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WPCNR CITY HALL TICKER. From The Mayor’s Office. October 1, 2007: At the conclusion of the Common Council meeting this evening, The Mayor’s office released a statement on the Common Council vote of 5-2 to table the half percent sales tax home rule request on the evening agenda.  In the statement on the sales tax, the Mayor defends the city’s development as productive, and says provisions of the Taylor Act prevent him from making specific projections of the 2008-2009 budget concerning expected wage and benefit increases. The Mayor also accused the Council of playing politics by not allowing the issue to be discussed in public.

Mayor Joseph Delfino. July, 2007.

The statement on the Sales Tax released to night from Mayor Joseph Delfino follows:

Tonight, once again, I was extremely disappointed by the technical maneuvers taken by President Malmud and the four other democrats to quash public discussion of this most important issue.

 

·       How ironic it is that two of these democrats Boykin and Power run their reelection campaigns on platforms professing to be for “Open Government.”

 

·       Many members of the public were once again disappointed by the political machinations.

·       I believe we should  have decided tonight to send a unified message to our State representatives in favor of this proposal. I am confident that, hearing a unified message from this body, that our representatives will then do the right thing and fight in Albany for its adoption.

 

·       To see where we are going, let’s look at where we have been.  The last five years have been very good ones, in terms of building for the future and maintaining a stable tax base. 

 

·       Without the new development, this City would surely be in dire straights as I’ve witnessed many others in throughout this state.

 

·       In the six major projects that the City has undertaken, Bank Street, the Ritz Carlton, City Center, the Jefferson Condominiums and Fortunoff,  where new development replaced either vacant stores or vacant land, the total tax revenues, which includes PILOT payments, increased from  $1.8 million to nearly $12 million in total.  The School District alone receives nearly $8 million of this new revenue and the County receives $1.6 million.  The City portion from these projects has increased from $360,000 to more than $2.3 million today. 

 

·       I shudder to think of what the taxpayers would have paid if it were not for our aggressive redevelopment plan.

 

·       But that has been off-set by record increases in tax certiores, which alone last year exceeded our budget by more than $2 million. 

 

·       In addition, White Plains has seen a declining assessment role because the City still does not have its own IDA and because the equalization rate set by the state continues to decline.  And the City has experienced enormous increases in the cost of fuel and energy.

 

·       In a City of 53,000 residents which, during the day, services between 250,000 and 300,000 visitors, it only makes sense to balance our tax burden in order to provide property tax relief to our residents.

 

·       IRS analysis has proven that 90% of the more than $10 million that this one half of one cent increase would produce will come from people who live outside the City of White Plains.

·       That $10 million is equivalent to a 30% property tax increase.

 

·       Some would say that providing a five year outlook is not unreasonable. It’s done in business all the time.  But they don’t understand the difference between what is allowed in the private sector versus what is mandated in municipal finance and governance.

 

·       75% of our budget is comprised of salaries, the majority of which is union labor, and they do a tremendous job. 

 

·       I am,as Mayor, charged with the responsibility of negotiating with our unions.  And I will not, in any way, do anything that might invoke possible Taylor Act implications – the law that governs municipal officials with regard to negotiations with labor unions.

 

·       And I will not predict gloom and doom forecasts that could affect the City’s standing with regard to our Bond Rating or position in financial markets.

 

·       Some would say, just pick a number, 3% or 4% for wage and benefit increases in order to just throw out a projection.  I won’t – because it’s irresponsible, possibly a violation of the Taylor Act and meaningless to do so anyway.  An arbitrary number is of no use to anyone.

 

·       You’ve been here the last five years.  You’ve all worked hard on our budgets and I believe we’ve been very successful.  You and I have both endured the annual criticisms of the use of one shots, the sale of city owned land and other ways we’ve had to struggle to close budget deficits.  You must know that the next five years will be every bit as challenging.

 

·       I want our residents to be the beneficiaries our City’s renaissance.. The half percent sales tax increase will ensure that our residents will receive property tax relief in the amount of at least $10 million annually if we do so.

 

 

WPCNR Record Review Board by  Big Melvin Mead of  Your Sunday Night Rock N Roll Party. October 1, 2007: Suzi The K’s  (K for Katz) Swinging Soiree brought the children of the 60s –  old, young and just born – swarming into Tarrytown Sunday night, turning the Westchester’s treasure of a Theater, the Tarrytown Music Hall into a time machine. A milling, good-natured, packed house grooved, weaved, frugged, and sang along with The Lovin Spoonful and The Grassroots. The icon groups  dazzled practicing hippies, yuppies, peaceniks,  and hipsters in the Westco Productions premier new  Gold Star Series bringing the legendary performers of  our lives to Westchester audiences.

The Spoonful thrilled the crowd with their hits that just kept on coming, beginning with “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” that got you shifting your shoulders. Photos, Courtesy Westco Productions.

The Grassroots Get The Crowd Up Into the Aisles with Midnight Confessions.

Back were the ripping thrilling guitar riffs from the legends, Steve Boone and Jerry Yester with  the infectious rocking and rolling  Joe Butler — who just has to dance — vocalizing and tambourining and mandolining just having too much fun, backed by the thundering, driving drums of Mike Arturi that echoed out onto Main Street.  

Arturi pounded out a 10-minute drum solo in midshow that was awesome making those skins talk – like a train picking up steam, conjuring lusty tempting rat-a-tat-tat beat with a symbol bed that fascinated and commanded  – by far one of the most amazing drummers I’ve ever heard and a sequence to be seen to be believed.  He’s easily the best drummer since Charlie Watts. And Arturi has played with the best of them on Dick Clark’s Rock and Roll Revival Shows.  Boone’s and Yester’s guitar beats solos and gutbass thrilled the soul, making those guitars sing. It was sensory overload for an old rock and roller.

Spoonful drummer Mike Arturi’s take-no-prisoners backbeats hit those skins so hard, that Grassroots drummer Joe Daugherty had to have a snare stand replaced! That’s how great the big beat was. Today’s drums can’t take the punishment of true pounders like Arturi and Dougherty. Arturi  of the Spoonful and Joe Dougherty of  The Grassroots really know how to laydown a backbeat.

Westco and White Plains’ Own Susan Katz, “Suzie The K” backstage with The Lovin Spoonful, left to right Drummer Mike Arturi, Joe Butler, Jerry Yester and Phil Smith. Interestingly Joe Butler and Ms. Katz’s husband, Peter Katz both graduated from Great Neck High School.  Below Suzi the K clowns with  The Grassroots, left to right, Keyboardist Larry Nelson, Rob Grill, Suzi The K, Drummer Joe Dougherty, and guitarist Dusty Hauvey. Dusty punctuates Rob Grill’s hysterical one-liners during the show with a great Black Power salute.

 

The two groups mastered their hits — sounding better than the original records —  not losing anything to 40 years on the road were brought together as the premier rock and roll doubleheader concert of the new Westco Productions fall season. Westco brought these consistent hit-after-hit-makers of the 60s, into  the 843-seat  122-year old venue that has hosted the Foys, Al Jolson, the  Cohans and icons of entertainment but it’s never rocked like this. The guitars and solid beats (unheard in today’s music) got into the audiences’ blood  and bodies and made them feel like they used to feel all over again.

One thing the music of  the Lovin Spoonful and the Grassroots did on the top 40 radio of 50 years ago was it was music you related to. The sung in perfect pitch to the young person’s anxieties, feelings, and desperation in the songs they wrote and how they sang them, while their instrumentation made you want to move. And they were especially great live. The audience moved again Sunday night! They sang along, filled in on choruses — it was a love-in!

The TMH was transformed into a reincarnation of the Fillmore East.  Audience heads were bobbing, hands clapping, jean-clad women with those elliptical metal chain belts were back! The bodies were weaving in the aisles – shoulders shifting.  At the he bring-down-the-house conclusion of the Grassroots set, a group of what had to be former Shindig dancers were frugging and monkeying  in the wings of the balcony – including The Man in the Red Nehru Suit dancing in front of the stage.

 

The Return of The Man in the Red Nehru Suit!

The Spoonful have so many hits to remember and backed by the bodylifting percussion of Arturi they lift you out of your seat. A moving moment was a tribute to the troops stationed in Iraq and an ode to the Vietnam veterans when they sang “Be Home Soon.”  They concluded the show with their sigmature song, “Do You Believe in Magic?” and cruised on out with their encore, a new song called Freeboys — get it! “Freeboys” has monster guitar riffs in it that are just made for cruising down the highway!

After a 30-minute break, the audience was lured back in by The Grassroots’  60s group. These guys Larry Nelson, Dusty Harvey and drummer Joe Dougherty and Rob Grill ambled informally on stage, plucked a few notes and eased into a psychedelically inspired warmup interlude, subtlely raising the audience’s expectations with a most unusual flight into imagination. When Larry Nelson, the Roots keyboard specialist announced, “Now from Los Angeles, recording artists, TheGrassroots” Man it was perfect! The audience was ready.  Bam! They launched into an instantly recognizable hit. In between songs lead singer Rob Grill showed a gift for standup comedy with a series of 60s jokes, spins on masculinity – (occasionally all men feel compelled to utter the assertive epithet “Arrghhh,” ).

 

Rob Grill, Grassroots, 1968

Rob Grill lead singer of The Grassroots Today. With the group since the late 1960s, he’s still rockin at the top of his game/The Roots played hits I had not heard in years: “Where Were You When I Needed You?” and “Temptation Eyes. “  They brought back those romantic heartbreaks that are with us always. Why were the Roots songs hits? They sang to your experience and soothed wounds saying it was OK to feel that way.

Both groups seemed genuinely thrilled with their reception by the lovin’ crowd. Tarrytown police stationed outside the Music Hall reported the drumming and the music filled the street but could not confirm the old Music Hall was actually moving. It was moving inside, though I guarantee.

The rock doubleheader concept filled the hall and attracted fans of both bands. Westchester can look forward to more of the Westco Gold Star series from Producer Susan Katz.  Next up is The Kingston Trio at Irvington Town Hall October 27, followed on November 17 by another Susie the K Rock and Roll Doubleheader featuring Gary Puckett and The Union Gap and The Association. In the Spring The New Christy Minstrels, The Lettermen and Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals For more, browse www.westcoproductins.org.

Gold Star Series is a pick to click because they give you a great beat,  great songs and you can dance to it.

We await White Plains Suzi the K’s next Swingin’ Soiree! 

By the way, the Tarrytown Music Hall is an example of how historic buildings can be revived and become a center for a community. Once planned to be torn down for a parking lot, a community group, Friends of Tarrytown Music Hall purchased it and has saved this acoustic masterpiece. The friends are presently working towards a historic structures report and a master plan for the entire restoration and expansion of the Music Hall what will include paint and seat restoration and improved public and backstage amenities. For more information on how you can be a part of the theater restoration project or how you can sponsor a series of programs in music, dance, and drama, please call (914) 631-3390, or email [email protected].