THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. MARCH 31, 2012: 

One way of assuring that the public has the opportunity to know about agreements or the potential for agreements between developers and the city is for the city to make all meetings with developers to discuss changes in properties that would affect neighborhoods, city blocks, etc., or grant special privileges for developers is for the city to make such meetings public or televised. No exceptions.

For years developers come in, charm commissioners see what their objections are and tailor plans accordingly, the public is the last to know, except for possibly some neighborhood association personalities. It is a clubby atmosphere with representatives interacting with city officials in a cooperative, “chummy” way and reasons not to do things not considered too carefully so as to block the project.

The public (as the city argument for private developer meetings goes), has its chance at public hearings.

But, sadly many proposals such as the 5-day  “accelerated” approval of  city $17 Million to rebuild the Lyon Place garage for the Esplanade at taxpayer expense, never get weighed in on by the public. Not once did the city even say this garage had an average of  x amount of spaces occupied when it was open, and generated this amount of dollars — to prove the garage was needed. Instead the city just decided to do it. l The garage has been closed two years. All the bars on Mamaroneck and merchants on East Post Road can easily use the Maple Garage. That’s what people have been doing. We do want a walkable city don’t we?

Perhaps the most hilarious aspect of this burning of $17 Million is the city is electing to pend $17 Million on a new garage it is leasing for 99 years and will have to be rebuilt in 25 years maybe. This is a leadership in the city that felt spending $9 Million to buy a country club (of 100 acres) and retaining control over what happens there was not a good idea.

The country club was resellable — no one is going to buy that garage. If the garage is such a profitable concern why doesn’t a major parking concession offer to put it up for the Esplanade? If the city is so concerned about parking, why not tell Esplanade to buy parking from the Westchester and the Westchester Pavilion or close?   Where is the whistle blower on this deal?

Well, too often lately we are just deciding to do things “for the good” of whomever without rational thought. How is the debt service going to be paid?

A way to get plans out from the cloak of secrecy before they slide on past a naive and lazy common council (who if they have knowledge beforehand are just not doing their due diligence), with careless Common Council review, if the council reviews them with a critical eye at all, is to make these developer “hey, we want to do this meetings” public. Ideally such meetings should be televised and made available on the website.

By the way, the $17 Million Esplanade bailout is going to be approved Monday evening,so FOILING for the garage numbers…would be too late.

What does Mr. and Mrs. White Plains think? Tell the city fathers what you think in the poll at the right.

According to the evidence at trial and the superseding indictment originally filed in White Plains federal court:

Annabi was first elected to the Yonkers City Council in November 2001 to represent the Second District and was subsequently re-elected in 2003 and 2005. She served as the Democratic Majority Leader of the Council during the latter part of her third term in office. The Yonkers City Council’s primary function is to consider and vote on the city’s budget, zoning changes, and other legislation.

Zehy Jereis served as chairman of the Yonkers Republican Party from the fall of 2003 through the fall of 2007. As the party chairman, his duties were to promote the Republican Party in Yonkers and to advance the interests of Republican elected officials and candidates. Jereis used his considerable influence and contacts to assist Annabi with all three of her successful campaigns.

Since 2001, Annabi received nearly $200,000 in secret payments from Jereis and others in exchange for taking favorable actions in her official capacity on matters in which they had an interest and that were pending before the City Council. These matters included two real estate projects known as the Longfellow Project and the Ridge Hill Development project.

The Longfellow Project

In 2003, Yonkers developer Milio Management was seeking to redevelop an area of land, known as the Longfellow Project, that was partially located within the Council District represented by Annabi. During a City Council meeting on June 14, 2005, Annabi proclaimed her strong opposition to the project, stating, “Even if the entire community supported [it], I would be opposed.” She also said that the project was “outrageous” and a “slap in the face to the taxpayers of Yonkers.” Despite considerable effort, Milio Management was unable to move the project forward in the face of Annabi’s opposition.

In April 2006, Milio Management hired Westchester County attorney Anthony Mangone to assist in persuading Annabi to support the Longfellow Project. Shortly thereafter, Mangone arranged a meeting between a representative of Milio Management and Jereis. During the meeting, Jereis advised the representative that he could help persuade Annabi to support the project. Later, Mangone told Milio Management that in order for the project to proceed, the developer would have to pay Annabi $30,000 in exchange for her support. In the summer of 2006, Milio Management gave Mangone $30,000 in cash for Annabi. Mangone then gave $20,000 in cash to Jereis to give to Annabi. At a City Council meeting that September, Annabi reversed her long-held opposition to the Longfellow Project and voted in favor of awarding it to Milio Management. Shortly after receiving the $20,000, Annabi made several substantial cash and credit card purchases, including airline ticket upgrades, a Rolex watch, and a diamond necklace.

The Ridge Hill Project

The Ridge Hill Project was a proposal by developer Forest City Ratner to develop an 81-acre tract of land into retail, restaurant, and office space with hundreds of residential housing units, a hotel, and a conference center. Annabi was an outspoken critic of the proposed Ridge Hill Project and voted against both the project as well as legislation that would allow it to move forward over her opposition. Annabi and others also filed a civil lawsuit to effectively block the project. As the City Council was considering the Ridge Hill Project, Forest City Ratner made repeated and unsuccessful efforts to convince Annabi to vote in favor of the project.

On June 2, 2006, after being introduced to representatives of Forest City Ratner, Jereis advised them that he could arrange a meeting for them with Annabi. Jereis and representatives of Forest City Ratner also had an agreement in which the developer would give him a consulting job sometime after Annabi formally voted in favor of the Ridge Hill Project. After two meetings with Jereis and Forest City Renter’s representatives, which were held five days apart, Annabi reversed her opposition to the Ridge Hill Project. On June 15, 2006, she issued a press release—drafted by Jereis and representatives of Forest City Ratner—informing the public of her support for the project. One month later, at a City Council meeting on July 11, 2006, Annabi voted in favor of the zoning change necessary for the Ridge Hill Project. Shortly after Annabi changed her vote on the Ridge Hill Project, Jereis received the promised consulting contract from Forest City Ratner worth $60,000 over one year.

Other Secret Payments to Annabi and Efforts to Conceal These Payments

Jereis also secretly gave Annabi money and purported loans to finance the purchase of two residential properties located outside of her Council District. To obtain favorable financing, Annabi contemporaneously submitted applications to two different banks, advising both that she intended to occupy the house for which she was seeking financing and concealing that she was seeking to borrow money from the other bank for a second house. The closings for the two loans occurred only three days apart. Furthermore, Annabi lived in one of these houses, which was outside of her Council District, despite state and local laws that required her as a Councilmember to live within her District. Jereis then purchased a cooperative apartment for Annabi within her Council District so she could meet the residency requirement. Jereis paid the down payment on the apartment and made the monthly mortgage payments. In addition, in her loan applications for one of the houses and for the apartment she purchased, Annabi falsely inflated her income. Her loan applications also included fake pay stubs, W-2s, and bank statements.

From 2002 through 2007, Annabi affirmatively concealed the illegal benefits she received from Jereis and others by filing annual financial disclosure statements that intentionally omitted the illegal payments. Annabi also failed to report the illegal payments she received on federal income tax returns.

***

Annabi, 41, and Jereis, 40, both of Yonkers, New York, were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to make and accept corrupt payments, one count of conspiracy to deprive the city of Yonkers and its citizens of Annabi’s honest services, one count of receiving corrupt payments, and one count of extortion. Annabi was also convicted of one count of receiving corrupt payments, three counts of making false statements to a bank, and two counts of filing false tax returns. Jereis was also convicted of one count of making corrupt payments.

Annabi faces a maximum sentence of 161 years in prison, and Jereis faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.

Mangone was initially charged with Annabi and Jereis in January 2010. He pled guilty on November 29, 2010 to conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax evasion charges and is awaiting sentencing.