May 2000

Taxation without representation was tyranny, but it was a lot cheaper. ­ Henny Youngman ... and I'm outta here. ­ Alan E. Weiner

By Alan E. Weiner, CPA

I expire, presidentially speaking, on May 31, 2000. In my life, presidentially speaking, I have penned 12,658 words in 12 monthly columns, including this one; I have sent/received 4,230 e-mails; I have charged (nonbillable, of course) 941 hours (between June 1, 1999, and April 15, 2000) on behalf of the NYSSCPA; and I have received much gratification from leading the Society into the naughts.

No person succeeds without the help of others. There is my wife, Susan, of 35 years (plus six more as my childhood sweetie) who bought into my accepting the presidential nod and has been with me at every Society function, including our upcoming excursion from Long Island to San Juan (for the AICPA Council meeting) to Buffalo (to celebrate the chapter's 75th anniversary) to Long Island. Sue also served as a lifeline for my February column, when I was at a loss for words, by serving as my co-author. There is my ever reliable executive assistant of 22 years, Helen Katona, who is the alchemist of my penmanship, turning it into gold originally via typewriter (remember that?) and now via Word. There are my partners and our staff, all of whom pitched in to make the presidential year flow smoothly for our practice. There is the Society staff. Editorial policy prohibits me from naming names (the only time I'm censored), and so I only can thank them en masse. They each have distinct responsibilities and they know how important it is to organize whatever the president must review so as to keep the process flowing. How difficult it must be for these full-time Society staffers to deal with a different president (with a different personality, needs, objectives, and peculiarities) every year. Thank you Operations; Marketing, Public Relations, and The Trusted Professional; Conferences and Education; Chapter Relations and Activities; and Counsel and Government Affairs. There is the Society's Executive Committee (EC), nine members selected by me from among the Society's 36-member board of directors. I am appreciative of the EC's input, cohesiveness, intelligence, and dedication in attending the meetings, participating in the conference calls, and taking on special assignments.

So what hath Weiner wrought? He "wrought," in alphabetical order:

1. 800 # ­ The Society now has a vanity (also see "license plate" below) telephone number--the easy-to-remember 1-800-NYSSCPA.

2. Big Nine conference calls with the presidents of the nine largest state societies to discuss items of common interest and issues of importance to the accounting profession.

3. Changed luca.com into nysscpa.org, an address more meaningful to our members and the public.

4. Chapter president conference calls with our 11 heads-of-state to maintain the flow of communication to the chapters from the Society and vice versa.

5. Comment approval process memorialized for committees desiring or requested to issue comments and opinions in the Society's name.

6. Condolence letters sent to families of deceased members.

7. Continued forging a relationship with the New York State Bar Association by way of meetings and other communications with its president.

8. Contract of our executive director, Lou Grumet, renewed for three years.

9. Fiscal year reform was and is a major thrust of this Society. We continue to hope that the AICPA will take affirmative action on behalf of its members.

10. Flu shots offered at no charge to Society employees.

11. Hall of Fame created for New York state certified public accountants who are or were Society members and who have or had an outstanding effect on the CPA profession.

12. Henny Youngman one-liners (Henny's forte) about taxes were a staple of this column throughout its 12 months. As Milton Berle has been fond of saying, "If you can't write it, steal it."

13. License plate authorized by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles solely for New York CPAs licensed by the State Education Department.

14. Lunch with Lou program to enable Executive Director Lou Grumet to meet with the managing partners of major independent and Big Five firms outside of Manhattan.

15. Meeting with all Society committee chairs was a one-time get-together to enable the chairs to meet with Society personnel who would be assisting them throughout 1999­2000 and to address questions and offer suggestions to the chairs.

16. Multidisciplinary Practice Team was created to determine what position, if any, the Society should take with regard to multidisciplinary practices of certified public accountants and other professions.

17. Where's Weiner, an idea conceived in the interest of having our members read The Trusted Professional in the busiest time of the year so that they, at all times, would be up to date with Society and profession news.

Other presidential activities included visiting all 11 chapters (and getting to know the U.S. Airways pilots by first name); lobbying in Albany and New York City for the passage of legislation to reform New York state's accountancy statute; conducting newspaper interviews and TV appearances; and writing hundreds of letters in response to members,' and others,' comments and requests.

So, what's ahead? First and foremost, as I submit this, my final column, at April's end, I look forward to a most happy family event--the marriage of my daughter Robin to her Prince Charming Barry. It's the perfect ending to a great 12 months.

Then there will be (actually, "was" by the time you read this, assuming that you've stuck with me this far) the Executive Committee meeting (May 3); the Nassau Chapter Installation Dinner (May 5); the Annual Election Meeting and Dinner (May 9); the CPAs' Finance, Business, & Technology Show & Conference (May 10­12); the AICPA Council Meeting (May 21­23); the Buffalo Chapter Diamond Jubilee (May 24); and Termination Day (May 31).

Thank you for the opportunity to be your president. It was a wonderful, nonaggravating experience.

My name is Alan Weiner. Any questions? (If so, ask soon-to-be President P. Gerard Sokolski). *

president@nysscpa.org