WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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THE ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE ARE BACK!

THE CITIZENETREPORTER

JOHN BAILEY

THE ANCHOR FOR ALL SEASONS

PETER KATZ

THE DEAN OF   WHITE PLAINS NEWS

JIM BENEROFE

ON

THE NEW REDESIGN OF THE PAVILION PROJECT EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF WORK SESSION

DELAY IN GOOD COUNSEL APPROVAL

TURNING THE VENUE INTO INDEPENDENT LIVING FOR SENIORS

WESTCHESTER POWER’S NEW GREEN SUPPLY RATE-LOWER THAN CON ED.

THE EVER POPULAR TRUMP TRAILER WITH THE HOCKABEE MEDIA CONFRONTATION

COUNTY NURSES GET VERY NICE 10-1/2% RAISE

TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY EVERY WEEK

ON

WHITE PLAINS WEEK

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The effort to organize, and assemble Community Choice Aggregation savings to upstate communities is being taken up by three other organizations similar in organization to Westchester Power/Sustainable Westchester.

Virginia Steinberg, in a statement below, described the three organizations taking the concept of aggregated buying power to the three area of upper New York:

“Joule Assets, MEGA and Good Energy are private companies who are offering administrative services to municipalities that wish to create CCAs (Community Choice Aggregations). They help local groups to organize to achieve PSC approvals to participate, organize the bidding process for supply, and oversee the performance of the supplier.

You can think of SW (Sustainable Westchester) as performing these roles, and the role of the local community group.

In other localities where there is less density, these administrators may aggregate over several counties and collaborate with different local partners in each case.

These firms are also working to provide opportunities for these localities to promote local energy and energy efficiency as we at Sustainable Westchester are doing with our programs.

Westchester Power Members

There are 45 municipalities in Westchester County.

21 participating municipalities in the Westchester Power Program CCA.

Towns highlighted in green or brown below are part of the WP (Westchester Power) CCA.(Community Choice Aggregation):

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. August 2, 2018:

Westchester County Executive George Latimer has named White Plains resident Saad Siddiqui, Esq., as Fair Housing Director of the County’s Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Siddiqui (to the right in the above photograph at the White Plains TV Studios) was a candidate for Common Council in White Plains challenging the Democratic City Committee-nominated slate with Alan Goldman (center)and Michael Kraver (left) in September 2017, unsuccessfully. He then ran in the November Common Council election of 2017 on the Working  Families Party line, gaining 12% of the votes cast, with Democratic nominees Justin Brash, John Kirkpatrick and John Martin winning election to the Common Council.

Westchester County Fair Housing Law outlaws discrimination of any kind during a prospective home seeker’s search for housing. Discrimination includes actions from advertisers, appraisers, bankers, real estate offices, brokers and home inspectors – who are all required to give equal treatment to all residents interested in renting or buying housing in Westchester.

Latimer said: “Saad brings a wealth of knowledge and legal experience, both in government and private practice, to this important position. In Westchester, we don’t tolerate discrimination of any kind – especially during the already difficult process of finding housing. I was proud to help craft the Westchester County Human Rights Legislation during my time on the Board of Legislators and was proud to see the Board continue this work with its adoption of Fair Housing Laws in 2008. I firmly believe Saad is the right person to implement these laws in 2018.”

Siddiqui is a Partner and co-founder of the law firm of Ferrante & Siddiqui, LLP and maintains a diversified law practice with an emphasis on criminal and immigration law.

Siddiqui said: “As an immigrant and minority myself, I personally recognize the need to confront discrimination and protect the rights of all people. For these reasons, I have devoted my personal and professional life to defend the rights of others and provide a voice for the underprivileged and underrepresented. As an attorney I have represented hundreds of indigent defendants charged with felonies from arraignment to disposition. Because many of my clients, past and present, have been victims of discrimination and profiling, I have strived not only to reach a fair and appropriate outcome to resolve their cases but also to ensure that they would never be victims of discrimination and profiling again.  I look forward to bringing my experiences to this new role and serve the people of Westchester.”

Human Rights Commission Chair Rev. Doris K. Dalton said: “I am delighted to have Mr. Siddiqui join the Human Rights Commission as the Fair Housing Director. John Baker, the chair of the Fair Housing Board, the board members of the Commission and I will work with Mr. Siddiqui to ensure Westchester is a welcoming place for all its residents to call home.”

Human Rights Commission Acting Executive Director Jerrice Epps said: “Westchester County is committed to ensuring every resident or prospective resident is given a fair opportunity when it comes to housing – and at the Westchester County Human Rights Commission we take that mission very seriously. Saad, with his years of expertise when it comes to advancing the rights of those who have been discriminated against, will be a valuable asset to the people of Westchester and I look forward to working with him to advance our shared ideals.”

Prior to entering private practice, Siddiqui was Associate Counsel in the Criminal Division of the Legal Aid Society of Westchester County.  Additionally, Siddiqui serves on the Board of Directors of the Lower Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Criminal Justice Institute of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester County, an alternative to incarceration.

The Commission can be contacted for more information or to file a complaint by phone at (914) 995-7710 or in-person at 112 E. Post Rd., 3rd Fl., White Plains, NY.

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WPCNR TRAFFICA. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. (Edited) August 1, 2018:

The State has installed temporary signs that boldly tell drivers “TRUCKS MUST EXIT NOW” at both approaches to the King Street Avenue Bridge on the Hutchinson River Parkway.

The State has also informed the County that permanent highly visible signs are in the works.

The New York State Department of Transportation, responding to County Executive George Latimer’s meeting with towns and trucking organizations July 13, under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, has fulfilled its promise to Westchester County Executive George Latimer to install more dramatic and eye catching signs to warn truck drivers about the low bridges on the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Latimer said: “I’m pleased by this development, but we still have a lot of work to do.  We also have to see if these new highly visible signs help the problem.”

After the July 13 meeting, Latimer said there isn’t going to be one solution, but rather many.  Among them:

1. Trucking Association of New York will work with County Executive’s Office to establish an education program for users of all parkways that would explain the County’s Parkway System

2-      Outreach to mapping companies, like Google Maps and Waze, to update their software to add in warnings for trucks and other commercial vehicles

3-    Westchester County Police to gather a breakdown of the statistics on the bridge strikes and the NYSDOT to also share the data they have collected.

4-      Evaluate the location where the height barrier (“head banger”) system could be tested

5-      Review of bridge strikes on the Bronx River Parkway

6-      NYSDOT to alert local police in real time, along with County Police, of trucks entering parkway

The New York State Bridge Strike Task Force is set to meet August 22 at the Hudson Valley Traffic Management Center.  That group includes the MTA; Port Authority, New York State Police, New York City representatives as well as representatives from Long Island.

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