Photograph of the Day–Bill Ryan is Back!

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. By a WPCNR Roving Photographer. August 13, 2008: Today’s photo, taken last night at the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations features Chair of the County Board of Legislators, Bill Ryan with legislator Judith Meyers, who addressed the CNA on the millions of county dollars available for flood control projects.


So far only 9 of 46 Westchester Communities have applied to the county for projects taking advantage of this aid. Meyers told WPCNR that it is possible that White Plains could  have the county repair the decades-of-incompatible  city-county drainage systems in the Railside avenue area where a 20 inch city sewer main pipe drains into a 16-inch county pipe, which was blamed by the city for flooding in that area last year causing basement flooding in scores of homes. 



Bill Ryan is Back!. Legislator Judith Meyers demonstrates color coded county drainage schemes. Photo by WPCNR Roving Photographer, Lou Bruno.


Mr. Ryan, appearing for one of the first times in public since a heart operation earlier this summer, seemed in excellent spirits and well on the road to recovery.  Ryan said he hoped that the city leadership would encourage city commissioners to seek out and use county department expertise and facilities to work together to solve problems, flooding and otherwise.



Pilgrim Road flooding off Railside Avenue.  County, City pipe incompatibility still unaddressed. WPCNR File Photo


 


 

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Planning Board Blesses Saxon Woods Assisted Living Complex Rear of Ethical Soc.

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WPCNR THE PLANNING BOARD REPORT. August 13, 2009: The Planning Board voted 4 to 1 Tuesday evening to advise the Zoning Board of Appeals that it had no problem with approving a zoning variance for the assisted living facility proposed to be built on Saxon Woods Road, with access through the Westchester Ethical Culture Society entrance off Saxon Woods Road. The project has been stalled for six years due to previous adamant opposition from the city to the project.



Coming to Saxon Woods: The Renamba assisted senior living project of approximately 115 units was greenlighted by the Planning Board last night. It is planned to be built to the left of the Ethical Culture Society of Westchester top building with access off of Saxon Woods Road (the fork off Mamaroneck Avenue (green and yellow road). The white rectangle in lower center of your picture is the Saxon Woods Pool & complex. Photo by Google Satellite.


John Garment Chairman of the Planning Board said that Secretary to the Planning Board, Eileen McClain had not typed up the actually Planning Board conditions under which the board determined the project could go ahead, but expected them ready by Friday.


Garment said the  finding effect was  “that if it (the Zoning Board) sees fit, it is appropriate to approve the project.”



Garment said the Planning Board had no problem with the city granting access to water through the city system, or granting access to the Scarsdale site through the Ethical Culture Society property driveway. These two conditions, previously vigorously opposed by the city, had long been a road block to the project since former Planning Commissioner Mike Graessle and Department of Public Works Commissioner Joseph Nicoletti had strongly voiced opposition to the project six years ago.


Asked if Renamba LLC had changed the project in some way that alleviated the concerns the city had expressed six years ago, Garment said “that I don’t know. Basically this was the feeling of the members of the Planning Board, the members right now. We had access to the approvals made in Scarsdale approving this. We had the feeling this was not a question of appropriateness, but there wasn’t much we could do about it other than imposing significant conditions (upon any approval).”


The matter now comes before the Zoning Board of Appeals September 3. There was no public hearing at the Planning Board on the project after the representatives from Renamba made the presentation last night.


Renamba in order to gain access to the Scarsdale site off Saxon Woods Road, has agreed to pay The Ethical Culture Society of Westchester $400,000 for an easement, and $25,000 a year for the first ten years of use of the Society driveway.


 

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State Graduation Rates Improve.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From State Education Department. August 12, 2008: Statewide high school graduation results reported by school districts and released today show that:

 



  • Statewide, almost 69 percent of the students who started 9th grade in 2003 had graduated after 4 years, by June 2007. This is almost 3 percentage points higher than for students two years before.

  • For the first time, the State Education Department is able to collect data showing graduation rates in August. Statewide, 71 percent of the students who started 9th grade in 2003 had graduated by August 2007.

  • A fifth year of high school makes a difference for many students. Among students who started 9th grade in 2002, 73 percent had graduated by 2007, an increase of six percentage points or 13,000 more students during the fifth year.

  • The 4-year graduation rate of African-American students increased from 45 to 51 percent between 2005 and 2007, although it remains far too low and far below the rate of white students. Also, more Black students are staying in school.

  • The 4-year graduation rate of Hispanic students increased from 42 to 47 percent between 2005 and 2007, although it also remains far too low. Also, more Hispanic students are staying in school.

  • A fifth year makes a significant difference for Black and Hispanic students. About 10 percent more graduated in the fifth year.


           



  • New York City has increased its 4-year graduation rate from 46.5 percent in 2005 to 52 percent in 2007. Almost 10 percent more students graduated in the fifth year.
  • The 4-year graduation rate for students with disabilities has declined, although more students are staying in school and not dropping out. Graduation rates are especially low in high need districts.
  • The 4-year graduation rate for English Language Learners is also low and declining.


 


            “Graduation rates have improved slightly overall, but they need to improve much faster,” Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said. “Students must graduate and continue their education to ensure their lifetime earnings will support themselves and their families. The potential is there. Resources have increased, and will increase again this coming year. School leaders and teachers must use practices that work, create better connections between middle and high school, and call on higher education and business to partner. This will be a major issue for the Board of Regents this coming year.”


 


“Too many do not graduate, yet the three year trends are encouraging,” State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said.  “Black and Hispanic students showed 5.5 and 5.2 percentage point gains in the 2003 cohort when compared to those who started ninth grade in 2001.  White students improved too, but not as fast – another indicator of a narrowing achievement gap.  Each cohort did better than the one before, and within cohorts, the fifth and sixth year results show a still greater proportion of the class graduating.  Persistence counts. Even the June to August improvements are promising. Teachers and principals combined pressure and support during the summer months to get another 5,500 students over the bar last August.”


 


Commissioner Mills went on to say, “The many examples of improvement don’t yet outweigh the remaining challenges, but there are enough of them to demonstrate that thousands more children have graduated than just a few years ago and more will graduate in the years immediately ahead. We have to keep our focus and urgency and help the students who still are not succeeding.”


 


 


 


            .

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Dist Leadrs Bow to Party Boss, Not Democracy: Hockley. 10 Out Miss Deadline

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. August 11, 2008: Richard Garfunkel of Tarrytown, a White Plains resident of 33 years, engineer of a similar reorganization of new blood in the White Plains Democratic Party in the late 1970s  and Glen Hockley, the Common Councilman announced a campaign to try to break what they described as a closed shop of district leaders in the White Plains Democratic City Committee doing the bidding of  County Legislator William Ryan and Assemblyman Adam Bradley in the selection of candidates and district leaders through party chair Elizabeth Shollenberger.


Hockley and his attorney blamed a judge’s instructions for their missing a deadline that cost them an opportunity in court to reinstate 10 of their challengers whom the Board of Elections had invalidated their politicians.



Richard Garfunkel, Councilman Glen Hockley, and Valentina Mancuso, one of the challengers for District Leader in District 14 at the Board of Elections in White Plains Monday evening


Garfunkel said  the party leaders tight rein on handpicked district leaders was taking away the ballot from voters, and “transparency” since fewer and fewer voters came out to vote because there was no competition due to the demise of the Republican Party in Westchester County. Garfunkel said primary turnout was going lower and lower, allowing primary voters, a distinct minority to choose the candidates presented to the electorate. He pointed to Adam Bradley’s “finessing” of  Democrat Assemblywoman Naomi Matusow in the Democratic Primary of 2002 which effectively won Bradley his present seat in the Assembly by 22 votes in that primary. He easily defeated the Republican opponent.  Bradley faces no opposition this year from the Republican side.


 


 


Bernstein Bump Off the Catalyst.


Garfunkel and then Hockley charged the party leadership use of proxy votes of inactive District leaders combined with a nucleus of 25 such district leaders who regularly meet,  cooperated  with  party leadership “cavalierly” to  “bump off” Councilman Arnold Bernstein from the 2007 council ticket.  who


The Bernstein bump-off blocked him from seeking reelection from the voters. Bernstein was replaced by Milagros Lecuona (a U.S. citizen for just two years at the time) on the ticket. Garfunkel said this “bumping off” of Bernstein (for a hertofore unknown favorite) got him involved in mounting the challenge in the September 9 primary coming up.


 “This is not democracy,” Hockley said, a refrain he repeated often in the sidewalk media event. Garfunkel said that Councilman Benjamin Boykin’s voting pattern was the same as Bernstein’s, and questioned why Boykin was not dumped for not being a real democrat. “When you’re elected you represent the entire town,” Garfunkel said, “and should not be judged based on party loyalty.”


Hockley and Garfunkel introduced two challengers from among the 52 petition-cleared White Plains residents contesting 29 of 42 White Plains Election Districts  saying they were mounting the challenge to remove present party leadership which they charged practiced undemocratic practices.


Takeover Target Not Clear


WPCNR asked  Garfunkel how many of the 52 challengers would have to win their districts for control to be equalized or seized from the powers that currently control the party. Garfunkel said it depended on which weighted districts were won. Asked what those weighted districts were, Garfunkel said he did not have that answer. All 42 Election Districts are assigned voter-weighting contingent upon how many voted in those districts in the last Gubernatorial election (2006), Garfunkel said.


WPCNR asked whether District Leaders would be assigned who actually lived in their districts if enough new leaders were elected. Garfunkel said the party could not change the statewide law, and could not dictate that requirement, but promised  district leaders should be actually from the election districts they represent and be active in their districts moving forward.


Some live in the Election Districts they are running. Some do not.


 One Hockley-Garfunkel candidate, Valentina Mancuso, of Lake Street (in District 23), with Rachel Eckhaus, residing on Longview Avenue (on the West side of Mamaroneck Avenue, out of Election District 14 where Ms. Eckhaus is running) against the spouse of the head of the City Democratic Nominating Committee, Barbara Schwarz who lives on Easton Avenue, and Councilperson Rita Malmud who lives on Seymour Place, both addresses in District 14.  Ms. Mancuso said she was running to serve the best interests of White Plains.



Another Hockley-Garfunkel District Leader candidate introduced was Lucas Simia, second from left,  who has just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, and is finishing his degree in criminal justice. Mr. Simia lives on Prospect Street with his family and is running against Victor Avendano  of Oakwood Avenue and Eridania Camacho on Longview Avenue, both incumbent district leaders living in Election District 39.. Simia said he lives just around the corner from Oakwood on Prospect Street slightly out of the district.


More of an at-large system than a Ward System?


But it turns out that it is not unsual among District Leaders to live outside of the district they “District Lead.” Garfunkel said in order to be a District Leader, all you have to do is live within the Assembly District, either 88 or 89. This is the law statewide, according to Deputy Commissioner of the Board of Elections Jeanne Palazola who explained this to WPCNR Monday afternoon, you do not have to live in an Election District to be a “City Committee Member” as  district leaders are known as in Board of Election parlance. You just have to reside in the Assembly district.


 


 Henry Ferlauto, one of the Garfunkel-Hockley challengers said he planned to campaign door to door in the district he was running, (District 29) in which he lives, as does one of his district leader opponents, Monique Guidry. However, the other incumbent District Leader, Tony Pascal Offurum lives on South Lexington Avenue on the West side of town way cross town from District 29.


However, it is not unusual for District Leaders in White Plains to not live anywhere close to the Election Districts they supposedly represent. Nancy Yanofsky lives on New York Avenue deep in the White Plains Southend  enclave of Prospect Park(actually Election District 12, yet she is District leader in District 16 in the North End of town above Hamilton Avenue. Her companion District Leader, Rhoda Fidler lives at City Place—which is below Hamilton Avenue, actually in District 30, adjacent to District 16. Opposing Fidler and Yanofsky are Garfunkel Hockley challengers Stephen and Judith Ross who amazingly actually live in District 16.


Interestingly, Saul Yanofsky – also living on New York Avenue in District 12, Prospect Park (in the heart of a very posh Southend of town is district leader in District 21 (Fisher Hill) entirely on the other side of Post Road, not quite as tony as Prospect Park.  Yanofsky’s companion District Leader  Geoffrey D. Smith, living on Midland Avenue also represents District 21, yet  he actually lives there. Mr. Yanofsky and Mr. Smith are opposed by Fernando Cortes of Jefferson Avenue in Battle Hill (District 33) and Harris Lieber of Greenacres Avenue which is in District 21.


 


Ten Candidates Bumped for Following Court Instructions. Toss Fairness Questioned.


Mr. Hockley charged that ten of his petitioners were “undemocratically” prevented from running by a  technicality on their petitions by the Board of Elections. The failure to put the name of the township, instead putting the name of the town the witnesser of the petitions. He said this was not democratic.



 


Last year the Board of Elections tried a similar ploy to oust Candace Corcoran from the Ballot, but Corcoran pointed out to Reginald Lafayette, Democratic Commissioner of the Board of Elections, of the court decision that struck down just this kind of error as grounds for voiding petitions. Lafayette withdrew the Board of Elections objection to Corcoran’s petitions.l  It is conceivable that had Judge Nicolai not tossed the Garfunkel-Hockley suit, due to the missed deadline because he specified overnight mail delivery (which failed) courts might have upheld those 10 Hockley candidates on similar grounds. 


Hockley and his attorney, Jay Boyarsky of New York  contended that their suit in Supreme Court to overturn the Board of Election ruling tossing the Garfunkel Hockley 10  should not have been thrown out by Judge Francis Nicolai because though the Board of Elections was presented with a show cause order the day before the Board was supposed to get it and because they followed Judge Nicolai’s instructions to “overnight mail” the “response” to the 10 persons objecting to the 10 petitioners running, the show cause order was not received by the respondents until a day later.



Note judge’s instruction in handwriting, stating the response to the 10 protestors listed on the front page of the court document above should be “overnight”


 Subsequently, when the Garfunkel/Hockley papers arrived a day late, Judge Nicolai ruled that the Hockley challenge had missed the deadline to proceed with the court case, even though Mr. Boyarsky said they had followed the Judge’s instructions. Boyarsky said since they had followed the judge’s instructions, it was not their fault they were late in serving the respondents, citing grounds that he was late because he had followed the judge’s orders.


Anybody can be a district leader, City Committee Observer notes.


 Paul Schwarz, the head of the Democrat City Committee Nominating Committee, which came in for criticism from Mr. Hockley for appointing a member of the Nominating Committee to Vice Chair of the party, as being “not democracy,”  Schwarz scoffed at the notion of a district leader closed door policy, saying to WPCNR “all you have to do to be a district leader in the White Plains Democrat City Committee is walk in the door.”


Schwarz also charged that many of those running as challengers were former Republicans, implying they were not real Democrats.  However according to the ballot, they are all Democrats now.

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52 Challenge Dem District Leaders in Sept. 9 Primary.

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. August 11, 2008: Fifty-two White Plains residents will challenge incumbent Democratic City Committee District Leaders in 29 of 43 White Plains Election Districts in a rare challenge of party leadership. The contests will take place in a Democratic Primary September 9.  The Board of Elections selected ballot order for the election last week and has released the ballot.



White Plains Councilman Glen Hockley characterized the challengers as a reform movement, many of whom supported him. He said district leaders have grown too intimidated by party leadership and inclined to support whatever leadership wanted. He said election of new district leaders could lead the Democratic Party back to being a party of “principle, ethics and integrity.”


The 52 challengers represent a movement in the party dissatisfied with the present district leaders who are accused of going along with whatever city party leadership and their nominating committee recommends for candidates. A roster of the challengers and the current district leaders of the Democratic City Committee is provided in this report.


 





Hockley said he expected no more “challenges,” as the Board of Elections had picked the ballot order last week. He said ten persons had been rejected by the Board of Elections


Glen Hockley speaking to WPCNR this weekend, (it is known many of the challengers running in September support him), said the group seeks to bring “principles, ethics and integrity” back to the city Democratic Party. He said Democrats could by voting for these new candidates who have stepped forward, many of whom support Mr. Hockley’s performance on the Common Council, according to Mr. Hockley,  will bring a new group of officers to the part who will offer “a freshness and openness.”


Hockley pointed out that in selecting Robert Wall for Vice Chair of the Party, that Wall was on the nominating committee which interviewed candidates for Vice Chair, and Wall wound up being nominated for Vice Chair. He could have been challenged for the position from the floor, but Hockley said since challenges are voted upon by open ballot, a change  in party rules, Hockley said had the intimidating effect of  identifyin district leaders not loyal to party leadership, making it very difficult to overturn nominations.


Hockley said the new open ballot requiring show of hands voting showing who was supporting whom, used in last year’s Common Council nominations for the first time, resulted in Councilperson Arnold Bernstein being denied an opportunity to be reelected by the voters was an example of what was wrong with the present roster of district leaders.


He said it was an example of party leadership flexing undue power over individuals and present district leaders going along with party leadership despite having candidates willing to challenge Dennis Power and Benjamin Boykin. Those five were Don Hughes, Robert Stackpole, Robert Levine, Claire Eisenstadt, Candyce Corcoran. Instead a political unknown, Milagros Lecuona was nominated to run with Power and Boykin.


Asked if the movement was to preserve his nomination to the Common Council in 2009, Hockley denied this, saying this movement was an attempt to make the party more open, instead of being controlled by a handful at the top. “There are relationships and district leaders are reluctant to buck the leadership. Present district leaders are reluctant due to the open ballot process (non-secret) to show disloyalty.” 


Hockley said that the primaries would take place in voters’ traditional district polling places from 6 A.M. to 9 P.M. September 9.


 


DEMOCRAT DISTRICT LEADER CANDIDATES SEPTEMBER 9, 2008


                                     Current                                                                 Challenger (s)


District 1:  Alison E Greene, Oren Teicher                              Steve Green,  Elena M. Guagenti-Tax            


District 2:  John Martin, Pauline Oliva                                   John D.Sullivan, Marsha A. Sullivan              


District 3:  Cheryl J. Bradley, Thaddeus Kuczinski                  William Frumpkin, Bruce S. Handler


District 5:  Mark Gutterman, Linda Y. Landesman                 Anthony Ciaramella


District 6:   Carey E. Gouldner, Stephen B. Walfish                Eric M. Sanders


District 7:   Benjamin Boykin II, Justin C. Brash                       Frank Pandolfo, Adrienne Pincus


District 9:   Dorothy I Dicintio, Riena Kaplow                         Max F. Hockley,  Garry R. Klein


District  10: Adam T. Bradley, Willa R. Swiller                         Douglas S. Ruttenberg


District 11: David Azrin, Susan L. Zilber                                    Stuart Standard


District 12: John B. Kirkpatrick, Daniel R. Seidel                      Robert J.Cohlan, Cheryl Cove


District 14: Rita Z. Malmud, Barbara Schwarz                          Rachel Eckhaus, Valentina Mancuso


District 15: William Brown, Jr., Caroline Kyzivat                       Abbe D. Goodman, Gerald P. Goodman


District 16: Rhoda W, Fidler, Nancy M. Yanofsky                     Judith A. Ross, Stephen H. Ross


District 17: Andrea Reed, Jessica R. Vargas                               Rocco R. Perrotta


District 18: Elizabeth P. Roach, Thomas M. Roach, Jr.              Jeremy S. Kasman


District 19: Maureen M. Cohen, Robert L. Hock                        Fran H. Katz


District 20: Thomas J. Caruso,Jr. Eric K. Morgan                        Jerome A. Contee, Yvonne E. Taylor


District 21: Geoffrey D. Smith, Saul M. Yanofsky                       Fernando A. Cortes, Harris A. Leiber


District 23: Ellen C. Blauner, Deborah W.  Zipf                           Glen S. Hockley, Tapani Talo


District 24: Zelle W. Andrews, Cheryl C. Melton                         Stacey S. Spencer


District 27: Carolyn Abramowitz, William J. Ryan                       Glenna B. Duggan, James Duggan


District 28: John H. Averill, James Mazzone                                 Akima C. Watty


District 29: Monique G. Guidry, Tony-Pascal Offurum                Henry T. Ferlauto


District 32: Jill C. Owens, Victoria F. Presser                       Jonathan Lanman, Jessica Luciano


District 33: Lydia P. Barkley, Irene A. Thompson               Amy M. McCandless, Arnold R. Streisfeld


District 34: Raymond C. Indelicato, Charles Morgan             Vicki L. Larreynaga,


District 37: Tim James, Elizabeth Shollenberger                  Jamie F. Baker


District 39; Victor A. Avendano,  Eridania Camacho             Lucas A. Scimia


District 42: Karen M. Pasquale, Dennis J. Power                   Melody S. Hockley, Mark I Sirkin


Hockley said 12 of the districts would not be challenged. This may be due in part to 10 candidates judged ineligible by the Board of Elections due to failure to write in the township, (not the town) of the witness to the petition.


However, Hockley was not deterred. He felt about half of the present District Leaders in those districts felt the way he did.


Mr. Hockley plans a news conference Monday evening at 6 P.M. on the sidewalk on  Quarroppas Street at the Board of Elections to make an important announcement.


Of the challengers, Hockley said that  if they were elected district leaders September 9, “They will not be puppets,” Hockley said. “No strings attached.”


 

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Furniture Sharehouse Open for Donations.

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WPCNR THE HOME FRONT. August 11, 2008: Furniture Sharehouse, Westchester’s Furniture Bank, an all-volunteer organization, is asking the community to donate gently used furniture to help families in need in Westchester county.  Over 320 families have been served by Furniture Sharehouse since it opened in April 2007 and its furniture inventory is always in need of replenishment.


 


 



 


Kate Bialo, Director of Furniture Sharehouse, second from left, and Marie Graham, Interior Decorator help a young woman and her mother select furniture from Sharehouse’s donated inventory.


 


 


 


 


One such family benefiting from this organization’s efforts visited Furniture Sharehouse with her case manager on August 7.  The young woman and her mother  from Peekskill, NY, called the opportunity to choose furniture from the aisles of Westchester’s furniture bank “a blessing” as she prepares to move herself and her three young children from a shelter into an apartment. 


 


The client was able to select a kitchen table, four chairs, a two-piece sectional sofa, coffee table, two dressers, and an assortment of smaller “bonus” items.  In addition, she qualified to receive three brand-new twin mattress sets for her children from Furniture Sharehouse’s “Mattresses for Moms” fund, for which the family was especially grateful, since they had been sleeping on cardboard boxes before they were approved to make a trip to Furniture Sharehouse.  


 


 “It’s nice to know that people are willing to help those who need help in this way especially now when times are tough,” the mother said, clearly relieved that her daughter and grandchildren were moving to a better place complete with furniture. 


 


Marie Graham, an interior decorator, who volunteers her time and talents to assist clients with their furniture selections, and Kate Bialo,  Director of Furniture Sharehouse.  Ms. Graham read about Furniture Sharehouse in an article and recently began volunteering at the warehouse.  “As a decorator, I have always believed in the power of one’s living space to transform one’s life.  I love working at Furniture Sharehouse because I can make a difference in a family’s life every time I volunteer,” says Graham.


  


Ms. Bialo is encouraging the public to donate their good-quality used furniture to Furniture Sharehouse.  “Unlike other organizations that accept used furniture, we give the furniture free of charge directly to those who need it the most, instead of selling it at prices our clients could never afford,” she says.


 


“We are especially in need of kitchen tables and very good-condition used mattresses and box springs (no stains please!) – we never have enough of these items,” Bialo says. “We also accept monetary donations to our “Mattresses for Moms” fund to help some of our neediest clients who are literally sleeping on the floor,” she added.


 


For information about how to make furniture or monetary donations, or how to volunteer in areas including client assistance, raising community awareness and fundraising, go to http://www.furnituresharehouse.org.  

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Our Man Reports from Sao Paulo, Brazil

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WPCNR LETTER FROM SAO PAULO. By Captain Andy.  August 10, 2008: Hi John, here are some comments on Sao Paulo.Sao Paulo is the industrial center of Brazil.  What Rio de Janeiro is to  fun, Sao Paulo is to business.  It is a rather large city with a total  population of around 20 million when the suburbs are included.  There are very modern parts of the city, and there are pockets of poverty.



Sao Paulo Sunset.  


Photo by Captain Andy, used with permission.


 



I arrived early one Thursday morning around 7:00am and immediately was  struck by the air pollution notable on the drive from the airport into  town.  They have not seem any rain for the past two months, and  apparently they need the rain to clear the air.  From the air on approach,  I saw the smokestacks spew their effluents robustly but had  no idea how thick the blanket would look from the ground (see Sao Paulo Drive from Apt). 


The plan for me was to fly all night and arrive at around 6:35 am, drive into the city and check into the hotel for a little nap, shower and prepare for my meeting at 1:00pm.  Good plan, but the hotel did not have a room for me as check in is at 1:00pm.  So my host negotiated with the hotel, and I sat in the lobby for a couple of  hours until they could clean up a room for me.



Typical Sao Paulo House. Note motorcycles parked at right.


My day business is medical devices, and I was able to visit the Sao Paulo Fire Department who are responsible for all emergency medical assistance to the population of Sao Paulo.  They are a branch of the military police and are very well equipped and staffed.  Sao Paulo is known for their huge number of motorcycles and helicopters. 


I was told that there were 750,000 motorcycles in Sao Paulo, and around 400 motorcycle accidents each day, with one fatality on average.  The traffic in Sao Paulo is fierce, and many people need to use these motorcycle messengers, called Motoboys to get their products and  documents across town.  The  motorcyclists appear reckless as they carve  through traffic, wildly cutting across lanes of traffic, always going between the cars.  They ride generally small machines, in the range of 125cc to 200cc, rarely did I see anything larger than 500cc.  The medical service uses motorcycles with paramedics to provide rapid medical response throughout the city.

We had a meeting at the Albert Einstein Hospital which is a very modern and fully equipped hospital in Sao Paulo.  The layout and equipment would rival any hospital I’ve seen in USA.  And it is just as difficult to penetrate the hospital bureaucracy as it is here.  The part of town that this hospital is located is very wealthy with large homes surrounded by heavy fencing and protection.



Raphael Street, Sao Paulo


English is not widely spoken in Brazil or not spoken well.  The people of Sao Paulo are very friendly and helpful so the language barrier is not insurmountable.  However, nuanced discussions of politics and philosophies are more challenging.  I was told not to walk around the hotel late at night, and go only where there were crowds of people around.  Parts of the city are not safe and crime is a continuing problem.  All buildings are protected by razor wire, high voltage fences, surveillance cameras and alarm systems.  Even so, robberies are quite common  and are just a part of the life here.



The economy in Brazil is very strong.  They are energy neutral, they make or drill all the energy that they use, so they are not at all dependent on imported oil or the Middle East.  They are quite smug being immune to all the craziness currently taking place with OPEC and oil prices as their prices have been quite stable.  But not inexpensive:  A gallon of gasoline works out to be $5.84, and a gallon of Jet-A (for jet or turbine aircraft) is about $11.40. They do have and use ethanol which is $2.92 a gallon but does not provide as good mileage.  (See pix of Shell station)




Speaking of Jet-A, my host arranged a helicopter tour of the city over the weekend.  Using an Aerospecial jet powered helicopter, we were able to get a much better prospective of the size of Sao Paulo from the air and the huge number of heliports in the city.  Again what struck me was how posh some parts of the city are, and then a slum would be located maybe one street away.  There are a number of large skyscrapers as Sao Paulo is an impressively large city.  While flying over the city, I noticed a large number of helicopter pads on many buildings in the city.






As for how they feel about Americans, I had asked my host if I may bring him something from USA and here is his exact response:  “…try to  find the most recent CD of Willie Nelson and  bring it to me. If you don’t find this CD, cut and bring to me the head of Mr. Bush……” 


They feel Bush is arrogant, and despise him for invading Iraq and then torturing people.  I have the impression that Brazilians are a good people and appreciate human rights and justice.  They are very hopeful that Obama will be elected and be an opposite of Mr. Bush on the world stage. 



Later that day as I was getting into the elevator of my hotel, I noticed that it said 29th floor Helipad.  So I went back down and asked the front desk if it was possible to see the heliport.  They said maybe tomorrow, it is closed now, you need special permission etc.  I commented that it was approaching sunset, and the lighting was very nice now, by tomorrow the pollution would be back, so it would be too late. 


So the desk called one of the guards (there are guards everywhere in Sao Paulo and at the hotel) and a guard tole the front desk he would accompany me to the heliport.  I was wondering if it was one of the heloports I saw from the helicopter so this would be very interesting.  It wasn’t though.  The guard spoke no English, so we were using hand signals to communicate.   We get up on top, and it is..beautiful.  I take several photos which are magnificent, and I call the guard over to show him the images on the camera.  He gives me a big smile and says  “Que bella” which I took to mean, what beauty.  And it was.  It was a most astonishing day, between the helicopter ride, and the view from the top of this hotel.

I had commented the next day that they could have picked me up and dropped me off right at the hotel and I could have avoided all that traffic…

Restaurants are excellent in Sao Paulo and dining is usually a very pleasant experience.  On Saturday night we went Samba dancing, and it is clear Brazilians love their music and love to dance.  They even got me dancing!  They definitely know how to have fun and relax.  They work hard, and play hard.  They believe they work better when they take time for vacations and to relax and enjoy life.

A very interesting experience.

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Mayor on LCOR Save: Shows WP Will Work With Companies and is Flexible.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. August 8, 2008: Mayor Joseph Delfino’s office issued a statement to WPCNR on Friday morning’s 6-0 vote to approve the LCOR Phase I and Phase II 566-unit development plan which effectively keeps the 55 Bank Street project alive, saves the $5 Million June 30th payment for the Bank Street commuter parking lot (site of the just-approved project), and eliminates  the prosect of having to fill a $5 Million hole in the 2007-2008 budget, which would have had to be made up some way if LCOR pulled out of the project.



Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains.


The Mayor states:


“I’m very pleased that the council voted today to move this very important project. I believe it sends a positive message to our private partners that we are willing to be flexible in good times and bad to work together to keep White Plains moving forward and thriving. This project achieves two important objectives: it generates property taxes from a vacant lot that currently doesn’t and creates more affordable housing which is very much needed. 



 

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Tax Cap Passes New York Senate, 38-20

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Anthony Pilla. August 8, 2008: Anthony Pilla, Candidate for the 88th Assembly District covering White Plains, Scarsdale, New Rochelle and Pelham passes along a Daily News report that the State Senate today passed Governor David Patterson’s tax cap bill. The bill now goes to the assembly which has demonstrated opposition to the bill.

Mr. Pilla will be traveling to Albany on a bio-friendly bus tagged the Tax Cap Express on August 19, to lobby the Assembly for passage of the bill along with Republican State Assembly candidates, including Rob Biagi, Bill Gouldman, Jim Faulkner, and State Assemblyman Greg Ball (R – Patterson).

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Malmud : Affordable Housing Important. Not enough Contradictory Factors to Kill

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. August 8, 2008: Councilperson Rita Malmud issued this statement to the WPCNR newsroom moments ago on the 6-0 approval of the LCOR Phase 1 Phase II splitting of the 536-unit, now 566-unit apartment complex with 107 units of affordable housing this morning:


 



Councilperson Rita Malmud Monday evening at City Common Council.


 


In response to WPCNR’s question “Why did you vote in favor of the amended contract with LCOR?”


 


Just over a year ago the Common Council made a policy decision to sell public land near the railroad tracks to LCOR to build residential housing and to secondarily facilitate a small amount of retail and office space and a hotel.  Having made this decision, it is wise to complete the decision since there are no contradictory new factors to persuade us to change our policy.


 


Because there is a new factor (but not contradictory) of tight financial lending, it was necessary to make adjustments to the original contract while preserving the important aspects to the City (creation of large numbers of affordable housing and revenue from the sale of the land).


 


The Common Council did ask for and receive adjustments to LCOR’s original proposed amendment to the contract.  As a result, the City  


 


(1) will be receiving interest on the delayed large payments to us and


(2) severed City commitment to the height of a 13-story garage in the preliminary site plans.


 


 

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