Congressman George Latimer, whose New York 16th Congressional District includes parts of Westchester and the Bronx, is adapting to Washington a practice he used extensively while serving as Westchester County Executive: citizen involvement in government. During a news conference held at the Westchester County Center on Dec. 1, Latimer announced that he has formed seven citizen task forces to help detect and define issues and seek solutions in key areas.
Each of the seven task forces will concentrate on a specific area. They are: energy and environment; infrastructure; intergovernmental matters; veterans affairs; foreign policy and military affairs; jobs and the economy; social services.
More than 50 people have volunteered to serve on the various task forces. Each volunteer lives or works in the 16th Congressional District. Committee chairs were selected because they have expertise in the respective subjects. The task forces will be charged with making recommendations to Latimer and his staff on legislation, funding, and administration policies that can benefit the residents of the 16th CD.
“We are fortunate here in Westchester and the Bronx to have many talented and engaged people whose knowledge and expertise can benefit all our communities,” Latimer said. “We have assembled seven working groups with diverse professional backgrounds, and we are going to give them a chance to be part of how the sausage gets made in Washington.”
Latimer said that the citizen task forces may very well help change the way people think of Washington and their ability to influence what happens there.
“When people think of Washington, they think of a concept in a faraway place that is out of reach and out of touch with everyday Americans,” Latimer said. “I have always sought community involvement and spend every day not in Washington meeting with residents in Westchester and the Bronx.”
