Director's Note: Counties Connect, NYSAC Connects

Director's Note

Counties Connect: this is an ideal theme for NYSAC’s official publication. In many ways, NYSAC is all about making a wide range of connections between individuals, governments, and institutions across New York State and the nation.

NYSAC connects our member counties, and their elected leaders and appointed officials, through their association. We connect 57 diverse counties, and their leaders of all political parties, from across the state, along with the City of New York with its five boroughs. NYSAC connects each county with information about the issues, policies, and procedures that each provide to the public every day.

We connect county leaders with other levels of government. Every year, NYSAC facilitates meetings between our members and the White House. We connect local concerns with the NY congressional delegation and our US Senators: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. We are working closely with our federal leaders and our Governor on another connection project: to connect New Yorkers in rural areas to reliable cellular service.

On the state level, we work with Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state agencies that are coordinated with county government, and we connect counties with state legislators and policymakers who enact and implement programs and services that need to be delivered at the county level.

We connect our county members with educational material and training opportunities through our research reports, webinars, conferences, and meetings held throughout the year. This spring we hosted our annual Finance School for treasurers, budget officers, and other county officials who manage county fiscal operations. NYSAC also ran a series of spring webinars on policies enacted in this year’s State Budget, including the state plastic bag ban, voting reforms, food waste diversion, and census complete count committees.

We also connect county elected leaders with dozens of county departmental affiliates. In this magazine, we have featured articles from the NYS Association of County Health Officials, the Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors and the NY Association of Training and Employment Professionals.

These are just some of the many ways that NYSAC connects with our member counties. If you feel there are other ways we could “Connect NY,” just let us know.

Have a safe and productive spring and summer, and we look forward to seeing you in September at the 2019 NYSAC Fall Seminar in Sullivan County!

Stephen J. Acquario, Esq. NYSAC Executive Director