- Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. East wind 7 to 9 mph.
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. North wind 7 to 9 mph.
- Saturday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 45. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
- Saturday Night: A slight chance of snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Northwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Sunday: A slight chance of snow showers before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind 9 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Buchwald: Support Grows for Pension Takeaway if Convicted of Corruption for Anyone Regardless of Service
![AssemblymanBuchwaldPressConference1[1]](https://whiteplainscnr.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AssemblymanBuchwaldPressConference11.jpg)
WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. March 6, 2014:
Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-Westchester) announced at a press conference on Wednesday that a bipartisan group of over 60 Assembly co-sponsors, including all freshman members, have signed onto legislation he introduced that would permit stripping state pension benefits from any public official convicted of a felony where the public’s trust has been violated (A.7173).
Assemblyman Buchwald’s bill is an amendment to the New York State Constitution aiming to strengthen the current “Public Integrity Reform Act,” which only strips pension benefits of convicted officials of when he or she first held office.who first entered the State pension system after the law took effect in November 2011. Buchwald’s bill would apply to any public official, regardless.
To view the press conference Clip, go to : http://assembly.state.ny.us/user/cis/BuchwaldPublicIntegrityBill3-5.mpg
“When an elected official is sworn into office, he or she must sign a solemn Oath
Assemblyman Buchwald was joined by Chairman of the Ethics and Guidance Committee Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove), Senator George Latimer (D-Westchester), Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers), and members of the growing coalition in the legislature who co-sponsored the legislation.
“Government officials who betray the public trust should not collect a pension in the same way as those who serve honorably, and I’m pleased that over 60 members of the State Assembly agree with me,” stated Assemblyman David Buchwald. “No matter how serious the offense, current law still assures most public employees that their state pensions cannot be challenged. I promised Westchester families that I wouldn’t stand for this type of behavior.”
“When an elected official is sworn into office, he or she must sign a solemn Oath stating that they will uphold the laws and the Constitution that govern New York State,” said State Senator Neil Breslin (D-Albany) who carries the bill in the State Senate (S.1133). “This Oath sets the highest standard for integrity – the public’s trust. A violation of that trust, while in office, demands pecuniary as well as criminal penalty. The current law only regulates officials that joined the pension system after 2011. It is critical that we enact a law that applies to all public officials. The public deserves nothing less.”
“Decency dictates that tax dollars should not indefinitely support the well-being of lawmakers who violate their office,” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY. “Common Cause/NY applauds the members of the Assembly who put the public interest first, and calls on all members of the Legislature to follow suit and amend the Constitution so that, in appropriate situations, corrupt lawmakers don’t collect a public pension. Honest people have nothing to fear.”
Additionally, this is a concept that has been recently embraced by Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. At a September Moreland Commission hearing, Mr. Bharara was quoted as saying “The common-sense principle is a simple one: Convicted politicians should not grow old comfortably cushioned by a pension paid for by the very people they betrayed in office.”
A public official in the State of New York can currently accept bribes, steal public funds or engage in numerous other forms of public corruption and yet still feel secure in the knowledge that even if convicted of these serious crimes and thrown in jail, there will still be a state pension check sent their way every month for the rest of their lives. However, Assemblyman Buchwald noted that with enthusiastic bipartisan support of this legislation, including from all Assembly freshman, a new day is coming in Albany.
Non Profits Employ the Most Workers in Westchester County
WPCNR LABOR NEWS. From Nonprofit Westchester. March 6, 2014:
Nonprofits are a multi-billion dollar industry and make up the largest employment sector in Westchester County, according to a report released by Nonprofit Westchester (NPW) and The Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies.
The study, entitled “Westchester County Nonprofits: A Major Economic Engine,” found that 53,987 people, or 13.6 percent, of the county’s total workforce is employed by nonprofits. That’s one out of every seven workers. Additionally, this sector generated $6.9 billion in revenues and paid roughly $2.7 billion in wages and compensation – including hundreds of millions in federal, state and local taxes.
“We’ve always known that we provide many essential services and are critically important to the regional economy,” said Joanna Straub, executive director of Nonprofit Westchester. “With this study, we have concrete data that shows just how vital we are and how much we contribute to Westchester County.”
The $15,000 study, funded by the Westchester Community Foundation, includes five major economic findings. They include:
- At 53,987 workers, the county’s nonprofit sector employs more than retail, tourism, local government, construction, finance, real estate or other industries. In fact, nonprofits employ more than six times as many workers than the county’s real estate and information technology fields, more than three times as many as the finance industry, and 10 percent more than local governments.
- Health organizations, such as hospitals and nursing homes, were significant areas of employment in 2013 as were colleges and universities.
- Nonprofits generated nearly $6.9 billion in revenues and spent approximately $2.7 billion in wages. The compensation, in turn, translated into roughly $311 million in federal taxes, $104 million in state income taxes, and $21.8 million in local income taxes.
- Between 2003 and 2013, employment in this area grew by 8.4 percent, adding 4,203 jobs, particularly in health services and elementary and secondary education. Compared with an anemic 1.2 percent growth in all areas of the economy, growth in nonprofits trumped other segments.
- Other information in the study concluded that increased competition and overall wages were a mixed bag. Wages in this sector were below those in the for-profit and government sectors – by roughly 1/3 in both cases. However, nonprofit wages are higher in fields where nonprofits and other sectors compete, suggesting that nonprofits are concentrated in low-wage fields.
The Westchester Community Foundation, which develops, manages and distributes philanthropic funds in a manner that is responsive to donor interests and community needs, funded the study because they believed it was important to show the wide economic reach and impact of nonprofits.
“It’s important that organizations, governments and members of the public understand the true value of nonprofits in Westchester County,” said Catherine Marsh, executive director of the Westchester Community Foundation. “These results show that nonprofits are not only respected service providers, but also create a wide range of economic opportunities.”
For more information about Nonprofit Westchester or to read a copy of the study, visit www.npwestchester.org or call 914-332-6679.
WP Zoning Board Upholds Building Commissioner’s Decision on Sunrise Detox Attempting to Move into Nathan Miller Nursing Home
WPCNR ZONING ZEN. Special to WPCNR from Ken Howard, Carhart Neighborhood Association. March 6, 2014:
Last night in a unanimous decision the White Plains Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) upheld an August 13, 2013 decision by Commissioner of Building Damon Amadio to not consider Sunrise’s proposed Application for an “alcoholism facility” at 37 Dekalb Avenue as a Community Residence.
Sunrise sued White Plains in federal court, but a judge tossed the matter back to the city for further review.
The ZBA felt that not all alcoholism facilities should be considered community residences and that length of stay was a significant factor in their decision.
The Carhart Neighborhood Association has led the fight against locating a short-term drug & alcohol detox center in their quiet residential neighborhood.
Sunrise initially attempted to establish a detox facility at 37 Dekalb and then made an attempt to call it an alcoholism facility, but both were deemed not to be community residences.
It’s unclear what Sunrise’s next steps will be, but it seems likely they will go back to federal court in another attempt to sue White Plains for discrimination against the disabled.
For additional information, please contact the Carhart Neighborhood Association at [email protected]