Cathryn Harris-Marchesi obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of London, SOAS, her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and is a member of the New York Bar.
Harris-Marchesi is a federal constitutional attorney and mediator focusing on employment and labor law, as well as small business and municipal issues. Since moving to Glen Cove in 2005, Harris-Marchesi has provided legal expertise regarding municipal laws, community development and housing, including drafting local legislation and advised a number of small businesses in the Glen Cove community.
Harris-Marchesi serves on several boards, including the executive board of the Women’s Intercultural Network and the advisory board for Long Island Housing Services. Through WIN, Harris-Marchesi serves as a delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, advocating for the improvement of the lives of women and children globally.
Harris-Marchesi’s in depth understanding of legislative and legal drafting, contractual interpretation and ethics are critical to the central functions of municipal government.
The principal reason Harris-Marchesi is running for City Council is to participate in finding solutions to ensure that Glen Cove is community where all residents are heard by their local officials, smart growth plans are enacted to increase local business, and each resident is provided the opportunity and services to thrive through new income streams to the City.
If elected, one of Harris-Marchesi’s top issues is ensuring that the city codes and permitting processes are up to date and equally applied to all residents and businesses.
This includes ensuring that all public projects, such as the construction of parking garages, are contracted out to reputable companies that employ qualified laborers to conduct the work.
To fix this issue, Harris-Marchesi would initiate a review of the city codes and an audit of the city departments such as the building department’s permit process to ensure that all permit applicants are treated the same and within the required timelines.
Also, ensuring that regular inspections are done of all new building projects to verify that all aspects of construction are up to code is essential to public safety.
There are essential programs in the City of Glen Cove, such as the Adult Day Care and Meals on Wheels programs, that have either lost funding or at threat of losing significant funding from the federal and county government. Cathryn would seek alternative revenue sources, not an increase in taxes, to fill in the gaps so that all residents continue to have the opportunity to participate in these essential programs.
The third priority, is public transportation. It is essential to contract with a ferry operator to provide ferry service to and from New York City. This is a quality of life issue that will help with congestion and expedite travel times for residents who commute to New York City.
Ferry service is successfully utilized in numerous large cities both locally and nationally. The ferry service will make Glen Cove an even more attractive alternative to other suburban areas and has the potential of attracting more visitors to Glen Cove for recreation, dining, entertainment and shopping.
Harris-Marchesi will actively support this initiative and keep it at the forefront of the agenda, as regular reliable ferry service will be of economic benefit to Glen Cove.
