Senator David Carlucci Holds Town Hall In Ossining

Senator David Carlucci (D-Westchester/Rockland) held a Town Hall at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center in Ossining last Thursday (3/14) in an effort to hear directly from residents about issues of concern.

This was Senator Carlucci’s first of two Town Halls scheduled in the 38^th Senate District, which spans much of Rockland County and Ossining in Westchester County.

About 50 community members attended the Ossining Town Hall, where Senator Carlucci discussed historic legislation that has passed or been signed into law this legislative session. Carlucci also talked about reforms that are still needed, and how budget negotiations are shaping up.

“Its important that government be accessible and as transparent as possible. My goal with this series of town halls in Westchester and Rockland is for residents to ask questions about the issues that matter to them, and for me to explain what I am doing to deliver results,” said Senator David Carlucci.

The town hall featured three guest speakers, Patricia Tessler of Let NY Vote--Hudson Valley, Katherine Schowalter representing Moms Demand Action (Gun Safety) Westchester, and Annmarie Uhl from Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic.

Following their presentations, Senator Carlucci took questions from residents about everything from funding for early voting to the legalization of marijuana.

“Early voting will make it more convenient for every New Yorker to cast their ballot, and we know electronic pollbooks are needed to make this roll out successful. The Senate is working to pass legislation for electronic pollbooks outside of the budget so that State Board of Elections can survey local boards to find out how many they need and what their preferences are so we are estimating the cost accurately,” said Carlucci. “We also know some local boards of elections already have the funding needed to purchase electronic pollbooks.”

On the topic of school funding, Senator Carlucci reiterated his commitment to fighting for the Ossining School District and supporting a 3-year phase in of Foundation Aid and accelerated funding for the district.

The majority of residents had questions about the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Senator Carlucci said he felt the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana was a step in the right direction and agreed with residents that more must be done to educate children about the risks associated with marijuana use. Senator Carlucci also explained his fight to pass legislation that would allow specific types of cases to be moved to specialty problem solving courts so that offenders could, in some cases, get the treatment or diversion programs necessary as oppose to jail time.

Senator Carlucci’s second town hall will be held on Monday, April 15th at 7:00 p.m. at the Clarkstown Town Hall at 10 Maple Ave in New City, New York.