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 The Housing News. From Westchester County Department of Communications. February 7, 2009: County Executive Andrew Spano in the face of record forclosures in Westchester County held a new conference this week to showcase how Westchester Residential Opportunities can help families facing problems paying their mortgages.  Spano said: “I want people to know that we are there to help, but we can only be successful if people reach out to counselors before it is too late. We also are applying for $7.2 million in federal money to revitalize neighborhoods most hurt by foreclosures. ”  

Citing three cases, Spano praised the county partner, Westchester Residential Opportunities, for being able to get the mortgages modified and help the three families with affordable payment plans. In these types of cases, the length of the loan may be extended or  emergency funding provided or lent from a fund set up by the county legislature.

 WRO’s ability to intercede with the banks holding the mortgages is due in part to a letter Spano sent to the major mortgage lending banks last fall asking them to make every effort to keep Westchester families in their homes by providing mortgage modifications.

“The Schiefer family  problem provides a perfect example of how this targeted county investment in foreclosure prevention can work,” said County Legislator Bill Ryan. “Helping these responsible homeowners through a rough time so they can stay in their homes demonstrates the effectiveness of the county partnering with non-profit agencies like WRO that have the expertise and tools to turn a problem around quickly and successfully.”

Commented Dan Jenkins, who chairs the legislature’s Government Operations Committee, “Everyone knows that times are tough. The county board was the first to provide direct assistance in the foreclosure crisis in New York State. The $150,000 investment is a prime example of how county government provides vital resources to Westchester residents.”

The WRO funding proposal was advanced by Ryan with Legislators Jenkins, Lois Bronz, Peter Harckham, Jenkins and Lyndon Williams.

Foreclosure rates in Westchester County have increased 104 percent since 2005 and default filings have jumped 244 percent.

Westchester County government is stepping up to the plate with a multi-faceted approach:

·        Counseling services to prevent foreclosures continue through the “Don’t Borrow Trouble Campaign,” supported by the Spano Administration and the Board of Legislators. In 2008 the Westchester County Board of Legislators approved a $150,000 grant to WRO for mortgage default counseling and to create a rescue fund. Rescue funds can be used to pay mortgage arrears.

·        At the behest of the county, three housing counseling agencies, certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, are available to help.  They are Housing Action Council ( 914 332-4144), Westchester Residential Opportunities (914 428-4507) and Human Development Services of Westchester (914 939-2005 ).  Go to www. westchestergov.com/housing for contact information and other important links.

·        In a separate initiative focusing on homes that are already abandoned or in the hands of banks, the county is applying to New York State for $7.2 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding including Affordable Housing Corporation funds.  The money would be used to purchase vacant and abandoned homes, repairing them and making them available to moderate-income families to purchase at an affordable price. The federal  program was created when Congress approved the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to address the rising number of foreclosures across the country. With the resale of these homes, the county will recycle the funds for subsequent purchases of homes for the life of the program through July 2013.

·        To maximize the chance of the resale, counseling services for future homeowners – even those not facing foreclosure –   are available now from the same three HUD-certified agencies listed above. The goal is to help people straighten out their credit problems now, so if they want to buy a house a few years from now they will be in top financial shape.

·        The county government has launched a financial education initiative.  Throughout the year, the county will be running various seminars and other programs to educate people about how to make wise financial decisions. A major conference is scheduled for May 12, with details to be provided later. In addition, the county’s web site has brought numerous financial education resources to one place: www.westchestergov.com/managingmoney

            Gary Brown, director of the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection, said, “Don’t ignore a problem paying your mortgage – it won’t go away and will only get worse. The most important thing a homeowner in trouble with their mortgage can do is to have a housing counselor review their case as soon as possible – even before they receive the first default notice.  The sooner families seek help, the greater the chance of saving the home.”

CASE STUDIES

Jorge and Marina Schiefer purchased their home in 2006. Their hardship began in 2007 when their home was flooded and they had to exhaust a lot of their savings to repair the damages. Then with the economy getting worse, business slowed down for Jorge. Their original mortgage was an Adjustable Rate Mortgage fixed for 2 years. In 2008, their interest rate was reset increasing to 9.25 percent, from 7.95 percent, increasing their monthly mortgage payments to $3,944, from $3605. Thereafter the rate would re-adjust every 6 months until the rate capped at 11.95 percent. When the Schiefers went to WRO for help they were three months behind on their mortgage. They contacted their lender for assistance but were denied. WRO was able to resubmit another request for a loan modification and was successful! The lender added 6 months arrears to the back of the loan and offered the client a “Step Fixed Rate” The rate on the first year was reduced to 5 percent, from 9.25% to 5%. The second year will be at 5.5 percent; the third year at 6 percent. After that, until the end of the 30-year-term, the rate will be fixed at 7 percent.

Melvin & Agnes G. refinanced their home located in Yonkers after the lender told them they could refinance in four months to lower the rate. But the lender denied them a new loan and refused to modify the loan until WRO persisted with a complaint against the lender. Finally the lender offered a rate reduction that lowered their monthly payments to $2,856, from $4,279.55 and placed the arrears on the end of the mortgage.

Ana A. of Tarrytown has two jobs, but when her husband left her and her three children she could no longer afford her home. Ana turned to WRO, and the agency was able to negotiate a loan modification. This lowered her interest rate and her monthly mortgage payments by almost a third for 5 years.  As part of the modification, Ana was required to come up with $15,000 in cash to make good on some of the mortgage payments she had missed. WRO made an interest free loan for $5,000 of this amount to Ana out of its rescue fund money, which she will repay over three years.

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From the Mayor’s Office. February 5, 2009: Mayor Joseph Delfino issued a statement today denying he runs a closed administration and asserts the Common Council should have been aware the city was facing a deficit based on meetings with the council the last two months.  The statement was made in response to Common Council Presiddent Benjamin Boykin’s interview with WPCNR Wednesay, where Councilman Boykin protested that the council had never been officially briefed on the size of the deficit  which was estimated in a front-page article in The Journal News Wednesday morning.

Mayor Delfino, in his written statement expanded his remarks to criticise the Common Council for rejecting projects that could have been building now, and for raising the sales tax last year only 1/4% instead of the full 1/2% the Mayor requested. The Mayor blamed the council for shrinking the Reserve for Financing in approving the budget last spring.

The Mayor’s statement comes after WPCNR has been informed just this afternoon that Adam Bradley, widely expected to run for Mayor next year, will not be the City Committee choice to run for Mayor, and that  Councilman Benjamin Boykin is currently the Democrat being groomed to run for Mayor, according to informed sources. Wednesday, Councilman Boykin informed WPCNR when asked if he was running for Mayor, said it was too early to consider that.

Here is the Mayor’s Statement:

Statement From Mayor Joseph Delfino Issued Thursday Afternoon

In my 2004 State of the City address, I closed by addressing the Common Council with these words: “One thing I have noticed in my six years as Mayor is that when we unite behind a common cause, we get things done…I would encourage each and every one of you to stay focused on our joint objectives without being distracted by the same handful of partisans who prefer political infighting and animosity over progress”

Unfortunately, over the last several years, we seen the deterioration of any effort to join together on the Council, particularly in these most difficult economic times, and instead resort to shameful partisan politics to the detriment of the White Plains taxpayers.

To say that we are a closed or insular administration could not be further from the truth. It was my administration that initiated regular work sessions for the Common Council and Citizens to be Heard. Additionally, I have probably appointed more Democrats to Boards and Commissions than Republicans.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand how Council President Boykin can claim that he was unaware that the City would be running a deficit this year. Last Thursday, January 29, Mr. Boykin received the Second Quarter Interim Financial Report, as did the rest of the Common Council, which clearly showed the City was running approximately $4.5 million behind where we were at the same time last year. This trend, which we fully expect to continue, would indicate that we will need to use nearly $9 million of our allocated fund balance. It’s as clear as day.

Additionally, it has been well documented on your web site as well as the Journal News, that I have asked each department to reduce expenditures by 7%. Based on our current budget of $160 million this would equate to $11 million in savings. Also several articles in the Journal News in January on the Library budget cuts and in an interview on your web site on January 9, administration officials clearly expressed the fact that the City would most assuredly run a deficit.

At a briefing in October, the last request the Council asked to be briefed on the current financial situation, The City’s Finance Commissioner, rightfully told the Council that most projections at that point in time were on target except sales tax which she then estimated would be running approximately $1 million behind projections. In addition, she as well as I, myself cautioned that we had extreme concerns about all our revenue projections and that the administration would be taking to steps to reduce expenses.

The Budget and Advisory Committee is an advisory board to the Mayor and is charged with long term financial planning and is not intended to micromanage current budgets.

Councilman Boykin has been reminded of this numerous times.

Councilwoman Lecuona was removed from the Cable Commission, not as retribution, as they claim, but for the reason that the directive under which the Commission was formed, clearly states that an elected official should not be on the Commission. Why did I wait? I was hopeful she would resign, as former Councilman Larry Delgado did following his election to the Common Council. I tried, subtly, to get the message to her by handing out a copy of the guidelines for the Commission and by appearing at a Commission meeting to reiterate the point. When it was clear that she would not willingly go, I had no choice but to remove her. Mr. Boykin may share a similar conflict by chairing the Budget Advisory Committee. Last year, the Advisory Committee, in a written report fully supported the one half percent sales tax increase which I had proposed. Mr. Boykin as Council President did not support the increase and voted instead to reduce it to a quarter percent. The $5 to $6 million this would have generated this year will be sorely missed and would have gone a long way in reducing the pain that our City employees and taxpayers will feel.

At Budget Adoption, without consulting me or anyone in my administration, under Council President Boykin’s leadership, the council voted to reduce the budget by 1% including a critical cut to the City’s Reserve for Financing, the only contingency fund the City has in times of emergency. I warned them all at the time that the measures they were implementing were dangerous and would likely cause the City to run a deficit and harm our bond rating. As I said then, “it might be the politically expedient thing to do, but that it was irresponsible and detrimental to White Plains taxpayers.” The chickens have come home to roost.

For political reasons, this current Council has fumbled away five major proposals, which as a requirement under our RFQ were all fully-financeable at the time, to redevelop the train station area which would have created hundreds of jobs and provided millions of dollars in building permit fees and other revenues to the City, voted to reduce the sales tax increase from one half to one quarter percent, 90% of which would have come from people who live outside the City, and which now will cost our property taxpayers $5 to $6 million in revenue, and slashed the reserve for financing line in our budget in a time of unprecedented financial turmoil.

To bring it back to the question of where’s Ben been? He claims in yesterday’s statement that he wasn’t briefed. Where was he when all these meetings and briefings and articles were presented? My answer to that question would be that he’s most likely been out worrying about his political career to the detriment of the White Plains’ taxpayers. That would be my answer, you may have another explanation. 

To throw up red herrings, try to deflect responsibility or bury your head in the sand at this time is not what is needed. What is needed is for leadership to take action to protect our property taxpayers and our employees in this difficult period. I will be announcing, later today, a list of actions my administration will be taking to undertake the difficult tasks before us. I would ask for support, not politicking, during this most turbulent time. 

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. February 4, 2009: When Common Council President Benjamin Boykin opened up The Journal News this morning at 7:15 A.M., he was stunned to read “White Plains girds for shortfall,” and that “the shortfall will likely return when the year ends in five months and could pass $1 million,” and that “The Common council received Harwood’s (Gina Cuneo Harwood, Commissioner of Finance) news” of the deficit “late Monday.”

Asked if the Common Council was briefed personally on the city 6-month Interim Financial Report  by Ms. Harwood before Monday evening’s Council meeting, Councilman Boykin said, “No!”

“The first I learned of the deficit was at 7:15 A.M. this morning when I read it in The Journal News. The council has not been briefed.  I am appalled this article came out.  People read this and they think we The Council were aware and we weren’t This is the first time I have heard of the city actually running a deficit.

Common Council President Benjamin Boykin — Objects to Closed Door, Uninformed Budgeting. Shown as he appeared on television at Monday evening’s Common Council meeting where no metion whatsoever was made of the city budget trends.

         “This is a closed administration,” Boykin told WPCNR.  “They want no dissent. Look how they just threw Milagros (Lecouna) off the Cable Commission. They don’t want ideas. You jeopardize your ability to operate efficiently when you work that way. I talked to Paul Wood (City Executive Officer)  about today’s  article and he suggested the article was referring to the Interim Financial Report  (received Monday evening) as a briefing. But, there is no mention of any $1,000,000 deficit or budget projection in that report. ”

Boykin said the financial peril the city faces requires fast action and consideration by the Budget and Management Committee and the Council immediately. He said he had ideas, if the Mayor felt like asking and charged the Mayor with failing to make projections on where the budget would be.at the end of the fiscal year and what the outlook for next year given deteriorating conditions.

Asked if the Mayor had asked him or any of the Council for ideas on the present round of budget cuts, as yet undefined as to amount, and department-impact, Boykin said that no, “I have not been asked at all.” And that  the council had not been asked or played any role in the internal budget cutting exercise that apparently is still going on under the direction of Acting Budget Director David Birdsall.

Boykin said the Budget and Management Committee has not met since last May, and saw an urgent need to bring them in early this year due to the deteriorating city economy:

“The economy nationally is in a signature meltdown. We in White Plains are in a very, very, ugly situation. Economic activity has essentially stopped. I was in front of Legal Seafood Monday evening and no cars were lined up for parking. Today at lunchtime, I saw very little activity on the streets.”

Asked if he had some approaches to the budget cutting process now and how the 2009-2010 budget should be formulated, Boykin said, “If he (The Mayor) asks, I’ve got some ideas.”

Boykin recalled that at that October 23 meeting, the Commissioner of Finance had assured the Common Council the city “was not in a crisis and the city was in good financial position.”

Boykin asked rhetorically, “What are the projections? I didn’t see any in that report. It was statistics up to a certain date and no more. There was no briefing.”

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. February 2, 2009: White Plains Councilman Glen Hockley voluntarily told Commissioner of Finance Gina Cuneo-Harwood today to cut the salary he is paid as Councilman 10%, in light of the hard times the city is facing. According to Commissioner Harwood, the $3,600 cut in pay would be reflected in the February 6 paycheck.

Hockley said in a news conference on the steps of City Hall that he hoped his action would inspire other politicians across the state and up to Albany, and the rest of the Common Council to do the same. He reported that no other city Councilperson has filed to cut their pay, even though he asked them to do so in December.

He also said that Councilman Tom Roach had agreed that the council should not have work sessions catered with sandwiches as another cost-cutting measure. Hockley also called on the city not to waste police time and expense delivering council agendas. The City Clerk’s office reported the city is sending the agendas by PDF file via e-mail.

Hockley submitted a letter (a “Personal Action Form”) to the Commissioner of Finance (Gina Cuneo-Harwood, sabove)  this afternoon officially starting his request for a pay cut in action. He anticipates distributing it at this evening’s Common Council meeting.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. WPCNR Interview with Councilperson Rita Malmud. February 1, 2009: After announcing her decision not to run for reelection this fall for a sixth term on the Common Council, Rita Malmud fielded a series a questions by e-mail from WPCNR reflecting on her two decades of service. She plans to stay in White Plains, and remain active as a Democratic City Committee District Leader, and in her thoughtful answers has some advice for those who would serve on the Common Council.

Here is Rita Malmud on her career on the Common Council:

WPCNR:  What are  your fondest memories of the Common Council, now that you have said you are not running for reelection?