STATEN ISLAND —Borough President James Oddo has opted to have an open house in Borough Hall instead of a State of the Borough address.
Oddo will host "Direct Connect Sunday" on Jan. 25 in lieu of the speech to give Staten Islanders a chance to visit Borough Hall, hear about his plans and try to get help on some issues important to them.
"I want to expand our reach to people who traditionally have not been a part of various events," Oddo said in a statement. "Our ‘Direct Connect’ Sunday will give Staten Islanders direct access to me and my staff to hear from us firsthand what we are doing and to let us help them however we can."
The open house will have a display about plans and initiatives the borough president started last year, a demo of their new app BP Assist, and staff on hand to help with issues and hear plans for improving the borough, Oddo said.
Last year Oddo held a similar open house instead of a traditional swearing in ceremony and decided to have another one in place of the State of the Borough address because of its popularity.
“Borough Hall’s doors are figuratively and literally open and all Staten Islanders are encouraged to come by, learn in more detail about the things we have worked on this past year, and our agenda for 2015,” Oddo said. “My staff and I will be here to talk about where we’ve been and where we are going.”
"Direct Connect Sunday" will be on Jan. 25 from noon to 3 p.m. at Borough Hall, 10 Richmond Terrace.
