I’m proud to share with the residents of Rockland County the incredible milestone reached by this column –the 500th County Executive’s Corner.
While my administration and schedule are certainly busier than most can fathom, this article is a priority for my office. Why? Because it has become an incredible avenue for to share information about key programs and events in the County of Rockland, along with in-depth dives on important matters that impact our residents.
But the idea of crafting a regular communication for residents didn’t start during my time as County Executive, but rather as a County Legislator. Back in 2006 as a legislator, I collected signatures and information of constituents. As mailings were pricey, I started a column like County Executive’s Corner that centered around the same concept – keeping the residents who elected me to serve up to date on all things Rockland.
Thanks to the success I had with this column as a legislator, I naturally knew I had to craft something similar when I was elected as County Executive.
These corners have chronicled and shed light on the difficult journey we’ve had since I was first elected as your County Executive in 2014, taking on the most fiscally stressed County in all of New York with a $138-million deficit.
We not only dug out of that deficit, with a surplus, but are among New York’s seven fiscally strongest counties outside of New York City.
Just a few of our recent successes include:
- Not raising property taxes two years in a row.
- Repealing the energy tax early, saving families $12 million annually — equivalent to an 8.4% County Property Tax cut.
- And opting into New York State bills to expand and give seniors and volunteer first responders property tax deductions.
Make no mistake, this success is a tribute to the dedicated employees in this administration who helped me rebuild Rockland from rock-bottom, along with our County Legislature. Without a doubt the road at times has been rocky but we worked together to get this done.
To all our employees I want you to know how much I value your dedication and commitment to our mission of serving the people of this County. Thanks to our collective hard work… The State of our County is stronger than ever before.
I’d also like to thank our residents for choosing me to be your County Executive 9 years ago and counting.
I’m honored you trust me with the opportunity to do more for you… the families I choose every single day, with every breath I take, to serve. I also pledge to continue producing this column sharing our struggles, victories, and everything in between.