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 THE COLLECTION NEWS.  September 21, 2009: The Mayor’s Office informed WPCNR today  that the city has received between 50 and 100 telephone calls in the last three weeks, demanding the city return to its policy of the past: picking up fall leaves at the curb and reinstate the so-called “backyard pickup,” where sanitation workers enter the homeowners’ property and transport the garbage containers to their trucks.

Melissa Lopez, of the Mayor’s Office announced today  that Joseph Nicoletti, Commissioner of Public Works,  architect of the new leaf-bag and no backyard pickup policy, is devising an alternative plan and the cost of returning to the former practice of  sending crews to sweep up the leaves and retrieving garbage receptacles from backyards. Lopez said the other changes of separate day pickup for recyclable paper and recyclable containers was not being reviewed and would remain in effect.

Lopez said if leaf-bagging is eliminated and backyard pickup is reinstated, some other service or services would have to be eliminated. Lopez said the Mayor said, “this is a policy decision,” implying this was in the purview of the CommonCouncil.

“The Nicoletti Alternatives” will be presented Thursday at a Common Council Work Session, a meeting where the current state of the White Plains City Budget will be presented. Presently the budget is running a deficit of 12-1/2% in sales tax collections alone, which if reversed will result in a $6 Million deficit in sales collections this year.

The city budgeted that it would collect $47.3 Million in sales taxes in 2009-10, and are on a pace to collect only $41.5 Million with ten months to go. A record holiday season is needed for the city to get back on track.

It should be noted that not all neighborhoods in the city, especially in the southend of town  with big property do not enjoy “backyard pickup.” In Haviland Manor, there has not been a sanitation worker seen in a backyard in years. Somehow the backyard pickup policy appeared to have been conveniently forgotten a number of years ago. If backyard pickup is resumed, perhaps the Department of Public Works will refresh sanitation crews that they need to conduct full backyard pickups for all the neighborhoods in the city.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 17, 2009: The triple threats, Doug Sewitch,Daryl Schuler and Anthony Cardon sliced up Lincoln swiftly in White Plains first series Thursday evening when Sewitch took-in a 12 yard swing pass from the effortlessly smooth QB Mike Trapp  for one first down at the Tiger 43, Number 23 Daryl Schuler took a hand off  and slipped off tackle and thundered, spun and deked 13 yards to the Lancer 43. That worked so well Trapp gave the ball to Schuler again, who swept around left end to the Lincoln 32.  On the next play with 3rd and 2 at the 32, the third member of the TD team, Anthony Cardon cruised around left end down the sideline for 32 yards and 6 points. Three minutes had gone by. That’s the kind of night it was.

Daryl Schuler (23) headed to the Lincoln 32 on WP’s opening 5 play 67 yard drive to open their 41-14 win over Lincoln Thursday night. Doug Sewitch (3) escorts him.

White Plains moved the ball at will, cruising to a 41-6 lead at half-time.Two long pass plays from Lincolin’s Anthony Phynn to Keven Perez for a first down on the Tiger 35, and a 19 yarder to Brian Collado gave Lincoln a 7-6 deficit, after White Plains opening touchdown. But then the Tigers turned on the Sewitch and Schuler switch.

Doug Sewitch the Man in Black makes  an over-the-shoulder, in-full-stride catch of a 39-yard perfectly thrown pass from Mike Trapp at the Lincoln 20, setting up the Tigers fourth touchdown (lugged in by who else, his law partner, Mr. Schuler), with 8 minutes to go in the first half for a 28-6 lead.

Earlier in the first quarter Sewitch  leapt high in the air to catch a halfback option pass from Schuler, for a 36 yard completion  giving WP a first down on the Lincoln 4 and  Schuler completed the legwork for his first touchdown of the night, make it 14-6 WP at the 6 minute mark of the first quarter. 

After the Tiger second TD  in six minutes in the Opening Quarter, White Plains forced Lincoln to punt from their own goal line in the last minute of the First Quarter. A bad snap forced the Lincoln punter to bobble and drop the ball. Justin Lamply pounced on the fumble at the Lincoln 4. Mr. Schuler filed a 4 yard touchdown brief in the opening minute of the second quarter and the score was 20-6.

Schuler scored his third touchdown of the first half on a 35 yard run around right end with 4 minutes to go in the half and it was 34-6 with 4:40 left in the half. Joe Sperduto threw an 11-yard Touchdown pass to Anwar Barrett-Bell in the closing minutes of the first half. The score was 41-6 at the half.

The Tigers second team contained Lincoln in the second half and controlled the ball, holding Lincoln to 3 first downs in the second half. A pass in the final minute produced Lincoln’s final score.

Coach Skip Stevens attributed the team’s crisp play to his depth of the squad, which has produced, he said realistic practices, resulting in the almost penalty free first two games of the season, and blocking that has made Schuler and Sewitch  and Cardon look on occassion like Doc Blanchard, Glenn Davis and Jim Brown. Mike Trapp has not had one mix-up on a hand-off in two games, and has poise and accuracy in getting the ball downfield.

It was a Tiger night.

WhitePlains Public Access Television Televised Thursday’s football game on tape delay for telecast on Channels 76/77 (45/46) possibly next Wednesday evening. That’s White Plains Public Access’ John Vorperian and 1995-1996 Tiger great, Jaquai Ganson at the microphone.

The Cheerleaders were airborne.

The White Plains High School Band looked positively collegiate with an elaborate half-time performance.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. September 17, 2009 UPDATED WITH OFFICIAL STATE STATISTICS: White Plains based on present sales tax collection trends the first two months of its fiscal year,  faces a $6 Million gap in sales tax collections in the current city budget, meaning the city will finish the current year in the red unless retail sales pick up sharply in the holiday quarter coming up.

Westchester County and its legislators can look forward to  a $60 Million Sales Tax gap alone when they take up preparation the 2010 budget.

White Plains has experienced its fourth consecutive month of sales tax receipts decline. The County has experienced seven consective months of decline.

The figures were furnished WPCNR by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

Total  Sales Tax Receipts for the first seven months show White Plains receipts have declined 12-1/4%, falling behind the first half of 2008 in 5 of the 7 months.

Westchester County has failed to match 2008 cumulative sales tax collections figures in each of the last seven months, creating a $38.6 Million deficit in sales tax collections, which if the present rate of decline  continues, creates a $60 Million sales tax gap the county would have to make up.

Official figures from the Department of Taxation and Finance released to WPCNR show White Plains collections have declined for four consecutive months, with the first two months of the new fiscal year that began in July showing a 12.87% decline in July and an 11.6% decline in August (the back-to-school shopping month).

The city is off $963,951.53 in sales tax the first two months of its fiscal year. If the 12.5% decline in retail sales tax collections sustains itself, the city will face a sales tax shortfall planned in this year’s budget of $6 Million, and in planning for the 2010-11 budget, a similar $6 Million less in sales tax that they cannot budget for 2010

Westchester County, which has a calendar year fiscal year(January to December), is off 12-1/2% in sales tax collections the first 7 months of the year, creating a shortfall in the sales tax monies anticipated of $38.6 Million.

In the first seven months of 2008, Westchester County collected $307.8 Million. In the first seven months of 2009, the county has collected $269.2 Million, $38.6 Million behind the pace of last year.  

The county expected to receive $478.2 Million in sales tax in budget year 2009. At the present pace the county can expect a  $60 Million sales tax shortfall before taking into account mortgage tax, increased expenses, wages, pension fund contributions and other impacts on the budget, unless of course, the holiday season in October, November, December is spectacular beyond retailers’ wildest dreams.

First Seven Months 2009 Sales Tax Receipts

Furnished by the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. September 16, 2009 UPDATED 9:45 A.M. E.D.T.: At a meeting of the Common Council Wednesday morning for the purpose of discussing rehiring Lamb & Barnosky as the city Labor Counsel, the Common Council voted unanimously to rehire the firm.. The firm has not, according to Richard Zuckerman, the lead labor counsel forthe city, prepared yet for the labor talks with the police and fire unions starting voluntary Binding Arbitration next week.

Mayor Joseph Delfino emerges from the inner sanctum of the Mayor’s Office to convene the special meeting this morning. The Council voted 7-0 to rehire Lamb & Barnosky, their labor counselors since 1968 for the upcoming voluntary arbitration talks with the police and fire unions. L & B will be paid a maximum of $108,000 as part of their contract.  Richard Zuckerman advised the council last week that the labor wage settlements around the County and the metropolitan area have been running at 4% rate.

Joe Carrier, left, and Jim Carrier, right, Presidents of the White Plains Professional Firefighters and the White Plains Policeman’s Benevolent Association, were on hand, monitoring the action. Carrier commented whan asked if he thought the process of getting to the hire of a labor counsel was “bizarre,” said, “This process has been bizarre because they (the council) chose to make it bizarre.”

The approval  comes eight days before the matter was to be discussed by the Common Council. Last Thursday evening, when asked if the Common Council was going to send a letter to the Mayor to recommend rehiring a labor counsel before beginning negotiations, Common Council President Benjamin Boykin would only say, “it’s been tabled to September 24.”

There was a change of heart this morning. Council President Benjamin Boykin told WPCNR that the Council received the copy of the agreement between the city and the union as requested last week on Saturday. He said he and Councilman Tom Roach agreed the document was in order and Roach and he agreed to call a meeting this morning to hire the labor counseling firm.

Edward Dunphy, the Corporation Counsel was on vacation and was not available for comment this morning as to whether Zuckerman would have enough time to prepare for the police arbitration talks beginning Monday, and the fire talks beginning September 24.

Boykin told WPCNR the council has been attempting to have a meeting with the labor counsel since last April, having sent the Mayor two letters (one from Mr. Roach and one from Mr. Boykin.) Boykin said he asked the Mayor to schedule a meeting August 25. When none was scheduled he contacted Richard Zuckerman (below) himself on September 3. Zuckerman said he was agreeable to meet and it was worked out that he would meet with the Council last Thursday.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Elaine London. (Edited) September 15, 2009: Mayor Joseph Delfino, Cl,ass of 1950 and Jimmy Roberts, Class of 1975, the sportscaster and journalist, and Alfred Renino, Class of 1947, and Eartha B. Williams Class of 1960 have been named to the 2009 Class of the White Plains High School Hall of Fame.

Mayor Joseph Delfino, March 2003, Makes the 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 2009 inductees are:  Alfred A. Renino ’47, music teacher in White Plains Public Schools for 35 years; the Honorable Joseph M. Delfino ’50, three-term Mayor of White Plains; Eartha B. Williams ’60, counselor and mentor to White Plains youth for more than 40 years; Jimmy Roberts ’75, Emmy award-winning sports journalist and author.

The honorees will visit the High School on Tuesday, October 27th and will spend time with students.  The Induction Ceremony will take place in the Media Center and will be followed by a reception.  The public is invited. 

This is the fourteenth class of distinguished alumni/ae selected since the Hall of Fame was established in 1996, bringing the total number of inductees to 62.  It is estimated that more than 26,000 students have graduated from White Plains High School in its 112    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.