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There are just some people that always seem to be able to keep all the "balls in the air" without dropping any. Legislative Action Day was one of those days when so much could go wrong but didn't. To the contrary, everything just seemed to click. The Assessors that participated in this years activities made sure that I knew it too! From a personal perspective, I had the chance to make several observations, a few of which are worth sharing: first, the Legislators and their staffs' were well versed in what was on our minds. It was apparent, by the questions they asked, that they had done their homework. Beyond an increase in the number of favorable legislation swinging our way in recent years, I think the level of questions that we were "hit" with this year underscores our success in pursuing a "full court press" on Legislative Action Day (LAD) over the past few years. Secondly, I was in awe of how well informed our members were on the issues. Certainly a lot of this can be attributed to Sue Otis and her "Legislation 101 Class" the night before; just as awesome, and not to take anything away from Sue, one must bear in mind that there was a good number of well informed Assessors that came into town the morning of LAD without the benefit of Sue's tutelage. Thank you to all that participated! There are still some Assessors that questions the effectiveness LAD. To those Assessors, I will simply point them to Assembly Bill 393. This bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, requires the Assessor be served with a Small Claims Assessment Review petition. This is one of our four Legislative Agenda items for 2006. It has just been passed by the Assembly, six days after LAD! A second item off our Legislative Agenda, a bill that would reinstate triennial aid, has landed sponsors in the Assembly, thanks to Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski (A9757), and in the Senate, compliments of Senator Thomas Morahan (S6597). And finally, but certainly not the least of my observations, I probably should be used to how well Tom and Pat Frey juggle the logistics that goes into pulling off something as successful as LAD, but I'm not -- I continue to be impressed with their dedication and organizational skills! They serve our Association so well . . . Thank you Tom, Pat and Sue!
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