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January 31, 2006

Westchester County’s Legislature Chairman Bill Ryan Appointed 2nd Vice President of the New York State Association of Counties

Bill Ryan, Chair of Westchester County Board of Legislators, was appointed 2nd Vice President of the New York State Association of Counties this week at the NYSAC 2007 Legislative Conference in Albany.

Pictured: Chairman Ryan, NYSAC President Lucille McKnight and NYSAC Parliamentarian Herman Geist

"Chairman Ryan is a highly experienced county leader and his contributions have been a great asset to NYSAC. We appreciate his willingness to serve in this leadership capacity,” said NYSAC President Lucille M. McKnight, Albany County legislator.

Mr. Ryan has served on the NYSAC Board of Directors since 2005. A former State Assemblyman from Westchester, Putnam, Orange and Rockland Counties, Ryan was first elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 1997. He is currently serving his second term as the Board’s Chair.
 
“I am honored to be chosen as one of the leaders who will have the opportunity to steer state policy in a direction that will benefit all of New York’s counties,” said Ryan. “Whether rural, urban or suburban, all 62 counties of this state share a common goal----reducing the burden of local property taxpayers by overhauling the fiscally repressive and regressive system of unfunded state mandates, such as Medicaid. Our united NYSAC voice keeps growing stronger. It’s a voice for providing taxpayer relief and for bettering the quality of life for all New Yorkers. I look forward to being a key part of making that voice heard and responded to.”

This year’s Key Legislative Priorities for counties include:

• Capping counties’ financial liability for the Pre-school Special Education and Early Intervention programs;
• Fully implementing the local Medicaid cap as part of the Governor’s expanded Medicaid reform effort;
• Holding Counties harmless from retroactive rate increases associated with state training school placements (as a result of failure by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services to annual update their reimbursement rates);
• Reforming the Public Employment Relations Act to support the needs of local taxpayers;
• Reforming state policy for housing State prisoners in local correctional facilities; and
• Pursuing mandate relief measures to reduce fiscal burdens.

“NYSAC continues to have an aggressive agenda for local property tax relief that involves reducing unfunded mandates, increasing local flexibility and improving local-state relations,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario. “Chairman Ryan’s experience and knowledge will help our efforts to achieve this agenda.”

The New York State Association of Counties is a bipartisan municipal association serving all 62 counties of New York State including the City of New York. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate and advocate for Member Counties and the thousands of elected and appointed county officials who serve the public.