Committee Gets County Elections Commissioner Nomination

The Rockland County Legislature’s Multi Services Committee votes Tuesday night on approving Kristen Stavisky as the next Democratic county elections commissioner.  If approved by the legislative committee members, the nomination of Stavisky, who serves as the chair of the Rockland County Democratic Committee, will go before the full legislature at its Tuesday, Dec. 18 meeting.

Legislative Chair Harriet Cornell (D-West Nyack) said the state set up the board of elections as a bipartisan entity with one Democratic and one Republican commissioner. She said it is not uncommon for commissioners to have prominent roles in their parties and does not view the appointment as creating a conflict of interest.

“Many, many of the counties throughout the state have party chairs serving as election commissioner,” she said.  

Stavisky would replace the current Democratic Elections Commissioner Ann Marie Kelly, who is retiring on December 31.  The annual salary would remain the same as this year at $86,901.  Stavisky, a West Nyack resident, would begin her four-year term on Jan. 1, 2013. 

The Multi Services Committee will take up a resolution proposed by Legislator John Murphy (R-Orangeburg) to amend state education law to permit fewer than 180 school days in extraordinary circumstances.  Murphy’s resolution asks the state assembly to act on a proposed legislation introduced last month. It would allow state aid payments to school districts in the 2012-2103 school year even if they did not meet the required 180 days of classes.

The proposal would allow the exception “due to extraordinary weather conditions, disasters or emergencies.” Murphy noted there is precedent since the state legislature passed a law covering upstate school districts affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

The proposed new section of law would allow schools to receive aid even if they were closed up to 10 days because of “a duly declared state of emergency following a federally and state recognized natural disaster.”  The resolution would certification of the district’s closure by the school superintendent

In addition to Multi Services at 6 p.m. the following legislative committees meet Tuesday: Public Safety at 5:30, Planning & Public Works at 7 p.m. and Budget & Finance at 7:15 p.m.