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 ON THE AISLE. Theatrical Review by John F. Bailey. May 7, 2010: The moment she steps into the joint, you want to do it for Sugar! She’s Colleen Hawks, the gammy, breathy, breathtaking, sugary confectionary blondie from Broadway – a Marilyn Monroe reincarnation with the legs, the chassis and  charm of the one and only.

Ms. Hawks  breathlessly carries the Westchester Broadway Theatre “just in time” diversion – SUGAR – with her companions in flapper skirts, Gary Lynch as Joe/Josephine (right) and Eric Santagata as Jerry/Daphne, left – the sax and bass players fleeing the notorious – natty and “Tappy” — Spats Palazzo. 

Colleen Hawks as Sugar Kane and Ann-Ngaire Martin (far left), with The Society Syncopaters.

This just-in-time shot of musical seltzer (a David Merrick two year run hit back in 1972) brings back the1959  Billy Wilder classic black and white movie Some Like It Hot. It starred the legendary Ms. Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon.

SUGAR pulled into the Westchester Broadway Theatre Thursday night when The Dixie Flyer from Chicago arrived with the all girl band—The Society Syncopaters featuring Sugar Kane whose comic playoffs with the madcap Eric Santagata as Jerry/Daphne and the chesty baritone, Gary Lynch as Joe/Josephine — to rescuse Westchester.

SUGAR rescues you from stocks in free all, Madoff madness,  spreading oil slicks, disappearing shrimp, vans full of fertilizer and jawboning tired, tawdry politicians without a clue tediously filling the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and bromides that give you a headache.

The whopper of a Second Act sends you out into the night smiling, with zip zing and ginger, and the lady on your arm turns into Sugar Kane, and the man you’re with – Tony Curtis.

Hey, Mack! Hey, Doll! Need to get on the lam from life for a two hour mind reset?

Make like Joe (Gary Lynch) and Jerry ( Eric Santagata) the sax player and bass player out of work who witness sharp-dressed gangster Spats Palazzo, (Yoav Levin, he of the talented tapping spatted feet) rubout a rival gang at the Clark Street garage – SUGAR is just the tonic!

Mr. Levin and his mobsters get the audience tapping with their masterful tap dance number after the big rubout in Tear the Town Apart, and Mr. Levin’s departure from this world in Act II brings down the house – perhaps never has a tommy gun created such laughs.

Bienstock (Brian Maxsween, center) and ensemble perform Sun on My Face on arrival in Miami 

Starting slowly like The Dixie Flyer rolling out of the Chicago south yards from Union Station,  SUGAR hits its stride when Jerry and Joe decide to pose as girls to join Sweet Sue’s all-girl band to escape the natty Spats Palazzo. Mr. Lynch and Mr. Santagata as Joe and Jerry get the audience in the spirit of the send-up-in-drag “Chicago-cal”  with their spectacular Gypsy Rose Lee introductory number,  The Beauty That Drives Men Mad. Man this song the way Mr. Lynch and Mr. Santagata execute it is pie-in-the-face-slapstick without pies. Mr. Lynch and Mr.Santagata are the guys as girls who have the girls’ moves down. Cincinatti, Knoxville, Atlanta, Macon, Miami here we come!

When Jerry and Joe playing Josephine and Daphne respectively, join the band and the boys (as girls) mutually fall for Ms. Hawks on the Pullman ride down to Miami by the sea.  Mr. Santagata and Ms.Hawks duet touchingly in a Pullman birth party on We Could Be Close.,

The lunacy picks up steam upon pulling into the dazzling palms and sunshine of the Seminole-Ritz Hotel when Sugar, her band leader and the good-looking real girls in the all-girl band: Emily Jan Bender, Christina Laschuk, Jessica Lorion, Meghan Starr,and Natalia Barzilai make you feel the glory of the Miami sun in the splashy number, Sun On My Face – magically conjured by the seductive palm trees and lighting by set-designer Steve  Loftus and WBT resident lighting master, Andrew Gmoser.

On the beach at the Seminole-Ritz, we meet  millionaire Osgood Fielding (originally played by Joe E. Brown in the1959 movie) played as believably and deliciously lecherously  by Ed Romanoff who becomes an audience favorite at WBT’s production with Osgood’s love for a very uncomfortable Jerry.  

Mr. Fielding and his fellow millionaires are  lounging on the beach reading Wall Street Journals when we meet them.  Osgood and the Millionaires’ rendition of  November Song is just poifect!. Mr. Romanoff’s mincing about after Jerry’s Daphne is naughty old lechery that is definitely not a felony, but a riot.  His prancing and leering will make you laugh despite yourself.

Now lest you think this is an off-color show, it’s not. No four-letter words, just innocent, boy-girl fun – after all this is the1920s folks.

Joe,  the robust saxophone player starts to fall for Sugar Kane too, after that pullman party train ride, and seeing the abundance of Millionaires he talks Jerry into stringing Osgood the millionaire along to “do something for Sugar” with the First Act wrapping up with Doin It for Sugar.

After intermission the show steps into the big time with one of the snappiest Act II’s of a musical that builds this wedding cake of a feel-good show.

Sir Osgood Fielding Jr. (Ed Romanoff) Courts Daphne (Eric Santagata) Singing Beautiful Through and Through, romantic and a laugh riot!

Mr. Santagata (previously Seymour in WBT’s Little Shop of Horrors)  as Jerry/ Daphne agrees to a date with Osgood against Jerry’s suspicions that  Joe is trying to steal Sugar from him. While Jerry distracts Osgood, who falls for Jerry, singing the beautiful pas de deux  Beautiful Through and Through – you’ll laugh yourself silly watching Mr. Satagata

 Mr. Lynch doffs his lady persona of Josephine and for the trademark blue blazer and ascot and captain’s cap of a playboy millionaire. His game interpretation of Tony Curtis’s Cary Grant imitation (in the movie)  on the beach, impresses Sugar…and  she agrees to see him on  Osgood the millionaire’s yacht. (Confused? It’s complicated, but trust me, pally, you’ll buy it!)

On Osgood’s yacht, Lynch as the millionaire, complains to the beautiful Sugar that he feels nothing when a woman kisses him. Sugar tries her wiles.

They duet What Do You Give to a Man Who’s Had Everything. Ms. Hawks and Mr. Lynch make this scene really funny and every man in the audience wants to be on the receiving end of Ms.Hawks’ lips. I know I did. You can hear a pin drop in the big house when Ms. Hawks lays her smooches on Mr. Lynch.

Osgood asks Jerry to marry him—then comes another highlight comic bit when Jerry announces to Joe that  Jerry’s engaged – you’re going to love this part of the show.

That’s Josephine (Gary Lynch) far left, and Daphne (Eric Santagata) far right with Sugar Kane (Colleen Hawks) the blonde peforming for the toe-tapping gangsters from Chicago.

Meanwhile those tap-dancing gangsters are down in Miami searching for Jerry and Joe, they take in a show featuring the girls revue at the Seminole-Ritz – and when they recognize Jerry and Joe – well, all ends happily – I’ll always remember Spats Palazzo and the tap-dancing gangstas – who know how to dress and dance. (In my next life, I’m coming back as a song-and-dance man like Mr. Yoav Levin — he’s a show within the show.

No musical is perfect, but SUGAR ends perfectly with champagne and hope, the way all good musicals should.

 It’s the one musical I can remember where the second act is not just a way to end a series of reviews. It’s got plot! It’s got Sugar! Everybody gets their man, and you get the laughs you go to Broadway for…and of course a great dinner, and the longest running dessert in show business – Peach Melba.

WBT’s 165th show pulls into the Elmsford station just when you need it. The audience delivered two minutes of ovation – bravo-ed Yoav Levin, the dancing gangster; roared for Mr. Romanoff as Osgood – accoladed  Mr. Lynch and Mr. Santagata – and saved its comic tribute for the comic actress who can sing, too in that sweet Marilyn Monroe way, Colleen Hawks. Her breathy, girl-down-on-her-luck, always-falling-for-sax-players all so understandable. She’s a sweetheart!

Michael O’Steen’s choreography and Charles Repole’s direction moved this show and delivered one great number after another in Act II. The ensemble of musicians under Jeff Tanski delivered a musical bed of crisp, up tempo just right volume and melody.

Just 23-skidoo, folks!

The company serenaded the opening night audience with one last Doin’ It for Sugar.

See it for Sugar!

Contact592-2208 for ticket information and slurp up this musical Sundae or go to the WBT website  www.broadwaytheatre.com

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WPCNR THE BARGAINING TABLOID. By John F. Bailey. May 4,2010: City Hall talks with the White Plains Police Benevolent Association broke down today, and no further talks are scheduled, though Jim Carrier, WPPBA chief says his cell phone is on, awaiting the city to get back to him, anytime.

According to Jim Carrier, President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, (shown on television, addressing the Common Council Monday evening), in speaking to WPCNR this evening, the police made their proposal to the city this morning in an hour and a half meeting, and it was rejected.

“We had given them a proposal which was going to save the city a substantial amount of money, over a million dollars in savings. They made a counter proposal and wanted to tie it in to collective bargaining (renegotiating the current contract),” Carrier told WPCNR Tuesday night. “They wanted other concessions, which as you know, we have a current contract until the end of June. So we felt it was inappropriate, and our stance, is, look, we’re willing to help the city over its financial crisis for one year, but we’re not looking to tie this into collective bargaining. They weren’t willing to move on that issue.”

Mr. Carrier explained that according to law, the union would have to agree voluntarily to open our contract, which they refused to do.

Carrier said he made a proposal which would save money “in a one-time shot, and they weren’t interested.”

Carrier told WPCNR the police would work without a contract beginning July 1, and that it was way to early for binding arbitration. He awaits new proposals from the city. He said he fully expected layoffs in July, which he reiterated would be very hard on the police department.

He said the police department uniform force usually declines by eight officers a year, and currently the department was down 8, and he foresaw a the department being down by about 16 uniformed officers by the fall through attrition, which he said would be very bad for the department. “We could be in a bad situation 6 to 8 months from now.And they could be down substantially more, which would leave the police department in a substantially bad situation, and the residents of this city in a really bad position.”

Sources familiar with the sensitive negotiations (who have been right on the money so far), informed WPCNR last week the city is determined to cut 19 firefighters (returning the department to hits pre-“Delfino Mini-Renaissance” levels) and 20 police officers, also returning the police department to its 2000-2001 levels. To date, Commissioner of  Public Safety David Chong has declined to comment to WPCNR on the feasibility and effects of these cuts.

“Right now, basically, we don’t have any counter proposals,” Carrier said. “The city doesn’t either. The next move is up to the city.”

Asked what moves the city had left, Carrier said:

“They can’t  take anything from the collective bargaining contract. What they can do is make layoffs, that can be their option. ”

WPCNR asked Carrier if the city loses 20 police officers, could the officer power be juggled and still handle the demand  placed on the police department by the City’s “Drinking District,” Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

“Obviously, with the implementation of the 12-hour work schedule by (former) Commissioner (Dr. Frank) Straub, we’ve alleviated a lot of our staffing issues. It definitely put a lot more cops on the street. Thank God, they implemented the12-hour work chart or else we’d be in a really bad situation.

“But having said that, going down 16 to 20 police officers, that’s going to be very difficult to manage, and what’s going to happen is that operation overtime is going to go through the roof, and obviously the morale of the police department is going to go in the toilet. Something’s going to have to give. When there’s not as many cops on the street, crime tends to increase.”

“My phone is on, whenever they (the city) want to sit down and talk,”  Carrier said.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. May 3, 2010 UPDATED 11:45 P.M.E.D.T.: The Common Council heard 14 persons speak on the 2010-11 City Budget Monday eveningmeet this evening. Four persons spoke in favor of reopening the White Plains Public Library on Saturdays. Marjorie Davies of the League of Women Voters speaking on behalf of the league, urged the city to mitigate the tax increase, support countywide revaluation of real estate properties, and renegotiate union contracts with the police, fire, teamsters and CSEA unions to avoid layoffs and lower wage increases. 

The Presidents of the Police and Fire unions urged the council not to jeopardize citizens and police officers and fire fighters by lowering department strengths.  Joseph Carrier, President of the Firefighters said the council was putting White Plains citizens at risk if they lowered firefighter staffing as has been proposed: “The council has a responsibility to weigh and differentiate between the citizens’ safety needs and the need for budget cuts…Let me state on the record, (these layoffs) have the potential to kill.”_) James Carrier, head of the police union, said he’d be meeting with the city Tuesday morning with a police offer to the Mayor and his staff. The police union head noted how the 12-hour work schedule had cut overtime in half, and cautioned that layoffs would increase the need for overtime, and put his fellow police officers at risk.

Former Councilman Glen Hockley chided Tom Roach, Benjamin Boykin, Dennis Power and Milagros Lecouna and Mayor Adam Bradley for not supporting the 1/4% sales tax increase three years and two years previously, blaming them for the present budget “crisis.” 

Rosemarie Hicks, noted that White Plains single family homeowners, if property taxes are not held down, will face continued lowering real estate values and higher taxes making White Plains less competitive. Nick Wolf, the realtor,encouraged passing the tax increase since it amount to about $1 a day for the average homeowner.

Councilmembers Roach and Boykin, stood up to one speaker and defended themselves from attacks on them for approving previous Delfino Administration budgets the last 9 years, claiming they cut Mayor Jospeh Delfino’s budget this year.

Carl Albanese, challenged the Common Council to remediate the city’s Gedney landfill and to be forthcoming on how much that was eventually going to cost the city. He also urged that when times got better in the city that tax reduction in the city property tax be considered, Lyn Huber, noted that the high cost of benefits for each city employee which he placed as $34,000 was “ridiculous,” urging all city employees be subject to paying a portion of their health benefits.

At the meeting tonight, the Council approved $285,092 in certiorari refunds, $48,528 refunded to Verizon for tax years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, plus an assessment reduction of $215,000 for Verizon, and a $166,229,06 refund to 11 Lake Street Associates for tax years 2003 through 2010, and an assessment reduction of $180,800. The total assessment roll reduction which had already been deducted from the 2010 tax roll from the 10 properties receiving certiorari refunds this evening is $285,272.59.

The eight other properties are Harding Avenue Associates, $12,575, assessment reduction ($5,614.24 cert refund); Gisondi Family LP,291 Central Avenue, $2,462.67 cert; Gisondi Family LP, 287 Central Avenue, $8,150 assessment reduction, $3,638.65 refund; Gisondi Family LP, 285 Central Avenue, $24,250 assessment reduction, $10,826.66 cert refund; Gisondi Family LP,295 Battle Avenue,$24,000 assessment reduction, $10,431.18 cert refund; Harding Avenue Associates LLC, 30 Dekalb Avenue, $2,600 assessment reduction,$1,160.80 cert refund; Tiffany Towers,Ltd., 56 Doyer Avenue, $38,500 assessment reduction,$22,539.15 cert refund,and 451 Broadway Realty, 172 South Broadway, $22,000 assessment reduction, $13,661.48 certiorari refund.

In the next two weeks, the Council will hold their final sessions on the budget as follows:

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA
REVISED
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 10, 2010
6:00 P.M.

DISCUSSION:

5.       Proposed Tax Budget 2010 – 2011 – Expenditure Overview – Department of Planning and Slater Center, and recommendations of Budget and Management Advisory Committee.

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 13, 2010
6:00 P.M.

DISCUSSION:

6.       Proposed Tax Budget 2010 – 2011 – Decision Night.

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 24, 2010
7:30 P.M.

DISCUSSION:

7.       Proposed Tax Budget 2010 – 2011 – Adoption.

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA
REVISED
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 10, 2010
6:00 P.M.

DISCUSSION:

5.       Proposed Tax Budget 2010 – 2011 – Expenditure Overview – Department of Planning and Slater Center, and recommendations of Budget and Management Advisory Committee.

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 13, 2010
6:00 P.M.

DISCUSSION:

6.       Proposed Tax Budget 2010 – 2011 – Decision Night.

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
MAY 24, 2010
7:30 P.M.

DISCUSSION:

7.       Proposed Tax Budget 2010 – 2011 – Adoption.

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. May1, 2010: WPCNR has obtained an explanation circulated by the Chair of the Democratic City Committee for reasons why the News 12 and private video operators were not allowed inside the Democratic City Committee meeting Thursday evening when the party District Leadeers considered a resolution asking Mayor Adam Bradley to resign.

Liz Schollenberger, the Democratic Chairperson explains the YWCA told News 12 cameras were not allowed inside the building because children were present, neglecting to tell News 12 they were only banned until the Democratic City Committee arrived.

Here is Ms. Schollenberger’s official explanation: 

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. April 29, 2010: Mayor Adam Bradley today contacted WPCNR today  and criticized media reports “rehashing” recent budget and labor disputes of the past as being unproductive, untimely, and disruptive to current sensitive union negotiations, saying “I made a commitment to look forward, not backwards and go forward…discussions of the past produces no benefit, and are inappropriate. The publishing of today’s article in The Journal News hinders the ability for all of us (city and unions) to be looking forward.”

He said all union presidents, police, fire, teamsters and civil service have been collaborative, professional  and understanding in the discussions he has had with them. Asked if he has dropped his proposals for extensive layoffs in police and fire, Mr. Bradley said he would not negotiate in the press and said “My hope is that we can find a way to maintain our level of professionalism.”

He praised the professionalism and high level of standards of the workers in all four city unions, (and non-union personnel)  and said he had utmost respect for them.

Asked when the next meeting with the unions would be, John Callahan, City Chief of Staff said talks on the telephone, and personal meetings had been going on at various times with union leaders and the union lawyers.

WPCNR asked the Mayor if he had backed off his May 2 deadline for the unions to get back to him on layoff and benefit cut possibilities  and combinations as have been revealed to WPCNR by union sources. The Mayor would not confirm or deny the deadline, saying he would not negotiate in the press. Asked if he planned a settlement before the May 27 deadline for passing the budgtet, the Mayor said he hoped so.

Asked if he was not looking backward, would the Mayor drop the city legal effort to have the12-hour shift for police patrolmen overturned because it was not approved by the Common Council, the Mayor said he would not. “That’s a different issue, not part of the aribitration award.”

Asked if whatever labor decisions are made would treat all labor unions the same, Bradley said his goal was to be fair to all union workers involved.