Old Westbury, N.Y. - The Nassau County Planning Federation will host its first county-wide program entitled, "Learning and Leading Together," on the evening of October 13th, 2004 at the de Seversky Conference Center on the campus of the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury.

All of Nassau's local, village and Town officials have been invited and more than 150 are expected to attend. The program will feature four workshops on land use planning and zoning, SEQRA review, housing, and sit plan review. The Honorable Jon Kaiman, Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, Hon. John Venditto, Supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay and a representative from Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray's office, will be in attendance.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Nassau County Executive, Thomas R. Suozzi and the keynote speaker will be Congressman Maurice Hinchey. Congressman Hinchey was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1992 after serving 18 years in the New York State Assembly, 14 as Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Conservation. From January 1993 through December 1998, he was a member of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services and the House Committee on Natural Resources. He was then elected by his colleagues to the House Appropriations Committee and serves on its subcommittees on Agriculture and the Interior.

The Planning Federation was formally established in May of this year. It is a voluntary membership organization open to all elected or appointed municipal officials, attorneys' planning boards and commissions, and other local governmental agencies.

"The response to the Federation's goals has been terrific," said County Executive Suozzi. "There is recognition among almost all of our local government leaders that only by working together will we solve the problems of protecting our suburban quality of life," added Suozzi.

"The mission of the Planning Federation is to assist the County's local governments in the development and implementation of sound and effective planning policies through training programs and the sharing of information," said Federation Director, Hon. May W. Newburger.