In a crowded banquet room at the Harbor Links Golf Club, the Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth delivered her fourth State of the Town address.
Introduced by luncheon chairwoman Amy Bass from the League of Women Voters of Port Washington and Manhasset, Bosworth began casually chiding the audience that she did eat and would not faint, referring to a government official who did so earlier this month.
The speech was filmed on the Town of North Hempstead TV channel and will be available upon editing.
After introducing key figures in the room, Bosworth spoke about the transparency she brought to the process of government with passage of financial and nepotism disclosure recommendations which were enacted into law in March of 2016, and an Ethic Reform Working Group comprised of Dina De Georgio, Peter Zuckerman, Reverend Charles Vogely, Richard Kestenbaum, John Brickman and Michael Levine who have put together a package of recommended reforms to be considered at the upcoming Feb. 28 meeting.
The procurement policy has been reworked and a new procurement officer is in place. The town is moving toward a “no-cash policy” at the highway department; solid waste management authority, the Port Washington Parking District, the Building Department and many town departments limit the number of services they accept cash for. An outside company has been hired to review cash policies.
The Town of North Hempstead continues to have an Aa1 rating from Moody’s Investor Service with a positive outlook because of the $30 million debt reduction over the past three years. The town received the Certificate of Achievement For Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association. Bosworth proudly announced this was the third year in a row to stay under the tax cap and pass a bipartisan budget as well as the projects completed and near completion.
In a powerful precedent, the board voted to prohibit the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, liquid nicotine and electronic cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21.
As a champion of the environment, the town was awarded the Environment Champion Award for the low-cost fishing line disposal program which is recycled into fish habitats. It received worldwide recognition with the introduction of bat houses and bats to combat mosquitoes as well as working in nearby areas on water quality, improving aquifers and introducing rain gardens.
Bosworth took notable pride in her work with veterans and the programs, concerts and activities designed for residents of all ages in the town. She also spoke of the awarding of the $16 million in federal, state and local grants for a variety of projects including the town dock, revision of North Hempstead Beach Park, eliminating zombie houses and many others.
The speech ended with a brief Q-and-A session.
