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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:

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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:

 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.”

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WPCNR RINGSIDE. Interview with Ann Marie Saccurato with WPCNR From TeamSaccurato, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. November 6, 2006: ” It was a fight from bell to bell. I hurt her badly in the first round and had her at the end of the first round. But she came back and landed a hard hook on me in second round on my chin. I felt it. I was aware of that the rest of the fight…..She landed just one good one on me in the second round…It became more of a street fight than a boxing match,” New WBC Lightweight Champion  Ann Marie Saccurato told the CitizeNetReporter Monday morning in a telephone interview.

Pounding on The Prairie: White Plains’ Ann-Marie Saccurato, (Black Trunks) brawling with Jelena Mrdjenovich in Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Center Saturday night, punching her way to the title. In this action from Edmonton, Ann Marie is landing a right cross — her best punch. Photo, Courtesy TeamSaccurato.com, by Mary Ann Owen

Saccurato stunned Mrdjenovich in the first round but Mrdjenovich rallied and turned it on in the second.  What followed was exciting back and forth action for 10 rounds with Saccurato landing the cleaner, harder blows.   Saccurato said, “Jelena is a world champion boxer and I was very thankful for the opportunity to box on an all-female card that is donating money towards breast cancer research.  Even though it was her hometown, I knew it was my time.  I have trained hard for this fight, and I knew in my heart I would take home the WBC green belt.”

Saccurato told WPCNR, she used her jab to get inside on the taller Jelena. After Mrdjenovich landed the left hook on Ann Marie in Round 2, Saccurato was aware of it and adjusted She said it mostly turned into “a street fight, a lot of headlocks, mostly by her.” Ann-Marie said she was doing a lot of damage with her right on Mrdjenovich throughout the fight. 

 She said her superior conditioning was a major factor and credited Juan Carlos Santana of the Institute for Human performance in Boca Raton for laying out the conditioning program she followed to get ready for this fight. She said she definitely hurt Mrdjenovich in the first round and Mrdjenovich was not used to Ann-Marie’s power. She said her jab set her up inside throughout the fight and that she worked Mrdjenovich’s body relentlessly. 

Ann-Marie said she would be fighting Liza Olson next within 90 days, if Olson recovers from a toe injury suffered in getting ready for the Mrdjenovich fight. Ann-Marie was signed to replace Olson on the card when Olson suffered the toe injury sparring. Ann-Marie said it remains to be seen whether Olson would be ready for the fight. As a result of her win over Mrdjenovich, A Ring of Their Own has offered her a one year contract to fight on their all-women Boxing Programs.  Ann-Marie also said she would like to fight for the Lightweight titles of other commissions. She is currently managed by Luigi Olsece

Hector Roca, her trainer, and trainer of 15 World Champions, one of them Hector Camacho, told her she was ready for this fight and did not give her any special advice. She credited Sherif Ouna for working with her on mitt targets during her training at Gleason’s Gym, the fight palace in Brooklyn. 

Ann-Marie who can often be seen running on the streets of White Plains, said that in the 10th Round, she thought of how many times people have come up to her on the streets of White Plains  and mentioned to her how her efforts have meant a great deal to them and the city. Ann-Marie said those comments motivated her to reach back and finish strong. “That means a lot,” she said.

This fight was the main event of an all female card titled “A Ring of Their Own” “Border War” which also featured two other world title bouts and will be telecast on iNDemand Pay per view beginning November 17th.  The fight promoted breast cancer awareness as all the fighter’s donned pink gloves to enter the ring.  The event was promoted by a Ring of Their Own and KO Boxing Promotions and took place at the Shaw Conference Center .

Ann-Marie was born in Eastchester, NY and trains out of New York Boxing gym and Souler in White Plains and Gleason’s in Brooklyn.  Her senior trainer is the legendary Hector Roca who has trained 15 World Champions.  Her other trainers include New Rochelle police sergeant Luigi Olsece and sport performance guru Juan Carlos Santana of the Institute for Human Performance in Boca Raton.

This victory symbolizes the ultimate comeback for Saccurato.  Ann-Marie has overcome tremendous odds just to be walking today.  In 1995 she was a passenger in a devastating car wreck returning from a volleyball competition at the Empire State Games.  The driver of the vehicle was killed and Ann-Marie suffered a punctured lung, broken pelvis, hip, 2 broken legs, a shattered arm, broken ribs, and severe nerve damage.  She was not expected to live the night, let alone ever walk again.  Being ever the determined athlete, she proved everyone wrong and immediately took up an aggressive rehabilitation program knowing in her heart she would play sports again.  In 1999 she entered her first boxing gym stronger than ever.

Ann-Marie is known for her boxing skill, athleticism, footwork and knockout power, and now she’s a champion. But, she always was in her own heart. Winning a boxing championship in a fighter’s home town is the hardest task in sports, unless you do it by a knockout. But she did it in a split decision.

After the fight she was invited by the promoters to The Gaspipe in downtown Edmonton, and was very impressed with how well they treated her, considering she was an out-of-town fighter who had just taken a title away from their hometown favorite. They were just great to me she said.

As she told the CitizeNetReporter, “sometimes you have to go through the fire.” 

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WPCNR RINGSIDE. November 5, 2006 UPDATED 11-5, 9:18 PM: White Plains Ann Marie Saccurato, 12-1-2  the toughest woman in White Plains who introduced women’s boxing at the Westchester County Center last year, has won the World Boxing Commission Female Lightweight title Saturday night in Edmonton Alberta, winning a split decision, 10-round decision over the taller, experienced Edmonton-based champ, Jelena Mrdjenovich — on the road — one of the toughest tasks in sports. The judges scored it 96-94,96-94, and 94-96 in a bout described as “toe-to-toe for all 10 rounds.”

The New WBC Womens Lightweight Champion: Ann Marie Saccurato of White Plains. Photo Capture from www.teamsaccurato.com