Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
October 7, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 41 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
CRC gets new leadership By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
BLACK HATS BACK Gabe Ajram sheds a tackle during Rye Neck’s Oct. 1 game against Haldane. The Panthers topped the Blue Devils 38-21 to earn their first win of the season. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith
Town of Mamaroneck lauded by state for green initiatives By JAMES PERO Staff Writer Going green has earned the town of Mamaroneck a pat on the back after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation designated the town as a leader of green initiatives statewide. “We all have a role to play
in reducing energy use and the greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “I applaud Mamaroneck’s commitment to energy use in government operations.” For the supervisor of the town, Nancy Seligson, a Democrat, sustainability has been a goal since day one in office.
“We’ve wanted to be a leader in environmental initiatives for a long time,” Seligson said. “So we started looking at all projects and programs to make them more sustainable.” According to Seligson, among the major initiatives that have earned Mamaroneck the statewide distinction is a recent round of renovations to the
town’s ice rink which were contracted under the state’s energy performance contract program. “We knew we had to renovate the ice rink no matter what,” Seligson said. “Why don’t we look to make it green and make it cost less?” The program, Seligson said, GREEN continued on page 8
With the exit of Milan Bhatt, the former of executive director of Mamaroneck’s Community Resource Center—a local nonprofit providing assistance to immigrant families in the area—a shift toward new faces and a more collaborative structure will begin. While Bhatt’s decision to leave the center last month to take the helm as assistant deputy commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor left a vacancy in the center’s leadership, according to Jirandy Martinez—now coexecutive director of the local nonprofit—the vacancy could work to the group’s benefit. “We have two executive directors and a deputy director, we’ve never done that before,” Martinez said. “It’s going to make our work more collaborative.” The Community Resource Center, located on 134 Center Ave. in Mamaroneck, provides a myriad of services to primarily Hispanic and Latino immigrants navigating the job market in addition to providing social work to 3,500 adults and children in the region. According to the last available U.S. Census information from 2014, Hispanics or Latinos comprise 18 percent of the village’s population, making it an outlier amongst most other
municipalities in the Westchester County. According to Martinez, between her and her colleagues Gail Vidales and Janet Rolon— co-executive director and deputy director, respectively—all three have worked with the center before, with a collective 20 years of experience between them. This familiarity with both one another and the center, which was founded in 1998, will be a strength going forward, Martinez explained. Faces aren’t the only thing new with the center, according to Rolon. With new leadership, she told the Review, also comes new possibilities. “We need stronger advocacy for low-wage workers that are exploited,” said Rolon, who is transitioning from an administrative role to a more hands-on one in the worker’s center. To advance that goal, Rolon explained, she plans to forge better relations with leaders— both religious and governmental—across Westchester County. Despite the new dynamic, the goal of the center and its new leadership, according to Martinez, remains the same. “Our mission is still ensuring that immigrants be treated with respect,” she told the Review. “While we have new leadership, those are the things that we advocate for every day.” CONTACT: james@hometwn.com