Jeanne Vinal works with EVERYONE and for EVERYONE
Supporting Education and our young people in Amherst and Erie County
- Developed a pilot program Rising Stars Math Camp to help kids succeed in Math. It ran the last two weeks of August with kids from Amherst going into fourth grade. The kids and parents both loved it. (Check out risingstarsmathcamp.com)
- Secured funding for every high school in District 5 for STEM supplies.
- Secured funding for every high school in District 5 for scholarships to Leadership Buffalo, so schools are not limited to nominating kids whose parents can afford $750
- Started a peer-to-peer literacy program for the Erie County Holding Center and Correctional Facility, working with the Jail Superintendent and Literacy Buffalo
- Secured funding for new degree program at SUNY Erie (ECC) in Insurance and risk management which is being developed now by ECC
- Secured funding for Amherst Youth Foundation
- Support for the Use of CARES Act Funding to assist our school districts.
- Supported the creation of centers for remote learning throughout Erie County, which is a program that won a national award
- Secured funding for Bornhava
Remembering Seniors
- Outreach to Seniors during COVID pandemic. My district office called seniors over 90 to ask if they needed anything and we worked every day of the pandemic
- Distributed masks to Seniors living in Senior housing throughout the district
- Provided individual constituent services regarding County senior services and even reached out to nursing homes for residents of Amherst at family’s consent with the senior’s approval to resolve individual care issues at nursing home during the pandemic
- Started and held a Tax Clinic in Amherst for low income, seniors, and disabled individuals after learning that this issue of the closed tax clinics was the number one problem heard by Erie County 411
- Secured funding for Alzheimer’s Association, located in Amherst, NY
- Approval of funding for non-Medicaid seniors in Erie County for payment of in-home care
- Approval of funding for projects in Amherst for grants to allow ramps and other accommodations for seniors’ in homes
- Successful advocacy for 2021 capital budget mobile library van for BECPL for getting out to senior centers
Helping Families and Neighborhoods in Amherst
- Secured funding for Willow Ridge neighborhood for park improvements and then worked with Brian Kulpa and the Town to add to our funding.
- Provided Constituent Services regarding roads, potholes, and rodent issues
- Approved $25,000 grant to Cornell to do study (costing far more than $25,000) of actual cost of daycare subsidies to working families and single parents as subsidy is less than minimum wage to comply with staffing requirements for childcare
Fighting for our fair share and our infrastructure and the environment
- Successful advocacy for $250,000 for the 2021 capital project for improvements to the Amherst Central Little League facility on Wehrle Drive
- Obtaining funding for Friends of Ellicott Creek Park.
- Start of 2020-2021 work on rehabilitating Maple Road in Amherst
- Committee hearing and advocacy on Tonawanda Coke and American Axle brownfield cleanup
- Supporting the use of federal funds for the largest investment in our parks since the New Deal 100 years ago.
- Support of regional assets including roads, parks, and buildings.
- Adoption of C-Open PACE Energy Local Law
Remembering those in need
- Held Food Drive to support FeedMore WNY and local pantries
- Secured funding for Tiger’s Den Food Pantry
- Provided Constituent Services regarding unemployment.
- Secured funding for Hearts and Hands, a service group in Amherst.
Promoting Physical and Mental Health of our Community
- Held two (2) blood drive during shortages
- Distributed masks to low income and disabled housing complexes.
- Held mask giveaway at Anderson’s Restaurant on Main St
- Secured funding for Make Lemonade Foundation for Cerebral Palsy
- Getting the Live Well Erie mobile van deployed and used as a community resource
- Oversight of COVID pandemic activities and spending
- Working with mental health providers on diversion and alternatives to incarceration programs
- Securing $1 million in funding for Medication Assisted Treatment program at the Holding Center and Correctional Facility and pushing (unsuccessfully) for the Sheriff Office to implement a real program
- Approving the appointment of and working with Commissioner O’Brien who has been doing a great job. Our department of mental health is working closely with the Sheriff’s department including Jail Superintendent Tom Diina in providing mental health while incarcerated and after.
- Resolution Expressing Concern & Opposition Over the Decision by the Three Dominant Local Health Insurers to No Longer Pay for COVID-19 Testing
Working toward a more fair and just community
- Successfully improved fairness of notification of contract opportunities by working on getting the county to give notice to local businesses of every opportunity in the County who requests notification. Initially proposed a law, entitled “The Business Procurement Enhancement and Promotion Act of 2020” and then worked with the administration to make a change in the procedure for awarding contracts for services and goods that are not public improvements, but can be millions of dollars, and public improvements that that are under the limit for usual bid. Starting in October 2021, every business on the State WMBE list will get noticed in their area of work, and any business can sign up to get notice. Now, a business would have to check the website weekly, whereas starting October, if you want all notices of an opportunity say in painting, you will just sign up online and get every notice of every opportunity regarding painting
- Support for the “Eric Garner Anti Chokehold Act” and the Banning of Racial or Ethnic
- Profiling by Law Enforcement, which then passed on June 8, 2020
- Supporting the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, which then passed on March 18, 2021
- Introduction of Jail Management Transparency and Accountability Act of 2020
- Secured funding for WNY Peace Center
Supporting Small Business and the Economy in Amherst and Erie County
- Obtained funding to create three major Christmas Markets in and around Amherst to help tourism and local business and for community enjoyment
- Provided free MWBE certification clinic to help Amherst businesses get certified
- Created and appointed as chairing new Small Business Committee
- Constant advocacy for small businesses
- Secured funding for Amherst Chamber of Commerce, for use with holiday shopping decorations in our retail district
- Secured funding for WNY Chinese Chamber of Commerce
- Support for the use of CARES Act Funding to Assist Local Small Businesses in both the small business grants and in the Shop 716 programs, both extremely successful. Note that Erie County was one of only a handful of counties in the US to use any of the CARES money for small business.
Promoting Good Government
- Adoption of amended Lowest Responsible Bidder Local Law
- Adoption of Administrative Code Modernization Act of 2020
- Awarded Supervisor Brian Kulpa Citizen of the Month May 2021 for his outstanding work in Amherst. Brian Kulpa is an excellent “partner in government”.
Many of the successes listed here would not be possible without his cooperation and our ability to work together. My opponent foolishly criticizes this recognition and, in all due respect, this shows a lack of understanding that our Legislative District contains Amherst only and it is vital for the legislator to work well with the Town I represent. Also, I have cooperated with the Town in getting funding for so many projects in our Town and have been an advocate for all things related to Amherst. My heart is in Amherst now and always will be.Helping our Strong Civic Organizations & Awesome Arts Community in Amherst
- Secured major funding for WNY Railway Historical Society for new locomotive
- Secured funding for SIKH Culture and Education Society of WNY
- Secured funding for Islamic Society – Niagara Frontier, Getzville, NY
- Secured funding for CHAI Counsel of Heritage and Arts of India
- Secured funding for Amherst Gaelic League
- Secured funding for Italian Americans of WNY
- Secured funding for Musical Fare
- Secured funding for O’Connell and Company
- Secured funding for Jewish Repertory Theatre
- Secured funding for Red Blazers Chorus
- Secured funding for Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village
- Secured funding for Amherst Symphony Orchestra
- Secured funding for Gordon Highlanders
- Secured funding for Sierra Club Niagara
- Secured funding for German American Musicians
- Secured funding for General Pulaski Association
Supporting and honoring our first responders and veterans
- Only Legislator to obtain funds for police training. Obtained funding for Amherst Police Department
- Awarded Chief of Police Askey and Jim Zamanzek Citizen of the Month May 2020 for outstanding work by them during the Pandemic
- Secured funding for membership drives for every veteran post in our district
- Secured funding for membership drives for every volunteer fire department
- Attended the honoring of firefighters at both the local firehalls and the Erie County Fireman’s Hall of Fame
- Advocating for the end of forced overtime in our jail and prison
- Secured funding for Professional Nurses Association of WNY for programming on trauma care for their members
- Supported resolution expressing Support for Amending the NYS Correction Law to Give Counties Flexibility on Staffing Levels
- Supported resolution Supporting Healthcare Workers and First Responders and the Acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment from the Federal Government