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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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010. By John F. Bailey and Peter Katz. November 3, 2010 UPDATED 4 P.M.:

 In an exclusive interview with WPCNR reporters this afternoon, Westchester County Board of Elections Commssioners Reginald LaFayette and Douglas Colety called for an end to the new paper ballot/optical scanning system introduced two months ago and receiving its first big election test yesterday. 

Commissioners Reginald LaFayette left, and Douglas Colety said they would testify to the state legislature  the paper ballot system approved by the state and processing its first general election in the county yesterday  created too many voter-triggered problems by the filling out  and scanning of paper ballots.

The new optical scanner machines were purchased by the county at a cost of $4 Million (partially bonded) in 2006, according to the 2010 county budget http://www.westchestergov.com/pdfs/BUDGET_2010AdoptedCapital_sectionC1a.pdf

Lafayette said he was always against the paper ballot system and was in favor of a touch-screen system from the start. Colety said the technology is out there now allowing voters to touch a screen to register their ballot with the machine generating the “paper trail” automatically. Colety said New Jersey uses a touch-screen system.

Lafayette confirmed that many optical scanners used throughout the county for the first time in a general election jammed multiple times, resulting in election workers providing emergency ballots to voters while the machines awaited one of the fifteen county technicians to arrive and clear the machines. Lafayette explained that election workers are not allowed to unjam the machines themselves for security reasons.

Jams, Lafayette said to Peter Katz, left, were caused in some cases by paper ballots being “too long” and other ballots  being placed into the ballot reception slot by the voter in a manner that resulted in “jams.” He said some of the problems in scanning occurred because voters mismarked ballots, the marker pens bled through the paper stock used for the ballots — especially affecting Yonkers votes which had propositions on the flip side of the ballot.

Election materials being brought to the Board of Elections Wednesday afternoon.

On the day after the November 3 election, Lafayette said the Board of Elections had impounded all machines, as standard procedure, including those in unreporting districts still outstanding in the hotly contested races for Assembly District 89 between incumbent Assemblyman Robert Castelli and Thomas Roach,Jr. of White Plains, and the epic race between Robert Cohen and State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer.  Lafayette said results might still be posted this evening in those races, depending on when “reports” are received. Presently all voting machines including ballots and emergency ballots were being impounded.

LaFayette said that the Board of Elections is prepared to respond appropriately and handle any court orders that attorneys for candidates may get in disputed contests.

LaFayette said that they did not necessarily have to recount ballots by hand. He said a properly operating  optical scanner  could be used to automate the recount process which would be conducted under appropriate observation.

THE ELECTION ACTION AS OF 4 P.M.

Mr. LaFayette said he felt the pace of election returns reporting Tuesday evening was consistent with the past, saying it may have seemed slow due to persons in the media and who were eager for the results being impatient because the races were so close.

Meanwhile, the voter totals in the “too close to call” Assembly District 89 Race, and the Senate District 37 race have not changed as 3:45 P.M. Mr. Castelli leads Mr. Roach by 318 votes with 91 of 110 election districts reporting, 16,752 to 16,434.

In the even closer race in State Senate District 37, Suzi Oppenheimer leads Robert Cohen by 180 votes, 33,272 to 33,092 with 54 election districts not reporting (20% of the districts unreported at this time.

In other intriguing races,  Nan Hayward running against John Hall for the 19th Congressional District is trailing Mr. Hall on the Board of Elections results site, but Dr. Hayward claimed victory last night according to the Gannett chain, last night. Hall leads Hayward 24,941 to 22,325 with 23 Election Districts uncounted.

Michael Kaplowitz in the 40th NY Senate District leads Greg Ball 24,346 to 22,235, a 2,111 vote lead; Andrea Stewart-Cousins has a 5,000 vote lead in Senate District 35 over Liam McLaughlin, but only 70% of the districts there 295 of 419 have been counted.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010 By John F. Bailey. November 3, 2010 UPDATED  10:57 A.M. E.D.T.:

Westchester County’s new optical scanning voting machines failed big time in the two most important races to White Plains on Election Day.

Sources say that results of the Castelli-Roach race and Oppeneheimer-Cohen race will not be known for 1 to 2 weeks and that the Board of Elections does not have an immediate handle on what districts have not reported.

37TH SENATE DISTRICT AND 89TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT VOTE COUNTS COULD NOT BE COMPLETED TUESDAY EVENING DUE TO WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS WITH THE OPTICAL SCANNERS READING BALLOTS, SO A HAND COUNT HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR THE REMAINING 19 Election Districts in THE 89TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT.

At 1:30 Wednesday morning, Robert Castelli, incumbent Assemblyman in the 89th District told WPCNR that machines from 19 Election Districts in the 89th District had been impounded due to malfunction of the scanners. He said ballots within those machines would have to be hand-counted, starting, he thought tomorrow to determine the eventual winner in his race with White Plains Common Councilman, Tom Roach.

As of 1:30 A.M. when returns stopped coming in, Mr. Castelli led Mr. Roach by 318 votes, 16,752 to 16,434 in an amazing race with four lead-changes over three hours.

Mr. Castelli had taken command of the race between midnight and 1 A.M. as he had told a WPCNR contact at his headquarters at the Crowne Plaza he thought he would, because his strength in Harrison started to come through. Then with 19 Election Districts to be reported, and Mr. Castelli pulling away, the counting stopped.

Castelli said the machines from what he understands are very sensitive to how the paper ballots are marked and circles filled-in. It was his understanding that many ballots had not been counted by the machines. “The machines, some in Harrison, some in White Plains, and some up in my neck of the woods, have all been impounded.”  Asked if he had any idea why the counts had taken so long to come in, when the machine presents an electronic readout, Castelli said he did not.

Castelli also told WPCNR that the 37th State Senate District featuring an equally amazing race between incumbent Suzi Oppenheimer and Republican Challenger Robert Cohen had also had counts suspended for the same reason, but with many more election districts still out.

Ms. Oppenheimer after trailing through the first three hours by as much as 1,000 votes caught up with Cohen and surpassed his totals with 54 Election Districts remaining. Oppenheimer as of 1:30 A.M. leads Mr. Cohen, by just 180 votes, 33,272 to 33,092.  Castelli told WPCNR that many of the districts in the 37th Senate Race matched the districts in question in the 89th district where machines malfunctioned in registering the ballots. Mr. Castelli said he has had no explanation from the Board of Elections or any officials as to why the counts were so slow in coming in.

By WPCNR recollection, only half the districts in the Castelli race were totaled by 11:30 P.M., compared to complete counts  that were in by midnight when mechanical lever voting machines were used.

Castelli said he was in a “virtual dead heat” with Mr. Roach with the 19 districts left to be hand-counted beginning he thought sometime today. Castelli also said there were “hundreds” of absentee ballots.

The 33,186 votes in the 89th Assembly Race is, WPCNR believes is a record for votes cast in this district, and certainly the highest amount in the decade WPCNR has been covering this district. The 37th Senate District race so far with 54 districts left to count has seen 66,364 votes cast.

In other races, Amy Paulin appears to have won the 88th Assembly District easily, but her election dricts are not complete, either.

Andrew Cuomo won the Governorship, and Senator Charles Schumer won election to another term in the Senate, and Kirsten Gillebrand won to serve the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton’s Senate Term. Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel won reelection to the House of Representatives.

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WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. By John F. Bailey. November 1, 2010:

Don’t even think about stopping and leaving your car in the new parking cutout in front of One City Place, now JP Morgan Chase-owned, the first building to be constructed in City Center.

White Plains Department of Parking Enforcement have been keeping the slick new cobblestone cutout under surveillance to drop $40 tickets on unsuspecting cabbies, airport limos waiting for pickup, new mothers with toddlers herding children and accessories down from One City Place apartments, shoppers unloading groceries, delivery men delivering pizza, packages and what have you. 

According to residents speaking to WPCNR, One City Place dwellers are getting blitzed with unreasonable tickets given after vehicles are parked a very short period of time.

The residents have had enough of the ticket bonanza.  

They plan to blitz the Common Council tonight at Citizens to Be Heard at 7 tonight in outrage at the new policy.

The policy prohibiting parking (No Standing) one resident said actually is in violation of the state No Parking statute which allows cars to make deliveries or pick ups in a no parking zone, the resident said.

A city commissioner explained to the Traffic Commmission recently that the reason for the cutouts being built was because the One City Place building was not built according to plans which called for two lanes on City Place. Instead, only one lane was built. The building of the cutouts is to correct that problem.

Apparently, the White Plains City Court agrees, dismissing tickets given for violating the NO STOPPING ANYTIME sign recently installed.

A Parking Enforcement Officer, speaking under condition of anonymity said to him it is unclear what started this new “instant ticket policy,” whether it was at request of powerful residents of One City Place, preparation for the entrance of Shoprite at City Center, or repeated prolonged “standing” by vehicles doing business with residents in the apartment complex.

It raises the question of what is a cutout for anyway? If not to stop and unload or pickup?

On Mamaroneck Avenue, cutout enforcement allows 15 minute parking for pickup and dropoff. The policy enforced at One City Place appears to have a shorter time limit and appears arbitrary and capricious, residents say.

The minute ticket

Friday evening, WPCNR was told, a Domino’s Pizza delivery man stopped, went into One City Place to deliver a pizza. A Parking Enforcement Officer materialized and started writing the Domino car a ticket. The doorman, it is said, told the PEO the man was making a delivery. The $40 ticket was written anyway. The Domino’s man, upon seeing the ticket burst out crying.

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY.By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. October 31, 2010:

The autumn foliage show in New England is at its height this week. The drive north on I-684 followed by a leisurely drive eastbound through Connecticut is putting on a show that delivers oooo’s and ahhh’s at every turn. And of course, there are the great little towns of Connecticut that charm you with unique homes and landscapes that evoke a simpler time.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Department of Communications, Westchester County. October 29.2010(Edited):

The federal monitor overseeing Westchester County’s compliance with the housing settlement entered into last year has approved a key element of the county’s implementation plan – a model ordinance for local governments to adopt as a way to encourage new fair and affordable housing.

 The county model suggests that all future housing developments include no less than 10 percent of the units as fair and affordable units, including limiting the sales/rent prices, limiting the income of the households eligible to apply for those units, and encouraging more extensive marketing of the housing opportunities.

The requirement of 10% affordable units of any built is similar to the White Plains affordable housing requirement of its developers which presently requires 10% “affordable units” be provided or a fee paid in lieu of providing actual units.

The housing settlement approved by the former County Executive with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the county to develop 750 units of housing in 31 eligible communities and develop marketing that ensures “outreach and fair housing education to racially and ethnically diverse households.”

The model ordinance was developed with input from local officials as a tool for Westchester  municipalities to facilitate the land use approvals and construction of fair and affordable housing.

Now that the ordinance is approved by the federal monitor, it will be considered by the county Planning Board for inclusion in its long-range planning policy. Next, the county will ask local governments to review their existing laws and see if changes are warranted that promote fair housing aggressively.

In accepting the model ordinance, Johnson said he was continuing to review the county’s entire implementation plan submitted in August, but found it more productive on his part to give approvals section by section.

As noted by the monitor in his submission to the federal court, 21 units have received county funding. Of these:

* 3 housing units for people with disabilities at Freedom Gardens in Yorktown (All approvals for funding have been received.)

* 18 1-bedroom ownership units at the proposed Edgar Place/Rye Cottage Town Home in Rye await funds from the State’s Affordable Housing Corporation for down payment assistance Approval was announced yesterday.