Suozzi Praises Village of Westbury as a Model For a New Suburbia  

For immediate release:  May 17, 2005

(WESTBURY, N.Y.) – As part of his vision for a New Suburbia, County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi was joined by Deputy County Executive for Economic Development Patrick Duggan to commend Mayor Ernest J. Strada and the Village of Westbury for their revitalization efforts in downtown Westbury. “Mayor Strada has led the village in a remarkable renaissance that is a model for New Suburbia,” stated County Executive Suozzi. Also present was Nassau County Legislature Roger Corbin, Town of North Hempstead Councilman Robert Troiano, Westbury Planning Board Chairman Steven Corte and Westbury Village Clerk Tom Savino. 

“We want to show residents, and our representatives in Washington, that the $17.5 million in Community Development Block Grants that Nassau County receives annually, is key to facilitating revitalization projects in downtowns both economically and aesthetically”, said Suozzi.  Addressing the President’s desire to completely eliminate the grant program, the County Executive made clear his support for the CDBG program, “It is important to Nassau County and its numerous towns and villages that funding for the CDBG program remains strong.”

“County Executive Suozzi has been extremely instrumental in the success of our Downtown Revitalization Program. The commitment of Tom Suozzi and his vision, along with Nassau County’s allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds have been vital and a major element in the success of the program”, said Mayor Strada.  Mayor Strada also acknowledged the potential cuts to the program, “The threat of a reduction of these funds or discontinuance of the funding by the Federal Government will be a major blow to not just the Village of Westbury, but to many local municipalities who are struggling in a fragile economy”.  

Nassau County OHIA administers Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds for most municipalities located in Nassau County. CDBG funds are used for economic development, public services, public improvements and housing rehabilitation projects in communities throughout the United States. This year, Nassau County has received $17.5 million in CDBG funds from HUD, a reduction of nearly $1 million from 2004.  The program has recently come under attack from the President and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), citing a lack of performance measures being collected by local administrators of the program.