Hits: 189
With thousands lining Mamaroneck Avenue, mostly three-deep from Old Mamaroneck Road to Main Street, Bands, civic groups, and businesses saluted Christopher Columbus in the White Plains Columbus Day Parade Saturday.
Intelligent police management of cross-traffic at key intersections prevented the city from being tied up East to West. Even ambulances got through with clever routing.Here are some sights.
Hits: 305
White Plains won its third straight game, on a pair of touchdown runs by Darrell Mack, and a 4th quarter clinching TD by Jeff McCoy in Mamaroneck, their most impressive offensive effort of the season.
In a battle of the Tigers, White Plains shut down Mamaroneck on a key sequnce in the third quarter, then scored another “six” on the ensuing drive, only to hold on in the red zone with time running out. The victory moved the White PlainsTigers to a 3-2 record.
PUNTING FROM HIS ONE YARD LINE, Orlando Cruz got it off without mishap with 4:22 to go in the game in Mamaroneck Saturday. The defense held on Mamaroneck’s next series and the Tigers had earned their stripes. WPCNR PHOTO
Darrell Mack, scored two touchdowns on long runs in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead at the half. Then Jeff McKoy who had spring Mack all day for quarterback option runs, scampered around end for 32 yards for the clinching touchdown.
PUT IT IN THE BOOKS! White Plains Tigers shake hands with Mamaroneck Tigers as they win their third straight game. Manual pdf WPCNR PHOTO
Hits: 151
City Mayoral and Council Candidates offered unique solutions and stark differences at the old Battle Hill Elementary SchoolThursday. Here are the first rushes of the “highlights.”
Democratic candidates criticised the Delfino Administration record Thursday evening. They addressed issues raised by 30 Battle Hill residents. Candidate Robert Greer ratcheted up his campaign performance in his strongest and most cogent presentation to date, announcing some specifics, and promising commissioners of all creeds, races and genders.
Mayor misses the boom by moving too slowly
Greer found fault with the Mayor as having not gotten things going soon enough in the city, and therefore had missed the “90s boomtimes.” Greer charged the administration had not been responsive and aggressive in tackling traffic and illegal housing concerns and championed “affordable housing” as an issue he would pursue if elected.
Champ with opening flurry, sticks, moves, shuffles, and piles up points with judges
Delfino, in the leadoff spot, rattled off his impressive list of 31 accomplishments, and at the close of the night, defended his administration taking a look-at-the-record approach. At evening’s end, he deflected Democratic criticism, by saying, he has always been a consensus politician in his 30-year career: “We’ve heard a lot of rhetoric. The city gets into trouble when issues are looked at in terms of Democrat and Republican politics and agendas.”
Mayor endorses bipartisan approach
The confident Mayor dismissed the “Greericism” that he had not done enough soon enough, charging that from ’93 to ’97 “nothing had been done” in the city. He said that he was a believer in bringing persons together to solve problems working together. He humorously suggested that by voting for him for Mayor, the city would get to keep the combination of both himself and his opponent, Mr. Greer working for the city. “Otherwise, you just get him,” the Mayor said, indicating Greer, a playful bit that amused the audience.
Greer: a careful look on each new project.Will infrastructure handle it?
Mr. Greer said he was very concerned about the city infrastructure being able to handle what he described as “up to 6,000” new residents downtown, and promised a careful look at each new project in the next four years (“We better make damn sure as a community we’re able to absorb it.”)
Greer raised the specter that office vacancy rates had now climbed to 20% in the city.
He claimed the Democrats were responsible for the supermarket project on Westchester Avenue by rejecting the Shoprite project the Mayor had backed, and opting for Stop N Shop instead. He did not credit the Mayor for convincing Nick Pepe’ to work with Stop N Shop for a more convenient, better designed project that was ultimately approved.
Sees value in the “questing” approach as adding value to projects
Greer said his Democrats “asked more questions” and were responsible for “adding value” to the Cappelli City Center project by demanding a better-designed building at the last moment. He also raised a question whether the Cappelli financing was going to come through. “We have a questing approach to development. We ask questions.”
Democrats to push for affordable housing with special committee.
Democrats promised a mission for more affordable housing for professionals such as firefighters, police, and teachers, and our young people within the city limits. Greer said more affordable housing was the way to combat the chronic illegal housing problem raised by Battle Hill residents. However, it should be pointed out that illegal residents often lack the income levels necessary to rent affordable housing.
To combat the illegal rooming house conditions in Battle Hill and around the city, Greer promised to form an “affordable housing commission.” Greer said its mission would be to identify sites where affordable housing is possible in White Plains, and study a means of funding and building such housing. He took pains to say this was not moderate-income housing, but housing for professionals, police, teachers, firefighters, and “our young people.”
Rita Malmud said she would stipulate that such affordable housing be made available to White Plains residents on a right-of-first-refusal basis. Malmud and Greer both said they advocated more buildings inspectors to identify illegal housing where it existed.
City performance defended as not that easy.
Mayor Delfino said that his administration had stepped up enforcement with ‘Night Operations’ around town whereby police and sanitation persons put alleged illegal rooming houses under surveillance, counted cars parked, noted excessive garbage and unusual activity. He said the city had identified 32 alleged violators (22 on Battle Hill, 10 elsewhere) within 3 months, and time-consuming investigations and care preparations were under way.
He requested more building inspectors, and was pleased at Malmud’s pledge to legislate more.
Greer promises open administration
Greer and Glen Hockley both hammered on alleged lack of communication from city hall. Greer returned to his theme of Mayor’s Nights, harking back to the Schulman administration. Greer added that his commissioners would be available once a month to listen and act upon citizen concerns on such nights. Hockley said people were his main concern and that their needs and helping them were the reason he was running, “I’m not a friend of any developer, and I’m for people and their needs.”
Ms. Malmud pointed out that as a legislator she could not order city commissioners to do anything, but promised to pass on all complaints to the Mayor’s office, as she has been doing.
Traffic: more enforcement, more rerouting suggested.
Mr. Greer said he would opt for more stop signs in Battle Hill, speed humps, and traffic rerouting, even though he admitted that in 1996, traffic rerouting did not solve the problem in Battle Hill, but simply transferred traffic to other streets.In 1996, Greer and the majority of the common council voted to discontinue and not fine tune a traffic management program that had aroused much protest in the Battle Hill area.
Mike Amodio presents proven solutions in effect elsewhere.
Each Democratic candidate advocated strongly for strictly enforcing illegal housing rules, and candidate Hockley said the key to removing illegally parked vehicles in Battle Hill was strict enforcement.
Only council candidate Michael Amodio actually made two suggestions that have worked on affordable housing and residents’ commercial vehicle parking problems similar to those plaguing the Battle Hill area.
Amodio suggested White Plains establish a Revitalization Commission such as exists in New Rochelle, to purchase dilapidated housing, refurbish it and then resell it to new homeowners at a profit. The commission, Amodio said, was very successful in New Rochelle in providing housing for “affordable income” residents (by this WPCNR assumes $60,000 to $80,000 incomes) and was funded by federal and state grants.
A Battle Hill resident asked what could be done about commercial vehicles owned by residents being parked in driveways throughout the Hill area, when this was expressly prohibited by law. The Mayor said his administration was awaiting discussions with the Battle Hill Association on how the neighborhood wanted to proceed against such violators, (residents who park their commercial vehicles, taxis, vans, trucks in their driveways). because they are all neighbors, and he considered this a sensitive issue. “It’s their livelihood. You don’t want to take his livelihood away or do that to your neighbor.”
Evidence of how talking about problems, may solve them
Mike Amodio, candidate for council, presented another thoughtful solution to this resident-owned commercial vehicle parking problem based on a policy in effect in Pelham. Amodio suggested the city designate a central garage location city residents who owned commercial vehicles could use overnight, where residents could park their commercial vehicles and thus comply with the city parking law. Amodio said Pelham is much smaller than White Plains, but that the policy of a designated garage works very well there for the residents who own vehicles like trucks, taxicabs and vans they use in their own businesses.
Traffic: Everybody Talks About it.
Traffic, a traditional issue in Battle Hill, was taken up big-time by Mr. Greer. He advocated much more aggressive enforcement and control devices, including speed humps.
The Mayor said his traffic enforcement initiative with radar signs, and 19 radar-trained officers, was making a difference in enforcing the limits, saying that within 4 months last summer in the Battle Hill area, police had written up 188 traffic tickets, 25% of the violators being from White Plains, and 10% actual residents of Battle Hill.
The Mayor cautioned that the city could not arbitrarily raise or lower speed limits or install stop signs without state approval, pointing out that “it’s not that easy.”
Individual candidate statements will be forthcoming in a follow-up report.
Hits: 0
WPCNR has learned that an overwhelming vote of White Plains Police Benevolent Association members Tuesday evening endorsed Mayor Joseph Delfino for Mayor.
Three different sources have confirmed that the White Plains Police are standing behind their Mayor.
The action took place Tuesday evening at which time the leadership asked for the support of the members for Delfino’s reelection. The WPPBA has so far not returned calls for official confirmation.
Support was unanimous, according to a WPPBA member who attended the meeting:”They asked all in favor, say ‘Aye’ or ‘Nay,’ and I heard no ‘Nays.’,” our police source told us.
The shocker comes 8 days after the White Plains Labor Coalition had previously announced that the police were endorsing Mayor Delfino’s opponent for Mayor. The Tuesday vote has the police breaking away from the Coalition’s support for Robert Greer.
WPCNR’s source said the endorsement to his knowledge was only for Delfino, and we are attempting to find out whether the rest of the Republican slate is included in the statement of support. Our source informs us that the police are staying with their endorsement of Bill Ryan for County Legislator in the 5th District.
Hits: 0
Westchester County Airport’s Millie Hernandez-Becker, President and CEO of White Plains’ own Westchester Air has been named Northeast “Business Woman of the Year” by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as a regional winner for the Northeast,” said Ms. Hernandez-Becker, who has risen to President and CEO of Westchester Air since joining the aviation charter firm in 1987 as President of Sales.
“This award has very special meaning for me because this organization (the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) has supported me throughout the years, and has been such a source of inspiration. They have helped me to expand my business to the national level, and have done so much for the Hispanic business community,” commented Ms. Hernandez-Becker.
Westchester Air has provided air charter services flying out of “HPN” since 1983. Ms. Hernandez-Becker is credited for “growing the company” in the 1990s as being among the first to identify the market opportunity created by offering private aircraft as affordable substitutes for corporations downsizing and divesting themselves of their own private fleets.
A resident of Pound Ridge, she has over 20 years of experience in the aviation industry in most facets of aviation operations, beginning as a reservations agent with New York Air at LaGuardia, moving to Flight Attendant, then to supervisor, responsible for ground operations, ticketing, ramp and baggage. In 1985, she moved to Westchester County Airport as Assistant Manager for Ground Handling, Inc., where she supervised, trained and managed 52 agents at “HPN,” scheduling the daily operations of seven regional and national air carriers.
Ms. Hernandez-Becker received the award at the organization’s 22nd Annual National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The “Business Woman of the Year” recognizes major accomplishments in the areas of business and economic development, leadership and quality of service, and innovation in promoting the growth of Hispanic businesses.
She has, in her career, received the Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Award for Hispanic Heritage Month, the New York State Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force’s “Businesswoman of the Year” Award, Mentor Magazine’s 1996 “Woman of Achievement” Award, and the 1996 Hispanic Entrepreneur Award. She has recently received a Presidential appointment to the National Women’s Business Council.
Hits: 0
Based on reports of private conversations with New York Hospital insiders and city officials and candidates by a person attempting to mediate a solution, WPCNR has learned the prospects of New York Hospital adapting a conciliatory mood for negotiating a parkland deal in the SEQRA process are bleak.
The Concerned Citizens for Open Space Candidate’s Forum at the White Plains Public Library, last week revealed that New York Presbyterian Hospital has “the upper hand” on the city.
Harrington letter is blunt.
The letter is harsher in tone than Harrington’s similar letter of June 18, 2001, when he admonished the Council to adhere to terms of the settlement. (See last week’s WPCNR story on “Candidate’s Forum.”)Here are Mr. Harrington’s statements in this new letter, dated October 1, 2001:
This letter is prompted by my clients’ deep concern regarding comments attributed to Common Council members in the September 2001 Edition of the White Plains Watch which raised, once again, the specter that the City will seek to illegally coerce the dedication of park land as a condition of the approval of Plan B.
These statements represent the second time in recent months that the Common Council members have seen fit to violate the Stipulation and Order of Settlement (the ‘Settlement Order’) which amicably resolved the Hospital’s civil rights litigation against the City and the Common Council members. The Settlement Order recognized that the Common Council could not demand parkland as a condition of the review and/or approval of Plan B. Yet, despite the Hospital’s unequivocal position that parkland is not available, Common Council members have insisted on improperly rekindling this issue in public forums. These statements have and will continue to cause significant harm to my client.
While the Hospital is fully committed to address all legitimate issues in the expeditious SEQRA process to which it is entitled under the Settlement Order, it will not tolerate the injection of the irrelevant, divisive parkland issue into the review process.
Accordingly, I am compelled, once again, to demand that the Common Council comply with the Settlement Order.
What the rhetoric indicates
Note, if you will the words: “improperly rekindling,” “significant harm,” “will not tolerate,” “irrelevant, divisive,” “unequivocal position that park land is not available.” These are not the words signaling you want to negotiate. This letter was no olive branch. The letter produced a chilly atmosphere in the Candidate’s Forum and candidates danced around the issue to “Billy the Kid’s” written gunshots all evening long, while he watched from his fourth row seat like Jack Palance in Shane
Such a letter interjected into a campaign, connotes a very clear hospital strategy on the development of their property: They feel they have the high ground legally and will win the right to develop in a lawsuit, even if the council rejects Plan B. It appears to this reporter, the hospital is simply setting the trap once again for the Common Council. Will the council continue to walk into it, virtually writing Mr. Harrington’s briefs for him?
Intelligence from “The Hill.”
This hardball attitude is confirmed by recent statements from informed sources on “the Hill,” reported to WPCNR.
WPCNR has learned that private bipartisan overtures to the New York Presbyterian Hospital by one neutral personality, affiliated neither with the County, open space interests, or the city, well-known for their ability to achieve consensus, have been made. This person’s efforts were rebuffed strongly by a hospital executive as being out of the question at this time.
The inquiring party was told the hospital fully intends to develop their property for medical use. Our source was told bluntly they have no intention of land swaps, building repositioning, of any negotiating whatsoever. This is very recent information. It confirms what WPCNR learned from what the hospital said to candidates in September at a private briefing.
No more Mr. Rogers in the Neighborhood.
This flies in the hospital best interest to appear more neighborly by agreeing to reconsider site location of the laboratory research buildings they plan as part of the Plan B review. This, despite comments by Constance Hildersley, the NYPH Vice President for Retail Estate, that “the solution is in the (SEQRA) process” last Spring. Hildersley seemed to indicate at that time the hospital was flexible. The council fully expected to massage the location of the buildings in reviewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Now, it seems when the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is reviewed, most likely in February 2002, it appears equally certain that the hospital has no intention of considering repositioning the proton accelerator and biomedical research buildings elsewhere on their property to be good neighbors. Does the hospital expect the SEQRA process to be a charade? It appears so in light of Harrington’s letter.
Are they expecting the council to reject Plan B, so they may pounce with a lawsuit that will make them masters of their universe with impunity?
Phantom Grants still are Phantoms
The World Trade Center attack severely jeopardized the federal and state grants the hospital was assured by Governor Pataki and Nita Lowey’s office last Spring that they were getting to build the proton accelerator.
The uncertain financial outlook buys the hospital valuable time to fight a strong lawsuit through the courts. No one is now in any hurry to get the accelerator in there. Geoffrey Thompson of Thompson & Bender, the hospital public relations person, is on record as saying the grant money is still a possibility. They are assured of it, he says. We shall see.
Getting the brief ready.
By rigorously enforcing the city settlement agreement, carefully noting the council’s reassuring statements to community special interest constituencies, the hospital appears to be compiling evidence. It is the evidence they need to convince possibly a judge that the council was predisposed to negotiating parkland for proton accelerator location all along even as the hospital prepares the Plan B DEIS. You could realistically argue the council was, (is not) reviewing Plan B in good faith at this moment.
An atmosphere of resentment
Last week the New York Presbyterian Hospital showed its humanitarian side in offering grief and coping counseling to the community in wake of the Trade Center attacks.
However, they show the shortsightedness of management in continuing playing legal hardball with the city. In view of the draconian effect the Trade Center Attack has had on New York State, aid for the proton accelerator may be a pipe dream.They may need the city cooperation very much in the months ahead.
The hospital land has more value.
One thing appears clear to this reporter: hospital land is more valuable to the hospital. Medical personnel may not really want to work at their offices in Manhattan anymore, let alone practice there. They could move medical facilities up here. They could refocus their biomedical research Center of Excellence idea along more contemporary needs.
The issue facing the next Mayor and Common Council.
This will be the number one priority of the next city administration: stroking the hospital to make a good neighbor decision.
How the next Mayor and Council will do that will require a great deal of skill at eating crow gracefully. It will require a public apology of sorts. It will need putting egos aside. Can our councilpersons do that?
They have to. There could be a summit conference of sorts. (A start could be made by quiet lobbying at County Executive Andy Spano’s conference on responding to a biological threat coming up.)
Getting the city out of this pickle, will require a stroking of hospital and New York Cornell Medical College management like you would not believe. Perhaps asking Governor Pataki and County Executive Spano to “reason” with the hospital
Pressure is on the hospital, too. They have to fund something in light of New York’s new needs. They have the place. They have the medical and federal lobbying muscle to get whatever they want. However, it would behoove them to give the appearance of benevolent community involvement.
Our Common Councils to come should beware of throwing away the “whip hand” to please a minority, or for making short term political hay to please well-connected special interests at the expense of the greater good.
The most creative minds in this city have to figure out what will bring the hospital into a frame of mind to share their property recreationally with the city. The hospital, quite reasonably, doesn’t see why they should have to.
The hospital is taking a hard line by issuance of the Harrington letter. That did not win any friends or influence people positively.
“The city,” my source who attempted to begin mediation efforts with the hospital last week said, “is in a no win position.”
Hits: 104
The latest White Plains CitizeNetReporter Survey gives Mr. and Mrs. White Plains a chance to let your leaders and prospective leaders know what you think about the future of the White Plains downtown.
WPCNR has thought up a number of directions the downtown could take now that the City Center is approved, and is expected to be built.
Do we let Mr. Cappelli build the Center and see the effect it has on the downtown, before any more massive new developments are considered and approved? In other words, declare a moratorium on development?
Or do we strike while enthusiasm is high, opening the downtown to entrepreneurs like Leon Silverman and John Halpern, two major downtown property owners with grandiose visions?
Or do we pay attention to the traffic problem and look at a mini-mass transit system that could take the form of bringing back the White Plains Trolley, shuttle buses (Delfin-O-Biles), or White Plains bypass roads?
Or should we go for a specific type of development like hotel/convention centers and hold the line on new residential apartments?
Let us know what you think? And, if you have some different options, send us your comments.
Hits: 85
UPDATED!The White Plains Labor Coalition (WPLC) representing approximately 2,000 employees working for the City of White Plains including the City School District, Fire, Teachers and Retired firefighters with the exception of the police have endorsed Bob Greer for Mayor, and council candidates Rita Malmud, Glen Hockley and Tom Roach and Bill Ryan for County Legislator.
In a surprise development Thursday, WPCNR has learned that the Police Union has voted instead to endorse Mayor Joseph Delfino’s reelection. We have not been able to confirm at this time whether the Republican candidates have also been endorsed by the police union.
The WLC in their original release to the media, said Greer had shown consistent leadership and vision for the City of White Plains, and had heard the calls of working men and women, and has attempted to address those concerns on a one-to-one basis with the affected employees.
Praises Greer’s Analytical Techniques
“We take pride in supporting Bob Greer,” stated Duncan MacRae, the leader of the White Plains Labor Coalition. “He and his team are eminently qualified to deal with the complex issues this city faces in its efforts regarding revitalization. He does this with a sense of equity for the projects that are on the drafting board, the citizens who are affected by those projects as well as the city workers who will be providing vital support services. He has broken political ranks to support building projects that serve our city and its citizens in the past and we are sure he will vote his conscience in the future.”
Charges Mayor Delfino with discouraging rescue efforts at Trade Center
“He (Greer) sponsored commendations for White Plains professional firefighters who worked in rescue efforts at the site of the World Trade Center, while his adversary (Mayor Delfino) allowed city administrators to discourage those members from participating.”
Dolce declares “no compensation for volunteering firefighters” report “an absolute falsehood.”
The “discouragement” MacRae is referring occurred the week after September 11. There was a report circulated to firefighters to the effect that Fire Chief Mark Damon had said firefighters doing volunteer rescue work at the World Trade Center attack site would not be covered by workmen’s compensation if they were injured.
Commissioner of Public Safety, John Dolce, flatly told WPCNR Tuesday that Damon said no such thing and that the report was “an absolute falsehood.”
“When the individual who was quoted as saying this was interviewed by the Fire Chief (Mark Damon),” Dolce told WPCNR today, “He said ‘I must have been misquoted,’ and I have a signed memorandum by that individual to that effect. I don’t know where we’re going with this John.”
On September 14, WPCNR had asked George Gretsas, the Mayor’s Executive Officer, if such a policy had been issued, and he said that “of course, they would have been covered.”
Cites Greer’s active labor support.
MacRae further stated that “Bob Greer, Rita Malmud and the Democratic members of the City Council were instrumental in recently forming an alliance which assured that all White Plains employees would work with a current contract. They now, with Greer’s efforts, all work with a contract. His initiatives and communication with the general public have gained him the support of the Democratic Party, the Working Families Party and the Independence Party. He is also supported by the Westchester County Coalition of Professional Firefighters. We heartily support his bid for mayor and the bids of City Council colleagues Rita Malmud, Glen Hockley and Tom Roach.”
Labor for Ryan all the way.
Commenting on the Labor Coalition Support of Ryan, MacRae said in a released statement: “Bill has been a supporter of fire and police personnel in White Plains and Westchester County and has recreated the plan for the delivery of public safety services in our area. His initiative for open space in White Plains will save the taxpayers over one million dollars.”
It should be noted that Ryan’s plan for open space is for the county to contribute $500,000 to aid the city in purchase of the D’Elia property. Ryan initiated the plan after Mayor Delfino had announced to the Common Council purchase plans for the property and his timetable for asking County Executive Andy Spano for county aid to defray the $1.75 million purchase price.
Hits: 0
The CSEA Westchester Local 860 and the CSEA Southern Region Political Action Committees have endorsed Robert Greer for City of White Plains Mayor; Rita Malmud, Glen Hockley, and Tom Roach for City of White Plains Common Council and Bill Ryan for Westchester County Legislature District.
Greer, who is running for Mayor of the City of White Plains on the Democratic and Working Families party lines, currently serves as a White Plains City Councilman. The CSEA reports Greer has shown a commitment to the interest of working families throughout White Plains, an understanding of the particular issues faced by city employees and a willingness to improve relations between City Hall and CSEA, which represents about 400 city employees.
The union also credits Malmud, Hockley and Roche as sharing Greer’s vision and commitment toward improving the quality of life for working families both employed by the city, as well as those residing in the City of White Plains.
County Legislator Race
CSEA has also endorsed County Legislator Bill Ryan for re-election in the 5th Legislative District. Ryan has consistently proven his leadership on issues affecting union members and all taxpayers throughout White Plains, Scarsdale and Westchester County.
According to the CSEA, it and other unions in the City of White Plains have faced deteriorating relationship with the current mayor, Joseph Delfino, over significant difficulties in settling union contracts with the city:
“CSEA members went three years without a contract,” Gary Conley, CSEA Westchester Local 860 President, said. “The other unions in White Plains faced the same problem. Mayor Delfino’s gross mismanagement of city workers and the negotiation process not only created low morale, but cost city taxpayers thousands of dollars in fees from his high priced lawyers. Bob Greer is a breath of fresh air for both the workers and residents of the City of White Plains. Unlike his opponent, I am certain Greer and his team will show city workers the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The CSEA dispute with the city was over their dental coverage before they settled their recent contract, involved the increased cost of the CSEA dental plan. The union wanted the city to agree to covering a percentage. The city balked at this, citing inability to control future benefits costs. The CSEA settled its contract by agreeing to the city paying a dollar amount.
Another source, familiar with the CSEA differences with the administration, reports to WPCNR that CSEA has wanted maximum pay levels reached before a CSEA employee reaches retirement after 20 years.
“The employees of the City of White Plains need a mayor that will respect them and show them the care that they deserve,” CSEA Southern Region President Carmine DiBattista said. “Three years without a contract for our workers is unnecessary, unconscionable and uncalled for under any circumstance. The delays in settling this contract hurt our members in the City of White Plains. That is why CSEA is endorsing Bob Greer for Mayor.”
CSEA represents 1,900 members who currently reside in the City of White Plains.
Hits: 152
Networks have reached a new low, enhancing the emotional impact of news with soundtracks and graphics. Newspapers overdo grieving story.
When I first heard the US-Afgan War had begun Sunday, I tuned to WABC Radio. I was appalled to hear ominous soundtrack music cleverly playing underneath a talk show host’s interviews as well as recorded statements of President Bush and Tony Blair. It sounded like Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds.
The shameless news producers of the television networks have spent the last three weeks sensationalizing and wallowing in the misery and horror of the World Trade Center attack with bumber slides reading “America Under Attack,” “America Recovers,” “America Mourns,” “US Responds,” while planes whacked into the WTC towers 10 times an hour. The on-going affect on television during the period after attack was one of an unfolding “show” to be sold.
Make no mistake. The networks loved this story, Dan’s tears not withstanding. Interview after interview, dealt interminably on the suffering. Commentator after commentator provided juicy horrors about the hijackings. To this reporter’s mind, this is what is wrong with television and radio news today. Events are sensationalized to keep you watching. To entertain, no matter how morbid, more than inform. Stringing out 24-hour coverage means more reporting of rumor and innuendo, without facts that stabilize.
The New York all-news radio stations and info-stations were not above electronic enhancement either. On radio, the soundbiters spliced up worrisome little musical signature bits with voiceovers replaying screams of “Oh my God,” comments, played over music, to signal “more” of the ongoing rescue mission coverage.
I do not know about you, but these intro bits made me feel worse. I do not need to feel the pain. I feel it. However, radio in its ceaseless interviews with suffering families, made us feel that more. It was immobilizing, and I feel, irresponsible and ghoulish coverage to overproduce the attacks in this manner.
Now, as of Sunday night, CNN, NBC and CBS, Fox News have a war to cover. We can look forward to “America Strikes Back” slides and moving trailers, I presume. Correspondents in safari shirts, repeating what the anchorpersons have just said, only from locations. This is not news. This is allowing you, the viewer to participate in the adventure.
Lest we leave the print media unscathed, I have to say that the unending 24 pt type headlines, the funeral coverage and the eulogies could be considered legitimate coverage. But is it responsible, compassionate, constructive coverage?
Reading the eulogies (especially in The Times), must be moving. I have read the esteem in which many of the dead were held by colleagues and families. But, they certainly depressed me even more. I do not think it is good for anybody’s mental health to be reading day-after-day about these poor souls, and I tried not to. The injustice of the deaths, immobilizes and makes trivial our daily pursuits from a mental health standpoint.
This is not to mention the heaped-on misery that families talking about their dead relatives were put through by the reporters getting the information. What an awful job. (“This is John Bailey of the CitizeNetReporter, your husband was killed in the WTC, could you tell me what he was like?”) I cannot believe that families are calling up the papers to talk about these folks. Once again, the media is trying to make you feel a certain way. It’s telling you to have compassion. Believe me we feel, guys. That is not their job.
The Journal News has shown a compassionate side in eliminating their obituary line charges for families whose loved ones died in the attack. However, is it compassion to seek out these grieving mothers and husbands and interview them? I don’t think so. I think it’s getting copy. It is not news. Inevitably, you also have great praise heaped upon some victims, and less praise heaped on others.
Write stories on coping with the grief, yes. Write stories on how you might be feeling, yes. But, we have seen few stories that talk about how we the living can cope with the losses. The eulogies and funeral coverage may inspire others to make more of their own lives, true. But exactly what effect this perpetual funeral has on all of us is hard to decipher. One benefit is that it may bring us together to be more tolerant and compassionate of each other.
But, when will the media ease up on the eulogizing and coverage?Once you start doing individual profiles of every person missing, you are obligated journalistically (as The Times has discovered to its probable, behind-the-scenes chagrin), to writing over 5,000 of these thumbail profiles. At that rate, we should be reading Times WTC Victim profiles for the next year and a half, unless they cut it off after reaching a certain number.
Not that these thumbnails are bad. But are they good for us? Do they inspire you? Do they make you feel better? Do they make you less fearful? They make me feel bad, remorseful and determined to live better myself. Perhaps that is good. But we’ve never covered this kind of thing before. The papers do not know what to do about it, how to cover it, and are now stuck in traditional “aftermath coverage.”
As to news coverage of the new war on terrorism,
let us return to reporting. What is reporting? It is observation. Fact-finding. Confirming.
When Edward R. Murrow was reporting from London during World War II, he detailed the blitz. He reported without musical preludes, without “key slides.” He used his observations to paint what was happening. He did not have to ask Londoners “how they felt.”
Here is an excerpt from one of his broadcasts aired September 22, 1940, 61 years ago. It could have been written the night of September 11, 2001:
“I’m standing again tonight on a rooftop looking out over London, feeling rather large and lonesome. In the course of the last fifteen or twenty minutes there’s been considerable action up there, but at the moment, there’s an ominous silence hanging over London. But at the same time a silence that has a great deal of dignity. Just straightaway in front of me the search lights are working. I can see one or two bursts of antiaircraft fire far in the distance. Just on the roof across the way I can see a man wearing a tin hat, a pair of powerful night glasses to his eyes, scanning the sky. Again, looking in the opposite direction, there is a building with two windows gone. Out of one window there waves something that looks like a white bed sheet, a window curtain swinging free in this night breeze. It looks as though it were being shaken by a ghost. There are a great many gosts around these buildings in London. The searchlights straightaway, miles in front of me, are still scratching that sky. There’s a three-quarter moon riding high. There was one burst of shellfire almost straight in the Little Dipper.
Down below in the streets I can see just that red and green wink of the traffic lights: one lone taxicab moving slowly down the street. Not a sound to be heard. As I look out across the miles and miles of rooftops and chimney pots, some those dirty-gray fronts of the buildings look almost snow-white in this moonlight here tonight. And the rooftop spotter across the way swings around, looks over in the direction of the searchlights, drops his glasses and just stands there. There are hundreds and hundreds of men like that standing on rooftops in London tonight watching for fire bombs, waiting to see what comes out of this steel-blue sky. The searchlights now reach up very, very faintly on three sides of me.There is a flash of a gun in the distance but too far away to be heard.(c)
This is reporting, ladies and gentlemen. Do you see the difference?He reports a tense situation by describing it clearly. Here is Murrow’s description of a bombing raid on London October 10, 1940:
This is London, ten minutes before five in the morning. Tonight’s raid has been widespread. London is again the main target. Bombs have been reported from more than fifty districts. Raiders have been over Wales in the west, the Midlands, Liverpool, the southwest and northeast. So far as London is concerned, the outskirts appear to have suffered the heaviest pounding. The attack has decreased in intensity since the moon faded from the sky.
…Five minutes later, a German bomber came boring down the river. We could see his exhaust trail like a pale ribbon stretched straight across the sky. Half a mile downstream there were two eruptions and a third, close together. The first tow looked like some giant had thrown a basket of flaming golden oranges high in the air. The third was just a balloon of fire enclosed in black smoke above the housetops. The observer didn’t bother with his gunsight and indicator for that one. Just reached for his night glasses, took one quick look, picked up his telephone, and said, “Two high explosives and one oil bomb,” and named the street where they had fallen.
…And back at headquarters I saw a man laboriously and carefully copying names in a big ledger – the list of firemen killed in action during the last month. There were about a hundred names. I can now appreciate what lies behind that line in the morning communiqués: “All fires were quickly brought under control.”©
Thank you, Ed, as CNN would say.
In the weeks ahead, we are going to be seeing news conferences, stand-up pieces by reporters, and so much commentating it will make your head spin. It would be responsible if the networks and radio stations stopped packaging, overproducing, and underreporting. Observe and report what you see.
The great strength of Murrow was he reported facts which people could deal with here in America. He did not dwell on how terrible the blitz was. He interviewed, sure. But, always to get facts which by his delivery of them made the horrible palatable without fear.
I have a few news tips for the networks: Do not telecast and broadcast every soundbite from every side. Most of what is “spun” is propaganda. Report, do not distort. Interview, do not stick microphones in diplomats’, protestors’, congresspersons’, and Islamic and Israeli faces. Interviewing means asking tough questions in a sequence designed to produce facts.
Let us lose the intro and closing graphic and audio “bridges,” it is in poor taste. Let us return to reporting. We all feel low enough. Trust me.
© 1967, the estate of Edward R. Murrow. From the book, In Search of Light, the Broadcasts of Edward R. Murrow 1938-1961