June 29, 2007

                                                                                

RYAN, ROGOWSKY SEARCH IN MT. KISCO FOR NEW HOME

FOR THE  BOARD OF ELECTIONS

County Board Chair Bill Ryan and Majority Leader Marty Rogowsky toured commercial space in Mt. Kisco today as they continued their search for suitable headquarters for the county’s Board of Elections. The site at 333 North Bedford Road, a former grocery store warehouse and distribution center, is massive. Several tenants are moving in and there is more than enough unrented space to accommodate the county’s needs for front office and voting machine warehouse space.

The legislators were prompted to survey sites after a legislative proposal for space at 450 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford collapsed because it lacked sufficient support among the legislators.

“The county needs to be in compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA),” said Ryan. “We’ll have staffing requirements and new responsibilities as the owner and custodian of the county’s voting machines. It’s likely that we’ll be storing centrally, as opposed to community-by-community. We need to prepare for the change.”

“The site in Mt. Kisco has what’s needed in terms of square footage,” said Rogowsky. “It’s accessible by public transportation, has adequate parking and will be built to suit by the landlord. The site is centrally located in the county. My only other concern is that it be a suitable work environment for our employees.”

Under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the county must take complete control of local elections. This mandate has necessitated a reorganization of the county Board of Elections. In addition to its usual function to manage voter registrations, going forward, it must also provide storage space for voting machines.

The Board of Elections, now located in downtown White Plains, has outgrown its current quarters. The operation requires roughly 17,000 square feet but now occupies a 7,000 square foot space which is totally inadequate.