Latimer: Cup of Joe Report
New York State Assemblyman George Latimer filed the following report with MyRye.com after his Saturday "Cup of Joe" session with Rye citizens:
by New York State Assemblyman George Latimer
Coffee with Judy and George Saturday, March 3, 2012 Recap
This past Saturday morning (March 3), over 40 people – a record crowd – packed into Ruby's Oyster Bar on Purchase Street for coffee and conversation with "George and Judy" – a/k/a State Assemblyman George Latimer and County Legislator Judy Myers. Also in attendence were Mayor Doug French and City Councilwoman Catherine Parker, and a few former Council members.
The topics were wide ranging, each deserving of a full paragraph of update on their own. On the State level, there was discussion over the Governor's proposal to establish a new Tier 6 pension system, including a 401 (k) option, for new hires; hydrofracking (with David Hood and Bert deFrondeville offering very different views on the subject); plans to modify the Triborough Amendment and the Taylor Law, to name a few topics. Virgil Rios raised the lack of action of fixing "The Last Mile" of the NYS Thruway – from Midland Avenue to the Connecticut border, and the hazards causing fatalities there; Steve Abbott asked about the state-imposed 2% Tax Cap.
On the County level, Arthur Stampleman and Bill Lawyer asked about the likelihood of #76 Bus service to Milton Point; Sis D'Angelo decried the deterioration of Theodore Fremd – a County road; many others inquired about Playland's future. Holly Kennedy, Bernie Althoff and Carolina Johnson inquired about a flood mitigation update from the State (SUNY campus retention), and the County (more grant money, and Airport runoff). The traffic conditions on the North St./Old Post Rd. bridge over Playland Parkway was raised by Linda Lefkowitz.
And…Pat Iorillo asked for changes in the STOP sign design and wording to gain greater compliance from drivers; Pat Sales thought students could be used to educate on quality of life infractions.
Later in the day, Latimer and Myers met with 75 people, also a record, in Mamaroneck. The "Coffee with…" format now in its 8th year (Latimer also books similar meetings in Port Chester) is most unusual – very few legislators in Westchester do anything like this. Latimer put it succinctly: "In reaching out to listen to people's ideas, and talking with them directly, we are simply doing our jobs".
