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

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2008 By John F. Bailey at Democratic City Committee Headquarters, 120 Bloomingdale Road, September 9, 2008 UPDATED midnight with Board of Election Results: “That’s what we do best is work together,” said John Kirkpatick, newly elected Democratic District leader as jubilant Democrat Leaders celebrated an across-the-Board sweep of 27 of 29 contested Election Districts in the city in Tuesday evening’s rare Democratic City Committee District Leader Primary Election brought about by an effort by some 52 “challengers” seeking to replace longtime incumbent Democratic Leaders.

Democratic City CommitteeeCo-Chair  Liz Shollenberger Posting the Big Numbers

The challengers, mostly sympathetic to Councilman Glen Hockley, lost badly as an estimated 20% of Democratic Registered voters turned out. Benjamin Boykin, City Councilman said of the result to WPCNR, “The Democrats of this City have sent Glen Hockley a message. His run is over.” (It is widely expected that Mr. Hockley will not be renominated to run for Common Council again, or for Mayor, as a result of this challenge he mounted._)

The vote was close in only 4 districts: 15 (from North Street west to Mamaroneck Avenue),16 (Ferris Avenue east to Cottage Place), 20 (Woodcrest Heights)  and 32 (portion of Battle Hill).

Only one Challenger  appeared to have won, Yvonne Taylor, and that was in doubt since she was only leading by one vote pending counting of 3 paper ballots. In the other district, where Challenger John Lanman was tied with District Leader Victoria Presser, a tie is decided by the majority, according to Mr. Sharp, therefore meaning that Lanman, should results hold would most likely be whisked out by the overwhelming majority returned and voted into party office tonight.

Tim Sharp, Co-Chair of the Democratic City Committee attributed the stunning victory to getting the message out: “The key was that people came to understand this was a primary about nothing of any importance. It was all about Glen Hockley only and his ambition.”

Before a jubilant crowd of District Leaders assembled who had come in reporting results from their districts, Elizabeth Schollenberger, Co-Chair complimented Steve Wallfish for first bringing the primary threat to he Democratic Party’s attention and thanked David Buckner for providing the computer expertise and advertising creavity to craft the party’s media campaign that informed the Registered voters.  The crowd included Assemblypersons Adam Bradley and Amy Paulin, State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, Assemblyman George Latimer, Councilpersons Benjamin Boykin, Dennis Power, Milagros Lecuona and Rita Malmud. Mr. Hockley was not present.

As of 10:30 this evening, 27 districts were won outright by Democratic City Committee-endorsed District Leaders with District 20 and District 32 in doubt. Even Glen Hockley, the leader of the “Challenge movement” dubbed by Democratics, the “Republicrats,” alluding to many of the Hockley sympathizers having been former Republicans, went down to defeat by a 3 to 1 margin, losing to Ellen Blauner and Deborah Ziph by a 3 to 1 margin. Democrats gleefully pointed out to WPCNR that Hockley, now no longer a district leader, would not be able to vote in the party’s reorganization meeting next Wednesday, September 17.

Asked about how the now-united Democratic City Committee would go about choosing whom to run against Mayor Joseph Delfino in next year’s Mayoral election with five candidates: Adam Bradley, Bill Ryan, and Councilpersons Benjamin Boykin, Rita Malmud and  Dennis Power obvious contenders, Paul Schwarz said the Nominating Committee as has been custom would make the decision from among those who express an interest in running.

Architects of Hockley’s Last Stand: Tim James and Mrs. James, Liz Shollenberger, Co-Chairs of the Democratic City Committee

The Results as Reported by the Westchester County Board of Elections:

 UNOFFICIAL RESULTS FROM THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS   

*** Indicates Democratic City Committee Leader Candidates.

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. By John F. Bailey. September 5, 2008:  Con Edision has raised the price of electrictiy 65% in eight months. The Consolidated Edison charge per kilowatt hour has hit an all time high in August, rising 21% to 25.4 cents per kilowatt hour for Supply and Delivery charges combined on the typical Westchester bill.

The 25.4 cents is rapidly approaching the 28 cents predicted by the Con Edison media relations department to WPCNR, back in June. August cost  of 25.4 cents  is up from 21 cents a kilowatt hour in July and 19.45 cents in June.

Con Edison told WPCNR last month they had been able to keep the price down in July due to the efforts of their energy buyers, but apparently the runup in oil this summer has taken its toll, Con Edision includes this explanation in the current electric bill for August:

“You’ve heard about rising energy costs. Sharp increases in the cost of oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels have driven up the cost of producing the electricity that Con Edison buys for you and delivers to your home.” Con Edison’s flyer predicts summer 2008 (June-September) bills to be approximately 22% higher than summer 2007.

However, in 8 months, the Con Edison has raised the cost of electricity to Westchester consumers from 15.4 cents per kilowatt hour to 25.4 cents — a 65% increase — substantially higher than the cost runup of oil the last eight weeks.

In