Advocacy Committee (& Government Relations), 2015-16

The purpose of the Advocacy Committee is to bring the voice of Kendal residents to Federal, State, County and local government on issues which could impact the programmatic and/or financial health of Kendal on Hudson and to promote dialogue with elected officials on the strengths and virtues of Continuing Care Communities for enhancing our quality of life as we age.  Toward these ends, efforts are made to maintain close and ongoing communication with such officials.  There have been and will continue to be times when Leading Age, the parent body for CCRCs will ask us to alert and inform residents on issues important to that body and so to us.

Work on Project Renew will soon come to an end. Therefore, our focus will be getting to hear from, meet with and so strengthen our connections to State Senator Terence Murphy and Assemblyman Thomas Abinante as well as our County Executive Rob Astorino.  Once the State Budget is agreed upon in mid to late spring, those programs which matter to Kendal will begin to be discussed and the better we have carried our messages to our representatives in the state, the more likely they will be to understand and therefore support us where it matters: in the state legislature.  We hope to gain support for a bill now being prepared by Leading Age, labeled the CCRC Revitalization Act. 

Jim Wood has just obtained an acceptance by Senator Murphy to speak here the evening of Monday, February 22nd.  The full committee is Harold Adel, Bridget Cooke, Peter J. Davies, Phyllis Davies, Muriel Fox, Fran Keegan, Tom Kramer, Bob Sanders, Jim Wood, and Sue Phillips, chair.  The Committee will jointly plan the event with the Education Committee.

We will also continue to foster other connections in the Legislature.