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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. May 25, 2007: It was a beautiful night for a prom. The WPCNR Roving Photographer captured Tux-and-gowned White Plains High Seniors and their dates as chartered Party Rides headed to Lake Isle Country Club where Senior Prom 2007 was goin on…
A White Sport Coat and A Pink Carnation…WPHS Seniors Putting on the Ritz on Prom Night. It could not be confirmed whether they all carried WPCNR Prom Cards below. Photo by WPCNR’s Roving Photographette
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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007. May 25, 2007: Marc Pollitzer, the perpetual activist turned activism into action Thursday, when he opened up his campaign for the Common Council with Robert Levine and Robert Stackpole by inviting all of White Plains to his North Street Area Civic Association Annual Meeting June 20, from 7:30 to all hours for citizens to hear four community leaders on the future of White Plains. The meeting will be at Ridgeway School in White Plains and the topic will be When Did We Lose White Plains and How Do We Get It Back?
Marc Pollitzer, longtime addessor of the Common Council — sponsors communitywide meeting June 20 to galvanize the issues.
The Civic Association meeting will feature his running mates, Robert Stackpole and Robert Levine, and Dr. Saul Yanofsky, former Superintendent of Schools and former Planning Commissioner Mike Graessle. The four speakers will address four issues facing the city: Fiscal Responsibility (Stackpole), Protecting Our Neighborhoods (Graessle), City/School Interdependence (Yanofsky), and Comprehensive Planning (Levine).
Citzens Plan Committee, January 13, 2005 — at a town meeting at Ridgeway School when the “CPC” first energized, attracting some 200 persons to a meeting on “Where is White Plains Headed.” Dr. Saul Yanofsky is seen addressing the throng, while John Kilpatrick, Mike Graessle and Robert Stackpole, (left to right) look on. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.
The “Big 4” city personalities Pollitzer has put together for the panel created the Citizens Plan Committee in 2004 that drove city to reexamine its 1997 Comprehensive Plan, but were not given a hand in being part of the Mayor’s panel that wrote the review of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan.
Pollitzer writes in the flyer advertising the meeting: “We encourage all residents in the North Street community to attend this annual meeting.The preservation of the residential character of our neighborhood, which drew us all here, is dependent upon our show of concern and support. Be an activist in protecting the value of your property and the quality of life in our community.”
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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. Special to WPCNR. May 24, 2007: The Common Council passed the 2007-2008 budget this evening, but tabled the resolution which would, if voted and passed, have given Louis Cappelli exclusive rights to negotiate a deal for city land around the train station to build his Station Plaza development. The council did so, without hearing the present Cappelli entourage speak on the issue.
The matter will be reexamined June 4. In a related development in the work session, Mr.Cappelli’s associate Bruce Berg proposed building the Pinnacle Development affordable housing building, in which case, Cappelli would withdraw the affordable housing units he is proposing for the City Center garage.
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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007. Exclusive One-on-One Interview with Robert Stackpole. May 24, 2007: Robert Stackpole, spearheading the three man assault on the White Plains Common Council when he confirmed he and Robert Levine and Marc Pollitzer were going challenge in November for the three Council seats, charged the city has been mismanaged and the Common Council had condoned the decisions that have resulted in escalating taxes and budget shortfalls through favored treatment of developers at the expense of taxpayers. In an interview with WPCNR today, Stackpole expanded on why he and his running mates are launching the campaign:
Robert Stackpole appearing on television during the last Common Council, brandishing the city budget.
WPCNR: What is Your First Step?
Robert Stackpole: The first step is to get our act together and get an organization developed around the process of getting petitions signed and the whole mechanics of the election process. None of us have ever done this before. Since we’re not an organized party, it is going to take the help of a lot of other people to be gathered up and assist us in the process. If people want to help us they can contact me, Mr. Levine, or Mr. Pollitzer.
WPCNR: What exactly made you three decide to run?
Stackpole: We’d (he, Levine and Pollitzer) been talking long before I made the attempt in the Democratic Party to be involved as a Democrat, and felt that by observation of the Democrats’ process, from our analysis, (the process) was preconceived (as to) who they wanted to be the new candidate on the team if they dropped (Arnold) Bernstein.
I was told by the senior officials of the Democratic Party that they wanted a woman who was Hispanic and basically had the profile of the person they picked. I think it was basically an unfair process in the midst of the mechanical things of how they were going to do it.
Most of these nomination votes have been by ballot vote, and they elected to have a voice vote (the night of the decision). This surprised most because that would make sure that those people who would bolt the official nomination would now be exposed in public. There would not be a private vote. After the vote was taken, they went back to it being private again.
It turned out to be a very unhappy situation in terms of fairness to those who were seeking to have a democratic vote. It turned out it was not so, because they put a lot of pressure on people to vote from the field for the slate. They got the District Leaders to vote the way they wanted them to vote.
WPCNR: Would you say you were disillusioned by this?
Stackpole: I was very much disillusioned by the party process. I felt, if anything, they should be the pinnacle of fairness and openness and a good debate so you arrive at the best conclusion so you feel you’ve been treated fairly.
WPCNR: What will you be campaigning on?
Stackpole: The first and foremost issue is the financial health of the city and its transparency, the discussions about what’s on the minds of most of the residents of White Plains who pay taxes that with all the publicity and promises of the golden halo of all this development downtown would be a financial panacea for the city’s long term financial health. Well, it’s not turned out that way.
The Mayor admitted in public at one of these last council meetings it’s going to take 10 or 15 years before we see the fruits of what’s going on downtown. Well, that’s obscene. If you’re going to giveaway 10 or 15 years of financial health to the city because you want to get this stuff done, most of us aren’t going to be here in the next 10 or 15 years, what is the legacy for the next generation to come to White Plains. That to me is a false hope. Wait until tomorrow? We have to pay for it today.
At the same, the school system is getting shortchanged in its ability to finance its own operations with severe raising of taxes. They have their own problems. You have to look at the city as a unit, and not in part. Education is one of the most important civic duties we have.
WPCNR: Are you against development?
STACKPOLE: Not against development per se. We have no agenda about putting a moratorium on development. Again we’re being forced into a situation where the Mayor in closed discussions with Mr. Cappelli have arrived at some design of the transportation center and what can be done down there without the input well he’s going to say, now we’re going to have discussions with the public. At the same time, during this initial phase, there should have been more input from the Common Council, which was left out I’m sure, the people who believe we’re creating a glass wall against other areas, Battle Hill and North Broadway.
There doesn’t seem to be a plan that the city has in mind. We wait for a developer. And it seems to be Mr. Cappelli again. Is he the only guy with any money? I think it’s going to make such a mess of an attempt at rebuilding that part of the city that it ought to open to other creative thinkers in the real estate field. Mr. Cappelli shouldn’t have an exclusivity on this (station area). It should be open to see what other items there are. I’m not sure what he is proposing is the best design for that part of the city. We have a small city and a very crowded area to stuff all the stuff in.
WPCNR: How could the city could be better managed financially?
Stackpole: We have already started studying a number of options that would give a broader base to the taxes on our real estate, but we have to look at other revenue sources instead of raising fines and parking fees. That’s a lose-lose situation, over the long term because you’ll be chasing more people away from the city rather than inviting them in. You have to look at other creative ways to bring money to the city. I think that’s going to be a big issue.
The fact that the Mayor has discovered the other side of the negative of a PILOT that we lose the asset, we talked about this three years ago at our first Ridgeway meeting (of the Citizens Plan Committee). In the last two months now he’s discovered we lose the asset to the county. Where was he 10 years ago when there was an opportunity to bring an IDA to White Plains. Mount Vernon got one. New Rochelle got one. Yonkers got one, Peekskill has one. Why weren’t we doing it when all this development was going on?
WPCNR: You’re thinking of participating in the North Street Civic Association Meeting June 20?
Stackpole: We ‘re in the stages of giving the public a chance not just us preaching to the public, but I believe the best politics is grass roots and if you have the citizenry voice their opinions about development, schools, taxes, you begin to get the meat and potatos of the campaign of why you would want to run, and why you wanted to spend the time helping the city recover from a very bad 10 years of all one way.
WPCNR:What’s next on your agenda?
Stackpole: We have some time, there’s no need to make a 100 yard dash at one point. We have an organization to develop. There’s a need to develop intelligent position papers on these issues, not operate off the cuff. Our approach has to be straightforward honest and heartfelt.
The city has been mismanaged with the help of the Council. They’ve been partners in this.
WPCNR: How are you going to reach out to the minorities who, in this reporter’s opinion, have been excluded in the election process?
Stackpole: This is one city. I’ve always resisted putting people in little boxes saying you’re Hispanic, you’re black, you’re Catholic. First, you’re a citizen. You should be colorblind and treat everybody equally. If some decides to leave someone out they’re just missing one of the big points of Democracy that everybody is part of the process that they should be reached talked to and convinced to be participants.
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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007 By John F. Bailey. May 24, 2007: Robert Levine, an architect and longtime critic of the City planning process announced today to WPCNR, that he, Robert Stackpole, a lifelong resident of White Plains, and Marc Pollitzer, the perpetual activist, equally a critic of city development decisions the last eight years that their three-man team was forming a staff, gearing up to gather signatures to go on the November ballot to run for the three Common Council seats in contention.
Robert Levine, left, and Robert Stackpole shown on an appearance on White Plains Week in December, 2004, when they spearheaded the Citizens Plan Committee. The two have been in the forefront in advocating more thinking in city planning for the last four years.
Mr. Stackpole, speaking to WPCNR today said the three were preparing position papers, on the three big issues in their opinion facing the city: money, schools and city planning. He said the three would be appearing at a June 20 public forum sponsored by the North Street Civic Association entitled “When Did We Lose White Plains? How Do We Get it Back?” Stackpole promised a hard-hitting campaign against council incumbents, Dennis Power and Benjamin Boykin, and new nominee Milagros Lecuona.
Marc Pollitzer: Council of Neighborhood Associations leader, President of the North Street Civic Association, appearing before the Common Council May 7. He is a fixture and frequent activist speaking on city issues and was recently honored by the Democratic City Committee.
Mr. Pollitzer, contacted at his Manhattan Offices, told WPCNR he is definitely running. Pollitzer has launched a city wide e-mail recently publicizing the June 20 North Street Civic Association meeting.
Only one Republican Candidate for Common Council has emerged, Cass Cibelli. The other two slots are up for grabs.
Stackpole said he was convinced to run by the closed nomination process of the Democratic Party which resulted in nominating Milagros Lecuona, and dumping Arnold Bernstein, incumbent Councilman from the ticket, while ignoring him, Don Hughes, and Claire Eisenstadt.
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 24, 2007: A total of 61% of White Plains Eighth Graders passed State English Language Arts Test in 2006-2007, slightly better than the 58% of New York State 8th Graders who passed the tests. The results of the 2007 tests were made public Tuesday in a news conference of the New York State Education Department. The 2006 White Plains Middle School Eighth Graders passed at a rate of 58% so there is slight improvement in the way Mr. and Ms. Teen White Plains are reading when they hit high school.
The performance of the White Plains’ 2007 509 eighth graders declined over four years from when they were fourth graders in 2002-2003 when 68% of them passed the fourth grade English Language Arts Achievement Test. This trend reflects the problem across the state of declining English skills as students progress through the Middle School. The above State Report Card Chart for 2002-2003 shows how this year’s 8th Grade White Plains students did on English Language Arts in 2002-2003.
The State Education Department is pleased with this year’s ELA results in Middle School, as a corner seems to have been turned. According to the news release, “Achievement in grade 3 to 8 English has improved overall…Grades 6 to 8 improved. Grade 6 increased by 2.8%, grade 7 by 1.4% and Grade 8 increased by 7.7% statewide.
The state results on the testing of White Plains Middle Schoolers show 64% of 7th Graders passed the ELA, and 66% of sixth Graders passed. The vast majority of the students passing though are in the Level 3 category. Meanwhile in the 5 elementary schools the passing rate on the English Language Achievement Tests through 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, respectively are 68%, 69% and 66.3% which plummet to 61% by eighth grade, despite five years of attention to the problem.
The 3rd grade to 8th grade results provided at this time by the State Education Department do not break out the district scores across the state on an ethnic basis.
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WPCNR ALBANY ANALYST. By John F. Bailey. May 21, 2007: Assemblyman Adam Bradley’s Equalization Rate Relief Bill has been reported out of Committee in the Assembly. It will be voted upon either this week or next by the body, according to Justin Smith, Mr. Bradley’s Legislative Director. Should the Assembly approve the bill, which applies only to Westchester County, it stands a very good chance of passing in the Senate, according to State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, the Bradley bill sponsor in the Senate.
The New York State Assembly Chamber, Albany.
The bill is tailored exclusively for Westchester County property tax relief from the equalization rate effect that, by its nature, creates the certiorari tax relief suits that have ravaged the White Plains and other Westchester city and town assessment rolls.
The Bill establishes a separate commercial assessment ratio only for Westchester County for major type B commercial property for counties over 923,000, but less than 924,000 in population. Under this narrow population range, Westchester County is the only county qualifying for that relief, allowing a separate commercial assessment ratio, according to State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, who feels the Senate majority in Albany would “have no trouble” passing the bill because it is a local measure only affecting Westchester.
State Senator Suzi Openheimer, and Assemblyman Adam Bradley.
Exclusive to Westchester County
Oppenheimer said, “Since it is limited to Westchester, I don’t think we’ll have much trouble. We’re the only one that fits in (to the population restriction). We’d have greater trouble if we’re trying to pass something statewide, because you run into conflicting opinions upstate, downstate, suburban, urban, rural. But, I think because it’s limited I don’t think there should be too much trouble. We’re right now in discussion with the majority.” She said she felt that Governor Eliot Spitzer would have no trouble signing it if it were passed by both houses.
Next Stop: The Senate. The New York State Senate Chambers. Albany.
The effect of the legislation takes residential real estate out of the formula currently used to assess commercial properties – a situation that lowers commercial assessments as housing market values increase – dramatically raising residential property owners’ share of real estate taxes. It is particularly onerous in counties like Westchester, where housing values are going up faster than commercial property values. The bill if passed by the assembly and senate would provide realistic assessment of commercial properties, stabilizing and neutralizing future certiorari tax relief suits.
One assessor WPCNR interviewed recently explained the bill to us.
WPCNR: What is the Equalization Rate?
Assessor: The Equalization Rate is a measurement of the municipality’s value. It is used in 43 different formulas across the state of New York to determine state aid and school aid and as a device by which municipalities value property at a percentage of market value. It’s also used to equalize the assessments into a full market value, and also used for apportionment of county taxes, and establish bail bond amounts. All these factors in the overall picture are very important, but the most important use of Equalization Rate is to equalize assessments.
Property taxes are an ad valorom tax, meaning you pay taxes on the face value of your property, nothing else. As municipalities assess property at a percentage of market value for commercial property, that percentage is known as the equalization rate.
WPCNR: There are two different formulas?
Assessor: For that matter, the percentage applied to residential properties is known as the Residential Assessment Ratio. Both rates (Equalization Rate and Residential Assessment Ratio) are established by the New York Office of Real Property Services annually to measure the value of the municipality.
WPCNR: How are the two rates determined?
Assessor: The Residential Assessment Ratio is simply created by comparing residential assessments to residential sales. The complexity and inequity is found in the establishment of the equalization rate (applied to commercial properties).
WPCNR: How does the inequity occur?
Assessor: The Equalization Rate is again determined by the NYSORPS. The Equalization Rate applied to commercial properties takes into consideration all properties within a municipality (including residential). The derivation is comprised of the market value of 4 components:
1. Residential Property
2. Commerical Property
3. Vacant Land
4. Utility properties.
Each category is measured by comparing the estimated full value by their categorical assessments. The ratio is calculated for each component. All four are weighted and an equalization rate is established.
WPCNR: And the problem?
Assessor: As we are all aware, all property values have increased significantly over the last 10 years. However, some residential properties have increased at significantly higher rates than the other three categories: commercial property, vacant land and utility properties. This situation affects the weighting of the categories resulting in so much weighting to residential that it is lowering the equalization rate and that’s bad.
WPCNR: How so?
Assessor: The Equalization Rate works conversely. As market value increases, it is indicative that the Equalization Rate decreases, and vice-versa.
Because a lot of Westchester municipalities have a significant amount more residential properties and the residential properties are increasing at a faster pace, the Equalization Rate is skewed, leaning more towards the residential constituent.
In English, because of the above, the Equalization Rate exhibits the commercial properties as increasing in value much more than they actually are. This is a direct result of the Equalization Rate.
Due to the Equalization Rate, commercial properties tend to be over assessed, resulting in certiorari proceedings, resulting in property tax refunds, resulting in increases in property taxes, ultimately resulting in creation of more inequitable assessment rolls.
WPCNR: How would Assemblyman Bradley’s bill stop the bleeding?
Assessor: This inequity, higher than actual commercial assessments, could be rectified by municipal revaluations of properties. But this is not palatable to politicians.
Assemblyman Bradley has introduced through legislation an alternative that would in fact – mitigate a significant amount of these certiorari proceedings.
WPCNR: How does the Bradley bill work?
Assessor: In the legislation, Assemblyman Bradley proposes to create a Commercial Assessment Ratio that measures the value of commercial properties only, instead of weighing all properties together, as is done by the legislation for the residential properties, known as the Residential Assessment Ratio.
WPCNR: How does this affect the Commercial Property owners?
Assessor: To allay commercial property owners’ concerns of increased property taxes, the property taxes should, according to the Real Property Tax Law, be established based on the face value of the (commercial) property.
The difference this component will make in the current situation is that the value of commercial properties will now be accurate and equitable.
It will create equity in property taxes. Commercial properties will pay what they’re paying now. It will result in a redistribution of taxes down the road. It will eliminate a lot of the certs.
WPCNR: Please explain how market value is determined on commercial properties, as it contributes to certiorari proceedings.
Assessor: Market value is determined on Commercial properties by the vacancy rate, the expenses, and the return on investment, the capitalization rate. When income goes up, one would assume the value goes up. The problem comes in when expenses have increased more than the ability of the property owners to increase rents. So what happens is, rents stall, expenses go up, capitalization rates go down, but residential properties increase in value, but lower the Equalization Rate, resulting in higher assessments of the commercial properties. This can result in certiorari proceedings.
The Assessor gave this hypothetical example of the way the Assemblyman’s bill eases the tax pain:
Assessor: In the present commercial Equalization Rate Formula the following components are included:
Property % of Tax Roll x Ratio
A.Residential 75% x 3.52
B. Commerical 20% x 2.80
C. Vacant 4% x 2.65
D. Utility 1% x 2.80
Weighting results in an Equalization rate of 3.40% ( a weighted average of the “Ratios” in the above example).
Equalization Rate is weighted by taking a percentage of property classifications, resulting in a higher assessment for commercial properties, because the greater proportion of Residential Properties inflates the value of the commercial properties, driving up the Equalization Rate.
Under the Bradley Bill, the Residential Property Value is removed in calculating the Value of the Commercial Property, resulting in a much more realistic number. The Assessor provided the following example:
Present Formula The Bradley Formula
Full Value $1,500,000 $1,500,000
Rate 3.4% 2.8%
Assessment $45,000 $42,000
Property Taxes $28,905 $26,978
It should be noted that this will not immediately stop certiorari claims now in progress. The City of White Plains and the other Westchester cities facing current certiorari claims will still have to settle them. The enactment of the bill will stop the certiorari bleeding in future years.
WPCNR: One last question, could you explain how condominiums affect the value of a residential condominium building?
Assessor: Condominiums are assessed at a percentage lower than the typical value due to Section 339y and 581 of the Real Property Tax Law. As a result, Condominium owners receive property tax relief on the backs of all other property owners of 40 to 55%. If you’re a homeowner of a $1 Million home, you pay a property tax in Westchester of $20,000. If you own a million dollar condominium to pay only $8,000 to $9,000 in taxes.
Boykin Research Demonstrates Condo Inequity.
WPCNR observes, according to Councilman Benjamin Boykin in a recent White Plains Times interview, the 200 or so condominium owners in Trump Tower, are paying $1.6 Million taxes where the average price of a condo is $1 Million, that works out to about $8,000 per unit.
Joann Polcella, the Ossining Town Assessor said the new separate commercial rate “would make it so commercial properties could not get a reduction (in taxes)based on another class of property owners (residential).” She said that should Mr. Bradley’s bill become law, commercial property owners would not get an automatic reduction based on the equalization rate as they do now. They would only be taxed based on their own class, she said. Their taxes would not necessarily go up either.
Polcella said the separate rate for commercial classes that Bradley’s bill would enact was aimed at removing the incentive for filing certiorari suits based on the residential value now included in the tax rate. She said it established a commercial property ratio based solely on commercial property values.
The Oppenheimer Prognosis:
White Plains State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer observed, “We have the bill that Adam Bradley is going to calendar bill this week, and we are speaking with the majority in the senate hoping to advance the same bill that is being sought by the Westchester County Municipal Officials Association, well, like forever, as well as the Westchester Assessors Association. We feel it is an important bill to advance. We don’t like those certiorari cases that the businesses are always winning because of the escalation of the residential properties. It is something we support and hopefully move with the approval of the majority of the senate and hopefully get it done this year.”
Oppenheimer said the senate had 4 weeks to pass the home rule equalization rate relief before adjourning for the summer. Senator Oppenheimer told WPCNR, she saw little problem with the population specificity: “A lot of the bills we draw continue on into the future even though tghe populations change in the areas inj which they are enumerated. I’ll ask council to see if there’s any doubt, and if so, we’ll just write Westchester instead of the population.”
In the future, our assessor we interviewed on the bill, who wished their name not be used, said the bill could be amended to reflect any increases in the Westchester County population.
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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER May 22, 2007: On a perfect day for flying, the WPCNR Flying Photog captured the changing White Plains skyline. The view is looking South after takeoff from the newest airline transit HUB…Westchester County Airport…with Captain Sky Katz… Pilot in Command.
White Plains May 22, 2007: The Ritz-Carlton Westchester towers dominate the skyline of the new White Plains today in this view from the air just after takeoff into the East. The view is due South from Westchester County Airport. Photo by the WPCNR Roving (Flying) Photographer.
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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007. From the Arnold Bernstein Press Office. (Edited) May 22. 2007: Councilman
Councilman Bernstein next spoke and framed the campaign as one offering the citizens of White Plains a choice, politics as usual or the opportunity to re elect someone who is an independent democrat, one who votes the merits of the issues, who puts people first regardless of political cost ,is not controlled by his party nor conflicted by divided loyalties.
He closed by announcing , with great pleasure and excitement, his first endorsement that of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association.
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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From Westchester County Department of Communications. May 21, 2007: Last year one out of every four limousines stopped by county police during prom season was found to have safety or licensing problems. In addition, alcohol was confiscated, and in one case teenagers were taken to a local emergency room with suspected alcohol poisoning.
Operation Safe Prom 2007 checkpoints are now underway. For exact locations please contact Kieran O’Leary at the Westchester County Department of Public Safety at (914) 864-7858.
The effort is part of County Executive Andy Spano’s prom initiative. (For details see www.westchestergov.com/news.htm.)
Overall during the next few weeks, county and local police will stop limousines on their way to 65 proms in