CARMEL, NY – Over the weekend, on Saturday, February 4, Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne hosted his inaugural ‘Coffee with the County Executive’ event, a town hall forum held at the Lake Carmel Fire Department. The event provided an opportunity for residents to engage with their County Executive in a way that hadn’t been traditionally available. Also in attendance was Congressman Mike Lawler to provide an update from Washington D.C. after his first month in office.

“As elected officials, I believe it’s essential to have an open and transparent line of communication with the people we represent,” said County Executive Byrne. “I am always happy to connect with our residents and hear their thoughts and concerns.”

“I was honored to join Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne at his Coffee with the County Executive event at the Lake Carmel Fire Department,” said Congressman Lawler. “Kevin is a fantastic partner in government who will continue to model what an open and transparent county government looks like. I look forward to continuing to work with him on issues of importance to our shared constituency.”

Below zero temperatures outside did not stop Byrne from meeting with residents, nor did it dissuade the dozens of attendees from wanting to hear directly from their new County Executive. Attendees were able to ask questions and voice their opinions on a wide variety of topics, creating an open and collaborative dialogue.

In his introduction, Byrne reported on savings the county has realized during the first 30 days of his administration. In addition, he illustrated a number of proposed changes that would help save even more money, including a restructure of the County Executive’s Office staff to reduce overall cost to the taxpayers.