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 2009. By John F. Bailey. November 4, 2009: County Legislator Bill Ryan’s political future hangs on about an estimated 500 ballots or less, more than half absentee ballots, and an undertimined number of “Emergency Ballots” to be counted in Ryan’s race with Bob Hyland,  for the County Legislature 5th District seat. Brian Maloney, the White Plains City Committee Chair, has just received the Absentee Votes to Be Counted figure from Board of Elections Co-Chair, Carolee Sunderland.

Along Came Hyland

Bob Hyland goes into the Absentee Ballots with a tenuous lead over veteran Westchester politician, Bill Ryan below.  Ryan, claimed a “close victory” before midnight Tuesday night, and by 1 A.M. Wednesday morning, Republican Bob Hyland had a 2-vote lead, which grew to a 44-vote lead by noon Wednesday.  Ryan now finds his future in the all-important, dramatic opening of absentee ballots beginning Monday.

Bill Ryan Tuesday evening at Asian Temptation, calling Victory Prematurely. Race is still too close to call.

Maloney told WPCNR 199 Absentee Ballots will begin to be counted Monday, when the Board of Elections recanvass begins.

Of those 199 Absentees,  110 belong to Registered Democratic voters, 79 are Republicans, 2 Conservative voters and 1 Working Families Party. In addition, Maloney said there were 100 possible absentee ballots that were requested, which may not have all been returned. The Board of Elections waits 7 business days after Election Day before counting them.

A third category of votes to be counted are the Emergency Ballots filled out in at least 6 districts in White Plains where voting machines were temporarily out of commission: 4,18, 14, 9 & 13 and 39, as reported yesterday to WPCNR by the Board of Elections.

 (The Board of Elections reported to WPCNR on Election Day yesterday there were a total of 6 districts that experienced temporary voting machine irregularities.) Maloney just guestimated there might be some 200 of those  Emergency Ballots or possibly more, depending on the voter flows at the time of outages, before 3 P.M. Tuesday. He cautioned that was speculation on his part at this point. The Emergency Ballots, Maloney said, were placed in sealed bags at the polling places after voters filled them out.

The way Maloney sees it, the absentees may favor Mr. Hyland. He noted that if there is a direct split and all the 110 Democrats vote for Ryan with the 88 other  supposedly anti-Ryan affiliated party voters all voting for Hyland,  Hyland leads Ryan still by 22 votes, providing Hyland’s count in the recanvass of the election machines Monday holds. Maloney optimistically told WPCNR that you cannot automatically assume all 88 Democrat absentee voters will vote for Ryan either, but he could not see Republicans or Independents voting for Ryan.

On the breakdown of the 100 absentee votes sent out, Maloney said those votes usually follow the trend of the election, though the absentees would not have been affected by any adverse reaction to the anti-Hyland flier which the County Democratic Committee mailed over the weekend that has generated sympathetic support for Hyland, and possibly votes, across the city.

The number of Emergency Ballots also would tend to support the general election trend and would have the factor of the Democratic anti-Hyland mailer associated with their vote, or at least knowledge of it, Maloney said.

The mail-in absentee ballots will be counted beginning a week from Thursday, not Tuesday as previously reported.

Of course, the Board of Elections may find in the machine recanvass beginning Monday that votes were erroneously reported for Mr. Hyland or Mr. Ryan.

Stay tuned.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2009. November 4,2009 Updated 2:40 A.M. E.S.T.: Assemblyman Adam Bradley, lifelong resident of White Plains, son of Bill Bradley, longtime  Democrat leader in White Plains, with no opposition on the ballot except for a write-in campaign waged by ballot-bumped Glen Hockley, was elected the seventeenth Mayor of White Plains Tuesday. 

Adam Bradley, and Mrs. Bradley, toast his Democratic Team at Asian Temptation Tuesday Night.

 Bradley received over 6,000 votes–about half the normal amount of votes cast in a contested election in a very low turnout. (Usually White Plains city elections turn out some 12 to 13,000 voters. This city turn out was half what it usually is. Adam Bradley becomes the 17th Mayor to enter 255 Main Street,  beginning in January, as Mayor Joseph Delfino, who declined to run for a fourth term last spring, leaves office.

Mr. Delfino did not appear at Asian Temptation Restaurant  to congratulate Mr. Bradley while WPCNR was there. Bradley said he expected to have his transition team in place to work with the Delfino Administration in the coming weeks, to prepare the new administration, and get a number of questions answered. Bradley said he would be bringing a number of his Albany staff who work with him in the Assembly to his administration.

Glen Hockley, the write-in candidate, was said to have received 25% of the votes on writeins, but that has not been reported on the Board of Elections results as of 1:20 A.M.  Hockley was removed from the ballot by the New York State Appellate Court, 2nd Department two weeks ago, a decision upheld by the New York Court of Appeals refusal to review the Appellate ruling.

Mr. Bradley’s  running mates, incumbent Councilman Tom Roach, and first-time councilperson contenders, David Buchwald and Beth Smayda outdistanced Republican contenders, James Arndt and Leonard Lolis by 2,000 votes  respectively.

Mayor-Elect Adam Bradley and his new Common Council: Left to right: David Buchwald, Beth Smayda, Tom Roach, Mr. Bradley, Benjamin Boykin, Dennis Power and Milagros Lecouna. “We’re  going to do the people’s work together…really work to make this city the greater city it can be…We’re all going to have to work together, and bring the city together, not just Democrats, but all of White Plains,” he said in his address to the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of well-wishers.

County Legislator Bill Ryan running against Bob Hyland for the 5th Legislative District was in a very close race, but claimed he had won “by a little closer than I’d  like” at  an appearance at Asian Temptation restaurant in White Plains about 11 P.M. where White Plains Democrats and the Bradley team were celebrating.

However, the race has tightened as of 1 A.M. with 2 votes, 4,183 to 4,181, separating Ryan and Hyland with 5 White Plains districts out and 2 Scarsdale districts yet to report.  Brian Maloney, City Republican Party Head’s communications gizmo displays the incredible race as of 1 A.M.  The Ryan-Hyland Race is the only undecided contest. The County Legislature majority at this time is 12 Democratic Legislators to 4 Republicans.

Afreda Williams won Lois Bronz County Legislator seat in District 8, by a 2 to 1 margin over Tom Bock, the Republican. District 8 represents a sliver of White Plains.

At Republican headquarters, there were additional reports of widespread voting machine irregularities in White Plains, in addition to the 6 known voting machine failures reported by the Board of Elections earlier today. There were 6 White Plains districts known to have experienced voting machine irregularities, which may account for the lag in the final numbers on the Ryan-Hyland dead heat as of the wee hours of November 4.

Astorino Landslide Buries Spano — with Radio/Phone Blitz. Rob Astorino with the satisfaction of victory, vindication, and an eye to the future, at the Crowne Plaza Tuesday night. He had just achieved the most stunning election victory in Westchester in this reporter’s memory.

Republican Rob Astorino stunned Westchester County, the State, and the nation by defeating Andy Spano, the three term incumbent County Executive by 21,000 votes, 80,592 to 59,314 with 87% of the districts reporting. Astorino told WPCNR he attributed his victory to voters being tired of county spending and their skyrocketing tax bill — a theme Astorino spots hammered home on AM talk radio stations in New York City: WABC, WOR and WCBS, and on the World Series television sportscasts,and by frequent telephone callouts to voters.

Astorino told WPCNR Tuesday night that he attributed his victory to running strongly in the Democratic strongholds of New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and Yonkers, “all over the county.” Mr. Astorino told WPCNR he would be forming his “transition team” in about two weeks.

The Astorino victory confirmed the results of a poll of 483 voters by Siena College reported by WPCNR last week that showed that Astorino had closed the gap to within 7% of Spano, and that Independent voters could swing the election to Mr. Astorino. The poll did not predict Astorino victory, but pointed out that the race was much closer than any one was reporting, or expecting. Kudos are to be handed out to Siena College on conduct of that poll. The poll, in this reporter’s opinion, indicated why the Spano team spent wildly in the last week of the campaign. They knew they were behind.

Brian Maloney, city Republican Leader, told WPCNR at Republican Headquarters at the Crowne Plaza, when the Astorino numbers continued to grow up the roars were deafening,”people were jumping up and down,” he said.

Janet DiFiori won a second term as County District Attorney, defeating Dan Schorr and Tony Castro, handily.

The White Plains Results:

Last Update: 11/04/2009
Time:  00:00:49

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. November 2, 2009:  Commissioner of Public Safety Dr. Frank Straub is the first of  Delfino Administration  officials to announce he is leaving the city.

All weekend the rumors were swirling in the Department of Public Safety: Straub was out. But no one would go on the record.

This afternoon at a hiring swearing-in ceremony for five police officers.Straub made it official, telling the audience he would only be with the department  the next two months.

Dr.  Frank Straub. June 14,2002, in happier times,  when he was appointed Commissioner of Public Safety, coming  to the Delfino Administration from the NYPD, replacing interim Commissioner Dan Hickey after John Doltz departure. WPCNR News Archive.

Mayor Joseph Delfino professed he had no knowledge of the impending departure of his 7-year safety commissioner until Straub announced his decision to the gathering.

Dr. Straub addressing the Common Council last Tuesday, October 27, when the controversy over the 12-24 Work Shifts for Dr. Straub’s department came to a head.

Last week, WPCNR had asked Straub, after a particularly testy session with the Common Council on the 12 and 24 hour work schedules,  if he had been told he would not be rehired as Commissioner in a possible new Adam Bradley administration, Straub said “No comment.”

Asked if was seeking another position possibly with the City of Los Angeles Police Department or San Jose or elsewhere, Straub said, “No comment.”

By the weekend after he submitted a 7-page letter refusing to terminate the 12 and 24 hour work schedules, the rumors of Dr. Straub’s departure were all over the city.

Today his departure was confirmed by Straub himself.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. November 2,2009: The Common Council meets this evening in its usual light pre-Election night agenda. Of interest is approval of another round of certiorari payments, plus a resolution changing the mix of the LCOR affordable housing and market rate apartments at the stalled 55 Bank Street development. The resolution eliminates the office space previously proposed and expands the number of rental units.

The agenda:

COMMON COUNCIL
AGENDA
REGULAR STATED MEETING
November 2, 2009
7:30 P.M.

PLEDGE TO THE FLAG:              Hon. Rita Malmud

ROLL CALL:                                        City Clerk

YOUTH OF
THE YEAR:                                     Adrien Merveille

EMPLOYEE                                     Susan Murphy
OF THE MONTH:                          Associate Engineer
                                                 Department of Public Works 

ADJOURNED
PUBLIC HEARINGS:

1.       Public Hearing in relation to the petition submitted on behalf of applicant BMS Management Corporation for a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains to permit the parking of commercial vehicles at motor vehicle service stations and/or repair shops in the BR-1 Zoning District.

2.         Communications from        Commissioner of Building

3.                                                   Planning Board

FIRST READING
ORDINANCES:

4.       Communication from Special Counsel with reference to settlement of certain tax review proceedings.

5.        Ordinance authorizing the settlement of certain tax review proceedings.

6.       Communication from Corporation Counsel in relation to the renewal of the annual contract with the Thomas H. Slater Center.

7.       Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to renew the annual contract with the Thomas H. Slater Center, Inc., for the operation of the Thomas H. Slater Center.

8.       Communication from Corporation Counsel in relation to ordinances providing for the leasing of space for the operation of a skate shop and operation of a food concession at Ebersole Ice Rink in Carl J. Delfino Park.

9.                 Ordinance amending an ordinance entitled, “An ordinance providing for the leasing of space for the purpose of maintaining and operating a food concession at Carl J. Delfino Park – Ebersole Ice Rink in the City of White Plains.”

10.               Ordinance amending an ordinance entitled, “An ordinance providing for the leasing of space for the purpose of maintaining and operating a skate shop at Carl J. Delfino Park – Ebersole Ice Rink in the City of White Plains.”

11.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Safety in relation to a contract with the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services to receive an Impact VI Grant.

12.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the Ne York State Department of Criminal Justice Services to receive an Impact VI Grant, as well as the transfer of funds within the 2009 – 2010 Special Revenue Fund Budget for the Department of Public Safety in order to increase the Budget to reflect this Grant.

13.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Safety in relation to a grant from the State of New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, Department of Motor Vehicles, to reflect the Buckle Up New York Grant.

14.               Ordinance authorizing an amendment to the 2009 – 2010 General Fund Budget in order to reflect a Buckle Up New York Grant from the State of New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, Department of Motor Vehicles.

15.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Safety in relation to a contract with the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, to receive a grant to be used by the Department of Public Safety.

16.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains authorizing the Mayor or his designee to enter into a contract with the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, in order to receive a Grant to be used by the Department of Public Safety.

17.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Safety in relation to a contract with the United States Department of Justice to amend the 2009 – 2010 Special Revenue Budget to reflect a COPS Technology Program Grant.

18.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor or his designee to enter into a contract to accept a COPS Technology Program Grant from the United States Department of Justice and to amend the FY 2009 – 2010 Special Revenue Budget to reflect this Grant.

19.     Communication from Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the State Education Department for a five year grant of the 21^st Century Community Learning Centers for elementary school children grades 3 through 5.

20.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the State Education Department to receive a grant on behalf of the City of White Plains Youth Bureau to run the first year of a five year grant of the 21^st Century Community Learning Centers for elementary school children grades 3 through 5.

21.     Communication from Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract from the White Plains Housing Authority to continue the existing Lake Street After School Program for the 2009 – 2010 school year.

22.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract to accept a grant, on behalf of the City of White Plains Youth Bureau, from the White Plains Housing Authority to continue the existing Lake Street After School Program for the 2009 – 2010 school year.

23.     Communication from Personnel Officer in relation to a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code and the 2009 – 2010 Table of Organization by adding and abolishing certain positions.

24.               Ordinance amending the 2009 – 2010 Table of Organization by adding and abolishing certain positions.

25.     Communication from Chairman, Traffic Commission, in relation to proposed amendment to the Traffic Ordinance at various locations around the City.

26.               Ordinance amending the Traffic Ordinance of the City of White Plains in relation to Parking Meter Zones, No Parking, One Hour Parking, Speed of Motor Vehicles, Etc., and Left Turns Prohibited.

RESOLUTIONS:

27.     Communication from Commissioner of Planning in relation to an application submitted on behalf of LCOR 55 Bank Street LLC, transmitting an amended site plan for the proposed mixed use development at 55 Bank Street to be comprised of a thirty (30) story building consisting of two (2) 280 foot towers to include modifications to now contain 561 rental apartments (449 market rental units and 112 affordable rental units), approximately 6,000 square feet of street level retail space, elimination of 28,000 square feet of office use, and 711 parking spaces, to accommodate the joint use of the 561 residential units, retail and 200 commuter parking spaces, as well as the parking for a future hotel use not part of the application herein on the adjacent lot with up to 200 rooms, in a structure with six (6) levels of parking.

28.               Communications from        Design Review Board

29.                                                          Planning Board

30.                                                          Commissioner of Public Safety

31.                                                          Commissioner of Public Works

32.                                                          Commissioner of Traffic

33.                                                          Traffic Commission

34.                                                          Westchester County Planning Board (2)

35.                                                          Environmental Officer

36.               Environmental Findings Resolution

37.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains granting the application submitted on behalf of LCOR 55 Bank Street LLC, (“Applicant”) for a one (1) year extension and an amendment to its existing initial site plan approval originally adopted by the Common Council on February 4, 2008, for the construction of a residential project on an approximately 98,000 square foot parcel, which is part of an approximately 214,000 square foot designated development site, including a thirty (30) story building consisting of two (2) 280 foot towers to include modifications to now contain 561 rental apartments (449 market rental units and 112 affordable rental units), approximately 6,000 square feet of street level retail space, elimination of 28,000 square feet of office use, and 711 parking spaces, to accommodate the joint use of the 561 residential units, retail and 200 commuter parking spaces, as well as the parking for a future hotel use not part of the application herein on the adjacent lot with up to 200 rooms, in a structure with six (6) levels of parking, on a premises which is situated westerly of Bank Street, southerly of main Street, and easterly of the Metro North Railroad, in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains and the Contract for Sale of Land among the White Plains Urban Renewal Agency, the City of White Plains and LCOR, for private redevelopment of the property known as 55 Bank Street (“LCOR LDA First Amendment”).

ITEMS FOR REFERRAL:

38.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to a request submitted by 169 White Plains Rest., Inc., d/b/a The Porter House, for a Special Permit for Cabaret Use at 169 Mamaroneck Avenue.

39.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to a request submitted by DR & RD Inc., d/b/a The Brazen Fox, for the renewal of a Special Permit for Cabaret Use at 175 – 179 Mamaroneck Avenue

40.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to a request submitted by J.N.J. Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a Lazy Boy Saloon and Ale House, and Lazy Lounge, for a Special Permit for Cabaret Use at 152 – 154 Mamaroneck Avenue

41.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to a request submitted by Keiko New York Inc., d/b/a Asian Temptation, for a Special Permit for Cabaret Use at 23 Mamaroneck Avenue.

ITEM FOR INFORMATION:

42.     Communication from Director, Youth Bureau, transmitting the selection of Adrien Merveille as the 2009 White Plains Youth of the Year.

43.     Communication from Commissioner of Planning transmitting the 2008 – 2009 Community Development Comprehensive Annual Performance Report

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. October 31, 1009: Twelve and 24-hour duty tours are now permanent in White Plains,  according to the President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, Jim Carrier.

Jim Carrier announced to WPCNR Saturday morning that the “experimental” 12-hour work shifts for Police Patrols, and 24-Hour duties for White Plains Fire Fighters had become permanent because Commission of Public Safety Dr. Frank Straub announced in a letter to the Mayor that he (Straub) would not terminate the previously “experimental” work schedules.

The Straub decision comes three days after  five members of the Common Council had told Mayor Joseph Delfino and Straub in a raucous work session in the Council chambers that the five of them (Benjamin Boykin, Milagros Lecouna, Rita Malmud, Dennis Power, Tom Roach) felt the experimental status of the rules should be continued, and that, if the unions would agree to the continued status, Straub should terminate the 12-24 duty tours as of January 1. At the Tuesday evening meeting, the Mayor publicly stated he would not direct Straub to do that.

The only way the experimental status can terminate is if the Commissioner notifies the unions 60 days before the experimental status terminates, which was Friday October 30.

Carrier told WPCNR the Commissioner of Public  Safety had sent a 7-page letter, reiterating the success of the program he (Straub) had outlined with charts and figures to the Common Council Tuesday evening. Straub’s letter said, according to Carrier, that in justifying the continuance of the 12-24 program, “he, too had a fiduciary responsibility to the people of White Plains” to continue the program that was saving the department.  (WPCNR is attempting to obtain a copy of the Straub communication from City Hall.)

Letter is anti-climactic.

It became apparent Friday afternoon, with the Common Council failing for three days to schedule any special meetings (within their right to do so)  to pass an official resolution (an action that was available to them) directing  Straub specificly to terminate  the new schedules, that the Council had apparently decided de facto not to make official their position that could be possibly binding.

WPCNR speculates that such a resolution would have produced a legal action from the unions. WPCNR believes two Readings of any resolution directing Straub would be needed because consent on the first reading would not have been unanimous, with Delfino and Councilman Glen Hockley expressing their opposition to any termination Tuesday night.

Carrier said the work duty decision had no affect on the binding arbitration hearings just completed.  Carrier reported to WPCNR earlier this week that both sides, the city and the police and fire unions had completed their arguments in the hearings phase of binding arbitration, and were preparing their final briefs for the arbitrator for submission November 6, afterwhich the arbitrator is expected to make his decision.