Councilman Ernie's NEW Feedback Blog

I will be introducing some subjects on this blog that I invite viewers to comment on. There is nothing "official" about this Blog. It reflects my own views and may also reflect the views of those who add comments which are very welcomed.It has been set up to give me some feedback on Town Topics and to provide an easy way for friends and constituents to let me know what's on their minds. Ernie Odierna, Councilman, Town of Mamaroneck

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Well, it looks like we will be televising our Friday, Oct. 30th all-day Operating Departments Budget work session. It will likely not go out live on LMC-TV, as The Women's Club of Mamaroneck, (504 Cortlandt Ave., Mamaroneck) where it is being held, is not connected to the cable network, but hopefully will be broadcast at convenient viewer times. We are hoping LMC-TV will be able to also make it available on demand from their website. It is my hope that the more our constituents know about the budget, the better able they will be to comment on it at our Public Hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 2nd at 8:15 in the Courtroom of The Town Center. On Nov. 3rd, The Board will be meeting at 11:00 am in Conference Room A, in The Town Center, to discuss the Capital budget. Revenue issues will be gone over on Tuesday, Nov. 10th at 5:00 pm also in Conf. Room A where, on Tuesday, Nov. 17th at 5:00 pm, we will be having a General Budget Worksession.
Everyone is invited and welcome to all the meetings, but only at the Public Hearing, on Dec. 2nd will they be permitted to speak.

Details of the Tentative Budget can be found on the town website. www.townofmamaroneck.org

As we all learn more about the proposed budget, I would welcome blog comments as well as e-mails. My arguments to my fellow Board Members has been the more our constituents know, the better equipped they will be to comment intelligently on the budget. Hoping to hear from you.

Ernie

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Monday, October 05, 2009

Just back from a delightful fall week in Provincetown, Cape Cod. Now back to work.

Nancy Seligson and I just finished taping a campaign interview in which Dave Fishman was the interviewer. We covered lots of topics. Look for it as part of LMC-TV's "Meet The Candidates" series.

As we head into what may be our toughest Budget Season in many years, I am more convinced than ever that I want the public to see for themselves, first hand, what "trade-offs" we have to make in order to keep our budget as tight as possible. Even more valuable than televising our bi-monthly work sessions, which I still feel is a goal worth pursuing, I think our Town Budget is something that directly affects us all, right in the pocketbook. Even though we account for only about 22% of the total tax bill, with the schools and the county accounting for the rest, it should be interesting for our citizens to see the process and, during the Public Hearing portion of which, make appropriate comments.

Ever wonder how we find and hire our Street Crossing Guards? How we decide where we need them? How much we pay them? How many hours a day do they work? What they are supposed to be doing while they are working? I'll try to get some answers and post them here.

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