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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS.  News and Comment By John F. Bailey. March 18, 2009 UPDATED 4:34 P.M.: When the power failed at White Plains High School Tuesday morning, Principal Ivan Toper, without electricity, no public address systems and 2,000 students in the building, had a memorandum typed up and distributed to all class rooms, to advise students and staff of what was happening.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors told WPCNR parents of high school students were notified by the school district call-out system of the decision to go to early dismissal. Buses were arranged to transport high school students who had signed up for bus transportation. The school, Connors said, was notified of the reason, but did not know what authority advised the school of the power outage cause (an short circuit caused by a construction crew working on the former St. Agnes Hospital property), and that was communicated to the students. Connors described the students as very cooperative, orderly, and that the early dismissal went off smoothly. He said electronic media had been notified (but not WPCNR), and the information was placed on the school’s website.

White Plains Principal Ivan Toper told WPCNR that when the powerout occurred,  the White Plains Police Officer stationed at the high school, contacted police headquarters which confirmed that what had occurred was a blackout. Toper said a handwritten message was circulated to classrooms explaining the power problem and the procedure for early dismissal. After bus pickup was coordinated, he said, classes were dismissed one at a time, and teachers and administrative personnel were at various pick up areas to coordinate and help speed the flow of the staggered dismissal.

Toper reports that 65% of parents were contacted directly, and the balance of parents answering machine messages were left. He noted that students today have cellphones so had other means of contacting parents should they not have gotten the message.

Toper  praised White Plains high students for being “orderly, cooperative and respectful. I’ve never been prouder of my students (for the way they cooperated)” he said.

White Plains Police could not give immediate information on the cause or what was happening at the high school based on WPCNR inquiries, but Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Daniel Jackson, reached “in the field” via Blackberry confirmed the cause of the power outage.

WPCNR over nine years of covering White Plains has frequently found the police ability to inform the public promptly about developing situations needs review of how to effectiveness in distribute vital information when persons call the police department. The school district has a call-out system, but the police do not even have a call-in system or tape-loop situation line — a very simple and easy thing to create that persons could call for current info. It is not a matter of the media not getting information, it is a matter of getting a situation clarified to the people.

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WPCNR THE POWER NEWS.By John F. Bailey. March 17, 2009 UPDATED March 18, 2009 9:30 A.M. E.D.T.: The Superintendent of Schools office reports this morning that School District computers are now up and running thorughout the district, and electric power has been restored to the high school after Tuesday’s power outage.

The North Street Community, owners of the 311 North Street property in a statement today attributed the cause of the White Plains High School power outage Tuesday morning to a mystery wire not shown on any Con Edison, Verizon or Cablevision utility maps.  In a statement issued today to WPCNR from Geoffrey Thompson, spokesperson for  the organization,  North Street Community reports:

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. March 17, 2009: The Mayor’s Office announced today that Mayor Joseph Delfino has called a meeting of the Mayor’s Budget and Management Advisory Committee for 7:30 P.M. Wednesday evening. The Committee currently is made up of  Councilman  Benjamin Boykin, Chairman, Larry Delgado, Timothy Sheehan, Eleanor McDonald, Patrick Austin, David J. Corcoran, Joseph Lenchner and Councilman Glen Hockley.

Speculation is that the current anticipated $9 Million or more “shortfall” in budget revenues due to soft sales tax, drop in mortgage tax, building and license fees, and declines in fines and forfeiture,  and ways to deal with this year’s budget shortfall and how the revenue will be replaced in the 2009-2010 budget.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. March 17, 2009: County Board Chair Bill Ryan announced Friday the creation of the Westchester Economic Recovery Task Force.  In announcing the group, Ryan said that, like the rest of the country, Westchester is feeling the effects of the recession. To get the local economy back on track and stronger, the task force has two objectives. 

Chairman of the Board of Legislators, Bill Ryan.

It will focus on ensuring the county is taking maximum advantage of the billions of dollars of funding that will soon flow to the states and directly to counties from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other stimulus legislation. It will also work with local governments, business groups, non-profits and the public on other ideas and initiatives to boost the economy on the local front.  WPCNR has a call in to Chairman Ryan’s office to see how the country government group will coordinate with the Westchester County Association task force that has already mobilized banks, energy companies and other businesses to stimulate business money-saving and continued economic progress during the Westchester recession.

“Pumping billions of federal dollars into local economies across the country will create jobs and boost consumer spending, breaking up the recession cycle we’re in. Our goal is to secure as much of that funding for Westchester as possible,”  said County Board Chair Bill Ryan. “The task force will help ensure the county takes full advantage of the enormous number of funding opportunities that will be rolled out in the weeks and months ahead.”

At the National Association of Counties (NACO) legislative conference held this past week in Washington, DC, Ryan and his legislative colleagues were briefed by White House staff and Obama administration officials who are spearheading the federal economic recovery program.  Ryan said the meetings provided legislators with quite an education on program objectives and just how quickly the stimulus measures would move.”

“These meetings over a period of five days laid out the magnitude of federal funding and programs that federal agencies and departments will be rolling out in the weeks and months ahead. The task force will ensure that the legislature is fully engaged in this process. The guidelines and regulations for many of the programs are still being written. We have to be ready and attentive to what in many cases will be small windows of opportunity to get in on some of these federal programs, ” said Ryan.  

Ryan said that the legislative task force will collaborate with the county executive’s office which has been at work pursuing various channels of assistance.

“We see the task force as adding more depth to the county’s team,” said Ryan.  “This is a colossal undertaking involving billions of dollars. The more hands we have on deck getting program details, understanding criteria and submitting the county’s priorities, the more successful we will be.”

Ryan has appointed to the task force the four county legislators who went to Washington and had the benefit of the national economic recovery briefings and workshops. Ryan has asked County Legislator Tom Abinanti to chair the task force. He’s appointed County Legislators Peter Harckham and Ken Jenkins as well as Majority Leader Martin Rogowsky to serve on it.

Abinanti said that in addition to working with the county executive’s office, the task force would reach out to the business community, local governments, non-profits and the public to explore other more local opportunities to boost the economy.  

“It’s important that we harness the creativity and energy of leaders from every sector of our community to develop local initiatives that supplement and complement the federal stimulus effort to boost the economy,” said Abinanti.

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WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. March 16, 2009: She has been a County Legislator from District 8 since 1993. She was instrumental in establishing the Westchester County Human Rights Commission. She’s been a math teacher and much more to the County of Westchester being a strong advocate for housing, preservation of open space and crusader against domestic violence..  Her office confirmed to WPCNR today that she would not be running for a fifth four-year term on the Board of Legislators in 2009.

Bronz was raised in New Orleans, the ninth of ten children, and credits her father, who could not read, with stirring an interest in her in politics. She read the newspaper nightly to him as a child. She became a community organizer and founded the League of Good Government in New Orleans. She received her bachelor’s Degree at Xavier University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Wayne State University.

Widowed with three children, she met and married Chuck Bronz of New York and moved to Greenburgh, where she taught math in the public schools. She ran for the Town Board in 1973 and served as a boardmember for 16 years, prior to being elected to the County Board of Legislators.

She holds the distinction of being the first African-American to be Chairperson of the County Board of Legislators from 2002-2004.

Speculation is that Town Clerk Judy Beville of Greenburgh may run for the seat.