THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

Terence Guerriere files as Republican against Nadine Hunt-Robinson. Feels he has enough signatures. Encarnacao falls short for Independence line. Cerulli ponders run as an independent candidate in November for same seat.

Posted on July 15, 2014 by John Bailey

Terence Guerriere Files to Run Again

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. July 15, 2014:

Terence Guerriere, of the Gedney Association has filed petitions containing he hoped enough signatures to qualify him for the Republican line in the November Special Election in White Plains to determine who will serve the final year of former Councilman Benjamin Boykin’s term.

Mr. Boykin was elected to the County Board of Legislators in November, 2013, resulting the appointment of an interim Councilperson (Nadine Hunt-Robinson) in February of this year.

Guerriere told WPCNR Monday he had filed signatures “well above the minimum,” needed to qualify for the November Special Election. He said he now awaited approval of the petition by the Board of Elections.

Anne Marie Encarnarcao a former candidate for Common Council in 2011, had been designated the candidate of the Independence Party in November, but told WPCNR Monday she had not obtained enough signatures on petitions to be able to accept the candidacy and would not be running in November.

Presently, Nadine Hunt-Robinson the Democrat nominee will be opposed by Guerriere (the Republican if his petitions are approved).

However, Richard Cerulli, who ran and lost as a Repubican Candidate for Common Council in 2011 and lost is weigh a run to get on the ballot as an independent candidate, not affiliated with any party. Cerulli said he was holding a meeting today to decide whether to make a run. As an independent he has until August 19 to submit signatures to get on the November ballot.

Cerulli told WPCNR he is friends with Guerriere, but because Guerriere is opposed to the French American School of New York, and he supports approval of the FASNY project, they have differences there. Asked if he felt his candidacy would split the votes between him and Guerriere should he (Cerulli) get on the November ballot, Cerulli felt he would draw from Hunt-Robinson because of his support for FASNY.

Charles Morgan Falls Short in Primary Effort Against Nadine Hunt-Robinson for Council Robinson Will Not Face Primary for Council Seat

Posted on July 15, 2014 by John Bailey

Charles Morgan announces he has not acquired enough signatures to primary Nadine Hunt-Robinson

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. July 15, 2014 Correction in bold, July 17, 2014:

Charles Morgan has fallen 120 signatures shy of the number of signees needed to force a Democratic Primary (800) with Democratic Party nominee Nadine Hunt-Robinson in September.

Hunt-Robinson will run as the Democrat candidate for the remaining 2015 year of Benjamin Boykin’s unexpired council seat term.

Morgan told WPCNR exclusively Monday he was short after the primary deadline for signatures passed July 10 and he had failed to achieve his goal of primarying Hunt-Robinson.

He blamed misleading information told him initially by the Board of Elections for his falling short, saying he was originally told he needed 1,500 signatures to force a primary. When he filed he was told he only needed 800. When he asked Board of Election Officials why they had not told him 800 to start, he was told, “Well, we didn’t want you to fall short by having signatures disqualified.” Morgan felt since he was told he needed 1,500 that he could not make up the difference in time, and suspended his effort, only to find that he only needed 800.

“I could have gotten that,” he said, but cut back his efforts because he felt he would fall way short.

Morgan told WPCNR: “This (The Board of Elections) is set up for people who are in power to stay in power. That’s the way it is.”

Morgan told WPCNR he was reelected district leader for Battle Hill in the Democratic Party.

Mr. Morgan said he was running because he felt Ms. Hunt-Robinson (also an African-American) was not familiar with White Plains and White Plains issues, was not a District Leader and had not been active in the Democratic Party. He also said he felt that the Ministerial Fellowship of White Plains which had suggested to Mayor Tom Roach, that the former occupant of the seat was African-American that any appointee to the council seat should be an African-American, keeping it a “black seat,” otherwise the African-American community in White Plains would not have any representation on the Council Morgan told the party and this reporter he felt this was wrong, to designate any seat as a seat determined by skin color, ethnicity, or race or background.

Thomas Caruso, who is white and a member of the Democratic City Committee Nominating Committee, after protest had swept the party at Ms. Hunt-Robinson’s selection without consulting the rank and file district leaders, and revelation she was not even a member of the Democratic Party, contested the nomination and was narrowly defeated by Hunt-Robinson in a roll call (not secret as originally reported) ballot of Democratic Party District Leaders. Caruson opted not to attempt to run a primary.

After the vote, Morgan attempted beginning in mid-June to gather signatures to force a primary, walking neighborhoods.

Morgan said it was a good experience talking with voters across the city. He said most he spoke to liked White Plains and the safety of the city. In Battle Hill and the Fisher Hill Neighborhoods (Northwest, and west sides of the city), residents complained about “illegals “ being housed in single family homes. He said his forays into the South End of town told him “FASNY (French American School of New York) was a huge issue.”

City Sales Tax Collections Need Smart Auditing to See if Businesses Are Paying Their Share Per Square Foot

Posted on July 14, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. JULY 14, 2014:

Hi John,

I hope all is well. I just finished watching the show (WHITE PLAINS WEEK,www.whiteplainsweek.com ) from last week and have a couple of questions/comments.

1) Regarding WP Sales Tax… Mr. B. is right on the money when he states the City needs to take a closer look at the entire Sales Tax issue. Not sure exact words but in essence:

Does anyone study the receipts by business sector? For example, if you group date for the last five years for Restaurants/Bars in the Mamaroneck/Post Road area, do any irregularities pop up? Using Sales Tax collected divided by square footage…the resulting numbers should be quite uniform…are they?

I don’t think anyone studies anything – I think they multiply by a small, historical growth rate and throw the number in the budget. In other words, NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT TO RECEIVE per square foot (within an industry group).

I am sure the ups & downs of the economy, the online purchasers, the draconian parking enforcement, etc., all combine to reduce collections BUT my question is that with the computing power available in 2014, WP should be avail themselves of far more sophisticated planning & analysis tools.

In the first place, I wish that WP was not so dependent on sales tax (the most regressive type of tax) but we are…and we really need better estimate, promote (change parking policy), and ENFORCE collection of Sales Tax Revenue.

2) My second question involves the close of the show where you and Mr. B. commented that failure to approve FASNY would spell economic disaster.

HOW SO??? They pay no sales tax or property tax! The construction people will benefit for less than two years and the vast majority will be from outside WP. The increased traffic and congestion will bring chaos to the South End.

Does anyone really think that these people paying $30K tuition are sending their darlings on a school bus? The people in the three current neighborhoods cannot stand the FASNY traffic – every student comes by private vehicle (the previous tenants were mostly local walkers you will not see them testify since they cannot wait for FASNY to vacate.)

How does the conservancy benefit anyone in WP, beyond walking distance? Where would a person from the Highlands park their car while they enjoy the conservancy grounds?

Finally, you see the mess on North Street every day around the HS entrance/exit…it will be far, far worse when the new intersection is established.

I live in the North End and I will not be inconvenienced either way… but I see NO ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO APPROVAL OF THIS USE and lots of harm to the South End,,,

3) Finally, we desperately need to revise the City’s Comprehensive Plan. It was produced more than twenty years ago. The analysis is from 92 & 93. It is woefully out-of-date

Best Regards,

Terry Conroy

White Plains, NY.

LYON PLACE/ WALLER CLOSED TO TRAFFIC THIS WEEK

Posted on July 14, 2014 by John Bailey

Lyon Place (South Broadway to Waller Avenue)

Waller Avenue (East Post Road to Maple Avenue)

WPCNR BUMPER TO BUMPER. From the Downtown Business Improvement District. July 14, 2014:

The Department of Public Works announced on Friday that during the week of July 14, 2014 (weather permitting), a contractor will begin the installation of new granite curbing at Lyon Place and Waller Avenue. Subsequent to the granite curb installation, the roadways will be milled and then resurfaced.

During the day, traffic restrictions in the work area will be necessary and detours will be accomplished with appropriate traffic control devices and flagging personnel. Access for residents, deliveries, refuse & recycling, school buses, and emergency vehicles will still be provided. It would be mutually beneficial to limit local vehicular traffic to before 8 am and after 4:30 pm.

City Department of Public Works inspectors will be on site to insure the satisfactory performance of the work and the protection of the City’s residents and homeowners. The work is anticipated for completion by mid August.

If you have any questions, please contact Brian Murphy, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works at (914) 422-1212.