WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. August 12, 2003: The Mayor’s office announced this evening that the Common Council will hold a Special Meeting at 6 PM Wednesday evening to vote on a Memorandum of Intent to enter into agreement with a vendor to operate the coffee kiosk, a 20 by 50 foot building to be constructed on the Court Street side of Renaissance Plaza. The candidates to operate the Kiosk are being kept confidential until the Common Council votes on the Letter of Intent which they will do at Wednesday night’s meeting. The second vote on the ordinances will take place Friday night along with the appropriation of funds to build the kiosk (approximately $550,000).
Judge Finds in City’s Favor in CCOS-NY Hospital Article 78 Action
WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From The Mayor’s Office. August 12, 2003: The Mayor’s Executive Officer George Gretsas announced today that Judge Richard Molea of the New York State Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the city in the Article 78 action brought by Concerned Citizens for Open Space against the city and New York Presbyterian Hospital last September, after approximately a three month review. (Final papers in the suit were filed at the end of April, 2003.
Mr. Gretsas said the ruling “throws out the suit, though Concerned Citizens for Open Space has the right to appeal.”
Gretsas made no other comment. The suit sought to deny the city’s approval of the Special Permit paving the way for New York Presbyterian Hospital to build biomedical research and proton accelerator complex on the grounds that a zoning change was needed. That approval came last August, and CCOS filed their Article 78 suit in September, 2002.
Adam In Albany: We Must Protect Seniors’ Quality of Life
WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. Weekly Column By 89th District NYS Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. August 12, 2003: Seniors have helped make Westchester the great place it is today. That is why one of my top objectives as a State Assemblyman is to help them spend their retirement years in the comfort of their own homes, with access to the health care and prescription drugs they need. We must ensure that seniors are able to remain vibrant members of our community.
Keeping health care affordable
Many Westchester seniors already spend too much of their income on out-of-pocket health costs. That is why I have been working to help seniors receive the vital medications they depend on by blocking the governor’s fee increases to the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program and by sponsoring legislation to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for prescriptions, which would prevent co-payments from exceeding the cost of the prescribed drug (A.6851). I also sponsored a bill to establish a senior vision program within the New York Office for the Aging, which will provide services to seniors who suffer from visual impairments (A.2345).
Protecting hospitals and nursing homes
The governor called for major cuts to Medicaid and other health care spending, including imposing a “sick tax,” when hospitals and nursing homes are already losing money and facing severe staffing shortages. I refused to accept the governor’s budget and voted to override his vetoes, restoring over $40.5 million to local hospitals. Furthermore, the Assembly’s refusal to go along with the governor’s so-called “Medicaid swap,” saved Westchester County over $8.3 million.
Additionally, I worked for a budget that restored $2.5 million to the Westchester County Department of Health, which serves as a frontline defense against emerging diseases like SARS, West Nile and potential bioterror attacks, and continues to assist in the battle against Lyme Disease.
Fighting for property tax relief
We already pay some of the highest property taxes in New York State, and the governor’s budget would have made it even worse by freezing the STAR tax relief program. That’s why I voted for a budget that saved the STAR program. I also sponsored legislation that will help seniors get the STAR school tax relief they are due. The bill (A.7873) allows seniors to use 2002 income tax returns instead of 2001 returns to meet the income requirements for this year’s enhanced STAR program, providing immediate relief for this year’s retiring eligible seniors, who may have seen their incomes drop off this year. I urge the Senate and the governor to do what is right and pass this bill.
Working together we can keep improving our community and quality of life. I will continue fighting for Westchester’s seniors to ensure that their retirement years are filled with families and friends, not high medical expenses and property tax bills.
Cantatore Holds News Conference Chiding Ryan on Campaign Literature
WPCNR CAMPAIGN TRAIL. From Press Office of Frank Cantatore. August 7, 2003: County Legislative candidate Frank Cantatore (R – White Plains) called on Legislator William Ryan to stop misusing public funds by distributing taxpayer-financed communications for his own benefit. Such activity violates the spirit of a key Board of Legislators rule that specifically forbids misuse of taxpayer funds.
“Mr. Ryan must learn that the hard working residents of Westchester County do not struggle to pay their taxes in order support Bill Ryan,” said Cantatore. “It is clear that he is using taxpayer dollars in a futile attempt to save his re-election campaign. When the spotlight is on, Mr. Ryan claims to support campaign finance rules, but sadly, when he thinks the people are not watching, he helps himself to taxpayer resources.”
Ryan’s plan to use taxpayer resources for his personal gain was discovered when many citizens, who were upset at Ryan’s misuse of public funds, complained that Ryan and / or his assistants were distributing misleading flyers at various public places around the district including several busy shopping centers in White Plains. The flyers, produced by Westchester County Board of Legislators staffers, using county resources, featured a dated picture of Ryan and contact information for his legislative office in White Plains.
“Unintentional misuse of public resources for personal gain is bad enough,” Mr. Cantatore continued, “however, Mr. Ryan, with full knowledge that the rules of the Westchester County Board of Legislators specifically prohibits the use of taxpayer resources for personal advancement or gain, has chosen to ignore the rules and thereby hurt the taxpayer, again.”
A rule entitled “Activities Prohibited During Political Campaigns For County Office” adopted by the Board of Legislators in 1998 specifically forbids incumbents who have filed designating petitions for a county office from using county resources to finance, prepare and mail newsletters “for the purpose of communicating Board activities and achievements to residents of such member’s legislative district.” Ryan voted for the rule.
Mr. Cantatore’s campaign staff has filed a freedom of information request with the Board of Legislators to uncover extent of the misuse of public funds.
“Ethics and the high public trust that a Legislator must adhere to and protect cannot be conveniently disregarded. Again, Bill Ryan must learn, apparently the hard way, that the taxpayer’s money is not his own; he should pay back every cent that he misused with money from his campaign and pledge, as I have done, to put the taxpayer first,” Cantatore demanded.
The Cantatore campaign, in contrast to his opponent, has pledged to use only private donations to finance his election effort. All donations to Mr. Cantatore’s campaign, and related expenses, are open to public review.
“Career politicians too often forget that government was not invented to provide them with a salary, a pension and every perk imaginable; hard earned taxpayer dollars must be diligently protected, unfortunately, sometimes even from elected officials.” Mr. Cantatore concluded, “when elected, I will protect the public trust and ensure that each and every taxpayer dollar is appropriately spent, or perhaps more importantly, saved and as a first step if elected I will not accept a salary from the county. Those monies I will ask go towards defraying any future tax increases.”