Westchester Women Leaders Stress Import of Volunteer Work

by Julia Steinmetz

(November 20, 2007) Three of Westchester’s most prominent elected officials discussed their entries into public service and the importance of volunteer work at a panel sponsored by the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound. New York Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, New York Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore spoke at the Junior League’s annual membership meeting, which was free and open to the public at Bonnie Briar Country Club on November 13.

(L-R): Karen Regan, JLWOS president, State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, & Sara Kandler, JLWOS Public Affairs chair

Senator Oppenheimer’s first elected position was as mayor of Mamaroneck, an office she said she never expected to win running as a Democrat in what was then a Republican village. The secret of her success, she reported, was her many connections to the community forged while she was PTA president and the many friends and contacts she made while setting up the first after-school clubs in the area. After winning four elections and serving eight years as mayor, she ran for State Senate and is now in her 21st year in that seat.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin entered public life after her involvement with and leadership in the League of Women Voters and on the Village Board in Scarsdale. Along with dance and mathematics, politics and the life of the community around her have been abiding passions since she started high school, she said. In her eight years in the Assembly, she has worked hard, and often with success, to pass bills on issues such as domestic violence, divorce reform, and child support.

Like the other two speakers, District Attorney Janet DiFiore entered public service after working with local volunteer organizations. In her case, she was a member of the Junior League of Bronxville, which she credits with having fostered her approach to her current position in its collaborative and cooperative efforts with other elected officials and police departments. She stressed that a local prosecutor holds an extremely important position that affects the quality of life of everyone in the community. Her advice to the many mothers at the event was to maintain ties to their profession or to a volunteer organization that interests them during the time they may spend at home with their children. Maintaining interests and connections, difficult as it may be at times, will make the transition to life beyond children that much easier when the time comes.

After the panelists had made their presentations, there was a question and answer session with more questions than time to answer them all. Audience members asked questions on topics ranging from most challenging career moment to working with children to goals in the community.

Julia Steinmetz is a member of the JLWOS Public Affairs Committee. The Junior League is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism; its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. For information about joining, contact Amanda Schlumberger at 833-2119.

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