WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From the Gedney Association. April 30, 2021:

April 30, 2021

Members of the Common Council
City of White Plains
255 Main Street
White Plains, New York 10601

Re: 701 Westchester Avenue Rezoning

Dear Members of the Common Council,

At a meeting held in late March the Board of the Gedney Association unanimously voted to firmly oppose the proposed rezoning at 701 Westchester Avenue to permit a 360 unit apartment complex.  The Board of The Gedney Association believes that such apartment use should be restricted to the Downtown area, especially given its current weakened condition. 

We strongly agree with the Old Oaks Association, The North Street Civic Association, the Rosedale Residential Association and our neighbors in Havilands Manor in insisting that this rezoning be rejected.

When these office parks were proposed years ago the surrounding residential neighborhoods were promised that they would be low-rise and generally operate Monday through Friday between 9AM to 5PM and not operate on weekends.  Until the Common Council modified the Comprehensive Plan in recent years the Plan clearly stated that apartment buildings should not be permitted in the outlying parts of the City.  Unlike the office buildings whose tenants come from all over the New York metro area and thus primarily use Westchester Avenue to access I-287, I-684 and the Hutchinson River Parkway the residents of the proposed apartment complex will more frequently utilize local streets such as Bryant Avenue and North Street to access local stores and other services.

This proposal together with 1133 Westchester Avenue would result in approximately 700 new housing units with an estimated additional population of at least 1,200 to 1,400 people.  As you are aware, the south end of the City has one, small firehouse serving the entire area.  Has the City done even the most basic analysis of what these new units plus the thousands of proposed units Downtown would mean in terms of additional costs to City services?

Permitting a rezoning here would ignore the goals of the Comprehensive Plan, which consistently encourages that such development occur downtown. “Residential development in and adjacent to the downtown, unlike the lower density housing in the Close In and Outer Area neighborhoods, should be viewed as part of a coherent economic development strategy”.  This goal is consistent with a letter from the Westchester County Planning Department which also recommended that multi-family buildings be situated Downtown.  We urge the Common Council to adhere to the County recommendation and the residential neighborhoods in the south end of the City and reject this proposal.

Very Truly Yours,

Board of Directors
The Gedney Association

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WPCNR WESTCHESTER LAW JOURNAL. From the Press Office of the Westchester County District Attorney. April 30, 2021:

Westchester District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah today publicly called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD) for pervasive and persistent alleged civil rights violations including unlawful strip searches, excessive use of force, and other misconduct.

“The Westchester District Attorney’s Office is engaged in ongoing criminal investigations of certain individual MVPD police officers,” DA Rocah said. “In the course of those investigations, based largely on publicly available information, we have found disturbing allegations of patterns of inappropriate and potentially unlawful conduct by several former and current members of the MVPD. We have provided information that we gathered in this respect to DOJ.”

“While our criminal investigations of individual officers continue, we are requesting that DOJ scrutinize the MVPD’s operations, training and policies to determine whether the MVPD is systematically violating peoples’ civil rights and, if so, to take action to address these matters,” DA Rocah added.

“Since taking office in January, 2020 my mandate has been transformation and accountability across city agencies including the police department. We are working hard to dismantle systemic issues and reform policing to ensure that our community is a safe place for all,” said Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard. “Our administration referred multiple cases to the District Attorney for review and welcome DA Rocah’s request that DOJ add its resources to identify and address these issues for the benefit of our community.”

DA Rocah said that a DOJ investigation would focus on broader issues of civil rather than criminal law, which do not typically fall under the purview of the DA’s Office. She emphasized that the DA’s Office continues to work with the MVPD to investigate and prosecute crimes in Mount Vernon, and said this ongoing collaboration would continue without disruption during a DOJ investigation.

In March, DA Rocah wrote to MVPD Commissioner of Public Safety Glenn Scott regarding what appeared to be a routine practice of strip searches and body cavity searches of suspects. “My concern arises not from a single, isolated complaint, but from a number of them from 2012-20, making similar allegations of certain police officers illegally or inappropriately conducting these highly invasive searches without the high legal and/or factual predicate thresholds having been satisfied,” DA Rocah stated in the letter.

Since taking office in January, DA Rocah has greatly increased the focus of the Westchester DA’s Office on all forms of public corruption, including police misconduct. “All Westchester residents need to have confidence that they will be treated fairly and equitably. Public trust in our criminal justice system is critical to public safety and we must strengthen that confidence through any tools available to us.” 

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Westchester County Parks are Beginning to Reopen for the 2021 Season From Westchester County Chairman of the Board of Legislators, Benjamin Boykin Beginning Memorial Day: Playland Beach will be open during weekends through June 25th will be open seven days a week after June 25th Croton Point Beach will be open during weekends through June 25th will be open Wednesday-Saturday after June 25th Beginning June 25: Saxon Woods, Tibbets Brook, and Wilson Woods Parks will be open seven days a week Playland Park will reopen to the public beginning June 26th, and will be open as follows: Wednesday to Sunday between 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm The 2021 summer season will run from June 25th to Labor Day Park reservations are recommended the day of, as park capacity will be 25% Please note that Playland Pool will be closed for renovation until Summer 2022 Please forward this E-News to family and friends who may be interested in this information.  en Español Los parques del condado de Westchester están comenzando a reabrir para la temporada 2021A partir del lunes 31 de mayo, Día de la Conmemoración (en inglés Memorial Day):La playa de Playlandestará abierto durante los fines de semana hasta el 25 de junioestará abierto los siete días de la semana después del 25 de junioPlaya de Croton Pointestará abierto durante los fines de semana hasta el 25 de junioestará abierto de miércoles a sábado después del 25 de junioA partir del 25 de junio:Los parques de Saxon Woods, Tibbets Brook y Wilson Woods estarán abiertos los siete días de la semanaEl parque de Playland volverá a abrir al público a partir del 26 de junio y estará abierto de la siguiente manera:De miércoles a domingo de 12:00 p.m. a 4:00 p.m. y de 5:00 p.m. a 9:00 p.m.La temporada de verano de 2021 se extenderá desde el 25 de junio hasta el lunes, 6 de septiembre, Día del Trabajo (en inglés Labor Day)Se recomienda hacer reservaciones para el parque el día de que asistirá, ya que la capacidad del parque será del 25%Tenga en cuenta que la piscina de Playland permanecerá cerrada para renovaciones hasta el verano de 2022Envíe estas noticias electrónicas a familiares y amigos que puedan estar interesados ​​en esta información.

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WPCNR LAW JOURNAL. From the National Rife Association. April 26, 2021:

 The U.S. Supreme Court announced today it will hear an NRA-backed case challenging New York’s restrictive concealed-carry-licensing regime. This sets the stage for the Supreme Court to affirm what most states already hold as true, that there is an individual right to self-defense outside of the home.

This case challenges New York’s requirement that applicants demonstrate “proper cause” to carry a firearm. New York regularly uses this requirement to deny applicants the right to carry a firearm outside of their home. The NRA believes that law-abiding citizens should not be required to prove they are in peril to receive the government’s permission to exercise this constitutionally protected right.

Speaking on the Court’s decision, Jason Ouimet, executive director of NRA-ILA said, “The court rarely takes Second Amendment cases. Now it’s decided to hear one of the most critical Second Amendment issues. We’re confident that the court will tell New York and the other states that our Second Amendment right to defend ourselves is fundamental, and doesn’t vanish when we leave our homes.”

In addition to ruling on this statute, this case will give the Supreme Court the opportunity to clarify the precedent that it has created surrounding the Second Amendment. It has been over a decade since the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to have a handgun in the home for self-defense in District of Columbia v. Heller. In 2010, the court also ruled that the Second Amendment is a fundamental right that applies to the states in McDonald v. City of Chicago.

It is hard to overstate how important this case is. The decision will affect the laws in many states that currently restrict carrying a firearm outside of the home. NRA-ILA is working hard to defend your constitutional rights and is prepared to argue this case in order to protect the rights of Americans everywhere.

The case is called New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2021. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. April 25, 2021:

She will be the first woman to run for Westchester County Executive.

She could be a challenging opponent to incumbent County Executive George Latimer.

She is Christine Sculti, former assistant to County Executive Robert Astorino. Her biography from the Saint Pio Foundation where she currently serves the non-profit philanthropic organization that raises funds for health organizatons presents the potential for her delivering compelling arguments. Here is the Saint Pio profile of Ms. Schulti:

Christine Sculti is a highly skilled professional with extensive experience in government and the private sector.
As Chief Advisor to the County Executive, Christine was the highest-ranking woman in County Executive Robert P. Astorino’s administration, which cut taxes and kept spending flat for eight years. She has also served as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Westchester County Taxi & Limousine Commission, as Assistant to the Mayor of Yonkers, spearheading a 1.5 billion dollar redevelopment project, and in economic development for New York State as Mid-Hudson Regional Director. She currently works as Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of the Westchester County Board of Elections.

As Vice President of a family-owned business and a corporate business development manager for an international business, Christine knows the importance of business-friendly policies that reduce regulations and keep taxes low in order that businesses can thrive and create jobs. She faced adversity when she was present for the bombing of the family’s satellite office at the World Trade Center in 1993. Her experience during that traumatic terrorist attack led her to embrace public service.

A Westchester resident since the age four when her family moved to Hartsdale, Christine graduated from Fordham University. Dedicated to community service, she served on the Hudson River Valley Greenway Board, Harrison Board of Assessors, Rye City Rotary Club, Yonkers Downtown W aterfront Development Corp. and the Mamaroneck Village Tree Committee.Currently, she is the Vice Chair of the Saint Pio Foundation.

Her wealth of experience appears to demonstrate a background of community-government interaction that could match Mr. Latimer.

He is a tough seasoned campaigner. He’s a skilled debater with a gift for rational, avuncular gravitas who has decimated previous opponents he defeated by skillful demonstrations in debates that brought out opponents’ lack of knowledge of county and state procedures.

Mr. Latimer’s “inside baseball” knowledge he uncannily remembers adlib in debates across his 30 years in government elective office impresses . He has used “inside baseball” to great success using facts and situational awareness to portray skillfully opponents’ experience, or lack of experience, as the wrong choice. and he– the right choice with facts, facts, facts which put opponents in the very defensive position of “not knowing” the facts.

Latimer has faced women before in previous challenges, but not as County Executive where he has been the man who charts policy and makes decisions. He is also been highly promotive of women’s issues. He cannot attack Ms. Sculti viciously. He cannot mock her as he did with Mr. Astorino, or attack her lack of government experience because she appears to have it.

However, Ms. Sculti is left with little issues to attack Latimer on in view of the bailout the American Recovery Act has supplied to eliminate losses from Covid and previous Democratic Legislators’ inability to count and multiply when they do county budgets, let alone forecast responsibly.

Whether the Astorino policy of not raising taxes which was Mr. Astorino’s only issue, still resonates is doubtful. People want their Westchester back better than before.

Ms. Sculti should not follow the advice of Republican experts as to what are the issues. Republicans in Westchester do not want to win elections. They do not fund their candidates enough. They cooperate with the Democrats by nominating weak candidates. Worst is that no Republican leaders elected or political pundits speakout regularly on issues before the county or decisions and policies with any kind of criticism or alternative solutions to what the county has decided. You never hear any positive solutions for the future from Republican policy people, because there appears to be no county Republican policy enthusiasts who care.

Ms. Sculti should not be seduced by Republican election experts who banked on Mr. Astorino’s tax holding the line policy as solely enough to defeat Latimer who exploited Astorino’s lawsuit against HUD as a Quixote-like policy which it was.

Mr. Latimer also had a way of selling Westchester on increasing funds for non-profits that it was time. It was a kindly message of compassion during first year of the Trump Terror of creating new regressive policies that hurt, never healed, hated, never loved, and killed and did not save, and enriched the few and impoverished the many. This should be instructive to Ms. Sculti.

Ms. Sculti should focus on a campaign that even if she is not elected will give Mr. Latimer a road map for the next four years, not a return to the “do nothing because we cannot afford it” Spano-Astorino County Executiving.

Ms. Sculti should challenge Mr. Latimer on how to use the excess funds that will be generated the rest of this year by Covid relief and new economic activity in the county. (Sales Tax receipts for the county were up 18% in March and 3 and a half per cent in the city of White Plains).

She needs to challenge Mr. Latimer on bringing in new businesses to the county. Getting the airport more convenient to business, despite Greenwich blocking every effort to expand air traffc. An aggressive air traffic pattern shifting approaches to the airport from the West has been suggested by experienced pilots as the way to handle more traffic without disturbing the gentry from Greenwich living near the airport.

Ms. Sculti should aim to target issues that hurt women: sex trafficking, sex harrassment in organizations, illegal, unsafe housing. With the new Westchester District Attorney , Mimi Rocah that is a natural issue.

Ms. Sculti’s tax focus should be on property taxes in local communities and how they can be equitable and I do not mean revaluing–a disaster–just ask The Town of Greenburgh.

One avenue I would not attack is the Latimer response to the Corona Virus.

In the last three days we continue to see Covid infections decline–1.9% infection rate Thursday, and 2% on Friday — and Saturday a 1.5% infection rate on 10,000 persons tested. The spread of corona virus vaccines is turning back the covid tied for the last 24 days. with just 150 infections Saturday.

There is no guarantee strict enforcement of covid masking, social distrancing and restaurant restrictions would have stopped the spread since enforcement it was not done by county or municipalities. Criticizing past performance can be easily deflected by Mr. Latimer. It cannot be redone. Handing health coordination better in the future is definitely an issue and more explicit information on health issues however that people can understand is;

Ms. Sculti should self-fund. She cannot depend on the Republican Party to spend in the dollars necessary to mount an awareness grassroots funding and media campaign and an interactive media presence as strong as the County Executive has. She has to look big and just as smart as Latimer in the ability to organize and persuade

Ms. Sculti needs to build on the public desire to come back to what Westchester once was.

She needs to create a sloganary vision to crystallize and speak to that fervent desire of her electorate—I suggest a slogan like

” Sculti — “What Westchester Wants”

HEALTH HAPPINESS RESPECT: A FUTURE NOT THE PAST.

Mr. Latimer is a formidable adversary.

Mr. Latimer is riding a wave where he appears to do no wrong in the eyes of the electorate,. Even when matters he supports did not work out, he rationalizes the unintended results as still positive for the county. This self-deprecating talent is very effective when matters do not work out to his administration satisfaction.

But he does accept responsibility for it and does not throw colleagues under the bus for the mistakes. This is very acceptable to the Westchester public. He has also cultivated strong support from the minority communities in Westchester.

Attacking past performance on Mr. Latimer does not work you have to attack with a different future. The Spano slogan of “Government that works for Westchester Families” promises more of the same.

The Latimer ability to portray confidence, thoughtfulness, and concern for people, that he “cares” more, delivered in a folksy, conversational patter of a trusted oldtime sportscaster is compelling. He charms male and female voter alike, inspires confidence and trust.

His daily dominance in the year of the coronavirus, and even before covid the first two years of his administration, made him a daily talk show second only to Governor Cuomo in the unofficial ratings.

It is not just broadcast and cable tv news outlets he dominated. He expanded the reach of the Westchester County website with full rebroadcasts on the county website; he used social media outlets, Facebook for example with daily videocasts of his counted-on news conferences on events around the county, covid briefings and Latimer Chats with county and local officials and experts.

Those are the skill sets Mr. Latimer has that Ms. Sculti will have to demonstrate that she also has, but can do better.

He is literally the “Latimer News Network..”

Ms. Sculti needs to be the “Sculti Westchester Network”