WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WHAT WILL IT COST YOU TO DRIVE INTO NYC

WHEN WILL IT START?

WHERE HOW WHAT WILL COLLECT THE TOLLS?

HOW WILL IT BE PAID FOR?

WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT ON CITY ECONOMY?

WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT ON TRAFFIC?

WILL IT DRIVE PEOPLE BACK TO THE TRAINS AS MTA HOPES?

PRESENT STATUS

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2022. News and Comment by Professor Stephen J. Rolandi. April 14, 2022:

Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin’s decision earlier this week to resign following his indictment on Federal bribery charges, has added more uncertainty to this year’s New York elections (in the last two weeks, the  new Congressional and state legislative district lines have been challenged in court; we await the outcome of litigation to see if the new lines remain in place, or are changed).

Mr. Benjamin is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

In the meantime, his name remains on the ballot as the official Lt. Governor nominee of the Democratic Party State Committee. He is being challenged in the June 28 primary by activist Ana Maria Archilla, who is running with NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; as well as former Brooklyn Deputy Borough President and non-profit executive Diana Reyna, running with gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tom Suozzi.

In New York, Lt. Governor candidates run separately from  candidates for Governor in a party primary. For the general election, however, the successful primary nominees are paired together as a ticket, similar to President and Vice President nationally.

Generally, New York election law does not permit a resigned official such as Mr. Benjamin to leave the ballot unless he changes his residency, dies, or is nominated for another elected position – none of these options appear viable (it is possible that the State Legislature might pass a law to remove his name from the ballot, but this appears unlikely as well). So, Mr. Benjamin’s name will likely remain on the June primary ballot.

Potential successors  might include:  State Senate Majority Leader (and current acting  Lt. Governor)  Andrea Stewart-Cousins; former NYC Mayoral candidates  Kathryn Garcia and  Ray McGuire; and possibly Ms. Reyna, who is considered a more moderate/centrist Democrat.

Governor Hochul now has to make two decisions – (1) who to select to fill out the balance of former Lt. Governor Benjamin’s term, which ends on December 31, 2022, and (2) whether or not to endorse one of the remaining Lt. Governor candidates in the Democratic Primary; or stay neutral.

My guess is that Governor Hochul will appoint a new Lt. Governor who will agree not to stand for election, and let the voters determine who will sit in the Lt. Governor’s chair next January 1, 2023. This may be the least objectionable option for her to pursue.

The State Legislature needs to change the election law to permit a new candidate to be chosen in situations like this one. Hopefully, they will.

Time will tell. This election season will not be boring, to say the least.

(Professor Rolandi served in the administrations of Governors David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo from 2008-13 as Deputy Commissioner, New York State Division of Human Rights. A political scientist, he is an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Pace University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of his current/former employers).

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER ISSUED THIS STATEMENT :

“We treat today’s attack in Brooklyn ( Editor’s Note: at the 36th Street, Sunset Station aboard an “N” Subway car by a lone gunman still at large 8:30 A.M. Tuesday morning — 10 SHOT, 13 SUSTAINED SMOKE INHALATION OR INJURIES, 5 CRITICAL, EXPECTED TO SURVIVE) with complete and urgent seriousness.

Westchester County Police are deploying additional officers to railroad stations and other transit hubs today, and are also closely monitoring the situation in New York City through our presence on several regional law enforcement task forces.

“County Police officers from the Patrol and Special Operations Divisions will join with municipal police departments in heightened visibility at local railroad stations and other public transit hubs, such as the Transportation Center in White Plains.

Sewell said the suspect was “a male black, approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall with a heavy build. He was wearing a green construction-type vest and a hooded sweatshirt.” She also said a number of suspicious devices were found, but no other explosive devices had been found, at the time of the news conference late this morning.

The N train is named The Broadway Express. The station of the attack is at 36th Street & 4th Avenue, Sunset Park in Brooklyn and is a busy transfer hub, connects with the D and R trains. It is a busy rush hour station formerly part of the BMT line,(Brooklyn Manhattan Transit).

Police according to statements to media, said they were seeking a person of interest, Frank James, when the police found a key belonging to a van that was identified as when Mr. James had rented. The van was found 4 blocks away at the Kings Highway N Line subway station, where police therorize that is where Mr. James may have entered the subway system. prior to the shootings. Police caution that Mr. James may not be the shooter.)

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