Maturo Joins Elected Officials in Discussions at White House

Orangetown Councilman Michael Maturo joined a group of 150 young elected officials from all over the United States for a briefing and reception at the White House Friday, June 17.

Clarkstown Councilwoman Stephanie Houser was also part of the group which met with Chairman of Economic Advisors Austan Goolsbee, Deputy Assistant on Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal, Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Deputy Senior Advisor Stephanie Cutter, who focused on President Barack Obama's agenda.

"Beyond having tough questions asked and answered, perhaps what was most valuable are the relationships formed with leeaders in the administration, especially in the intergovernmental affairs office, so that we on the local level can build a stronger dialogue with the federal level," Maturo said. "This type of connection is increasingly valuable as we face – and overcome – life’s modern and dynamic challenges.”

President Obama addressed the group during a brief reception in the East Wing of the White House after the briefing.

“The President was surprisingly colloquial, giving young electeds credit for realizing that politics is ‘not to be somebody, but to do some thing,’" Maturo said. "I’ll remember his encouraging words and those moments forever.  And yes, we did shake hands.”

Among the topics both Cutter and Goolsbee discussed were education.

"I was encouraged to hear repeated the core belief that high-quality, innovative education is key to our country’s future success," Maturo said. "Despite a system that needs a lot of work to address the modern digital age, I’m confident that the administration is dedicated to solving it without breaking the bank.”

Chopra focused his points on national digital infrastructure.

“Mr. Chopra’s enthusiasm for technology in America was clear – the cheers in the crowd reflected that," Maturo said. "His message was equally clear: we must democratize digital data, just as America has led the way in the freedom of ideas, so that our nation’s entrepreneurs can find new ways to use the data to solve our problems and provide new opportunities.”