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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. News and Comment. By Stephen J. Rolandi. March 4, 2021:
(Professor Rolandi served in the administrations of Governors David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo from 2008-13 as Deputy Commissioner, New York State Division of Human Rights. A political scientist, he is an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Pace University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of his current/former employers).
Governor Cuomo continues to be under fire, despite his seemingly contrite appearance in yesterday afternoon’s press conference. He faces serious allegations on three fronts – sexual harassment of young women in his circles; verbal threats/harassment against other state officials; and Federal investigation into alleged mishandling of the reporting of COVID-19 data in nursing homes.
The crisis has raised a number of legal, political, administrative and constitutional issues. It comes at a time when the state faces a $ 15 billion budget gap next year (the fiscal year begins on 4/1/21); a severe economic and budgetary situation in New York City; 2022 redistricting; police reform; continuing efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.
The decision to begin an independent legal investigation by the State Attorney General was prudent, given that the state ethics board (JCOPE) and the legislature would be conflicted to launch their own investigation. Also conflicted would have been a new investigatory Moreland Commission (which only the Governor can initiate).
It is interesting to note that many establishment Democratic elected officials in New York have declined to call for his resignation. Indeed, most governors in the National Governors Association (NGA) have also declined to call on Cuomo to step down as NGA Chairman.
If Governor Cuomo is forced to resign, which in my view does not appear imminent unless there are new allegations, accusations, etc., he would be succeeded by the current Lt. Governor, Kathy C. Hochul.
Ms. Hochul previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was County Clerk of Erie County (Buffalo, NY); earlier in her career, she served as a legislative aide to the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (note: the State Constitution permits the Lt. Governor to serve as “acting governor” if the Governor is disabled or is away during a prolonged absence from the state).
If she becomes Governor, I believe she would be permitted to appoint a new Lt. Governor, as did Governor David Paterson in 2009 when he appointed Richard Ravitch as Lt. Governor. This action was upheld by the NYS Court of Appeals in the 2009 case of Paterson v. Skelos.
Governor Cuomo has generally compiled a strong record of accomplishments since taking office in 2011. Whatever the outcome of the pending investigations and legal processes, I believe that he will ultimately not seek a fourth term next year, thus setting up what is likely to be a wide-open contest in both parties for the statehouse. Time will tell.
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Join us on Sunday, March 21, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. for a conversation with Mara Gay, a New York Times Editorial Board member who writes about politics and New York. She’s also an MSNBC political analyst, appearing regularly to discuss national politics. Mara’s journalism career began at White Plains High School, where she served as editor-in-chief for The Orange.
Mara will be interviewed by Bill Falk, editor-in-chief of The Week, a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. Previously he worked at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes. Bill has been a resident of White Plains since 1992.
He’ll be talking with Mara Gay about what it’s like working as a journalist today including topics such as reporting during a pandemic, fake news, and sharing opinions in a polarized political climate.
Click here to register. For more on the event, click here.
This program is sponsored by the White Plains Library Foundation.
Take care,
Brian Kenney
Library Director
bkenney@whiteplainslibrary.org
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Dr. Joseph Ricca, White Plains Superintendent of Schools. March 3, 2021 UPDATED 1:45 PM EST:
On behalf of the Board of Education and our educational community, please accept my thanks and appreciation for all that you have done, and are doing, to move toward safely returning our students to school five days a week.
This is truly a celebratory moment for our community. Having access to the vaccine and situating our facilities appropriately to welcome our students back, has put us in an outstanding position to begin phasing our children back into school this month.
UPDATE 11:55 AM EST: At this morning’s Reopening Committee meeting, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS DR. JOSEPH RICCA REPORTS the committee HAS APPROVED phasing schedule below. With the Committee’s support, we are preparing to move forward as outlined. Please consider reviewing our Reopening Committee work and progress here. (COMPLETE VIDEO, 1 HOUR 3 MINUTES)
Monday, March 22 – Kindergarten, Ninth Grade, and Twelfth Grade Return to School for Five Days
Monday, April 5 – First Grade, Second Grade, Sixth Grade, and Seventh Grade Return to School for Five Days
Monday, April 12 – Third Grade, Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, Eighth Grade, Tenth Grade, and Eleventh Grade Return to School for Five Days
The phasing schedule and additional information will be shared with our parent/guardian community this Friday.
Moving forward, we will be sharing information with our community at the building and district level and we are always available to answer any questions you may have.
Again – thank you for all of your hard work. This is a major step forward for our community and we know that our children will be thrilled (even if they don’t show it) to begin to recapture a sense of normalcy and structure with our return to school five days a week.
Have a great day, stay well, and stay #WPProud.
Respectfully,
Joseph Ricca
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BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTION DATES SET
The Annual White Plains Board of Education Budget Vote and Election will take place on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, Noon to 9 P.M., at six voting districts. Three Board seats will be up for election, each with a three-year term of office, beginning July 1, 2021.
Candidates must be United States citizens, 18 years of age or more and residents of White Plains for at least one year. Petitions are available from Michele Schoenfeld, District Clerk, at 5 Homeside Lane. They must be signed by 100 qualified voters and returned by April 28th.
Registration, for qualified voters new to the City, or those who are not registered to vote in general elections, will take place on Saturday, May 1st, Noon to 5 P.M., at Mamaroneck Avenue School, Nosband Avenue. A resident who has moved within White Plains during the last year may also change his/her voting address at that time.
Absentee ballot applications may be requested from the District Clerk, due to absence from the city on election day, temporary or permanent illness or physical disability, or potential for contraction of the virus that causes COVID-19, among other reasons.
For further information, please call 422-2071.
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WPCNR VACCINATION REPORT. From The New York State Vaccine Tracker. March 1, 2021:
Last night’s vaccine tracker reported Westchester County has now 9.9% of its 967,612 population fully vaccinated with two shots of either the Pfizer vaccine or the Moderna medication. Presently, the county reports as of Monday night that 16.6 % of the population has received at least one dose. a total of 12,841 persons received their second shot in a week.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT announced this morning at 11 A.M., that 9,840 does of vaccines would be distributed to the county to the following locations: (click on the highlighted names to see locations.)
Vaccine allocation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Westchester County Department of Health | LHD | 2500 |
| Sunlight Pharmacy | Pharmacy | 200 |
| SHP Westchester LLC | Pharmacy | 600 |
| Allcare Health Pharmacy LLC | Pharmacy | 300 |
| Grassy Sprain Pharmacy | Pharmacy | 200 |
| GSP Longterm Care Inc. | Pharmacy | 200 |
| Hudson Pharmacy & Surgical | Pharmacy | 200 |
| Taconic Pharmacy Inc. | Pharmacy | 200 |
| Rye Beach Pharmacy, Inc. | Pharmacy | 100 |
| Trotta’s West Street Pharmacy Inc. | Pharmacy | 200 |
| Larchmont Pharmacy LLC | Pharmacy | 200 |
| Le-Mac Pharmacy | Pharmacy | 200 |
| HealthSmart Pharmacy | Pharmacy | 100 |
| Ahma Rx | Pharmacy | 400 |
| Walgreens 15212 | Pharmacy | 100 |
| Walgreens 9866 | Pharmacy | 100 |
| Walgreens 11291 | Pharmacy | 100 |
| Walgreens 02758 | Pharmacy | 100 |
| Save Mor Drugs | Pharmacy | 800 |
| New Rochelle Prescription Center | Pharmacy | 400 |
| Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. | FQHC | 100 |
| Greenburgh Health Center | FQHC | 100 |
| Northern Westchester Hospital | Hospital | 1170 |
| Phelps Memorial Hospital Association | Hospital | 1170 |
| Andrus Pavilion | Hospital | 100 |
So far we have no report from the county how many shots of the Johnson & Johnson one Vaccine will be received by Westchester County this month. It is unclear whether persons scheduled for first doses will innoculated with a share of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine, which accelerate Westchester’s fully vaccinated cohort.
This was not made clear in the Governor’s report earlier this evening announcing 164,812 doses of the Johnson & Johnson product would be arriving in New York this week.
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| March 1, 2021. One year ago today, New York confirmed our first case of the novel coronavirus, and the uncharted pandemic of COVID-19 began for New Yorkers. We’ve faced great pain and loss over the last 365 days, but there’s reason to be hopeful for the future. Today, the New York State Clinical Advisory Task Force unanimously recommended the use of the Janssen Pharmaceuticals/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine has less restrictive storage requirements that will make it easier for the state to reach more New Yorkers, faster. We expect to receive approximately 164,800 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. There’s a lot of work ahead, but with this vaccine’s approval—the third one—we have cause for optimism as we move forward to a post-COVID future. 1. COVID hospitalizations rose slightly to 5,307. Of the 174,158 tests reported yesterday, 6,235, or 3.58 percent, were positive. There were 1,065 patients in ICU yesterday, down 18 from the previous day. Of them, 741 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 80 New Yorkers to the virus. 2. As of 11am today, 92 percent of first doses allocated to the state have been administered. This represents 2,954,858 first doses administered of the 3,206,430 first dose allocations received from the federal government. So far, 4,583,616 total doses have been administered out of the 5,229,950 total doses received. See data by region and county on the State’s Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker. 3. Starting today, hotel workers are now eligible for the COVID vaccine. Given the overall increase to the State’s supply and the essential health care service that these hotel workers provide, we are granting localities the flexibility to add hotel workers to the 1B vaccine prioritization group. Hotel workers can schedule an appointment through the State’s Am I Eligible Tool or call the New York State COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829). 4. Appointments still available at mass vaccination sites in Brooklyn and Queens. Over the weekend, appointments opened up to all eligible New Yorkers who live in Brooklyn or Queens. Eligible Brooklyn residents can make a vaccination appointment at the Medgar Evers College site; eligible Queens residents can schedule a vaccination appointment at the York College site. If you are eligible and live in Brooklyn or Queens, get vaccinated. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo |
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Winds becoming strong; a snow shower early, partly cloudy, colder; watch for icy spots L OW 19. Tomorrow, Colder, Sunny Windy High 34.
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The White Plains Police Reform Committee has released its report for public comment. View the report here: White Plains Police Reform Committee Draft Final Report (note that the report is lengthy and takes some time to load). (66 Pages)
Comments on the report will be accepted through Saturday March 6, 2021. Submit comments via email at: policereform@whiteplainsny.gov or by calling (914) 422-1313.
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(Albany, NY) The Senate Democratic Majority today advanced legislation to stand up for workers in New York State.
This package will enact the “NY Hero Act” sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, which requires the creation of health and safety standards for COVID-19 and other airborne infectious diseases in the workplace guaranteeing a greater employee voice in the workplace.
This package also includes legislation to encourage employer use of shared work programs to avoid layoffs and legislation to increase the amount of shared work benefits to the maximum allowed by federal law. In addition, these bills will promote career paths into healthcare, permit employee time off for vaccinations to be administered, and grant an enhanced death benefit to families of deceased public employees.
“To address the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, we must protect and support a strong workforce,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “Workers across the state have shown incredible selflessness and perseverance throughout the pandemic, and this legislation is a step in recognizing and addressing their sacrifices. I commend my colleagues in the Senate Majority for sponsoring this legislation that will have a positive impact on so many hardworking New Yorkers.”
The legislation passed by the Senate Majority includes: