From the President's Desk

From the NOVEMBER 2007 .

Written by James Altadonna

I would like to thank the mayors, trustees and other village officials who attended our October General Membership meeting and had the opportunity to listen to comments from Lawrence Mulvey, the newly appointed Nassau County Police Commissioner. It was personally enlightening for me to learn of Commissioner Mulvey’s extensive law enforcement background and his hands-on, people friendly manner. In his remarks, the commissioner outlined his initial priorities: tougher enforcement of DWI laws and the reduction of guns on the streets. As village officials constantly seeking additional police protection, it was encouraging to hear that he already has secured legislative support to increase the size of the force from its current level of 2,600 to 2,750 within the next year. Commissioner Mulvey appears to be extremely accessible and open minded and I believe he will establish a solid relationship with the villages. We thank him for taking the time to meet with us and look forward to working with him.

Thanks, Joe

As you know by now, Stewart Manor Mayor and NCVOA Treasurer Joe Troiano resigned as mayor. Joe has been a dedicated village official and has served this organization in several capacities, most notably as the NCVOA’s voice on the workforce housing issue. I have valued Joe’s counsel and work ethic and I know I speak for all NCVOA members when I say his presence in our organization will be missed. We thank Joe for his years of service and wish him and his family all the best in the years ahead.

Natiss and Martins Appointed to New Positions

To fill the void created by Joe’s resignation, I have appointed North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss as NCVOA treasurer and Mineola Mayor Jack Martins as a member of the Executive Committee. Mayor Natiss has been serving on the Executive Committee for the past several years and has been a valuable asset to our organization. Mayor Martins also has been appointed to the NYCOM Executive Board and I believe his participation will strengthen our Executive Committee. I thank Marvin and Jack for agreeing to serve in these important roles.
 

Workforce Housing

We are continuing our efforts to provide reasonable input into the proposed housing legislation. The NCVOA has made several recommendations for revisions to the proposed bill. Discussions are still continuing. Once we have a more defined draft, we will circulate it to all member villages for their comments.

Meeting Set with County Consultants

The Executive Committee met last week with represenattives hired by Nassau County to consolidate local governments. Village governments have been receiving requests from these consultants , stating that the consultants are concerned with special districts; however the consultants are asking for village information. We had an open dialogue with the county's representatives and I will report to you the results of our meeting.

Don’t Forget About Econnergy 

We are full steam ahead with our efforts to make villages aware of the opportunity to join with Econnergy, a gas supplier, to provide an alternative gas supplier for villages and their residents. Econnergy’s energy is supplied by Keyspan but at a 5% savings to residents. I continue to urge all mayors and trustees to consider offering Econnergy’s service to their residents. Check out our website for more details www.ncvoa.org or contact Warren Tackenberg at 437-1455.

Next Meeting Features County Comptroller

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 13,   7 p.m. at LaMarmite Restaurant in Williston Park. Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman will be our guest speaker. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Sincerely,

Jim Altadonna