Reach Out America, celebrating its 20th year as a Great Neck organization that promotes participatory democracy through education and advocacy, holds monthly from  fall until spring.

This season the roster highlighted speakers with environmental expertise. In May it hosted a leader who has a long history of service to this community and now to the whole state, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Speaking to a large audience at Great Neck House, DiNapoli recognized the challenges we face but was upbeat in his assessment of New York State’s overall fiscal health. He reported that unemployment has decreased, sales tax receipts are strong, and inflation is on the decline.

Thanks to recommendations from his office, the state’s rainy-day reserve funds have been increased, providing a cushion for unpredictable events. The reserve fund now stands at $6.3 billion.

He is especially proud that New York’s Common Retirement Fund is one of the best-funded in the nation.

His office is responsible for investing in the fund, and he explained that the positions taken are conservative ones, protected from dramatic stock market ups and downs. The fiscal year ending September 2023 saw the estimated value of the fund at $246.3 billion. 

While the comptroller’s office goes after unearthing fraud and public corruption, having recovered over $85 million since the initiative began in 2010, DiNapoli is committed to assisting state agencies, public authorities and local governments in setting up controls to prevent waste and fraud as well as improving efficiency and effectiveness.

DiNapoli is also supportive of communities that are taking steps to address climate change by planning projects that protect localities from dangers such as increased flooding and storm damage. While this is an expensive capital expenditure for local governments, it is an important investment for the future.

The reports generated by his office cover a broad range of concerns, from the attention being directed toward improving the quality of life for vulnerable people to analyzing cyberattacks with recommendations for steps to safeguard against the threats of data breaches, identity thefts, and the growing ransomware attacks that threaten governmental agencies, as well as corporations and small businesses. 

One of DiNapoli’s job perks is traversing upstate and downstate, talking with New Yorkers, and visiting villages, towns, and cities from the majestic mountains of the Catskills and Adirondacks to the Atlantic Ocean’s beaches.

He said he also takes great pleasure in hearing that constituents have discovered money due them in “Unclaimed Funds.” In 2024, $214,693,436 has been returned to New Yorkers.

Go to the state comptroller’s website to search; it’s very easy to navigate.

ROA  resident Patty Katz said, “More elected officials should have the generosity of spirit, knowledge and true desire to serve the people as Tom DiNapoli. He has the back of every New Yorker, so we can rest easier knowing that our state’s finances are in very good hands.”