THE TREADWELL RECORD – LEADERSHIP, EXPERIENCE, AND RESULTS

Sandy Treadwell served as New York’s Secretary of State from 1995 to 2001, exercising leadership and delivering solid results. As head of the Department of State, New York’s oldest and most diverse agency, Sandy was responsible for more than 850 employees in 18 operating divisions, working in 15 regional offices, with an annual budget of $110 million. During his service as Secretary of State, the Department provided training, service, and support to more than 1,000 local governments, public authorities, and school and fire districts from Long Island to Buffalo. Sandy effectively managed the Department’s important responsibilities, ranging from registering corporations and issuing professional licenses to overseeing the enforcement of building codes in 57 counties and protecting New York State’s 5,000-mile shoreline. As Secretary of State, Sandy built a solid record of achievement and results:

EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT

At the Department of State, Sandy Treadwell implemented a sweeping reorganization that cut red tape and replaced bureaucratic waste with effectiveness and efficiency. Sandy’s accessible, hands-on approach ensured that the Department of State delivered superior service to the public and equipped local governments to better serve their communities.

• Overhauling Inefficient Practices: Replaced New York’s outdated, confusing and inefficient building code with the model International Building Codes used widely throughout the United States. This action cleared away inconsistencies and made the building and development process in our state simple, efficient, straightforward, and in line with the rest of the nation.
• Established and chaired the New York State Real Estate Board, which provided realtors with a long overdue voice in the regulation of their industry.
• Helping Local Governments: Created the Local Government Hotline to give government officials in New York State’s local governments immediate support in connecting with state agencies and accessing state resources.
• The Department of State’s Division of Local Government trained nearly 20,000 local government officials in 34 counties.
• Expanding Access to Government: Launched a website that served more than 2 million global visitors per year and provided around-the-clock access to forms and information, Corporation and Licensing databases, and offered homeowners instant registration for Cease and Desist Zone protections.
• Promoting Open Government: Responsible for operating the New York State Committee on Open Government, which ensures that public officials abide by open meeting and freedom of information laws.

PROTECTING CITIZENS

Government’s first responsibility is to protect citizens. As Secretary of State, Sandy Treadwell helped train first responders who serve on the front lines of public safety and utilized the oversight authority of his office to crack down on fraud.

• Training Firefighters: The Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) trained more than 15,000 firefighters every year in the state-of-the-art techniques that continue to prevent fires across our state. Under Sandy Treadwell’s leadership, New York became one of the first states in the nation to enforce enhanced training standards for firefighters, providing a tactical edge, improving performance, and preventing deaths in the line of duty.
• Combating Arson: Provided training and fire investigation assistance to local governments through the State Arson Bureau, helping with the arrest and conviction of arsonists who kill innocent people and cause millions of dollars in property losses every year.
• Fighting Fraud: Protected New Yorkers against scams and improper services by creating a free database of licensing status records for 650,000 licensees, ranging from real estate agents to cosmetologists.
• Restored public confidence in cemetery management across the state by performing financial audits and bringing corrupt, inefficient cemetery boards into compliance with the law.
• Preparing for Terrorist Attacks: Developed a comprehensive Anti-Terrorism Program through the Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) to increase local response capability and communication with State and Federal operations, provide multi-level training programs, and coordinate a statewide response in addressing emergencies involving terrorist activity.
• Protecting Students: Led the Governor’s Task Force on Campus Fire Safety in developing a comprehensive action plan to protect the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of students attending public and private colleges and universities across New York State.
  Implemented the Secretary of State’s Fire and Life Safety Education Task Force, which included state agencies, school administrators, and teachers from pre-school through college. The Task Force engaged 7,200 school officials to analyze and improve the level of safety-related education in our schools.

 THE ECONOMY

New York State’s broad range of natural beauty has no parallel. Our state is an ideal place for job creation. As Secretary of State, Sandy Treadwell helped strengthen local economies and build the infrastructure our state needs to meet the challenges of the future.

• Investing in Communities: Distributed millions of dollars to improve communities across the state through the Quality Communities and Waterfront Rediscovery programs.
• Invested tens of millions of dollars through the Division of Community Services to reduce poverty, revitalize low-income communities, and empower low-income families and individuals.
• Realized 98 Area Development projects and protected or created 4,400 jobs in New York’s Appalachian region by providing $10.9 million to fund water and sewer infrastructure, workforce training and education, business development, telecommunications, childcare, and health care efforts.
• Building Infrastructure: Distributed $50 million under the Advanced Telecommunications Project to bring modern telecommunications technology and service to economically disadvantaged areas of New York State.
• Promoting Tax Cuts: As Secretary of State, Sandy traveled throughout New York meeting with local government officials, community leaders, and homeowners aggressively promoting the STAR School Tax Relief program. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have realized average reductions of 27% percent in their school property tax bills. For countless senior citizens, school property taxes have been virtually eliminated.

SMALL BUSINESS

New York State has historically led the nation in entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. Sandy Treadwell believes that small businesses are the foundation of our economy and the driving force for job creation in local communities. As Secretary of State, Sandy focused on making it easier to start a business in New York. He cut red tape and removed bureaucratic impediments to make sure that state government helped entrepreneurs.

• Partnering with Business: Established a ‘one-stop-shop’ at the Department of State for new and existing businesses operating in New York. Helped small businesses access government resources, made it easier to understand and file corporate documents, and enabled free 24-hour searches of more than 220,000 corporations and business entities through the Department’s website.
• Improving Efficiency: Accelerated the process for incorporating a business and filing documents with the Department by implementing enhanced service options, including 2-hour same day and 24-hour registration options. Enabled Fax acceptance of filings and orders for copies or certificates under seal.

CONSERVATION

No New York State Governor since Theodore Roosevelt can claim the environmental credentials and commitment of George Pataki. As Secretary of State, Sandy Treadwell played an important role in achieving many unprecedented environmental protections, the lasting impact of which can be seen today.

• A Conservation Leader: As Secretary of State, Sandy distributed tens of millions of dollars for environmental protection and improvement to communities in every corner of the state through the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act, the Environmental Protection Fund, and the Quality Communities and Waterfront Rediscovery programs. Under Sandy’s leadership, every region of New York State received grants for projects that included water quality improvement, wetland creation, brownfield remediation, waterfront restoration and protection, and conservation awareness.
• Landmark Achievements: Assisted in implementation of the New York City Watershed Agreement, which provided fresh, clean, drinkable water to more than 8 million New Yorkers. Chaired the Watershed Partnership Council, which reviewed and assessed protection efforts of the New York City Watershed Agreement and served as a forum to resolve disputes.