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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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Board of Legislators Press Office. September 21, 2010:

County Legislators John Nonna (D-Pleasantville), Gordon A. Burrows (R-Yonkers) and Peter Harckham (D-Katonah) have joined forces to propose term limits for two county offices.  The legislators’ proposal would impose a 3-term limit or twelve consecutive years for the seventeen legislators and the county executive.  The bi-partisan plan also proposes extending the length of term of office for a county legislator from the present two years to four years. 

“The topic of term limits is not necessarily popular among elected officials but it is popular among voters,” said Legislator John Nonna, Chair of the Legislation Committee which will debate the issue and take comments from the public. “I think the issue merits careful review and full debate. We need to determine what Westchester voters prefer and then do what needs to be done legislatively to put the will of the people into effect.”   

While the legislature by charter has the authority to establish term limits by local law, the proposal to lengthen the term of office for a legislator from two to four years would have to be voted on by public referendum.

County Legislator Burrows has strongly advocated for term limits since he took office in 2005.

“The message of term limits is come and serve, contribute your time, talent and energy for the well-being of the Westchester community, then move on with our thanks,” said Burrows.  “We need to encourage more citizens to take a turn at elective office so that the public will benefit from a greater diversity of opinions and perspectives.”

“We serve the public trust, not for personal gain,” added County Legislator Peter Harckham. “Term limits will focus legislative efforts and allow others similarly committed to public service the opportunity to serve as well.”

The topic of term limits has been debated in Westchester for the last twenty years.  Nonna said that it is an idea whose time has come and that he and his co-sponsors all agreed that the outside limit of twelve years of consecutive service was appropriate.   

 “The 1988 charter revision commission discussed term limits but declined to endorse it at that point in time,” said Nonna. “However, the report indicates that if a cap were introduced, twelve years would be the recommended outside limit of consecutive years in office. Over the years, across the country in places that have adopted term limits, the twelve-year limit appears to have surfaced as a number that hits the right balance between continuity and change for the electorate.”

Harckham also commented on the plan’s proposal to lengthen the term of office for county legislators from two to four years.  He said that the same rationale that underlies why the county executive, county clerk and district attorney serve four-year terms supports lengthening the term of a county legislator.        

“While regular turn-over in terms of officeholders is generally good, a two-year term is too short a period in legislative time to achieve the goals that the public elected you to accomplish,” said Harckham. “A four-year term would provide the time needed to pursue and bring to fruition the complex issues and reforms that require thorough study, the input of a variety of stakeholders and several rounds of revisions.” 

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WPCNR’S ECONOMISTA. From  Johny Nelson, the New York State Department of Labor. September 16, 2010:

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. Special to WPCNR September 15, 2010:

 Mayor Adam Bradley and his wife, Fumiko Bradley, filed separate claims for divorce with the Westchester County Clerk on Tuesday, according to county online records,  each naming the other as the defendent.

Tonight, WPCNR obtained this statement from Mayor Bradley on the filings, in which he says he would have no further  comment on the matter and disdains that the filings were leaked to the press:

“This week, I filed paperwork to begin divorce proceedings from my wife, a difficult decision that was reached only after exhausting every other recourse.

Divorce is an unfortunate situation that, sadly, impacts many families every day, and obviously this is a difficult moment for my own family.

I was disappointed to learn that details of this have been leaked in a public way, as most families are afforded a modicum of privacy when dealing with a similar situation.

While I understand the public interest given my public profile as Mayor, I want to be very clear that this will be the only time I address this matter. This is an intensely personal situation that will be handled in the appropriate court of law, where hopefully my family’s privacy will be respected.

In the meantime, and as I have done every day since I took office, I will continue my work on behalf of the people of White Plains. My commitment to this city and my devotion to my duties as Mayor are unwavering.”

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE NIGHT. September 13, 2010:

During the September 7 Council meeting last week, the council passed a set of resolutions amending traffic ordinances which have eliminated valet parking in the city. As of Monday evening, the valet parking that was a fixture at City Center in front of Zanaro’s and Legal Seafood after 5 P.M.,  in place since 2003, is no longer in operation.

So long Valets!

For seven years the valet operation in front of Legal Seafoods and the former Zanaro’s through a private firm parked cars dropped in front of the two restaurants for a fee of $5 per car, with attendants parking cars for patrons in vehicles who queued up often 5 to 6 cars deep (which were then parked on either side of Church Street cutting back the lanes on Church Street from 2 to 1),between Main Street and Martine Avenue causing traffic congestion. Now, according to City Hall, there are no more valet parking operations in the city.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. September 12,2010:

The August Sales Tax Receipts are in for the City of White Plains showing sales tax receipts up for the month of August, though the sales volume in the city is down about 4%, WPCNR has found.

Using figures released by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today, White Plains August sales tax  receipts rose  8.5% over August 2009, the third consecutive month the city sales tax receipts have risen. However this increase does not cover the overall 12% proportion increase in the city sales tax rate that went into effect in June. In June the city sales tax rose to 2-1/2%, up from 2-1/4%.

If the August 2010 sales volume ( when $3.8 Million in sales tax revenues on that revenuer were generated in White Plains) had stayed even with August 2009 ( $3,474,630.18 in sales tax revenue), the city should have generated $500,000 in additional sales tax in August, rather than the $400,000 additional sales tax revenues the city was credited. This indicates to WPCNR, retail sales volume subject to sales tax within the city declined slightly from August 2009

On the county side of the ledger, County sales tax receipts declined from last month by $400,000,  a decline of 1.2%, generating $33,220,412.28 in August 2010 compared to $33,635,339.68 in July.  To date, the County through the first eight months of its 21010 fiscal year has generated $286.7 Million in sales taxes.  Last month the county sales tax receipts had a 7-1/2% upswing which disappeared last month.

For one month any way  County hopes of a dramatic surplus over budget sales taxes have had a set back/

Should Westchester county generate the $149 Million in sales taxes last four months of the year – the “handle” the county generated in 2009, the county will just about make their budget of $432.6 Million in sales tax receipts, generating a $436 Million sales tax handle.