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)

Assessor: Assessment Roll for 2012 Looks Down $2.2 Million

Posted on January 31, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. January 31, 2012:

City Assessor Lloyd Tasch reported this morning to WPCNR that the number of homeowners challenging their assessments this year (the interval to challenge expired last Friday) was 914, down 20% from last year.

Tasch said he expected the Board of Assessment Review would be able to meet the challenges and defend the city assessments more successfully this year because the White Plains Equalization Rate and Residential Assessment Ratio both went up significantly.

However, Tasch says, the damage has been done.

He reports the roll has already absorbed an additional $1.9 Million in lowered assessments. He predicted that he expected the Roll for 2012 to be down $2.25 Million.

Democrats in White Plains Annoint Buchwald to Challenge Castelli for Assembly

Posted on January 31, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. Special to WPCNR from Westchester County Roving Correspondent, Nancy King. January 30, 2012:

David Buchwald was nominated to run against Robert Castelli for the New York State Assembly 93rd district Monday evening.

Democratic leaders met on January 30^th at the YWCA in White Plains to choose a challenger to run against current Republican Assemblyman Robert Castelli. At stake is Castelli’s seat in what is currently the 89^th legislative district. Under new redistricting maps, this district will renamed the 93^rd district and that means that lines will shift as well. Going into tonight’s nominating session were three possible candidates. David Buchwald, current Common Council member, White Plains lawyer Jeremiah Frei-Pearson and Harrison resident Clifford Gevirtz.

David Buchwald is a current member of the White Plains Common Council and acts a liason between City Hall and a variety of city departments. Frei-Pearson is a lawyer who specializes in workplace complaints. Harrison resident Dr. Clifford Gevirtz also has also made clear his intentions to run for office. Though all three shared the same Democratic principles in regards to same sex marriage, reproductive rights and adversion to hydro fracking each had a different vision quest going into this race.

Dr. Gevirtz stated that he was concerned with reforming health care here in New York State. Though he spoke about Medicaid and Medicare reform, it was unclear as to whether he supported said reform and just how it would be implemented. Actually, if my memory serves me correctly, Assembly members Amy Paulin (D) and Robert Castelli (R) did roll out legislation prior to this summer’s legislative break. It is also believed that this reform for those receiving Medicaid would take place over an eight year period of time. Dr. Gevirtz also stated that the bulk of his campaigning would be at Senior Centers where he would be hosting “Dr. Days”.

Jeremiah Frei-Pearson was next up to speak to the Democratic leaders from White Plains. As reflected on his website, Frei-Pearson reiterated that he wanted future residents of the 93^rd to have the same opportunities that he enjoyed as a youngster growing up in Northern Westchester.

There was a small problem with this statement however; Frei-Pearson’s biographies are inconsistent as to where this chap actually grew up. He says that he is from the Katonah – Lewisboro area and his online bio says that he grew up in Baltimore Maryland.

He also touts himself as a political newcomer but has run for elected office twice while living in Astoria Queens. When queried about those two inconsistencies, Frei-Pearson attempted to stay on message about young Westchesterites having the same great experiences he had growing up…but he neglected to say where he actually did grow up. His campaign, would have centered on the Katonah – Lewisboro area because he felt that since he graduated from high school in that area, he had the advantage of understanding those who reside in that area of the county.

The final candidate who spoke was David Buchwald. Buchwald, a current member of the White Plains Common Council spoke about how government, no matter how large or how streamlined, must work for everybody no matter what their need was. Apparently this resonated well in a room of District Leaders and Proxy holders as this statement garnered applause from everyone. Actually, if he stays true to this mantra, Buchwald “gets it”. In public service, no one’s concern is ever too small.

With a verbal vote taken by chair Liz Schollenberger, Buchwald was this committee’s choice to run against Bob Castelli.

The evening ended with Assemblyman George Latimer addressing the crowd. Latimer has expressed interest in running against Scarsdale businessman Bob Cohen for retiring state senator Suzi Oppenheimer’s seat.

Latimer, who is a former chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators lamented that his run against Cohen is going to be a tough one . Cohen still has a hefty sum of cash on hand and has the state committee ready to throw however much money it takes to make sure they don’t lose this seat again. Latimer was quick to add that Cohen, a wealthy real estate owner and manager had already self-financed over 100K of his own money and was actively campaigning. Latimer acknowledged that unless he raised a boatload of cash he would have difficulty staying in this race.

It’s the last doggone day of January 2012 and this election cycle looks like it already may be one of those “bloodbath” cycles. With redistricting, a gubernatorial veto possible, and those cwazy Republicans trying to unseat Barack Obama, and the upcoming grudge match between Ken Jenkins and Rob Astorino, it’s time to buy the largest bag of popcorn available and sit back and watch the show.

Looking at the Brave New World

Posted on January 30, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. By John F. Bailey. January 30, 2012:

So White Plainsians can clearly see what the proposed new legislative districts are in the City of White Plains. We publish them herewith with some brief comments.

Dividing White Plains in the Assembly: New redistricting map for the new 93rd Assembly District Seat held by Robert Castelli. The bold gray line shows the district boundry between the 93rd and 88th Districts. Castelli loses Battle Hill, Fisher Hill, Prospect Park, the massive southend vote to the left of the line that includes the Highlands, Gedney, Ridgeway and Rosedale. Amy Paulin, Assemblyperson for the 88th District gets them. Castelli gets the White Plains downtown and North End

Crooked Gray Line Divides White Plains State Senate Representation equally from the northwest to the southeast between Senate Districts 35 (currently held by Andrea Stewart-Cousins) and 37 (the seat State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer if retiring from). The 35 runs from Park Circle, takes Battle Hill, half the downtown, half the Highlands, Prospect Park, Hillair Circle, Saxon Woods and Rosedale. The 37th includes Woodcrest Heights, Eastview, Carhart, Gedney Farms, Ridgeway and Haviland Manor.

Splitting White Plains: For Better Worse?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. January 30, 2012:

The splitting of White Plains as envisioned by the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reappointment released last week, currently threatened with a veto by Governor Andrew Cuomo if eventually adopted in anything close to its present form will give White Plains two State Senators (Senate Districts 35 and 37) and give less weight to the White Plains vote in the new 93rd Assembly District.

The splitting of the White Plains constituents between the 35th and 37th districts will also possibly mean those Senators in 35 and 37, don’t have to pay that much attention to White Plains needs.

That 93rd District assembly race will take shape tonight when Democratic District Leaders hear from White Plains Councilman David Buchwald, new Westchester resident political activist from Queens, Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, and Harrison resident, Clifford Gevirtz, all seeking the nomination to run against Roert Castelli in the race for the 93rd.

Should the new redistricting lines be vetoed by Governor Cuomo the districts would have to be renegotiated in some manner, a process that will be unwieldy at best, according to Assemblyman Robert Castelli’s office.

Mr. Castelli’s Saturday news release revealed the lopping off of the southend of White Plains (south from Martine Avenue), from the Castelli district, and gave him North Salem.

Castelli said “In essence, the gerrymandering remains. I believe there is still time for us to do better, though, because when politicians are choosing their constituents, instead of the other way around, it’s the people that lose.”

Elizabeth Schollenberger, head of the White Plains Democratic City Committee, told WPCNR she had not run the numbers yet to assess the impact of how many votes Tom Roach received from the White Plains areas lopped off from the former 89th District (now redesignated the 93rd), when Roach narrowly lost to Castelli in 2010.

According to Councilman Buchwald who is in the hunt for the Democratic nod to face Castelli, Tom Roach carried White Plains by 2,000 votes in his attempt to oust Castelli in that 2010 race.

Buchwald, speaking to WPCNR Saturday said he is in the race to stay, but did acknowledge that ” I don’t think Mr. Castelli has much to complain about (the redistricting).” Buchwald said it was “clear” the loss of a substantial block of White Plains voters, being replaced with North Salem, was favorable to Castelli, but said he (Buchwald) felt he could run very well in North Salem.

If the newly defined 93rd District remains in place for the November election, future Republicans from the 93rd should do well, due to the loss of White Plains southend as a voting factor in the district. The 88th Assembly District where Amy Paulin is the incumbent is bolstered by getting those White Plains southend votes that should assure Paulin of more popularity.

White Plains may be seriously hurt by splitting the city east to west between Andrea Stewart-Cousin’s 35th District and the former Suzi Oppenheimer seat in Senate District 37. Robert Cohen who nearly ousted Ms. Oppenheimer two years ago in a close race, now no longer has Oppenheimer as opposition, the Senator choosing to retire. Cohen seems sure to benefit from the inclusion of a large section of Scarsdale in the new Senate District 37 and from a newly included southend section in White Plains. With all of Yonkers (a very needy city according to Yonkers), Greenburgh and some of Tarrytown to worry about, Ms. Strewart-Cousins, may not be able to advocate as strongly for White Plains as Ms. Oppenheimer did when White Plains was her baby.