May 2022 Newsletter

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 - 5:00pm

May 2022 Newsletter

Message From Our President/CEO

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dan Johnson, Executive Director of the Institute for Community Solutions in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dan's work involves researching community solutions across the country, and his current project is looking at solutions to backlogs in the courts. While the Center was one of several organizations interviewed that provide mediation for court-referred cases, we were the only one identified as providing arbitration services as well. If our programs fit the criteria they are looking for, our arbitration programs may be profiled in their upcoming research publication.

Not everyone knows that the Center provides arbitration programs. But in fact, our organization actually began as an initiative of the American Arbitration Association in 1973, making us the first community dispute resolution center in New York State, and the third in the country. Today, we provide a range of dispute resolution options to courts, families, government agencies, and community members, regarding a variety of topics and issues. Arbitration services represent an important option for parties who, for whatever reason, cannot participate in mediation, or are unable to reach an agreement through mediation.

Read more about our Arbitration programs in our "Spotlight" section below, and learn about the rest of our programs on our website: www.cdsadr.org.

In peace,

Shira May, Ph.D.

President/CEO

P.S. - Please join us as we celebrate our work in our communities at our upcoming Annual Meeting, Friday, June 3rd, from 5:00-6:00pm on Zoom. See below for more information!

"Engaging Our Communities"

Guest Speaker: Judge Debra A. Martin,

Monroe County Supreme Court

Friday, June 3rd

4:30pm: Board members/speakers arrive in-person

5:00-6:00pm: Program takes place on Zoom

Join us as we celebrate our work during the past year and hear about the impact we are having across our communities.

Staff, board members, volunteers, partner agencies, former clients, and community members are welcome!

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcO-gqD0jGtFscYZY2B-D5049p6sRGKa8

Remembering

Letitia Rosenthal

Mentor. Friend. Inspirational. Iconic. These are some words used by our staff and volunteers to describe Letitia Rosenthal, who passed away on April 14th. Letitia served at the Center for over 30 years, most recently as Director of Livingston County.

Letitia’s inspiring legacy of service will continue to be felt across our region and the greater ADR community. Over her long career, she mentored numerous staff and volunteer mediators and cultivated relationships with community partners, colleagues, and clients.

Messages may be left on a virtual memorial wall at https://rector-hicksfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/1131/Letitia-Boiani/obituary.html#tribute-start

Seats are still available!

Register by May 9

Basic Mediation Training

Trainer: Kim Reisch

May 16-18, 23-24

Notre Dame Retreat House, Canandaigua, NY

This 35 hour training will provide an introduction to the theory, principles and practice of mediation in the Transformative Mediation framework.

For more information, contact Ronnie Pollack, Director of Training and Community Engagement: rpollack@cdsadr.org

The Center is proud to be part of the Interrupt Racism program, a 12-month training program to support antiracism in organizations. Our Change Team, consisting of staff and board members, meets monthly to answer discussion questions and support organizational change.

This past month, we discussed how our organization provides actual resources to staff and communities who have been the targets of historical oppression. We also discussed how we can provide caucus space (also known as affinity groups) to create community and solidarity within our organization.

Part of our homework included reviewing an Internalized Racism Assessment. We were encouraged to journal about our answers, specifically what surprised us. Please click the link below to review this assessment, and join us in doing the critical internal work of becoming an antiracist!

https://culturalbridgestojustice.org/internalized-racism-inventory/?mc_cid=b825c945cc&mc_eid=c27bd0dc69

Spotlight on:

Arbitration Programs

Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution method by which an independent, neutral third person hears all parties, considers the merits of the dispute, and renders a final and binding decision called an Arbitration Award. The Center's arbitration services are provided by trained staff and volunteers who operate within parameters set by Article 75 of the New York State Civil Practice Laws and Rules.

The Center offers arbitration services in a number of areas, including:

Divorce Arbitration: In a divorce, parties may have possessions and household furnishing to divide. Arbitration may be an appropriate strategy for parties who, for whatever reason, are not able to mediate, or cannot reach an agreement through mediation. A trained arbitrator conducts an arbitration hearing with the two disputing parties and, based on the facts and evidence presented, renders a legally binding award.

Lemon Law: The Center is the local administrator for the New York State Lemon Law Arbitration Program. The New Car, Used Car and Wheelchair Lemon Laws provide a legal remedy for buyers or lessees of new and used cars that turn out to be lemons. If the car does not conform to the terms of the written warranty and the manufacturer or its authorized dealer is unable to repair the car after a reasonable number of attempts, consumers may be entitled to a full refund. An arbitration is held in a timely manner in a location convenient for a consumers using local arbitrators selected by the Center.

Demolition Hearings: The City of Rochester's Demolition Program helps stabilize and improve Rochester neighborhoods by removing unsafe, blighted and abandoned structures. Privately owned vacant structures that are deemed unsafe or dangerous to the health, safety or welfare of the public or a vacant building that is determined to be a public nuisance are subject to a demolition hearing process, conducted by an arbitrator (also known as a hearing officer) provided by the Center for Dispute Settlement. The hearing officer's decision will be a final determination for the purpose of judicial review pursuant to Civil Practice Law and Rules §7803, Subdivision 4.

For more information, contact Shira May at smay@cdsadr.org