Community & Reopening Update 9-3-2020

Dear Friends:

I wish all students, families, teachers and staff a healthy & prosperous start to the school year. Thank you to all involved for working in good faith toward reopening plans that keep everyone safe while ensuring students are engaged & learning. I know how difficult it is for all parties. I believe we can meet the challenges ahead of us with the same tenacity and data-driven pragmatism that allowed us to flatten the curve and control the spread of the coronavirus. Though our circumstances may be tough, so are we, and we will get through this together. If there's a specific concern you have as schools reopen, I urge you to speak with your local school district superintendent, members of the school board, or school principal. Under the Governor’s direction, the decision to open schools (once safety metrics have been met) rests with each individual school district.

THE NEW SCHOOL OF NURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES AT MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE

On Monday, August 31st, I was pleased to attend a White Coat Ceremony for the new School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Manhattanville College with President Michael Geisler, Dean Debra Simons, faculty & new students. I was pleased to support the application for the School of Nursing & Health Sciences as it was considered and ultimately approved by the State Education Department. The pandemic has shown how critical healthcare workers are to public health and our communities. I wish all the students a wonderful first year and thank them for their service.

DONATING MASKS IN THE PORT CHESTER COMMUNITY

This past week, I was glad to donate PPE in the Port Chester community with Port Chester Village Trustee Alex Payan, Thomas A. Edison School Principal Ivan Tolentino, and volunteers from Caritas Port Chester and the Carver Center. I am grateful for the tremendous work they do to help the most vulnerable.

NEW YORK FORWARD:

• New York State is in its 4th week with an infection rate below 1%. Thank you all who are doing your part by wearing a mask, observing social distancing & good hygiene, and limiting your exposure to large gatherings.
• Click here for an updated list of states on the travel advisory list requiring individuals who travel to New York from those states to quarantine for 14 days.
• Governor Andrew Cuomo has released guidance for infection rates on college campuses calling for a two-week 100% remote learning period following 100 confirmed cases on campus or an infection rate above 5% for the college population. Click here for additional details.

ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE EMPIRE AWARD
During the coronavirus pandemic, I personally witnessed so many small businesses stepping up and going above & beyond to help their communities, donating food, services, PPE, and other essentials. I would like to recognize their efforts with the Empire Award. Please submit nominations here, or call my office at (914) 934-5250 with any questions.

HELPING PORT CHESTER FAMILIES DISPLACED BY FIVE ALARM FIRE
On Sunday, August 30th, a five alarm fire tore through an apartment building on North Main Street in Port Chester and left over 20 people homeless. Thank you to the approximately 200 fire fighters who responded to the incident and spent hours battling the flames. Since the incident, donation bins have been placed at local Port Chester locations to help the families recover. If you can, I encourage you to donate clothes, canned food, toiletries, bedding, or anything else you think would be helpful. There are three locations for donation bins:

• Port Chester Senior Center (Monday - Saturday; 9AM - 3PM): 222 Grace Church Street, Port Chester, NY 10573
• Arctic Mechanical: 460 N. Main Street in Port Chester, NY, 10573
• Kohl's: 431 Boston Post Rd, Port Chester, NY 10573

VOLUNTEER NEW YORK! HOSTS 10TH ANNUAL 9/11: SERVE & REMEMBER EVENT
Volunteer New York! will host its 10th Annual 9/11: Serve + Remember community-wide action event dedicated to honoring the memory of those lost on September 11, 2001, through unity, empathy and service. There are a number of ways those who are interested can contribute including by making blankets, sewing masks, or creating postcards for troops. This is a meaningful way to honor this day. I will be going to donate food and lend a hand at food collection drives in White Plains and Port Chester. Click here to learn more or sign-up to volunteer.

CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH CONVERSATION:
Building Civil Society One Conversation at a Time
Tonight, Thursday, September 3rd, I look forward to joining Dr. Ira Bedzow, Director of the Biomedical Ethics & Humanities Program at New York Medical College (NYMC), for a conversation on creating community. Topics for discussion:

• The Future of K-12 Education,
• State government & national politics, and
• The importance of respectful and inclusive language in laws and life.

Click here to register for the Zoom webinar. We will also livestream the conversation on my Facebook page: facebook.com/ShelleyMayerSD37.

IBEW LOCAL #3 ACCEPTING 15 NEW APPRENTICES
The Westchester-Fairfield Joint Electrical Apprenticeship Training Committee will conduct recruitment for 15 electrical apprentices from September 15, 2020 to September 14, 2021. The program is 5 1/2 years long and consists of 9,000 hours of on-the-job training. Apprentices work during the day and attend vocational school and college two nights a week in White Plains working toward an Associates Degree. College tuition is fully paid for by the apprentice program. Click here for a flyer with more information and here for the Department of Labor announcement. To learn more, please contact Daniel Mecca, Director of Apprentice Training at wfjeatc@jibei.com.

EXTENDED BEACH SEASON IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY
The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation announced that it will extend the beach season in the county by an additional two weekends after Labor Day. Playland Park in Rye and Croton Point Park in Croton will be open Sept. 12-13 and Sept. 19-20 and will follow their regular schedule of 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Click here to discover more fun activities and beautiful scenery throughout the county.

As always, feel free to contact my office at (914) 934-5250 or smayer@nysenate.gov if there is an issue with which we can offer assistance.
Kind regards,

Shelley B. Mayer
State Senator
37th District

VOTING INFORMATION FOR THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION

All registered voters will have three options to vote in the November 3rd General Election.

• Vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd. Click here to find your polling place.
• Vote early during the Early Voting period between Saturday October 24th and Sunday, November 1st. Registered voters can go to *any* of the designated Early Voting polling sites listed below to vote. 
• Vote by mail by requesting an absentee ballot. Click here to submit your request online. If you requested an absentee ballot for the General Election during the Primary Election season, you must submit your absentee ballot request again for the General Election. 

EARLY VOTING
All registered voters are eligible to cast their ballot early. Registered voters can go to *any* of the designated Early Voting polling sites to vote. The process for Early Voting is identical to that for Election Day. If you prefer to vote on Election Day, you must vote at your assigned polling site for your Election District. Click here to find your Election Day polling site.

Early Voting Times:

• Saturday, October 24: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m
• Sunday, October 25: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Monday, October 26: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 27: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 28: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Thursday, October 29: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, October 30: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 31: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, November 1: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Early Voting Locations:
(Registered voters can go to *any* of the designated Early Voting polling sites to vote)

• Eastchester Public Library, 11 Oakridge Place, Eastchester, NY 10709
• Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY 10601
• Veterans Memorial Building, 210 Halstead Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528
• Mamaroneck Town Center, 740 W. Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY 10543
• New Rochelle City Hall Annex, 90 Beaufort Place, New Rochelle, NY 10801
• Grinton I. Will Library, 1500 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10710
• Pound Ridge Town House, 179 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge, NY 10576
• Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue, White Plains, NY 10607
• Riverfront Library, One Larkin Center, Yonkers, NY 10701
• Mt. Kisco Memorial Complex at Leonard Park, 1 Wallace Drive, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
• Yorktown Cultural Center, 1974 Commerce Street, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
• Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, NY 10589
• Joseph G. Caputo Community Center, 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562
• Peekskill Nutrition Center, Neighborhood Center, 4 Nelson Avenue, Peekskill, NY 10566
• Dobbs Ferry Village Hall, 112 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
• Mt. Pleasant Community Center, 125 Lozza Drive, Valhalla, NY 10595
• Mt. Vernon City Hall, 1 Roosevelt Square, Mt. Vernon, NY 10550

VOTING BY MAIL THROUGH AN ABSENTEE BALLOT (You can request one online!)
This year, anyone can request an absentee ballot as a result of a new state law that I supported that authorizes voters to obtain one as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

You can request an absentee ballot online through a webform here, or you can print your absentee ballot request form here. In section 1, check the box for “temporary illness or physical disability,” and in section 2, check the box for “General Election.” If you requested an absentee ballot for the General Election during the Primary Election season, you must submit your absentee ballot request again for the General Election.
If you are printing an absentee ballot request form, you may return the form by:

• Sending an email with your completed absentee ballot request form to BOE-WestAbsentee@westchestergov.com;
• Sending a fax with your completed absentee ballot request form to (914) 995-7753 or (914) 995-3190; or
• Dropping off your absentee ballot request form or mailing it to the Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY 10601.

After your application is received and processed, ballots will begin to be mailed out after September 18th.
To return your completed ballot, you may:

• Put it in the mail ensuring it receives a postmark no later than Tuesday, November 3rd;
• Bring it to the Westchester County Board of Elections’ Office no later than Tuesday, November 3rd;
• Bring it to an early voting poll site between Saturday, October 24th through Sunday, November 1st; or
• Bring it to a poll site on Tuesday, November 3rd.

If you have any questions about this process, please email me at smayer@nysenate.gov or call my office at (914) 934-5250.
 

VILLAGE ELECTION IN BRONXVILLE, TUCKAHOE, & LARCHMONT ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
For residents in Bronxville, Tuckahoe, and Larchmont who have Village Elections on September 15th, absentee ballots are available to vote by mail if you are concerned about contracting the coronavirus.

• Bronxville and Tuckahoe residents can find the absentee ballot application here. In section 1, check the box for “temporary illness or physical disability” and in section 2, check the box for “March Village Election”. Mail your application to the Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY 10601. If you have any questions, please call the Board of Elections at (914) 995-5285.
• Larchmont residents can find the absentee ballot application here. In section 1, check the box for “temporary illness or physical disability” and in section 2, check the box for “General Election”. Mail your application to the Village Clerk’s Office, 120 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538. If you have any questions, please call the Village Clerk at (914) 834-6230.