Independently and in collaboration with local governments, business and not-for-  profits across the Hudson Valley, CRREO: conducts independent research on topics of regional interest; brings visibility and focus to these matters; fosters communities working together to better serve the citizenry; and seeks to advance the public interest in our region.

Current Studies:

• Regional Well-Being:

This U.S. Department of Education funded grant project is focused on developing measures of the Mid-Hudson Valley communities' social, economic, and environmental character that are broadly accepted and allow the tracking of change over time. The research team includes members of the CRREO staff, SUNY New Paltz faculty and students, and community leaders. Community leaders have been recruited from among business persons, professional practitioners, environmentalists, economic developers, local governmental officials and educators. In a series of focused meetings, our research team has considered existing related work and articulated community values. We are in the process of deciding upon what will be measured, how we will measure it, and how results will be presented. As part of this research we will be working with faculty in the development of related teaching materials for use in courses and guiding students in project-related work. Lastly, we will be producing publications that will be prepared for distribution to local government decision makers: county executives, county legislators, mayors, city councils, town, village and school board members.

• Ulster County Intergovernmental Collaboration Study:

This study is funded by Ulster County, and is the largest of its type in New York State.  It seeks to identify areas where cost savings and efficiencies can be achieved through collaboration amongst municipalities in Ulster County.  It focuses on three major area's: Transportation, Economic Development and the Justice Courts.

• Regional County Jails Collaboration Study:

As a result of the preliminary work done by CRREO and published in our second discussion brief, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan Counties applied for and received a High Priority Planning Grant from The New York Department of State to study the potential for collaboration amongst the county jails in the Hudson Valley region.

 

Other Achievements:

Dr. Benjamin was appointed by the governor as a member of the NYS Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness.

In collaboration with the NYS Department of State, Dr. Benjamin wrote papers with Rachel John for the SMSI program of the department. His papers are available on the NYS Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness Web site.

Dr. Benjamin led in the development of Ulster county's first Charter and supporting transition to a Charter-based county government for Ulster County, New York.