Chairman Delfino called the meeting to order at 9:08 A.M. 5 individuals were asked in to be interviewed by the committee to confirm their appointment, by the County Executive, two to the Women’s Advisory Board (WAB), and three to the Domestic Violence Council (DVC). At the start of each individuals interview Chairman Delfino explained the process. The County Executive appoints the members of the WAB and DVC and by charter the Committee on County Officers and Departments (COD) must confirm the appointment. The resolution then must go before the full board of Legislators at the next board meeting, and is approved based on the recommendation of the COD committee.

The two main questions asked of each individual were, how did they get involved with the WAB / DVC, and what would their contributions be.

The first interviewee was Elizabeth Wurster. She explained that a friend of hers, Regina Pockl, asked if she would be interested in being a member. She retired as Financial Administrator of Information Systems in 1995. She is very interested in doing community service. She has been in the County for twenty-seven years. She is very familiar with the County , the budget process, the need for a long term plan, and fund raising.

Legislator Swanson motioned to approve Elizabeth Wurster as a member of the Women’s Advisory Board, and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0.

Marie Rossi was on the honorary committee of Avon Hall of Fame. There was a network that reached out to qualify women and interface with issues and concerns. She has a genuine concern about what goes on in her community. She is waiting to see a mission statement of the organization to see where she can best contribute. She has experience in marketing & communication, training & development, fund raising and meeting planning. She feels you get a lot from your community, you have a responsibility to give back.

Legislator Swanson motioned to approve Marie T. Rossi as a member of the Women’s Advisory Board, and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0.

Robert Chase was nominated to be a member of the DVC by Commissioner Pozzi based on his experience in family court and with domestic violence.

Chairman Delfino asked what the goal of the committee is.

Mr. Chase’s response was, to clarify and identify systems of how Westchester is responding to victims. They make presentations, then break down into sub-committees, then the sub-committees process and generate reports on how to improve the systems to help the victims. They have a model that was used in San Diego that they are following. There will also be staff from San Diego coming to train them.

Chairman Delfino asked if there is a trend among the types of people who are batterers.

Robert Chase stated that all men are potential batterers.

Legislator Spreckman motioned to approve Robert Chase’s appointment as a member of the Domestic Violence Council and was seconded by Legislator Swanson. The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0.

Chairman Delfino asked Charlotte Watson what direction she sees the DVC going in.

Charlotte Watson responded that domestic violence is a pattern of behavior, one person controlling and dominating another. There is a weakness in the system and she is not impressed with the direction of the council. The idea is to get people together to discuss how to correct the problems. The council just seems to be studying and studying the systems. This group is duplicating efforts of other groups. The purpose is not clear enough. There are major problems they need to work out and she does not have time to go to meetings and side step issues. She has been doing this work for 21 years. She feels the judges are not coming consistently, the council mandates that the judges be there so that they can collaborate to solve problems. She feels they should not be breaking down into sub-committees, studying and making reports, they have to communicate with each other to get a purpose. She believes she is seen as a trouble maker in the DVC. She does not know what to do. She questioned if maybe she should talk to the County Executive, since he made the appointments.

Chairman Delfino agreed that talking to Mr. O’Rourke would be a good idea. He also asked if there is any educational training that can be done.

Charlotte Watson explained that educational training can make a difference. Train the teachers, school may be the only safe place for some kids. There are also follow up services for the kids. There is also training for the responding systems but there is no accountability, they come sit through it and that is it.

Legislator Spreckman suggested that she speak with Legislator Bronz and Legislator Noto, since they laid the ground work, they could explain what they wanted to come out of this committee, get specific ideas and answers to questions.

Charlotte Watson will follow up with the COD committee after she speaks with Mr. O’Rourke.

Legislator Swanson motioned to approve Charlotte Watson as a member of the Domestic Violence Council and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0.

Frances Wills, Ph.D feels Westchester County is doing the most of any area she has heard of with Domestic Violence. She explained that it is a social learning process, and a problem at every socioeconomic level. There are training programs that teach children to respect each other, to listen and deal with one another equally. It is part of the regular school curriculum. It does not single out gender but teaches how to relate to each other in a non violent way. She feels the committee is slow moving, there are many groups, they explore all different areas, and have sub-committees that concentrate on specific areas. She is however very impressed with the Judiciary, probation and parole who are very active.

Legislator Swanson motioned to approve Frances Wills, Ph.D’s appointment as a member of the Domestic Violence Council and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0.

Legislator Swanson motioned to approve the minutes of December 16, 1996 and January 13, 1997, and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was approved by a vote of 3-0.

There being no further items for discussion, on motion of Legislator Swanson, seconded by Legislator Spreckman the meeting was adjourned at 10:25 A.M.