| DE LUCA CONFIRMED AS NEW MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSIONER The Legislature unanimously (11 present) confirmed Robert De Luca for the position of Mental Health Commissioner. De Luca was appointed interim Commissioner last June when Anthony "Bart" DeLuca (no relation) retired from the position. De Luca was selected from among 16 applicants by a search committee consisting of County officials, mental health staff and agency directors, and representatives of the Community Mental Health Services Board. De Luca is an Ithaca resident. He attended SUNY Binghamton for a bachelor's degree in sociology, followed by a masters' degree in social work from Marywood College in Scranton, PA. He was hired as Tompkins County's Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health in July 2001, and before that held a management position at the Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier, in Binghamton. Previously, he was a community mental health planner for Tioga County, a clinical social worker, and counselor. De Luca was the recipient of the New York State Mental Health Association's year 2000 Esther Mallach Staff Leadership Award. Contacts: Steve Whicher, County Administrator, 274-5551; Robert De Luca, Commissioner of Mental Health, 274-6300. LEGISLATURE APPROVES AUTHORIZATION TO BOND FOR PROJECTS The Legislature agreed to authorize the issuance of bonds in amounts up to $525,000 for highway machinery, $2.5 million for an energy efficiency contract; and $16 million for the Public Safety Communications System. Finance Director David Squires asked for the authorizations in order to have the greatest flexibility in going to the bond market to borrow at advantageous interest rates, once the projects are approved. The authorizations were approved in separate resolutions by unanimous vote (11 present) except for the highway machinery authorization, which Kathy Luz Herrera opposed. Squires also reported that he will be re-financing $6.5 million in short-term debt on March 11. Interest rates for municipal bonds are climbing, Squires noted, from very low rates of just over 1 percent a year ago. Contact: David Squires, Finance Director, 274-5545. |