WPCNR SOUTHENDER. By John F. Bailey. June 28, 2004: During Mayor Joseph Delfino’s unofficial kickoff of his 2005 Reelection Campaign at a joint meeting of the Highlands and Soundview Avenue neighborhood associations, County Legislator William Ryan was to be observed listening carefully to Mayor Delfino’s 45-minute monologue on the state of the city.
COUNTY LEGISLATOR BILL RYAN, works crowd at Mike Graessle’s Public Appearance, May 27. The Legislator has been sampling public concerns about White Plains. Mr. Ryan attended the Evening with The Mayor at Highlands Middle School two weeks ago and afterwards WPCNR asked his impressions. Photo by WPCNR News
WPCNR asked Ryan what he thought of the Mayor’s spirited defense of the city’s downtown redevelopment.
Ryan said, “The County Government was a valuable part of it (the White Plains Renaissance), the Industrial Development Agency and the efforts of Economic Development Office aided all the major deals, (City Center, Fortunoff, Bank Street Commons), in making sure the bottom line was there for the developers by providing millions in tax savings.”
Asked about his position on future city development, Ryan said he thought there should be “more citywide involvement” in charting the course of continued city expansion as to what the city was going to be like and how it would grow.
RYAN with Barbara Benjamin, May 27. Photo by WPCNR News.
“We would do a tremendous service to White Plains by making sure what happens is our vision that prevails and not the vision of the developers, and the residents’ view to what they want the community to be. We don’t need developers to come in and tell us what they’re going to do,” Ryan said.
Ryan traced the beginning of growth in the city to the activity of the County Office of Economic Development in 2000. “In 1999, there was nothing going on. Then the Office of Economic Development was formed for the purpose of promoting economic growth among the county towns, (the town to benefit) the most is White Plains.”
Ryan explained that the office brought together people with expertise and created “initiatives” to clinch the major deals financially.
WPCNR asked him if he was definitely running for Mayor of White Plains in 2005, and Ryan answered, “Oh, sure I’d enjoy serving as Mayor of my city. We’re probably the most successful city in New York State with the least problems.”
But, Ryan said there was a long way to go yet before he secured the Mayoral nomination. There certainly is.
Benjamen Boykin, Adam Bradley, Robert Greer, Glen Hockley, Rita Malmud, and Tom Roach all are possible candidates for the Democratic Mayoral nod to go against Mayor Joseph Delfino, who based on his impassioned rhetoric last week at Highlands Middle School meeting seemed to be definitely already running on his record. Roach though, is considered by party insiders a natural to run for County Legislator, should Mr. Ryan secore the Mayoral nomination.
Republicans: Delfino or Bust.
Should Delfino withdraw, there will be a major fight for the Democrat nomination, because the Republicans have no one else to run with the name recognition if Mayor Delfino withdraws.
There are only four politically visible Republican possibilities, on the very edge of the radar: Jeffrey Binder, Frank Cantatore, Larry Delgado, and Tim Sheehan, the Republican Party being bereft of strong active personalities other than their flagship, Mayor Delfino.
Barring those obvious political personalities, the Republicans could turn to the city administration, perhaps tapping Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel, whose expertise and tireless commitment to the city would be a strong vote-getting trump card.
You could conceivably tap Edward Dunphy, Delfino’s old Campaign Manager, the City Corporation Counsel as a candidate for Mayor if you were looking for expertise and familiarity with city government. Whether, he would run or not, would remain to be seen, and whether he could campaign effectively would be a different matter, but his affability and legal track record are unassailable.
You could conceivably run Ms. Habel on a campaign “Architect of the Renaissance” or run Mr. Dunphy on a campaign with the slogan “Staying the Course” or “Devotion. Diligence. Dunphy.” Habel or Dunphy with their reasoned presence and aura of credibility and knowledge of the city would be formidable adversaries for the Democrats who do not put forth solid programs and initiatives but sloganize instead.
Mr. Delgado would be a natural Delfino heir, but he is not because of his lack of political activity the last two years.
He should have been more active and outspoken on city issues during his quo warranto action to regain the council seat denied him by Glen Hockley’s use of the courts to postpone a special election, and string out his bogus term for 27 months, could have all the appeal of “a wronged candidate” going for him.
Unfortunately, Mr. Delgado’s dilettante attitude towards city issues, his avoidance of Common Council meetings of any kind, and his failure to appear and speak out at public hearings on big time projects, refusal to speak out on important development issues, let alone the obvious use of the courts to deny him a seat, have hurt Delgado’s credibility as a serious candidate.
The voter has to wonder whether Delgado really is interested in politics and the future of the city, because he has refused to use the pulpit of the disenfranchised to be vocal on what he would have done had he been on the Common Council. He had a free pass to comment for the last 27 months and did not. Whereas Mr. Hockley speaks out on subjects about every five minutes. Hockley is easily the most visible and best known political figure in White Plains next to the Mayor because of his enthusiasm to jump into any issue, instantly, in sharp contrast to Delgado.
So the Republican Party in White Plains, (which must number about six people by now) is in a dilemma if Mr. Delfino suddenly decides to retire to Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach.
