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WPCNR SCHOOL Days. From Michele Schoenfeld. (EDITED) November 11, 2006: The Board of Education meets Monday evening at Education House at 7:30 P.M. The Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors is scheduled to brief the meeting on the District Enrollment Data as of October 1 and report on the progress in implementing the recently voter-approved $69.6 Million Capital Project which includes synthetic turf installation and stands renovation at Loucks Field and Parker Stadium, scheduled for next summer in time for the 2007 football season.

At this time, to WPCNR knowledge the architects have yet to meet with the Athletic Director and Coaching Staffs to discuss details and intricate policy matters on how the stadiums will be built, such as length of synthetic grass blades, lining of the fields, and key matters affecting the competitive use of the fields. The Superintendent may also announce plans on when and how the architects, Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, now embarked in preparing “detailed plans” for submission to the New York State Education Department on the Post Road School, Mamaroneck Avenue School,  will be meeting with the school staffs to finalize the actual physical implementation of the new construction.

The School Board will also approve a new certiorari settlement and announce the beginning of the 2007-2008 Budget Development Process.

WPCNR understands that the architectural firm, Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, according to the Superintendent of Schools will present a timetable on the Capital Project November 27.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. November 10, 2006: Reporters were introduced to the real cost of the unsupervised homeless in White Plains Monday afternoon by Mayor Joseph Delfino: White Plains Police have spent a great deal of their time the last ten months responding to “incidents” where homeless persons were involved in assaults, shoplifting, fights, street drinking, collapsing on the street, trespasses, indecent exposure, narcotics, and other quality of life miscues.

 

 

A Busy Month of August for the White Plains Police chasing Homeless Calls. The Mayor and Councilman Glen Hockley released a White Plains Police computer-printout of over 600 incidents in 2006 alone, allegedly all involving “Homeless” persons in the White Plains downtown. The report shows how busy the homeless population is keeping the police. Photo of Report by WPCNR News 

 

Asked by reporters about the breakdown of the types of incidents, and where —  the Mayor said they did not have that available. WPCNR was given a copy of the report pages by Councilman Hockley and has reviewed the incidents. Here is what the printout pages tell us:

The report shows that over the first ten months, there were 622 incidents that White Plains Police were called to respond to and patrolmen were sent to investigate. The most frequent “incident” was Drinking (alcoholic beverages) from Open Containers (76), next was dealing with homeless with warrants out on them (75).  Police made 53 Miscellaneous Arrests (where the offense was not clear to WPCNR), and responded to 41 Calls for Emergency Treatment, ranging from homeless found unconscious, to bleeding, to injuries; there were 35 responses to reported Trespassings and 25 Shoplifting arrests at stores, Target and Macy’s among them.  

 

Chart Compiled by WPCNR News Based on Review of  Police Homeless Incident Reports

 

 

January Page of “Homeless” Incidents. The 17 Pages of Incidents provided by the Mayor’s Office, cover ten months of 2006 calls police took and responded to that are  classified as involving the homeless. Photo, WPCNR News

 

Altercations and Lewd Behavior.

 

Police Responded to reported altercations frequently: There were 11 responses for Disorderly Conducts, 13 for Unruly Behavior (shouting, acting out, threatening), and 8 responses to disputes, and 6 to Fights.

 

Nineteen times police responded to reports of a homeless person exposing themselves.

 

Twenty times police responded to complaints of finding homeless persons sleeping in stairs and lobbies around the city.

 

Since most of the homeless sleep in shelters at night, these incidents appear to be being called in during the daylight or early evening hours. Times of the incidents were not readily determined from the report and White Plains Police declined to clarify the nomenclature of the report when WPCNR asked them to do so, saying I had to refer my questions to the Mayor’s office.  As of nightfall Thursday evening, the Mayor’s Office had not responded.

 

Rick Ammirato, the Executive Director of the BID at the news conference did say there were more homeless incidents taking place during the day in the business district, and more panhandling by the homeless.

 

JULY INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE HOMELESS. Photo by WPCNR News

 

Homeless Presence in the Downtown

 

There were 73 Incidents on Main Street, 40 at the City Center, 37 on Mamaroneck Avenue, and 34 on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Fisher Avenue saw 22 Calls for police due to homeless situations, Tibbetts Park, 22. One of the more intriguing Tibbetts Park incidents involved police being called to remove homeless campers there June 23.

 

The majority of incidents are reported in the White Plains downtown with  East and West Post Road the leading locations where police responded 140 times from January 1 to October 31. (The Post Road figure contains 43 incidents where police were asked to appear at 86 E. Post Road, the home of the Grace Church-run Open Arms Shelter).

 

 

Locations of “Homeless Incidents” Predominately in the White Plains Downtown. Chart Compiled by WPCNR News from Review of Police Homeless Incident Report

 

 

Three Times more Police Calls to Open Arms Shelter

Than 85 Court Street

 

At Mayor Joseph Delfino’s news conference Monday afternoon where he introduced his ill-fated resolution calling for Westchester County to close 85 Court Street, the “drop-in shelter,” opened last January  the Mayor said White Plains houses 15% of the homeless population in the county. He said the White Plains share was more than any other city. They are housed overnight at 85 Court Street, supervised by the Department of Social Services (opened last January), at Open Arms Shelter supervised by Grace Church Community Services, and at the Coachman.

 

The Mayor and Mr. Hockley pointed out that 85 Court Street houses some level 3 Sex Offenders, and cited the severity of the incidents the computer printout detailed, as the reasons why the county should close the 85 Court Street shelter and move it elsewhere. The Mayor and Mr. Hockley said nothing about removal of the Open Arms Shelter, The Coachman or the Grace Church Samaritan House on Church Street.

 

The incident report examined by WPCNR indicated only one incident at The Coachman, and none at the Women’s Shelter run by Grace Church on Church Street because that has not been open for most of the 10-month period, and has recently reopened.

 

However, police responded 43 times to Open Arms Shelter to what appear to be more violent and serious incidents in a better appointed facility.  The county negotiated a new contract with Grace Community Services for $600,000 a year to run Open Arms and Samaritan House, and an additional fee to counsel persons at 96 East Post Road.

 

The atmosphere at 85 Court Street apparently has a more stable crowd based on the statistics: there were only 15 incidents police responded to at 85 Court Street.

 

Life at the Shelters:

 

Police Calls to Open Arms dealt with the following 43 incidents:

 

Active Fight; Field Interview; Male Refusing to Leave Property; Warrant Arrest; Male to Emergency Room; Party Refusing to leave Non-Combative; Party Refusing to Leave Non-Combative; Man Unruly; Male Refusing to Leave; Man Fell Down Stairs, Bleeding from Mouth; Male Refusing to Leave; Suspicious Person; Miscellaneous; Man Not Breathing; Man Passed Out; Man Unconcious; Man, Difficulty Breathing; Warrant Arrest; Female: Male Shoved Her; Miscellaneous; Female: Dizzy Chestpains; Warrant; Possible Overdose; Female Fell Injured; Female High Fever; Female Active Seizures; Harrassment; Missing Items from Wallet; Field Interview; Warrant Arrest; Man Will Not Leave Premises; Trespass; Party Acting Up; CO Violation; Man Refusing to Leave Lot; Complaint of Assault; Warrant; Open Container; Stealing Complaint of IPOD; Man with Warrant; Man Having Seizure; Tresspass Arrest.

 

At 85 Court– The County “Drop-In”. Police were called to deal with 15 Incidents;

 

Verbal Dispute; Homeless Initiative; Interview-Warrant; Warrant Arrest; Sex Offender Failure to Register With County; Man Suspicious; Female Unconscious on Street; Field Interview; Man Wants to Leave; Arrest, Open Container;  Subject Left Shelter; Subject Left Shelter; C/0 and Warrant Arrest.

 

Summer Months Higher Incidents.

 

The months of June July and August and October showed the highest number of incidents involving the homeless, with August the leading month with 95 incidents.

 

2006 January 1 Through October 31, Month-by Month Homeless Incident Totals:

 

January:  69

February: 69

March:  44

April:  48

May:  44

June:  51

July: 75

August: 95

September: 54

October: 73

 

Police Demur to the Mayor’s Office

 

WPCNR asked Deputy Commissioner Daniel Jackson of the White Plains Department of Public Safety to comment on the figures we derived from the Incident Computer Printouts, including the figures presented above, and if the police could provide their own official totals of the reports for accuracy.  Jackson said I should refer my questions to the Mayor’s Office.

 

WPCNR asked Deputy Commissioner Jackson  how the 2006 Crime Statistics look for White Plains after 10 months, and how much of the homeless incidents contribute to those statistics. Commissioner Jackson said that question would have to be referred to The Mayor’s Office. 

 

At the News conference Monday afternoon, Mayor Delfino said the City houses over 500 persons at shelters in White Plains, 15% of the county homeless population, though the city is only 5% of the county population. He called on County Executive Andy Spano to start a dialogue with other cities and towns to deal fairly with the homeless problem. Asked if he had any suggestions in White Plains where the 85 Court Street shelter could be relocated the Mayor said he did not and would not suggest one, saying it was the County responsiblity to seek a site.

 

 

 

 

 

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. November 8, 2006, UPDATED NOVEMBER 9, 2006 11:18 AM EST: It’s official! the Greenburgh Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday evening to hire the White Plains City Assessor, Edye McCarthy to fill the unexpired term of  the former Greenburgh Assessor,  Gennaro Iagallo, effective in a month. Iagallo resigned this past summer. Ms. McCarthy, the White Plains City Assessor for the last eight years will be paid $125,000 by the Town of Greenburgh and will begin her assignment with Greenburgh December 11. She will assume the Greenburgh Assessors’ full six-year term beginning October 1, 2007.

Ms. McCarthy is the fifth departure from the Delfino Administration in the last 18 months,  who include Janice Minieri, the Town Clerk who is retiring effective in January; the Building Commissioner, Mike Gismondi; the Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, David Chong (a year and a half ago); and the former Budget Director, Anne Reasoner.

Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor, speaking to WPCNR Wednesday afternoon, confirmed Ms. McCarthy’s appointment, saying the town became familiar with Ms. McCarthy while she was doing consulting work for the Town of Greenburgh after Mr. Iagallo had departed. Feiner told WPCNR Greenburgh had conducted a search for a new Assessor and Ms. McCarthy was one of four candidates considered for the position and it was a unanimous decision to offer her the job. He described her as a consummate professional and an expert in her field.

 

PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE: Edye McCarthy, City Assessor Addressing the Board of Education, May, 2005. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

In a news release issued after WPCNR reported the appointment,  Mr. Feiner issued this statement:

“The Greenburgh Town Board will appoint Edye Beth McCarthy as our new assessor tonight.  Edye McCarthy has been White Plains City Assessor since 1999. She previously served as City Assessor of the City of Rye from 1990-1999. She was Assistant Village Assessor for Hastings on Hudson and Pleasantville form 1988 to 1993. Mrs. McCarthy has a Master of Science Degree in Real Estate from NYU and a BS in Real Estate from the University of Florida. She is the Past President of the New York State Assessor’s Association and the Past President of the Westchester County Assessor’s Association. She has great credentials for the position. Welcome!

A special thanks to our Interim Assessor, Dan Whittemore. Dan has worked for the town since 1986 as our Real Property Appraiser and provided great assistance to the town during the transition period after Gerry Iagallo resigned as Assessor this summer.”

Ms. McCarthy will be receiving a substantial raise from her estimated salary of $112,500 she has been earning from the City of White Plains.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2006. From The White Plains Republican Committee. November 6, 2006: The Chair of the City Republican Committee defended his “Hopelessly Conflicted” political mailing assailing Cass Cibelli’s opponent Dennis Power as “Hopelessly Conflicted,” which the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee has found in a news release to contain as “Unfair Election Practice.” Brian Maloney charges the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee waived its own rule not to release findings within 7 days of an election, and in a release to the news media, defends the challenged advertising copy as true. Mr. Maloney’s release to the media:

 

 As you will note, on the approved pieces, the sender was clearly identified.  However, I will concede (because I myself saw one) that the head on mailer 2, while clearly identifying my correct address, did not have my name or the committee’s.  What is laughable about the paranoia of the Power’s camp and their complaint (the complaint being that it was some kind of mystery where the mailer came from) is the fact that to date, I have been extremely outspoken on Dennis’s conflicts, and in fact welcome identification with the issue. 

 The reality is that for reasons that I believe were purely software related (and unknown to me until literally today), the top line dropped off the mailer.  As you will note, the version of adobe that I used for the mailers was version 5.  Adobe is already up to version 8; I strongly believe that the differing versions (version 5 is based on windows 95 and is no longer supported by Adobe or Microsoft) caused the line to be inadvertently dropped.    

 And again, I welcome identification with the pieces; so as far as I am concerned, Power’s “complaint” is much ado about nothing, and in fact, I’ll be happy to send out an identical piece with my name in BIG letters to as many folks out there in White Plains who did not realize I sent it, if that will make Dennis feel better.  No problem.

 Second, what immediately follows are the rules of the self appointed “campaign practices committee.”  As you will note, on one hand, they allege that complaints are not heard within 7 days of an election.  I would suggest that it is curious how they decided to forgo their own rules to hear Dennis’s meritless complaints. 

 On the topic of the piece which I assume has rendered Dennis so flustered that he is unable to articulate what is wrong with it, piece two, I have the following comments:

The OSC is actively investigating Dennis: for him to state or suggest otherwise is a pure and complete fabrication. 

The Comptroller’s Office is also investigating him and his voting on matters in which he has a conflict.  Attached is the complaint, with, as we discussed, recent opinions in which the Comptroller has clearly directed local officials not to vote on matters before a local governmental board wherein there was a conflict; cases which are analogous to this matter.  The Comptroller’s investigations  web site is: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/investigations/index.htm

 As late as last Friday, the comptroller confirmed their investigation.  The number there is: (518) 474-4331  the contact there is: Robert T. Brackman, Deputy Comptroller for Investigations.  I’ll waive all confidentiality.

And if Dennis attempts to say there is no investigation or suggests such to anyone, his duplicitous nature is clearly revealed.

Now to the subject matter of the mailer: 

 Dennis Power is being investigated by Federal Authorities for possible violation of campaign laws; True.

 Power’s nearly six figure salary is literally funded by powerful developers whose projects cannot get approved in White Plains unless the Common Council agrees; True (Power’s admitted as much in the Indelicato Memo (or was he lying there?)

 Power refuses to stop influencing Common Council Members and voting on projects which would fund his salary and, based upon such conduct, he is now subject to a State Ethics investigation; Again true.

 Power supports his County Bosses’ directives to house dangerous sex predators in downtown White Plains; True again: Tonight he voted to table the City resolution, and he has repeatedly supported the Spano Directive in numerous forums.

Dennis Power refuses to allow the City of White Plains to build a senior housing complex which would give preferences to White Plains Seniors; True again:  Dennis has and continues to back the county in its refusal to turn over property in White Plains for affordable housing for seniors and since the city cannot afford to purchase property in the core, unless the coachman is turned over (which the county has clearly stated will not happen and Dennis also supports) there may not be a true WP’s project built in the foreseeable future in the core;

 Power supports locating County homeless shelters in White Plains; Again, true (again, tonight’s vote and his past open and clear comments)

And

 Because Power’s job and salary is entirely beholden to County Bosses, White Plains Residents should be deeply concerned about Dennis Power: A MAN WHO IS HOPELESSLY CONFLICTED. 

 True again.  As I said, if the Mayor had a night job working for a developer who had a project in White Plains, and he attempted to vote on approval of his employer’s project, a screaming band lead by the usual suspects in the Common Council and the White Plains Democratic party would try to hang the man in front of City Hall; however, because it is one of their own, suddenly the Common Council can see no evil, hear no evil and have become suddenly dumb (in more than one sense of the word). 

The conduct of Mr. Power and his band of cohorts is adverse to everything good government is meant to stand for and the residents of White Plains are ill served by their clearly compromised representatives.  Whatever the outcome tomorrow, election day, I can promise that at least the Republican Party here in White Plains will never surrender its core belief in the simple proposition that good government demands representatives who shall never be seduced by their own self interests.  Public service is not meant for private enrichment, as Mr. Power seems to have never learned. 

Regards,

Brian G. Maloney

 

 

From the WCFCPC guideline:

4. The complaint must be filed with the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee by 1 p.m. Monday, according to instructions found on the Filing Procedures Form, in order to be considered for the following week’s agenda. As indicated on the Filing Procedures Form, the complaint, including all supporting documentation, must simultaneously be sent to the party complained against by e-mail or fax and also by certified mail with a return receipt or hand delivered with proof of delivery.

Complaints filed within seven days preceding Election Day must be hand delivered (personally or through any delivery agency) or faxed to both the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee and the party complained against, with verification of receipt. Complaints must be filed before 10 a.m. on the Monday before Election Day. Candidates may also file post-election complaints by 9:00 PM on the seventh day after the election. (See “Hearings” below.)

5. The Committee will notify both the complainant and the party complained against that it has received the complaint.

6. The Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee will review every complaint to determine whether a hearing is warranted or any action should be taken. The Committee may choose not to have a hearing if it determines that a hearing is not necessary or appropriate.

7. The Committee will notify the candidate who filed the complaint and the person or group against whom the complaint was made as to whether a hearing will be scheduled. The Committee will also notify both principals if no action will be taken.

8. Press releases concerning the filing of a complaint may come only from the Committee. If notice of the filing of a complaint is made public by any other source, the Committee will consider the action an unfair campaign practice.

9. Questions regarding these procedures should be directed to the Coordinator, Joy Rosenzweig, (E-mail: rosejo6@yahoo.com, Phone: 914-666-2837, Fax: 666-2837, call first) or to the League office at 949-0507 (fax 997-9354) who will refer questions to the appropriate Committee member.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. November 7, 2006 UPDATED 12:36 A.M. E.D.T.: The Memorandum of Understanding between the City of White Plains and New York Presbyterian Hospital was tabled last night by the Common Council, pending further discussion, according to Councilperson Benjamin Boykin. It will be taken up again December 3, with more discussion of the terms of the MOU  to take place in the November work session of the Common Council.

In a rebuff to Mayor Joseph Delfino, Common Councilmen Glen Hockley and Arnold Bernstein, Councilpersons Rita Malmud, Thomas Roach, Benjamin Boykin and Dennis Power voted to table Councilman Hockley’s resolution which called for Westchester County to relocate the 85 Court Street Drop In Homeless Shelter the county opened last January. Councilmen Boykin and Roach told WPCNR the resolution had not been discussed with them in work session, and it was a very sensitive issue that required talks with the county. The resolution was tabled, 4-3.

White Plains Police: 616 Incidents Involving Homeless Persons in City in 10 Months.

Apparently, Mr. Hockley had not broached the topic of the resolution with his other four Democratic Councilpersons before placing it on the agenda. Mr. Roach and Mr. Boykin also said they had not seen the listing of over 616 White Plains Police-reported incidents involving “homeless persons” documented in White Plains at all hours of the day from January 1 through October 31 of this year.

 

The Mayor presented the compiled list of incidents at a news conference introducing the resolution he hoped the council would approve, in a Monday afternoon news conference. Mr. Roach and Mr. Boykin said they had not been invited.  Glen Hockley(right) shared with WPCNR a listing of persons from 85 Court identified as level 3 Sex Offenders after the county had pledged to the city they would not house sex offenders there, and shared the White Plains Police compiled listing of 616 Incidents involving homeless persons in the downtown. Rick Ammirato, Executive Director of the BID, left, responded to a WPCNR  question, saying there has been an increase in homeless incidents during the day in the White Plains downtown, particularly “panhandling.” The Mayor cited the evidence of the incidents as a reason why the county should relocate the 85 Court Street Shelter, because it adds to the White Plains homeless population. The said White Plains houses 14% of the homeless in the County, by far the largest proportion.  Photo, WPCNR News

Councilman Boykin said the resolution was “pure politics” introduced to embarrass Councilman Dennis Power. (Power is in a Special Election Tuesday against the Mayor-supported candidate Cass Cibelli. ) Cibelli’s reaction to the “tabling” of the resolution said the Council had gone on record supporting keeping the 85 Court Street Shelter open, saying it was “a disgrace.”