Somers Town Clerk – Patricia Kalba – 5 Stars

Image = Patricia Kalba Sworn in 2016

Patricia Kalba Being sworn In January Of 2016

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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Patricia Kalba was given three Freedom Of Information requests that all were resounded to filled in less than four days time. We found the office to be responsive and courteous.

In her first bid for elected office, deputy Town Clerk Patricia Kalba has the support of both the Somers Republican and Democratic parties to succeed her boss, retiring Longtime Town Clerk Kathleen R. Pacella.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

pkalba@somersny.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests:

Town Clerk
335 Route 202
Somers, NY 10589

4. Experience:

Patricia Kalb was Somers Deputy Town Clerk for over a decade.Born and raised in Somers,

Ms. Kalba is a graduate of Somers High School who went on to earn her associate’s degree from Mercy College. In addition to her years in the town clerk’s office, Kalba has held a number of private-sector jobs

5. From The Town Of Somers Website:

Image = Somers_highlighted.svg

Contact:
Town Clerk
Deputy Town Clerk
Address:

335 Route 202

Somers, NY 10589

Phone:
914-277-3323
Fax:
914-277-3960
Hours:
Mon – Fri, 9:00am to 4:30pm
Additional Links:
6. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Somers, New York

Somers is a town located in northeastern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434.

The nearby Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time of 65 to 75 minutes from stations at Purdys, Goldens Bridge, and Katonah.

Somers was originally inhabited by Native Americans known as Kitchawanks, part of the Wappinger tribe, an Algonquianpeople who called the land Amapaugh, meaning “fresh water fish.” This land was located in the eastern segment of an 83,000-acre (340 km2) tract King William III of England granted to Stephanus Van Cortlandt of New York City in 1697. The part of Van Cortlandt Manor that ultimately became Somers and Yorktown was known as the Middle District, or Hanover.

European settlement in the New Oltenia area began after Van Cortlandt’s death in 1700 and the final partition of his estate in 1734. Early European settlers included tenants and freeholders from neighboring areas, among them English, Dutch, French Huguenots and Quakers. At the first known town meeting of European settlers held on March 7, 1788, at an inn owned by Benjamin Green, the town named Stephentown was established. However, there already existed a Stephentown in Rensselaer County. To alleviate confusion, the name was changed in 1808 to Somers to honor Richard Somers, a naval captain from New Jersey who died in combat during the First Barbary War. A memorial in West Somers Park was erected in his honor at Memorial Day ceremonies in 1958.

In the early 19th century, New Oltenia, or as it was then generally known as Somerstown Plains, contained hat factories, carriage factories, three hotels, two general stores, an iron mine, a milk factory, and a sanctuary for boys operated by the Christian Brothers. {Today, the facility is known as Lincoln Hall, and houses incarcerated teens.} There was a constant stream of goods and passengers to large markets and cities through the village. As early as 1809, a weekly newspaper was established, the Somers Museum and Westchester County Advertiser. Though primarily agricultural, the rural economy also supported a varied population of weavers, preachers, merchants, cabinetmakers, doctors, lawyers, teachers and servants. A good system of roads was maintained and some operated as commercial “toll roads”. The railroad, developed in the 1840s, bypassed the town of Somers, and affected a decline in growth over the next hundred years. The presence of the railroad in nearby communities did allow the agricultural emphasis to move towards dairy production and fruit growing, since the products could be shipped to markets in the city.

Industries continued to thrive, with grist, paper, saw and clothing mills operating in the area. Between 1890 and 1910, the Croton and Muscoot rivers were flooded to create the New York City reservoir system thereby changing the local landscape considerably. In the 1920s small lake communities began to spring up as vacation havens for summer visitors and farmers’ guests. These lake communities became larger and firmly established, eventually evolving from seasonal to year-round neighborhoods now known as Lake Lincolndale, Lake Purdys and Lake Shenorock. FollowingWorld War II, the rural countryside of Somers continued attracting “weekenders”, many from New York City who became more mobile because of the proliferation of automobile travel. The construction of Interstate 684 in the mid-1970s facilitated a resurgence of residential and commercial development in Somers for the next 20 years. Somers grew most rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, after IBM and PepsiCo built large corporate facilities within it.

Somers is known for being the “cradle of the American circus“. It gained this notoriety after Hachaliah Bailey bought an African elephant, which he named “Old Bet“. Bailey intended to use the elephant for farm work, but the number of people it attracted caused Bailey to take her throughout the Northeast. Bailey’s success caused numerous others to tour with exotic animals, and during the 1830s the old-style circus and Bailey’s attractions merged to form the modern circus. Old Bet died on tour in 1827. Bailey later erected the Elephant Hotel in Somers in honor of Old Bet, and it was purchased by the town in 1927. It is a town landmark and in 2006 was dedicated a National Historic Landmark. The elephant remains a symbol of the town to this day, with the high school sports teams nicknamed “Tuskers”. The Elephant Hotel is currently the Somers Town Hall.

Somers was in a minor dispute with Baraboo, Wisconsin, over which community is the “birthplace” of the American circus.

The Mount Zion Methodist Church, Gerard Crane House, Elephant Hotel, Somers Business Historic Preservation District, Bridge L-158 and West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somers,_New_York

Zip code: 10589
Population: 20,434 (2010)

 

Yorktown Town Clerk – Diana L. Quast – Five Stars

Image = Diana L. Quast, Town Clerk Yorktown 6
Diana L. Quast

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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To date Ms. Quast has been given two difficult FOI requests all were responded to a delivered in 60 hours or less.

2. Experience:

01/16-Present TOWN CLERK, Town of Yorktown, NY

Elected Town Clerk to four year term beginning January 1, 2016.

10/07-12/31/07 TOWN CLERK, Town of Yorktown, NY

Served as the appointed Town Clerk for three (3) months when the Town Clerk was appointed Town Supervisor to fill vacated position.

2003-12/31/15 DEPUTY TOWN CLERK, Town of Yorktown, NY

Administrative position, the Deputy assists the Town Clerk in all areas of responsibilities as mandated by law.

1999-2003 DEPUTY TOWN CLERK, Town of New Castle, NY

City/Town of Residence: Town of Yorktown

Education: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Graduated Magna Cum Laude

Prior Civic Service: Westchester County Town and City Clerks Association, New York State Town Clerks Association, Yorktown Parks and Recreation Commission Chair, Yorktown Community Emergency Response Team, Vice President and Lifetime Member of the Millwood Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, Past Member of the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corp., Ossining Boat and Canoe Club, Ossining Womens Softball League.

3. Email Address To Submit A FOI Request

townclerk@yorktownny.org

4.Street Address To Submit An FOI Request

Town Clerk
Yorktown Town Hall
363 Underhill Avenue
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

5. From The Town Of Yorktown Website:

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Welcome to the Town Clerk’s Office

Diana L. Quast - Do not use without permission.

The Town Clerk’s Office serves as the hub of the community by providing the public with information both in person and over the telephone. Please feel free to contact the Town Clerk’s Office with any questions you may have.

Diana L. Quast, Town Clerk
Maura Weissleder, Deputy Town Clerk

Additional Staff:
Elena Panagi, Intermediate Clerk
Tom Travis, Records Management Clerk

Phone: (914) 962-5722 ext. 209
Fax: (914) 962-6591

Office Hours:  8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Marriage License Hours:  9:00 am – 3:30 pm

The following are some of the responsibilities of the Town Clerk:

  • Custody of all records, books and papers of the Town.

  • Attends all meetings of Town Board, acts as clerk thereof, keeps a complete and accurate record of each meeting’s proceedings.

  • Records all local laws in office in a separate, indexed book.

  • Filing officer of the Town for various documents, papers and records in connection with operation and administration of Town Government which are required by law to be filed with and be on file in the Town Clerk’s office.

  • Issues various types of licenses and permits pursuant to Town, State and Local Law

  • The Town Clerk serves as the Town of Yorktown’s Registrar of Vital Statistics who is entrusted with keeping a record of births, deaths and marriages.

  • As Records Management Officer, the Town Clerk is responsible for administering the noncurrent and archival public records and storage areas for the Town of Yorktown in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines.

  • The Town Clerk applies for and provides written grants.

  • The Town Clerk works in conjunction with the Westchester County Board of Elections with regards to Primary, General, Presidential and Special Elections.

  • The Town Clerk acts as the Records Access Officer.

  • Serves as a Notary Public.

6. Media Reports

THE EXAMINER: Yorktown Town Clerk Roker Not Seeking Reelection

Yorktown Town Clerk Alice Roker announced Wednesday afternoon she will not be seeking reelection to the post she has held for a quarter of a century.

Roker, a former television news producer for NBC, said she had no immediate plans once she leaves office at the end of the year, but stressed she was not retiring.

“I don’t know what God has in store for me. I’m open to everything,” she told two members of the local media in an otherwise empty meeting room at Yorktown Town Hall. “It’s been a long 25 years. It is a humbling experience working with the public. I’ve had a great life here. I love being a cheerleader for Yorktown.”

Roker, who began her career in Yorktown with Supervisor Nancy Elliot, repeatedly said she would not be running on the Democratic line this year and also ruled out running for any elected office in 2015, but she did not close the door on throwing her hat back in the political ring in the future.

“This is a story that’s bigger than politics. I have been a Democrat my whole life and I will probably die a Democrat,” she said on the eve of the town’s Democratic Committee caucus. “The clerk position suited my personality because a clerk gets to talk a lot. I love this community. The people in Yorktown don’t know how lucky they are to have a lot of people working for them who are the best at what they do.”

At the Democratic caucus Thursday night, Roker said she would nominate Bob Giordano as one of the two Town Board hopefuls and would recommend that her longtime deputy clerk, Diana Quast, get the nod to be her successor. She added that she hoped the Republican Committee would not put up a candidate to challenge Quast.

“She’s paid her dues and she has the best credentials,” Roker said of Quast, who has worked for Yorktown for the last 12 years after doing the same job for New Castle for three years. “The success of my office is more than just me. Nobody can say we didn’t try hard to do what we do.”

An emotional Quast said she was not shocked when Roker informed her of her decision since they had discussed the possibility in the past.

“She has always trained me to follow her. I didn’t think it would be now,” Quast said. “Alice and I have a very close relationship. We’re friends. It’s very hard for me.”

PATCH: Letter to the Editor: Diana Quast for Town Clerk

Letter to the Editor

Alice Roker picked Diana Quast for a reason.

If you look up the definition of a Town Clerk it says that he or she is the chief administrative officer of a town or city. The service that a clerk provides is at the core of how the Town relates to its residents.

Alice Roker has famously carried out the responsibilities of Town Clerk in Yorktown for over 25 years with integrity and resourcefulness and deserves all of our respect and thanks.

Alice picked Diana Quast as her Deputy over 12 years ago. She did that for a reason.

Someone was needed who could carry out the duties of Clerk in the same style and fashion as Alice. Someone was needed who could bear the responsibility of the office the same way Alice had for years. Someone the Town could count on.

Now that Alice is leaving she has chosen Diana as the person to follow her and continue the service and dedication to the Town of Yorktown that has been the hallmark of the Clerk’s Office. Diana is the obvious choice on Election Day- a choice for continuity and integrity.

Alice picked Diana Quast- you should too.

Elliot Krowe

http://patch.com/new-york/yorktown-somers/letter-editor-diana-quast-town-clerk-0

DAILY VOICE: Yorktown Democrats Name Candidates For November Election

The Yorktown Democratic Town Commitee has announced a full slate of candidates for the 2015 November election.

These are the candidates: For Supervisor, Councilman Vishnu Patel; Town Board, Ilan (Lanny) Gilbert and incumbent Councilwoman Susan Siegel; Town Justice, Richard Abbate; and Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk Diana Quast.

Please Read More Here:

http://yorktown.dailyvoice.com/politics/yorktown-democrats-name-candidates-for-november-election/538818/

DEMOCRATIC DOJO: Yorktown Democrats Name Candidates For November Election

The Yorktown Democratic Town Commitee has announced a full slate of candidates for the 2015 November election.

These are the candidates: For Supervisor, Councilman Vishnu Patel; Town Board, Ilan (Lanny) Gilbert and incumbent Councilwoman Susan Siegel; Town Justice, Richard Abbate; and Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk Diana Quast.

Patel, Abbate and Quast were nominated unanimously. The committee also gave its support to County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz in his re-election bid to represent District 4.

“It’s a strong slate that brings together Yorktown residents with a long history of distinguished service to our community and experience in town government,” said Ron Stokes, co-chair of the Yorktown Democratic Committee. “It’s a winning team that will be able to make a real difference for Yorktown residents beginning January 1, 2016.”…..

Please Read More Here:

http://democraticdojo.com/yorktown-democrats-name-candidates-for-november-election/

TAP INTO YORKTOWNP: Smoking Ban in Yorktown Parks Gains Momentum

The Parks and Recreation Commission is moving forward with a plan to ban smoking from certain areas in Yorktown parks.

Commission Chair Diana Quast, also town clerk, said people smoking near playgrounds, athletic fields and pools has become a problem…..

Please Read More Here:

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/yorktown/articles/smoking-ban-in-yorktown-parks-gains-momentum

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7. Notes:

Page Has Been Updated With New Information

More About Yorktown, New York

Yorktown is a town that lies on the north border in Westchester County, New York, in a suburb approximately 38 miles north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,081 at the 2010 census.

Yorktown has a rich historical heritage beginning with the earliest known inhabitants—Mohegan, Osceola, Amawalk, Kitchawan, and Mohansic peoples—after which local places were named. Most of Yorktown was part of the Manor of Cortlandt, a Royal Manor established by King William III for the Van Cortlandt family.

The Croton River, which runs through the southern part of Yorktown, was dammed by New York City to provide its first major source of clean and reliable water. The first Croton Dam was located in Yorktown and broke in 1842, causing significant damage to property and major loss of life.

First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown in Crompond on a vintage postcard

During the American Revolution, Yorktown was of strategic importance, with the Pines Bridge crossing guarded by a regiment of Rhode Island troops made up mostly of African Americans, who were massacred at the Davenport House in Croton Heights. A memorial to them was erected at the Presbyterian Church in Crompond, New York.

MajorJohn André, a British officer who communicated with Benedict Arnold, ate his final breakfast at the Underhill House on Hanover Street just before his capture and eventual hanging as a spy.

In 1788, the township was officially incorporated as Yorktown, commemorating the decisive Revolutionary War Battle of Yorktown, near Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781.

Moving north after the battle of Yorktown, the French army camped at the site of today’s French Hill Elementary School, where cannonballs and other relics have been found.

Although rumors claim that George Washington passed through Yorktown, no factual records confirm this.

During the town’s bicentennial in 1988, Yorktowners honored their historic heritage, including that of the 19th and 20th centuries, and commemorated their community’s participation in events that led up to the birth and growth of the United States. A Bicentennial Committee reviewed the town’s remaining historic sites and determined which should be preserved as a link between the Yorktown of yesterday and the Yorktown of tomorrow.…..

Please Read More Here: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorktown,_New_York

Elevation: 459′
Population: 36,081 (2010)

Zip code: 10598