Suburban Street News

CASTELLI HELPS TO SECURE

FEDERAL FUNDING FOR EDUCATION

Assemblyman Robert J. Castelli (R,C,I-Goldens Bridge) this year helped to enact several education reforms to improve New York state’s ability to receive up to $700 million in Race to the Top competitive grant funding.

Today, these reforms paid off after it was announced that the state is slated to get $700 million in federal education funding over four years to help build a statewide system for tracking student progress and implementing a new statewide curriculum.

“Today’s announcement that the state will receive $700 million in federal education funding is great news for New York’s students, parents and teachers,” Castelli said. “By enacting important education reforms, the Legislature not only helped to ensure that the state received important assistance in these difficult economic times, but also strengthened our education system for generations to come.

After placing 15^th among 16 finalists in the first round of Race to the Top, Assemblyman Castelli and his colleagues in the Legislature went to work to enact an education reform bill, which lifted the cap on charter schools to 460 from 200, links teacher evaluations to student performance, and made other reforms to help to make certain that New York received some Federal assistance from Round 2 of Race to the Top.

In addition to New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, D.C., Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Rhode Island were picked from the 19 finalists to share the $3.4 billion pot. Only Delaware and Tennessee qualified for Race to the Top funding in the first round.

“Even in these worst of economic times, it is imperative for the Legislature to stay committed to the education of our children,” Castelli said. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s future and the future of our great State and nation. This funding will only help to make that future a more promising one.”

Conservatives to Legislators: Bill Would Increase Albany Dysfunction

The following Legislative Memo was distributed to every member of the Legislature:

Purpose: Amends Election Law by adding an election enforcement unit and counsel, personal use of campaign funds, filing requirements, political communication, independent expenditure reporting, increases penalties among other things.

Party Position: Any time a bill is introduced and voted on within two days, it obviously will not be a bill that withstands scrutiny. This bill appears to be one that will forever give enforcement power to one political party, which was never the intent of election law. In politics, if only one political party has the control of enforcement, the results will be detrimental to every other political party.

In addition, as with the federal legislation, this bill appears to carve out of the reporting requirements, a special interest: Unions. Since Agency Shop is permanent law, the Unions have a never-ending supply of cash to be used with impunity should this bill become law.

Election law may have its flaws, but this bill will only increase Albany’s dysfunction by giving a permanent upper hand to one political party that has strong ties to the unions that are exempt under the new proposals.

The new 2010 League of Women Voters^® Directory of Officials is now available. This popular guide contains 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 in convenient print form. Also included are web sites, e-mail addresses, maps and other useful information.

Individual copies of the Directory of Officials cost $6 each plus $1 for postage and handling. It can be purchased at the League office or by sending a check to The League of Women Voters^® of Westchester, 200 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains 10601. For further information, including rates for orders of 50 or more, call 949-0507 or email. LWVwestchester@verizon.net.

“The Directory is an important resource for all Westchester County residents,” said Adelaide DiGiorgi, LWVW president. “It is especially useful for people in government, business, library reference departments, nonprofit organizations, the media, and civic and advocacy groups.”

The League of Women Voters^®, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Any person of voting age, male or female, may become a League member.

Larchmont, NY-Apr. 6...Former West Point instructor and Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves Mark Rosen today announced that he has withdrawn his candidacy for Congress in New York's 18th District (Westchester-Rockland) in order to prepare for potential deployment overseas.

Mr. Rosen, 48, an Executive Officer (XO) of a Military Police (MP) Brigade recently learned that his unit is subject to deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. He is a West Point graduate and a former airborne ranger, jumpmaster, and infantryman.

Mr. Rosen has been actively campaigning for Congress against 22-year incumbent Nita Lowey (D). He has made American economic competitiveness and opposition to growing national debt - and policies like the recent healthcare bill that make it worse - cornerstones of his candidacy.

"Should my unit be confirmed for mobilization, full time training for deployment could begin at the end of this year with likely deployment early next year." Mr. Rosen said. "I view service in the Active Army in the current wartime missions as honorable. I want to serve, and I want to serve with the unit and troops with whom I have trained. But the voters deserve active representation in Congress and, were I to win this seat and be called to active duty, I could not fulfill that obligation to the voters. So, with great regret, I am withdrawing my candidacy from the Congressional race for the NY 18th District."

Mr. Rosen, a father of five, is a Senior Vice President of Strategic Sourcing & Procurement at Adecco Group North America, the largest staffing and recruiting company in the world. He served for 15 years in various Army command and staff positions, including at the Pentagon as part of the Army's Strategic Planning cell. He earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University and served as an Assistant Professor at West Point. Mr. Rosen lives in Larchmont, NY with his wife, Margaret, and their children.

Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) is pleased to announce enactment of a new law to protect families from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Known as the “silent” killer, carbon monoxide – which can neither be seen nor smelled -- is responsible for the deaths of more than 500 people each year.

The law is named in memory of Amanda Hanson, a 16-year old who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping over at a friend’s house. It applies to all one-family and two-family homes, condominiums and cooperatives, and other multiple dwellings where there are heating and cooking appliances that can emit the deadly gas.

Newly constructed homes will be required to have hard-wired detectors. Existing homes may use battery operated carbon monoxide alarms. Violations of the law can be cited at the time of a home inspection or when a complaint is filed by a tenant against a negligent landlord.

Carbon monoxide is produced from burning fuels such as wood, natural gas, propane, oil, kerosene and gasoline. In order to prevent accidental poisoning, poison control experts cite the following safety “don’ts”:

“Even with these precautions,” noted Senator Oppenheimer, “carbon monoxide can build up to dangerous levels in your home, quickly becoming an invisible, tasteless and odorless killer. Carbon monoxide alarms are an inexpensive way to save lives. It’s in everyone’s best interest to install these detectors and make sure they are operational at all times. The new law makes homes safer and that is undeniably a good thing.”