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 SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 30, 2009: The Board of Education approved a $185.8 Million budget to send to district voters May 19 Monday evening, cutting the budget from $185,9, based on a restoration of $2 Million in education aid from the state, restored over the weekend by Governor David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate leader Malcolm Smith in their budget compromise agreement. The .74% increase in the budget results in a 2.4% property tax increase resulting in a school tax of $8,000 on the $700,000 average White Plains home.

Forty persons attended the official adoption of the White Plains City School District Budget for 2009-10 Monday evening.

This means if you own a home in the $650,000-$700,000 price range, you will see your property tax go up in July from $7,618 to $7,990, (pushing on $8,000 ) an increase of $372, (within $8 of the WPCNR/White Plains Week television program estimated two weeks ago). Combined with the White Plainsian’s average $700,000 home county tax of $2,400 and the city tax, projected at $2,800  for that $700,000 home if the city budget is the same as this year’s ($161.7M), the average Mr. and Mrs. White Plains homeowner of that $700,000 home will pay $13,200 in taxes next year. If the city runs a budget more than $161.7 Million depending on the deficit the city runs (projected at $9 Million to $11 Million), the tax for that $700,000 southend home would hit $14,000 from all three taxing authorities: the schools, the county and the city.

If the city budget drops revenues as much as $11 Million as previously projected by the city, that city tax will go up to $3,500 on the same home pushing the total property tax up to about $14,000.

Another Stealth Tax Raise included in the Three Men in a Room Budget.

WPCNR was told today by the Office of Real Property Services that another cut in the key STAR Exemptions is included in the Paterson-Silver-Smith state budget agreed upon over the weekend. The STAR Exemptions, despite what Fred Seiler said this evening, are being cut again by 11%, not 18% as was originally in Governor Patterson’s budget, but still hiking the White Plainsian’s property tax to help fund their own state aid.

The restoration in district school aid  of $2 Million to White Plains  is being partially paid for again by the White Plains taxpayer because in the final Albany budget, the STAR BASIC EXEMPTION and STAR ENHANCED EXEMPTION ( the allowance deducted off your home assessment) is being reduced another 11% lowering your exemption from $3330 to $2,964  if you’re  under 65, and from  $6,500 to $5,785 if you are over-65. Jeffrey Gloak of the New York State Office of Real Property Services confirmed to WPCNR Monday that the 11% cut in the STARs was the final version of the Patterson-Silver-Smith Budget. Proportionately the Over-65 taxpayer is hurt much more by this once-again, not-publicized (except by the CitizeNetReporter) cut.

The restoration of the aid was included in the present budget to reduce the tax levy from $519 per $1,000 of assessed value to $515.15 per assessed value instead of cutting the budget more than the $185.9 it was at last week.

Fred Seiler, the Assistant Superintendent for Business said that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority  tax of   point 33% of the district’s total salaries (.33%) looks like it is going to go through, and that was included in the approved school budget tonight, costing the district $328,510 (slight more than the salaries of two data processing executives the district hired last August).

Four persons criticized the district for adding $500,000 in a new language program, to bring foreign language to the Highlands Middle School, while laying off personnel, and not spending enough money to remove children attending the district illegally, removing a social worker from one of the schools, and four not looking harder to cut expenses.

Seiler said the district budget approved tonight is essentially the budget the district will have regardless of whether the voters approve or turn down the budget on May 20, because the $185,778,149  budget is $7,371 less than the allowed contingency budger of $193,149,841. Seiler said it was up to the board whether to cut the budget more or adopt the budget at $185.8 M after any negative vote.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors, wrangling his last school budget for the district prior to his leaving the district June 30, said “I think we’re in good shape. We did not cut any of our wonderful programs. We’ve maintained class size. However, the largest problem we have is the continuing loss of assessibles. Our leaders are going to have to address that.”

Peter Bassano, Board member, up for reelection in May, thanked the community for their input and numerous e-mails because they helped, he said, the board make their decisions in an “unbelievably bizarre environment.” He warned, “Next year is going to be worse. This is the beginning of a roller coaster ride, and it’s not going to get better.”

Donna McLaughlin, President of the School Board, said the Board does listen to the people, “but we don’t always agree.”

Teacher Negotiations Go on to Fact-Finding Stage

Kerry Broderick, the President of the White Plains Teachers Association described last Thursday’s Teacher negations as “strikingly unproductive,” and reported that the next stage of mediations would proceed to Fact-Finding, the discoveries and positions of which would be made public after the mediator’s final report.

Broderick said that only half of White Plains 651 Teachers would receive automatic step raises next year because the other half are already earning the maximum salaries of the district.

Actual positions consolidated or eliminated not  fully clarified.

The Superintendent of Schools Connors said two administrative positions (Athletic Director and Director of Physical Education) were combined into one. Another Administrator was kept on but would teach part-time. Twenty certified positions were eliminated, but were not disclosed; Twenty Teaching Assistants were eliminated, as well as 3 Security Positions and 4 Clerical positions.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. March 29, 2009: The Board of Education will meet Monday evening at 7:30 P.M. at Education to adopt officially the 2009-2010 School Budget, expected to be $185.9 Million, barring last minute trimming.  The Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors is expected to report the exact number of persons expected to lose their positions in order to keep the budget to a 1% increase over last year. Last week, the Superintendent advised WPCNR, he expected just 12 persons would lose their jobs in position cuts amounting to  4 Clerical positions, 20 teaching assistants, 3 Security Guards and 20 Certified Positions (defined as any position requiring state certification, such as social workers, or teachers) and 4 Administrative Positions.

The property tax increase going into tomorrow evening meeting is  3.9%The Assistant Superintendent for Business Fred Seiler confirmed two weeks ago that the new Assessment Roll is at $286.8 Million, requiring the district to generate a tax levy of $149.9 Million on a school budget of $185.9 Million.  Seiler pegged the new tax rate White Plainsians will pay at $522.68 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Two years ago, that tax rate was $474.61 per $1,000.

As of Monday afternoon, the Superintendent said 4 Clerical positions would eliminated, 20 Teaching Assistants, 3 Security Guards, and 20 Certified Positions (which he defined as any position requiring state certification, such as social workers, or teachers), and 4 Administrators. He declined to identify the Administrators who are currently employed. He estimated that about 12 persons total would actually lose jobs.

Seiler blamed this year’s increase on the $5 Million drop in city assessments combined with a loss of state aid of $1.5 Million next year, and the increase in the debt service for the capital project, the last installment of which will be borrowed for in 2009-10.

For reference, if you own a White Plains home priced at $700,000, with an assessed value (after the STAR BASIC EXEMPTION computation  of $15, 100 — you are paying $7,618 in school taxes this year. Next year you will pay $7,892.47, unless more state aid is forthcoming. A school tax increase of $275. If your house is worth $1 Million and up,  depending on your assessment you’re going over the $10,000 mark in school taxes.   

REVENUES FINALLY UNVEILED.  Note whack out of state aid, $1.6 Million and Interest on Investments ($850,000)  necessitating $2.4 Million of the $3.1 Million budget increase.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors said  in the first public hearing on the budget two weeks ago that any aid coming from the state  bailout stimulus now being dolled out in Albany will not likely be showing up in school districts until 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

$185,912,042 Budget is $7.2  Million less than allowed Contingency Budget

Fred Seiler pointed out that by the state forumula the school district would have been allowed a Contingency Budget of $193.2 Million, noting that the budget presented tonight was 7.2 Million less than if the district had decided to raise the budget to the allowable Contingency Budget level — a level first predicted by WPCNR in the early budget process.

SPECIAL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

Monday March 30, 2008

Education House

7:30 P.M.

AGENDA

I.          Opening of Meeting:

            Pledge of Allegiance

            Oral announcements by the Board President, Board Members

II.         Communications: 

III.       Public Participation:  (The Board will entertain comments from the public on any issue, with a time limit of three minutes per person, and a maximum total of 25 minutes.)

IV.       Superintendent’s Report:

V.        Summary Action Items:

VI.       Other Action:

1.         Recommended adoption of the Proposed Budget for 2009-10.

VII.      Board Discussion:

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WPCNR VICARIOUS VARIETY. By John F. Bailey. March 28, 2009: Even the Princess of Print, the glamorous scoopsteress, the nosy redheaded reporter, globetrotting high-heeled high priestess of truth, justice and dashing romance fell victim to the national downturn in journalism today.

Taking her dismissal in stride, unruffled, regal Brenda Starr emerges from Flash Offices in Chicago today after getting the bad news. Ms.Starr refused to talk to reporters about her dismissal from The Flash her home paper for years.

Bottomline, her publisher put Brenda Starr “on furlough” from her position she has held on The Flash for years.  Bottomline broke the news personally to the astounded reporter-editor upon her return from Kazookistan where her persistance in finding her nephew’s father, her unrequited love of the past, Basil St. John, lead to exposing an international artifact smuggling ring.  

WPCNR is attempting to contact Ms. Starr to see what her plans are for the future. Ms. Starr is the most well-known print personality to fall victim to the dwindling circulation in print ranks. Idol for thousands of women who have followed her exploits with The Flash in the Chicago Tribune, Ms. Starr’s departure is a shock. Long having eclipsed her rival, Lois Lane, as world’s most glamorous reporter, her departure signals the present state of print journalism. Ms. Starr whose ability to negotiate a ledge 50 stories above the street in stilettos has long been admired, while dressed in the smartest fashions while always getting the scoop has been unsurpassed.

Taking a look at the decline in print circulation, WPCNR links it to the national trend towards consolidation of news coverage to simplify advertising sales space and cut down on local editions. Your local paper is no longer local in many cities. In the places WPCNR has traveled there still are still local papers but with more local coverage that retains leadership: papers in Portland, Lowell, Ann Arbor, Nashville, New London, Detroit, Boulder,  still have a local feel to them, still print the police blotters, still cover the local school board diligently, but even those papers are changing.

There’s a distinct lack of beat coverage in many papers. A lack of parochial in-depth reporting on trends in the community, and finances. Reporters are stretched thin. The relationships between reporters and organizations they cover are not what they used to be. Papers now attempt to keep readership with those human interest profiles of movers and shaker types, community activists, and popular subjects: pets, children, high school musicals which generally are generally advertisements in disguise, and pathetic attempts to playact at providing “community coverage.”

Papers are moving to the internet, attempting to be more timely in their coverage. However, those internet operations tend to be reprints of print stories, and deliver television news, superficial and one-shotted without adequate follow-up. But again, to move advertising spots on websites the coverage has to be widespread enough to attract a wide audience, hence the big blanket with many patchworks in it approach.

What do furloughed icons do? Does Ms. Starr have an agent? Will she start her own internet website? Will she consider switching to cable television? MSNBC, CNBC?

We understand CNN and FOX News as well as CBS have put in calls to Ms. Starr’s apartment. After all, an animated Ms. Starr on the CBS Evening News would be an excellent replacement for the present program.

Rumors that President Barack Obama was immediately considering her for press secretary could not be confirmed. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was said to be on shaky ground now  by Beltway insiders, with Ms. Starr’s international experience and savvy now available to the administration. The Treasury Secretary, much maligned for his charisma gap, feels threatened due to Ms. Starr’s ability to appear fashionably current on a reporter’s salary for many years.

Does this start a whole new life for Ms. Starr?

We hope this frees Ms. Starr from the tyranny of the bottomline-oriented publisher in the era when you’re paying columnists mints and reporters peanuts, returning us to the days of yesteryear when newspapers were NEWSpapers, not Adverpapers. When editors uncovered scandals being perpetrated before the perps got arrested, when deals were exposed at the time they were made, instead of after the fact, when it was too late.

Ms. Starr’s comments on journalism are well-known, and are classics. The sarcastic, irresistible titian scribe, always impeccably attired even the sands of Kazookistan, delivered these pips, as attributed to her by Dale Messick, her creator:

Here are just a few:

“That’s the problem. Reporters aren’t really qualified to do anything.”

“Sometimes I think newspapers care more about profits than people.”

“How many trees would be saved if we outlawed press releases?”

“I don’t need a makeover. I’m just a lowly print reporter!”

“Another 22 year-old reporter who will do twice the work at half the pay?”

“Sometimes I think everything about journalism was better when I was younger — the clothes, the stories, the newsrooms.”

“Assignment and assignation are almost the same word.”

“Ah, my pencil and notepad. Where would reporters be without their social armor?”

“Paper dolls in the paper! At least editors have figured out what it akes to get readers!”

“If more journalists dressed with flair, maybe newspapers wouldn’t so dull.”

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. March 27, 2009: The Common Council last night approved a resolution continuing the Open Arms Homeless Shelter “Drop-In” capacity (of approximately 17 additonal beds) through May 31. In a marathon Executive Session lasting at least and hour and a half,  that was still going on at about 10 P.M., the council considered and approved 12 certiorari settlements for a series of co-operatives and condominiums, signaling another round of crippling certiorari filings.  Details will not be revealed until the Common Council meeting of April 6.

The council was cool towards a proposal by the owners of 14 Mamaroneck Avenue to post a computerized message board overlooking Renaissance Square. The Board, estimated by its presenters to cost $1 Million to install was envisioned as a delivery system for advertisements, community messages, and emergency messages by its promoters. Rita Malmud, the councilperson, was particularly skeptical, especially about the possibilities of audio messages and visual distractions. Glen Hockley supported the concept as a wave of the future. Dennis Power the Councilperson worried about its intrusiveness on the parklike atmosphere of the square. Such a board exists presently in the city of Milano, Italy on one of the famous old squares. The project will be referred out for comment.

The Council learned it had been approved for approximately $652,000 of green energy grants  in federal stimulus money from Congresswoman’s Nita Lowey’s office to execute energy audits and energy “retrofits” in residential and commercial buildings, and the development of advanced building codes and inspections, and creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements.

Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel announced the city had learned it would receive $241,000 for Community Development funds  to create jobs and enable part-time jobs to keep persons employed (such as camp programs), in addition to the city’s  present annual  allotment from the federal government, believed to be about $400,000, which has been declining in recent years. The full amount, she said, was not known at this time. She expressed chagrin that the city would have received more if the American Community Service had not used data from 2000 which showed White Plains population declining. Yonkers, Habel said Yonkers receive $4,000,000, New Rochelle, $1,000,000 and Mount Vernon, $600,000 in like grants.

On the matter of  the new hotel rooms about to open April 1 at the Ritz-Carlton, Commissioner Habel noted that the council had approved reduction in office space in the second tower in August 2006 and earlier in 2005, and that the Planning Department approval of moving the lot line simply reflected those changes in the plans. No one on the Council expressed any qualms about the fact that the addition of 24 new hotel rooms springing up was a complete suprise to the council.  City Assessor Lloyd Tasch noted that the addition of hotel rooms reduced the assessible value of the property because hotels rooms were assessed lower than office space. No one asked what this meant in terms of dollars to the city. Tasch observed that the Ritz said they needed the rooms to be competitive for the business conference market because they did not have enough room capacity to handle a major meetings.

Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti expressed frustration on the state’s confusing process of awarding stimulus money for public works projects. He observed  that it appeared to him many of the projects had already been pre-selected by the state, from the laundry list of projects submitted by Mayors, leaving very little big time stimulus money to trickle down to cities like White Plains based on applications. White Plains has an $18 Million water supply tank (first brought up three years ago, and postponed for three years) and $5 Million sewer connection line pending, but Nicoletti felt the city had little chance of obtaining funding for those shovel-ready projects. Nicoletti lamented that most projects were traffic oriented, and expected the city would get funding for traffic signal modernization.

Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel said that the city affordable housing stock was mostly filled, but a handful of studios and 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units were still available. She said credit worthiness handicapped many singles from qualifying for the studio units, as well as families.

The council met in executive session on certioraris and WPCNR has learned that 12 certioraris and assessment reductions  involving co–ops and condominiums were approved.  They had already been figured into this year’s assessment roll. The very long executive session lasting as long as the public portion of the meeting, might have involved budget discussion, otherwise in this time of anxiety over budget cuts and deficits, the council did not bring up the budget at all.

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. March 25, 2009 UPDATED 10:22 A.M. E.D.T.:  Through a Democratic City Committee E-mail today,  WPCNR has learned New York State Assemblyman Adam Bradley will announce his candidacy for Mayor of White Plains on Monday at 11 A.M. on the steps of City Hall. Bradley can run for Mayor next fall without giving up his Assembly seat, so even should he lose the race, he will still have a job in the Albany statehouse.

Here is a copy of that E-Mail circulated to Democratic City Committee members in White Plains today:

March 25

To:  Friends in White Plains

From:  Paul Schwarz

Re:   An important announcement

The time has come to make a change in the government of White Plains.  Please join us on the steps of City Hall on Monday, March
30th, at 11:00 a.m., as Adam Bradley announces his candidacy for Mayor.

We need audience members to arrive there by 10:50 for an event which will last no more than 30 minutes.

Where:  City Hall (255 Main St.)
When:   Monday, March 30, 10:50 – 11:30
Rain or shine!

There is a great deal to be done, but we feel that this is the year.  You may sign up to volunteer at the website:
www.BradleyForWhitePlains.org     which will be operational starting Monday 3/30.

[We are sending this out early.  We have learned that an article will appear in tomorrow’s JN.]

Paul


Apologies – you may receive multiple copies of some form of this announcement.  Please RSVP to me if you have not done so to another
committee member.  Thanks – and hope to see you there.

It is a free pass  year for Bradley to take a run at the White Plains Mayoralty without giving up the Assembly position. In the past when queried by WPCNR, Bradley has repeatedly said how he is focused on serving all his constitutents in the 89th Assembly District, now he will have to juggle that awesome responsibility with a Mayoral campaign.

Adam Bradley, October, 2008

Bradley, the lone Democrat who has the political recognition needed to unseat the incumbent Mayor, Joseph Delfino, (should he, Delfino, decide to run), has refused to commit that he is running for Mayor for weeks, despite repeated queries from the press. The Journal News reported today Bradley had made a committee filing with the Board of Elections reserving the ability to fundraise, but still would not commit he was running to Journal News reporter Keith Eddings.

The assumption of course is that Bradley’s opponent will be incumbent Mayor Joseph Delfino, who has not officially committed to running himself, though recent political policy maneuverings in city hall indicate Delfino is setting up campaign issues specifically aimed at Mr. Bradley’s vulnerability on the sales tax issue.

Bradley has set up a website for mayor at www.bradleyforwhiteplains.org. The website currently is not live, and only accessible by user name and password. Perhaps it will be live on Monday. Mr. Schwarz has confirmed to WPCNR that the site will be “live” Monday, timed to coordinate with Mr. Bradley’s announcement.