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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Hey Mom, bring me two waters so I’m set?

Where’s my under armor? And my visor?

Are my tights washed? My skates are dull.

Hey Mom, can you call the advisor?

Hey Mom,  I wasn’t yelling at you.

I didn’t mean to! You were yelling at me!

You never let me do anything my friends do

Hey Mom, would you chill, lighten up, just do!

Hey Mom, I don’t like the way this looks for the prom –

I don’t like the color, how could you think this was me?

I just can’t wear this, it’s this, it’s that it’s…Oh, Mom!?! 

 

Hey Mom, I’ve been studying all morning getting knowledge.

Can’t I go out, I’ll be back by ten?

But, I know the material, gone over it again and again.

Oh, Mom – I hate my life! I can hardly wait until college.

 

Hey Mom – But I did call and let you know

Don’t you understand, I couldn’t call at that time.

No, you can’t not let me go – it’s a great band

Oh, Mom – I hate you! You never understand!

Hey, Mom, please don’t embarrass me at the game

By screaming so loud, it’s just so tacky

But, hey mom, I like that you’re over there in the stand

Watching me play, you know that don’t you Mom, you understand?

 

Hey Mom, can you get me to the rink

At 5 – I know you have to take off from work early?

Thanks, Mom, I’m so sorry but the team has a special thing

I have to be there, thanks Mom – I love you—really.

 

Hey, Mom, please when you pick me up at the dorm

Don’t come inside. Just wait outside, call me on the cell

I’ll be right down — it’s the norm.

Don’t ring the bell!

 

Hey, Mom, I’ve read the classifieds

There are no jobs, I can’t make all those calls.

Well, OK, I guess  I can send that resume you made for me (sigh).

OK, I’m lost, where’s the post office, down Lexington to what?

 

Hey Mom, well I’m bringing my friends by,

Don’t let Dad embarrass me with his jokes, OK?

I’ll just die if he’s silly again — you won’t let him do that?

You’ll talk to him about that?

All right, Mom I’ll take that extra course.

But I’ve just been going to school for months it never ends!

Can’t I have a little vacation, I don’t know what’s worse

Can’t I spend a little time with my friends?

 

You do like him Mom?

Oh, I hoped you would.

Yes, I really do

I am so glad you do too!

Hey Mom, can you take care of the kids this weekend?

We’re going to Vermont with a friend.

And Mom, the cats get kibble in morning and meat at night,

We love you mom, sorry for the short notice, talk to you tonight.

 

Hey Mom, I’m sorry I can’t see you Mother’s Day.

Are you all right, what will you be doing today?

Going to the club – great – you know we love you in every way?

Though we may not show it you’re always with us

even when you’re away.

Hits: 133

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the White Plains Board of Education. May 8, 2014:

The White Plains Board of Education plans to negotiate an extension of the contract with Timothy P. Connors as Interim Superintendent of Schools for the year beginning July 1, 2014.

As first reported last week by WPCNR news, Mr. Connors first alluded to his willingness to come back for a second year as Interim Superintendent of Schools to John Bailey and Peter Katz White Plains Television’s PEOPLE TO BE HEARD which may be seen at www.whiteplainsweek.com. White Plains Week was first to report this possibility last Friday evening.

Authorization to do so will be placed on the agenda for approval at the Regular Board Meeting on May 12th.

After a nationwide search for a new superintendent and an extended interview process, the Board concluded that the best option for the district at this time is to ask Mr. Connors to stay on for an additional year.  He returned to White Plains last year as Interim Superintendent, after havingn served a seven-year term as Superintendent in the district, from 2002 through 2009.

Board President Rosemarie Eller said, “We are confident that we have made the proper choice at this time for the students, staff  and community.  Mr. Connors will ensure continuity and stability as he continues to move the district forward.  The search for a permanent replacement will begin in the fall.”

Mr. Connors had a distinguished career in public school administration before coming to White Plains in 2002.  He had been Superintendent in Danbury, CT, Bloomington, MN, and Woonsocket, RI.  He did his undergraduate work at Springfield College in Massachusetts and has a Master’s Degree and a Certificate of Advanced Studies from Harvard.  He also participated in the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard.

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. May 7, 2014:

The people’s choice for best-tasting water in Westchester goes to the City of White Plains. The Westchester County Department of Health held its annual water tasting contest Tuesday in White Plains, where 138 participants sampled water from 10 of the county’s water suppliers and gave bragging rights to White Plains.

The blind taste test was held in recognition of National Drinking Water Week outside the Michaelian Office Building on Martine Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The City of White Plains, labeled A in the blind taste test, received 80 points. The runner-up was the City of Mount Vernon, labeled D, with 72 points. Village of Scarsdale, labeled C, came in third, with 64 points.

“We’re all winners, because Westchester’s drinking water is excellent,” said County Executive Robert P. Astorino. “Thank you to the professionals who work to assure the water not only tastes good, but is good for you.”

The contest was held to promote the excellent quality of Westchester tap water and to highlight the role of the county health department in assuring drinking water quality.

The experts say a good glass of water should be clean, crisp, clear and cool. The county’s health department samples the waters routinely, and they meet all quality standards.

The 10 participating water suppliers in this year’s competition were: Bedford Consolidated Water District, Village of Elmsford, Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1, Village of Ossining, City of Peekskill, Village of Scarsdale, United Water New Rochelle, City of White Plains, City of Yonkers and the City of Mount Vernon.

The participants were labeled as follows in the blind taste test today:

B – Bedford Consolidated Water District

G – Village of Elmsford

I – Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1

D – City of Mount Vernon

H – Village of Ossining

F – City of Peekskill

C – Village of Scarsdale

E – United Water New Rochelle

A – City of White Plains

J – City of Yonkers

In past years, the winners were: 2013 – Mount Vernon 2012 – Cortlandt Consolidated; 2011 – United Water New Rochelle; 2010 – Ossining; 2009 – Yonkers; 2008 – Croton on Hudson; 2007 – Yonkers; 2006 – Croton on Hudson; 2005 – United Water New Rochelle; 2004 – Yonkers; 2003 – Yonkers.

For more information about the contest or other water quality initiatives, contact the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wchealthdept, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wchealthdept or visit www.westchestergov.com/health

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WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. May 7, 2014:

On Tuesday, an indictment was unsealed charging six men with carrying out a $30 million bank fraud conspiracy by fraudulently inflating the prices of homes for sale and then obtaining mortgages that far exceeded the true collateral value of properties in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Through his mortgage banking company, defendant Aaron Wider and his co-conspirators allegedly then re-sold these “toxic” mortgages to banks and other investors in the secondary mortgage market, causing millions in losses when the loans went into foreclosure.

Four of the defendants were arrested Tuesday morning and  presented for arraignment later at the United States Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, before United State Magistrate Judge Gary R. Brown. Of the remaining two defendants, one was taken into custody in Florida, while another is scheduled to surrender to federal agents today in Central Islip.

The indictment and arrests were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

“The conduct charged in the indictment is a prime example of the type of corrupt mortgage-lending practices that preceded the bursting of the real estate bubble, the loss of faith in securitized mortgage obligations, and the financial collapse of 2007 and 2008,” stated United States Attorney Lynch.

“Instead of using their skills in banking, the law, and investing to assist individuals pursuing the American Dream, the defendants cooked up a sophisticated scheme that defrauded lenders and then fed toxic debt to the investigating public at large in the secondary mortgage market. I would like to thank the investigators at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and New York State Department of Financial Services for their invaluable assistance in this investigation.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos said, “As alleged in the indictment, during the height of the real estate boom, these defendants devised a scheme to turn a profit at the expense of unsuspecting lenders, investors, and members of the public.

Mortgage fraud poses a threat to our financial systems and to our economy. This case should send a clear message to all individuals who try to game our financial market: you will be identified and held accountable for your criminal acts. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate those who orchestrate and participate in various mortgage fraud schemes in order to protect the public against those who seek to damage our economy.”

According to the indictment and other court filings, between 2003 and 2008, defendant Aaron Wider operated a New York State licensed mortgage bank in Garden City, New York, called HTFC Corp., which issued residential mortgages to borrowers.

HTFC did not possess assets to fund these loans but relied on funding from other banks and financial institutions, commonly known as “warehouse lenders.” The warehouse lenders relied on Wider and HTFC to ensure that home buyers were able to pay the mortgages and that the market value of the homes fully collateralized the loans.

Flip Finance

Instead, Wider and the co-defendants allegedly engineered a complex series of same-day sham transactions, or “flips,” to artificially inflate the prices of homes. Then, they lied to the warehouse lenders to obtain mortgage funding that was 80 percent more than the actual value of the homes. Wider and co-defendants Manjeet Bawa, John Petiton, and Joseph Ferrara contracted to buy homes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties from innocent sellers at market prices. The defendants then submitted fraudulent loan applications to the warehouse lenders that nearly doubled the true sales prices of the homes. The defendants also inflated their personal assets and concealed significant liabilities to get loan approval.

At each closing, Petiton, an attorney admitted to practice in New York State, oversaw the actual sales to innocent sellers and simultaneously created sham trusts into which title to the properties was transferred for no money. He and the co-conspirators then immediately transferred title back to the co-defendants at nearly double the price to create a false paper trail documenting the artificially inflated prices.

Meanwhile, real estate appraiser Joseph Mirando prepared false appraisal reports to justify the inflated prices, while HTFC closing attorney Eric Finger concealed the far lower, true sales price for properties by lying on federal-mandated settlement forms. Finger received wire transfers of funds from the warehouse lenders and, after paying the innocent third-party sellers, disbursed the surplus money fraudulently obtained in the mortgages to his fellow co-conspirators.

HTFC sold each of its mortgages in the secondary market. On paper, the loans appeared to be attractive investments because HTFC’s mortgages carried high rates of return that were supposedly fully collateralized by the market value of homes and the assets and incomes of the borrowers or mortgagors.

Upon buying mortgages from HTFC, the secondary market bank paid off the warehouse lenders and then either collected the principal and interest or bundled them into mortgage-backed securities that were sold to pension funds, hedge funds, and other investors seeking relatively secure, high-yield investments.

When HTFCs mortgages went into foreclosure beginning in 2007 and 2008, the secondary market investors discovered that the actual value of the collateral was 80 percent less than the amount borrowed for each home.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face up to 30 years’ imprisonment. The indictment unsealed today also seeks to forfeit 19 residential properties traced to the bank fraud or up to $30 million in a money judgment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Miskiewicz.

Defendants:

MANJEET BAWA, age 46, Dix Hills, New York

JOSEPH FERRARA, age 70, Long Beach, New York

ERIC FINGER, age 48, Miami, Florida

JOSEPH MIRANDO, age 54, Centereach, NY

JOHN PETITON age 68, Garden City, New York

AARON WIDER age 50, Copiague, New York

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey May 6, 2014:

Two persons spoke at the public hearing on the 2014-15 City Budget last night.

Madeleine Zevon, speaking for the League of Women Voters said the League endorsed the city budget, praising the city for keeping the city tax increase a “modest” one (2.3%), and keeping the city tax levy under the state-imposed 2% tax levy cap. Her statement urged the city increase its efforts to find areas where it and the school district and other entities to find more ways expenses could be consolidated.

Steve Hochman, delivering the Budget and Management Committee Report  praised the budget for staying within the 1.46% % state tax levy cap, and for the third year, not borrowing   to pay tax certioraris or pension expenses. The Committee praises the city for paying its $1.8 Million in tax certiorari refunds with half from reserves and  half from operating revenues.

The Committee is pleased the city is moving to paying self-insurance costs in part with $700,000 from the General fund, and doubled its cash contribution to rolling stock replacement.

Hochman observed “the city will continue to face budgetary pressures stemming from increasing costs for pensions and other benefits, a flat-to-declining property tax base and the State property levy tax cap.

The Committee, Hochman said recommends in the future:

Continue to manage total head count through consolidations and technology; expand use of cash for capital programs to reduce interest payments; the city should continue to increase its unassigned fund balance, and reducing use of the fund balance in the future if the city’s finances continue to improve.

The Committee recommends expanding use of garbage containers for commercial garbage pickup and the use of sideloaders for early garbage pickups on Post Road and Mamaroneck Avenue, reducing the number of garbage pails commercial establishments are allowed from 6 to 4.

The Committee urged the city to put out a Request for Proposals to hire “actuarial services that would deliver a more comprehensive  Post Employment Benefits report” to make the city “ahead of the curve in understanding this obligation, the implications for future years’ budgets and the ramifications for the city’s ongoing fiscal health.”

Consolidations of Services Eligible to Qualify for Municipal Property Tax Rebates Retroactively.

The Mayor said that the New York Conference of Mayors he just attended had obtained assurance from the Governor’s office that previous consolidations of services that cities and towns had achieved prior to the passing of the 2014-15 state budget, would be eligible towards determining eligibility for tax rebates in 2015 when the 1% property tax rebate measure cities are subject to becomes available.

Fuel Conversion Air Quality Legislation Tabled

John Martin Council President requested the Air Quality Statute on the agenda that would require approximately 55 buildings, 6 to 10 stories, the majority residential co-ops and rentals to eliminate use of Fuel Oil No 6 in one year, and eliminate No 4 Fuel Oil by 2020 should be tabled. It was tabled.

Fourth Court Judge becomes Full-time.

The Council passed legislation upgrading the fourth City Court Judge to a full-time position. It does not cost the city any money because the New York State Court System funds all four positions.

Water Lawyer Turned Back On

John Martin, Common Counsel President, explained the city was rehiring the law firm that had represented the city in previously successful attempts to lower water rates thrust upon the city by the City of New York.