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 CAMPAIGN 2010. From The Robert Castelli Campaign. (Edited) July 28, 2010:

Robert Castelli being sworn in to the 89th Assembly District Seat in February.

Having spent a lifetime in public service, first as a combat infantryman in Vietnam, then as a member of the State Police for twenty-one years and finally an educator and Professor of Criminal Justice, Castelli says he is eschewing traditional partisan campaign rallies in favor of what he calls a ‘front porch’ campaign of door to door voter outreach.

Castelli says his no-nonsense approach to governance and cutting spending call for more substance than pomp and circumstance, and he is bringing that message from his front porch to the voter’s front doors, who demand no less.

“In my short time in the New York State legislature, I have shown my willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion for the protection and economic growth of the citizens of my district and New York, and this is the message that I will bring to their homes,” he said.

Castelli says his campaign has already knocked on thousands of doors this summer as he continues to work towards a solution towards the State’s budget crisis, which is exacerbated by out of control unfunded mandates and sky-rocketing property taxes.

 “From day one, I have put tax relief first and committed myself to being the taxpayer’s best friend. This campaign is a grassroots effort, and I will continue to fulfill my duties as a Member of the Assembly as I pursue my re-election campaign,” he said.

His short tenure in the Assembly has already marked him as one of the more effective legislators amidst Albany’s renowned climate of dysfunction. Two pieces of his legislation have passed both houses of the Legislature, and four of his bills were reporter from committee, including two statewide measures. Eighteen bills that he co-authored or co-sponsored have also passed the Assembly.

“The trick is to get things done in spite of the bad system, rather than because of it,” Castelli said. “As I meet with my constituents in their homes, I think they are pleased to know that if anything, I am more acutely aware of what needs to be changed in Albany since I went up there four months ago, and continue to be committed to those changes.”

He has earned the designation “Hero of Reform” for his commitment to independent budgeting, fair and nonpartisan redistricting, and enacting the toughest ethics law in the nation, after signing four different reform pledges from the Westchester County Association’s Call to Action Campaign, the Business Council of Westchester’s Enough Already NY Campaign, Ed Koch’s New York Uprising Campaign, and Common Cause and the Brennan Center for Justice’s Pledge for Change.

Castelli said this commitment to making a difference is why the New York Times deemed him “the kind of outsider Albany needs.” He expects to announce additional endorsements in the upcoming weeks from various organizations in the 89th Assembly District, which consists of the towns of Bedford, Lewisboro, Harrison, New Castle, North Castle, Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge, and portions of the City of White Plains.

“As someone who raised a family in Westchester, the owner of a small security consulting business, and as a veteran of local government for four years, I have a unique understanding to the challenges facing Westchester’s families, businesses, and municipalities and have been honored to serve as an Assemblyman for the 89th District. I’m also pleased to see that many of my core beliefs in smaller government are now being adopted by candidates across the State, including my prospective opponents,” he said.

The former Lewisboro Councilman distinguished himself in local government by keeping taxes low and as a leader in protecting the environment, yet he was considered an underdog in the February special election. He managed to win an impressive victory by a ten-point margin despite being outspent nearly two-to-one by his opponent. Since taking office, Castelli has quickly established a war chest for the November general election, raising triple the funds of his two prospective opponents, according to the State Board of Elections.

He says the central tenants of his campaign remain unchanged since February, and will remain the same despite whoever his opponent may be in the fall.

His platform is based on creating jobs by tackling New York’s hostile business climate and making Westchester a more affordable place to live and operate a business; enacting property tax reform by eliminating unfunded mandates, capping property taxes, freezing assessments for seniors, and creating a STAR circuit breaker to make the system more fair and equitable; achieving tax savings by “surgical” spending cuts to spend smarter, not harder; and cleaning up the corruption and waste in Albany by enacting the nation’s toughest ethics laws, the lawmaker said.

“I am more committed than ever to reforming Albany,” Castelli said. “The first New York State Constitutional Convention was held in White Plains in 1777. Our State last held a Constitutional Convention in 1967. We need reform minded legislators in both houses, on both sides of the aisle, willing to work together towards lower spending, smaller government, and the protection of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and our environment. For that reason I support a constitutional convention to bring about needed change.”

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010. From The Wilson Campaign. July 28, 2010: 

 At a news conference at the Michaelian Buillding today, state comptroller candidate Harry J. Wilson (R) and state senate candidates Bob Cohen (R) and Liam McLaughlin (R) today warned Westchester residents face sharply higher property taxes if a plan of state comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is put into effect.

 

 

The secretive borrowing scheme, the brainchild of state comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli (D), would allow the state to borrow money from the state pension fund to make constitutionally required payments to that very same fund, with interest.  The plan attempts to hide the massive underperformance of the pension fund, relative to its 8% target return.

 

That underperformance Wilson alleges, will lead to dramatically higher taxes in Westchester County and statewide.  Under New York State law, state and local governments are required to make up any shortfalls in the state pension fund, and that money is typically raised at the local level through property or other tax hikes.

 

“This plan is sheer madness, and the people of New York State need to be told about it,” said Mr. Wilson, a Scarsdale resident and a nationally recognized corporate restructuring expert. “What Mr. DiNapoli is proposing is akin to using a home equity line to make a mortgage payment. It is Albany fiscal gimmickry at its worst, and, as usual, the taxpayers of New York State are being left in the dark by the Albany politicians.”

 

“Westchester County families are struggling with the highest property taxes in America, and this ‘DiNapoli Tax’ is simply unacceptable,” Mr. Cohen said. “This is an election year gimmick that will make Westchester’s property tax crisis even worse.  State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D) has said not a single word about this, just as she has passively allowed our property tax load to grow unbearable over the past two and a half decades.”  

 

“Record-high property taxes in Westchester are at an emergency level, yet Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Tom DiNapoli are about to raise them even higher,” Mr. McLaughlin, a C.P.A. and a former Yonkers Council Member, said. “What’s worse, this DiNapoli Tax is coming under the cover of darkness – they don’t want Westchester taxpayers to know they are about to get socked again. Ms. Stewart-Cousins has an obligation to her constituents to stop the DiNapoli Tax.”

 

Mr. Wilson said that, based on the best available information, he estimates that under the DiNapoli scheme:

 

1.       In just the first six years, the State will borrow over $4.5 billion, and local governments will be able to borrow in excess of $6 billion, totaling roughly $11 billion in actual or potential borrowing. Because the most recent version of the plan is an indefinite program, this massive borrowing will only grow in later years;

 

2.      The associated interest expense, assuming the midpoint of the publicly stated range, or 5%, will be in excess of $3 billion for the state and local municipalities combined;

 

3.      Over the next six years, the pension contributions of state and local governments will roughly triple — even assuming heroic but unlikely performance in the markets. For the average New York household, their share of these pension contribution costs will increase from just over $500 per household to over $1,800 per household – a $1,300 DiNapoli tax for every household outside New York City.

 

4.      It has been reported that these scenarios are based on the State Comptroller’s expectation that pension returns going forward will mirror returns from the period after the 1987 market crash. If those reports are correct, based on the current portfolio mix of the pension fund, the Dow Jones Industrial Average would have to hit 80,000 by 2022. If, instead, the Fund is basing its projections on its current, but also overly aggressive, 8% return assumption, then the Dow would have to hit nearly 30,000 by 2022. Both of these return scenarios dramatically exceed recent history and the expectations of professional investors. This enormous disparity highlights how important the Comptroller’s assumptions are to the policy debate, and he should provide transparency so that voters can evaluate exactly what he is proposing.

 

5. Mr. DiNapoli’s sole defense is that his plan is a “smoothing” plan that creates reserve accounts in good times. Yet two facts underscore why this defense is misleading:

 

a)      Under Mr. DiNapoli’s own projections, these reserve accounts don’t come into being for at least 15 years, and possibly much longer;

 

b)      In the only other time in New York State history that such a plan was tried, Alan Hevesi’s “one-time-only” plan also created reserve accounts but borrowed a tiny fraction of the amount available here. Those planned reserve accounts never came into use, yet New Yorkers still owe 60% of the original borrowing and pay nearly $100 million per year to pay off that borrowing. As unsuccessful as the Hevesi plan was, Mr. DiNapoli incredibly is seeking to expand it by 20 times or more – creating the largest Ponzi scheme in New York State history.

 

“‘The DiNapoli Tax’ can be stopped in its tracks if the taxpayers of New York State demand it,” Mr. Wilson continued. “That’s why I am so pleased that Liam McLaughlin and Bob Cohen are here today to alert their constituents to this secretive plan.  Every time Albany kicks the can down the road like this, it makes our taxes go up and our situation grow worse.”

 

Mr. Wilson further said that, “given the lack of transparency provided by the comptroller on key assumptions surrounding this pension borrowing plan, we are limited in our ability to exhaustively analyze it, but based on our best estimates and the best available information, we believe the Comptroller is walking New York State into a fiscal disaster. We first raised this issue well over a month ago, and the Comptroller has yet to come clean with New Yorkers on his assumptions. We await him living up to his responsibilities to taxpayers.

 

“I also challenge Mr. DiNapoli to show us other scenarios his office has run so we can see what happens to the Pension Fund if returns don’t mirror the best span the Fund has had,” Mr. Wilson continued. “For example, what happens if the Fund experiences returns similar to the last 10 years? Where is the responsible analysis, honest accounting and prudent management of our State Pension Fund?  It’s Mr. DiNapoli’s job to do these analyses, but he is either asleep at the switch or hiding the truth about this plan from the public.” 

 

Mr. Wilson said the unelected incumbent state comptroller, who first proposed the controversial Pension borrowing scheme in May 2009, needs to explain this questionable borrowing plan to the public.  Mr. Wilson specifically urged him to make clear exactly:

 

·         How much will be borrowed over the next 6 years, both by the state government and by local governments?;

 

·         How much interest expense will that borrowing cost NY taxpayers?;

 

·         How large will the contribution levels be in future years?, and  

 

·         How much worse will these problems be under more realistic market scenarios?

 

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010. From Westchester County Board of Elections. July 25, 2010 UPDATED July 26, 2010. UPDATED 1:50 P.M. EDT (UPDATED COPY IN ITALICS):

Voters in Westchester County will see new optical scan voting machines at their polling places when they go to vote in the 2010 September Primary Election and November General Election.

City Clerk Ann McPherson confirmed to WPCNR Monday morning that the levered voting machines used for decades will no longer be used in White Plains polling places beginning with the September primaries. The optical scanners will be used in the congressional elections in November.

McPherson said the city has just received instrucitonal materials from Westchester County, and is devising a plan to educate White Plains citizens on the use of the machines, but that it has not been finalized yet.

These machines will replace the old lever machines, which will no longer be used in elections conducted by the Westchester County Board of Elections.

The White Plains Election poll worker who told us of this switch to the optical scanner describes the process this way:

I am a poll worker.  We have received training on the new machine.  Some of us, myself included, were also trained on the “Plan B” machine.  They may look the same superficially, but their operations are entirely different.  With the  ImageCast system the voter will be given a ballot and directed to a kiosk to mark it like an S.A.T. test and then take it over to the machine and feed it in. 

The scanner will verify that the ballot has been marked correctly (by which I DON’T mean that you have voted for the correct candidates), and then drop the ballot into a locked box. (It also tallies your votes.)  If the machine detects and error it can return the ballot, at which point you go back to the sign-in table and get a fresh one, but three strikes and you’re out.

Voting on the ImageCast is easy:

• • Upon arrival at the polling place, the voter will check in with the Election Inspectors at the proper election district and sign his/her name in the poll roster book, as usual.
  
  
  
• Next, the voter will be given a paper ballot and a privacy folder and will be directed to a voting booth that will provide the voter with a private location within which he/she can mark the ballot with a marking pen that is provided.
  
  
  
• Finally, the voter will go to the voting machine and feed the ballot into the scanner, which reads the votes and drops the ballot into a secure metal box.
  

In addition to the optical scan voting machines, every polling place will be equipped with a Ballot Marking Device (BMD) voting machine. This machine gives those individuals who are unable to physically mark their ballots the opportunity to vote at the polling place. An Election Inspector will activate the BMD for the voter and audio/visual instructions will then guide the voter through the process.

Instructional Forums Schedule
Demonstrations and hands-on instructional forums will be provided by the Westchester County Board of Elections in the following towns:

White Plains
Westchester County Center
Thursday, Sept. 9, 7 – 9 p.m
Sunday, Oct. 3 1 – 3 p.m.

Bedford
Fox Lane High School
Thursday, July 29, 7 – 9 p.m.

You can read and print the flyer for additional information.

If you cannot attend one of these forums, you can:

• watch our Powerpoint presentation
  
• view the Vote NY video demonstration in English
  
• view the Vote NY vidoe dmeonstration in Spanish

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. July 23, 2010:

 

The Common Council led by strong pressure from Councilpersons Beth Smayda, Milagros Lecuona and David Buchwald, extracted a promise from City Chief of Staff John Callahan to direct Buildings Commissioner Damien Amadio to survey buildings in the downtown to identify possibly unsafe buildings demonstrating the same conditions that led to the disasterous Bengal Tiger fire two weeks ago. Callahan also said possible code upgrades would be looked at.

 

Mr. Callahan informed the CitizeNetReporter the investigation into the cause of the July 7 Bengal Tiger fire had begun, but he had no time frame of when it was expected to be completed.

 

 

Amadio contrary to what he told the CitizeNetReporter two weeks ago,(where he said there were a number of buildings with similar pre modern code construction), said he was not aware of a great number of buildings similar to the Bengal Tiger construction, and said it was the city policy not to demand a building upgrade to sprinklers and fire alarms, but only to recommend it.

 

 Councilperson Lecouna and Smayda urged Amadio to execute a survey to identify possibly substandard buildings that presented possible threats to patrons, especially those containing restaurants. John Callahan, city Chief of Staff, said the city would undertake such a survey. Councilman David Buchwald asked Callahan and Amadio to examine would it would take to amend city code to require sprinklers and other such safety devices through the state code process.

 

Councilman Tom Roach said he was concerned basing safety standards solely on a use basis, because he did not feel the city had that right. 

 

Councilperson Lecouna expressed that a city Fire Marshall could simply refuse to give approval for a use or a renovation that he (the Fire Marshall) felt was unsafe, recalling a building she was involved in representing in Hastings, where exactly that happened. Such a conscientious official she said “could make a difference.”

 

Amadio said the Fire Bureau and the Building Department are very conscientious about conditions and buildings and consistently attempting to upgrade standards when they see shortcomings. (Except, perhaps in the case of the Bengal Tiger building which burned out of control for 11 hours two weeks ago in a building “grandfathered in,” having a common cockloft (roof attic area) and not having sprinklers in the Bengal Tiger where the fire started from unknown origins. )  John Callahan, City Chief of Staff told WPCNR the investigation into the cause of the Bengal Tiger disaster where no one was hurt, but 7 businesses were burned out, has begun, but there is no telling when the investigation will be completed yet.

 

In other council matters Thursday evening, attended by Mayor Bradley, Tom Roach, Beth Smayda, and Milagros Lecouna, with Benjamin Boykin and Dennis Power not in attendance…the following  developments are of note:

 

Church & Barket Rehab Facility

 

****** William Nicholson, CEO of The Congress Companies said the company was in the process of acquiring the Church Street and Barker property and was apply for HUD funding for a 6-story Rehabilation facility on the site across from the Avalon Bay apartments. A new double entry drive design was shown. Susan Habel said the project would be insured by Capmark, the entity insuring the Kensington assisgted living project going up on Lexington Avenue and Maple.

 

Insight from Habel on Substandard Housing analysis

 

******Commissioner Susan Habel explained that the new 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan identifying neighborhoods where substandard housing existed in over 50% of the homes was an effort to justify and retain  HUD Community Development Funds ($985,000) for addressing rehabilation of  1 to 2 family homes that had fallen into disrepair externally and to upgrade the neighborhoods by offering low cost loans of from 1% to 7% depending on income.

 

City Community Development Fund Loans are made on the following scale: elderly, a deferred lien, paid off on sale of the property; Moderate income, 1 to 5% interest;  absentee owner, 4 to 7% interest, Habel reported.

 

Her explanation put a more positive face on the blunt assessment that first surfaced at the Urban Renewal Agency introduction of the Consolidated Plan that 50% of  housing in Eastview, Carhart, Battle Hill,  Ferris Avenue, Fisher Hill and lower Highlands were substandard and blighted. Habel said about 300 homes were identified as having 4 areas of concern and that letters had gone out to those identified, notifying the owners of their eligibility for community development funds.

 

Quarterly Budget Monitoring

 

*******Mayor Bradley announced that the budget situation would be reported quarterly with the next snapshot of the budget coming in early October. The councilpersons in attendance agreed with that.

 

Lecouna: Cappelli Sales Office Should Come Down

 

*******Councilperson Milagros Lecouna expressed concern that the Cappelli Enterprises sales building, which was intended to come down after the sales of the Ritz Carlton condominiums and turned into open space had not come down yet. Chief of Staff Callahan said the city would explore this with Cappelli Enerprises. David Buchwald noted concern about the open space on the AT & T property on Main Street, across Martin Luther King Boulevard from the New York Power Authority. Callahan said he would explore that.

 

Status of Open Space Fund

 

*******Mr. Callahan reported that presently there is $130,000 in the Open Space Acquisition Fund which is funded by profits from Starbucks. The city receives $44,000  net of the $88,000 Starbucks pays to the city, with the other $44,000 going to pay the debt service on the Starbucks building which the city built on Renaissance Plaza. Callahan said Starbucks is not obligated to pay the city more until it passes $1.2 Million in revenues, which it has not met yet.

 

Comprehensive Plan Pre Planning Committee Being Selected

 

*******Mayor Adam Bradley said he would be forming a Comprehensive Plan Committee of 18 persons from the city, the administration and other interested parties to determine the process by which the city Comprehensive Plan would be reevaluated. He said he would have that list in October. The Common Council by a revision of the Charter made in 2006 would have the final say on who serves on that Committee. The process by which the Comprehensive Plan is to be redeveloped is due by January 2011.

 

New City Website Feature will Show Council Meetings Live in September

 

********John Callahan announced and demonstrated to the media the new city website process by which Common Council meetings, and other meetings if covered by Public Access Television  will be viewed live on the city website. The prototype was demonstrated to press in attendance and is quite impressive, with the ability to go directly to discussion and common council proceedings related to specific agenda items. Callahan said the system would be live after September 1. He said it costs the city $200 a month, and the program cost $3,700.

 

No City Policy to Regulate Business Hours

 

The Council was informed that it was the city policy not to dictate hours establishments could do business.

 

Press Policy

 

John Callahan confirmed the city press policy that media should contact Mr. Callahan at city hall first to pose a query and he would direct the media person to the appropriate Commissioner or city employee if Callahan could not answer the question.

 

Trolleys Being Purchased

 

In an ancillary discussion related to the Winbrook-Post Road Task Force, Commissioner of Planning alluded to the trolley shuttle (promoted by Councilman Benjamin Boykin). Asked about the status of the trolleys, Chief of Staff Callahan said two energy-friendly trolley-buses were on order at a total cost of $250,000 in federal grants. There was no date given when the routes were to be determined or the buses to arrive.

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. July 22, 2010 UPDATED JULY 23, 2010.

It has been two weeks since fire raged for 11 hours, gutting the Bengal Tiger, and 7 other businesses on East Post Road. The site appears to be mostly cleared. John Callahan, City Chief of Staff confirmed to WPCNR Thursday evening that investigation into the cause of the fire had begun with no date set as to when the findings would be made public. (Explosions had been heard by firemen fighting the fire, during the course of the blaze, and smoke was seen before the incident was officially reported.)  Here is how the site looks today: