Legislators pass 2.2% Property Tax cut Countywide–Dependent on Sewer/Refuse $$

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER.From Westchester County Board of Legislators. February 15, 2011 (EDITED):


In a bi-partisan unanimous vote of 14-0, the County Legislature approved a budget reducing spending by $28.5 million dollars (from the 2010 budget), reduced the County workforce by 10%, restores critical services for most in need, provides transitional timetables as the County continues to recalibrate agencies and presents a more fiscally responsible alternative to the County Executive’s budget proposal.


This tax cut is the second largest tax cut approved in Westchester County history. 


 “This budget right-sizes government, and does not capsize it,” Board Chairman Kenneth W. Jenkins (D-Yonkers) said. “This year, the County had to make exceedingly difficult decisions.  Despite these obstacles, we have finally moved forward with a budget that preserves the most critical County services, while delivering a tax cut.” 


 “This action will finally put an end to this budget process,” said Majority Leader Peter Harckham (D-Katonah). “The Board’s budget delivers badly needed tax relief, eliminates the bonding of tax certioraris, restores cuts to public safety and health, and provides adequate transition time to downsize certain services.”  The Finance Department computes and creates annual tax billings, known as Tax Warrants, for all 25 cities and towns in Westchester for the county portion of property taxes. This responsibility is mandated in the Westchester County Charter. The cities and towns, per County Charter, collect the county portion of real estate taxes and guarantee the full amount to the county government.


JURY is Out on How Low your White Plains County Taxes will actually Be:


Will your White Plains county tax go down 2.2%. it depends on whether the sewer district taxand refuse disposal charge also included in county tax bill go down or, worse,go up.


 Your individual total county tax (which includes your sewer district tax and solid waste disposal tax) will vary depending on your individual home assessment. Depending on your assessment, sewer district charge  and Refduse Disposal Charge, you may or may not receive a decrease in your overall county tax bill.


This is what happened last year in White Plains, when the county in a newsletter patted themselves on the back for only raising the budget 1.7%,but White Plainsians got a 5.68% increae, as reported only by WPCNR:


The 2010 tax bill analyzed is for a $671,818 home. Here are the numbers, they do not lie, but through the magic of lump sum reporting,  (the county loves doing aggregate reporting a 1.7% increase,  only deals in lump sums,  giving White Plainsians the impression the county was frugal in their budgeting. Not where White Plains was concerned. 


 


The County Property Tax Rate in White Plains went from  2009’s $102.80 to  $110.88 in 2010 that’s up 7.86%.


 


The Mamaroneck River Valley Sewer District tax rate per $1,000  escalated from $17.53 in 2008 to $18.44/ $1,000  in 2009.


 


And Refuse Disposal? You guessed it. Tax Rate, surprise, up from $9.82 in 2008 to $10.17 in 2009.  Just small change, right, no big deal. But that is no 1.7%.


 


On that $650,000 White Plains  home, property taxes increased from $2,404 in 2009 to $2,577 in 2010 – an increase including the county property tax, sewer tax  and refuse disposal tax – of 5.69%.


 

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No strings attached to FEMA grant to bring back firemen

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle Examiner by John F. Bailey. February 14, 2011:


 


There are no strings attached to the safer grant that would enable White Plains to bring back nine laid-off firefighters for the next two years.


 


FEMA, government agency issuing the grant that enables the city to bring the firefighters back, has no stipulation they would have to be retained beyond the two years.


 


However any new firefighters brought on would have to be retained for three years. 


 


Presently,according to Firefighter union president just one new fireman would have to be hired and trained; one former laid-off firefighter has already come back, and the seven laid-off firefighters could be rehired for two years under the $1.9 million grant from SAFER.


 


The Council  may not have the guaranteed money for the year three (2013-14) after the nine firefighters are brought back to keep them, unless the city revenues take an approximate $1 million upturn that it can use to keep the firefighters on the payroll in 2013-14. I shared what I do. There is.


 


The Federal Emergency Management Administration confirmed to WPCNR Friday that the SAFER grants of $1.9 million awarded the city of White Plains, for the purpose of rehiring firefighters who were laid off last May had no long-term implications beyond the two years for which the grants are not affect if the firefighters, the city brings back were previously laid off by the city.


 


FEMA issued this statement to WPCNR Friday afternoon:


 


“Grantees that are rehiring laid off firefighters do not have to commit to retaining the safer funded firefighters beyond the two-year period of performance. For newly hired firefighters, the grantee must maintain the firefighters for the two-year period of performance, with a commitment to retain the newly hired firefighters for one year after the completion of the period of performance.


 


Previously, the Common Council balked at bringing back the nine firefighters laid-off ten months ago. The rehiring of the “May Nine” is now made possible by a $1.9 million grant acquired for the city of White Plains by Rep. Nita Lowey and Senator Charles Schumer. T


 


The Council has said it is seeking more information from the city before they accept the grant and rehire the firefighters.


 


Joe Carrier, President of the firefighters White Plains Local 474, told WPCNR Friday that there were no obstacles or downside to bringing back the nine firefighters. Carrier told WPCNR, the city would be getting its full complement of firefighters of 159 men for the price of 150, if the Council accepts the grant.


 


Currently, Carrier said the city has at its disposal at any one time: 5 engines, 2 trucks and one emergency response unit. If the nine firefighters laid off are brought back, this would increase the city response availability to 5 engines 3 trucks and the emergency response unit.


 


Asked if the lack of the one frog affected firefighting performance, Carrier said, “It definitely puts us at a disadvantage.”


 


Asked if this affected the Bengal Tiger fire in July, Carrier said that fire could only be contained, eventually destroying half a block,  because the fire department was responding to another fire at the Con Ed station, when the Bengal Tiger fire started.


 


Carrier said that Lowey and Schumer had worked hard to get the grant for White Plains through the safer program and the Council should bring the firefighters back as an issue of safety, because it would cost the city nothing to do so.


 


Changing of the guard.


 


Joe Carrier reported that the firefighters union has begun labor talks with the city, with a preliminary meeting on February 20 and the next scheduled meeting March 7.


 


Carrier said that these talks were exploratory and that the fire union has not crafted any proposals to the city, yet.


 


Carrier also volunteered the information that his brother Jim, is no longer is president of the police union, the new president of the White Plains and Police Benevolent Association, the negotiating unit for the police is Robert Riley.

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Looking at the Long Tall Lean Guy from Illinois

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WPCNR’s The Daily Bailey. By John F. Bailey. February 12, 2011 Retrieved from the WPCNR ANNALS OF ANALYIS VAULT. 


Today marks the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, whose Presidential performance during the Civil War (1861-1865) was perhaps the most admirable of any American President. He had to create things as he went, dealing with a complex political issue: slavery, while deciding to fight a war to preserve a divided nation.



How did Abraham Lincoln handle pressure and political opportunists? He did not have press agents and spinmasters and talk show hosts and superior punditry critiquing his every move and loading him up with advice. 


Though he did have the “crusading editors” and “editorial boards” of his day.  Let’s take a look at the Big Guy  from Illinois



 



In the days of Lincoln, media coverage was simply print media, however, the amount of reporting on the burning issues of the day was far more detailed than today with dozens of newspapers presenting the chronicles of burning issues. For Lincoln’s presidency was the presidency of the nation’s greatest crisis in its eighty-five year history:


The Civil War.


 It is interesting to note how President Lincoln conducted himself in dealing with America’s interests, its factions, pulling him to free the slaves.

When Lincoln was running for the Presidency in 1860 at the Republican Convention in riproaring Chicago, he was up against James Seward, a powerful New York politician. However, the western states at the time were highly distrustful of the New York political machine. Lincoln won over support by taking a position of what was good for the nation as a whole.

Taking a Position and Working To it

Lincoln first gave notice of his potential for the Presidency when he impressed Horace Greeley, influential editor of the New York Tribune with a fiery speech at the Cooper Union in February, 1860, delivering a sharp criticism of the South, hard on the heels of South Carolina’s secession from the Union. The speech included these words,

You say you will not abide the election of a Republican President. In that supposed event, you say, you will destroy the Union; and then, you say, the great crime of having destroyed it will be upon us! (The northern states) That is cool. A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, “Stand and deliver, or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!”

Greeley printed the speech in his Tribune the next day, scooping the other New York papers, by simply asking Lincoln for a copy of the speech. The subsequent printing in the popular Trib, sent Mr. Lincoln on his way. As William Harlan Hale’s biography of Mr. Greeley (Horace Greeley: Voice of the People)describes the scene at “The original Trib’s” offices, as remembered by Amos Cummings, a young proofreader:

Amos Cummings, then a young proofreader, remembered the lanky westerner appearing over his shoulder amid the noise of the pressroom late at midnight, drawing up a chair, adjusting his spectacles, and in the glare of the gaslight reading each galley (of the Cooper Union speech) with scrupulous care and then rechecking his corrections, oblivious to his surroundings.

A Comeback President

Lincoln had been a highly successful politician from Illinois in the 1830s and 1840s. He was three times elected to the state legislature, and The Kunhardts’ The American Presidency reports he was “a recognized expert at forming coalitions…he learned how to keep secrets, how to trade favors, how to use the press to his advantage. And he cultivated his relationship with the party hierarchy.”

Graff’s book writes that Lincoln was described as “ruthless,” that he “handled men remotely like pieces on a chessboard.” Humor and frankness were character traits.

Lincoln was elected a congressman, only to serve just one term.

Lincoln had been practicing corporate law privately and had lost interest in politics by 1854, until the repeal of The Missouri Compromise, which had restricted slavery to the southern states. Lincoln felt stirred to come back. He spoke out against the spread of slavery, running for the senate in 1858 against William Douglas, unsuccessfully.

Saving the Union His Mantra

As the furor over slavery and the South’s threats to secede grew, a crisis of spirit and purpose in this nation which makes today’s concerns about terrorism as a threat to America, pale in comparison, Lincoln realized that the Union was the larger issue. He expressed this in response to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, an influential figure at the Republican (Whig) Convention in Chicago in 1860. Greeley was the kingmaker at the 1860 Chicago convention who eventually swung the western states for Lincoln, giving the man from Illinois the nomination on the third ballot over William Seward, the candidate of the Thurlow Weed “New York Machine.”

Greeley then tried to influence the President-Elect to free the slaves. (Lincoln was being lobbied by the still-powerful Weed-Seward faction to compromise with the southern states on the issue of slavery).

Standing Tall Against Pressure.

Lincoln refused to free the slaves as one of the first acts of his presidency, standing firm to hold the union together, when he announced his attention not to do so, on his way to Washington after being elected. His words in this time of international tension, are worth remembering as America considers starting a war for the first time. Lincoln said:

I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy (the Union, he means), so long together. It was not the mere matter of separation of the colonies from the motherland, but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty not alone to the single people of this country, but hope to all the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance.

Seeing the Big Picture.

After Fort Sumter was fired upon, Lincoln was pressured harder to free the slaves. Still, Lincoln held firm. Mr. Greeley published a blistering open letter to the President, he called “The Letter of Twenty Millions,” meaning his readers (slightly exaggerated)in The New York Tribune. Greeley’s letter took the President to task for not freeing the slaves now that the Civil War was on, writing, “all attempts to put down the rebellion and at the same time uphold its inciting cause are preposterous and futile.”

President Lincoln responded with an open letter which Greeley published in The Tribune. President Lincoln’s letter is instructive as to how a President moves in crisis, when a nation is ripped apart to calm and state his position. He begins with a conciliatory tone, calming Greeley’s bombast:

…If there be perceptible in it (Greeley’s letter) an impatient and dictatorial tone, I waive it in deference to an old friend whose heart I have always supposed to be right.

As to the policy I “seem to be pursuing,” as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt. I would save the Union. I would save it in the shortest way under the Constitution.

The sooner the national authority can be restored the nearer the Union will be – the Union as it was.

If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them.

If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them.

If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it – if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it – and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.

What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union, and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union.

I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I believe doing more will help the cause.

I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be new views.

I have here stated my purpose according to my views of official duty, and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free, Yours

A. Lincoln

Wearied by War

Horace Greeley described the toll the Civil War had taken on Mr. Lincoln, seeing him in person shortly beforeGeneral Lee surrendered. Greeley wrote:

Lincoln’s face had nothing in it of the sunny, gladsome countenance he first brought from Illinois. It is now a face haggard with care and seamed with thought and trouble…tempest-tossed and weatherbeaten, as if he were some tough old mariner who had for years been beating up against the wind and tide, unable to make his port or find safe anchorage…The sunset of life was plainly looking out of his kindly eyes.”




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Dish with the Passionate Hausfrau.SuperHeroine Mom Takes WP on Laugh Coaster

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WPCNR Stage Door Theatrical Review by John F. Bailey, February 11, 2011:

 


Hey Mom, hey Dad snow got you down? Tired schlepping kids to activities, slipping on ice? Climbing ski slopes to put change in the parking meters?  Back aching from shoveling?  If you have one more snow you’ll go insane?


 


Look! Down there on the White Plains Performing Arts Center big stage. It’s a housewife! It’s a superheroine in tight jeans instead of tights! It’s The Hausfrau!


 



Who, in the secret identity of Bess Weldon,  mild-mannered housewife from Portland, Maine, is here to save you moms (and Dads) with children in The Passion of the Hausfrau.


As a 2011 version of “Our Gang”-like music introduces the show, The Passion of the Hausfrau captures your interest from the first segment when The Hausfrau is taking kids to the supermarket and they don’t want to go(remember that torture?)  You can catch Ms. Weldon in last two showings of  The Passion of the Hausfrau at White Plains Performing Arts Center, Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 2.  


Ms. Weldon holds on and sells every scene on the “Momma Coaster”– the creative metaphor that co-author Nicole Chaison has created to symbolize the never-ending drama of everyday motherhood and fatherhood, sustains your interest  throughout. What a Ride it is! 


 


About  20 different scenarios are portrayed by Ms. Weldon in this show. They are breezy, dramatic, to the point where you feel the pain and sense of frustration of the housewife, but never losing that feeling of amusement. It’s a fine line here that Ms, Weldon tightropes. She rides the Mommy Coaster and never jumps the track.


Chaison, the author, Weldon, the Co-writer/actor, and Annette Jolles, the Co-Writer/Director have  cut a sophisticated, punchy script delivering pathos that’s palatable, understanding that is not sentimental, and still genuinely originally funny, that is (for a change} really laugh-out-loud funny. It captures the joy of  babies in spite of their perpetual aggravating idiosyncracies.


Ms. Weldon, solid in the role, brings back snippets about your marriage and raising children.  Hausfrau is a Valentine show  giving young lovers and the newly married a textbook on how to handle and what you can expect when the + sign comes up on the baby tester.


The Hausfrau, more than any show here since the WPPAC revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, delivers the genuine guffaw; the open mouthed wonder of, well, what is going to happen next.


The mark of a good comedy is delivering the real laughs with a peppy message: It takes a superheroine and a superhero that can keep her sanity and Weldon, with the mugging of the late Gilda Radnor, the over-the-top faces of Lucille Ball, and the zaniness of Imogene Coca harnesses this script. She paints understanding and meaning in the parent chaos that will almost make you want to go back to baby days again – to discover yourself as the heroine in this “must-see” does. (Almost.)


That’s The SuperPower of The Hausfrau. She’ll bring back the passion of your life, your kids and your era.


I know. One hilarious vignette brought back memories of exactly what Weldon  was talking about when daughter Dora,was scribbling a magic marker on the walls . I can remember an incident that is similar when my little creative daughter and her friend carved their initials  on a priceless antique.  That is all part of the wonderful world of raising kids.


 


Ms. Weldon is The Hausfrau, rivets you with one scene after another that could seem eerily similar to many incidents in many marriages and family experiences on her every word as she goes through scenarios of motherhood that anyone who has ever been a mother or dad raising children will instantly recognize. See yourself and remember incidents in your raising children that will make you laugh and even conjure up memories.


 


 It is a unique show, based on a graphic novel created by Nicole Chaison. It’s easily the funniest new production, we’ve seen at the WPPAC.


 


The set gains lots of laughs from the original drawings by Nicole Chaison, the original author of the graphic novel from which this play was developed. Very funny cartoons, drawn by Chaisson of the Mommy Coaster illustrate the points of Ms. Weldon’s monologue, which goes on for an hour and a half. It’s genuine laughter. You won’t have to chime in with polite chuckles.


 


WPCNR is pleased WPPAC reached out and invited us. The Passion of the Hausfrau is the kind of good new work that needs exposure and if this is going to be the mission of the theatre, Hausfrau (which has performed in Portland, Saco, Lewiston, Brunswick,Lanesboro, all in the state of Maine, and in Portsmouth,New Hampshire) needs exposure. The music composed by Hans Indigo Spencer sounds like a Sit-com, and it may soon be one or a movie if some producer has the intelligence to pick the show up and get a option on it. It’ll be a huge hit.


 


Bring Bess Weldon too,  an actress who is just so believable in the part. The audience can identify with this woman. Bess Weldon  is the real deal.


 


She delivers a fast-moving very short hour and a half without interruption. The incidents go on and on – not missing a nuance: fighting with the kids in the car fighting with the kids in the supermarket in during your mother’s acid criticisms of the way you manage your home. The delightful memories of your grandmother. The joys of pregnancy. The jealousy and the pang of perhaps losing the career you thought you once would have had and how you can recapture it.


 


I mean, Ms. Weldon’s imitation of the deadpan husband’s, “Hey, hon, how you doing?” will bring sheepish grins to any husband. Well, it is so typical. Anyway, I chuckle as I write this, but this is unlike a lot of shows you will see.


 


 .


 The unique thing about this is if you’re a young couple thinking about having children. This may scare you off. On the other hand, it points out the real pleasures to be had in a family, how a person can grow and find themselves and perhaps find their true mission.


 


Sometimes she talks and she delivers her lines a little too fast and we miss one or two, but that may simply be due to timing, and my hearing. The lines are so good. The production is quite sharp. It does not drag


 


 How the passion of the hausfrau came to be is a story all in itself. Two housewives,living in Portland.  Nicole Chaison, one of them, a writer who draws a lot and comes up with the graphic novel. Another, Weldon says, hey, can I do a play about your work? You know  what? They do. And it’s funny and it’s good. They hook up with the director,Jolle and they do this show.


 


Call Buddy Fidler!


 


Where is Mr. DeMille? They’re ready for their close-up!


 


And get me Sondheim for the score.


 


And you Mr. and Mrs. White Plains can say you saw it when The Passion of the Hausfrau got its start.


 


To inquire for tickets about Saturday evening’s show and the Sunday matinee contact, WPP a C at 877-548-3237 or contact the box office before the show, the box office phone is 3281 600 extension 13 or go to the WP PAC website at www.wppac.com


 



 


 


WPPAC Footlights:


 


Sunday evening after the  matinee performance of Hausfrau, The WPPAC will present its annual fundraising gala at 6 PM, honoring  Margaret Preston of U.S. Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management.


The evening begins with a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and silent auction which includes a wide range of items from sports memorabilia to family vacation and entertainment options, restaurant, spa and hotel certificates and designer jewelry to cultural and sporting events.   The program for the evening will be the award ceremony followed by a Gala musical performance hosted by Tony Award®  and Emmy Award® winner (and new WPPAC Board member), LaChanze (The Color Purple).  Joining LaChanze will be Broadway performers Carter Calvert (It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues), Darius de Haas (Rent), Kecia Lewis-Evans (The Drowsy Chaperone),  Cady Huffman, (Tony Award®  Winner, The Producers), and J. Robert Spencer (Jersey Boys and Tony Award®  nominee, Next to Normal) as well as Jazz Vocalist and International Recording Artist, Gregory Generet. Regular tickets are $125.

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COUNTY DEM LEADER WILL NOT BRING BRADLEY ISSUE TO A VOTE.

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WPCNR Backroom Bulletin by John F Bailey. News & Comment. February 11, 2011:


 


The Chairman of the Westchester County Democratic Committee  said Thursday he will not bring a resolution calling on Mayor AdamBradley to resign before the County party district leaders.


 



 


Reginald LaFayette, (R) speaking to WPCNR by phone Thursday, asked if he was going to put that resolution to a vote when the Democratic County committee meets next week, said that he would not because theBradley matter is still going through the legal process. Lafayette said to vote on such a resolution would be “an attempt to embarrass the person (Mayor Adam Bradley)”


 


The rebuff by the County Democratic chair to the White Plains Democratic City Committee takes steam out of the efforts of the committee’s remove Bradley effort when they voted two weeks ago to call on Mayor Bradley to resign.


 


The mayor was convicted December 9 of  attempted assault third degree, contempt and three harassment charges in an incident February 28, 2010, with his wife). Mayor Bradley is scheduled for sentencing in Family Court on March 17.



The question of what Mayor Bradley sentence might be is an interesting one. Should he be sentenced to jail time,  the Council could very well vote to remove him themselves under section 30 of the city charter. However, they would need six votes to do that and it appears they are not going to get that key sixth vote.


 


Councilman Dennis Power has been a staunch supporter of Mayor Adam Bradley’s right to see the legal process the road before the city should rush to judgment and remove him. Now Power is essentially a lame duck,because Power said he would not run for reelection this week could mean that the council is never going to get that all-important sixth vote to remove Bradley permanently by city charter statute.


 


An issue that exists is if the mayor receives jail time or assigned rehabilitation in a program, requiring him to be out of the city, as punishment for his convictions. The council could remove Bradley on an interim basis until his “absence from the city” ends..


 


There’s no indication that he will receive incarceration or some form of rehabilitating hiatus out of the city at this time. Should such a nuance of sentences be handed down by the judge, an interim mayor could be appointed by the Council to pinch hit as Mayor in  the period of the Mayor’s absence. Interim mayor could be appointed. The interim could be put in place under Section 46 of the Charter.  Mr.Interim Mayor would be Tom Roach the Common Council President until such time as the mayor returns from such a sentence.


 


The authority to replace a Mayor on an interim basis is found in section 46 of the charter, which reads in part:


 


Whenever, by reason of disability, or sickness, or absence from the city, the mayor shall be prevented from or unable to attend to the duties of the office, or the office of mayor is vacant and until new Mayor takes office, the president of the common Council shall act as mayor and process all of the rights of mayor except entitled to fees or compensation of any kind, as may be prohibited by a general law of the state applicable city and in the event that the man the president of the common Council shall be prevented from attending the duties of the office of Mayor, a majority of the then members of the common Council, any other section of this charter. Notwithstanding shall designate one of their number to act as mayor.


 


The operative words here are “majority of the Common Council,” which would mean that six votes  (Mr. Power} is not needed to appoint Tom Roach interim mayor. (The Charter is ambiguous on this point.)


 


There is no way of knowing what negotiations on sentencing are being presented to Bradley, or if they are being presented or if they are not being presented at this time in less somebody leaks it to us.


 


The District Attorney’s Office could make it very difficult for Mr. Bradley to stay in office.. We will give you jail time or you can resign. Given an impossible choice between jail or extensive rehab out of the city,  Mr. Bradley might find it really difficult to just take the sentence and stay in office.


 


If  Mayor Bradley resigns before April 1st,(six months  before Election Day in November) a special election for Mayor will take place end of May or early June to fill the Bradley term through 2013.


 


This scenario would set up a special election for mayor  in which particularly interested candidates such as Bill Ryan, Benjamin Boykin, perhaps even Tom Roach could run for mayor. And of course, it also sets up the possibility of a return to power of Joseph Delfino, or Glen Hockley, or even a dark horse candidate running against the Democratic City Committee choice which most likely would be Bill Ryan.


 


On the possibility of Gov. Andrew Cuomo removing Mayor Bradley through the governor’s powers of the state:  No member of the Common Council has indicated that Governor Andrew Cuomo has given them any kind of response to their letter to the governor asking the governor to remove Mr. Bradley from office. Tom Roach told this reporter, “No comment.”


 


Well, they should comment. If they had received notice from Andrew Cuomo that he’s in receipt of their letter and he is looking into it, and he has referred it to the Atty. Gen.’s office. I would certainly make that public.  Keeping the public informed in this manner would at least vindicate the council position. That the Council has not made any response about a response from the governor is bad public relations.


 


On the other hand, the governor should respond to them, and then sort of put it through the process. You would think, but perhaps he has reviewed it and decided that he doesn’t want to pursue it.


 


Albany silence on the Council request makes the March 17 Mayor sentencing the most important sentencing of the judge’s career


 


The implications of decisions are huge. In many ways, it is probably the biggest decision she will ever make in her career, it will set a precedent.  It will be looked at, talked about and analyzed for a long time.

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Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Members of Newburgh Latin Kings with Murder and

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. SPECIAL TO WPCNR FROM FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU 0F INVESTIGATION, FEB 10, 2011:


PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), RONALD B. TURK, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), MICHAEL FERRARA, the Chief of the City of Newburgh Police Department, and FRANK PHILLIPS, the Orange County District Attorney, announced today the unsealing of a 42-count superseding indictment charging 31 members and associates of the Latin Kings gang in Newburgh, New York, with racketeering, murder and attempted murder, and a number of other federal crimes. The original indictment was filed last May.


Today’s superseding indictment charges members of the gang with three murders: the murder of Jeffrey Zachary in May 2008, the murder of Jerome Scarlett in March 2010, and the murder of John Maldonado in March 2010. The defendants are also charged with two attempted murders; attempted robbery; assault; conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, heroin, powder cocaine, and marijuana; the use and possession of firearms in connection with the crimes of violence and drug distribution conspiracy; and witness tampering, from 2007 through the present.


U.S. ATTORNEY PREET BHARARA stated: “Today’s arrests represent the latest salvo in our campaign to rid the city of Newburgh of the scourge that calls itself the Latin Kings. The unprecedented crackdown on gangs that we launched last May continues in earnest. We have made significant progress in cleaning up the streets of Newburgh, but we still have work to do. Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we will use every resource at our disposal to create a safer environment and a brighter future for the community.”


FBI Assistant Director in Charge JANICE K. FEDARCYK stated: “The intrinsic hostility of gang-related crimes generates a series of violent offenses, crippling the stability of our communities and leading to increased intimidation among our youth. Gang violence depletes a city’s strength and robs its inhabitants of their inherent right to live peacefully. We will continue to dedicate resources for the purpose of eradicating these crimes.”


ATF Special Agent in Charge RONALD B. TURK stated: “Today’s arrests clearly show law enforcement’s commitment to the Newburgh community. After last year’s initial arrests of gang members, agents and officers continued their tenacious investigation to further charge 15 more gang members. Some of these thugs were extremely violent, and today’s arrests nearly double the number of those taken off the streets in this case. ATF remains committed to protecting our neighborhoods where residents have a safe, drug-free place to live and play; today we are a little closer to that reality.”


Newburgh Police Chief MICHAEL FERRARA stated: “The city of Newburgh has a long history of gang and drug violence. With the assistance of other agencies like the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, we can change the future of Newburgh. The devastating cuts to our police department have left the city in a very serious state. It is only with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies and with the combining of resources that we will be able to provide a better future for Newburgh and change history.”


Orange County District Attorney FRANK PHILLIPS stated: “Today we have seen, once again, the commitment of federal law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney to provide resources, which would otherwise be unavailable, to local police and prosecutors, to deal a major blow to organized crime in Orange County. Make no mistake: the Latin Kings are an organized crime enterprise, and their narcotics trade, maintained through the use of violence, is a clear and present danger to the people of the Hudson Valley. Most significant is the indictment of individuals in connection with three separate murders. Without the commitment of the U.S. Attorney, these murders would likely have been unprosecutable under New York law. I want to again thank U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for his continuing commitment to fight crime in all of the counties of the Southern District of New York.”


According to the superseding indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court:


The “Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation” (the “Latin Kings”) is a nationwide criminal organization that was founded in the 1940s in Chicago, Illinois. The Latin Kings are organized into local chapters by geographic area. A chapter of the Latin Kings has operated in the East End neighborhood of Newburgh, New York (the “Newburgh Latin Kings”). The Newburgh Latin Kings were governed by a council of five officers, referred to as crowns (collectively, the “Crown Council”). The Crown Council wielded great power and directed punishments, known as “violations,” against members who were determined to have committed transgressions. In some instances, the Crown Council used meetings to order attacks on individuals and rival gangs. Eight defendants held positions on the Crown Council at various times.


The superseding indictment charges that the Newburgh Latin Kings was a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (“RICO”), the purposes of which included the distribution and sale of crack cocaine, heroin, powder cocaine, and marijuana; and preserving and protecting the power, territory, and profits of the Newburgh Latin Kings through murder, attempted murder, other acts of violence, and threats of violence.


Eleven defendants are charged with committing and attempting to commit violent acts as part of the criminal activities of the Newburgh Latin Kings, including the following:



  • WILSON PAGAN, a/k/a “King Gunz,” and JOSE LAGOS, a/k/a “King Gordo,” are charged with the murder of Jeffrey Zachary in the vicinity of 27 Dubois Street, Newburgh, New York, on May 6, 2008.
  • CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ, a/k/a “King Chi Chi,” CARLOS ROMERO, a/k/a “King Los,” and LUIS TAMBITO, a/k/a “King Luch,” are charged with the murder of Jerome Scarlett, a/k/a “Rude Boy,” in the vicinity of Farrington Street and Lander Street, Newburgh, New York, on March 11, 2010.
  • CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ, a/k/a “King Chi Chi,” ARMANDO SANCHEZ, a/k/a “King Malo,” OSMAN NUNEZ, a/k/a “King Ozzy,” CARLOS ROMERO, a/k/a “King Los,” JOSE LAGOS, a/k/a “King Gordo,” and WILLIAM OVERTON, a/k/a “King Tutu,” are charged with the murder of John Maldonado, a/k/a “Tarzan,” in the vicinity of Benkard Avenue and Little Monument Street, Newburgh, New York, on March 12, 2010.
  • OSMAN NUNEZ, a/k/a “King Ozzy,” and THOMAS JIMENEZ, a/k/a “King Tunes,” are charged with the attempted murder of an individual in the vicinity of Washington Street and Clark Street, Newburgh, New York, on November 13, 2009.
  • CHRISTOPHER MCNAIR, a/k/a “King Speedy,” is charged with the attempted murder of an individual in the vicinity of 22 Gidney Avenue, Newburgh, New York, on January 7, 2010.
  • PEDRO HERRERA, a/k/a “King Aventura,” and JOSE LAGOS, a/k/a “King Gordo,” are charged with the attempted robbery of a suspected narcotics dealer in New Windsor, New York, on October 19, 2009.
  • WILSON PAGAN, a/k/a “King Gunz,” and LUIS TAMBITO, a/k/a “King Luch,” are charged with the stabbing of an individual PAGAN believed was providing information to law enforcement, on January 17, 2010.

The superseding indictment includes 15 new defendants and 16 defendants who were previously charged in the May, 2010, original indictment. All 31 defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics. Twenty-seven defendants are charged with using, carrying, and possessing firearms during and in relation to the Newburgh Latin Kings’ drug distribution conspiracy.


The superseding indictment is the further result of a long-term investigation, dubbed “Operation Black Crown,” conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement officers working with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The investigation included the use of confidential informants, undercover officers, and surreptitious surveillance to infiltrate the Newburgh Latin Kings’ racketeering activities in the East End of Newburgh, New York.


Thirty of the 31 defendants charged in the superseding indictment were arrested today or have previously been taken into custody. CARLOS ORTIZ, a/k/a “King Tone,” is still being sought. The defendants arrested today are expected to be presented in White Plains federal court later this afternoon. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge CATHY SEIBEL.


Mr. BHARARA praised the outstanding investigative work of the member agencies of the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force. He added that the investigation is continuing.


The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys NICHOLAS McQUAID and BENJAMIN ALLEE are in charge of the prosecution.


The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


United States v. Wilson Pagan, et al., S3 10 Cr. 392 (CS)









































































Ct Charge Defendant Maximum Penalties
1, 2 Racketeering,
racketeering conspiracy		 WILSON PAGAN
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
PEDRO HERRERA
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
LUIS TAMBITO
OSMAN NUNEZ
JOSE LAGOS
CARLOS ROMERO
CHRISTOPHER MCNAIR
WILLIAM OVERTON
THOMAS JIMENEZ
JASON CARABALLO		 Maximum term of life imprisonment
5, 8 ,10 Murder in aid of racketeering

WILSON PAGAN
JOSE LAGOS
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
OSMAN NUNEZ
CARLOS ROMERO
WILLIAM OVERTON

 Maximum term of death or life imprisonment, mandatory minimum term of life imprisonment
3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11-14 Attempted murder in aid of racketeering WILSON PAGAN
JOSE LAGOS
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
OSMAN NUNEZ
CARLOS ROMERO
WILLIAM OVERTON
CHRISTOPHER MCNAIR
THOMAS JIMENEZ		 Maximum term of 10 years’ imprisonment
15 Assault in aid of racketeering WILSON PAGAN
LUIS TAMBITO		 Maximum term of 20 years’ imprisonment
16 Narcotics conspiracy WILSON PAGAN
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
PEDRO HERRERA
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
LUIS TAMBITO
JASON CARABALLO
OSMAN NUNEZ
JOSE LAGOS
CARLOS ROMERO
CHRISTOPHER MCNAIR
WILLIAM OVERTON
THOMAS JIMENEZ
STEVEN LEWIS
HUMBERTO MORALES
WILFREDO SANCHEZ
FELIX LAGARES
KELVIN LAGARES
JUAN RIOS
ANDREW SANCHEZ
WILFREDO NIEVES
NOEL VELEZ
NELSON CALDERON
RICARDO RAMOS
NICHOLAS COLON
CARLOS ORTIZ
DAMON SINCLAIR
ANGELO DELEON
DEVON SMITH
EDNA REYES
RANDY ANGULO
LEO AUSTIN		 Maximum term of life imprisonment, mandatory minimum term of 10 years’ imprisonment
17-28 Distribution and possession with intent to distribute five grams and more cocaine base WILSON PAGAN
PEDRO HERRERA
OSMAN NUNEZ
HUMBERTO MORALES
JOSE LAGOS
STEVEN LEWIS
CARLOS ROMERO
WILFREDO SANCHEZ
JUAN RIOS
ANDREW SANCHEZ
WILFREDO NIEVES
NOEL VELEZ
RICARDO RAMOS		 Maximum term of 40 years’ imprisonment, mandatory term of five years’ imprisonment
29 Murder in connection with a drug crime CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
OSMAN NUNEZ
CARLOS ROMERO
JOSE LAGOS
WILLIAM OVERTON		 Maximum term of death or life imprisonment, mandatory term of 20 years’ imprisonment
30, 31 Conspiracy and attempted robbery PEDRO HERRERA
JOSE LAGOS		 Maximum term of 20 years’ imprisonment
32, 33, 37, 38, 40 Discharge of a firearm during and in relation to narcotics trafficking or a crime of violence WILSON PAGAN
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ PEDRO HERRERA
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
LUIS TAMBITO
JASON CARABALLO
OSMAN NUNEZ
JOSE LAGOS
CARLOS ROMERO
CHRISTOPHER MCNAIR
WILLIAM OVERTON
THOMAS JIMENEZ
STEVEN LEWIS
HUMBERTO MORALES
WILFREDO SANCHEZ
FELIX LAGARES
KELVIN LAGARES
JUAN RIOS
ANDREW SANCHEZ
NELSON CALDERON
RICARDO RAMOS
NICHOLAS COLON
CARLOS ORTIZ
ANGELO DELEON
DEVON SMITH
RANDY ANGULO
LEO AUSTIN		 Maximum term of life imprisonment, mandatory minimum term of 10 years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence
35 Brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence PEDRO HERRERA
JOSE LAGOS		 Maximum term of life imprisonment, mandatory minimum term of seven years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence
36 Use and possession of a direarm during and in relation to a crime of violence OSMAN NUNEZ
THOMAS JIMENEZ		 Maximum term of life imprisonment, mandatory minimum term of five years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence
34, 39, 41 Use, carrying, and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence which causes the death of another person WILSON PAGAN
JOSE LAGOS
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
LUIS TAMBITO
CARLOS ROMERO
ARMANDO SANCHEZ
OSMAN NUNEZ
WILLIAM OVERTON		 Maximum term of death or life imprisonment
42 Attempted tampering with an informant WILSON PAGAN
LUIS TAMBITO		 Maximum term of 30 years’ imprisonment






































































































Defendant Residence
WILSON PAGAN Newburgh, New York
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ Newburgh, New York
PEDRO HERRERA Newburgh, New York
ARMANDO SANCHEZ Newburgh, New York
LUIS TAMBITO Newburgh, New York
JASON CARABALLO Newburgh, New York
OSMAN NUNEZ Newburgh, New York
JOSE LAGOS Newburgh, New York
CARLOS ROMERO Newburgh, New York
CHRISTOPHER MCNAIR Newburgh, New York
WILLIAM OVERTON Highland Falls, New York
THOMAS JIMENEZ Newburgh, New York
STEVEN LEWIS Newburgh, New York
HUMBERTO MORALES Newburgh, New York
WILFREDO SANCHEZ Newburgh, New York
FELIX LAGARES Newburgh, New York
KELVIN LAGARES Newburgh, New York
JUAN RIOS Newburgh, New York
ANDREW SANCHEZ Newburgh, New York
WILFREDO NIEVES Newburgh, New York
NOEL VELEZ Newburgh, New York
NELSON CALDERON Schenectady, New York
RICARDO RAMOS Newburgh, New York
NICHOLAS COLON Highland Mills, New York
CARLOS ORTIZ Newburgh, New York
DAMON SINCLAIR Newburgh, New York
ANGELO DELEON Newburgh, New York
DEVON SMITH Newburgh, New York
EDNA REYES Newburgh, New York
RANDY ANGULO Plattekill, New York
LEO AUSTIN Newburgh, New York

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Luca A. Cappelli Jr., From Self-Made TV Repairman to Visionary Developer, Dies.

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LUCA CAPPELLI, JR.


1929-2011


WPCNR Milestones from Cappelli Enterprises February 9, 2011:


 


Luca A. Cappelli Jr. founder of the region’s largest development company died Wednesday at his home in Yonkers where he had resided since 1958. He was 81.


 


His death was announced by his son, Louis R. Cappelli, president of Cappelli Enterprises, the real estate development company his father founded in 1985. 


 


The wake is 7 – 9 at McMahon Lyon & Hartnett Funeral Home,Friday evening 491 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains. The funeral is Saturday, 9:45 A.M. at Annunciation Church, St. Eleanor’s Lane, Yonkers, New York. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to White Plains Medical Center.


 


Born in 1929 in the Bronx, Luca Cappelli, the son of a carpenter, was a driven and focused man who put himself through technical school and became a TV repairman at the age of 19.


 


In 1950, he married Concetta Ciraldo and started a family and business at the same time. He raised six children from a Bronx apartment house built by his father, Luca Sr., on Kingsbridge Avenue. He moved to Westchester County in 1958 where he built his own home at 26 Danby Place in Yonkers. That year he also opened an electrical contracting business named Luna Electric Co. Story has it that Mr. Cappelli chose the name for his new company while sitting in a Cadillac convertible with his wife at a drive-in movie under a bright full moon.


 


Luna Electric became a driving force in the Westchester County business community working on some of the largest construction projects including the Westchester County Courthouse. Mr. Cappelli prospered in his business while raising his family and becoming a respected leader in Westchester’s civic and business community.


 


In 1969, Mr. Cappelli formed Saturn Construction Co., a general construction company engaged in heavy construction of highways and buildings. Saturn became one of the largest general construction companies in Westchester County and performed work throughout the United States, including projects in Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida.


 


Having made a name for himself in the construction industry, Mr. Cappelli decided in 1985 to become a developer and build his own projects. Since 1985 the company he founded, Cappelli Enterprises, has become the largest developer in Westchester County and the Tri-State area completing over $3 billion of real estate projects. The company has been instrumental in the revitalization of downtown White Plains with the development of Trump Tower, City Center retail and entertainment complex and Renaissance Square featuring The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester hotel and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester luxury condominium towers. The company has also helped transform downtown New Rochelle with the development of Trump Plaza and the New Roc City entertainment complex.


 


Mr. Cappelli, who retired in 2004, continued to pursue his love of flying and boating. An accomplished pilot, he received his pilot’s license in the late 1960s and in 1974 bought and piloted his own jet, a new Cessna Citation 500 single-pilot corporate jet. In the 1970s, he built a house in Montauk and become the first pilot to land his jet at Montauk Airport. He continued to do so for 15 years until 1988 when he bought a highly advanced Learjet 31 that he piloted through 2002.


 


Mr. Cappelli’s passion for flying was equal to his love of boats and fishing. He built many custom fishing boats, most notably a 65-foot Hatteras Sport Fisherman, that he captained himself in Montauk, Long Island as well as in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the Bahamas.


 


“My father loved spending time with his wife and family as well as the many friends he made throughout his life. He was a generous man who always had a place in his heart, his home and his plane for his family and his friends,” said Louis Cappelli.


 


“From a self-made TV repairman to a major force in the reconstruction of Westchester County, my father’s legacy is legendary and his life is an inspiring   tribute to entrepreneurs everywhere. Five of the tallest buildings in Westchester bearing such names as Trump and Ritz-Carlton are his legacy… and impressive ones indeed,” said Mr. Cappelli. He added, “We will all miss him terribly, but he did it his way; he lived his way, and he died on his own terms when he was ready to say goodbye. We are sure he is piloting his plane now in the heavens where he is looking down on all of us…a happy man. We will miss you Dad and Grandpa!”


 


He is survived by his wife Concetta; six children, Louis Cappelli and Connie Cappelli both of White Plains, Barbara Cappelli of Briarcliff Manor, Susan Cappelli and Gina Cappelli both of Ardsley, Michael Cappelli of Purchase; and ten grandchildren, Bryan, Christina, Nina, Jenna, Michael, Steven, Erica, Michael and Jacee and Caroline. Also surviving are one brother Joe Cappelli of Del Ray Florida and a sister Antoinette Sarro of Yorktown.


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Power Thanks Democrat Colleagues; Says Was Not Pressured to Drop Out

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle Examiner by John F Bailey. February 9, 2011 . Updated 11:45 AM EST:


Councilman Dennis Power said he would not run for reelection to the Common Council this November today at a news conference held at the law offices of Oxford,Tulis, Kirkpatrick, Whyatt &  Geiger at 120 Bloomingdale Road.


 



Dennis Power, (L),Councilman announcing his decision not to seek a third full term in November. To right are Paul Schwartz, Bill Brown, former Councilman and Bonnie Hagan, three of the well-wishers who packed the conference room.


Power spoke to a gathering of 20 persons, (and invited media by invitation only) mostly Democratic friends, party members and personalities around town that he has worked with extensively on White Plains projects  over the last 20 years. He told them he was not seeking reelection in the fall for his council seat, but would finish out his current council term through December. He  said he would retain his County job at the pleasure of the County Executive and the Board of Legislators and would be spending more time with his family and grandchildren.


He said he would continue to be active in the community and follow through on  city sustainability efforts and recent endeavors to bring the school board and the city government together to share resources and services. He said that the other Common Council Democrat members had not pressured him at all not to run again or to change his support for Mayor Adam Bradley. He expressed his continued support for Mayor Adam Bradley pending the results of the Mayor’s appeal of his conviction in Family Court of  Attempted Assault, Third Degree, Contempt and three chargesof Harassment December 9,  is decided.


Well-wishers after Mr. Power’s statement,often emotional, sentimental,spoke of his sense of commitment to the community. Jack Harrington, the activist,said “few people could do what you have done.”


Late this morning, Mayor Adam Bradley of White Plains, issued this statement on Mr. Powers’ decision not to run:


“I want to thank Dennis Power for his years of service to the city of White Plains.


Dennis is a lifelong public servant and has been a tireless advocate for the residents of White Plains. His decision to retire at the end of his current term will be a loss to the Common Council.


In the meantime, I have no doubt that during the remainder of his term as a member of the Common Council, Dennis will continue his work to make White Plains a better place to live.”






Here is the text of Mr. Power’s statement this morning:


 


Thanks for being here today. Thanks for taking a leap of faith and not knowing what announcement I was going to make. And, thanks for being there at different points in my life.


 


But, cutting to the chase – the time has come for me to return to private life, not to seek re-election, and to finish out my second, full 4-year term as a White Plains Council Member. The time has come to step aside and let others rise to the challenge.


 


In 1987 I answered the call to serve – Bob Greer pounding on my door! I served a full 4-year term and then returned to private life and my children. I liked the music to Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle,” but not the lyrics [especially the line “… when you coming home, dad?”]


 


In 2005 I again responded to the call from the Democratic Party and accepted the challenge to run for Mayor against an entrenched incumbent. Out of public office for 14 years, with a small “grass roots” bank account and 5 short months to get the word out, guess we did not do too badly, capturing over 43% of the vote. The people had spoken, they wanted change.


 


In 2006 I responded to the call again when Councilman Bob Greer passed away. I was appointed in July ’06, ran in Nov. ’06 to fill out term and ran again a 2nd time in ’07 – primary and general election. Actually, over the years, not a bad campaign record:


·        4 successful Council races [squeaked in with a last place upset finish in ’87 and a top-vote getter in ‘07]


·        unsuccessful Mayoral run


 


Now, as I recognize that I am in the lead pack of Baby Boomers and I’ve served close to 10 years in elected office, I am going to spend more time with my wife of over 40 years, MG, my children and my 3 grandchildren, ages 8, 4 and 2, who live in White Plains. I will be continuing in my job at the county, Director of Program Development in the Department of Environmental Facilities, as long as the Commissioner, the County Executive and the Board of Legislators feel that my services are essential and needed.


 


I have enjoyed my years in public service, but, the time is right. I have sensed for a while that I would not seek to run for another term. Recent comments in the Journal News by a certain member of the Nominating Committee of the White Plains Democratic Party have had no bearing on my decision. Those comments were inappropriate, were over the line, quite


 


disrespectful and do not reflect the open approach to diversity of opinion that the Democratic Party has come to stand for over the years. The Nominating Committee has been restructured since that time and party chair, Liz Shollenberger, can explain that to you later.


 


I and the other 5 members of the Common Council share different opinions on the disposition of the Mayor Bradley situation, and that has been well covered by the media. What has been asked or implied in an open-ended way is whether Council Members have been pressuring me to change my mind. The direct answer is NO. I know they would like me to, but there have been no calls, emails or entreaties asking me to do so. The main collective focus is city business and issues.


 


I have not changed my position on whether the Mayor should be asked to leave office. I still believe in the basic rights of the American judicial system that entitle every citizen the right to appeal. In his case, the right to appeal misdemeanor and violations convictions revolves around domestic abuse. The city has been functioning well and I believe he has the good common sense and deep respect for this city to come to decisions himself, if, at any point in the future, he chooses a different course of action.


 


Back to why we are here … I am not winding down my life; I’m just redirecting some of my energies, my strengths and my life experiences. Service to the community still is and will continue to be my focus.


 


That’s my message to the community and especially the younger people and not just those who have recently registered to vote. Being elected is all about public service, not about furthering political ambitions. Yes, the political process is the street you have to travel and you’d better know what you’re doing once you step onto that fast lane. But, it’s the call to service that puts you on that path in the first place.


 


Everyone here today understands how many different ways there are to contribute to your community.


 


Reflections on memorable moments, contributions and the future of White Plains …


 


Again, back to why we are here … I am not winding down my life; I’m just redirecting some of my energies. Service to the community still is and will continue to be my focus. And, I guess, in reflection at this point in my life cycle, it’s about the development of community that’s important.


 



I look forward to working hard for the next 10 months, joining with the Mayor, the Council, the Administration and the Boards and Commissions to face some steep fiscal and environmental  challenges. Most people know about my work ethic – there won’t be any slacking.


 


I extend a warm thanks to you and all the people of White Plains who have provided me with opportunities to serve in public office.


 


I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of and with the people in developing a meaningful, productive and sustainable future for our children and our grandchildren’s children.


 

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Dennis Power Won’t Seek Reelection to Council in November.

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle Examiner by John F Bailey. February 9, 2011:


In a news conference that began at 8 AM Wednesday morning,  White Plains Councilperson, Dennis Power  announced  he will not seek reelection to the Common Council this November.


His decision sets up a new power struggle between Democratic party personalities to be nominated for his seat in the city council election next fall.


WPCNR hopes to carry the full text of Mr. Powers surprise announcement later this morning at this hour the news conference is in progress.

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Moratorium won’t delay FASNY submission of site plan for former RCC

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle Examiner by John F Bailey February 7, 2011:


 


The introduction of the new local law  tonight at the Common Council, imposing a six-month  moratorium on development of recreation lands: Fenway Golf Club, the former Ridgeway Golf Club, Westchester Hills, Maple Moor, and the Hutchinson River Parkway corridor will not result in any delay of the proposed development or hold-up in submission of the site plan for a new school campus by FASNY the French American School of New York.


 


This comes from Councilman Benjamin Boykin speaking to WPCNR Monday afternoon.



Councilman Benjamin Boykin


 


Boykin said he did not believe in moratoriums. He said the delay was for the Common Council to get an idea of exactly what could possibly be built on these various lands.


 


Boykin said it is the council’s intention to hire “outside experts” to analyze the properties and decide what and how they might be developed or what could be developed on the lands, since the development potential has never been officially quantified.


 


Boykin said the moratorium fit state guidelines in that it was not for an extended period of time and that all the moratorium did was say that no approvals could be made during the time period of the moratorium will be in effect


 


Boykin explained that the moratorium call for is just six months and he felt would give the council enough time to commission studies,the scope of which has not been determined.

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