FEB 12– GOVERNOR HOCHUL TO PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION: REJECT CON ED 11.4% ELECTRIC RATE INCREASE AND 13.3% HIKE IN NATURAL GAS RATED.

Posted on February 12, 2025 by John Bailey

Directs Department To Audit Employee Salaries At All New York State Utility Companies To Ensure New York Ratepayers Get A Fair Deal

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Governor Kathy Hochul today announced new steps to protect consumers from sky-high utility costs that are making New York less affordable. In a letter to Public Service Commission Chair and Department of Public Service CEO Rory Christian, Governor Hochul calls for the rejection of Con Edison’s proposed rate hike. Governor Hochul also directed the Department of Public Service to conduct a statewide audit of utility company salaries and compensation, to ensure New York ratepayers are getting a fair deal.

“The cost of living is too damn high and New Yorkers need more money in their pockets,” Governor Hochul said. “Of course we need safe, reliable energy sources to power our homes and businesses. But utility companies shouldn’t be jacking up costs unnecessarily – especially if they’re paying their own staff too much.”

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To address the immediate threat of Con Ed’s proposed rate hikes, which would cost New Yorkers hundreds of dollars each year, Governor Hochul today sent a letter to Public Service Commission (PSC) Chair and Department of Public Service (DPS) CEO Rory Christian urging action on behalf of New York consumers.

The Governor called on DPS to act in the best interest of New Yorkers by closely scrutinizing this rate case and rejecting Con Ed’s unconscionable request to increase electricity rates by 11.4 percent and natural gas rates by 13.3 percent.

Governor Hochul also directed DPS to conduct a first-of-its-kind audit of utility management compensation.

The audit will focus on compensation for non-union utility management employees statewide and the results will inform future rate cases to protect New Yorkers from unfair rate hikes.

Numerous recent management and operations audits of large, investor-owned electric and gas utilities have highlighted meaningful concerns with how utilities administer their programs.

For example, in a recent audit of Central Hudson, the auditor concluded their bonus structure rewarded financial performance, but only set reliability and service quality metrics at the bare minimum.

Over the last four years, Governor Hochul has prioritized energy affordability by:

Affordability policy enhancements to expand eligibility in the Energy Affordability Program and creating the Energy Affordability Guarantee, the first-in-the nation pilot program that ensures low-income New Yorkers participating in the EmPower Plus program never pay more than 6 percent of their incomes on electricity and incentivizes them to fully electrify their homes.
Budget appropriations to reduce ratepayer costs of EAP that provides critical utility bill relief to low-income New Yorkers.
Providing arrears forgiveness of more than $1 billion.
State procurements of renewable generation to offset ratepayer costs of developing new clean generation resources
$300 million to create power-ready sites for attracting new businesses through the Promote Opportunity with Electric Readiness for Underdeveloped Properties (POWER UP) Fund.

Governor Hochul has prioritized affordability and helping New Yorkers with the high cost of living. To address rising costs related to home heating, Governor Hochul recently added $35 million to fund the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) which supports low-income New Yorkers who need help paying utility bills; the Governor also signed legislation in 2024 to help senior citizens access this vital program.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) administers the Weatherization Assistance Program which helps HEAP-eligible households reduce energy costs, conserve energy, and improve safety and health standards.

In her 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul prioritized passing an affordability agenda that puts money back in the pockets of middle-class New Yorkers.

Governor Hochul proposed New York’s first-ever Inflation Refund, which would give eligible New Yorkers checks of up to $500.

The Governor is also calling for a tax cut that would reduce rates for middle-class families to the lowest levels in nearly 60 years and proposing a massive expansion of the Child Tax Credit.

AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel said, “By opposing Con Edison’s latest rate hike proposal, Governor Hochul is again standing up for New Yorkers who are struggling simply to pay for their basic living expenses such as rent, food and prescription drugs. That includes the many older New Yorkers living on fixed incomes who can’t afford to have their utility bills go up even higher. New York’s population is aging rapidly, and far too many older adults are already living in poverty. The Governor is prioritizing making New York a more affordable place to live for people of all ages, and we support her in these efforts.”

Community Service Society of New York Senior Director Carrie Tracy said, “We thank Governor Hochul for her strong defense of working families in New York and for opposing the proposed rate hikes, which would be disastrous for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. The Community Service Society of New York has been dedicated to promoting economic opportunity for over 180 years, and we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to building a more equitable city and state.”

Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, “In the last two years alone, we have seen eight double digit utility rate increase requests across New York State, including this most recent one from Con Ed. These rate increases are simply unsustainable for already cash-strapped New Yorkers. I thank Governor Hochul for focusing on utility affordability and I support her call for a compensation audit, increasing transparency and holding utilities accountable to our constituents.”

FEB 12–WHITE PLAINS YOUTH SOCCER COACH CHARGED WITH ALLEDGEDLY KISSING 13 YEAR OLD GIRL

Posted on February 12, 2025 by John Bailey

SUSAN CACACE
WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

The defendant is accused of telling the girl that he likes her and wants to kiss her.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced today that a coach for a White Plains-based youth soccer clinic was arrested Friday and charged with multiple offenses for allegedly kissing a 15-year-old girl and making suggestive comments to her.

Jose Grajales-Giraldo, 44, of Mamaroneck, was subsequently arraigned before White Plains City Court Judge John P. Collins Jr. on two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor, and two counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a class B misdemeanor.

Grajales-Giraldo pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on his own recognizance pending further proceedings. Judge Collins provided a temporary order of protection for the victim.

DA Cacace said:

“Protecting our young residents remains among my highest priorities as Westchester District Attorney. Our office treats offenses against children with the utmost seriousness. We are proud to take a proactive role in the community educating young people to recognize abusive and inappropriate conduct. We urge anyone with further information about this incident to contact our office.”

As alleged in the misdemeanor information, Grajales-Giraldo, a coach for a youth soccer clinic held at Rochambeau Alternative High School, in White Plains, approached a 15-year-old girl at the beginning of soccer practice on Jan. 25, 2025, and kissed her on the cheek. The information further alleges that Grajales-Giraldo kissed the girl again toward the end of practice.

On Feb. 1, the misdemeanor information alleges that Grajales-Giraldo approached the same girl and asked her if she is good at keeping secrets. He then told her, according to the information, that he really likes her and wants to kiss her.

Anyone with further knowledge about Grajales-Giraldo is urged to contact the Westchester District Attorney’s Office at (914) 995-TIPS (8477).

The investigation into this incident was conducted by the White Plains Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mollie O’Rourke of the Special Prosecutions Division.

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FEB 12– SPECIAL ELECTION RECAP

Posted on February 12, 2025 by John Bailey

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2025. By Professor Stephen R. Rolandi February 12, 2025:

By way of comparison —

2021 General Election 2025 Special Election* SR 2025 forecast

Latimer/Jenkins (D) 103,608 62% 57,590 64% 55%

Sculti (R) 62,234 38% 32,956 36% 45%

*unofficial returns

Jenkins ran well in almost every part of the county. Turnout for this special election was remarkable — nearly 100,000 no doubt helped by the early voting option. In my view, the larger turnout increased Jenkins’ margin of victory.

Sculti ran a poor campaign, no TV interviews, no debates, etc.

Posted on February 12, 2025 by John Bailey

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HIS LEGACY TO AMERICAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Posted on February 12, 2025 by John Bailey

**Abraham Lincoln 1860. By Matthew Brady**

Editor’s Note: Stephen R. Rolandi, a frequent contributor to WPCNR.com and White Plains Week published this article in a recent issue of American Society for Public Administration.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization. Republished here with permission of the author. (c) 2021, Stephen R. Rolandi By Stephen R. Rolandi

This being the month of February, many of us celebrate Ground Hog Day (February 2^nd), hoping that spring will soon arrive, as well as Chinese (Lunar) New Year, on February 12^th; and of course, Valentine’s Day on February 14^th.

If you are like me and historically inclined, you might also mark February 12^th as the birthday of our 16^th American President, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). I have had a long and continuous admiration for our 16^th President. I have travelled to Springfield, Illinois to see Lincoln’s law office and home. Many years ago, my late parents gave me a half dollar coin issued by the United States Mint in 1918 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Illinois’ admission to the Union.

This year marks the 212^th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, and I believe it is a fitting time not only to examine his career as the nation’s Chief Executive during the bloodiest war in American history, but also his contributions to public service and impact on American public administration.

Lincoln was not popular in his time; indeed, he was elected in 1860 in a four way race with only 39% of the popular vote. He won re-election in 1864 with the Confederate states that had left the Union in 1861 not participating in that election; and with the support of Union soldiers who voted in overwhelming numbers for him. In addition to preserving the Federal Union during the Civil War, as well as his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln had many accomplishments:

During his administration, the Federal departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs were begun, in an effort to assist farmers (the United States in the mid-19^th century was to a large extent, an agricultural nation), as well as the nation’s veterans starting to return from the Civil War;
Recognizing the importance of education (Lincoln, you recall, had only about one year of formal education, and was largely self-taught and worked as an apprentice before becoming an attorney), the Morrill-Land Grant Act was signed into law to permit the establishment of land grant colleges to teach engineering, military tactics, science and other subjects;
Lincoln recognized that the increasing level of government services would require different funding streams, and during his administration, the Revenue Act of 1862 became law which also established the Office of the Commission of Internal Revenue within the Treasury Department—in time this would lead to the establishment of the progressive income tax system in the United States;
The first steps towards a national banking system and currency in the United States saw fruition with the passage of the National Banking Act of 1863;
He recognized the need to reform the Federal government civil service, and took the first steps in that direction with the 1863 evaluation of the French customs service which recommended competitive examinations. This led ultimately in 1883 with the passage of the Pendleton Act and establishment of the U.S. Civil Service Commission—today known as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Taken together, along with other policy initiatives, many historians consider Lincoln’s Presidency to be the foundation of the modern administrative state. Indeed, it was Leonard D. White who said that,

“Administrative history was primarily the record of war and military government.” We can also see that many domestic and economic sector accomplishments occurred as an outgrowth of the war effort. Lincoln became a paradigm for future chief executives.

Perhaps for me his most important contribution was preserving the principles of constitutional government during a period of one of the gravest crises in American history. Lincoln was cognizant of relating his actions to the spirit and meaning of the Constitution. There are many, many works about Abraham Lincoln’s life, career and Presidency. More books about some aspect of him continue to be published. Some of my favorite books about the career and Presidency of Abraham Lincoln that I would recommend are the following:

Lewis E. Lehrman, “Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point” (2008)
Daniel Farber, “Lincoln’s Constitution” (2003)
Harold Holzer, “Lincoln As I Knew Him” (1999)
Ted Widmer, “Lincoln On the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington” (2020)
Doris Kearns Goodwin, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” (2005)

If I had to recommend a single book on Lincoln, it would probably be Doris Kearn’s work on Lincoln, how he won the Republican party Presidential nomination against more prominent contenders, and how he led his cabinet—consisting nearly of all the Presidential contenders he faced in 1860—during the Civil War.

I should mention that Kearn’s work reportedly influenced Barack Obama when he assumed the Presidency in 2009. Lincoln’s experience as a war time chief executive gives us many perspectives, not only on the role of the executive in decision-making as well as leadership, but also for his lasting contributions towards the institution of the American Presidency and constitutional government.

He is, in my opinion, more relevant than ever today as we as a nation face the perfect storm of crises—the Covid-19 pandemic, a weakened national economy and a distinct threat to our democratic institutions and the rule of law. Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Author: Stephen R. Rolandi “retired” in 2015 after serving with the State and City of New York. He holds BA and MPA degrees from New York University, and studied law at Brooklyn Law School. He teaches public finance and management as an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) and Pace University. Professor Rolandi is a Trustee of NECoPA; President-emeritus of ASPA’s New York Metropolitan Chapter and was Senior National Council Representative. He has also served on many other association boards in New York City, Westchester County (New York State) and Washington, DC. You can reach him at: [email protected] or [email protected]