org with your address and phone number and we will contact you with further information.
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The League of Women Voters of Westchester and the Jacob Burns Film Center hosted a wildly popular (and sold-out!) look at the impact of the internet on the presidential campaign this year entitled The New "Selling of the President" 2008. 
OUR SINCERE THANKS TO WATPA AND THE WESTCHESTER LIBRARY SYSTEM FOR HOSTING OUR SITE.
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Updated by Valerie Castleman Nov. 12, 2008