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

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2004. From the Office of Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley, 89th Assembly District. (Edited) February 23, 2004: Assemblyman Adam Bradley (D-White Plains) today announced he helped pass a legislative package that makes New York eligible to receive federal funding to modernize the election process through the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

“Our election system has relied for too long on antiquated procedures and equipment,” Bradley said. “Modernizing and improving our electoral process will ensure voter confidence and encourage broader participation.”

HAVA is designed to help states create a uniform, computerized voter registration list and assist states with establishing standardized, electronic voting machines. In order to receive federal funds, each state must design a plan, pass enabling legislation, and appropriate state funds. The process must also include citizen participation and public review.

The Assembly passed a package of legislation that ensures New York’s compliance with HAVA. The package would:

§        consolidate election operations at the county level – ensuring elections are run consistently, and polling places are adequately staffed with well-trained workers (A.8833-B);   

§        create a computerized, centralized, interactive statewide voter registration list with proper privacy protections – ensuring that voters get in and out of the polls quickly, votes are recorded accurately and voter fraud is prevented (A.8842-A);

§        ban punch ballots and the statewide adoption of a single type of electronic voting machine that will be accessible to all citizens – including persons with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency (A.8847-A);

§        provide for an administrative complaint procedure administered by the state board of elections (A.8841-A); and

§        establish basic guidelines to ensure the disabled community has access to polling sites (A.5473-A).

“We must adopt a system that works for the voters. This legislation will provide for a paper, voter verifiable audit record.  This is important to ensure that voters can have confidence in election results.  We can help increase voter turnout and empower all New Yorkers with a voting process that is reliable and user-friendly,” Bradley said. “Elections are the lifeblood of our democracy, but they are meaningless without public trust. This package will help ensure voter confidence in New York elections.”

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. February 23, 2004, Little Falls, New Jersey: The New York New Jersey Juggernauts the new National Professional Fast Pitch franchise that begins play in the metropolitan area June 1 introduced themselves to the media Monday afternoon at the Yogi Berra Museum. Their Principal Owner Paul Plemenos introduced nationally known fastpitch stars to the media who will begin play in the Juggernaut pinstrips: Erika Hanson, Senior member of the Arizona 2001 National Champions;  Lisa Iancin, second sacker for the Natonal Pro Fastpitch All-Star Team that toured the country las summer, and Sarah Hershman of San Diego State University. Plemenos introduced the three players who would be joining national pitching sensations, Michelle Smith and Kaci Clark on the debut team.

FAST PITCH PIONEERS: Paul Plemenos, Principal Owner with his brain trust and three of his blue chip fast-pitch stars at the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair today. Standing is Mr. Plemenos, followed by Richard Perrotty, President and General Manager, Linda Derk Manager, V.P., Softball Operations; Erika Hanson, 1st Base; Lisa Iancin, 2nd Base; and Sarah Hershman, Outfield. Plemenos announced the team is making its players available for clinics throughout the metropolitan area. He said the team will be playing singleton 7 inning games (with no international tiebreaker, sports fans), beginning in the easy-to-get-to brand-new Montclair State University softball stadium.

Linda Derk, Manager said the games are designed to be worked with events involving local organizations and to promote the growth of local and professional fastpitch softball. Plemenos reported ticket prices will be low and affordable and provide a wholesome, fast-moving entertaining night out for the entire family. The Juggernauts will be playing teams of equal all-star calibre: the New England Riptide, Akron Racers, Colorado Altitude , Houston Thunder, Sacramento Sunbirds, Arizona Heat and San Antonio Armadillos in a 56-game season. He said it is the National Pro Fastpitch plan to expand to 12 teams in 2005, and 16 teams by 2006. To contact the Juggernauts and find out about their clinic programs go to their website at www.nynjjuggernaut.com. Photo by WPCNR Sports

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    WPCNR THE FEINER REPORT. By  Town of  Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner. February 23, 2004:  WPCNR is pleased to introduce Paul Feiner as a regular contributor to The White Plains CitizeNetReporter. Mr. Feiner has undertaken to prepare The Feiner Report, a weekly roundup of news matters and government happenings in the Town of Greenburgh. And now, Mr. Feiner:

This is the first in a series of weekly reports to White Plains  CitizeNetReporter. I’d like to thank John Bailey for inviting me to write this report  — so Greenburgh people can be better informed of what’s happening in our town.
   

This Wednesday night, the Greenburgh Town Board will hold our next Town
Board meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:15 PM at Greenburgh Town Hall, 177
Hillside Ave, Greenburgh. You’re invited to attend and to participate. In the
event that you’re unable to attend you can watch our meeting on our local cable
TV access channel and call in live. Phone us from your home during the
meeting (993-1540) and participate. Calls are not pre-screened. Phone calls are
accepted any time during the meeting. That’s open government at its best.
 

In the coming months we hope to initiate a new feature: residents will be
able to view our Town Board meetings live on our internet site:
www.greenburghny.com and will be able to archive meetings. I hope that this innovation can
be started within 2 months.
 

  Another way for people to learn about town government is to subscribe to
our automatic e mail alert listing. I post Supervisor Reports on our web site
a few times a week and mail those reports to anyone who is interested in
learning more about what’s happening. Want to be on our e mail list? Email me at
pfeiner@greenburgh.com.
 

  On Thursday I’ll be assigned to the Town Attorney’s office, adjudicating
traffic tickets in Town Court. Once a month I work in a different department
in town government. It’s a great experience, interacting with town employees.
And, I always learn from our employees.
   

Feel free to call me anytime. My office is 993 l540. My home is 478 l2l9.
And, you can always e mail me at pfeiner@greenburgh.com
PAUL FEINER

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WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By District 89 Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley, February 21, 2004: Westchester County is a beautiful place to live. Keeping our environment healthy will ensure that our future generations enjoy all this area has to offer. Since I took office, I have made it a mission to sponsor legislation that protects our environment.

One of the pieces of legislation I authored would give municipalities a direct role in reviewing proposed private developments in other communities if they can establish that the development would have a substantial impact on the water or air quality in their locality (A.8672). This would ensure that communities have a say in protecting their environment when their environment is clearly placed at risk by decisions made across their border.

Another piece of legislation would ensure legal standing for those individuals seeking to challenge development which may be harmful to the environment (A.8673).

I also sponsored legislation to help reduce and eliminate the exposure of school children to hazardous substances that may be found in school facilities (A3935). The legislation calls for sampling of school indoor air, water and paint to identify potential problems.  This legislation also calls for parental notification in the event an environmental health hazard is detected.

An environmental danger in our own backyard is the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. I don’t have faith in the plant’s assurances that all of us living near it are safe. Serious questions still remain about Indian Point’s evacuation plan should an emergency occur there. Simply, we do not have the roads or infrastructure to have a successful evacuation in an emergency. It is an outrage that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission signed off on it. I will continue to be an outspoken critic on this critically important matter.

Preservation of our environment and protecting our quality of life is of utmost importance. I will continue to fight for the future of Westchester County so that our children can continue enjoying a healthy, beautiful and natural environment.

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey with Dan Seidel. February 20, 2004: It was a routine lunch hour for Daniel Seidel, the attorney with offices based at 2 William Street. On his way back from lunch, he spotted three White Plains Department of Public Works personnel setting up a work barrier around the Main Street Sewer manhole opposite the delivery entrance to Macy’s on Main Street downline from City Center.

SITE OF SEWER FLOW CHECK FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Macy’s delivery entrance is on the right. Manhole in question is near the sign below the red light. File Photo of Main Street Sewer route From WPCNR News Archives

Mr. Seidel reports that he engaged the DPW workers in friendly conversation, who allowed him to peer some 20 feet down into the manhole at the top of the open 16” Main Street sanitary sewer. Seidel says he saw the water running fast and close to the top of the pipe.

Eyewitness to Sewer Flow: First Respondent, Dan Seidel, White Plains attorney, shown at the Common Council work session Wednesday evening. Seidel observed the Main Street sewer flow for himself Friday afternoon. Photo by WPCNR News

Mr. Seidel told WPCNR in a comment: “It’s 1:40 p.m. on Friday, Feb 20, 2004, and the DPW guys are doing sewer flow review on Main Street, in front of Macy’s delivery entrance. Guess what? The sewer is flowing (nicely) at about 60-75% of its diameter capacity. You can see this by looking down and seeing how close to the top of the pipe the stuff is flowing”

Seidel said the DPW crew was checking the sewer flow with a Wier meter, that Seidel described as a black box that is placed in the pipe. He said the DPW workers told him the stream in the pipe was flowing at about 75% of capacity.

This is the third eyewitness account and the first for attribution confirming what midday flow in the Main Street sewer looks like since Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti reported the results of his stick test reporting 75% capacity in September, 2001 and since another eyewitness worker attempting to connect the City Center sanitary sewer connection on August 29, 2003, also said the sewer was running 75% full.

Seidel described the flow of the sewer as fast, and what was obvious to the naked eye, filling two-third to ¾ of the pipe before the Wier meter was placed in the pipe. The D.P.W. workers were doing the flow review on a day when White Plains had seen no precipitation for one week, although the city has been experiencing slow snow melt Thursday and Friday.

Mr. Seidel told WPCNR he did not know what the purpose of the flow check was and why the workers were conducting it.