City Hall Releases Controversial Nicoletti Memorandum on WPCNR FOIL Request

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WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. From Paul Wood, The Mayor’s Office. January 23, 2004: City Hall complied promptly and courteously to WPCNR’s official Freedom of  Information Law Request to the Department of Public Works Friday for a copy of the September 14, 2001, Memorandum provided the Journal News as a result of that medium’s FOIL request. Herewith is the text of that Memorandum, written by Joseph Nicoletti, Commissioner of Public Works, City of White Plains, to George Gretsas, the Mayor’s Executive Officer, at 7:12 P.M., September 14, 2001.



A MYSTERY MEMO NO MORE: The Mystery Memo by Joseph Nicoletti was faxed Friday at 5:10 P.M. E.S.T. to the WPCNR News Center. The transcribed text follows. Photo by WPCNR NewsLab


From: Joseph Nicoletti


To: George Gretsas


Date: 9/14/01  7:12 P.M.


Subject: Sanitary Sewer capacity regarding Cappelli project


 


George,


As per your request and yesterday’s discussion, we have investigated the capacity of the City’s sanitary sewer system so as to determine if it will be adequate to cope with the loads from the City Center project.


 


Although the developer is now performing actual flow meter tests in various S/S (sanitary sewer) manhole locations downstream of their project site, we did manual observations of the outfall pipes. Note that these pipes are between fifteen and twenty feet below the surfact of the roadways, and the measurement of fluid level entailed our men going to the bottom of these manhole shafts at hourly intervals last night and this morning. While there was expectedly a lull in flow after midnight, it picked up again after 4:00AM and was never found to be much below the 75% level throughout the day and into the evening. In many instances (particularly near the Martin Luther King Blvd. intersection with Main St.- where the 16” diam. Line connects to the newer 27” and then quickly to a 30”) we noted the pipes to be running very close to design capacity. Of course, this is with the present building load. The additional sewage from the Cappelli project will easily overload this length of pipe and cause catastrophic backups. Further the current 8” pipe which resides in Main Street between City Hall and the City Center site is now running at 40% capacity and will definitely need to be replaced with a larger pipe, say 16”, in order to handle the discharge from the north apartment tower and the movie theater. This small line (the minimum size for a munipal S/S main) is very old (constructed of clay) and serves very little else at the present time, other than the Fleet Bank, City Hall and Halpern’s office building next door to us at 245 Main Street.


 


We have also done a cursory cost estimate to install ductile iron pipe of a large size in the necessary areas:


 


Replacement of the present 8” clay tile pipe from a manhole on Main Street, just West of Conroy Drive, to the intersection with Mamaroneck Ave. will require about 470 linear feet of pipe. We have never seen sewer pipe replaced for less than $100/ft. in recent years, but because of the location, depth, preponderance of existing underground utilities, and the need to replay the new pipe in the exiting pipe’s trench, We would estimate costs to be more on the order of $300/ft. The depth of the pipe requires significant sheeting and shoring, and the many other utilities will need to be temporarily rerouted during construction (gas, electric telephone, fiberoptic cable and numerous lateral service lines will be in the way). As the roadway carries significant traffic volumes, shortened work days (or late night construction hours) will need to be instituted and expensive traffic control and protection devices will be required. Finally, since there is no alternative corridor for the new line to occupy, it will have to go in the original pipe’s trench, thus requiring a bypass pump system to operate while the old line is taken out of service. Estimate a this time: $150,000.00.


 


The second piece of this concerns the existing 16” and 18” lines which connect on Main Street between Mamaroneck Ave. and Martin Luther King Blvd. This line is even deeper than the aforementioned 8” line and owing to its even more critical location in Main Street, we project costs to be $500/ft. This results in a value of about $500,000.00 for its 1,150 foot length.


 


In short, based upon present information and our historical experience, the total sanitary sewer work necessary to support the City Center project (commercial and residential components) is estimated to be $650,000.00 exclusive of design costs, construction management, and as-built certifications. This could amount to an additional $100,000.00. We stress that these costs are only projections, and that the project would need to be fully designed first in order to get better accuracy, and then put out to bid to test to market reaction to the difficulty of the job.


 


Thanks,


Bud

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King: No Memo to Me. Nicoletti “Never Verbalized” Concerns to Council.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. January 23, 2004: Former Councilman William King who was on the Common Council and voted for the City Center proposal on September 20, 2001, contacted WPCNR Friday evening (returning a WPCNR phone call) to report that he personally had never received or read the Memorandum written by Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti to George Gretsas on September 14, 2004, saying the Main Street sewer could not support the effluent  generated by City Center project. He also said “He (Nicoletti) never verbalized his concerns to us (the Common Council).”



FORMER COUNCILMAN WILLIAM KING, August, 2003, feels Commissioner of Public Works should have expressed concerns to council and never did. Photo from WPCNR News Archives.


The Memorandum contents made public by the Journal News Thursday morning, and obtained by a FOIL request, have implicated that the City Administration knew the Main Street sewer was suspect at least 2 years and four months ago. (September 14, 2003).


 


The revelation shocked this reporter because the Mayor’s Office has never publicly  admitted until Friday that Mr. Nicoletti’s reservations were about the Main Street sewer not being able to handle the  City Center effluent (when both apartment buildings were fully occupied). Previous to release of the memo, the Mayor’s Office position to WPCNR has always been that the Main Street Sewer was capable of handling the City Center project upon its completion, and Mr. Nicoletti’s concern concerned future development.


 


According to the Mayor’s statement released today, Mr. Nicoletti and the Mayor’s Office  have been talking and arguing and going around about this Main Street Sewer not being able to handle the City Center effluent volume for 3-1/2 years.


 


The Mayor’s statement released today did not comment whatsoever on whether Mr. Nicoletti’s concerns had been communicated in writing or by telephone or personal conversation to the Common Council prior to inclusion of Mr. Nicoletti’s commentary that it is “likely” the sanitary sewer system will not be able to handle the full load of the City Center project in the resolution


 


Mr. King Friday evening said emphatically the Council was not informed. Asked, if he had received any courtesy notification from Mr. Gretsas, Mayor Delfino, of any kind of the inclusion of the Nicoletti commentary in the resolution he voted on, Mr. King said he had not.  Mr. King did not say when the completed resolution was placed in the Council’s hands that September 20.


 


WPCNR asked Mr. King if he recalled seeing the Nicoletti paragraph cited in the Mayor’s statement to WPCNR released today. King said you had to put the timing of the resolution into perspective:


 


Mr. King said,  “You have to remember that was September 20,  (9 days after the 9/11 mass murder of over 3,500 persons at the World Trade Center), we (the councilmembers) everybody was glued to CNN, I may have glanced over the paragraph and noted it, but I think I felt it was put in there as a precautionary measure, a protective feature more than a genuine concern. I didn’t question it. He (Nicoletti) never verbalized it to us. He should have (verbalized it)  if he felt so strongly.”


 

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Mayor on Main Street Sewer Lining Timing: No Schedule, No Answer

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WPCNR CITY HALL CORRESPONDENT. January 23, 2004: Mayor Joseph Delfino at city hall told WPCNR late Friday afternoon, when asked about his written statement, issued earlier Friday, said he did not have a schedule on when the Main Street sewer was to be “lined” by Louis Cappelli Enterprises (“I don’t have a schedule on that,” he said.) Asked if  the controversial 16-incher pipe that carries the effluent from City Center was going to be lined even if 221 Main, (the Cappelli Hotel project), was not approved, the Mayor told WPCNR earnestly, “I don’t have an answer on that,” and proceeded into his office suite without pausing to answer any further questions.


Moments prior to this chance encounter with His Honor, WPCNR had asked Rick Ammirato, spokesperson for the Mayor’s office, the same question, Ammirato, said  the Mayor stands on his statement, which you can read on WPCNR below.

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MAYOR ISSUES STATEMENT ON THE NICOLETTI MEMO- MAIN STREET SEWER CONDITION

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WPCNR CITY HALL CORRESPONDENT. By Mayor Joseph M. Delfino. January 22, 2004: Mayor Joseph Delfino has given WPCNR the following statement discussing the origins of the Joseph Nicolletti Memorandium disclosed in recent news reports (see previous stories), and it says the Main Street sewer line is functioning efficiently and is adequate to handle the Cappelli Hotel development provided the new 16 inch “Nicoletti Bypass” Sewer line is installed on William Street to supplement the 16 inch Main Street sewer pipe and provided that the Main Street sewer pipe is lined with teflon on its interior from City Center to the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Main Street, (where it connects to the 27″ trunk line). Here is the text of that statement:



Mayor Joseph Delfino, seated, Joseph Nicoletti, standing, as they appeared during Mr. Nicoletti’s disclosure of the Nicoletti Bypass Agreement 8 Days Ago at the Common Council Work Session on the Draft Final Environmental Impact Statement that night of January 15.  At right is Paul Wood, looking on. Photo by WPCNR News.





 


January 22, 2004


 


 


 


It has come to my attention, through recent articles in the Journal News and other news organizations that there is a great deal of confusion and inaccuracies in the reporting of the current and future capacity of the City’s downtown sewer system. It is time to set the record straight and dispel all the rumor and suspicion that continues to follow this issue.


 


The memo in question was drawn up more than 3 ½ years ago in response to a request made by my administration for the Commissioner of Public Works to sum up all the concerns his department may have had concerning the sanitary sewer capacity regarding the City Center project.


 


Though Commissioner Nicoletti expressed concerns regarding the sewage capacity based on the results of manual tests conducted by members of his department using a stick ruler, those results were disputed by the developer.  The memo was requested as an attempt to clarify the situation in preparation of the approval resolution and to prepare a remedy for that resolution protecting the City’s interests.


 


Subsequently, the developer, using an electronic flow meter, a technological device that basically “swims” through the length of pipe recording flow levels throughout extended time periods, reported results dramatically different from those done manually by the Public Works Department.  In fact, the results of the flow meter tests indicated that the  current sewer infrastructure could easily accommodate the City Center project.  The Public Works Department obtained its own flow meter machine at my request so that we could obtain a third, independent source of data and conducted tests with similar results.


 


Despite the belief that the initial stick/ruler testing done by the Public Works Department was inaccurate, and Commissioner Nicoletti’s concerns unfounded, I included in the Resolution approving the City Center project explicit language which recognized the Commissioner of Public Works as the final authority on the sewage capacity matter and which obligated the developer to pay for any upgrades or improvements to the system necessitated by the project in the future.  Quoting directly from the resolution which was disseminated to and voted on by the entire Common Council on September 20, 2001:


 


            It is likely that the City’s sanitary system will not have sufficient excess capacity to cope with loads from the entire project site. Flow tests and architectural building load projections will need to be conducted by the Applicant and such data subsequently analyzed by the Commissioner of Public Works.  Per the City’s standard practice, the cost of the system upgrades are to be paid by the Applicant, and for any subsequent    Developments benefiting directly from these system upgrades, it is the intent  of the City to seek a contribution from the subsequent Developer for a share of the costs.


 


Even though the City currently has more than eight months of testing data showing the system to be operating well below capacity, the City nevertheless has a double layer of protection which gives the City the legal right to require the developer to pay for any upgrades should they be required. 


 


Clearly, it should be obvious from this provision in the approval legislation that the City has taken all the necessary steps to insure that sewage system capacity will continue to be monitored and upgraded if necessary in the future.  Any inference to the contrary is unconscionable and irresponsible.


 


Time has proven that the sewer system continues to function efficiently.  In addition, the system has been deemed sufficient to handle an additional project proposal for a hotel and office complex at 221 Main Street with only minor upgrades (paid for by the developer) to be necessary.


 


 


 


                                                         Sincerely,


 


 


 


Joseph M. Delfino


               Mayor, City of White Plains


 

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Watch Committee Meets Mulls Door-to-door Subscription Drive

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WPCNR Chatterton Chatter. By John F. Bailey & CitizeNetReporters January 23, 2004. Updated January 24, 2004, 12:30 A.M.: An ad hoc committee of approximately 25 persons gathered at the Jacob Purdy House Thursday evening at 8 with Susan Chang, the former editor and publisher of the White Plains Watch. According toWPCNR correspondents in attendance, the meeting was co-lead by Dr. Saul Yanofsky, former Superintendent of Schools, and Jack Harrington, President of the White Plains Historical Society. Also in attendance were Barbara Benjamin, Michael Seymour, Marc Pollitzer, and a number of persons described as staff of The Watch, or persons who wrote for them.


Ms. Chang disclosed to her audience that she now has enrolled 1,400 subscribers, including all her former “volunteer subscribers,” and that she said she needed 3,000 subscribers to continue the paper. Saul Yanofsky, according to our correspondent said that there were 50,000 people in White Plains and that it was a shame that more had not subscribed. Chang informed the meeting, observers said, that she did not intend to change the paper format, and our correspondent was lead to believe she would not publish again until she reached the 3,000 subscriber level. No prospective advertisers or former advertisers attended, our observer said. A door-to-door subscription campaign was one of the ideas contemplated.


In a further report, our correspondents said there was no statement from Ms. Chang if there would be a  February issue.

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WHITE PLAINS ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. January 23, 2004: Presenting the White Plains Photograph of the Day. Presenting the cornerstones of old White Plains, Grace Church, and the former Reporter Dispatch Building.



“Grace & Dignity at Dawn” Photo By The White Plains Roving Photographer

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Greer Does Not Recall Nicoletti Sewer Concerns in Work Sessions. City Responds

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WPCNR City Hall Correspondent. By John F. Bailey. January 22, 2004, Updated 12:23 A.M. E.S.T., January 23, 2004.: Robert Greer, City Councilman, confirmed Pauline Oliva’s revelation that the Joseph Nicoletti  Memorandum disclosed in part in a Journal News article Thursday morning, was not made available to the Common Council in the days just prior to the vote on approving the Louis Cappelli City Center project. Greer, who voted for the resolution approving the City Center, told WPCNR by telephone Thursday afternoon, “I don’t recall ever seeing something like that. I should think a revelation of that sort would  have gotten the attention of the council.”


George Gretsas, the Mayor’s Executive Officer asking to speak to WPCNR from West Palm Beach, Florida, Thursday afternoon, in a conference call with Mr. Wood, and Rick Ammirato listening in, said the memorandum in question was addressed to him. He said the resolution quoted in this story showed that the Common Council knew of Mr. Nicoletti’s concerns.


Before WPCNR could ask Mr. Gretsas any further questions as to whether the sewer had to be corrected before City Center is completed, (as appears to be indicated in the resolution), Mr. Gretsas terminated the conference call abruptly. Later Thursday evening, Mayor Delfino, attending a Common Council work session was not in a position for WPCNR to ask him that question.


After the brusque termination of the conference call, WPCNR asked City Hall spokesperson Paul Wood if we could have the Memorandum, and Mr. Wood said “No” that WPCNR would have to file a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain a copy of the Memorandum the Journal News referred to in their story, and that it would be available in five days.


 



Robert Greer, pictured at right on November, 2003, election night. The Councilman said Thursday he was not aware of Mr. Nicoletti’s strong feelings on the Main Street sewer capacity to handle the City Center sewage load. File Photo from WPCNR News Archives.


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Meanwhile, Paul Wood, spokesperson for the Mayor’s office, disputed Ms. Oliva’s recollection reported earlier Thursday by WPCNR, that the council was not made aware of the memo, saying that Nicoletti’s concerns were expressed and provided for in the resolution approving the City Center project that the Council approved.


When asked by WPCNR if Mr. Greer recalled the commentary by Mr. Nicoletti in the resolution, Mr. Greer said, “perhaps they were mitigated.” Pressed by WPCNR whether Mr. Nicoletti had ever made the Common Council aware in work sessions of his concerns that the City Center effluent might cause backups in the sewer line of a “catastrophic” proportion as reported in the memorandum, Greer said “no.”


Mr. Wood faxed WPCNR the page in the Common Council minutes detailing the language of the Resolution that approved the project in which Mr. Nicoletti, in a letter included in the resolution on page 1,398 of the Common Council Minutes of Sepetember 20, 2001:


It is likely that the City’s sanitary sewer system will not have sufficient excess capacity to cope with loads from the entire project site. Flow tests and architectural building load projections will need to be conducted by the Applicant and such data subsequently analyzed by the Commissioner of Public Works. Per the City’s standard practice, the cost of the system upgrades are to be paid by the Applicant, and for any subsequent Developments benefitting directly from these system upgrades, it is the intent of the City to seek a contribution from the subsequent Developer for a share of the costs.


All work within the City’s rights of way (including street trees, relocation of bus shelters and “promenade lights”), must conform with this Department’s current standard construction specifications, methods and details.


In conclusion, we recommend the issuances of a Special Permit allowing a 350 height, in addition, we have no objection to the City Center Site Plan Proposal provided that the captioned issues are addressed to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Public Works, perhaps during the construction permit phase of the project.


Joseph Nicoletti, Jr., P.E.


Commisoner of Public Works


Dated: September 20, 2001.


The memorandum in question that Mr. Greer refers to was reported by The Journal News Thursday morning to have been circulated September 14, 2001, six days before the approval vote, warning of “catastrophic” results if the City Center project came on line without improving the Main Street sewer. WPCNR has been promised a copy of that Memorandum by City Hall, which we await. A City Hall spokesman said they did not know to whom the memorandum was addressed, but described the communication as an “internal” memo.


Mr. Wood advised WPCNR at 5:30 P.M. Thursday evening that WPCNR would have to file a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain a copy of the Memorandum referred to in the Journal News story, and it would delivered within 5 days from the time WPCNR filed it.

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Council Did Not Know of Nicoletti Concerns About City Center Sewage Backing Up

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. January 22, 2004: Reacting to a front page local news article by Susan Elan, in The Journal News appearing this morning, former Councilperson Pauline Oliva told WPCNR News that the Common Council at the time was unaware that Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti had serious concerns in a memorandum referred to in Ms. Elan’s story, that the Main Street sewer would not be able to handle the City Center effluent discharge. Benjamin Boykin, Larry Delgado, Robert Greer, other councilmenn on the Council at the time could not be reached to see if their recollections agreed with Ms. Oliva’s.



PAULINE OLIVA, shown here, with Mayor Delfino, upon her leaving the Common Council in December, 2001, recalled no conversation or concern whatsoever being expressed to the Common Council by the Department of Public Works just prior to the City Center approval vote in mid-September, 2001. about the Main Street sewer not being adequate to handle the City Center project. File Photo from WPCNR News Archives.


Ms. Elan reports the existence of a memorandum obtained by Freedom of Information Law request from the city which has Commissioner Nicoletti writing as of September 14, 2001 that the City Center would have “catastrophic” consequences on the Main Street sewer line and cause serious backups. The project was approved by the Common Council six days later, September 19 by a 5-2 vote.


“I would have remembered something like that,” Ms. Oliva told WPCNR this morning. “I don’t even recall that as a comment. We review departmental comments when they come back to us, and I certainly would have raised questions.”


Ms. Oliva said she did recall seeing this memorandum either in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, or in days leading up to the approval vote.


WPCNR has requested a copy of the September 14, 2001 Nicoletti memorandum from city hall and has been told the Department of Public Works is looking for it. City Hall had no comment as to whether if 221 Main, the Cappelli Hotel project is not approved, whether the Main Street sewer would have to lined  and supplemented with a new sewer line, as Cappelli has agreed to do last week if 221 Main is approved, in light of Mr. Nicoletti’s demonstrated continued concern for two-and-a-half years.

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The President’s State of the Union Address

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WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. From The White House. January 22, 2004: For those of you who missed it, WPCNR provides the transcript of  President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address before Congress Tuesday evening, in its entirety.

The State of the Union Address
President George W. Bush
January 20, 2004


THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:


America this evening is a Nation called to great responsibilities. And we are rising to meet them.


As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror.  By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure.


Each day, law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are tracking terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger lists; the men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are patrolling our coasts and borders.  And their vigilance is protecting America.


Americans are proving once again to be the hardest working people in the world.  The American economy is growing stronger.  The tax relief you passed is working.


Tonight, Members of Congress can take pride in great works of compassion and reform that skeptics had thought impossible.  You are raising the standards of our public schools; and you are giving our senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare.


We have faced serious challenges together — and now we face a choice. We can go forward with confidence and resolve — or we can turn back to the dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw regimes are no threat to us.  We can press on with economic growth, and reforms in education and Medicare — or we can turn back to the old policies and old divisions.


We have not come all this way — through tragedy, and trial, and war — only to falter and leave our work unfinished.  Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same of us.  In their efforts, their enterprise, and their character, the American people are showing that the state of our Union is confident and strong.


Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people.  Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11th, 2001 — over two years without an attack on American soil — and it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us.  That hope is understandable, comforting — and false.  The killing has continued in Bali, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Mombassa, Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Baghdad.  The terrorists continue to plot against America and the civilized world.  And by our will and courage, this danger will be defeated.


Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need to defend us.  And one of those essential tools is the PATRIOT Act, which allows Federal law enforcement to better share information, to track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets.  For years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important for hunting terrorists.  Key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire next year.  The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule.  Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens — you need to renew the PATRIOT Act.


America is on the offensive against the terrorists who started this war.  Last March, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a mastermind of September 11th, awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani authorities. Last August 11th brought the capture of the terrorist Hambali, who was a key player in the attack in Indonesia that killed over 200 people.  We are tracking al-Qaida around the world — and nearly two-thirds of their known leaders have now been captured or killed.  Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on a manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves — and, one by one, we will bring the terrorists to justice.


As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the regimes that harbor and support terrorists, and could supply them with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.  The United States and our allies are determined:  We refuse to live in the shadow of this ultimate danger.


The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made Afghanistan the primary training base of al-Qaida killers.  As of this month, that country has a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women.  Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan are back in school.  With help from the new Afghan Army, our coalition is leading aggressive raids against surviving members of the Taliban and al-Qaida. The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free, and proud, and fighting terror — and America is honored to be their friend.


Since we last met in this chamber, combat forces of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, and other countries enforced the demands of the United Nations, ended the rule of Saddam Hussein — and the people of Iraq are free.  Having broken the Baathist regime, we face a remnant of violent Saddam supporters.  Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now dispersed and attack from the shadows.


These killers, joined by foreign terrorists, are a serious, continuing danger.  Yet we are making progress against them.  The once all-powerful ruler of Iraq was found in a hole, and now sits in a prison cell.  Of the top 55 officials of the former regime, we have captured or killed 45.  Our forces are on the offensive, leading over 1,600 patrols a day, and conducting an average of 180 raids every week.  We are dealing with these thugs in Iraq, just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein’s evil regime.


The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right.  And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right. Last January, Iraq’s only law was the whim of one brutal man.  Today our coalition is working with the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic law, with a bill of rights.  We are working with Iraqis and the United Nations to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end of June. As democracy takes hold in Iraq, the enemies of freedom will do all in their power to spread violence and fear.  They are trying to shake the will of our country and our friends — but the United States of America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.  The killers will fail, and the Iraqi people will live in freedom.


Month by month, Iraqis are assuming more responsibility for their own security and their own future.  And tonight we are honored to welcome one of Iraq’s most respected leaders: the current President of the Iraqi Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi.  Sir, America stands with you and the Iraqi people as you build a free and peaceful nation.


Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for the better.  Last month, the leader of Libya voluntarily pledged to disclose and dismantle all of his regime’s weapons of mass destruction programs, including a uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons. Colonel Qadhafi correctly judged that his country would be better off, and far more secure, without weapons of mass murder.  Nine months of intense negotiations involving the United States and Great Britain succeeded with Libya, while 12 years of diplomacy with Iraq did not.  And one reason is clear:  For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible — and no one can now doubt the word of America.


Different threats require different strategies.  Along with nations in the region, we are insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear program.  America and the international community are demanding that Iran meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons.  America is committed to keeping the world’s most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the world’s most dangerous regimes.


When I came to this rostrum on September 20th, 2001, I brought the police shield of a fallen officer, my reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does not end.  I gave to you and to all Americans my complete commitment to securing our country and defeating our enemies.  And this pledge, given by one, has been kept by many.  You in the Congress have provided the resources for our defense, and cast the difficult votes of war and peace.  Our closest allies have been unwavering.  America’s intelligence personnel and diplomats have been skilled and tireless.


And the men and women of the American military — they have taken the hardest duty.  We have seen their skill and courage in armored charges, and midnight raids, and lonely hours on faithful watch.  We have seen the joy when they return, and felt the sorrow when one is lost.  I have had the honor of meeting our servicemen and women at many posts, from the deck of a carrier in the Pacific, to a mess hall in Baghdad.  Many of our troops are listening tonight.  And I want you and your families to know:  America is proud of you.  And my Administration, and this Congress, will give you the resources you need to fight and win the war on terror.


I know that some people question if America is really in a war at all.  They view terrorism more as a crime — a problem to be solved mainly with law enforcement and indictments.  After the World Trade Center was first attacked in 1993, some of the guilty were indicted, tried, convicted, and sent to prison.  But the matter was not settled.  The terrorists were still training and plotting in other nations, and drawing up more ambitious plans.  After the chaos and carnage of September 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers.  The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States — and war is what they got.


Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation of Iraq.  Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power.  We are seeking all the facts — already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.  Had we failed to act, the dictator’s weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day.  Had we failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been revealed as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging defiance by dictators around the world.  Iraq’s torture chambers would still be filled with victims — terrified and innocent.  The killing fields of Iraq — where hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children vanished into the sands — would still be known only to the killers.  For all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein’s regime is a better and safer place.


Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized. This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq.  As we debate at home, we must never ignore the vital contributions of our international partners, or dismiss their sacrifices. From the beginning, America has sought international support for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we have gained much support.  There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many nations, and submitting to the objections of a few.  America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.


We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the greater Middle East, where freedom is rare.  Yet it is mistaken, and condescending, to assume that whole cultures and great religions are incompatible with liberty and self-government.  I believe that God has planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom.  And even when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades, it will rise again.


As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny, despair, and anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the safety of America and our friends.  So America is pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East.  We will challenge the enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror, and expect a higher standard from our friends.  To cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda, the Voice of America and other broadcast services are expanding their programming in Arabic and Persian — and soon, a new television service will begin providing reliable news and information across the region.  I will send you a proposal to double the budget of the National Endowment for Democracy, and to focus its new work on the development of free elections, free markets, free press, and free labor unions in the Middle East.  And above all, we will finish the historic work of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, so those nations can light the way for others, and help transform a troubled part of the world.


America is a Nation with a mission — and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs.  We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace — a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman.  America acts in this cause with friends and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling:  This great Republic will lead the cause of freedom.


In these last three years, adversity has also revealed the fundamental strengths of the American economy.  We have come through recession, and terrorist attack, and corporate scandals, and the uncertainties of war.  And because you acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this economy is strong, and growing stronger.


You have doubled the child tax credit from 500 to a thousand dollars, reduced the marriage penalty, begun to phase out the death tax, reduced taxes on capital gains and stock dividends, cut taxes on small businesses, and you have lowered taxes for every American who pays income taxes.


Americans took those dollars and put them to work, driving this economy forward.  The pace of economic growth in the third quarter of 2003 was the fastest in nearly 20 years.  New home construction: the highest in almost 20 years.  Home ownership rates: the highest ever.  Manufacturing activity is increasing.  Inflation is low.  Interest rates are low. Exports are growing.  Productivity is high.  And jobs are on the rise.


These numbers confirm that the American people are using their money far better than government would have — and you were right to return it.


America’s growing economy is also a changing economy.  As technology transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more productive, and workers need new skills.  Much of our job growth will be found in high-skilled fields like health care and biotechnology.  So we must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs in our new economy.


All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools.  Yet for too long, for too many children, those skills were never mastered.  By passing the No Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation of literacy the law of our country.  We are providing more funding for our schools — a 36 percent increase since 2001.  We are requiring higher standards.  We are regularly testing every child on the fundamentals.  We are reporting results to parents, and making sure they have better options when schools are not performing.  We are making progress toward excellence for every child.


But the status quo always has defenders.  Some want to undermine the No Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability. Yet the results we require are really a matter of common sense:  We expect third graders to read and do math at third grade level — and that is not asking too much.  Testing is the only way to identify and help students who are falling behind.


This Nation will not go back to the days of simply shuffling children along from grade to grade without them learning the basics.  I refuse to give up on any child — and the No Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of America’s children.


At the same time, we must ensure that older students and adults can gain the skills they need to find work now.  Many of the fastest-growing occupations require strong math and science preparation, and training beyond the high school level.  So tonight I propose a series of measures called Jobs for the 21st Century.  This program will provide extra help to
middle- and high school students who fall behind in reading and math, expand Advanced Placement programs in low-income schools, and invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools.  I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school.  I propose increasing our support for America’s fine community colleges, so they can train workers for the industries that are creating the most new jobs.  By all these actions, we will help more and more Americans to join in the growing prosperity of our country.


Job training is important, and so is job creation.  We must continue to pursue an aggressive, pro-growth economic agenda.


Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes.  The tax reductions you passed are set to expire.  Unless you act, the unfair tax on marriage will go back up.  Unless you act, millions of families will be charged 300 dollars more in Federal taxes for every child.  Unless you act, small businesses will pay higher taxes.  Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life.  Unless you act, Americans face a tax increase.  What the Congress has given, the Congress should not take away: For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent.


Our agenda for jobs and growth must help small business owners and employees with relief from needless Federal regulation, and protect them from junk and frivolous lawsuits.  Consumers and businesses need reliable supplies of energy to make our economy run — so I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our electricity system, promote conservation, and make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy.  My Administration is promoting free and fair trade, to open up new markets for America’s entrepreneurs, and manufacturers, and farmers, and to create jobs for America’s workers.  Younger workers should have the opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their Social Security taxes in a personal retirement account.  We should make the Social Security system a source of ownership for the American people.


And we should limit the burden of government on this economy by acting as good stewards of taxpayer dollars.  In two weeks, I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects the homeland, and meets important domestic needs, while limiting the growth in discretionary spending to less than four percent.  This will require that Congress focus on priorities, cut wasteful spending, and be wise with the people’s money.  By doing so, we can cut the deficit in half over the next five years.


Tonight I also ask you to reform our immigration laws, so they reflect our values and benefit our economy.  I propose a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the job.  This reform will be good for our economy — because employers will find needed workers in an honest and orderly system.  A temporary worker program will help protect our homeland — allowing border patrol and law enforcement to focus on true threats to our national security.  I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal immigration, and unfairly reward those who break our laws.  My temporary worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect the law, while bringing millions of hardworking men and women out from the shadows of American life.


Our Nation’s health care system, like our economy, is also in a time of change.  Amazing medical technologies are improving and saving lives. This dramatic progress has brought its own challenge, in the rising costs of medical care and health insurance.  Members of Congress, we must work together to help control those costs and extend the benefits of modern medicine throughout our country.


Meeting these goals requires bipartisan effort — and two months ago, you showed the way.  By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription drug benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors:  You are giving them the modern medicine they deserve.


Starting this year, under the law you passed, seniors can choose to receive a drug discount card, saving them 10 to 25 percent off the retail price of most prescription drugs — and millions of low-income seniors can get an additional 600 dollars to buy medicine.  Beginning next year, seniors will have new coverage for preventive screenings against diabetes and heart disease, and seniors just entering Medicare can receive wellness exams.


In January of 2006, seniors can get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.  For a monthly premium of about 35 dollars, most seniors who do not have that coverage today can expect to see their drug bills cut roughly in half.  Under this reform, senior citizens will be able to keep their Medicare just as it is, or they can choose a Medicare plan that fits them best — just as you, as Members of Congress, can choose an insurance plan that meets your needs.  And starting this year, millions of Americans will be able to save money tax-free for their medical expenses, in a health savings account.


I signed this measure proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of our seniors, or to take away their prescription drug coverage under Medicare, will meet my veto.


On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs.  To make insurance more affordable, Congress must act to address rapidly rising health care costs.  Small businesses should be able to band together and negotiate for lower insurance rates, so they can cover more workers with health insurance — I urge you to pass Association Health Plans.  I ask you to give lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their own basic health insurance.  By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care.  To protect the doctor-patient relationship, and keep good doctors doing good work, we must eliminate wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits.  And tonight I propose that individuals who buy catastrophic health care coverage, as part of our new health savings accounts, be allowed to deduct 100 percent of the premiums from their taxes.


A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription.  By keeping costs under control, expanding access, and helping more Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private medicine that makes America’s health care the best in the world.


We are living in a time of great change — in our world, in our economy, and in science and medicine.  Yet some things endure — courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith and race.  The values we try to live by never change.  And they are instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families, and schools, and religious congregations.  These institutions — the unseen pillars of civilization — must remain strong in America, and we will defend them.


We must stand with our families to help them raise healthy, responsible children.  And when it comes to helping children make right choices, there is work for all of us to do.


One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their lives and futures on drugs.  Our government is helping parents confront this problem, with aggressive education, treatment, and law enforcement. Drug use in high school has declined by 11 percent over the past two years. Four hundred thousand fewer young people are using illegal drugs than in the year 2001.  In my budget, I have proposed new funding to continue our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs. Drug testing in our schools has proven to be an effective part of this effort.  So tonight I propose an additional 23 million dollars for schools that want to use drug testing as a tool to save children’s lives.  The aim here is not to punish children, but to send them this message:  We love you, and we don’t want to lose you.


To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example.  The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message — that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character.  So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.


To encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the dangers young people face — even when they are difficult to talk about. Each year, about three million teenagers contract sexually transmitted diseases that can harm them, or kill them, or prevent them from ever becoming parents.  In my budget, I propose a grassroots campaign to help inform families about these medical risks.  We will double Federal funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.  Decisions children make now can affect their health and character for the rest of their lives.  All of us — parents, schools, government — must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to our children.


A strong America must also value the institution of marriage.  I believe we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization. Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton.  That statute protects marriage under Federal law as the union of a man and a woman, and declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states.  Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives.  On an issue of such great consequence, the people’s voice must be heard.  If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process.  Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.


The outcome of this debate is important — and so is the way we conduct it.  The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that each individual has dignity and value in God’s sight.


It is also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the compassion of America’s religious institutions.  Religious charities of every creed are doing some of the most vital work in our country — mentoring children, feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely.  Yet government has often denied social service grants and contracts to these groups, just because they have a cross or Star of David or crescent on the wall.  By Executive Order, I have opened billions of dollars in grant money to competition that includes faith-based charities.  Tonight I ask you to codify this into law, so people of faith can know that the law will never discriminate against them again.


In the past, we have worked together to bring mentors to the children of prisoners, and provide treatment for the addicted, and help for the homeless.  Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in need of help.  This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society.  We know from long experience that if they can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison.  So tonight, I propose a four-year, 300 million dollar Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups.  America is the land of the second chance — and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.


For all Americans, the last three years have brought tests we did not ask for, and achievements shared by all.  By our actions, we have shown what kind of Nation we are.  In grief, we found the grace to go on.  In challenge, we rediscovered the courage and daring of a free people.  In victory, we have shown the noble aims and good heart of America.  And having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart.


I have been a witness to the character of the American people, who have shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another, and toughness for the long haul.  All of us have been partners in a great enterprise.  And even some of the youngest understand that we are living in historic times.  Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a letter.  It began, “Dear George W. Bush.”  “If there is anything you know, I Ashley Pearson age 10 can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and tell me what I can do to save our country.”  She added this P.S.:  “If you can send a letter to the troops — please put, ‘Ashley Pearson believes in you.'”


Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. And yes, you have some duties yourself.  Study hard in school, listen to your mom and dad, help someone in need, and when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say “thank you.”   And while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free.


My fellow citizens, we now move forward, with confidence and faith. Our Nation is strong and steadfast.  The cause we serve is right, because it is the cause of all mankind.  The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable — and it is not carried forward by our power alone.  We can trust in that greater power Who guides the unfolding of the years.  And in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true.


May God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.

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Citizens Will Meet to Save The Watch Tonight.

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. January 22, 2004: Susan Chang, former Editor and Publisher of the White Plains Watch, the local monthly newspaper that has suspended publication pending reorganization of its financial backing,  will conduct a meeting tonight at Jacob Purdy House in White Plains,  on Park Avenue, (home of the White Plains Historical Society), beginning at 8 P.M. to map out future plans, according to sources with trusted confidentes of the paper.  Notice of the meeting was disclosed to only to select citizens and was deliberately not publicised.  Citizens were also cautioned not to advise media that it was taking place. Former advertisers in the Watch, contacted by WPCNR, were not aware of the meeting.

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