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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WHITE PLAINS WEEK TRUTH AROUND THE WORLD

HERE WE GO!

ON THE FASNY TURN DOWN

THE FASNY LAWSUIT THREATS

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

THE SURPRISE CALL FOR COMPANY TO DEVELOP STRATEGIC PLAN FOR TRAIN STATION

THE STATE SALES TAXES $$ SOFTEN SIGNIFICANTLY–COMPTROLLER

BUCHWALD ANNOUNCES NEW FUNDING FROM STATE FOR WESTCHESTER RIVERS, LAKES  REPAIR AND CLEASNING

AND

A FASNY COVERAGE

EXCLUSIVE!

JOHN SHEEHAN

PRESIDENT OF THE GEDNEY ASSOCIATION

ON

WHAT THE  HATHAWAY LANE DENIAL MEANS

WHAT’S NEXT?

WHY HE THINKS IT WILL HOLD UP IN COURT

KATZ AND BAILEY INTERVIEW SHEEHAN

NOW AT

www.whiteplainsweek.com

JOHN SHEEHAN, CENTER IN A PREVIOUS APPEARANCE ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD…APPEARS AGAIN ON WESTCHESTER COUNTY’S MOST RELEVANT INTERVIEW PROGRAM “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” SEE  THE INTERVIEW RECORDED IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE FASNY DENIAL BY THE COMMON COUNCIL.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey.  AUGUST 5, 2015:

Four and a half years of review of the French American School of New York plan to build a regional campus on the site of the former Ridgeway Country Club ended last night in defeat for the school temporarily, at least, pending a promised lawsuit by the school to reverse the decision.

With Councilpersons Nadine Hunt-Robinson, Dennis Krolian and Milogros Lecuona voting against the closure of Hathway Lane, countering the yes votes of John Kirkpatrick, John Martin, Beth Smayda and Mayor Roach, resulting in a 4-3 in favor vote on the Hathaway Lane Closure measure  (required to proceed with the FASNY site plan, the second item before the council tonight), the council vote falling one vote short of the 5-2 super majority needed to close the street.

Councilperson Nadine Hunt-Robinson third from foreground, signaled she had not changed her mind. Councilperson Beth Smayda second from front and John Martin, front, both supported the closure; Martin fearing what restrictions a possible unfavorable court decision would impose on the city.

That one vote shy was provided right at the beginning of the proceedings about 5 past 7 when Councilperson Nadine Hunt-Robinson,(appointed by Mayor Roach and the Common Council to replace Benjamin Boykin in January, 2014, was elected in 2014 to complete Boykin’s term and is up for election for  a four-term this November), began her comments on the Hathaway Lane closure, the first item for voting.

It was.

Hunt-Robinson read her prepared statement praised the work of FASNY, the city consultants and staff, and the arguments made in favor of closing Hathaway, but she said she was very concerned about emergency response times that she said the Department of Public Safety had said would suffer due to road closure, and for that reason, she would vote “no” on the project, echoing her comments made June 29. Apparently all the city’s lawyers and consultants and Mayor’s men and women could not convince her otherwise (if they attempted to do so) in the last 36 days since her June 29 surprise.

Councilperson Beth Smayda said she voted in favor the environmental findings statement in December 13 and would vote yes on the Hathaway Lane closure as did long supporter of the project, Councilperson John Kirkpatrick.

Milagros Lecuona, opposed to the project from the start due to what she described as a flawed plan, echoed that sentiment again, and said any decision had to be based on what is right for the persons in the community which she said should be any counilperson’s guiding principle.

Dennis Krolian based his intention to vote no on the recent Cornell decision where a judge decided that a school could be denied if the community thought it would create unsafe conditions for the public.

Milagros Lecouna and Dennis Krolian back to back were next to speak and each reiterated their positions to vote “no” on the Hathaway Lane closure. Lecouna for safety reasons and Krolian basing his reasoning on the recent court case decision 

The die was cast. There would be no approval of the FASNY campus. Council President John Martin said though he had expressed doubts on the Hathaway Lane closure, he would vote Yes because of the uncertain nature of what a court would order White Plains to allow if the court decided in favor of FASNY in any lawsuit.

The Mayor also voted “Yes” and said the Hathaway closure was defeated. He called the question on the site plan though he stated it could not proceed. The Mayor said he would “vigorously defend” the city in any possible lawsuit.

The Council then voted to table the ordinance approving the site plan.

The French American School of New York issued a statement  saying “we will immediately commence legal action in New York State, as well as possibly Federal Court, seeking an overturning of the City Council’s decision and potential millions of dollars in damages.”

Asked for comment FASNY officials referred WPCNR to their spokesperson Geof Thompson, who issued this statement:

“We are deeply disappointed and disturbed by the outcome of tonight’s vote by the White Plains Common Council. While some members of the Council understood that the plan for our school and publicly accessible Open Space Conservancy meets all environmental and legal criteria and has been fully and thoroughly vetted, others sided with a group of neighborhood opponents and rejected the plan.

This is the same group of opponents who fought the City when it sought to purchase the property for a municipal golf course and pool (Editor’s note: in fall of 2010 when the council was not the same as tonight’s group, Mr. Krolian, Mr. Kirkpatick, and Ms. Hunt-Robinson were not on that council)

We believe this decision is unsustainable on many grounds. As a result, we will immediately commence legal action in New York State, as well as possibly Federal Court, seeking an overturning of the City Council’s Decision and potential millions of dollars in damages. We are confident that we will prevail, have the right to build the school, and that the rejection of the plan was arbitrary and capricious at best.

The Council had previously voted 6-1 that all environmental findings under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) had been met and there is no legitimate basis to now reject the plan. It is a shame that some members of this Council have sought fit to engage this City in a needless and expensive legal battle that it will lose, and cost White Plains taxpayers significant sums of money. After nearly five years of the most intensive review given to any development plan in City history, and despite numerous revisions and compromises that we have made to address the concerns of the public and the City, the rejection of a School, a very well respected one at that, is utterly unreasonable and illegal.

We have the support of hundreds of neighborhood residents, environmental organizations and the leading business organizations in Westchester County. White Plains has a well-deserved reputation as a center for schools and education, and diversity. We remain confident that the Court will uphold our plan, and that our school will become an important part of this rich community of White Plains soon.”

 John Sheehan,(above) President of the Gedney Farms Association, commenting to WPCNR after the meeting said,

“We’re very gratified by the decision tonight, and the very eloquent comments by Councilwoman Lecuona, Hunt-Robinson and Councilman Krolian. I think it’s now time for FASNY to move on. Don’t waste an more money of their school’s resources. Find another site, an appropriate site can be found.

I fine their threats to our government to be very inappropriate in trying to force a vote in their favor.”

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WPCNR WASHINGTON WIRE. From the New York State Democratic Committee. August 5, 2015:

National Republicans were intent upon jeopardizing women’s health in order to score political points with voters. Earlier this week the Republican-controlled Senate in Washington tried to defund Planned Parenthood but were STOPPED by Senate Democrats!

If they had succeeded, millions of women could have lost vital services like breast exams, pap tests, cancer screening, pediatric care, and preventive health services and immunizations.

In effect, 97% of the Planned Parenthood’s work would have been wiped out.  

Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, warned that “More than half of Planned Parenthood’s health centers are in rural or medically underserved areas. And for many low-income women, Planned Parenthood health centers are their sole source of medical care. Our health centers are lifelines that our country cannot afford to cut.”

New York leaders spoke up too. “…it’s clear that some of my colleagues here are so desperate to roll back Roe-v-Wade they’re so desperate to take us back to the days when women didn’t have any medical independence, that they’ll use any excuse they can get to overreact, and force this tired, same-old Planned Parenthood debate on us…But here’s the truth about Planned Parenthood: Millions of American women rely on Planned Parenthood to stay healthy. They rely on it to prevent diseases. They rely on it to detect diseases. They rely on it to treat diseases.”

Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, standing with members of the New York State Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus (BPCLC), including State Senators Liz Krueger, Mike Gianaris and Velmanette Montgomery, and Assemblymembers Richard Gottfried, Todd Kaminsky, Charles Lavine, Linda Rosenthal, Rebecca Seawright, and Aravella Simotas, said, “Just as I stood with them in Congress, defending them against political extremists who orchestrate a smear campaign to achieve their goal of eliminating a woman’s right to choose, I proudly stand with Planned Parenthood and defend it so that women’s healthcare is not compromised.”

“The fact that eighteen Republican men in the United States Senate have vowed to shut down the government if they don’t succeed in defunding Planned Parenthood is absolutely shocking. As they say, if you aren’t at the table then you are on the menu. Women keep being served up in John Boehner’s and Mitch McConnell’s Congress. Meanwhile Planned Parenthood continues to provide basic services like cancer screenings and birth control to millions of women who otherwise wouldn’t have access to health care. We’ll keep working to recruit and elect women up and down the ballot, from the New York Senate to the U.S. Senate, who are ready to take us forward and not backwards on women’s rights.” said Brette McSweeney, President, Eleanor’s Legacy.

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. Forwarded for publication. August 5, 2015:

Hon. Mayor Roach and Hon. Common Council Members:

 

On the eve of your final vote respecting the proposed FASNY project I am writing to reiterate what I know you’ve heard before from your constituents and what I believe is plain: FASNY is a very bad deal for the taxpayers of White Plains.

 

Besides that the proposed school will not benefit the vast majority of the children of White Plains; besides that FASNY will alter Hathaway Lane for its own convenience and at the peril of the already fragile ecosystem of the area; besides that the taxpayer funded resources of White Plains will be drained by an entity that will not contribute a dime to the tax base of White Plains (that will be another tax burden absorbed by the citizen of White Plains – and our taxes are high enough as it is); besides that property values in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods of the city will plummet (and diversity means economic diversity, too, in a city that I’ve been proud to live in for 20 years precisely because of its diversity; is it wise to disenfranchise such a large, active and community oriented constituency?  What would that leave in the city, should they all just sell? Yonkers comes to mind.); besides all these disruptions to traffic, community, taxes and common sense, and of highest import,

 

IT WILL IMPERIL OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!

 

The White Plains Board of Education has made that very plain to you. Right now, there is construction on North Street, and it is frightening for the parents dropping children off at the YWCA, and for the workers there and at the White Plains High School, in terms of walking, crossing, and driving on North Street – and this is a minor project.  Please imagine what North Street will be like if you approve the FASNY project.  Children cross North Street unsafely NOW, at the front- and back-end of the school day, and throughout the middle of the school day to eat at Hazel’s at the YWCA.  That’s not going to change, as teenagers will always feel invincible.  What will change is the level of danger to them due to the exponentially increased traffic, construction, buses, and parents rushing to discharge and pick-up students. The school board has considered the effect of the FASNY project thoroughly and very reasonably, and has definitively come down on the side of common sense and safety for the children of White Plains.  I have to believe the Common Council will, too.

 

I will be in attendance tonight as an interested citizen.  I want to bear witness to this vote. I am urging every White Plains resident to do the same.  I want to be there for what I hope is display of common sense and true public service to the people of White Plains.

 

I urge you to vote in the only way that will signal to your constituents that you hear them, that you care about the children of White Plains, and that you care about the future of White Plains.

 

Please vote no.

 

Respectfully,

 

Theresa Gomez

=

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. AUGUST 5, 2015:

The French American School of New York proposal to build a campus of school buildings in the heart of Gedney Farms on the former Ridgeway Country Club will be taken up again by the Common Council tonight at 7 in Common Council Chambers, 255 Main Street, City Hall.

The project review started in January, 2011.

This is a continuation of the past June 29 meeting where Councilpersons John Martin, Nadine Hunt-Robinson, Milagros Lecuona and Dennis Krolian raised new concerns about Hathaway Lane closures, completeness of plan, and whether if the project is built the condition of the property after the project is built and effects “mitigated” will not be worse than it is now.

The Mayor and the Corporation Counsel have not responded to WPCNR queries over the last 5 days as to whether a final vote will take place, whether the Special Permit plan will be tabled if the Hathaway Lane Closure is rejected,  or whether the French American School will speak on why they feel the conditions have been mitigated to meet the Council concerns raised June 29; or whether the Council members have been assured in private by the city that mitigations will be strictly enforced, and the Hathaway closure manageable for the neighborhoods. Again  city hall has not answered these questions I put to them.

Tonight the meeting will be televised countywide on Verizon Fios Channel 47(including White Plains), but Cablevision subscribers in White Plains can only see the meeting on Channel 75.