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WPCNR EAST SIDER. By John F. Bailey. January 19, 2004: A gathering of  about 200 filled the New Rochelle Ballroom at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to keep the faith, baby, at the annual Thomas H. Slater Center 12^th Annual Unity Breakfast.

UPDATING THE DREAM: They heard a spell-binding, emotional, entertaining direct challenge to update the Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” message for the world of today, delivered by the dynamic crusading judge from Raleigh, North Carolina, Judge Michael Morgan. Photo by WPCNR News.

 Morgan, (who has created a tracking system in Raleigh to follow the case progress of abused children as just one of his accomplishments), ended challenging the audience to remember King’s little quoted words from that humid day in August 42 years ago, “1963 is not an end but a beginning,”  calling on White Plainsians to continue “the evolution of a dream, a faith, and a hope, facing the rising sun of a new day begun. Let’s march on until we’re free!”

 A Speech for All America to Hear: The crowd, in tears, rose to its feet with a standing ovation. Mayor Joseph Delfino, overcome with emotion himself, told the Judge his speech should be heard all over this country. Here the Mayor, a excellent orator himself, congratulates Judge Morgan, whom The Slater Center will be bringing back to Bethel Baptist Church in the not to distant future. Photo by WPCNR News.

Judge Morgan was engaged to deliver the keynote address by Executive Director Charlie Booth of the Slater Center, based on the recommendation of his daughter Cynthia Booth who heard the Judge speak in Raleigh, and found he was the brother of a friend of hers, Robert Morgan. Ms. Booth who handles public relations for the Mayor of Durham, North Carolina, had told her father, “Daddy you have to get him.”

The View from The Working Bench.

Tuesday morning, Judge Morgan delivered an in-touch, realistic view of what he sees from his bench in Raleigh when court is in session where he was “Lead Judge” for Wake County’s juvenile abuse, neglect and dependency court for the last four years.

Judge Morgan from his first words, after being introduced by Mistress of Ceremonies, Arlene Gordon-Oliver, the first black woman to become President of the Westchester County Bar Association,  and Judge Barbara Leak of the White Plains City Court, won his audience over and worked their emotions, their reason, their memories, their sensibilities, to resurrect a Martin Luther King Jr. dream for today.

“THEN MY LIFE SHOULD NOT BE IN VAIN:” Reverend Lestor Cousin set the emotional keynote with this rousing gospel number as Judge Morgan looks on. At left, Wiley Harrison, Board of Directors, Slater Center, and Arlene Gordon-Oliver, Mistress of Ceremonies. He had them from “Hello” when he complimented Reverend Lestor Cousin’s emotional delivery of a lyric that keynoted Dr. King’s motivation, singing “If I can show somebody they are traveling wrong, then my living should not be in vain,” thanking Cavalry Baptist Church leader for his “Seasoning of Life.” Photo by WPCNR News

 “We come to celebrate the 76^th anniversary of the birth of a preacher, a teacher, a seer, a risk taker and history maker, one of the greatest leaders to ever walk this earth,” were his first words. Photo by WPCNR News.

That lifted the audience of close to 200 right up out of their chairs.

He noted the number of children in the audience, approximately 18, and praised them for getting out of bed and coming today, taking up the theme that Martin Luther King Day, is “a Day on. Not a Day off,” noting that “there’s too much we need to do to lay in bed, watch TV, or go shopping. There’s too much we need to finish. It’s not a day for shopping, but a day to do what needs to be done to further justice for all people in this great country.” He contrasted how  how easy it is “to lay around, sit around, and never get around,” while in 1963, others “sat in, stood out, got hosed down, got beat up.”

The Scene: Monday Morning 9 A.M. at The Crowne Plaza. Photo by WPCNR News.

Promising to speed up his southern drawl, Judge Morgan proceeded to spin a major address that got more interesting, powerful and relevant with every sentence, every unexpected change of direction that worked the keys of the human emotional keyboard.

The Dream Speech is NOT a sound bite.

He criticized the tendency to “pigeon-hole” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 address, saying it was time “to update the dream” to address the issues of today as he imagined Dr. King would be doing, had he not been assassinated in 1968.  Calling the King speech, “one of the greatest pieces of oratory of all time,” he said “it shaped the consciousness of society, its shortfalls and shortcomings,” but now it was typically relegated to “sound bites.”

Doing so, Morgan said freezes the speech in time, and “gives a false notion of Dr. King (by simply referring to his analogy) of 4 little children.”

The truth, Morgan said is “We ain’t where we have been, then again we ain’t where we need to be.” He said “we” have not “sustained” the will to “destroy the vestiges of racial inequality.”

Humorously he noted how as we age, we change in time, citing several humorous references to celebrities, and said similarly Dr. King’s dream speech needed to be updated: “To freeze the speech in time would be an injustice. We need to update the dream to facilitate the agenda of it in 2005…we cannot afford to delude ourselves that the literal portion of the substance of the dream (has been accomplished). That does not mean that racial inequality doesn’t exist…methods to perpetuate inequality continue to evolve. We must update to reality our society’s shortcomings and what is happening now.”

Still Music today.

Noting that music media has gone from 78’s to 45rpm records to LPs to CDs and now MP3’s, “it’s still music,” Morgan said. “The message of Dr. King is still freedom, justice, fairness, equality, and we still want it in the best way. We should not lock up Dr. King (to a place in time).”

He challenged to think of how Dr. King would react and speak out today had he lived, having been murdered at age 39 in 1968:

 “A Dr. King in his 40s would speak on Viet Nam. A Dr. King in his 50s, would speak on affirmative action and conservation, a Dr. King in his 60s would speak to us all on AIDS and the NAFTA agreement, and a Dr. King in his 70s would speak out on Iraq, aid to Tsunami victims . We need to be mindful not to freeze it (Dr. King’s speech) in time. It is a speech made for all times.”

Addresses pop culture and youth.

Judge Morgan connected with young and old by addressing the experiences he has had with young persons brought before him on the bench. He said the young persons of today are asking the same questions youth has always asked, “Who am I? Why was I put here? Where should I go? And what choices should I make?”

He said “Negative peer pressure is the leading destroyer of the development of our youth. They are being plucked off by under-achieving, unsavory, unconcerned individuals.”

Shames Pop Performers

He scathingly ridiculed pop lyrics put out by black and white groups alike that promote a lifestyle of indulgence, sex and  disrespect. Rewriting the one performer’s message, he said, “It’s not all about business and all the money you can get. It’s about self-respect. Fairness. Decency…to be at your best – the best you can be all of the time.”

He brought laughs and drove home a message by rewriting popular pop lyrics: saying instead of singing  “pass the Courvoisier,” he said he would rather hear “you passed your test with an A,” and rather than “don’t drop it like it’s hot,” “I want you to drop it like they’re not (hot).”

Giving examples of youths that come before him, Judge Morgan pointed out how drug pushers who cut mix and grade their “stock” represent “chemistry gone crazy,”  and another young man who could leap and turn on a sprinkler system in prison, “physics gone wrong,” and offenders in line who can compute their bail, examples of  “mathematics gone mad.” The points caused uneasy but very knowing, hollow laughter.

Concluding this segment on youth, Morgan pleaded with his audience that the minority youth of today “can’t afford to have a backward way of life,” and their education neglected.

He challenged all to the task of “updating the dream to do justice to Martin Luther King, Jr., and do justice to Martin Luther King’s legacy, and to do justice for our childen and future generations, we must update the dream.”

Mayor Joseph Delfino took the podium next, obviously as emotionally overcome as everyone else by Judge Morgan’s speech and said everyone across America should hear his speech. He mentioned how much further the City of White Plains had to go himself and invited persons to attend the Gospel Concert Friday evening at the White Plains Performing Arts Center to fund the Juneteenth Celebration in White Plains. Tickets are still available, the Mayor said, and could be purchased by calling the WPPAC  or the Slater Center at 948-6211.

 Paul Wood, City Executive Officer, who is handling the Juneteenth Committee liaison for the Mayor’s office,  said a little over than 200 tickets had been sold at $100 each as of Monday afternoon. To support Juneteenth, the celebration parade saluting the freeing of the slaves June 19, 1865, you may purchase tickets at the WPPAC for Friday’s  Gospel concert to fund the parade, dial the box office at 1-888-977-2250.

Man, this speech just blew the audience away. Everyone had heard something extraordinary that everyone should hear and read. Folks lined up to shake his hand.

CHARLIE BOOTH WRAPS IT UP: The Dais, Left to Right, Pastor John F. Davis, Robert Ruger, Bruce Golden, Chiar of the Unity Breakfast Committee,Wiley Harrison, Arlene Gordon-Oliver, Mr. Booth, Executive Director of the Slater Center, Judge Morgan,  Judge Barbara Leek, Mayor Delfino, and Rabbi Lester Bronstein. Photo by WPCNR News.

The program concluded with a moving performance by Reverend Lester Cousin’s daughter-in-law, Dawn Cousin, and the morning of renewal ended with the ballroom joining hands and singing “We Shall Overcome.”

It was one of the great speeches this reporter has ever heard. Judge Morgan’s wife, Patsy, said he writes his speeches out longhand, but she would try and get WPCNR a copy.

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. January 19, 2004: As the media blackout at the Mayor’s Office continued into the early afternoon hours, with no statement issued, confirming Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel’s announcement to the media that the Mayor and Council had reconciled over the question of who gets to serve on the Committee that will review the City Comprehensive Plan, Councilperson Rita Malmud has stepped forward and confirmed that the Mayor has agreed to give the Council equal responsibility with him in naming persons to the Committee.

Ms Malmud outlined the official results of yesterday’s secret meeting between Tom Roach, President of the Council and Councilman Benjamin Boykin and Mayor Joseph Delfino. Rita Malmud has confirmed to WPCNR “there has been an agreement reached under which all 7 members of the Common Council will  work together on selection of  a Comprehensive Plan Review Committee.”

Malmud’s confirmation confirms that the Mayor has given way under intense Council pressure for more council say in who gets to determine White Plains future direction of growth. Originally last week, the Mayor said he was going to appoint them. As late as yesterday afternoon, Executive Officer Paul Wood was claiming the city was not bound to allow the Common Council to do that, if it did not want to.

 Malmud now reports exclusively to WPCNR that Councilman Roach reported this agreement to her last night after he had met with the Mayor. Malmud said “We’ve agreed to proceed.”

Asked how the Mayor and Council were going to proceed, she said, “Amicably.” Asked what was next, Ms. Malmud said, “This (selection of the committee) is the first step certainly to have all 7 of us involved in the process.”

She said no decision had been made yet on who would be on the committee and that councilmembers were now submitting names for consideration. She said selection to the committee and presumably the number of citizens on it “would be a give and take arrangement among all 7 of us.”

Malmud saw the process going forward in this manner: 1.)The announcement of the names of the persons on the committee, and 2.) Setting a date so the citizens could begin their work, and 3.) Multiple public meetings well publicized, she added.  

She said she had received the Susan Habel-authored 1997 Comprehensive Plan Review as of last night from Mr. Roach, after he had met with the Mayor.

She told WPCNR she has already submitted some names but said it would not be appropriate to tell me her choices.

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. January 19, 2004, Updated 8:45 A.M. E.S.T.: WPCNR has learned Tom Roach and Benjamin Boykin met with Mayor Delfino Tuesday evening and extracted an agreement from the Mayor to allow the Common Council to participate in selecting a Citizens Comprehensive Plan Review Committee which in future weeks will help to hammer out the way the city will continue its development according to Susan Habel, Commissioner of Planning.

Habel disclosed  the information privately to the press that the crisis of jurisdiction as to who would appoint the committee, and how the review and revision of the City Comprehensive Plan should proceed had been solved in a meeting between the three, though she did not report this to the Planning Board with whom she was meeting late Tuesday night. She told the Planning Board at approximately 9:30 P.M. Tuesday evening, as she was presenting her own Review of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan to Planning Board members, that  the Mayor and Council were working on the procedure to review the Comprehensive Plan, but had no idea of what conclusions they had reached.

Rita Malmud, speaking to WPCNR last night before Roach and Boykin met with the Mayor,  said the Council sought collaboration with the Mayor  “between all 7 of us” in reviewing the city comprehensive plan, and the process to do it.” Apparently, according to Ms. Habel, this has been done and agreed to by Mayor Delfino. Malmud said the council wanted “collaboration” and any review “has to include the public, as much of it as possible.”

Tom Roach and Benjamin Boykin were not available for comment this morning to confirm Ms. Habel’s good news, but WPCNR expects to hear from them shortly. The Mayor’s Office has made no official announcement of the meeting of the minds.

Glen Hockley, interviewed this morning by WPCNR on the street, said he felt this “detente” was a good thing, saying it was the way it should be in a democracy, and that he hoped some members of the Citizens Plan Committee which precipitated the presentation of Ms. Habel’s own “Review” distributed yesterday would be included on the committee the council and Mayor chose.

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WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By NY State Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. January 15, 2005: When I committed to lead the fight for meaningful reform in our state government, I meant it. Just a few days into my new term as your Assemblyman, we fundamentally changed the Assembly rules in a bipartisan fashion with the support of many reform groups such as the Brennan Center and NYPIRG.  However, our work is not finished which has led me to sponsor a comprehensive reform plan that will begin to reform the way New York’s government operates.

Our families deserve a state government that is open, transparent and responsive to their needs. Enacting meaningful reform is essential to accomplishing these goals. My proposals make our state government more accountable to the people it serves.

To ensure that these crucial reforms become law, the Assembly and Senate should immediately appoint conference committees to reach agreements. These committees will help resolve differences between the two houses, and get the reforms signed into state law.

Ensuring on-time, responsible state budgets

Perhaps the most pressing matter facing our state government is the budget process. It is imperative that responsible state budgets are passed on-time every year. I will continue seeking to amend the constitution to reform the budget process to help bring an end to New York’s unacceptable string of late budgets. My legislation would allow for better revenue and spending projections and institute provisions to instill greater accountability and transparency in the process (A.1, A.2).

To ensure that schools have an opportunity to plan ahead for the amount of state aid they receive, the budget reform plan would require a two-year appropriation for education aid. This finally gives schools the information they need in advance so they can responsibly plan ahead.

Reducing the influence of lobbyists on state government

Another important part of the reform package would limit the influence of lobbying on the awarding of state agency contracts (A.9).

Currently, there are some disclosure requirements of lobbyists, but not on procurement lobbying – an area where billions of taxpayer dollars are at stake. My measure would expand the definition of lobbying to include any effort to influence the action of any public official – state or municipal – regarding procurement of goods or services, construction and the sale or purchase of land.

Taxpayer dollars should never be wasted, and taxpayers deserve greater accountability and oversight of lobbyists and their activities. These reforms will set a higher standard for government officials and lobbying organizations.

Ensuring Empire Zones do their jobs

The Assembly’s Empire Zone program has indeed created jobs, but over the past few years serious problems have come to light. The reform plan would ensure the program does the job it was created to do (A.6).

The Empire State Development Corporation, which oversees Empire Zones, has strayed from its mission since the governor took office. There is no burden of proof on businesses to show they have actually created jobs before they receive state economic development benefits. Without proper oversight, the Empire Zone program has lost some of its effectiveness.

The Assembly’s proposal reforms the Empire Zone program by:

·        requiring each zone to reconfigure its boundaries to better address the needs of distressed communities and prevent the zones from sprawling into undeveloped space or more desirable suburban locations;

·        replacing the ESD-controlled Empire Zones Designation Board with a three-member control board;

·        requiring the state Department of Taxation and Finance to certify that businesses receiving tax benefits through the program are legitimate; and

·        mandating annual reports to inform policymakers about the program’s job creation record.

Making public authorities more accountable

In an effort to end abuses of the public trust by state authorities and public benefit corporations, I unveiled proposals to make them more accountable (A.3). The legislation creates a public authority inspector general to ensure authorities are given the kind of oversight they’ve been lacking. The measure would also help ensure that there is no improper influence when it comes to awarding authority contracts.

In addition, the bill would establish an independent budget officer to collect, distribute and assess information about the budget for each authority, and provide the information to the public and elected officials.

Making state government more efficient

In addition, my comprehensive reform plan will:

·        implement the Help America Vote Act to make voting in New York easier and more accurate (A.5, A.122, A.121, A.119, A.120); and

·        reform the state’s judicial selection laws to ensure that the most qualified judges serve (A.7, A.8).

I have been seeking reform in Albany from the day I was first elected.  I am pleased we are finally seeing results.  These reforms are just a beginning, and I will do everything I can to get them implemented and begin working on new ways to make state government more efficient. I strongly urge the Senate and governor to join us in making our state government more accountable and responsive to the needs of the public.

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WPCNR SCREEN GEMS. From National Amusements. January 14, 2004: A zebra who thinks he’s a race hourse, a Dennis Quaid business comedy, a basketball coach story and the Marvel Comics heroin Elektra debut at the City Center De Lux theatre at the City Center in White Plains this weekend. The storylines of this weekend’s new flicks and the showtimes:

RACING STRIPES — A young zebra grows up on a farm thinking he’s a race horse. Despite the fact he looks nothing like a thoroughbred, no one is going to keep him from his dream of racing in the Kentucky Open. With voices by Frankie Muniz, Dustin Hoffman and Snoop Dogg. Rated PG

IN GOOD COMPANY — Dennis Quaid stars in this comedy as a demoted 51-year old businessman who must now answer to a new boss (Topher Grace) in his mid-twenties. To make matters worse, the new boss also begins to date his daughter. Rated PG-13

COACH CARTER — Samuel L. Jackson stars as a high school basketball coach whose tough discipline makes him both an admired and hated leader of his team. Inspired by a true-life story. Rated PG-13

ELEKTRA — Jennifer Garner reprises her role as the super-ninja, Elektra, in this action-packed adventure based on the popular Marvel Comics character. Rated PG-13

Friday, January 14, 2005  
Million Dollar Baby (PG-13) –12:35; 3:35; 6:40; 9:35 pm; 12:25 am. ;
Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience (G) –12:40; 2:55; 5:15; 7:40; 10:00 pm; 12:10 am. ;
Elektra (PG-13) –12:00; 2:30; 5:00; 7:25; 9:45 pm; 12:05 am. ;
Spanglish (PG-13) –12:25; 3:00; 7:50 pm. ;
White Noise (PG-13) –1:35; 4:15; 6:50; 9:45; 11:55 pm. ;
Fat Albert (PG) –12:10; 2:50; 5:20; 7:45 pm. ;
Racing Stripes (PG) –12:20; 3:05; 5:30; 8:00; 10:25 pm; 12:45 am. ;
In Good Company (PG-13) –12:05; 2:40; 5:10; 7:45; 10:20 pm; 12:45 am. ;
Coach Carter (PG-13) –1:10; 4:10; 7:10; 10:10 pm. ;
Coach Carter **(PG-13) –12:30; 3:30; 6:30; 9:30 pm; 12:30 am. ;
The Phantom of the Opera (PG-13) –12:05; 3:15; 6:30; 9:40 pm; 12:35 am. ;
Closer (R) –5:35; 10:30 pm; 12:40 am. ;
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (PG) –1:15; 3:50; 6:35; 9:15; 11:40 pm. ;
The Aviator (PG-13) –12:00; 3:30; 7:00; 10:35 pm. ;
Ocean’s Twelve (PG-13) –12:50; 9:00; 11:50 pm. ;
Meet the Fockers (PG-13) –1:30; 4:20; 7:05; 9:50 pm; 12:30 am. ;
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (R) –10:05 pm; 12:35 am. ;
Meet the Fockers **(PG-13) –3:45; 6:25 pm. ;

Saturday, January 15, 2005  
Meet the Fockers **(PG-13) –3:45; 6:25 pm. ;
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (R) –10:05 pm; 12:35 am. ;
Meet the Fockers (PG-13) –1:30; 4:20; 7:05; 9:50 pm; 12:30 am. ;
The Aviator (PG-13) –12:00; 3:30; 7:00; 10:35 pm. ;
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (PG) –1:15; 3:50; 6:35; 9:15; 11:40 pm. ;
Ocean’s Twelve (PG-13) –12:50; 9:00; 11:50 pm. ;
Closer (R) –5:35; 10:30 pm; 12:40 am. ;
The Phantom of the Opera (PG-13) –12:05; 3:15; 6:30; 9:40 pm; 12:35 am. ;
Million Dollar Baby (PG-13) –12:35; 3:35; 6:40; 9:35 pm; 12:25 am. ;
Coach Carter (PG-13) –1:10; 4:10; 7:10; 10:10 pm. ;
Coach Carter **(PG-13) –12:30; 3:30; 6:30; 9:30 pm; 12:30 am. ;
In Good Company (PG-13) –12:05; 2:40; 5:10; 7:45; 10:20 pm; 12:45 am. ;
Racing Stripes (PG) –12:20; 3:05; 5:30; 8:00; 10:25 pm; 12:45 am. ;
Fat Albert (PG) –12:10; 2:50; 5:20; 7:45 pm. ;
White Noise (PG-13) –1:35; 4:15; 6:50; 9:45; 11:55 pm. ;
Elektra (PG-13) –12:00; 2:30; 5:00; 7:25; 9:45 pm; 12:05 am. ;
Spanglish (PG-13) –12:25; 3:00; 7:50 pm. ;
Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience (G) –12:40; 2:55; 5:15; 7:40; 10:00 pm; 12:10 am. ;

Sunday, January 16, 2005  
Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience (G) –12:40; 2:55; 5:15; 7:40; 10:00 pm. ;
Spanglish (PG-13) –12:25; 3:00; 7:50 pm. ;
Elektra (PG-13) –12:00; 2:30; 5:00; 7:25; 9:45 pm. ;
Fat Albert (PG) –12:10; 2:50; 5:20; 7:45 pm. ;
White Noise (PG-13) –1:35; 4:15; 6:50; 9:45 pm. ;
Racing Stripes (PG) –12:20; 3:05; 5:30; 8:00; 10:25 pm; 12:45 am. ;
In Good Company (PG-13) –12:05; 2:40; 5:10; 7:45; 10:20 pm; 12:45 am. ;
Coach Carter **(PG-13) –12:30; 3:30; 6:30; 9:30 pm; 12:30 am. ;
Coach Carter (PG-13) –1:10; 4:10; 7:10; 10:10 pm. ;
Million Dollar Baby (PG-13) –12:35; 3:35; 6:40; 9:35 pm; 12:35 am. ;
Closer (R) –5:35; 10:30 pm. ;