PAC Board Approves Bylaws and Policies

September 1999

PAC Board Approves Bylaws and Policies

At its organizational meeting on August 17, the NYSSCPA political action committee's initial incorporators approved a board of trustees, which then adopted bylaws, elected officers, and endorsed an interim disbursement policy.

The Society's board of directors approved the formation of NYSSCPA PAC, Inc. earlier this year to help increase the Society's legislative presence and make contributions to state politicians.

The organizational meeting, held as part of the
NYSSCPA Leadership Forum and chaired by Society President Alan E. Weiner, began with a presentation of state PAC laws by attorney Kelly Lamendola of Plunkett & Jaffee PC, the PAC's legal counsel.

Following this session, the PAC's initial incorporators (Weiner; P. Gerard Sokolski, Society president-elect; and George T. Foundotos, immediate past president) unanimously approved the inaugural board of trustees, which represents a geographical and professional cross-section of the Society. In addition to Foundotos, Sokolski, and Weiner, who will serve as ex-officio, voting members, trustees include chapter members Philip Kadet (Buffalo), James Mushett (Mid-Hudson), Michael Borsuk (Nassau), Kevin McCoy (Northeast), Ellen Williams (Rochester), Daniel Ballard (Southern Tier), Edward Esposito (Staten Island), Stanley Heller (Suffolk), Robert Fagliarone (Syracuse), Michael Fitzgerald (Utica), and Theodore Peluso (Westchester); as well at large members Mark Imowitz and Steven Langowski. NYSSCPA Executive Director Louis Grumet will serve as the PAC's executive director.

Under the bylaws, with the exception of ex-officio members, each trustee may serve up to two three-year terms. The board elected Fagliarone as president, Langowski as vice president, Borsuk as secretary, and Grumet as treasurer.

"I am very proud and honored to be chosen by my colleagues to be the first president of the NYSSCPA PAC," Fagliarone said. "This PAC will allow the Society to promote our issues and agenda in a more organized way. While campaign contributions may be the rationale for forming a PAC, its success or failure will ultimately be based on how much time and effort we put in as a team. The success of the CPA PAC in the future depends on every member of the Society. I encourage and urge all members to contribute to it annually."

The meeting concluded with the approval of an interim disbursement policy to allow the executive director to make some initial contributions to key politicians and political committees to demonstrate that the CPA PAC is now operational. Since not all of the trustees could attend the meeting, the board postponed approval of a formal disbursement policy until its next meeting, when the full board will have the opportunity to discuss the proposed policy. *