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

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. April 14,2010: The Carrier Brothers, Jim, President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, and Joe, President of White Plains Firefighters Local #274, each told WPCNR they recognize the city is in financial trouble, and are willing to come to the table and talk with city management and the Common Council about ways to ease the city deficit, pegged at $9 Million,  and to discuss ways to trim the projected19% tax increase.

Joe Carrier, Head of White Plains Fire Fighters Union listening to Michael Genito discussing city budget woes Monday evening.

Both union presidents said neither the Mayor, or any of his staff, or any member of the Common Council has contacted them to come to the table and help work on the budget to cut down the planned 19% tax increase.

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. April 14,2010: The Carrier Brothers, Jim, President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, and Joe, President of White Plains Firefighters Local #274, each told WPCNR they recognize the city is in financial trouble, and are willing to come to the table and talk with city management and the Common Council about ways to ease the city deficit, pegged at $9 Million,  and to discuss ways to trim the projected19% tax increase.

Both union presidents said neither the Mayor, or any of his staff, or any member of the Common Council has contacted them to come to the table and help work on the budget to cut down the planned 19% tax increase.

WPCNR reached out to Joe Carrier this afternoon, after noting the Common Council had no suggestions on how to cut the budget substantially at Monday’s Budget & Management Committee meeting. I asked if the firefighters were willing to discuss short-term solutions to trim expenses, salary increases in 2010-11.

Joe Carrier of the Firefighters told WCPNR, “It’s important to let you know, speaking for White Plains Firefighters Union Local 274, we are open to sit down. We recognize the financial crisis the city is in, and are willing to sit down and are open for any and all suggestions. (As of Wednesday afternoon, we have not been contacted by either the Mayor (Adam Bradley) or his staff or any members of the Common Council.”

WPCNR asked what the firefighters might be prepared to do. Carrier said he was not going to negotiate in the press. He said the firefighters were not in good position to agree to layoffs, noting: “We are currently 12 (firefighters) down. We have 9 rigs in the city, 5 engines,. 3 trucks, and 1 emergency unit. Presently, we do not have the men to run Ladder 34,andwe are down to staff to run only 2 trucks. Without the overtime provisions in the budget we cannot staff those trucks.”

Wednesday evening, WPCNR asked Jim Carrier, President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, if his union would be willing to forego raises, put in a wage freeze, or make other kinds of temporary money-saving if the city dropped its court action to have the 12-hour shifts for police controls voided.

Carrier echoed his brother, Jim’s thoughts: “I’m aware of the city’s financial problems and fiscal situation. I have not been contacted by Mayor Bradley, his staff, or any member of the Common Council either.  I’m not going to talk of any proposals or negotiate in the press. I’ve always been willing to do that (talk) to the Public Safety Commissioner (David Chong), and the Mayor and his staff.”

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. April 10,2010: Mayor Adam Bradley of White Plains answered 5 Common Council members’ call for him to resign from his position Monday (because of the effects of his ongoing domestic abuse case), by saying, “I am not resigning.”

After a brief statement, he took questions from an assembly of media, and an observer for WPCNR, reports he handled the questions very well and was at ease, then conducted a budget and management committee meeting with no new budget changes from last week. The budget remains calling for a 19% tax increase, but two members of the committee and Councilperson Benjamin Boykin said layoffs had to come.

“I am not going to resign.” Adam Bradley addressing the media below, answering the call by 5 members of the Common Council for him to resign because they feel his court case over domestic abuse is distracting. Photos for WPCNR by Peter Katz

Forty-five minutes later Mr. Bradley chaired the first meeting of the Budget & Management Committee, in which Commissioner of Finance Michael Genito presented the budget.

In attendance were Councilmen Benjamin Boykin, Thomas Roach, Beth Smayda, Milagros Lecouna, Dennis Power, and David Buchwald. Mr. Boykin made the suggestion during a discussion of the sales tax that the city survey how much retail space was vacant in the downtown to see what needs to be done to improve the city’s retail sales tax take.

David Buchwald asked the administration about the feasibility of bonding for health care expenses and benefits, and Mr. Genito and Eileen Earl Bradley said the state frowns on borrowing for operational expenses and pointed out various pitfalls involved in that strategy.

Beth Smayda raised the matter of certioraris (refunds for taxes overcollected, due to lowered assessments), one of the main budget problems, and Mr. Genito said the city was expecting a resurgence of ceritiorari filings over the next few years due to the poor economy last year and this year, holding out little turn around. He said the assessor and he would be developing a closer look at this.

Other than these comments, the councilmembers who have had the budget for a week,offerred no other suggestions for trimming the budget which going forward still calls for a 19% tax increase in city property taxes.

 Councilman Benjamin Boykin, speaking of the city’s budget condition said, layoffs and personnel cuts to come were unavoidable, (even though city sales tax collections were up and the the sales tax fall off year to year declined only 2.4% in the Third quarter. The city is down 11% through three quarters.

Mr. Bradley was in command of the meeting, and relations were cool but cordial after the duelling news conferences of the afternoon when Mr. Roach, Mr. Boykin, Mr. Buchwald, Ms. Lecouna and Ms. Smayda united before the media called on Mr. Bradley to resign.

Earlier today, the Mayor’s domestic abuse case was carried over to May 10, with the Mayor agreeing to be evaluated for any possible potential for domestic violence by pyschiatrists and medical personnel of SANCIA, 20 Church Street, White Plains. The Mayor did not plead guilty to any charges, and did not agree to attend any domestic violence classes as is being reported erroneously by several media. The agreement to be evaluated by SANCIA was in exchange for remaining free in his own recognizance

Media Trucks parked outside city hall.  We hope they were paying their parking meters.