Westchester County Budget Forum Seeks Answers to Funding Issues

White Plains- (Sept. 14, 2016) – How can Westchester ensure that the county remains a thriving community with a strong local economy, vibrant arts, verdant parks, and the availability of vital services?

The Keep Westchester Thriving Coalition invites community leaders to discuss this question and pose solutions during an innovative forum called Our Budget. Our Values: A Community Conversation, which will be held on Friday, September 30. Coffee and networking 7:45, Program 8:30 am sharp - 10:30am at Pace Law School.

As Westchester County heads into annual county budget deliberations, Keep Westchester Thriving and co-sponsor Pace University hope the forum will provide some ideas for elected officials as they debate priorities and grapple with how to pay for the services needed to keep Westchester a thriving community.

“The budget should be an expression of our values and support progress toward a shared vision for our county,’’ said Noelle Damico, Co-Chair of the Westchester Women’s Agenda. “Through in-depth discussion of concrete ideas for developing a workable budget this forum will explore critical questions of sustainability.”

Joanna Straub, NPW Executive Director added, “Up until now, public input on the budget has been limited to three public hearings that come too late to discuss larger issues. It is our hope that this forum, will provide for a robust exchange of ideas and help the community develop a long-term plan for our future.’’

To give participants the best chance to share ideas, the event will be interactive with two rounds of discussion among representatives of various community sectors, followed by a Q and A with the audience, and conclude with brief responses from elected officials. Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, will open the program by outlining the challenges the county faces and presenting a variety of options for generating revenue. The program will be moderated by Laura Rossi, Esq., Executive Director of the Westchester Community Foundation. Among some of the many community leaders and elected officials participating in the program are; John Ravitz, Executive Vice President/COO of the Business Council of Westchester; Amy Allen of the Westchester County Association, Cora Greenberg, Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Association and Board Member, Nonprofit Westchester, Juanita O. Lewis, Hudson Valley Organizing Director, Community Voices Heard, the Rev. Troy Decohen, Interfaith Clergy for Social Action and Michael Boriskin of Copland House. Government officials include Westchester County Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett, Westchester County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz and North Salem Town Supervisor Warren Lucas, chair of the Municipal Officials Association.

For more information on the forum, or to register, visit http://bit.ly/budgetvalues.

About #KeepWestchesterThriving

The Keep Westchester Thriving super coalition was formed in November 2015 in order to encourage county policies and funding that support the wellbeing of every person in the county so they can maximize their potential and contribute fully to the community. This helps our county thrive and remain a vibrant place to live, work, and play.

The super coalition is comprised of ten diverse organizations, listed below, that collectively represent over 500 Westchester nonprofits, including; Campaign for Kids; Child Care Council of Westchester; Community Voices Heard; Federated Conservationists of Westchester County; Interfaith Clergy for Social Action; New York Immigration Coalition; Nonprofit Westchester; Westchester NOW; Westchester Women’s Agenda.