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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. December 18, 2009: Susan Katz daughter of the legendary Sonny Katz, the former City Marshall, was the focus of the annual Traffic Department holiday party Thursday morning as a steady stream of well-wishers from the Department of Public Works, Finance and other city hall employees dropped by to congratulate Ms. Katz on her retirement after 29-1/2 years.

Susan Katz in “traffic” with Commissioner of Traffic, Tom Soyk,left, and Commissioner of Traffic, Bernard Adler, with whom she worked in her first job in Traffic.

Ms. Katz said she enjoyed working with so many people she has met over the years, and noted that she had learned over the years “to appreciate people for the good things they have to offer,” to “look for the good in all of her co-workers,” as her beloved father had always advised her.

Ms. Katz joined the city in 1980 in the Alfred Del Vecchio administration in the Department of Recreation and Parks, where she created the Pops in the Parks Program and the Noonday Concerts that exist to this day, and most other concerts under the direction of then Commissioner, the late Joe Davidson. She counts those concert series are her greatest achievement with the city. She then moved over to the Traffic Department in 1983 under Traffic Commissioner Bernard Adler who joined the party for the festivities with current Commissioner Tom Soyk.

Ms. Katz, a lifelong resident of White Plains plans to devote full-time to her work as Executive Director of Westco Productions, and tutor in a literacy program, and another non-profit organization.

Ms.Katz lamented that as of December 28, City Hall will no longer have a Katz in it. It will be the first time City Hall will be Katz-less in 40 years.  

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER.  December 17,2009 UPDATED  5:10 P.M.E.S.T.: Phil Reisman, the columnist for the Journal News, reported exclusively this afternoon that Democratic members of the Board of Legislators have voted to oust Bill Ryan of White Plains as Chairman of the Board of Legislators, replacing him with Ken Jenkins of Yonkers. The ouster carries with it a pay cut for Mr. Ryan and an increase for Mr. Jenkins, and comes within hours after Mr. Ryan called for a Charter Revision Commission to reorganize county government to make it more efficient.

The news of Mr. Ryan’s ouster was not promulgated by the County Board of Legislators Press Office.

Bill Ryan, in the County Chairman of the Board of Legislators Seat, July,  2009, on a Board webcast. WPCNR Photo Archive.

Ken Jenkins, County Legislator from Yonkers, Replaces Bill Ryan as Chair of the Board of Legislators. Shown July, 2009. WPCNR Photo Archive.

Mr. Ryan, speaking to WPCNR this afternoon on his denouement,  said he was not surprised since he has served three consecutive terms as Chairman of the Board of Legislators, and over the course of the year, other legislators had talked with him about the possibilities of someone else having an opportunity to serve as Chairman. Ryan said that in the final vote to replace him in favor of Mr. Jenkins that it was simply a choice between him and Jenkins.He said he did not campaign hard to stay on but  did make it clear that for the purposes of continuity with the new administration, he would be glad to stay on for a fourth term, “I wasn’t going to start and recite my accomplishments to them the Democratic legislators. So anyway, we do the vote. They felt three terms was long enough.”

Asked about what a Board of Legislators run by two legislators from the two most distressed areas of the county, Yonkers and Mount Vernon, would mean, possibly more county dollars and interests shifted there at the expense of other areas of the county, Ryan had this to say:

Ryan praised the choice of Lyndon Williams, the legislator from Mount Vernon as Vice Chair of the Board of Legislators, saying that Mr. Williams was “sensible to the need for balance” in matters, and that his background at Citibank and service on the legislature budget committee was very thoughtful and understanding of the problems the county faces. In the matter of Mr. Jenkins, Ryan told WPCNR, he thought he (Ryan) was the better choice to guide the legislature in its relations with the new County Executive, because of Ryan’s three terms as Chair and his knowledge of the system.

Asked if Mr. Jenkins supported Mr. Ryan’s legislation for a Charter Revision Committee to identify ways the county could achieve “the four key words, consolidate, streamline, efficiency and economy” Mr. Ryan said he (Ryan) had talked with 7 legislators who supported it and expected that the rest of the legislature was on board.

Ryan said he would be looking for additional employment starting in two weeks, since his salary will be cut in half. He said he would be President of the New York State Association of Counties in 2010, but that was not a paying position.

He said he would, instead be paying partisan attention to his White Plains and Scarsdale constituency, and “be ever vigilant in protection our (White Plains/Scarsdale) fair share.”