WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey April 30, 2003: The Republican Party is planning to nominate three articulate, active players in city and state politics: Two attorneys, Tim Sheehan and Jeffrey Binder, and a possible third candidate, an Hispanic woman to give Mayor Joseph Delfino company on the all-Democrat White Plains City Council.

The City Democratic Committee Nominating Committee is staying with their incumbent warhorses, Robert Greer, seeking his fourth term on the council, and City Council President, Benjamin Boykin, seeking his second term as a Councilman. For the third seat, The Nominating Committee has chosen Assemblyman Adam Bradley’s campaign manager, Arnold Bernstein, a portfolio manager, for the Council nomination to replace incumbent councilman William King who chose not to run for reelection.

The Democrat Nominating Committee will present its slate to the City’s Democratic leaders on May 8. These suggested slates, however have proved controversial and can run into opposition.

Another Revolt?

In May of 2001, the Nominating Committee was overridden by District Leaders who supported Robert Greer’s angry challenge to the Nominating Committee’s nomination of William Ryan for Mayor. At that time, the Nominating Committee bowed to state Civil Service Employees Association management pressure to support William Ryan for Mayor based on a CSEA survey showing Ryan’s higher poll numbers against Mayor Joseph Delfino.

The Nominating Committee using those numbers, handed the nomination to Ryan, only to have Robert Greer mount a challenge among district leaders and outpoint Ryan, wresting the nomination in an embarrassing floor fight. Greer called in his markers in more heavily “weighted” election districts, drawing on his substantial prestige among District Leaders and seized the nomination. Greer, his momentum possibly compromised by the internal party primary, ran second to Mayor Delfino in the general election.

Hispanic Community is Dismissed.

Now, it appears that the Nominating Committee may have another challenge on their hands from a shocked Hispanic community as they learn of Mr. Bernstein’s candidacy. Mr. Bernstein has long yearned to run for the Common Council. However, the selection of Mr. Bernstein, no matter how much he deserves it and is qualified for it, delays the long promised and awaited Democratic overture to the Hispanic community.

The Nominating Committee of Adam Bradley, Howard Glassman, Jim Payne, Barbara Schwartz, and Bob Wall has apparently made the judgment that they do not need Hispanic support to win that William King council seat.

An overture rejected.

About a week ago, members of that Nominating Committee, District Leaders, and members of the Democrat Party Executive Committee approached Ms. Eridania Camacho-Quinn to run for Council, saying they would support her. Over the past weekend she agreed to interview.

Eridania Camacho Quinn, a mother in her 30s, said she was willing to give up her job to be a fulltime Councilperson, and was interviewed by the Nominating Committee for the Council seat they chose to give to Mr. Bernstein. Camacho Quinn is currently fundraising executive with the Young Women’s Christian Association, and currently organizer of the YWCA Salute to Women and Racial Justice Dinner in June.

By way of background, it should be noted that Ms. Camacho Quinn was one of the leaders of a cadre of Hispanic activists and labor leaders who worked relentlessly for Adam Bradley’s upset election primary win over Naomi Matusow. Camacho-Quinn was interviewed by the Nominating Committee and was rejected in favor of Mr. Bernstein, due to “her lack of political savvy.”

What Hispanics?

The proposed Democrat slate of Boykin, Greer and Bernstein leaves the party without a bridge to White Plains’ dominant minority, the Hispanic community. The Republican Party is moving quickly to exploit this gaffe. The Republicans were the first to run an Hispanic candidate, Larry Delgado, (who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in 1960). The city Republicans are now exploring Hispanic candidates.

The Republicans are also tapping a high profile, charismatically Cappelli-esque White Plains Republican, to mount a challenge to three-term County Legislator William Ryan “to begin the Republican take back of the County Legislature” in our source’s words.

A Dilemma for the Nominating Committee.

Had Mr. Greer chosen not to run for his council seat again, this would have left the way clear for nominations of Boykin, Bernstein, and a Hispanic candidate, making the choice easier.

Mr. Bernstein could have chosen to step aside in favor of a Hispanic candidate in the best interest of the party, (which it is reported by our source that he did not offer to do so), to balance the minority appeal of the ticket. Though there is no reason to expect Mr. Bernstein to step aside. Such a gesture by Mr. Greer or Mr. Bernstein would have enabled the Nominating Committee to present a slate more representative of the city’s makeup, had they wished to do so.

A Replay of the Green-Ferrer Miscalculation?

The Nominating Committee choice is eerily similar to what happened in New York City. A very powerful Jewish candidate Mark Green battled Fernando Ferrer, a Hispanic candidate for the Mayoral nomination. Green ran an anti-minority campaign in Williamsburg Brooklyn that alienated many Hispanics, traditionally Democratic, and that backfired on him in his contest with Mr. Bloomberg. The Hispanic community virtually on mass voted for Bloomberg instead of Green. Solidly Hispanic districts, traditional Democrats voted for Bloomberg.

Presently only the Board of Education in White Plains has a racial makeup representative of the city’s population, with an African-American, an Italian, three Caucasians, and an Hispanic. Candidates for the school board can run at large without having to be selected for suitability by party organizations.

Delgado Awaits in Exile.

Larry Delgado, former councilman who was deposed by a voting machine which jammed in the Republican stronghold District 18 costing him the 2001 Council election to Glen Hockley, is not running. Mr. Delgado fully expects to be restored to the Council through the quo warranto action brought by the New York State Attorney General on his behalf, according to sources.

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. April 29, 2003: Mayor Joseph Delfino presided over a gathering of Westchester and White Plains elite officialdom Tuesday morning to break ground for the new fountain plaza to be constructed by Cappelli Enterprises using state, county, city, and Cappelli cash to construct it.

“RENAISSANCE PLAZA” is born, as Louis Cappelli, the “SuperDeveloper,” head of Cappelli Enterprises, at podium, lauds White Plains as “the most cooperative city…when they put their mind to do something, there’s no stopping them.” Looming over head is the North Tower of the Cappelli City Center, and the City Center facade on Mamaroneck Avenue. Cappelli said demolition of the existing fountain would be completed in two months, with excavation and installation of the “dancing waters of White Plains” beginning in July. The “Renaissance Plaza” he said would be completed by October 1.
Photo by WPCNR News

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WPCNR ALBANY ADVOCATE & COMMENTATOR. From District 89 Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley Communications Center. April 28, 2003:Assemblyman Adam Bradley (D-White Plains) announced Monday that the Assembly voted to override the governor’s veto of a bill giving school districts more time to pass their budgets.

“When it comes to education, the governor has made a series of wrong choices,” Bradley said. “First he chose to cut $1.4 billion from our schools, then he vetoed a bill that would have rescheduled school budget voting to June 3. We can’t let those wrong choices stand.”

The bipartisan measure – which originally passed the Assembly unanimously and the Senate by 60-1 – gives school boards some much-needed breathing room in an exceptionally difficult year. Instead, the governor is forcing voters to decide on school budgets without knowing how much state aid they can count on.

“It would be unfortunate if school districts laid off teachers and cut programs and were unable to restore them once we pass the substantial restorations to school aid,” Bradley said. “This override vote shows how concerned the Assembly is about the education of our children.”

The Legislature is on schedule to approve the state budget by the end of the month. But school districts – which currently were to finalize their budgets by yesterday Monday – can’t undo layoffs and program cuts even if they receive more state aid once their budgets are approved by voters.

“If school districts are going to provide our children with sound educations, they have to know what kind of resources to expect,” Bradley said. “The fact that the governor doesn’t want to give them even a little more time is another example of his lack of lack of concern for the educational needs of our children. Overriding his veto is the right thing to do for our schools and for taxpayers.”

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. April 28, 2003:The city news roundup television show, White Plains Week, goes into an indepth analysis of the city’s Phase III New Challenges program introduced by Mayor Joseph Delfino Friday evening at 7:30 PM on “The Spirit of 76,” WPPA-TV, Channel 76, White Plains Public Access.

John Bailey and Alex Philippidis, the Editor of Westchester County Business Journal explore what the plan envisions and its possibilities. The duo also introduce the “contendas” to run the new City Centre White Plains Performing Arts Center

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WPCNR MEDIC. From Mary Landrigan, Westchester County Department of Health. (EDITED) April 26, 2003:With cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) continuing to rise globally, Westchester County is responding to SARS with an aggressive campaign. Doctors, hospitals and laboratories are being faxed up-to-the-minute information on symptoms and trends and treatment of the alarming disease and are also being made public on the county website. The county has activated a monitoring system for reporting on possible SARS cases.

WHAT SARS FEELS LIKE.

SARS is a newly emerging respiratory illness characterized by a fever of 100.4 F or higher, difficulty breathing, and recent travel to Hong Kong; mainland China; Singapore; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Toronto, or close contact with a person with SARS. An estimated 5.8% of people with SARS die.

There is no effective medication to treat the disease. Nearly 4,500 cases have been reported globally, with the majority occurring in several eastern countries and Canada. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) is recommending that non-essential travel plans be rescheduled to countries experiencing SARS. To date, one case of SARS has been identified in Westchester County.

INFO BLITZ FOR DOCTORS, HOSPITALS, PUBLIC

Updated information about SARS and its prevention is being made available to the public through fact sheets and through the Health Department website, www.westchestergov.com/health.

Up-to-the-minute information for physicians is provided through Public Health Updates that are being faxed as information becomes available to emergency room physicians, infection control nurses, laboratories, and large group physician practices.

Through the Physician’s Corner on the department’s website, physicians can receive the latest updates on SARS and link to other national and state resources with information on the topic.

SARS MONITORING AND ALERT SYSTEM IN PLACE IS WATCHING FOR SARS COVERING OVER 50% OF ER VISITS

A new computerized system developed by the county health department specifically to respond to emerging public health threats receives and analyzes data from hospital emergency rooms on a daily basis and triggers alerts when unusual levels or clusters of illness are identified.

THE REACTION TEAM

Health Department staff then follow up on any unusual findings. Recently, the department added two more hospitals to its surveillance network, now covering in total more than 50% of the County’s emergency room visits. In addition, health department staff are in daily communication with hospital emergency room staff to ensure early identification of persons who may have certain types of illnesses, including respiratory diseases.

IF…SARS MAKES ITS APPEARANCE…

The health department is taking the following control measures to prevent an outbreak of SARS in our area:

· A health advisory for arriving travelers is currently being distributed to all airline passengers at the County Airport.

· The County’s outbound emergency calling system is being placed into a state of readiness to make phone calls relaying pertinent SARS information.

· Libraries, senior centers, parks, schools and other community groups are being contacted to assist the County in getting SARS information out to the public and are being provided with fact sheets about SARS.

· Plans are being made to staff a SARS Hotline in the event the need for such a service arises.

For more information, visit the Health Department’s website at www.westchestergov.com/health or call the Health Department at (914) 813-5000.

IF….YOU THINK YOU ARE AT RISK

Until an effective treatment is established for SARS, the control of SARS depends on traditional public health measures. Residents who are experiencing symptoms and have a travel history to countries reporting SARS should contact their physicians. Physicians should notify the Westchester County Department of Health regarding any patients whom they suspect of having SARS.

Fit-tested respirators have been recommended by the State Health Department for emergency and health care workers who may come in contact with patients at risk for SARS. The Department of Emergency Services and the Department of Health are working together.

County Executive and Health Chief Comment.

With cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) continuing to rise globally, Westchester County is responding to SARS with this aggressive campaign.

“We are making every effort to prevent and to prepare for an outbreak of SARS in Westchester County,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “Our Health Department is gearing up to respond to whatever needs arise in our community.”

“As Commissioner of Health for Westchester County, I want to assure residents that the Health Department is working diligently to avert the possibility of a SARS outbreak in Westchester County, or, in the event of an outbreak, to respond to it,” stated Dr. Joshua Lipsman, Westchester County Commissioner of Health. “The key components of the Health Department’s program in response to SARS are education, monitoring, and control,” he said. “We are working with dispatchers, emergency medical services and hospitals to ensure that appropriate infection control measures are taken.”

Lipsman continued, “The Health Department’s disease surveillance and monitoring capability has been dramatically expanded in recent years through enhancements to electronic data management and improved communications to and with health care providers throughout the public health system.”

WEST NILE MOBILIZATION PLAN A MODEL.

“Given our extensive experience in responding to emerging diseases such as West Nile Virus, we are prepared to conduct aggressive and effective control measures with regards to SARS, should the need arise,” he added.