Assembly Resolution No. 631

BY: M. of A. Fahy

CONGRATULATING David Wollner upon the occasion of
his retirement after more than 40 years of dedicated
service to New York State

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service, striving
diligently to enhance the quality of life in their communities and to
bring about positive change for the public good; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
congratulate David Wollner upon the occasion of his retirement after
over 40 years of dedicated service to the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, David Wollner has served the people of the State of New
York with distinction during his 42 Legislative Sessions, he started his
career in public service as a Senate Fellow, before joining the staff of
Senator Donovan, David would continue on as a Program Analyst for the
New York State Senate Majority where he covered and was the lead on many
critical policy issues; and

WHEREAS, In further State service, David Wollner would go to work as
a key member in the administration of Governor George Pataki, where he
would work tirelessly in numerous fields including in the area of
healthcare, where he was deeply involved in many key policy decisions of
the time, including the Health Care Reform Act; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, David would become Director at the New York State
Department of Health, where he oversaw the Office of Health Systems
Management, the Office of Professional Misconduct, and the Office of
Continuing Care; and

WHEREAS, Since 2007, David has held the position of Legislative
Coordinator at the New York State Office of Mental Health; where he has
worked to advance the Office of Mental Health's efforts to protect and
strengthen the public mental health system, provide exceptional
legislative and budgetary advice to help advance the Office's mission to
facilitate hope, recovery, and resilience; and

WHEREAS, With the use of his flip-phone, few, if any Albany insiders
could boast the Rolodex of contacts and the encyclopedic knowledge of
issues David was involved in; and

WHEREAS, David Wollner has demonstrated an unyielding commitment to
the betterment of the people of New York, and his exceptional work has
been recognized with numerous awards and accolades including being
recognized in 2022 as the CEO Award Recipient by the Mental Health
Association in New York State; and

WHEREAS, A proud graduate of Syracuse University's class of 1981
with a BA in Political Science, David would continue on to become a
proud alumnus from the State University of Albany-Rockefeller College

with a Master of Public Administration, Legislative Administration in
1983; and

WHEREAS, David Wollner's leadership and expertise will be deeply
missed by his colleagues at the New York State Office of Mental Health
and throughout the mental health community in New York State; and

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon all citizens to recognize and applaud
the efforts of individuals such as David Wollner who work tirelessly on
behalf of advocating for New Yorkers diagnosed with a mental illness;
now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate David Wollner upon the occasion of his retirement after
more than 40 years of dedicated service to the people of the State of
New York, and to wish him continued success in all his future endeavors;
and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to David Wollner.