The meeting was called to order at 3:43 pm.

Legislator Spreckman made a motion to approve the minutes of November 2, 1998 and was seconded by Legislator Pinto. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

There was an open discussion where Mr. Spano, Mr. Rogers and Dr. Jacknis explained the reasoning behind this Act.

The County Clerk is responsible for various duties in relation to the Records Management and Archives Program, which include establishing a process for the retention of records transferred to the County Records Center; developing standards for classifying, indexing, and filing records; examining records to determine the most suitable method to maintain them as archival records; establishing and maintaining a repository for storage of archival records; and providing information services to other County Offices.

Due to the increasing use of computer technology to store, maintain, and retrieve records, it is no longer practical to store records in paper format. It is prudent to transfer these duties to the CIO to facilitate the storage and maintenance of County records in digitized format.

The County Clerk has agreed that this measure is appropriate. The fourteen employees at the Archives will stay there, under Dr. Jacknis.

The Committee agreed that they want to sign this Act out in conjunction with the proposed Legislation, that is in the Legislation Committee, which if adopted would transfer to the County Clerk certain ministerial duties currently performed by the County Sealer in connection with certain Westchester County licensing laws.

The two employees that handle this will fall under the supervision of the County Clerk.

Ms. Delgado, a resident of White Plains, is an immigration attorney in practice with her husband. She has attended one meeting. Three issues that are important to her are: Cross culture training, especially with the police department. Hispanics do not understand the culture in the United States. There are a lot of things that are accepted in Central America that are not accepted here. Ms. Delgado also feels there should be a Citizen’s Committee Liaison in all the cities and towns. This way the citizens in each town could go to their liaison to express their concerns and then the Hispanic Advisory Board could meet with the different liaisons. In addition Ms. Delgado would like to see the Hispanics become more visible, to have more celebrations. There is currently only one celebration per year.

Legislator Spreckman made a motion to approve the resolution confirming the appointment of Anita Delgado as a member of the Hispanic Advisory Board and was seconded by Legislator Pinto. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

Mr. Rivera has attended meetings. He stated that there are a lot of cross-cultural needs. There needs to be an understanding and knowledge. The faster they help the Hispanic community to acclimate, not assimilate, the better off they will be. They need more consistency and stability, including the power of the vote. Mr. Rivera is also on the Youth Board, so he looks at the youth population as well as the adult population.

Legislator Spreckman made a motion to approve the resolution confirming the appointment of John Rivera as a member of the Hispanic Advisory Board and was seconded by Legislator Young. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

Mr. Molina a resident of Mt. Vernon, is the District Representative and Senior CaseWorker for Congressman Eliot Engel. He is the liaison to the Hispanic constituency and agencies with in the Congressional District. In addition Mr. Molina teaches English as a second language, and cultural integration. He also gives immigration counseling for students. Mr. Molina feels they need more time devoted to the Board. Meeting once a month is not enough.

Legislator Young made a motion to approve the resolution confirming the appointment of Armondo Molina as a member of the Hispanic Advisory Board and was seconded by Legislator Stewart-Cousins. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

Legislator Oros made a motion to recess at 4:34 p.m., until the next interviewee arrived, and was seconded by Legislator Pinto. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

Legislator Pinto made a motion to reconvene at 4:55 p.m. and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

Ms. Lopez has attended one meeting; she was out of the Country at the time of the other meeting. Her goals for the Hispanic Advisory Board are to try and help the Hispanic community incorporate into the mainstream of life, and to be a part of Westchester. She feels there is a lot of work to be done with the tensions that occur with immigration.

Legislator Stewart-Cousins made a motion to approve the resolution confirming the appointment of Martha Lopez as a member of the Hispanic Advisory Board, and was seconded by Legislator Spreckman. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.

Legislator Stewart-Cousins made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:05 p.m. and was seconded by Legislator Oros. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0.