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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From County Board of Legislators. November 23, 2008: In a news release furnished the media last week, the County Legislature Budget & Appropriations Committee presented its analysis of the budgets for the District Attorney Office, the County Labs and the Department of Social Services. Here is that analysis.

Labs & Research Department

The mission of the county’s Labs & Research Department is to conduct laboratory analysis, death investigations and to act as the state’s agent in implementing and managing the state’s public health program. The department is broken out into four programs and services: the Medical Examiner’s Office, Public Health Labs, Microbiology/Virology/Environmental Health and Toxicological and Forensic Sciences.

The department’s proposed 2009 operating budget of $17.4 million is about $500,000 less than its 2008 budget and is primarily attributable to a proposed reduction in equipment, materials and supplies, expenses and interdepartmental charges. No programs will be eliminated. Though cutting three positions, two funded through the operating budget and one through grants, the department’s salaries will increase $230,000 from 2008 levels.

“Evidence that’s collected from Labs & Research plays an extremely important role for the District Attorney to conduct its caseload,” said County Legislator Vito Pinto, Chair of the Public Safety Committee.  “In the last few years, juries are now demanding DNA to solidify cases in addition to more traditional evidence. That has added considerably to Labs workload.”   

“Eighty percent of the Labs & Research Department’s workload is done for the county’s 43 municipal police departments and the District Attorney,” said County Legislator José Alvarado, Chair of the Budget & Appropriations Committee. “There is no charge-back to the municipalities for their services, which ultimately is a significant savings to taxpayers.  This is a prime example of the critical and cost effective role the county plays in local government.” 

District Attorney Office

The District Attorney is the county’s chief law enforcement officer, responsible under the state constitution for investigating and prosecuting all crimes committed in the county.  County taxpayers are the primary source of the department’s proposed 2009 $33 million budget; grant revenue of about $7 millionand state aid– fixed at $55,557–account for the departments other sources of revenue.  The department will continue its 205 staffing level in 2009 despite a projected increase in cases and complaints. For example, the number of cases prosecuted in local criminal courts climbed from 38,673 in 2007 to over 40,000 in 2008.

“The District Attorney must be commended for her well-managed budget which this past year actually contributed a little more than a million dollars to county coffers,” said County Legislator José Alvarado, Chair of the Budget & Appropriations Committee. “In addition, by aggressively seeking state and federal grant revenues, the District Attorney has reduced the department’s share of the tax levy by more than $7 million.” 

“The Westchester Intelligence Center, opened May 21, 2008, has proven to be a great initiative,” said County Legislator Vito Pinto, Chair of the Public Safety Committee. “So many crimes cross local boundaries. The Intelligence Center is a central clearinghouse of law enforcement intelligence that supports the criminal investigative efforts of all of the county’s 43 local police departments.”

 Social Services Department  

“When the economy goes down, the need for social services goes up. Given projections regarding a worsening economy, coupled with possible cuts in state and federal funding, the Social Services Department’s budget is in uncharted waters,” said County Legislator José Alvarado, Chair of the Budget & Appropriations Committee. “That being said, I think the department is appropriately focused in its proposed 2009 budget on maintaining the capacity to meet core services.”

The Department of Social Services ensures the health, safety and welfare of the county’s vulnerable adults and children. 

The proposed 2009 budget of $579 million will support the work of a staff of 1,258 — 22 vacant positions were eliminated.  The worsening economy has driven up the demand for the department’s services, with dramatic increases in temporary assistance which increased 7% this year as of last month and food program applications which has increase by 20%. State funding for 2009 will be cut by about $6 million, including more than a $2 million cut in the child care block grant.  The department’s budget proposes a tax levy of $295 million, an increase of less than 1%. 

A more aggressive effort this past year increased child support collections by $2 million and a pilot Medicaid fraud program that audited 25 cases revealed about $6 million in as yet uncollected funds.

Click here for an At-A-Glance overview of each department’s proposed budget or visit the home page of the Westchester County Board’s Web site at www.westchesterlegislators.com.

WPCNR The Rushes. Theatre Mini-Review By John F. Bailey. November 22, 2008 UPDATED with Pix:  Get this holiday season’s hot ticket, folks.

 That 1960 history maker – OLIVER! The Lionel Bart  musical  that introduced the concept of turning Charles Dickens works into musicals,  turning Broadway to a new creative direction towards musicals with kids (ANNIE, comes to mind), thrilled the opening night audience at White Plains Performing Arts Center.  It is Luke Yankee’s most miraculous effort yet as a director at WPPAC.  The Man of La Mancha director for WPPAC has produced another “miracle on Main Street.”

 It’s an effort children will love because the kids are the stars!

 and Mr. Yankee and the “Ed Sullivan of White Plains,” producer Jack Batman have succeeded in giving  White Plains and Westchester an OLIVER! with a distinct Disneyesque flavor  where  the villains are just scary enough, and good wins over tragedy.

The Meanie — Mr. Bumble (the scene stealing Roland Rusinek) leading Oliver out of the orphanage for sale, for the sin of asking for more gruel. Oliver gets sold to the ghoulish Mr. Sowerberry at Sowerberry’s Funeral Home, where William Ryall as Sowerberger and wife, Jan Neuberger — perform That’s Your Funeral — a hilarious scene of slapstick and merriment.

After Oliver runs away from the funeral home, he joins up with The Artful Dodger and learns You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two: Fagin (Sidney Burgoyne) center, instructs Oliver (David Gabriel Lerner, to Fagin’s right) in the fine art of nimble fingered-filching, as The Artful Dodger (Jason Edward Cook) looks on (in top hat) as Oliver is inducted into the Fagin gang at Fagin’s hideout. 

Sidney Burgoyne a Mostellish Fagin, the ubiquitous Roland Rusinek as nasty workhouse major domo, Mr. Bumble, a rotund riot,  and William Ryall as the Zacherle-like funeral director and the kindly Dr. Grimwig are portrayed with an edge just scary enough for younger persons. Christian Whelan as the despicable Mr. Sykes is a downright good boogyman. They’re masterful at bringing belief to their characatured Dickensian prototypes..

Your Friendly Neighborhood Master of Thieves, Fagin. Played with Captain Hook-Gaston style by the energetic Mr.  Sidney Burgoyne — delights with his big solos —  Pick A Pocket or Two, Be Back Soon, and the introspectively, cackling,  eyeball-rolling soliloquy, Reviewing the Situation.

Natalie Venetia Belcon(center) as the ill-fated heroine Nancy who comes to Oliver’s rescue, conflicted by her love for nasty Bill Sykes,touched and thrilled the audience with her compelling coloratura style commanding the unrequited lovers’ laments, As Long as He Needs Me and  here, performing I’d Do Anything with The Artful Dodger.

Coming out on Opening Night and simply delighting the audience singing Food Glorious Food was a group of rambunctious, cockney-cracking urchins right out of the London slums of the 1850s lead by the perfect Oliver, David Gabriel Lerner whose sense of timing, mastery of the cockney dialect, and fluent action movements wins hearts and sentiments instantly getting you to root for him.

The ophans living at Mr. Bumble’s workhouse steal the show from the start with Food Glorious Food, complaining about getting nothing but gruel from a Mr. Bumble, who’s so nasty you want to hiss. The boys in the wise guy Brit accents are terrific. So good we’ll name them right here: John P. Geraghty, Christopher Gray, Alex Pasieka, Benjamin Milan-Polisar, Garbriel Rush,  and Noah Silverman.

Then Master Lerner as Oliver singing in perfect, understandle cockney won the opening nighters’ hearts with Where Is Love? Mr. Yankee and Mr. Batman picked the right little hero in Master Lerner.

The sets are swung in and out with smooth ease.  As we go from workhouse to  Mr.  Sowerberry’s brooding funeral parlor to mansion to Fagin’s hideout where all the pickpockets live, the backdrops of 1850s London soar to the proscenium creating the foggy dark Dickensian era – the most creative set yet on the WPPAC Little Theatre on Main Street.

The second act opening featuring Who Will Buy? is strikingly staged. Sellers of roses, strawberries stride through the theatre audience answering Oliver’s song on stage. It’s touching, uplifting and radiates hope. Mr. Yankee has used all of WPPAC in a way that makes the venue come alive with emotion. How Oliver escapes the clutches of Fagin’s gang is realistically created — by Yankee’s exacting fluent direction.

The orchestra directed by Christopher D. Littlefield is madcap Disney laying a musical bed that is evocative and showcases the soloists and the strong voiced ensemble, never overbearing and driving the show with the good nature of a Walt Disney soundtrack.

It’s Broadway every merry note of the way, transporting you to the chock-a-block London of Dickens with fog and “atmosfear.” The costumes of T. Michael Hall are period-perfect (raggamuffin-chic). The lighting of Thom Weaver is subtle and moody, with masterful variety. His creation of the Who Will Buy? scene in Act Two is a work of uplifting lighting art that supports the spellbinding singing performances of the ensemble.

If I were a parent looking for the perfect local entertainment for your family I’d call the box office now at 914-328-1600, or visit the online box office at www.wppac.com. OLIVER! plays the WPPAC through December 14.