August Job Picture Mixed. Hud Valley Declines 1%

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


Private sector employment in the Hudson Valley decreased over the year by 6,800, or 0.9 percent, to 718,100 in August 2010.  Employment gains were recorded in leisure and hospitality (+1,500) and educational and health services (+700).  Losses were centered in natural resources, mining and construction (-3,500), trade, transportation and utilities (-2,400), manufacturing (-1,100), information (-1,000), and financial activities (-900).  Government shed 3,800 jobs over the year.

 

The regional job market continues to improve.  Private sector employment declined by a relatively modest 0.9 percent for the 12-month period ending in August 2010.  This was much less than the 4.3 percent decline recorded over the August 2008 – August 2009 period. 

 

For the second consecutive month, leisure and hospitality was the region’s leading job gainer, adding 1,500 jobs over the last year.

Professional and business services showed the most improvement this month, declining by only 0.6 percent. This was an impressive turnaround from the 6.2 percent drop it recorded over the same period in 2009.

 

 

 

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Ryan to Head New York State Association of Counties

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Tara Martin, Westchester County Board of Legislators. September 15, 2010:


Westchester County Legislator Bill Ryan will be installed as President of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC)  Thursday at its annual fall conference being held this week in Buffalo, NY.


 Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino will be in Buffalo participating in the conference and will administer the oath of office to Legislator Ryan at Thursday’s installation ceremony.  “For Legislator Ryan to serve as president of NYSAC is a tribute to him and to Westchester. His experience will serve New York State well,” said Astorino.


 Legislator Ryan, who has served on the NYSAC Board of Directors since 2005, currently chairs the state association’s Audit and Finance Committee.


 A former New York State Assemblyman, Bill Ryan is a seven term member of the Westchester County Board of Legislators.  He served as chairman of the County Board from 2004 through 2009.


 Legislator Ryan represents Westchester in the National Association of Counties.  He serves on the national association’s Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee and is a northeastern U.S. representative on the Large Urban County Caucus; 35 officials that represent America’s 100 largest counties before the federal Administration and Congress.


 Bill Ryan resides with his wife JoAnn in White Plains, New York.

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Adam Bradley Issues Statement on Filing for Divorce

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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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IT’S ALL OVER. TOM ROACH SEIZES 89TH DISTRICT DEM SLOT WITH SOLID VICTORY

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010. By John F. Bailey. September 15, 2010 UPDATED 12:25 A.M. E.D.T.:


Thomas Roach, of White Plains, has defeated Mark Jaffe of West Harrison, 2,078 votes to 1,642 with all districts reporting according to the Board of Elections unofficial tally this morning, pending canvas of the Board.


Roach led all the way building a 300 vote in the first hour of returns and building it to his final 463-vote margin, 56% to 44%.


Roach told WPCNR he ran very strong in White Plains and with districts coming in, in no particular order, the Roach roll continued through the evening. Roach said he campaigned all over the district. Now, Roach, who will also be on the Independence and Working Families Party lines, faces Castelli who won his 89th Assembly District seat last February by trouncing Pete Harckham, the County Legislator in a special election.


Turnout in White Plains was light according to WPCNR observers.


Roach earns the Democratic nomination on the November ballot and closes out Jaffe, preventing a posible split of Democrat voters in the November election, that would have made it easier for Castelli to win.



WPCNR reports that when this reporter voted, the ballot was easy to mark, the new ImageCast optical scanner machined sucked in and tallied my vote without a problem.


Mr. Roach becomes the first politician in White Plains to be voted to success with the Optical Scanning election machine technology

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Quietly, Council Eliminates Valet Parking Throughout the City

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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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Bash ’47,Gardella ’53, Aleinifkoff ’70, Naughton ’75 Picks for WPHS Hall of Fame

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Elaine London, White Plains High School Hall of Fame. September 11, 2010:


 


Four White Plains High School graduates have been selected for induction this fall into the school’s Hall of Fame.


 


The Hall of Fame pays tribute to the White Plains High School alumni/ae who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and/or have significantly and positively impacted the lives of others.


 


The 2010 inductees are:  Dr. Pickward J. Bash, Jr., ’47, anesthesiologist in Westchester for 50 years;  Richard M. Gardella, ’53,  lawyer and community leader;  T. Alexander Aleinikoff, ’70,  United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees; and Eileen Naughton, ’75, Director of Media Sales and Operations for North and Latin America, Google, Inc.                 


 


The honorees will visit the High School on Tuesday, October 26th and will spend time with students.  The Induction Ceremony will take place in the Media Center at 3pm and will be followed by a reception.  The public is invited. 


 


This is the fifteenth class of distinguished alumni/ae selected since the Hall of Fame was established in 1996, bringing the total number of inductees to 66.  It is estimated that more than 26,000 students have graduated from White Plains High School in its 113 years of continuous operation.


 


The inductees were selected by a committee of representatives of civic and school groups from nominations submitted by the public.  New nominations are welcomed each year. 


 


 

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August City Sales Tax Receipts Up on Rate Hike Sales Volume Soft.

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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.


 

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My Sisters’ Place Hires Expert to Handle Suspected Human Trafficking

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From My Sisters’ Place, White Plains. September 7, 2010:  


My Sisters’ Place has hired a legal expert to aid the agency in the sensitive and growing problem of human trafficking.


Laren Pesso  will be a resource to MSP staff and to our community at large as she coordinates the agency’s response to actual and suspected cases of human trafficking.  In addition, she will conduct trainings for law enforcement and community groups, develop strong internal protocols for handling trafficking cases, and draft a best practices guide for domestic violence agencies that are looking to add the work of human trafficking to their mission. 


Ms. Pesso, MSW, MPA carries the official title the of  My Sisters’ Place/LexisNexis/Somaly Mam Foundation Human Trafficking Fellow. 



Ms. Pesso has worked directly with domestic violence victims, as well as in important international research experience around issues of human trafficking, gender-based violence, and women’s health. 


She has held positions with Women’s Political Resource Center as a project manager in Tbilisi, Georgia and Engender Health leading a team of researchers in Uganda in the study of gender based violence.  Her graduate internship posts were at Sanctuary for Families at the Brooklyn Family Justice Center and the Crime Victims Treatment Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital. Additionally, she has published and conducted trainings on her experiences abroad working to advance women’s rights.  Ms. Pesso holds joint masters degrees in social work and public administration, with a focus on human rights, from Columbia University.



 

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Post Road Did Have a Main Watermain Break: DPW. 3rd Main Break of Year in City

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. September 6. 2010 UPDATED SEPTEMBER 7, 2010:


The Department of Public Works confirmed to WPCNR this morning yesterday’s small flood on Post Road was caused by failure of the main water line under East Post Road. The city has repaired the water leak causing minor flooding Monday morning on East Post Road, restoring service to Westchester One.


The Department told WPCNR today that it was not a feeder line to the empty former Frozen Ropes building as first thought, instead the break was in the main water line going down Post Road. It is the third failure of a major water main in the city in 8 months. Others  occured at Bank Street and Main Street, and most recently, Martine Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. WPCNR has a call in to city hall to see if the city has a concern that multiple city water mains in the downtown may need replacement.


Previously White Plains Week the city news roundup show had noted that city water main pipes are only expected to have a life expectancy of 60 years.while mains installed in the mid-1800s have life expectancies of 100 years. With many of the pipes in the downtown installed in the mid-twentieth century the city may be facing recurring infrastructure proplems with their water manes, this being the third break this year.




Commissioner Joseph Nicoletti told WPCNR he suspecedt that a connector line leading from the city water main into the former Frozen Ropes storefront, now vacant, had failed as of about 10 A.M. Monday morning.  Nicoletti said the leak was noticed when water was seen bubbling up from the street.

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