Supervisor Lays Out “State of the Town”

No Change as “New” Town Officials Are Sworn In

by Harriet Kline

(January 3, 2008) On the first business day of the new year, January 2, the mood was celebratory in the Mamaroneck Town Court Room, as elected officials were formally sworn in amidst families, friends and political colleagues.

The Town elections, lest we forget, were held on November 6, 2007 (see: O'Keeffe & Myers Re-Elected With Wide Margins) and Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe, Councilwoman Phyllis Wittner, and Town Judge Jean Marie Brescia were re-elected to their respective posts. Councilman David Fishman and Town Clerk Christina Battalia, who had been appointed in 2007 to fill vacancies, were each elected to their own first terms.

The swearing in ceremony included an invocation by Reverend Doctor William Crawford of the Larchmont Avenue Church and a benediction by Rabbi Arye Berk of the Beth Emeth Synagogue in Larchmont.

Town Justice Brescia, Councilwoman Wittner and Town Clerk Battalia were sworn in by Senior Town Justice Delores Battalia (mother of the new clerk); Councilman Fishman was sworn in by Town Justice Brescia; and Supervisor O’Keeffe was sworn in by retired NY State Supreme Court Justice John M. Perone.

Supervisor O’Keeffe thanked all for witnessing the ceremonies and then astonished the assembled by identifying every member of the audience by name – quite a feat given that every seat in the Court Room was occupied. The audience included NY State Assemblyman George Latimer; County Legislator Judy Myers (a former Town councilwoman), Village of Larchmont Trustee Marlene Kolbert, Mamaroneck Village Mayor Kathy Savolt, VOM Trustee John Hoffsteter, former VOM Trustees Tony Fava and Bill Paonessa, Town Democratic Chair Roz Weinstein, a representative from Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s office, and Town staff members along with the families and friends of those being sworn in.

State of the Town: “Collegial”

In her annual State of the Town message, Supervisor O’Keeffe noted, “Our success is due in large part to the culture of collegiality.” She commented on the recent passage of the 2008 budget which “…..provides the financial resources necessary to deliver the services expected by the residents and insures the availability of funds for unexpected events.” (See: Town Adopts 2008 Budget, Scrutinizes Myrtle Blvd Traffic.)

Flooding: Past & Future

One of those “unexpected events” was, of course, the April 2007 nor’easter storm which caused widespread flooding and property damage. Since April, noted Supervisor O’Keeffe, the Town has instituted a new community-wide notification system that enables us “to provide emergency information to the entire Town or a particular neighborhood in minutes.” The Town will also undertake the replacement of the storm drain pipe next to the Hommocks School field and work with Westchester County and adjoining communities to mitigate flooding in the future.

Parking: On Street, On Myrtle

With the help of a community group and a planning consultant, the Town has petitioned the State Legislature for permission to “issue on-street resident parking permits in the Washington Square area.” The parking situation will also be mitigated by the construction of a parking garage on Myrtle Boulevard. (See: Town Adopts 2008 Budget, Scrutinizes Myrtle Blvd Traffic.) Both efforts are slated for completion in 2008.

Global Warming: Town of Mamaroneck's Efforts

According to Supervisor O’Keeffe, the Town has committed itself to a goal of reducing the carbon emissions produced by Town operations by 5% by the year 2012. Other environmental efforts include changing lighting in the Town Center to reduce energy consumption, introducing Westchester County’s first “veggie garbage truck” (it will operate on vegetable oil) and a review of the Hommocks ice rink operations to determine the feasibility of using more environmentally friendly equipment for making ice and for heating and cooling the facility.

Ms. O’Keeffe asked Town residents to “recycle even more.” She said that by increasing the amount of paper, glass and plastic recycled, emissions are reduced (because less needs to be incinerated) and the Town fees for garbage disposal are decreased.

Recreation Improvements

In 2007, the Senior Center was moved from the Larchmont Library to the VFW building on the Boston Post Road. This improved the Town’s ability to offer a greater assortment of programs for the senior population. Attendance has increased significantly.

In the summer of 2008, the Town will provide a new “travel camp program” for eleven year olds in an effort to enhance their standard day camp program.

The Town also worked with the Fields for Kids group, the Mamaroneck School Board and the Village of Larchmont and Village of Mamaroneck to help build or plan for new turf fields for the growing number of athletes.

In closing, Supervisor O’Keeffe thanked members of the Board and Town employees for their professionalism and dedication. She also thanked residents for their input in developing priorities for the Town government.

Front Page

Print This Page
Email this page