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

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 22, 2007: Jerry Gorski, President of the White Plains Teachers Union told WPCNR today that the Board of the WPTA has not approved the proposed settlement Memorandum of Understanding yet, but expected them to since the rank-and-file teachers had approved the new 1 year contract “solidly” according to Gorski.

Gorski reports the 3% one year salary increase extends across the board to all levels and step levels (rewarding degrees achieved and degrees presently being sought on the part of teachers). However some payment rates on certain contractual matters will only go up half the negotiated increase or 1-1/2%, and some payments that are stipulated dollar fee amounts will not go up the full 3%, varying between .2% to ½% of the settlement. Individual, Family and Two-Person Plan Teacher payments would be going up across the board, he said. Michele Schoenfeld advised that the Superintendent of Schools would announce the details at Monday evening’s Board of Education meeting.

On the benefits portion of the settlement, teachers will be paying more in dollars  for Individual, 2 person, and Family medical plans. Gorski did not volunteer the exact amounts. He said the teachers union has choice of Swisschip (a consortium of districts that combines purchasing power) and HeathNet, an HMO, and Swisschip has annount a 10-1/2% increase in benefit costs beginning July 1, 2007.

Gorski also said when asked if the one year contract was a result of the teachers and the School District being unable to reach an agreement on a longer contract, said no, that the benefits question was a matter that the union and the school district felt would be better addressed next year, when the union and the district had time to review other possible plans.

Gorski said the union would be looking at other plans due to the increase in the two plans July 1^st. Gorski advised that Copays in the present health plans would be going up substantially, from $15 to $20 for just a doctor’s visit, an emergency room visit would go from zero to $25 and a minimum Copay for a stay in the hospital would be $100, up from zero. Gorski said the future of benefit payments and the teachers’ share of them was something that would “have to play out over the next year,” as new plans were examined.

Asked, what he felt the school district could do to keep the present increase in the budget where it is (4%). Gorski sighed and said “the city and the Board of Education have to get together and help each other out.” The city sharing sales tax with the school district was one way, Gorski, said, saying “I  know it’s a hot potato.” Trimming the budget more would be very difficult,  he said, considering this 2007-2008 budget was “a very lean budget.” He said he saw no way he thought the budget could be cut more.

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007. By John F. Bailey. June 21, 2007: Robert Levine, Robert Stackpole, and Marc Pollitzer, renegade independent candidates for the Common Council opened their assault on the Common Council with a low key stance in delivering an analysis of why the city needs new leadership on the Council.

The three passionate advocates for the future called for ending PILOTS for new proposed developments, protecting zoning, ending sales of city assets to balance the budget, and called for hiring independent consultants to develop a new Comprehensive Plan for the city. They advanced no proposals as to how they would rein in the city budget, manage infrastructure needs brought on by development, and stopped short on declaring a moratorium on development.

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The forum began with homilies by Mike Graessle, former City Commissioner of Planning, detailing controversial planning issues at risk (Ridgeway Country Club, Amodios, how city develops now) and Dr. Saul Yanofsky, former Superintendent of Schools, arguing the city policies on finances, particularly PILOTS are hurting the school district.  The three renegades, then made their cases for the reasons why the public should vote them in and Dennis Power, Benjamin Boykin and Milagros Liquona, their prospective opponents in November out.

An audience of 50 persons, plus Mr. Power, Mr. Boykin, Councilman Tom Roach and Ms. Lecouna observed the dignified presentation which took place after a business meeting of the North Street Civic Association at Ridgeway School.

Levine said “Planning is not a game of darts hitting one place or another with nothing interconnected.”
Levine, a real licensed architect and planner, now retired called the city’s planning process a “privatization of planning,” saying “we have allowed, even encouraged, development initiatives by private developer interests with scarcely any but the most benign official oversight. The type, location, timing, size and appearance of speculative projects are governed primarily by the developers’ requirements…Tell our elected representatives to kick the foxes out of the hen-house. Tell them to stop the privatization of the planning and implementation process now.”

Levine said the 1997 Comprehensive Plan and its “predictably inadequate 2006 update fall short.” He said both plans do not take into account the population shift, health care facilities infrastructure, civic amenities, transportation systems, traffic/parking, new retailing and city school facilities needs. He calls for the city to prepare a Request for Proposals for a ” well-qualified objective planning professionals to assist in the formulation of a new Comprehensive Plan.”

No More Cave Ins on Zoning

Marc Pollitzer, speaking next, called on city zoning to be protected and not changed just because a developer wanted it. Pollitzer cited the example of some councilpersons working to make more city information available to the people, and praised the council for listening to the people and voting down the Exclusivity Agreement requested by Louis Cappelli for his Station Square Development. Mr. Pollitzer did not mention that the council voted it down only after it had been exposed by this reporter that the council had known about the plan for 5 weeks without saying anything about voting It down. Mr. Pollitzer also did not mention the council rush to approve the LCOR project for affordable housing, nor the vote on a trolley system without having read the study recommending it last week.

Cappelli Did Make an Offer for Ridgeway

Mr. Pollitzer, who is a member of Ridgeway Country Club was asked if Louis Cappelli had made an offer to buy that country club. Pollitzer said Cappelli had made the club “a nebulous offer.” Asked afterwards by WPCNR whether the offer had been discussed with the membership at large, Pollitzer said it had not, but he was expecting that it would be. He said he did not have a figure.

Stackpole Shocker 

Robert Stackpole followed and made sharp criticism of the city’s financial position making note that the taxes for one developer, Louis Cappelli on $1 Billion of development in the city should be $12 Million, but as a result of his PILOT payments, the Cappelli developments are paying the city $1,092,265, according to documents from the City of White Plains Finance Department. This brought a gasp from the crowd.

Stackpole warmed to his task, criticising the sale of land for quick fixes, saying that bond rating agencies do not like to see the city balancing its budget by selling assets. Stackpole called for an end to PILOTs, because now the city no longer needs to attract developers with incentives. He also said there is no chance the legislature will approve an Industrial Development Agency for White Plains, because of an ongoing investigation into IDA improprieties in the state. He also noted how difficult it is to get information from the county IDA on valuations of PILOTed properties it owns the assets.

Councilman Benjamin Boykin got up and declared that 221 Main, the Ritz-Carlton development, did not have a PILOT because it was a hotel and condominium.

Mr. Stackpole, a gentleman,  politely did not inform Mr. Boykin that 221 Main is listed on the Top 40 Tax Payers of 2007-2008. provided by the city Finance Department as paying $193,654 in City Taxes. Mr. Stackpole also did not make the point to the audience that PILOTs payments are not equal to taxes the property would pay if it did not have a PILOT, something that has been said falsely by the Mayor and particular Councilpersons, who have said people do not understand PILOTS.

The three said they would be speaking out more on specifics.