WPCNR WESTCHESTER COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communication. September 17, 2006: County Executive Andy Spano announced this week that he has selected Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s chief local lawyer to be director of the Westchester County Office of Consumer Protection.

            Gary S. Brown, with extensive experience as an advocate for consumers, succeeds Elaine Price, who retired this summer. A resident of Briarcliff Manor, he will start Monday, Sept. 18.

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            “It is without hesitation that I turn over to Gary Brown the job of fighting for consumers,” said Spano. “Under Elaine Price’s tenure, this office never hesitated to take on the ‘big guy’ and accomplished so much. I   know Gary will take it to yet an even higher level.”

            Said Brown, "I have great admiration for County Executive Spano and am excited to join his team. As director of the Department of Consumer Protection, I will apply my years of experience handling consumer fraud cases, and the many lessons learned from working with Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, toward protecting the residents of Westchester against fraud and scams - - and providing a level playing-field for the vast majority of businesses which play by the rules." 

Brown has been Chief Attorney of the regional office of the Attorney General’s Office (located in White Plains) since 1999. Prior to that, he worked as a lawyer for the New York State Department of Law and as executive director of the Fund for Modern Courts (an advocacy group to improve the court system).   Brown is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School, where he received a degree in 1979.

One of Brown’s first tasks will be to work with Spano and the Department of Information Technology on educating consumers and businesses about the county’s new “Wi-Fi Law,” which the consumer department  is charged with enforcing. This law, which goes into effect Oct. 17,  requires all commercial businesses that maintain customer information on a wireless network to have basic security measures in place to protect the information. The law will be the focus of a seminar for businesses on Oct. 4 at the County Center.

Brown said there were a number of initiatives he hopes to pursue and other ongoing programs in the Department he wants to expand.  These include:

• Helping consumers who have problems with health insurance companies and HMOs
• Looking into abuses with the “do not call” registries.

• Continued work to clamp down on unlicensed and unscrupulous home improvement contractors

• A focus on scams that target the elderly, including predatory lending and financial exploitation
• Enhanced protection of consumers against debt collectors who use illegal and abusive practices
• Examination of health clubs in the county, to ensure that all such clubs are fully bonded as required by law, so that if a club goes out of business money is available to make refunds to consumers
• A focus on matters such as identity theft, consumer privacy and Wi-Fi security