New York State Senator George Latimer (D-Westchester) and Assemblyman Steve Otis (D-Rye City) announced today they will be holding a joint forum to get public input on the proposed 2016-2017 NYS budget. The event is open to the community, and any person or organization that wishes to present is invited to participate.…

Educators, state and local officials and administrators from community groups visited Thomas A. Edison School on Friday, Jan. 29 to learn about their long-running, full-service community school program. Principal Ivan Tolentino also explained his school’s efforts to address the needs of English Language Learners. Afterwards, the visitors toured the elementary school and even stopped into Open Door Family Medical Centers’ dental van that was parked outside.

Steve invites you to a Small Business and Economic Development Forum on Tuesday, October 27th. Jointly sponsored with the Women’s Enterprise Development Center.

Steve and George Latimer participated in the ground breaking ceremony for the Weber Community Gardens in Port Chester.

Steve received the New Rochelle YMCA’s Community Impact Award for his tremendous support of the Y as did Assemblywoman Amy Paulin.

LoHud has important news from New Rochelle:

The YMCA has found its lifesaver.

It comes in the form of $1 million in state funds, secured by state Assembly members Steve Otis and Amy Paulin. The money will foot the bill for most of the pool repairs that had threatened the New Rochelle YMCA’s future.

“We had been working with all of the elected officials and really pitching the importance of the pool in the community,” said YMCA Executive Director Julie Gallanty. “They really have saved this Y.”

Paulin, D-Scarsdale, and Otis, D-Rye, each secured $500,000 through the state Dormitory Authority.

Otis called the effort to get the state funds “tremendous” and said that, even though he is not a swimmer, he appreciated how important the pool was.

“One of the things that hit me, the pool is so essential to the functioning of the Y. They can’t go pool-less,” he said. “That’s why it was made a priority for me.”

Read the full story.

New Rochelle Daily Voice posted the following story:

Four of southern Westchester’s top elected officials convened in New Rochelle on Thursday night for a comprehensive discussion about the issues plaguing area school districts.

New York State Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Sen. George Latimer and Assembly members Amy Paulin and Steve Otis joined forces on a panel at the New Rochelle High School to answer the pressing questions and concerns parents in the district have.

During “An Evening With Our State Legislators: A Discussion of Current York State Education and Budget Issues,” moderated by High School Principal Reginald Richardson, the officials talked about everything from opting out of immunization and state testing, to federal funding and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approved state budget, which has come under fire for its education reform.

When asked whether local school districts were getting a fair percentage of federal funding, Otis noted that it’s a competitive statewide environment, with Westchester districts getting penalized due to high property values. Latimer added that cities such as New Rochelle and White Plains are in a unique situation because they include both incredibly wealthy and poor residents within one district.

“No, we’re not getting our fair share, but I don’t think that any district is. The fact that it’s based on property tax figures doesn’t make sense,” he said. “To correct that, we need a fundamental overhaul that won’t happen. Until we, as a state, undergo a massive overhaul, we will just do as best we can to improve year-to-year.”

The budget, specifically the new teacher and student evaluation system that stresses even further importance on state standardized testing, came under fire from each of the politicians.

“We all know there is way too much testing in our schools,” Otis said. “There’s no one way to measure different teachers in different places, because different districts have different needs.”

Read the full story.

The Albany Times Union praised Steve Otis’s initiative in this week’s approved budget to help cash-strapped localities pay for upgrades to drinking water and water treatment infrastructure:

Funds in the just-enacted state budget, combined with recent federal legislation, can kickstart these much-needed local projects, because they’re for outright grants. The state Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015 will provide $200 million over three years; the federal 2014 water resources bill adds another $46 million to the pot.

Together, this infusion of state and federal funds could make long-needed upgrades affordable for localities.

Assemblymen John McDonald, D-Cohoes, and Steve Otis, D-Rye, co-sponsored the state measure. Both are former mayors who know well how vital these grants are. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., co-sponsored the federal legislation.

Read the full editorial here.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced that the 2015-2016 SFY Budget includes $200 million for the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015 to assist municipalities in funding water quality infrastructure projects. The new grant program was initiated by the Assembly to address the financial crisis that many localities face when securing funding for waste water and drinking water infrastructure projects.

“By allowing municipalities to combine borrowing with state grant monies, the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act will help incentivize local governments to move forward with much-needed water quality projects,” said Speaker Heastie. “I hope municipalities across the state take advantage of this new way to afford these water projects, which are essential to protecting public health and drinking water supplies.”

This novel way to pay for municipal water projects was championed by Assemblymembers Steve Otis of Rye and John McDonald of Cohoes, both former mayors, and advocates for addressing municipal infrastructure costs.

“Governor Cuomo and Speaker Heastie have shown tremendous leadership in helping to meet the water infrastructure needs of local governments throughout the state,” said Otis and McDonald in a joint statement. “This new grant program will make water quality projects more affordable to municipalities and shift some of the costs away from the already overburdened local property taxpayers.”

The Journal News covered the news this week:

Local governments will be able to apply for awards of up to $5 million to repair or replace sewage systems, water mains and other water infrastructure, the often-hidden but costly equipment in need of improvement across much of the state.

“Municipalities don’t apply (for the loans) because they can’t really afford to go into debt for these projects, so they defer them as long as they can,” said Assemblyman Steve Otis, a Democrat and former mayor of the city of Rye. “Our view is we needed to create a grant program and make these projects fly out the door.”

The Rye Daily Voice has this story:

State Assemblyman Steve Otis (D-Rye) has been appointed by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to serve on a newly formed panel focusing on climate-change issues.

The 10-member Climate Change Work Group will explore policy initiatives, at both the federal and state levels, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat the effects of climate change. Otis, a member of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, has long championed environmental causes, including protection of the Long Island Sound, increased funding for the State Environmental Protection Fund and improved emergency preparedness and capability requirements for utility companies.

In the assembly, Otis has fought for increased state aid to localities for much-needed flood mitigation and disaster resiliency projects. He also co-sponsored the Community Risk and Resiliency Act, enacted in September 2014, which requires government planners to consider the impact of storm damage and climate change when making building or rebuilding decisions.

“The greater frequency of extreme weather events, like Superstorm Sandy, leaves no doubt that climate change is real,” said Otis. “I am grateful to Speaker Heastie for his leadership in recognizing that governments at all levels must do their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our communities from the devastating economic and environmental effects of climate change events.”

Read the full article.