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WPCNR STREETS OF WHITE PLAINS. By John F. Bailey. September 19, 2003: Governor George Pataki visited the fire-ravaged Bet Am Shalom temple in White Plains Friday afternoon to lend his support, concern and compassion to the templeless congregation. The Governor arranged with SUNY Purchase to make available the Fine Arts Center at Purchase to the congregation for the High Holy Days coming up. Saying it was important in crisis for us all to hang together, the Governor congratulated the White Plains Fire Department for their bravery in containing the blaze, preventing the sanctuary from being extensively damaged. He and Mayor Joseph Delfino surveyed  the interior damage to the old Bet Am Shalom mansion it sustained in its Primary Day fire, September 9.

“GOVERNOR WITH A HEART:” George Pataki, arriving at 3:35 P.M. Friday,  views the damage at Bet Am Shalom on Soundview Avenue with Mayor Joseph Delfino, and Rabbi Lester Bronstein, head of the congregation. Later, Mayor Delfino characterized Governor Pataki as a “Governor With a Heart,” for his prompt arranging space for the congregation at SUNY Purchase. Photo by WPCNR News.

IN PROCESS OF ESTIMATING COST OF DAMAGE: Governor Pataki and Mayor Delfino solemnly surveyed the devastated, roofless hulk of the Bet Am Shalom mansion as it looked Friday. Robin Rattner, the synagague Executive Director,  said their insurance company, Church Mutual Insurance Company, is in the process of determining the cause of fire and estimating the cost of the damage, and that was not expected to be calculated for about 2 to 3 weeks. She also reported the congregation anticipates rebuilding the mansion on the structure in place and perhaps enlarging it and adding additional sections, figuring the time to rebuild would be about 2 to 3 years, at the cost of several million dollars. Rabbi Bronstein said the temple sanctuary at the extreme right in this picture is being clean up and will undergo reconstruction of the beams before it could be ready for services again. Rattner said the temple’s Hebrew School is being housed at Solomon Schechter in White Plains, and praised Solomon Schechter for stepping forward so promptly to provide facilities to keep the school operating. Photo by WPCNR News

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VOICE. September 18, 2003: The Board of Elections has done it again. For the third straight election WPCNR has covered, reporting of results by the Board of Elections has been late, inaccurate, and poor decisions and priorities have been set. Every year the Board of Elections has ten months to fix their performance and every year the same dismal nineteenth century reporting methods keep White Plains voters, and all voters in the county in suspense. Take our poll at the right and let us know your thoughts, after all you are the electorate. Vote more than once.

Yet the Westchester County Board of Elections does not improve performance. Board of Elections canvassing on Election night is not as accurate as party call-ins on the votes. Recanvassing takes too long. Counting of Affidavit Ballots and Absentee Ballots delays results more than a week, and this happens every election year. You also ought to know this. The Board of Elections is not accountable to the County. Complaints are to be directed to State Elections Board.

What do Mr. and Mrs. White Plains think? Take the poll at the right. And I encourage you to vote more than once so we can pinpoint areas that might help the Board of Elections count quickly, accurately, and authoritatively, something they demonstrate every year they cannot do.

This is not a knock on the volunteers who work on the Board of Elections. They only use the systems that are put into effect by their management, and the volunteers need to be used more strategically and intelligently. What do you think?