Statement regarding County Executive Andy Spano's plan to increase certain fees in County Clerk Idoni's office

ACOCELLA BLASTS SPANO OVER CLERK-FEE HIKE
Calls on County Government to stop bullying taxpayers

Harrison, NY – Town/Village Clerk Joseph Acocella today blasted Westchester County Executive Andy Spano's proposal to raise user fees associated with County Clerk Tim Idoni's office. "It is not only outrageous that the County Executive has proposed this, but it demonstrates how out of touch the leaders in our county government are with their constituents" Acocella said. The County Board of Legislators is considering approving this request, which would be yet another burden on Westchester taxpayers. Mr. Acocella stated, "to start raising fees in this economic climate is a slap in the face to the taxpayers. Everyday I speak to residents, some of whom are even losing their jobs, about the hardships placed on their families by ever increasing taxes. Westchester residents are fed up and they expect and deserve a better solution. Instead of bullying the taxpayers and adding money to an already bloated budget, county officials should be finding ways to cut costs."

Mr. Acocella also called on County Clerk Timothy Idoni to oppose the proposed increase. "Where is the County Clerk? These increases would affect his office and we have not heard from him. He may not have a vote but he does have a voice," Acocella said. Mr. Acocella is urging all Westchester residents to write their County Legislator and tell them to vote against these increases. "Make no mistake, this is a tax hike. The County has obviously proven they cannot be trusted to find economic solutions on their own, therefore, we must take action before they have the opportunity to increase our taxes again for the same services," concluded Acocella.

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Hunting Licenses on sale today!

Hunting Licenses are now on sale! I am happy to report that the new computer system is up and running in my office. For your convenience, I am keeping my office open until 7pm on Wednesday evening for you to obtain a license as well as for general services.

ummm no title?

I couldn't think of a title for this post because I will be discussing a variety of topics. So, I guess the title is "no title". Now that we got that out of the way let's get into the week. Wednesday I will continue my mobile hours by setting up a table at the "Concert on the Green" in West Harrison from 7pm - 8:30pm (weather permitting). On Thursday I will be at the "Concert in the Park" at Ma Riis Park from 7pm -8:30pm as well. Some have asked what services I will be offering so allow me to share. You can obtain a commuter or handicap parking permit, receive Notary services, register to vote, license your dog (yes, that's a law), request copies of your vital records, pick up information on organ donation, and also drop off donations for the My Soldier and Cell Phones for Soldiers programs. Even if you just want to stop by and say hi that is okay too. Hunting licenses go on sale next Monday August 18, 2008. In order to meet the demands of the community, I am keeping my office open until 7pm Wednesday August 20th. You can also receive general services as well.

The Town Board met last Thursday August 7th so the next Town Board meeting is not until September 4th. You can watch a tape of the meeting everyday at 12pm 6pm and 10pm on Harrison Channel 75.

Well, we are just a few short months away from choosing our next President. Are you prepared to decide? Are you prepared to declare yourself? Do you want to help others? Well??? First, REGISTER TO VOTE! It's easy. Drop by my office - I always love guests and pick up a voter registration form. If you are going to be around November 4th and don't have any plans why not become a poll worker and earn some extra cash? The Westchester County Board of Elections is looking for people to work the polls on Election Day (5:30am - 9pm). I know I know, you don't want to go to work at 5:30 in the morning. Look on the bright side you are earning some money and get to work with me ; ) For more info on becoming a poll worker visit www.Westchestergov.com/boe. Hurray because time is running out to take the class. Also, if you have a child who is going off to college please, make sure they are registered to vote and make sure they requested an absentee ballot when they registered. If they registered with me at the High School back in May they will receive an absentee ballot application in the mail soon. If they are not sure have them call my office at (914) 670-3030 and I will be happy to help them.

And because you asked Harrison ...
I have BIG news if you have a commuter parking pass. In preparing to send out renewals for next years parking passes, the question of "can I add a third car to my parking permit?" was raised. Since I became the Clerk only 7 months ago I was not around when the two car limit began. Surely there was a reason why only two cars are allowed, there must be an obvious reason why you can only fit two license plates on one pass. Ummmm no. Actually, there was no reason. In thinking "outside the box" I am adding the choice for you for next year. You will now be able to put three cars on one pass that way you have a bigger selection of cars. This comes in handy when parents and kids swap vehicles a lot.

Finally, I invited all three of the Fire Departments in town to show off their stuff in our display case in Town Hall. Come by and view the photos, trophies and fire paraphernalia to see why we call them our bravest.


That's all for now.

New hours announced for August

Today, I announced that my office will continue to adapt to the communities ever changing needs by offering mobile and late hours for the month of August. The dates are as follows:

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
"Concert on the Green" WH Park 7:00pm - 8:30pm (weather permitting)

Thursday, August 14, 2008
"Concert in the Park" Ma Riis Park 7:00pm - 8:30pm (weather permitting)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Office open late for Hunting Licenses and general services 4pm - 7pm.

If you plan on taking advantage of any one of these locations please
call my office at (914) 670-3030 in advance to learn more about what information you may need to bring with you. See ya soon!

Gas Prices

A resident read my last blog entry and emailed me with another great site to check for gas prices. To visit it click here. It is hosted by MSN and gives you gas pricing data from over 90,000 gas stations across the country. What's cool is that it is updated every night. As of right now the lowest price is $4.29 and the national average is
$4.47. While your checking how much your gonna pay at the pump check out this site. It tells you how gas prices work and well, who to blame. Happy trails ...

Month in Review

Well, it official. Summer is halfway over. But wait! My office is still in summer mode and we have got lot's in store for the remaining few weeks. Before I get into that let's recap what's been happening so far. I recieved the new NYS Handicap Parking Meter permits from the State. Applications are available in my office for your doctor to fill out if you believe you are a candidate for one of these waivers. Over the past couple of weeks commuters have voiced there concerns over the parking at the train station. Some have told me that commuters sometimes park their vehicles outside of the white lines of the spot. Please, be courteous of other drivers and park within the white lines of your space. I have asked the Police Traffic Division to paint the lines again to make them more visible. Because there are so many cars the painting has to be done in stages but by the end of the summer the whole commuter lot should be repainted. In other news, my office went mobile for the first time this past Saturday at Trotta's West Street Pharmacy. From 10am - 1pm residents took advantage of obtaining parking permits, Notary services, Organ Donation information as well as dog licenses all from the comfort of their local pharmacy. I would like to thank Trotta's Pharmacy for being gracious hosts and look forward to other mobile hours there. Look for me at the Concert in the Park on August 14th at Ma Riis Park from 7pm - 8:30pm. My mobile hours in West Harrison park got rained out last Wednesday but I will be announcing another date and time to be back in West Harrison soon. On another note, I had the pleasure of speaking with a number of students at Blythedale Children's Hospital on Friday. I want to thank them all for inviting me to their center. I can not begin to tell you how deeply touched I was by their graciousness and spirit. If you would like more information on Blythedale Children's Hospital please visit www.Blythedale.org.

In looking ahead, the next Town Board meeting is August 7, 2008 at 7:30pm in Town Hall. If you would like to be placed on the agenda you must submit a written request to my office by 9:30am Thursday July 31, 2008. Hunting licenses go on sale August
18, 2008. I plan to have my office open late one evening around that date in order to accomadate more residents. I will announce a date when the time gets closer. The new HarrisonClerk.com is coming along and I hope to have it live soon. That's all for now. Oh wait, I couldn't resist mentioning gas prices in this entry. So, here goes. If you are like me you try to find the lowest gas prices around. I drive an SUV so yeah, after I fill up my tank I usually cry myself all the way home (sniff sniff). Anyway, I checked out this pretty cool site and thought I would share. www.NewYorkGasPrices.com. It's a site where people find low gas prices and sumbit it for others to know about. You can search by your area you live in. They don't have any for Harrison but White Plains came up with three. Check it out if you feel like you have to take on a second job just to pay for gas. Happy travels ...

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. Today, I began the day with a press conference at Ma-RIIS Park to discuss two troop support programs I am now involved with. With the Presidential campaign in full swing we, not only as a community, but as a country must pause to recognize that there are troops fighting the real battle out there for us. Not just troops, but brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Over the next few months we are going to see republicans and democrats battle one another in an historic political war. But we must remember who is really fighting the battle no matter who what political party you belong to. My message today on this Fourth of July was simple: remember those that allow you to call this country the land of the free. I am proud to announce that I have joined the Manhattanville College "My Soldier" Program (www.MySoldier.com) and "Cells Phones for Soldiers (www.CellPhonesforSoldiers.com). These two programs, although started from two different organizations share one great common cause and I am proud to join them.

This evening, I concuded my Fourth of July celebration at Roy Alletti's fireworks show. I must compliment Roy and his family for hosting such a wonderful event. Despite the rain, Harrison family and friends packed the Food Emporium shopping center to celebrate America's birthday - Harrison style. Way to go Roy and THANK YOU!