FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 2, 2017
MEDIA CONTACTS: Carole Trottere, Rebecca Cheng, Sam Marksheid, and Vicki DiStefano | (516) 869-7794
Supervisor Bosworth Delivers 4th State of the Town Address
Ethics reforms, transparency are watchwords of administration
North Hempstead, NY – North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth delivered her fourth State of the Town address on January 27, which focused on the Town’s new slate of ethics reforms and the commitment to transparency, conservative fiscal practices and protecting the environment. The Supervisor announced several exciting new initiatives as well, including the visioning of North Hempstead Beach Park; the roll-out of Tobacco 21 legislation, which raises the age to purchase tobacco products to 21; and new program which provides free and discounted taxi trips to residents 21 and over with disabilities.
“Our residents are entitled to know how their government is running, what its priorities are and how we are spending their tax dollars,” the Supervisor said. “I will continue to run Town government in an open and transparent manner, in a way that people can trust, because it’s the only way I can imagine doing things. Our residents deserve no less.”
For the full text of the Supervisor’s address visit: www.northhempsteadny.gov/stateofthetown.
The speech at the Clubhouse at Harbor Links in Port Washington was part of a program hosted by the League of Women Voters of Port Washington-Manhasset and began with the pledge of allegiance, led by the members of the Town’s Veterans Advisory Committee. Supervisor Bosworth addressed a packed crowd of hundreds of individuals, including local officials and residents.
The Supervisor highlighted the Town’s extensive ethics reforms package, which includes stricter financial and nepotism disclosure requirements; new procurement policies; a movement towards non-cash procedures for all Town departments; and the establishment of a bipartisan Ethics Reform Working group.
Supervisor Bosworth also underscored the Town’s sound financial health, which last year received a strong Aa1 rating and “positive outlook” from Moody’s Investor Services. In the past three years the Town has been able to reduce its debt by over $30 million, without reducing essential services to residents.
Exciting initiatives for 2017 include the March 1 start date for Tobacco 21 legislation, which the Town Board passed unanimously last year. The new law will prohibit the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, liquid nicotine and electronic cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21. North Hempstead joins New York City and Suffolk County as local municipalities that have done this.
“I am also very hopeful that our 31 villages will also follow suit in adopting the Tobacco 21 law as well. We’ve just learned that Williston Park, under the leadership of Mayor Paul Ehrbar, is also considering joining us in this effort. We hope other villages will, as well,” she told the audience.
The free and discounted taxi rides for residents with disabilities is a major initiative of 2017 generated from the Town’s new Disability Advisory Committee. Residents have already taken advantage of the new program, according to the Town’s 311 Call Center, which takes the requests for rides.
The Supervisor also commended the work of the Town’s Veterans Advisory Committee for several initiatives this past year. Committee members reviewed a Nassau County listing of businesses that provides discounts to veterans, but businesses from North Hempstead were lacking. As a result the veterans reached out to local businesses and successfully enlisted nearly two dozen merchants who now offer North Hempstead veterans a discount on goods and services. Participating businesses will have a sticker identifying them as a participant in the North Hempstead’s Veterans Discount program and will be included in a directory on the Town’s website. In addition, the committee also coordinated a holiday donation drive for the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, delivering more than 250 boxes of needed items.
Supervisor Bosworth also announced that the Town will be collaborating with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center on several initiatives that are aimed to support, protect and empower those who have been targets of hateful acts and raise awareness about the importance of standing together to oppose hate.
“Every person in our town should be treated with respect and kindness. By doing this we can all make a difference and have a positive impact on our Town and in fact, in our world,” she said.
The Town received also received more than $16 million in federal, state and local grants, including: over $1.14 million in Regional Economic Development Grants which will go toward promoting North Hempstead Beach Park, the Hempstead Harbor Wetlands restoration and the Baywalk in Port Washington; a $50,000 grant from the National Park Service to preserve and highlight the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement and a $159,000 grant from the New York State Attorney General’s Office to address the problem of “zombie homes.”
Other initiatives for 2017 include:
• The Town will be creating a dynamic new intermunicipal project to create a unified, electronic map of all the stormwater infrastructure within the Town and its 19 the villages within the Town
• A Resident Advocate who will provide personalized customer service for residents looking to navigate the Building, Highway and Code Enforcement departments.
• The Citizens Advisory Committee was reactivated to ensure that their concerns are heard and that the Town keeps an open dialogue with them and members of the community.
As her speech came to a close, Supervisor Bosworth said, “It continues to be an honor to serve you, our residents, of the great Town of North Hempstead. Your being here today means so much, because our Democracy functions best when there is active participation and input from all our residents. Our success depends on our working together as partners and making sure everyone has a seat at our North Hempstead table.”
Please call 311 or (516) 869-6311 from outside North Hempstead to request a copy of the State of the Town Speech. You can also log on to www.northhempsteadny.gov/stateofthetown to view the speech. The video of the speech will be available on www.mynhtv.com in February.
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth at the 2016 State of the Town address.