Adam Bradley Interview on White Plains Week Friday on 71

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VARIETY. September 20, 2002: Adam Bradley, the “Assembly Person PotentialElect,” and declared winner of the Assembly District 89 Democratic Primary yesterday evening, as of this hour, pending a possible court challenge, is interviewed about his victory Friday evening on the Public Access Channel 71 show, White Plains Week at 7:30 P.M. E.D.T.



BRADLEY BRIEFS WHITE PLAINS on his primary victory this Friday in an interview videotaped the day after he took the lead for good in the September 5 primary. He appears on the show at the Public Access Television Studios, with Alex Philippidis of Westchester County Business Journal, Jim Benerofe of SuburbanStreet.com, and John Bailey, of White Plains CitizeNetReporter. In the interview, Bradley disclosed that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver called to congratulate him, and said he looked forward to working with Mr. Bradley. Bradley stated he would be resigning as head of the White Plains Democratic City Committee, but did not speculate on a successor. He talks a great deal about the Review and count of the absentee ballots just completed, and how he plans to serve White Plains and the seven other communities in the 89th district should he be elected in November.Mr. Bradley is shown chatting after the taping with co-host, Jim Benerofe and Fred Strauss, Public Access General Manager (off camera)
Photo by WPCNR

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White Plains Walk & Remembrance Ceremony of September 11 Televised on 72

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VARIETY. From Government Access Channel 72. September 20, 2002: Fred Strauss, General Manager of White Plains Cable Access, announced Friday that the September 11 “Walk and Remembrance” Memorial Ceremony, the ecumenical service held in White Plains September 11 to pay tribute to those lost in the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks will be televised for a limited time beginning at 6 PM on Government Access Channel 72 this week. It will be repeated every hour on the hour. The program, lasting 1 hour and 12 minutes, features many of the local clergy, and the White Plains High School Choir.

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White Plains By The Numbers–Bradley All the Way.

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WPCNR MILKMAN’S MATINEE NEWS EXTRA. By John F. Bailey. September 20, 2002. 12:45 A.M. E.D.T.:WPCNR’s unofficial running total in the Democratic Assembly Primary has Adam Bradley ending with 2,733 votes to Naomi Matusow’s 2,713. Mr. Bradley won White Plains in the Democratic Primary, winning 3 of every 4 votes cast from Ms. Matusow, taking the 23 districts in White Plains in the 89th Assembly District. The remaining 23 Districts are in the 88th District where Amy Paulin is running against Tony Sayegh.
Official ReCanvass Totals of White Plains

According to the official ReCanvass Numbers taken from the backs of the voting machines Tuesday in White Plains, Mr. Bradley received 2,280 votes from White Plains, and Ms. Matusow 460, not counting the paper ballots counted Tuesday and Thursday. Mr. Bradley also won New Castle by 53% to 47%, and Harrison.

Here is the way White Plains voted, by polling place, according to the recanvass of White Plains machines conducted Tuesday:

Districts 1/14:German School: Bradley-138; Matusow-60

District 2: High School: Bradley-81; Matusow-15

Districts 3 & 11:Mamaroneck Avenue School: Bradley-64; Matusow-26

District 4:Recreation Department: Bradley-82; Matusow-22

Districts 5/6:Middle School: Bradley-117; Matusow-35

Districts 7/12: Middle School: Bradley-129; Matusow-42

District 8: St. Matthew Luth. Church: Bradley-28; Matusow-7

Districts 9/13: Ridgeway School: Bradley-145; Matusow-35

Districts 10/15: Solomon Schechter School: Bradley-152; Matusow-58

Districts 18/27: George Washington School: Bradley-77; Matusow-31

District 19: Eastview School: Bradley-55; Matusow-18

District 20: Eastview School: Bradley-47; Matusow-28

District 23: Presbyterian Church: Bradley-23; Matusow-17

Districts 24/26: Eastview School: Bradley-68; Matusow-39

District 42: St. Bernard’s Chapel Hall: Bradley-74; Matusow-27

Districts 9/13, it should be noted was the voting machine that the Board of Elections originally reported as having no votes for either Bradley or Matusow, or the County Court Judges or the male and female Democratic Assembly Committee.

Reginald LaFayette, Democrat Commissioner of the Board of Elections, told WPCNR Thursday afternoon that the ommission was caused by human error in reading numbers off the back of the District 9/13 voting machine. He said, errors like this are usually avoided if one of the parties has an observer on the scene Election night.

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Bradley in Winner’s Circle, 2,728 Votes to Matusow’s 2,706. All In.

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WPCNR EVENING CITY STAR REPORTER MIDNIGHT EXTRA. By John F. Bailey. September 20, 2002, 12:30 A.M. E.D.T.: Adam Bradley outlasted, and appears to have ended Ms. Matusow’s tenure as Assemblyperson in the 89th Assembly District, effective December 31.



SHAKING HANDS ALL AROUND WITH A GLASSY LOOK IN HIS EYE: Mr. Bradley strode to the center of the Board of Elections reception area, looking genuinely happy and just, well dazed, his first words were, “I’m pleased to say, the final numbers, Naomi Matusow, 32, Adam Bradley 17, and 3 no votes,” and then he accepted congratulations.
Photo by WPCNR

Ms. Matusow, an Assemblyperson for five terms, has been primaried out of her seat by a grassroots effort by New Castle “Activist” Democrats and the Working Families Party, and the Independence Party which worked very hard for Mr. Bradley’s candidacy. New Castle Democrat Co-Chair, Maureen Keating-Tsuchiya, attributed the Indian Point issue as the big motivator for New Castle Democrats to support Bradley.



A LEGAL CHALLENGE by Ms. Matusow is expected Monday (just a block away from the Board of Elections where Thursday’s final counting took place), in Supreme Court in White Plains before Judge Orazio Bellantoni. Here, she and her supporters are shown going over Official Board of Elections Canvass Sheets prior to going in to Thursday’s review and count of the remaining absentee and affidavit ballots.
Photo by WPCNR


The final, “unofficial” WPCNR totals find Bradley receiving 2,728 votes, and Ms. Matusow, 2,706, a difference of 20 votes with 5,434 Democrats voting districtwide. (Totals of

Mr. Bradley, if no court challenge overturns the results, moves onto the November 5 ballot with the Democratic, Independence and Working Family’s party lines, which he wrested from Ms. Matusow in early candidate interviews with the two parties. A legal observer, Chris Riley, gave the opinion that any Matusow challenge would be “fast-tracked” to the Court of Appeals within a week or so, that there was no way Matusow could remain on the ballot while a suit was being decided.


THE FINAL REVIEW BEGINS, as Reginald LaFayette, Democratic Commissioner of the Board of Elections, proceeds with Mr. Bradley, Steve Goldenbrg (back to camera) and Tim James, (in red), to the review room at slightly past 11:00 Thursday.
Photo by WPCNR


The Final “Votedown”

To accomplish this, Bradley survived a deliberate, determined absentee and affidavit ballot count Wednesday and Thursday at the Board of Elections. The last 52 paper ballots from Bedford, Harrison, New Castle, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Castle and Pound Ridge were counted over a period of 9-1/2 hours.

Going into today, Bradley, the Democratic City Committee Leader from White Plains led incumbent Assemblywoman Naomi Matusow by 23 votes in the 89th District Assembly Democratic Primary. Ms. Matusow needed 44 votes out of the 52 votes examined Thursday to defeat Mr. Bradley, counting on her up-district support in Bedford, Lewisboro, North Castle, Pound Ridge and New Castle. She did not get them.

9-1/2 hours to examine 87 paper ballots.

After 5 hours were spent Wednesday challenging the validity of all Board of Elections “throw-outs” and absentee and affidavit ballots from White Plains districts only, with Bradley picking up 20 votes to Matusow’s 12, with 3 contested, the rest of the votes from the seven other towns were reviewed and counted Thursday.

Counting did not begin Thursday until 11:05 A.M, when Naomi Matusow and her legal counsel from Albany, Dan Conviser, said to from the State Assembly staff, and Adam 0Bradley, Steve Goldenbrg (a veteran vote observer from New Castle), Tim James, Bradley statistician and Rafael Vega headed downstairs into the ballot-examination room to review the eligibility of the final 52 ballots. Around noon, Vega and Goldenbrg left and Bob Bogar and another Bradley volunteer took over with Mr. Bradley and Mr. James.

“Organized Albany” Arrives.

There was a lunch break at 1:05 PM, at which point only Harrison and Lewisboro had been examined. Counting resumed at 2:20 PM with Tom Roach joining the Bradley vote-examination team, which consisted of Roach, Bradley, and James. Two Albany Assembly persons arrived via state limousine, approximately 2 PM, one of whom Bradley identified as State Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz and a man named Quail from the Democrat Assembly Campaign Committee who descended to the reviewing floor, reportedly to observe some of the action, but had left by the time the final counting had begun.



BOARD OF ELECTIONS DELIVERS WHITE PLAINS ROSTER BOOKS FOR REVIEW BY THE MATUSOW TEAM.
Photo by WPCNR


FOI’s Fly. Poll Roster Books Requested.

From about 10 A.M. on, when WPCNR arrived, Ms. Matusow’s campaign workers, two gentleman from Albany, and two from her home district of North Castle filed Freedom of Information requests for ReCanvass Sheets. They were going over election district yellow Recanvass sheets from the White Plains districts, and other strong-for-Bradley districts, doing a task they did not do last week that the Bradley team did do.

At 2:45 P.M., Ms. Matusow and her lawyer, Mr. Canviser requested Poll Roster Books to begin the task of checking signatures in the White Plains districts. (Poll Roster Books are the books you, as a voter sign each time you vote). The objective, WPCNR can only presume, was to find voters who did not vote and possible grounds for challenge.



REACHING OUT AND TOUCHING SOMEONE ALL DAY: Mr. Bradley on his various breaks from the review, was kept busy contacting relief observers so often, his cellphone ran out of power.
Photo by WPCNR


Cellphones Squawk as “Votedown” Winds Down.

After an hour and fifteen minutes of resumed vote review, at 3:30 PM, Mr. Bradley emerged to say that Harrison, Bedford, North Castle and part of New Castle had been reviewed. During the entire four hours of the Thursday process, cellphones rang intermittently in the hands of all canvassers in the cramped BOE waiting room, and especially Mr. Bradley’s. Mr. Bradley’s cellphone ran out of juice by 3:30PM and he was forced to borrow Maureen Keating-Tsuchiya’s.

At 4:10 PM, an obviously fatigued Mr. Bradley, emerged again from the Review Room to say that North Castle and half of New Castle votes had been reviewed, with Pound Ridge remaining. Media and supporters wondered how long it would take. All in the waiting/reception area had been told a count might begin at 4 PM.

Commisioner emerges. Count Not Moved Upstairs for Public to See.

At 5:45 PM, Reginald LaFayette, Democrat Commissioner of the Board of Elections, appeared from the downstairs review room to announce that “actual counting of the votes was being held downstairs to speed up the process.” On Wednesday afternoon, the counting of the White Plains ballots was being held in public view in the Board of Elections glassed-in conference room opposite the waiting room. Bradley loyalists and media were deprived of the final moments of the “votedown.” Five supporters awaited “the final count”



At 6:10 P.M. TOM ROACH HAS NEWS: Tom Roach, White Plains City Councilman, emerged from the bowels of the Board of Elections where he had been an observer and a part of the counting just completed. He read the results, saying that of the final 52 votes (38 absentees, 10 affidavit ballots, and 4 emergency ballots just unimpounded at the start of Thursday morning), Ms. Matusow had received 32 votes, Mr. Bradley 17 and there were 3 no votes.
Photo by WPCNR


Ms. Matusow had failed to overcome the Bradley 35-vote margin established Wednesday evening. She needed 44 votes, she got 35 and had unofficially lost the primary by 20 votes.

Tension disappears. The smiles break out. War Whoops!

The diehard Bradley supporters on hand, Maureen Keating-Tsuchiya, Rafael Vega, Kevin Koop, Chris Riley, and Robin Schlaff shook hands, hugged and kissed. Within minutes, Mr. Bradley appeared, with a big wide grin followed by Tim James. He repeated the numbers Mr. Roach had just announced.



BRADLEY SUPPORTERS REACH PROMISED LAND: After the announcement, the core group of Bradley workers, L to R, Robin Schlaff, Tim James, Bob Bogart, Chris Riley, Kevin Koop (back to camera) and Rafael Vega, were interviewed by the media. That’s Susan Elan of The Journal News doing the honors.
Photo by WPCNR


Unofficial counts to be presented to Judge Bellantoni Monday.

The count is over, and now the court proceedings begin. Ms. Matusow and Mr. Bradley will appear in Supreme Court Monday, at which time Judge Bellantoni will expect unofficial counts of the final totals from the Board of Elections.

Ms. Matusow had filed a “cross-answer” to Mr. Bradley’s Order to Show Cause which he filed Wednesday forbidding the Board of Election to announce a winner until all votes were counted. Now Ms. Matusow, according to sources, will most likely attempt to mount a possible legal challenge based on their belated examination of Roster Books and ReCanvass Sheets which her team and herself had begun yesterday.

Board of Elections will not certify for at least a week.

The Republican Commissioner of the Board of Elections Carolee Sunderland, said the Board would not have certified results until as late as Thursday of next week.

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IT’S BRADLEY! IN A PHOTO FINISH BY 20 VOTES.

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WPCNR EVENING CITY STAR REPORTER. By John F. Bailey. September 19, 2002: At 6:10 PM Thursday evening, the results of the final 52 paper ballots being counted today at the Board of Elections on Quarropas Street in White Plains, were announced by a jubilant Tom Roach to a die-hard crew of Adam Bradley supporters and media.



THE VICTOR EMERGES: Adam Bradley emerges from closed-door counting of absentee ballots, smiling at supporters at the Board of Elections at 6:15 PM Thursday evening.
Photo by WPCNR


Roach who sat in on the final three hours of the counting, and a few moments later Adam Bradley confirmed that in today’s final recount, Ms. Matusow gained 32 votes, Bradley 17, and 3 no votes, giving Adam Bradley a winning margin of 20 votes, effectively ending Naomi Matusow’s tenure as Assemblywoman for the 89th district.

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BPs Hit Streets: Police Introduce First Bike Patrols from 8 AM to Midnight

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WPCNR CITY HALL POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. September 18, 2002: The White Plains Police Department launched its first Bike Patrol Unit today presenting 4 of the 10 newly trained bike officers and demonstrating four new Police Bike “Black & Whites” at City Hall.



INTRODUCING THE 2-WHEEL BLACK & WHITES: Mayor Joseph Delfino announces the first White Plains Bike Patrol Unit. Four of the officers and the new “Bike Cruisers” are shown in the City Hall Rotunda this morning. The bikes will patrol the downtown and neighborhoods surrounding the downtown from 8 AM to midnight, seven days a week.
PHOTO BY WPCNR


The patrols were seen cruising around the city today for the first time Wednesday, hitting the bricks at approximately 12 noon. The 10 Bike Officers were trained at no cost to the city by special arrangement with the Greenburgh Police Department, which has had bike patrols for three years, and with the bicycle unit of the New York Police Department.
“With the transformation of our Central Business District well underway, and in anticipation of thousands of new residents living in the downtown area, increasing the already high visible presence is a major part of our ongoing revitalization efforts,” said Mayor Joseph Delfino in the launch news conference. “Bike patrols are a highly successful and cost-effective tool for community policing.”

The Mayor acknowledged Councilman Glen Hockley’s support in being behind the bike patrol initiative, and Council President Benjamin Boykin, who campaigned on the need to bring bike patrols to White Plains, said “It’s great to reconnect the police to the community.”

The four Cannondale “Cruisers” on display were purchased for $800 each, at a total cost of outfitting the officers of $6,000, which was paid for out of funds acquired by “asset forfeiture,” according to Captain Tom Kelly. The bikes retail for $1,200, Kelly said.

Lieutenant Paul Lundin, commenting on the bike specifications, said the bikes have 27 gearspeeds to enable the officers to ascend stairs on the bikes, an electronic shock control to jump curbs, barriers and ascend and descend stairs, among other demands. They are equipped with flashing light and siren. The officers he said had been trained five weeks in cardiovascular management, maneuvering the bike, handling firearms, emergency and defensive situations.

Dr. Frank Straub, Commissioner of Public Safety, who spearheaded the new introduction in just two months on the job, said all ten officers had volunteered for the Bike Patrol and would be under the command of the Patrol Division, however the five officers represented a compliment of law enforcement disciplines, including men from the detective, patrol, and traffic enforcement divisions.

Information from the Mayor’s Press Office stated that bike patrols have been successful in curbing crime, especially drug trafficking, larceny, and vandalism in the downtown areas of various cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston and Fort Worth.

Some of the advantages of bike patrols are: maneuverability, speed, stealth, and the increased visibility of police officers in the community. The mountain bikes go places patrol cars and motorcycles cannot, and do so quietly. They allow officers to move quickly from one area to another, maintaining close contact with the community.

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Advantage: Bradley. Favorite Son Leads by 35 votes with 48 votes left.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. By John F. Bailey. September 18, 2002: After five hours behind closed doors at the Board of Elections on Quarropas Street examining Absentee Ballots and Affidavit Ballots, representatives from the Naomi Matusow and Adam Bradley candidacies and Ms. Matusow and Mr. Bradley sat down in an enclosed glass room to count just the White Plains ballots that had been accepted for counting.



DEMOCRACY UNDER GLASS: The counting of the 35 absentee ballots and affidavit ballots from White Plains as it proceeded Wednesday afternoon. A BOE clerk holds a ballot for Naomi Matusow and Adam Bradley to view.
Photo by WPCNR

At the end of 35 minutes, Mr. Bradley emerged from the counting at 4:45 PM Wednesday to announce he had a net gain of 12 votes, winning 22 votes, with Matusow gaining 10 and 3 being questioned, extending his lead to 35 votes.
Unofficially, this brings Mr. Bradley’s vote total to 2,716 to Assemblywoman Naomi Matusow’s, 2,681. The figures are from the Bradley campaign.

The counting of absentee ballots from Harrison, New Castle, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, North Castle and Bedford will resume at 10:00 A.M. Thursday morning at the Board of Elections. According to Bradley number cruncher, Tim James there are 38 more absentee ballots and 10 affidavitt ballots left to be counted beginning tomorrow.

Tom Roach, who was watching the numbers with WPCNR most of Thursday afternoon, and speculating with us, after listening to Mr. James, calculated that the Bradley “Magic Number” is 8. He needs 8 votes out of the remaining 48 to get a majority of 3 votes.

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Bradley Files Show Cause Order to Prohibit BOE from Announcing Winner.

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WPCNR MILKMAN’S MATINEE NEWS ROUNDUP. By John F. Bailey. September 18, 2002:Adam Bradley was in Supreme Court in White Plains Wednesday, filing a Order to Show Cause against the Westchester County Board of Elections. The action, according to sources close to Mr. Bradley, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believed to reliable with first-hand knowledge of the suit said the order sought to prevent the Board of Elections from announcing a winner of the Assembly primary race until all votes were counted.

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Council Approves Sears to The Gall; Planning Approves Pettinichi Subdivision

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WPCNR MILKMAN’S MATINEE NEWS ROUNDUP CORRECTION. By John F. Bailey. September 18, 2002: The Common Council convening a Special meeting at 6:05 PM Wednesday evening, took 5 minutes to approve the Sears Special Permit to run an auto repair shop in The Galleria. The Planning Board also took significant action.
Wynnette Peltz, Director of Marketing for the mall, thanked the city and council for “their tremendous cooperation,” and invited them all to come shop. Demolition was supposed to begin today, providing Mike Gismondi turned over the Demolition Permit to Mr. Bergins, The Galleria attorney. The council then went into Executive Session on undisclosed litigation, so hush-hush, that the group left, WPCNR believes, by the elevator, discreetly avoiding the media.

William King corrected this false impression, writing WPCNR to report the council left as it usually does by the stairs at 7 PM, as it usually does.

Planning Board Approves Pettinichi Subdivision.

The unanimous approval granted the Pettinichis last night, (providing they eliminate the easement to the Dellwood property in Silver Lake, and preserve the lot where the revolutionary sawmill stands), struck down the last hurdle standing between the county purchasing the Pettinichi parcel for public employee housing, and the city leasing the county-owned Dellwood property for a “passive” park in Silver Lake.

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City to Announce New Police Initiative Wednesday

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WPCNR CITY HALL NEWS. From Rick Ammirato, Mayor’s Press Office. September 17, 2002:White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino will formally announce a new public safety initiative targeting crime in the City’s downtown business district and its surrounding neighborhoods through an innovative community policing program, at City Hall on Wednesday, September 18 at 11:00 am. This new program is designed to meet the policing challenges of the City during its structural and economic transformation.

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