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 COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of  Communications. October 28, 2008: County Executive Andy Spano put in place directives this year to save taxpayers $13 million as a way to deal with reductions in state aid and reduced revenue from mortgage filing fees.

Departmental savings range from cutbacks in overtime and hiring to reductions in supplies and equipment and to restructuring of some programs. 

, County Executive Andy Spano put in place directives this year to save taxpayers $13 million as a way to deal with reductions in state aid and reduced revenue from mortgage filing fees.

Departmental savings range from cutbacks in overtime and hiring to reductions in supplies and equipment and to restructuring of some programs. 

These savings from department budgets are in addition to the savings accomplished by smaller measures that will have long-term effects, such as reducing by 10,000 the number of light bulbs and fixtures; changing the temperature of county office buildings; electronic billing to vendors; discontinuance of printing of pay checks or pay stubs; and decreased use of gasoline.

“Government must be as efficient as possible,” said Spano. “Nothing is too large or too small to be looked at. These are hard economic times for our taxpayers and we in government must do what we can to decrease our costs. This year, we already lost $6.6 million in state aid and have a $10 million loss of revenue from mortgage recording fees. So every department in the county government was told it had to cut its expenses.”

Spano said each department was given an amount to cut from their budgets, but the actual items to be cut were left up to the commissioners. Savings came from efficiencies made possible by the use of new technology;  program changes; and reductions in  office supplies and equipment, travel, printing and  postage. In addition, $4.5 million was saved by reducing overtime and by not filling vacant positions.

Beyond departmental savings, the county government has re-examined every expenditure and every piece of equipment to see if it was still needed or if there was a better way of accomplishing the same objective. For example, pages have been eliminated; cell phone plans have been changed and in some cases cell phones eliminated completely;  many printers have been eliminated to reduce maintenance costs; and thermostats set higher in the summer and lower in the winter to save on energy costs. (Attention is now focused on getting rid of fax machines.)

 The majority of the county’s budget is for programs that are required by the state for which the state only partially reimburses the county. The cuts made by the county were from the discretionary side of the county budget –  those items that are not state-mandated.

County property taxes account for about 15-20 percent of a property owner’s tax bill. To help local governments and school districts control costs of their portions of property taxes, the county government has taken additional steps to encourage shared services. For example, through the county’s Bureau of Purchasing and Supply, local governments can save money by joint public bidding. Through the county’s Department of Information and Technology, these districts can access various technology programs.

     “Our goal is to save taxpayer money wherever we can,” said Spano. “People don’t care who is taxing them – they just want the whole amount reduced.”

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. October 28, 2008: White Plains Commissioner of Public Safety Dr. Frank Straub, responding to questions from residents of the Havilands Manor neighborhood at a meeting on traffic concerns at City Hall, said that the police were 99% sure that Sheldene Campbell, accused of Leaving the scene of a fatal accident in the death of a Havilands Manor resident eight days ago was driving alone during the entire sequence of events that Sunday morning. He said the car she was driving belonged to a brother of hers. WPCNR asked if police had tested the suspect for possible drug use. Dr. Straub said that “the investigation was continuing.” 

When a resident asked what Ms. Campbell was doing in the Havilands Manor neighborhood that Sunday morning, Dr. Straub said the police have to this point come to the conclusion Ms. Campbell “had no connection” with anyone living in the neighborhood.  Ms. Campbell does have some connecton with Westchester County, however.  According to Old Tappan Police speaking to the CitizeNetReporter last week, Ms. Campbell’s mother, Hyacinth Campbell lives in Mount Vernon.

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WPCNR ROCK AND ROLL RADIO with KKIX’S BIG MELVIN MEAD, Host of Your Rock N Roll Party on Big Music Radio 1440, the Man in the Crazy Sport Jacket. October 27, 2008: Hey, Gang, White Plains Own Westco Productions threw a Saturday Night Rock N Roll Party honoring Pamela Rapp, Managing Director of the Irvington Town Hall Theater rocking Ms. Rapp for her role in restoring the ITHT (a replica of old Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.) and turning it into an arts “destination” on the Hudson River with original programming and they did it with two originals and a host of rock all-stars, Flo and Eddie – the Turtles!

I NEED SOME GAS MONEY! Flo (Mark Volman) left, and Eddie (Howard Kaylan)  “The Turtles” reprise the obscure gem Saturday night at “The Irv”  with New Ro’s Donnie Ice on Bass of Alice Cooper, Rick Derringer and Shondells fame,  and Greg Hawkes of The Cars on the Keyboards

Steve Sledzik (left), President,  and White Plains Susan Katz, Executive Director of Westco Productions (celebrating its 29th Year), present Pamela Rapp with her “Westie,” Star for her service to the Irvington Town Hall Theatre since 1983 where she lead the complete restoration of the Theater from seating to sound system and has created a community and county “theatre destination.”

 New Yawk’s own Glen “660 Man  (6 Jokes In 60 Seconds)” Anthony opened the evening. He told  200 jokes in 45 minutes, keeping the laughs and the hoots coming, one after another. The jokes are a comic’s perfect jokes. Mr. Anthony tells all the great Henny Youngman gags and modern absurdities in the one-liner style Henny made famous he has made uniquely his own. Anthony has mastered the perfect joke: short, fast funny and you forget them immediately after you’ve heard them, so when you hear them again they’re funny all over. Sample:  “I saw an ad in the paper: If you have a drinking problem, call this number. I called, it was a liquor store.”

Flo (foreground) and Eddie reprise The Cars hit You’re Just What I Needed, with original Car on Keyboards, Greg Hawkes.

Happy Together — The Turtles finish off the concert with their classic “Happy Together” to a standing ovation from the throng.

 Then came the legends — the Turtles – who brought back their unique feel good driving sound of the 60s with their steady rocking founders Flo and Eddie rockin  da house with one hit after another.

Howard Kaylan (Eddie) spotted an album held by an audience member in the front row and showed the historical artifact to the audience and explained what it was. After the concert, a unique highlight of Westco concerts, the autographing signing (below) continued where Flo and Eddie signed Turtles original albums, pictures and pieces of the rock and roll past.

My main lady,  Susie the K (for Katz) the woman who springs rock live on unsuspecting stuffy Westchester  welcomed the near sellout throng of Flo and Eddie fans who brought their Turtles albums for Mark Volman (Flo) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie) to sign.

The Turtles take over the house and wake up your dormant rockin souls ripping them out of your body and get the heart of rock roll beating again, getting you moving in your seats with their cascading sound. Flo and Eddie the legends are backed by an all-star rock team with them for years: Meat Loaf’s legendary drummer,  Joe Stefko who lifts you out of your chair with his swashbuckling thunder swats and smashes;  Greg Hawkes, keyboardist of The Cars, bringing the liquid rock organ cascades so unique to 60s upbeat hits; the clear-as-bell boss bass New Rochelle’s Donnie Ice (Kisselbach) formerly with Alice Cooper, Rick Derringer and Tommy James and the Shondells; and lead guitarist Joel Hoekstra of Big Brother and The Holding Company, REO Speedwagon,Stykx.  His chords just snarl at you. The Turtles turned the ITHT into a rockin good time fraternity party.

Flo flying on Guitar.

 They had everybody moving like they could 40 years ago – especially on the classic B side gem – “I Need Some Gas Money.”  They opened the show with “You, Baby, You,” “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” “She’s My Girl,” “My Obsession,”  and the feel good hits  that were the soundtrack of baby boomer lives in the late 60s and early 70s brought back in that sweet time before top 40 went all-talk.

Flo and Eddie who’ve been rocking for 46 years on the road always rock. Their humor and banter with the audience was engaging, and the show was non-stop straight ahead.

Mr. Sledzik and Ms. Katz listen as Ms. Rapp thanks Westco for the award.

Howard Kaylan (Eddie), Mr. Sledzik, Ms. Katz, Ms. Rapp, and Mark Volman (Eddie) Saturday night.

The event was followed by a toney After Party at Doubltree Hotel in Tarrytown  which saluted Pamela Rapp and also celebrated Westco’s 29^th anniversary.  Ms. Rapp was awarded the coveted “Westie,” crystal Star for her service to Irvington Town Hall and the arts.  

Mr. Volman and Mr. Kaylan  graciously circulated with the after party crowd, signing albums, posing for pictures and talking about their 46 years on the road. And, they said rock and roll would never last. Well, it has.

Your deejay was leaving the theatre after the show and we encountered two young people in their late teens who had come to the show, and I asked them if they liked it and they said they sure did. Rock and Roll is here to stay!

Suzy the K with Howard Kaylan.

I asked Mr. Kaylan (Eddie) how he kept rocking in his 60s. Kaylan said the band never rehearsed, because the songs on his “playlist” – which they jokingly refer to throughout their show – require down deep and mellow all the way to rasping, shouting lyrics (“No, No, No, It Ain’t Me, Babe.”). He said if they rehearsed their voices would not be able to handle the performance. He emphasized the need to go into each performance with a spontaneity that makes the hits the same but different  every night. He said that word quickly gets out among promoters if you’re just strumming the songs and mailing it in “In rock, it’s real or it’s not,” he said.

I asked Mr. Kaylan the story behind the very timely tune “I Need Some Gas Money.” It was a song I’d never heard before. Kaylan reminisced, saying he and his friend of 46 years, Mark Volman  listened to records (“all kinds of music”)when they were children in California, when Mark’s brother left home to go in the Navy he left a ton of 45 RPM records (the little records with the big hole in the middle), and they found “Gas Money on the B side of an old Jan and Arnie record. Years later they decided to record the song with all the band playing different parts. It was a song that electrified the theatre Saturday night! At least me, anyway.

Another great moment was the reggae song, I’m In a Dancing Mood, that Flo and Eddie recorded with the Whalers when they lived in Jamaica. This was another soul-swaying-theatre-involving moment, especially when they weaved the Bobby Freeman hit, Do You Wanna Dance into the tropical tempo.

We learned about Flo and Eddie’s 46 years of rocking on the road. They still do 50 performances a year. Flo and Eddie told us what happened to the Turtles when they dissappeared.

 It seems the Turtles got into a dispute with their record company and were sued and prevented from performing with the name, The Turtles. They were invited to join Frank Zappa for a 2 week gig and they stayed with Mr. Zappa touring the world for 2-1/2 years. Flo and Eddie eased into an astounding medley about those times (Don’t You Miss Your Hot Mama) of songs from the movie 200 Motels. The movie became   a cult hit that made fun of life on the rock and roll road. The medley captured the ethereal, psychedelic, psychotic, scintillating Zappa style with a mean hard suggestive beat that was rock and roll soul involvement at its best. It sure sounded good Saturday night.

White Plains Candyce Corcoran,left, and Brenda Starr were on the scene.

Saturday night the rock was real. Which raises the philosophical question, is rock and roll the only real honest thing left in America?   Have we become a country where the classic rock musician cares about honesty, purity and flavor, in an era where accountants cannot count, stockbrokers are broke, bankers cannot bank, and wealth is an illusion? But that’s for a Times columnist to decide.

Susie The K.

This is a busy week for my buddy, Suzie the K. Tomorrow Ms. Katz (a 1965 graduate of WPHS) as officially inducted into the White Plains High School Hall of Fame for her foundin of Westco Productions, at a ceremony at old WPHS at 3 PM Tuesday afternoon with companion inductees Philip Kent, ’72 CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, Lawrence Graham ’79, author and posthumously Dr. William Homan, ’65, surgeon.

Coming up next in the spring on Westco’s “soundtracks of your lives”  are Jay and The Americans (Come a Little Bit Closer), plus a double rockin bill featuring Orleans (Still The One) and the Buckinghams (Kind of a Drag, Susan, Don’t You Care ), and back by popular demand Gary Puckett.

 Remember, until Westco’s next rock n roll party, this dedication goes out to Susie the K, who through Westco Productions introduces Westchester’s kids to the performing arts, entertains the young in hospitals,  and through her concerts preserves  America’s music culture heritage.  Keep rockin’ gang, and remember “it’s not good-bye, it’s just good night.”

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From Rob Tamboya. October 26, 2008:  The White Plains Downtown Residents Association will meet Monday evening at Vintage Cafe, 171 Main Street at 7:30 P.M.. focusing on real estate in the downtown. We have been doing much better than most areas of Westchester County. Regardless if you own or rent, or if you think it is a good time to sell, move, or perhaps someone told you it’s a buyers’ market, it is hard to get a fixed rate mortgage, WDRA will present three speakers to clear up your mind. 

Ann Bernstein, a top producer with Houlihan-Lawrence Realty will be discussing tends in the White Plains real estate market, and what we all should know and do in this market.

Dean Curtis, a mortgage broker in Bronxville will give a speech about mortgage financing and what’s great about our city in relation to other parts of the state and the country.

Susan Fitzpatrick, property manager for the Ritz-Carlton will be our last speaker, and she will talk about how the Ritz is coming along, and their plans to be outstanding neighbors.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE By John F. Bailey. October 23, 2008: Nineteen days Before  last Sunday’s fatal hit and run accident in Haviland Lane in White Plains,  Sheldene Campbell, the person charged with leaving the scene of that fatal accident,  was involved a police chase through three New Jersey communities.

New Jersey Police  monitored Ms. Campbell on a controlled pursuit  from Old Tappan through  the New Jersey communities of Park Ridge, Montvale and ending in Woodcliff Lake,  a distance of about 10 miles Tuesday September 30,  between 7:30 AM to 8:30  AM,  September 30, according to Woodcliff Lake Police Chief, Anthony Jannicelli, speaking to WPCNR today.  

Ms. Campbell was charged with Driving Under the Influence in the New Jersey pursuit, when a drug expert observed her behavior as consistent with drug induced symptoms, according to the Chief, toxicoilogy results are being awaited. The Chief said he immediately directed his arresting officers to notify White Plains Police of the New Jersy incident this past Monday, upon learning of the White Plains fatality.

Woodcliff Lake Police Chief  William Jannicelli told WPCNR News today his department first became aware of Ms. Campell when she had put her grandmother and 9 year old son out of her car in Old Tappan when Tappan Police reported that incident over the universal dispatch system in effect in Bergen County. He said Old Tappan has charged her in relation to that case.

Jannicelli said, Campbell’s  subsequent progress  through the three towns was followed on the police central dispatch system, and during Ms. Campell’s “erratic” driving, citizens reported to police she had  run over a person’s lawn and  a jogger reported just missed being hit by the red SUV Ms. Campbell was driving at the time.  Jannicelli said his officers saw Ms. Campbell turn onto the Garden State Parkway where they apprehended her.

In the car with Campbell, the chief said was a three year old  girl, her daughter.  The chief reported Ms. Campbell upon her arrest ,  was given a breathalyzer test, which was negative, however a drug expert suggested she be sent to Bergen Regional Hospital for evaluation. Jannicelli said they are awaiting toxicology tests back. Campbell, he said spent a week in Bergen Hospital.

A spokesperson for the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office  asked if the warrant on Ms. Campbell that emerged Tuesday, had anything to do with the Woodcliff Lake incident, said he could not confirm whether the warrant as reported by the Journal News, was related to the incidents in Old Tappan and Woodcliff Lake. Previously the District Attorney’s office contacted by media would not disclose the nature of the warrant on Ms. Campbell.

A call is in to Old Tappan Police to see whether the warrant was issued by the Old Tappan Department.

Ms. Campbell’s unexplained reckless driving from Old Tappan to Woodcliff Lake occurred 19 days before the fatal hit and run accident in White Plains Sunday.

White Plains Police Wednesday afternoon say they are continuing to investigate the fatal accident Sunday  in which pedstrian  Marie Bucci, 65 died and in a separate incident, Roseanne Schiavone, 45, was injured.

White Plains Police have said that at this point they do not have information on what Ms. Campbell who is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident in connection with the accident, was doing in the Havilands Lane area. The Police say there were no other persons with her in the car at the time of the White Plains accident.  They report no alcohol was involved.