THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

Traffic Commissioner Announces Retirement

Posted on July 18, 2003 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. July 18, 2003: The Mayor’s Executive Officer, George Gretsas, confirmed Thursday evening that Commissioner of Traffic, Ted Gammon, of White Plains, has announced his retirement effective at the end of the month. Mr. Gretsas said Gammon’s retirement came as a complete surprise and that an official announcement detailing Mr. Gammon’s contributions to the city would be forthcoming. Gretsas declined any comment on a successor to Mr. Gammon, or whether or not Deputy Commissioner Tom Soyk would succeed Gammon.

Gammon is the eighth Commissioner in the last eighteen months to retire from the city. The five include Gammon, former Commissioner of Public Safety, John Dolce, previous Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Daniel Hickey, Commissioner of Planning Mike Graessle, Commissioner of Finance, John Powell, former Budget Director Eileen Earl, former Commissioner of Recreation and Parks Joe Davidson, and Human Rights Commissioner Harry Bright.

Hickey Foils Delfino, Cantatore Campaign Contributions Records

Posted on July 16, 2003 by John Bailey

WPCNR White Plains Street. Special to WPCNR. July 16, 2003: WPCNR has learned that the maverick candidate for the Common Council, former Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, Dan Hickey, who is seeking to challenge the three nominated Republican candidates for Common Council in a September primary has filed a Freedom of Information request with the Board of Elections. Hickey’s son, David Hickey, requesting the campaign contributor filings for Mayor Joseph Delfino. Hickey has also requested the list of campaign contributors for the Republican nominee for County Legislator, Frank Cantatore. Mr. Cantatore is challenging incumbent Legislator, William Ryan.

The “FOILs” as they are known, come one week after Mr. Hickey filed a General Objection with the Board of Elections, asking that Jeffrey Binder, Rosa Munoz, and Tim Sheehan be removed from the ballot. Mr. Hickey has until Friday to detail the nature of his objections.

Republican establishment figures seethed over the FOILS, saying that Hickey should be sticking to the issues instead of looking for what one source described as “mud to sling.”

The commentator noted acidly, “Mayor Delfino is not even up for reelection in November, so why look up his contributions? it can only mean one thing, he is looking to dig up dirt.”

Mayor Creates The Street Ambassadors: Youth Bureau Appointees Welcome Visitors

Posted on July 16, 2003 by John Bailey

WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From The Mayor’s Office. July 15, 2003: White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino announced the start of a new program Tuesday which features a corps of uniformed Downtown Street Ambassadors to aid shoppers, residents, and office workers in finding their way around the City’s growing and busy business district.

The program, part of the Mayor’s Phase Three Economic Development Plan, is a unique public/private partnership between the City’s Youth Bureau and Public Safety Department, the Mayor’s Office, the White Plains Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) and Nextel.

“We’re experiencing tremendous and rapid growth in our City and we’re seeing an increasing number of office workers, students and residents who are new to our City and our downtown. Soon, there will be even more new residents and hotel guests coming into downtown,” Mayor Delfino said at a news conference on Mamaroneck Avenue Tuesday announcing the initiative. “In order to make the downtown more accessible to these new visitors, the street ambassadors will be available to give directions, point out shoppin locations for those seeking specific items and provide a comfortaing presence on our downtown streets.”

The ambassadors for this pilot program were selected from the Youth Bureau’s Summer Employment Program and received training from the Youth Bureau and the City’s Public Safety Department. In addition, they were given an orientation of the downtown by representatives of the BID. The $8,000 cost for the pilot program is being paid for with $5,000 from Public Safety’s Drug Conviction Asset Forfeiture Fund, and $1,500 each from the Youth Bureau and the BID. In addition, Nextel has donated phones for use by the ambassadors.

The ambassadors will be equipped with lunch guides, maps and lists of stores that are available in the downtown. They have undergone training by the City’s Public Safety Department about what to do and who to contact in case of an emergency. The ambassadors will help keep the downtown streets clean by communicating with the BID when they observe a messy area or problem.

“Most importantly, the ambassadors will put an even friendlier face on our growing downtown for the increasing numbers of new residents, office workers and shoppers,” said Mayor Delfino.

The ambassadors will take the streets beginning Wednesday, July 16^th. The program will run through the summer and will be evaluated following that.

Reader Blasts News 12 Coverage of Hudson Hills

Posted on July 15, 2003 by John Bailey

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VOICE. July 15, 2003. A Letter Addressed to News 12:

Dear Ms. Rose, (News Director, Channel 12)
I watched last night’s story about Hudson Hills. This ill-conceived project has cost more than double the original estimate. Several years ago I questioned why we would build a 6th golf course when we can’t maintain the other 5. I still question the thinking.

Our 5 existing courses are unworthy of Westchester County, home of some of the best golf courses in the world. Our county courses can’t compare to other nearby municipal course such as Richter Park, Spook Rock or E. Griffith Harris.

Your story claims there are only public and private golf courses available. This is untrue. Centennial, The Links at Unionvale, Country Club of Lake McGregor, Casperkill, and many others offer upscale daily fee golf in a price range competitive with the (as yet unannounced but assumed) green fee at Hudson Hills.

The county has passed numerous fee increases in the last few years. We were told none of that money was going to Hudson Hills. When all of the golf revenue,( which inlcudes approximately $250,000 for the abominable sale of tee-times for the season), goes into a general fund it’s hard to know where the money comes from. County courses ONLY ACCEPT CASH, which further confuses the issue.

Hudson Hills is a political boondoggle and should be sold to a private developer before another cent is wasted on it.

Ken Robins
23 Talcott Road
Rye Brook, NY 10573