During the 2023 Legislative Session, Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) as ranker on the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, led a bipartisan coalition to stop Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed cuts to critical funding for local libraries across New York State. Now, Slater was able to deliver an additional $20,000 to two local libraries in the Hudson Valley. Both the Brewster and Mahopac libraries were awarded an additional $20,000 in bullet aid that Slater was able to secure that will be used towards upgrades and new development projects.

Slater joined Brewster Public Library and Mahopac Library on Thursday, Dec. 21 and presented them both with $20,000 in bullet aid. Both libraries have served as a pillar for the Hudson Valley community, serving in more than just the traditional sense. They have provided endless resources from job training to modern day youth programming and teaching seniors how to use 21st Century technology.

“It’s institutions like this that provide so many services in our communities, and I’m very proud to help support them in a multitude of ways. With the 2024 Legislative Session starting this week, I’m going to continue to work with all of our public libraries to make sure they continue to be accessible for all of our residents here in the Hudson Valley,” said Slater.

“We are so appreciative of these funds, and we thank Assemblyman Slater so much. We are finally able to use the funds towards upgrading our technology and computers throughout the library,” said Brewster Public Library Director Gina Loprinzo.

“$20,000 is going to go a long way in helping the residents of the Brewster Southeast districts, with the purchasing of new computers, equipment and upgrading, in times of cuts on the state level, it’s amazing to see an increase this year and we’re hopeful that the assemblyman will continue fighting for our libraries,” said Brewster Public Library VP, Peter Carey.

“We want to thank Assemblyman Slater for his amazing efforts and with this funding we will be able to make much-needed upgrades such as purchasing an internal server to protect our data from data breaching and allow there to be backups so we don’t lose any of our data,” said Mahopac Library Director Michelle Capozzella.

“It’s so great to see Assemblyman Slater contributing and helping us out. This contribution to our community is amazing, and all of the residents in our district appreciate his help. We thank him for standing up and doing this for us,” said Mahopac Library President Frank Del Campo.