RyeCity REVIEW THE
August 10, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 33 | www.ryecityreview.com
Cuomo creates panel to draft recreational weed law By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
COUNTY CHAMPS
Lake Isle’s Claire Weinstein competes at the Westchester County Swim Association Championships at Rye Playland on Aug. 2. Lake Isle won the 93rd annual WCSA, outpointing second-place Wykagyl Country Club 309-215. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith
Westchester strikes deal with nurses union Westchester County has come to terms with one of its outstanding union contracts, the New York State Nurses Association, according to the county executive.The new 6-year contract, retroactive to 2016, locks in 2.5 percent raises in 2018, 2019 and 2021, while guaranteeing a 3 percent raise in 2020. The contract will not include retroactive raises for 2016 or 2017, however. “Westchester residents rely on nurses when they need them most,” Latimer said. “I am proud that we reached this deal which will allow these hardworking folks to do the important job they are tasked with while also keeping
in mind the cost to the taxpayer.” According to a statement by NYSNA member Rosemarie Camia, a New York State Nurses Association member, 43 nurses affected by the contract work in social services, community colleges and jails across the county. “Once again, it shows the benefits when elected officials and unions partner to make decisions that benefit the people of New York and the middle class,” Camia said in a statement. The contract requires the approval of the Board of Legislators. While this union contract closes, another larger contract still looms for the county. The Civil
Service Employees Association, CSEA, the county’s largest union, has been operating without a new contract since 2010, and is in the midst of negotiations with the Latimer administration after failing to come to terms during the tenure of former County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican who left office at the end of 2017. Because of retroactive raises and the amount of workers in the union— just under 5,000—county officials have shown concern that a new contract could upset an already delicate financial situation for Westchester County government. In May, a financial review of county debt projections for the
2018 fiscal year put this year’s budget shortfall at $28.7 million. That number, however, does not factor in CSEA negotiations. Soule forecasted that the CSEA contract could end up totaling upwards of $40 million. As a result of the structural deficit—which stems from the county spending more money than it generates in revenue— lawmakers will likely be forced to look at the prospect of increasing property taxes by raising the property tax levy. The county will look to finalize a deal before the impending budget season this fall. -Reporting by James Pero
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has tasked a panel to come up with legislation permitting unprecedented recreational marijuana use across the state. The 20-person group, comprised of professors, members of law enforcement and officials within the Cuomo administration, will look to craft a piece of legislation that can be voted on at the start of the state Legislature’s upcoming session in January. The creation of the panel comes less than a month after a multi-agency report was delivered to state lawmakers that overwhelmingly supported the move to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes due in part to economic benefits. In Colorado— the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use in 2014—tax revenue exceeded $500 million last year as businesses and availability continue to grow. “The next steps must be taken thoughtfully and deliberately,” said Cuomo, a Democrat, in a statement last week. “As we work to implement the report’s recommendations through legislation, we must thoroughly consider all aspects of a regulated marijuana program, including its impact on public health, criminal justice and state revenue, and mitigate any potential risks associated with it.”Specifically, the report, issued in July, detailed the potential positive effects of legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use, stating that in addition to up to $678 million in tax revenue depending
on the rate at which sales would be taxed, legalization would allow the state to further regulate the consumption, quality and distribution of marijuana more readily. Additionally, the report extolls the benefits of not incriminating low-level marijuana users, a practice which can often lead to more serious incarceration down the line and oftentimes affects minorities disproportionately. However, some lawmakers in Colorado, where recreational weed has been legal since 2014, have criticized the move for exacerbating crime levels, claiming that it has attracted transients and criminals into the state. But these claims have been rebutted by various statistical analyses in addition to being labeled as “false” by fact-checking website Snopes. In New York, Cuomo’s stance on legalizing marijuana has shifted over the last several years as he’s watched other states in the Northeast warm to the idea. Massachusetts and Vermont have already passed their own recreational marijuana laws, with the former rolling theirs out this year. In New York, medical marijuana was approved in 2014, but rules for who may obtain it have been less permissive than other states. According to the New York State Department of Health, the Compassionate Care Act is meant to provide those with “serious” conditions a path to medical marijuana—among the list of applicable ailments are cancer, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
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