WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. March 1, 2007: The City Assessment Roll for 2007 was released this morning by the Acting City Assessor, Lloyd Tasch. The Roll has declined $6.2 Million ( 2% ) from the 2006 figures ($296,154, 564) to $289,902,411. It is the fifth consecutive year the city tax assessnent roll has eroded, despite growth in real market value of all real estate. Impact on the city budget is not as significant as it impacts the school district.

 

Ta Da! The City Tax Roll 2007. Photo, WPCNR News

 

The average White Plains homeowner of a home market-valued at $700,000 would pay an additional $208 in taxes on top of the approximate $6,500 they paid this year. Add city taxes to that and you are approaching $10,000 a year in city and school taxes. School Tax impact will be clearer when the ABC Committee meets Tuesday, March 6, when the district presents the revenue picture.

The impact on the city taxes is too early to tell, according to Paul Wood, City Executive Officer. He said that it could mean a tax increase unless the decline in revenue was matched by what he called “additional revenues.”  More than ever the $16.5 Million in revenue anticipated by the city from a “done” deal with LCOR  — not yet approved by the Common Council – is looking very attractive to shore up the city 2007-2008 budget.  

 

A principal of LCOR was reported by the Westchester County Business Journal  this week to have confirmed to reporter Alex Philippidis that LCOR is going to build additional rental housing on the Bank Street Commuter Parking Lot.

 

Flat 2% Increase Possible

Losing Surplus to Travelers Settlement Hurts.  

 

Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business of the White Plains City School District said the $6.3 Million decline in assessments could mean a flat 2% increase in the school tax levy, (currently projected as 7.67%), bringing the school tax levy up to just shy of 10% (9.67%), barring additional school budget cuts.  

 

The settlement of the Travelers Casualty and Surety Company law suit for $2.8 Million included in this year’s budget, (scheduled to be approved tonight) has taken away the expected 2007-2008 surplus, complicating the school budget financial picture which up until Monday evening had been counting on the surplus.

 

 

The 2006 Tax Roll. Showing decline from the 2007 Tax Roll Above.

Photo, WPCNR News

 

 

Our PILOTS ARE MISSING

 

Seiler said the school district had not received the income projection for city PILOTS yet from the city, which, he said may offset the real income loss from the assessments.  Last year increases in school PILOT revenue amounting to approximately $1.5 Million were created by taxing variable PILOTS at the  new current tax rate. If the city chose to increase PILOT payments this year, (the figure has not been made clear to the district yet, Seiler said) the loss of $6.3 in assessments may also be softened.

 

The City tax rate is $132.64  per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The $6.2 Million decline in assessments means the city in order to maintain the $39.3 Million tax levy this year must increase the 2007-2008 City Tax Rate from $132.64 to $135.50 in addition to any other budget increases the city foresees.

 

School Tax Impact

 

With the school tax, the impact is more.  The School Tax Levy in 2006-2007 is  $113,374,179. After computing the STAR exemption, (reducing the total school district assessables to $249,233,054), the district must increase the tax rate of $443.77 per $1,000  $12 of assessed valuation to $454.89 per thousand dollars of accessed valuation.

 

This results in a tax increase to the average $700,000 White Plains homeowner of  $208.50 before the budget even pays for the $8.7 Million budget increase contemplated as of last  Monday.

 

To recoup the $8.7 Million budget increase for 2007-2008 ($174.5M over $165.8 Million this year) , the district will need to increase the tax rate more depending on other revenues. School Aid is up slightly, and depending on the PILOTS and further budget cuts, the increase in the levy may be softened below the 10% level.

 

On the present preliminary school budget, the district is projecting a 5.1% budget increase, but  have not projected revenues yet, because they have been waiting on the 2007 Tax Roll.

 

 

City Assessments Plunge Fifth Year in Row,

$15 Million in three years.

 

Based  on tables in the White Plains City Budget, in the last five years the City Tax Roll has declined $28.7 Million, $6.3 Million in each of the last two years.

 

It is down from $304,681,000 in 2004-2005  to $289,902,411 as of March 1, 2007 – that is $14,778,589 in assessed value in three years, and $28.9 Million down in 4 years.

 

This erosion in assessments has benefited commercial property owners at the expense of residential owners.

 

 In 1998 when the Delfino Administration came into office, the total assessed valuation in the city was $323,734,626 and in nine years it has sunk to $289,902,411. From 2000 to 2003 it floated steady but since 2003 it has plunged from $318,804,180 to today’s $289,902,411 level.

 

The Assessment Erosion Kills the Homeowner.

 

Assessed value of residential property has risen slightly from $163,208,111 in 1998 to $168,194,563 in 2006. Meanwhile, commercial assessed valuation has tanked, plunging from $174,108,743 in 1998 to a low of $134,061,636 in 2006 placing the burden of paying for the running of the city on the homeowner.  

 

Going back to 1990, residential dwellings were assessed at $163.2 Million going up only $5 Million in sixteen years – reflective of how happy White Plainsians are living in White Plains. They do not move out. But they are paying dearly to stay here.

 

However, the devaluation of commercial property in White Plains dates back to 1990 when commercial property then was assessed at $271,559,823 making the decline over sixteen years more dramatic – from $271 Million commercial assessables in 1990 to $134,061,636 in 2006 – a decline of  roughly 50%.

 

Commercial property owners are reaping the benefits.

 

The Delfino Dollar Years

 

Meanwhile market value of all property in White Plains has hit a staggering $8.5 Billion as of last year – up $4.4 Billion since Joseph Delfino took office in 1998, virtually doubling.

 

In 1990, total market value of property in White Plains was 3.1 Billion, increasing $1 Billion over eight years.

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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Fast Johnny. February 28, 2007: The sanctimonious Masterminds of THE prestigious  Section 1 Executive Board have spoken! Those 40 kids who were denied a chance to run at the Section 1 State Qualifier last weekend because meet officials would not let them for failure of their coaches?

 

Well, they are not gonna run, jump, or compete in the states.

 

White Plains K.K. Gilmartin-Donohue (# 471) running in the New York City Marathon Invitational in November 2004 Photo WPCNR Sports Archive.

Will the administrators of the State Championships step in and invite the West Point 40 to run, jump and compete? It is the West Point 40’s only chance. Somebody has to use their heart and their head here.

 

Well, they still can’t run. Do you believe that?

 

The Section 1 Executive Board in their infinite wisdom refused to give the West Point 40 a pass to the State Championships this weekend, even though their failure to register for the Qualifier was no fault of their own.

 

Incredibly, stupidly, cruelly with pomposity and hubris beyond belief, the Section 1 Masterminds said the Boys and Girls Coordinators “made the right decision not to let the West Point 40 participate in the Qualifier.”

 

Made the right decision?

 

Are you kidding me?

 

These coordinators were so on top of their game that they reminded coaches only one day before the meet that they had to register.

 

These coordinators were so on top of their meet, that they could not figure out how to weave the 40 athletes (of hundreds) into their proper qualifying events – that would have taken a little work and thinking.

 

I have been to the West Point meet. A lot of standing around. No communication. Total inept chaos is how it is managed.

 

These coordinators saw that it was easier to follow the rules than follow their hearts and do the right thing. That’s assuming they have hearts. But they didn’t last weekend.

 

They took the easy way out. Rather than bust heads and butts to make things right on the scene and get those kids into the events because it was the right thing to do.

 

How come they could not let them run last weekend? How hard was it to make those adjustments?

 

You just add 1 or 2 to each heat. Don’t tell me you could not do that?  It’s races. No big deal. Screw the technology. Use eyes not bar codes to do the times.

 

 They said the kids could not run.

 

Yet, high school sports is supposed to be all about the kids.

 

And the kids are always, always being browbeaten to step up to the plate, sacrifice for the team, gut it out and the dozens of exhortations coaches love to say.

 

However, when it came time last weekend and yesterday morning for these coaches and athletic mentors and mahatmas who administrate the Section to “step up” — THEY STEPPED DOWN.

 

They let the children down to make their POWER apparent. Truly an ego decision.

 

Ladies and gentlemen of the Section 1 Executive Board, you have compounded the West Point felony by denying Lawrence Campbell of Peekskill, the fastest man in his event, Tewado Latty of White Plains expected to qualify and Brittany Brown of Pelham in the girls high jump, and of course, the Tigers Kaylin Gilmartin-Donahue in the 1,500, and of course the other 36 kids you screwed.

 

You had it within your power yesterday to turn over a bad decision and make a good decision.

 

Well, you made the wrong decision.

 

So easy to wash your hands of this isn’t it?

 

You could have at least given the Coordinators who failed to coordinate the boot.

 

And next year, you should put in new Boys and Girls Track Coordinators. Did you do that? No.  Of course not, you laud them: “They made the right decision.”

 

Good job Brownie.

 

Is the Section 1 Board made up of former FEMA employees? Seems like it.

 

Now, the youngsters they denied states to – well a good state showing by these kids might have figured into them winning a scholarship.

 

Well not now.

 

No college coach is going to want to hear “I didn’t qualify for the states in 2007 because my coach failed to register me.”  How stupid does the kid feel saying that to the coach.

 

So next year kids – make sure you give your coaches some backup…remind them: “Coach, am I registered for the states?”

 

They won’t believe it.

 

I can’t believe it either, can you?

 

Now you cannot sue unless you can prove damages, but if Mr. Campbell, Ms. Brown Ms. Gilmartin-Donohue and Lawrence Campbell fail to get scholarships, they might have a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the Section and the school systems that let them down in about a year or so.

 

That the Section on the five school districts will understand.

 

Circling the wagons.

 

Why is it that the grownups who run things always circle the wagons and protect incompetence among their own instead of stepping in and saying, ‘Brownie, you did a lousy job here, and the coordinators should have let you run.”

 

If the Section Executive Board is fearful of the state meet – they could explain the situation – and ask the state to allow the West Point 40 in.

 

But, sheesh….this is the right decision??????

 

Wake up and see the elephant with muddy feet walking across the playing field here.

 

The Section is being run more like major league baseball every day – no reason, no justice, no intelligence. And this does not even touch the disgrace of how hockey violence is being handled.

 

We now know once and for all high school sports is not for the kids, it’s for the grownups, and whatever stipends and prestige they pitifully cling to in managing the section and high school sports so ineptly for their own amusement and egos.

 

There is nothing wrong with the rule you have to register.

 

But when incompetence on the part of the administrators in the section and on the coaching level  is clearly demonstrated, the rule has to be waived.

 

Still time brother

 

Now the folks who run the State Championships have three days to make these things right and extend invitations to the West Point 40.

 

Step up States where Section 1 did not.

 

Extend invitations to the West Point 40 to run.

 

Personally — but not through the coordinators or the coaches — they might forget to tell the kids.

 

 

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WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Fast Johnny. February 27, 2007: The latest high school sports fiasco was committed over the past weekend when five schools showed up for the Sectional Championships at West Point without registering for the event is more evidence that high school athletics is badly in need of more intelligence, compassion and creativity at the top. Two years ago it was failure to let the girls play in the County Center as part of the basketball championship due to county scheduling, this year it was the continuing deterioration of football officiating, and vicious unsportsmanlike play and spectator thug behavior in ice hockey. Now add to that lazy, negligent, inflexible management of a bookkeeping crisis. 

White Plains “K.K.” Gilmartin-Donahue after finishing first in November, 2006,  in the County Cross Country Championship.  K.K. i s one of the potential state champions denied a chance to run in this past weekends Section I State Qualifier meet at West Point because her coaches did not register her team in the meet.

 

To refresh your memory, White Plains, Mamaroneck, Nyack, Peekskill and Pelham arrived at the West Point Sectional qualifier meet over the weekend to compete for a berth in the state championships and found they were not registered. Meet officials said their athletes could not compete. Well, that’s not how to handle it, guys.

  

 Now we can see that no one at the Sectional level bothers to check registration lists before the Section I State Qualifier to see who is coming and who is not. If they did, 40 athletes would not be heartbroken this morning.

 

 This year, the geniuses running the track Championships did not check to see why five top schools with possible state champs have not registered for the event. This inability to manage a crisis on the fly compounded the irresponsibility of the coaches of five schools did not register for the event and just showed up with the kids in uniform who were denied by the meet officials the opportunities to run.

 

More glaring is the apparent inability of the Sectional Meet organizers to adjust on the fly and register the “walk-ons” on the spot. I do not want to hear that it is logistically impossible to do that “on the fly.” You register them on the spot and add more heats. There is so much wasted time at the West Point Qualifier anyway, that officials should have been able to adjust. The fact that they could not is absurd.

 

Let’s face facts: meet officials did not feel like it. They were too lazy and chose to tell kids you can’t run because you did not register. How easy for them to do that. How self-indulgent for the meet officials to do that. How utterly sanctimonious.

 

That’s not Championship in any way. 

 

How can you deny possible state champions like Kaylin Gilmartin-Donohue of White Plains the chance because their coaches did not do their job.

 

Coaches forgot to register. Others said they got confirmation, and the confirmation was apparently not sent.

 

You always register for meets. How come they did not?

 

But why did not some organizer of the meet note that five of the biggest schools with possible state champions on their track teams had not registered and called the schools to see what the problem was. A little thinking please? How about a phone call? One, maybe?

The excuse that they could not allow the surprise 40 athletes showing  to run is lame.

 I’ll tell you why.

 

Sending out a reminder to register as the Section I Girls Coordinator did the day before the meet is when you send out a reminder. How about a week before?

 

And if a team did register the day before the meet, the officials would have had to accommodate extra competitors anyway on 24 hours notice. The excuse that they could not allow the surprise 40 athletes shows they simply would not make the effort for the kids.

 

And what are high school sports about anyway. We are always told it is for the kids. Except when it is too much effort to accommodate the kids.

 

I think the Sectional Officials should be changed.

 

Why, because nobody used their brains at the Sectional management level and White Plains coaches were negligent, students went up to West Point and could not run. They staged a protest and now today it is reported the Section 1 Committee are going to look into “what led to the controversial protest” where a number of White Plains competitors blocked the track and delayed the meet.

 

Well, what lead to it was your bad management, Section 1 Committee. And no followup when you were using online registration for the first time? The White Plains Little League runs online registration but we always check and send persons reminders.

 

 

As far as registering online. This was the first time coaches had to do this. Shouldn’t you have double-checked everybody? Of course you should have.

 

How hard was it to register the athletes on the spot? Rework the heats? Apparently that takes more brains and logistics than the guys standing around with the starting pistols and the hand-held computers have.

 

Forget about the asinine quotes saying it would not be fair. It was not fair to deny the children a chance to run, jump, and compete. Though the Section reminded coaches at every meet this season to register for the Sectional, when you notice your registrations do not contain five schools with possible state contenders on their teams, why don’t you check?  

 

Five little phone calls was all it would take, but nobody thought to do that. What kind of due diligence is that?

 

And why in the world is a reminder sent by e-mail the day before the meet? How about two weeks before? How do you know how to staff the meet otherwise? It sounds like this whole meet is just winged by the sectional. This is a Sectional Management problem and a coaches problem that both sets of managers (Sectional and School District) dismissed and simply hung the kids out to dry.

 

 

WPCNR asked  White Plains Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors if the school district was contemplating relieving the track coaches from their coaching positions,  for their negligence in failing to register the teams and costing seniors their chance for who knows what honors.

 

Connors said he was not fully familiar with the circumstances surrounding the White Plains coaches’ failure to register, and he would be looking into it.

 

WPCNR PIES-IN-THE FACE  go to the Sectional management team, the meet officials on the scene, and the lame coaches and their athletic directors who did not follow procedures and double check their own coaches.

 

I do not care if computer programming of devices to monitor the results could not accommodate changes in entries at the last minute. You had to make the adjustment this one time. The athletic spirit cannot be held hostage to inflexible technology and lazy meet officials.

 

I say give the athletes who were denied the chance to compete,  a pass to the State Championships if they wish. It is the only fair thing to do because the grown-ups screwed up.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. February 26, 2007: The Mission Statement, Core Values and Strategic Objectives of the White Plains City School District, as created by the Core Strategic Planning Committee February 7, 8 and 9 at a three-day, closed-to-the-public-and-media meeting have been reported in the new issue of White Plains Public Schools for February, out today.

The Number 1 Strategic Objective is that all students will achieve challenging district standards of literacy across all disciplines by 2012 (4 years). To put this objective in perspective:

 

 

 In 2005, 75% of all 4^th grade White Plains students passed the 4^th Grade ELA test, and that  percentage dropped to 70% in 2006. In 2005, 82% of 4^th graders passed the Math, and in 2006, 75% of 4^th graders passed the Math.

At the eighth grade level, in the  ELA Assessments in 2005, 53% passed the ELA Assessments and 63% passed the Mathematics. In September, the state reported that in the 2006 ELA Assessments White Plains 8^th graders passed at a 58% rate, up 5%  while  in the Math Assesssment scores the 58.5 % of WP eighth graders passed, down 5%.

An action committee or committees will be assigned to determine how this number 1 objective – district standards of literacy across all disciplines (however the district chooses to define it) will be achieved.

Strategic Objective 2 seeks that All students will continually choose to explore and enrich communities, and Objective 3 is All students will choose to apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems meaningful to them.  No details of what the Core Committee means by these statements were reported.

The newsletter identifies  the following Strategies, reporting that the Core Committee has decided that the district should:

1. Gain the understanding and commitment of all employees to achieve our strategic objectives;


2. Align new and existing resources, both internal and external, to accomplish our strategic objectives and mission. 


3. Align and develop curriculum to achieve our strategic objectives and missions.


4. Continue to develop and capitalize on leadership capacity within the system at all levels to sustain commitment to the strategic objectives and mission.

5. Develop an open and ongoing communication process that results in all stakeholders believing in the value of a White Plains City School District education and actively participating in reaching our strategic objectives and mission.

 The Mission, Stragic Objectives and Strategies were defined by the Core Planning Committee, consisting of  Peter Bassano (Board of Education member), Lenora Boehlert (Superintendent Cabinet member), Sheryl Brady (parent), Victor Brady (student), Kerry Broderick , LaShiela Brown, Bill Carter, Vicki Cignarella, Benny Cipriano, Leonard Coleman, Timothy Connors (Superintendent of Schools), Leslie Davis, Leroy Dixon (WPHS Assistant Principal), Margaret Dwyer (Superintendent Cabinet member), Malula Gonzalez, Terri Klemm (Principal, George Washington School), Suzanne Laser (WPHS ), Melissa Lopez (Mayor’s Office), Mary Marquis, Marianna McCormack, Donna McLaughlin (Board of Education member), Jorge Mejia, Alberto Minotta (WPHS), Ana Montoya, Charlie Norris (Parent), Randy Patterson, Jerry Rosen, Dorothy Schere (former Board of Education member), Lesley Tompkins (WPHS), George Tsuji.

The Mission seeks to educate and inspire all students, while nurturing their dreams, so they learn continually, think critically, pursue their aspirations and contribute to a diverse and dynamic world.

The Core Committee found the district Core Values to be that:

All people have intrinsic value; celebrating and embracing diversity enriches live; all people can learn, grow and contribute; every choice matters, and people are responsible for their choices; respect, honesty and trust empower; when people serve the community, both the individuals and the community benefit; and high expectations promote high achievement.

Rosemarie Eller, a Board of Education member writes in the newsletter that now that these long range goals have been set by the Core Committee, Action and Management Teams will be formed to implement and measure progress towards the goals agreed upon.

No timetable as to when these Action Committees will begin to meet was announced.

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WPCNR RINKSIDE. February 23, 2007:  The Skyliners Juniors, the tri-state synchronized skating team carded a season’s best 56.54 in their  PROUD MARY short program to take first by .07 over the Colonials of Massachussetts, the Hockettes of Ann ARbor Michigan, in third and Chicago Jazz in fourth and Team Braemar of Minnesota , fifth  of 13 teams in  the 2 minute 50 second short performance. The Chicago Jazz was fifth. Going into tonight’s long program The Skyliners will skate POSEIDEN for the last time with an opportunity for a great showing in the United States Figure Skating 2007 Synchronized Skating Team Championships in Colorado Springs.

For the USFSA story on the skate go to http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=37710

EASTERN CHAMPS THROW UP THEIR FIRST GREAT SKATE. NOW THEY NEED ANOTHER: After a slow start, the Junior Skyliners commanded the ice, skating their lines and blocks fast, and showcasing their edges for a technical score of 36 and a solid 56.54 overall. It was their best performance of the short program all year long. They have one great skate under their belt. Now they need the skate of a lifetime. The Skyliners are shown here after winning the Eastern Synchro Championship in January. The Skyliner Juvenile teams skate today the Novice team skates tomorrow, the Juniors attempt to break a virtual 3-way tie for first after the short program tonight in a spirited, closely matched Junior division.