WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. News & Comment by Don Hughes. October 6, 2008: The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 is 451 pages long.  Unfortunately about 338 of those pages have nothing to do with economic stabilization and everything to do  with buying votes.  For a look at the full version go here: http://tinyurl.com/4utcew.

According to the Senate committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the stated purpose of the legislation is to provide “up to $700 billion to the Secretary of the Treasury to buy mortgages and other assets that are clogging the balance sheets of financial institutions and making it difficult for working families, small business, and other companies to access credit, which is vital to a strong and stable economy.”   For the full summary go here: http://tinyurl.com/4g5uao.

Don’t be fooled by the $700 billion price tag.  As of September, the government had already spent $900 billion in rescues and  loans: $300 billion for the FHA to refinance failing mortgage loans; $200 billion for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; $200 billion for TAF loans to banks;  $87 billion to JPMorgan Chase for providing financing to bankrupt Lehman Brothers, $85 billion for AIG; $29 billion for JPMorgan Chase’s buyout of Bear Sterns;  $4 billion in grants to local communities (see FACTBOX). 

Oops, and then today the Federal Reserve expanded it’s bank refinancing operation listed as $200 billion above to $900 billion.  That brings the total, so far, to $2.3 trillion (would an exclamation point be redundant?).

When the House initially failed to pass the bailout,  the legislation was was loaded up with congressional earmarks  (polite term for pork) in an effort to buy the votes of enough legislators to pass it the second time around.  Whole sections of legislators’ pet legislation that had previously failed to pass muster was simply plugged unchanged into the emergency bill.

We have things such as tax breaks for Oregon manufacturers of wooden arrows; a tax incentive program to benefit the California film industry; and a rebate for excise taxes on rum imported from Puerto Rico.  For an analysis of some of the more egregious tax breaks done by Taxpayers for Common Sense see: http://tinyurl.com/4ha9sl.

President Bush, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell should have had the leadership to jointly announce that this legislation was too critical to play games with and that they would not accept any attempts to add anything to the legislation not directly related to its stated purpose of relieving the country’s credit crisis.

But that is not what happened.  First they showed a total disrespect for the American voter by assuming that we were too stupid to understand the details.  That’s why they sent no e-mails, held no press conferences, or attended any local forums attempting to explain this legislation and their vote to the voters.  They just tallied up the phone calls and went with the flow. 

Second They succumbed to greed.  They took advantage of this emergency to add to this legislation items that would never have passed on their own.  And then they did not even take the time to insure that this legislation would, in fact, do what they wanted it to.  Notice that they used the market’s over 700 point drop earlier in the week as a justification for hastily passing the legislation, yet even after passing the legislation the market continued its downward slide today.  Legislate in haste, pay for
it at leisure.

So perhaps giving $200,000 in tax exemptions to charitable organizations who purchase wooden arrows (to the benefit of the sales of Rose City Archery in Myrtle Point Oregon) is not such a big deal, but the fact that was the only way to pass critical legislation is. 

It shows that we are not governed by statesmen, but impotent pretenders.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. October 4, 2008 UPDATED 10:35 A.M. EDT: The Common Council resolved its dispute with Cappelli Enterprises over occupancy of the Ritz-Carlton second condominium tower before affordable housing owed on the project was completed by voting 7-0 Friday afternoon to accept a compromise.

In the agreement approved, 4 of the 24 completed units  built in the City Center garage will be “allocated and credited” to the City Center project, and 20 affordable units allocated and credited to the 221 Main project.

To complete Mr. Cappelli’s obligation remaining from the City Center project, the council has allowed him to rent  13 similar apartments across the city, in apartment complexes such as Avalon, Bank Street Commons and elsewhere, thus resolving the dispute.

The upshot is that Mr. Cappelli can now receive certificates of occupancy without impediments as he opens the second condominium tower.

Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel advised the media after the vote that the Cappelli organization still owes 13 units to fulfill its obligation of affordable units connected to the City Center project. The organization had owed 16 previously.

By assigning 20 of the 24 units built in the City Center garage to the Ritz affordable housing requirement, 4 units were subtracted from what Mr. Cappelli owes from the City Center project, leaving 12 units to go to fulfill the City Center requirement. She said Cappelli has agreed to build one more, leaving 13 units he must provide. Until those units are built, she said, Mr. Cappelli has agreed to rent comparable amenitied apartments within the city.

Ms. Habel in post vote statement said that the council acted Friday, rather than at Monday evening’s scheduled Council meeting, because the Planning Department wanted to begin renting the 24 units now complete in the City Center garage to the waiting list of 400 persons. She advised that persons interested in applying for affordable apartments should contact the White Plains Planning Department, because all renters of the apartments were subject to approval by landlords based on review of their financial qualifications. It became necessary, Ms. Habel, said to allocate the affordable units.

Under questioning by Keith Eddings of the Journal News, as to why the issue had been negotiated in executive sessions, Paul Wood, City Executive officer, said that  the issue of litigation came up in negotiations over the issue.

The agreement approved Friday evening, perpetuates the affordable housing units should the Cappelli organization eventually sell the City Center garage apartments.

Commissioner Habel said where the 13 units would eventually be built by the Cappelli organization within the city was not known. Asked where the 240 Main Street project stood, where it was presumed previously that the Cappelli organization would build theaffordable housing, Ms. Habel said the possibility of the building ever being constructed has been complicated by a bankruptcy of the Rotundi organization which is in dispute with Ginsburg Development Corporation, its former partner, and the litigation continues, blocking construction until that is resolved.

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WPCNR  GOES TO THE THEATRE. By John F. Bailey. October 2: There are many bright shining moments, buffed, polished and gleaming once more in  the new Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot, the first revival of the 1961 icon of a show — first course delicacy on White Plains Performing Arts Center theatrical buffet this season, as WPPAC continues its performing course in great musical theatre.

The Eternal Triangle Begins, Rendered by Robert Cuccioli,  (seated) “The Official Leading Man of New York,” as the troubled, hesitant, heroic King Arthur, Her Majesty, the regal Juli Robbins as Queen Guenevere, looking on in disapproval at the boasting Greg Goodbrod as Sir Lancelot  when they first meet in WPPAC’s debut production of Camelot, Friday through Sunday.  Photos, Courtesy White Plains Performing Arts Center

Camelot  could not come to White Plains at a better  time. The show  with its clever, amusing and intelligent book and songs depicting the ambiguities and resiliency of the best mankind has to give will inspire with the hope it instills. That’s the reason it was a hit the last time people believed in a Presidency, 1961 (when the Camelotian Kennedy administration governed two-1/2 years). You still have three days left to see it, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday this weekend at the WPPAC.

WPPAC engages the imagination by transforming the ever versatile WPPAC stage into King Arthur’s Great Hall, where the audience appears actually in the great hall with banners festooned about the sides of the hall. Through the magic of Thom Weaver’s lighting it turns into enchanted woods, a jousting tournament, castle battlements, and singer-performers who can deliver emotion without crossing into melodrama.

Camelot is the story of a love triangle between “The Official Leading Man of  New York,”  Robert Cuccioli, the Tony Nominated (Jekyll & Hyde) star who gave WPPAC hope last season with his house-buster Man of La Mancha;  the exquisite regal flame-haired Juli Robbins as Guenevere with a voice as articulated and commanding as fine crystal, and Gregg Goodbrod growing into the role of Lancelot.

The attraction between Ms. Robbins and Goodbrod is apparent and subtlely developed as a real romance is. How the attraction develops, though somewhat preposterous, through Guen or “Jenny” as she is called by Arthur and Lance, detests Lancelot’s conceit when she first meets him. Lancelot performs a divine miracle through some kind of hands-on CPR, that proves to Guenevere he is not all ego.

Goodbrood’s first big moment comes with his hilarious singing resume, “C’est Moi!” , a testimony to his abilities. He bonds with the audience delivering a hearable, comprehensive delivery with gesture and savoirfaire  bringing great laughs . At the beginning of Act II he delivers the song that made Robert Goulet a star in the original production.

As he professes he can no longer stand to live in Camelot with Guenevere out of reach, he stops himself and delivers If Ever I Would Leave You with a sweep, an emotion, an intricately sewn tapestry of  range that delivers more meaning than Goulet ever put into singing this song. The songs in this show – all of them are not sung in the belt-and-shout style .  

While Goulet just belted it, Goodbrood gives the sensitivity, the reality, the pain, and yes, the j’n sais quoi that  somehow makes the audience understand why  a man would rather be around a woman who inspires him whom he cannot have than not have her in his life at all. In this writer’s opinion the Goulet style simply blasted the song (especially in the hit recording), rather than deliver the intense finesse the song is given in this show.

It takes a great deal for you to  take your eye off the regal queen Juli Robbins – here charming knights in The Lusty Month of May. Ms. Robbins  intense mesmerzing gaze and Dove Beauty Bar complexion – casts her appreciation on Lancelot demurely, with class and manners, giving plenty of evidence of the smoldering fire for Lancelot within. Here is an actress who plays a queen who is queenly and sings like her namesake with a stately commanding style.

Taking the signature Julie Andrews role (Guenevere was Ms. Andrews follow-up star turn to her never-to-be-forgotten Liza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, acclaimed the greatest musical of all-time), Ms. Robbins  has that very British royal inflection in word and song, articulating superbly.

 Long experienced on the Camelot National Tour, Ms.Robbins is the radiant sun this production revolves around.

It’s Lonely, Confusing, and Tough to Be the King: Robert Cuccioli captures the king’s confusion and anxiety over loss of queen and pursuit of his ideas with a performance evoking compassion and inspiration.

Guenevere’s King Mr. Cuccioli negotiates the intricate nuances of loving two persons, his wife and his friend Lancelot, channeling his jealousy, and attempting to preserve his idealistic dream for the roundtable. He is a leader trying to do right in a world filled with self-interest (the knights). (Does that sound anything like today’s political scene?) The triangle dynamics work superbly.

Mr. C shows another side here – a committed dedicated powerful Quixote in Man of La Mancha, here he is a confused, diffident King in doubt until the end, but loyal to his two friends and his obligations to his ideas that sometimes as we find in life are always in conflict with what makes us happy. Is that timeless or what?

His first meeting with Guenevere, he carries off brilliantly taking advantage of Ms. Robbins’ not knowing he is the king she is to marry.  This banter between them is brilliantly acted by both. He sets the tone with the title song Camelot. Robbins plays a young and lamenting nervous bride singing The Simple Joys of Maidenhood.

Lancelot is introduced to Guenevere by Arthur and Guenevere’s contempt for Lancelot’s self-confidence, to say the least is another throroughly amusing scene highlight by the company’s The Lusty Month of May, and Guenevere’s attempt to take Lancelot down a peg by urging knights of the roudtable to joust him are the beginning of the Lancelot-Guenevere romance. Robbins cajoling of the knights with her rendition of Take Me to the Fair is splendidly timed with appropriate raised eyebrows and wide eyes – any knight would oblige.

The Jousts scene – right out of the Races scene in My Fair Lady – is another suspension of belief carried out by the WPPAC production team.

ACT II things go bad for our conflicted King, Queen and Knight errant.

The evil Mordred, Arthur’s illegitimate son arrives and plots to take over the court. Played by  Saum Eskandani, (center, third from left), who played the scheming nephew in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying on this very same stage. This guy is very good at playing evil, scheming, slimy guys and making them hated and entertaining simultaneously, his Mordred singing  The Seven Deadly Virtues is hysterical, followed up by Fie on Goodness when he converts the Knights of the Roundtable above, who reminisce about their looting and whacking, is just great stuff. Mr. Eskandani deserves a sitcom.

In the denoument, Cuccioli and Ms. Robbins deliver a wonderful duet, What Do the Simple Folk Do? In which with each verse, the passion that once was between them almost rises to the surface, but because of outside forces has been forever mooted,  an all too familiar theme in everyone’s lives.

But this is not a sad show, even Ms. Robbins lovely farewell to Lancelot after Mordred’s plot exposes their  romance, is a positive and uplifting adieu.  Her I Loved You Once in Silence warms the heart and tears you up the way Ms. Robbins styles it, in her silky soprano so precise with control  and courage and emotion.

Robert Cuccioli’s role Arthur, (played by the tortured Richard Burton in the original), gives brooding and angst worthy of the Burden persona, but  more lovable.  He is central, moving Arthur through his various stages of shrinking from responsibility, dealing with it, pushing for an ideal, being the “big person” in a situation. His dialogues are  soliloquys of doubt, perfectly realisticly rendered.

His How to Handle a Woman is handled just right, completely  in keeping with Arthur’s realization he has lost Guenevere but still loves her.

The songs in this show are so encompassing in the way they facet every shade of emotion. Each song is not just entertainment but philosophy, wisdom, truth, all those good things artists try for years (most of them anyway) to portray – crystallizing human existence. (O.K., so I’m a sentimentalist.)

Kudos to the comic relief of  Ronald Brown as Merlin and Pellinore – magician and mentor, and errant knight, providing excellent comic relief.

Music is reminiscent of  Ferrante & Teicher  — the two pianist stars of the 50s — whose style is perfectly matched by two elevated pianos keyboarded by  James Bassi and Steven Gross who impeccably lay a splendid “bed” of melody under the voices. I really loved their style and the two should record this sound track – a bold concept in staging by the Musical Director Gross, and an economical one at that, and it works.

Sidney J. Bourgoyne, the director weaves the interaction sensitively. The staging especially the rescue of Guenevere scene with lighting high drama. The costumes use authentic armor. As Brenda Starr, yours truly’s companion remarked, she appreciates minimalist productions because you can concentrate on the performances, not the pyrotechnics.

Another  spectator advantage of seeing the classics at WPPAC is that every seat is a box seat. The actors have to act better, they are not saved by distance, and the vibrance and reality or lack thereof is instantly discernable. It is like a private command performance for royalty.The acoustics are impeccable.

Camelot is not sad,  ending with a vibrance that send us all out to be “a few great shining drops in the ocean.”

It inspires us to leave the theatre and strive for our own bright and shining moments which is why it is a classic.

Tickets are still available, so go see a classic – it’s always guaranteed at White Plains Performing Arts Center. Tickets, 328-1600 or visit the theatre’s website, and select your seats at  www.wppac.com. There are limited seats still available for shows at 8 Friday, 8 Saturday, Sunday at 2 and Sunday at 7.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. October 2, 2008 UPDATED 4 PM EDT with Labor Statistics: The New York State Department of Labor  is not seeing the layoffs predicted for Wall Street appearing yet in significant numbers in the Department filings for unemployment, according to the Department’s Communications Office.

 “There is a little upswing, but we are not seeing numbers being predicted. Not yet.  Do not forget when some Wall Street personnel were laid off  they were greeted on the street with billboards saying we’ll hire you. They immediately got other jobs. If they do not apply for unemployment benefits, we do not count them,” stated Chris Perhan of the state Labor Department Communications.

If terminations increase as expected, they will add to the financial burdens of companies making the layoffs, Ms. Perhan said. The way unemployment benefits are funded is through assessments on state employers and employees. When a person is let go,  she said, the employer’s Federal Unemployment Tax Assessment increases the next year, for each person terminated. The new assessment is usually given to the employer in the spring of the year.

 One could see a scenario where layoffs would be held off until January, to avoid FUETA increases until 2010, by  which time things might turn around. This advantage might be  a reason why the beginning of predicted unemployments have not escalated. Any layoffs will add to company’s burdens, but of course, but not to the extent of carrying the employees on payroll now if an employer cannot afford to.

Perhan said the percentage of payroll the employer usual pays is determined by a “floor” or minimum FUETA assessment, and is raised according to the number of employees the firm let go the previous year. She reports the FUETA rate for 2008 is 6.2%. Employers must pay 6.2% of the first  $7,000 in salary per employee, and that holds through December, 2008. She had no estimate at this time as to what any increased assessment would amount to per employee by next spring. She could not give a figure for how much the rate goes up per number of firings. 

The Comptroller’s Office this week not only predicted the job losses, but also stated business taxes wre down $366 Million year to year from last year, while personal income tax collection for the first six months of 08-09 were $2.7 Billion higher, but was slowing. The Comptroller’s office noted Wall Street Bonuses on which the state collects taxes expected to be 50% lower amounting to only $16 Billion.

On September 18, a State Labor Department news release stated New York State’s private sector employment increased over the month by 3,000, or less than 0.1 percent, to 7,261,200 (seasonally adjusted) in August 2008.

In addition, New York State’s unemployment rate, after seasonal adjustment, increased from 5.2 percent in July 2008 to 5.8 percent in August 2008 — its highest level since June 2004. New York City’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in August 2008, up from 5.0 percent in July 2008. The rate in the balance of the state outside of New York City also rose over this span, from 5.3 percent in July to 5.7 percent in August 2008.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. Interview with City Executive Oficer, Paul Wood. October 1, 2008: Paul Wood held an exclusive interview with WPCNR this afternoon to give details on the city financial position after the first quarter. He assured the city that city financial borrowing planned for the year had been completed before the present runup in interest rates and slowdown in lending. Though the city has spoken with its underwriters on the matter of financing, he said it was too early to tell the effect on 2009-2010 issues until “the turbulence” substides.

Paul Wood, City Executive Officer confirmed WPCNR’s sales tax projection this morning that  the city was expecting $13 Million in Sales Tax in the till in the First Quarter, based on the ¼% sales tax increase. He attributed the sustained sales tax performance in the first quarter to White Plains “diverse” selection of retail outlets, saying other communities had told him White Plains was “sucking away” shoppers from their shopping centers.

He said that the Mayor was meeting with Department heads as he does every year with no objective to cut across the board but to achieve savings if possible. He said on going expenditures were running “slightly under” budget. It’s not unusual to pull in department heads at midyear, we’re just doing it a little bit early because of what’s going on. We do it every year to see if there are certain items they can do with out. It’s more of a priority because of the ($400,000)  cut  (the council made) in the Reserve for Financing.They cut the reserve by a point. We’re looking at rolling stock, any area where we can do things differently. We have a hiring freeze on.”

Asked if the city departments were under budget, Wood said “A majority of them are, at this point. You have to remember we’re entering a point when you have to do more with less. We have 7,000 more residents here, more people coming into the city.”

Calling in the Council Early This Year

He said that Common Council members had contacted the Mayor’s office “showing their support and concern,” but said none had offered policy suggestions on budget cutting. Wood said given the turmoil of the economy outside White Plains, that the Mayor would bring the Common Council together earlier this year, possibly in November after elections to give them the opportunity to see where the city stood and for them to give early input into  2009-2010 budget.

Holding Inflation Line the Goal.

 Wood said it was the Mayor’s goal to hold the city budget to the present inflation rate, 5% (the Consumer Price Index).

Wood said the city was not facing threats to the budget from within, but from the loss of income from the state. He said he anticipated a cut in the city’s AIM  (Aid & Incentives for Municipalities) funding from the state of $5 Million, which the city would not know until April when the budget will be presented to the Common Council. Wood said there might be other effects or mandates that the state might decide to level on cities.

The city has already presented its revised 2009-2010 projected budget to AIM and Wood said he would be sending that to WPCNR. Wood alluded to energy costs as being up, though expenditures as a whole were running slightly under budget. He said he would get an analysis for WPCNR of how much city energy costs had grown.

Union talks situation.

On the negotiation of the union contracts for police, fire, teamsters and CSEA, Wood said he could not comment. He said he felt the six year settlement Westchester County had recently announced with its Civil Service Employees Union was not a good model for any settlement in these times. Asked how the Mayor felt about the City School District and its teachers union agreement to negotiate a 2 year contract (though not settled yet), Wood said it (a shorter term contract until “things settled down” made sense in these uncertain times. He said the unions were very aware of the troubled times in talks so far.

Commenting on the school district 2-year teacher contract being negotiated, Wood observed, “I think a two year contract kind of makes sense, they’re saying here’s where they are, obviously this is a difficult year for everybody, let’s take  two years and see where we are after that. I don’t think the 6 year county contract with the CSEA was a very smart thing. I’m really pleased with the tone (of the unions) they obviously are in touch with the situation the city is in and we appreciate there efforts in providing extra services despite the interest in demand. We’re respectful of one another and very hopeful that will come to a somewhat reasonable solution to settle in the midst of this turbulence.”

Wood said length of contract was being explored with the unions

Captial Projects Funded in Summer. No Bond Issues going out Now.

On the city ability to float municipal bonds in the current market, Wood said the city had already gone out for its municipal bond needs prior to the current credit crunch.  The city, Wood said, had not withdrawn any issues they were planning to put out on the market and did not anticipate any for the next six months. The school district, conversely is looking at a $16 Million in bonding to complete their $66 Million Construction Project, $50 Million of which has already been marketed successfully, plus another $8 Million in certiorari payments.

New Certiorari Filings Threaten finances. May Require City to Bond for Settlements.

Asked if previously successful commericial property owners who have been granted certioraris about five years ago had refilled for more certioraris due to this year’s dramtic drop in the “Equalization Rate.” Wood said the city has seen the number of certiorari cases jump up over 300. Wood said the judges in order to unclutter the certiorari crunch in the court system have shown a tendency to rule quickly in favor of certiorari filers, Wood explained, “forcing us to settle more cases than we’d like.”

Wood disclosed that the city is looking at continuing a process started this year of payinc certioraris on installments with the winning plaintiffs and bonding for the certiorari payments, a process the school district used last year and intends to use again in 2009.

LCOR Financing Found

Wood confirmed Ms. Malmud’s understanding that the LCOR  55 Bank Street 80-20 Affordable Housing project has received a commitment for financing. “That’s what we’ve been told,” Wood said, saying that LCOR financing has in the past been supported by the California Teachers Retirement Fund. But, he did not know whether that fund was the source of the financing.

Asked if LCOR was proceeding with the project, drawing up site plans for submission to the council in January, Wood said ” Yes, they default if they don’t submit those drawings.”

Asked if LCOR had indicated they were no longer interested in the project, Wood said “No.”

Kensington Assisted Living nears HUD Approval.

On another ongoing city development, the Kensington assisted living project for which the city built a $19 Million Municipal Parking Garage (with space to be leased to White Plains Hospital  for parking, Wood reported  “That’s still moving forward. We spoke to them this weekend they said HUD may actually approve their request much more quickly than anticipated. These projects are assets that someone will want. There isn’t a lot of  risk out there but there are investors looking to put money into projects where performance has occurred. Look at Robert Weisz, he had no trouble financing the first new White Plains office building in 20 years.)