Comprehensive Plan and Appointments at the Legislature

The Rockland County Legislature met on the evening of June 16th for their regular meeting. The meeting saw several personnel appointments and BFJ Planning’s 2026 Rockland County Comprehensive Plan. There was a scheduled public hearing regarding an amendment to the county charter, though no one signed up to speak.

Patrick Frawley has been appointed by a unanimous decision to be the Rockland County Commissioner of Social Services. Frawley has a long and impressive resume of public service in Rockland. He began his career in 1997 with the Orangetown Police Department, where he eventually became a detective. In 2020, he took on the role of Chief Assistant District Attorney, where he worked for the past six years after earning his law degree at Pace University. In 2025, Frawley won a distinguished service award from the county. He addressed the legislature just prior to his appointment, speaking about his career in service and his eagerness to continue serving the community in this new role. 

Lori Gruebel was reappointed as the Rockland County Commissioner of Personnel. Gruebel was a Senior Staff Consultant at Verizon until she took on her current role nine years ago. Her appointment saw an overhaul and streamlining of practices involving county personnel, which has been seen as an overall success and has since been copied by many other counties in the state of New York. Gruebel also spoke in front of the Legislature before her reappointment, explaining what she does, why it’s been successful, and why the county should continue to trust her judgment.

The County Charter, which is similar to the constitution of a county, is set to be amended, along with a new comprehensive plan for the county. The charter amendments can be found under the legislative agendas tab of the Rockland County website.

The comprehensive plan was presented by BFJ Planning, a consulting group hired by the county. In the comprehensive plan, which can be found on https://www.envisionrockland.com/, several key points were shared. This includes plans to improve public transit, pedestrian access, and bicycle paths in Rockland. BFJ Planning held several meetings around the county to get input from the public before compiling the plan. The presenter noted that the main issues Rocklanders spoke about were affordable, diverse housing and public transit. 

Although there were no participants for the public hearing regarding the amendments to the town charter, there was one speaker during public comments. A resident of White Plains spoke to the legislature on the need to hold a public hearing for the Safety and Dignity for All Act. For those who might not remember, SADA was a bill introduced to the legislature in February that has seen little action since. With many in Rockland and the surrounding areas worried about ICE encroachment on our law enforcement, they’re anxious for progress to be made on SADA. A public hearing for the bill has not been set.