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. | WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.

City Examines Options on Budget Director Rejected by Common Council

Posted on November 5, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. November 5, 2008: The Mayor’s Office is examining the City Charter to determine its options in how to handle the continued employment of David Birdsall, who was rejected as Budget Director by the Common Council Monday evening due to his lack of municipal financial experience.

According to Melissa Lopez, spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office: “The City is currently reviewing the charter and examining what our options are regarding the Acting Budget Director. I may or may not have more information for you today regarding this matter until we figure out what our next step is. “

The Mayor’s Office which consists of the Mayor, Paul Wood, Executive Director, Ms. Lopez, three secretaries and a Grant Corodinator, might choose to keep Mr. Birdsall on as a financial advisor, but not as budget director, continue him as “Acting Budget Director,” or perhaps dismiss him.

Monday evening, in an action that the Mayor said he had no idea was coming, the Council reject Mr. Birdsall, 5-2. This was suprising since Mr. Birdsall has been employed as Acting Budget Director for a month and the council had not voiced any objection. Rita Malmud, Dennis Power, Tom Roach and Benjamin Boykin all expressed that they had not been consulted by the Mayor before Mr. Birdsall was hired. The Mayor made the point that the council had expressed concern there was no budget director and so he had gone out and attempted to hire one.

Obama Elected President. Locally: Oppenheimer, Bradley, Paulin Reelected.

Posted on November 5, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2008. November 5, 2008: Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated Senator John McCain in Tuesday’s Presidential Election with a plurality of 4-1/2 Million votes, taking Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and piling up the electoral votes for a 334 to 155 electoral margin. When Mr. Obama was declared the winner in California at 11 P.M. the victory touched off spontaneous outrpourings of citizens in celebrations in Washington, D.C., Manhattan and cities across the land. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, students poured out into University of Michigan quad filling the famous square, then marched through the streets chanting the President-Elect’s name.

An historic Front Page.

The Moment of Victory: 11 P.M.: CNN Calls California.

Multitudes await the President Elect at Grant Park in Chicago as Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream Comes True. Hundreds were crying at the emotion of the moment. One of the enduring images was seeing the Reverend Jessie Jackson, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The President Elect Addresses the Multitudes.

President Obama in a short, eloquent acceptance speech adopted a conciliatory demeanor, reaching out to voters who did not vote for him, saying “I am going to need your help,” and “I will be your President, too.” He said America would “rise and fall as one nation as one people.” He urged the public to a higher aspiration, to rise above “partisan pettiness,” that he would “heal the divide that has held back our progress.” He said, “out of many we are one.” He said what distinguishes America is “the enduring power of our ideas: democracy,liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope” ” is the true genius of America.” He ended his speech with his theme, “Yes, we can:”

“This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.”

To read the complete text of President-Elect Obama’s speech, go to http://news.aol.com/elections/article/obamas-victory-speech-in-chicago/238195?icid=200100397x1212337596x1200821344

Democrats Seize Slim Margin in New York State Senate

In Tuesday local state elections, New York State Democrats won a 32-30 majority in the State Senate. Locally State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer won reelection to represent the 37th Senate District Tuesday, defeating challenger Liz Feld by 62% fo 38% of the vote (66,656 to 40,569). Assemblyperson Amy Paulin defeated White Plains Anthony Pilla for another term in the 88th Assembly District, 69% to 31% (30,690 votes to 14,088). Assemblyman Adam Bradley, running unopposed in the 89th Assembly District has been returned to a fourth term in the Assembly.

District Gives Asst Suptndents New Contracts Ranging from 3 to 5% Increases.

Posted on November 4, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 4, 2008: On the same night the Board of Education was confronted by 96 White Plains Teachers protesting the district failure to negotiate a new contract, it approved raises for its 4 Assistant Superintendents ranging from 3 to 5%. They will also pay 8% of the cost of their benefits provided by the school district for the first time, the Clerk to the Board of Education reported to WPCNR today.

The new salaries of the Assistant Superintendents were not reported in the 2008-2009 Superintendent & Administrators Salary Disclosure page in budget, but were figured into the total salaries budgeted for 2008-2009 on page 17 in the Proposed Budget Fiscal Year 2008-2009 presented and approved by White Plains last spring, stated Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board of Education.

In the new contracts approved last night, the Assistant Superintendents will pay the cost of 8% of their health benefits provided by the School District for the first time. A dollar amount was not immediately available, Schoenfeld said. According to the 2008-2009 budget book, the Assistant Superintendent for Business was provided with $40,946 in “benefits” in addition to his salary, but it is not known at this time what the new benefit figure, less the 8% is. The Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction received $39,396 in benefits in her last contract. The Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, $33,175, and the Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services, $39,325.

The new contracts approved now pay Fred Seiler, the Assistant Superintendent for Business $180,180, an increase of 5%, from $171,600. Dr. Margaret Dwyer, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction will be paid $170,470.15, an increase from $165,505, a 3% increase. Dr. Lenora Boehlert, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources is increased to $179,561.96, from $174,332 (a 3 % raise). Dr. Anne Lillis, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services will be compensated $169,744, an increase from $164,800 (3%).

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors speaking to WPCNR Tuesday said that the Assistant Superintendents had received merit increases in each of the years they have been under contract to the district ranging from 3 to 5%

Council Rejects Mayor’s Choice of Budget Director, 5-2

Posted on November 4, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. November 3, 2008: The Common Council asked to approve the appointment of David Birdsall, a man described by the mayor as having twenty years of budgeting and planning financial experience in the business world, and the best person available, declined the appointment by a vote of 5-2, with Councilpersons Dennis Power, Milagros Lecouna, Thomas Roach, Rita Malmud and Benjamin Boykin voting to deny the appointment and the Mayor and Councilman Glen Hockley voting to approve.

The primary objection was what the council perceived to be a lack of experience in municipal finance. Councilperson Malmud also criticised the Mayor for not informing the council of the decision to hire him. The Mayor introduced Mr. Birdsall around City Hall before the council was informed of the decision to hire him, and this particularly seemed to irk Ms. Malmud.

Betty Wallace, the city Personnel Director, said they had advertised extensively in the business press in August.

The Mayor said he was shocked that the council had not informed him they were going to vote the appointment down.

Teachers Head: No Board Offer for 5 months. Pay Teachers Instead of Consultants

Posted on November 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. Includes Statement from head of White Plains Teachers. November 3, 2008: White Plains Teachers Association President Kerry Broderick read a two-minute statement to the Board of Education accusing the School District and Board of spending too much money on consultants, and charged that consultant initiatives have not been assessed or evaluated. By coincidence the Superintendent of Schools later in the meeting said after school programs would be evaluated by December.

Part of The WPTA 100 listening to union head Kerry Broderick Monday night, scolding the Board of Education for dragging their feet for five months on negotiations and hiring too many consultants, for too much money, creating too many initiatives that no one knows if they work or not.

Broderick demanded the Board explain why the District cannot negotiate a settlement. She asked why administrators hired consultants to do the jobs administrators were supposed to do. After she lead a contingent of about 100 (96 by WPCNR count) White Plains teachers in a show of “solidarity” into the Board meeting she delivered the following statement:

Kerry Broderick addressing the School Board. Her remarks are below:

Good evening my name is Kerry Broderick, I’m a taxpayer in the city of White Plains and a parent of 4 white plains school district students. I’ve been a teacher in the White Plains school district for 13 years, I’m here tonight to speak as President of the White Plains Teachers Association

At the opening school meeting this year, a question of attitude was raised. Whose attitude? Certainly not the teachers.

Teachers have always taken the extra step to help the students. We write college recommendations. We help students before and after school. We coach teams beyond the expected time and seasons. We even coach extra teams, such as J.V. hockey, without pay when asked.

We move to (teach) new grade levels at the whim of a principal, and we do it professionally. We teach crazy schedules because there are mistakes that fail to be noticed and corrected by administrators in charge

The attitude of the Board (of Education) needs to be checked.

Why are teachers third class citizens? Upper level administrators have free health benefits and 5% raises. Middle management have an average 5% raise per year. But, when it comes to the teachers you are reluctant to negotiate a fair package. The Board has been intransigent. The Board has put no significantly new proposal on the table in five months when it offered teachers a paltry salary omcreasedthat would be wiped out with a maximum cost benefits cost shifting.

In the meantime, the board has wasted thousands of dollars on so-called experts who have imposed on teachers initiative after initiative with little financial support to implement the initiative. For example what about the initiative mandated last summer for the elementary school teachers with the impulsive distribution of the book, Getting Started with English Language Learners.Why would the district waste money purchasing 350 copies at $24 per copyeven if they were able to negotiate a mass discount?

Or did they? All this did was add was add another initiative to the professional teaching staff.This money would have been better spent on classroom supplies that now your White Plains teachers must purchase out of their own pockets.

Where can you find that money (for teacher raises)?

Stop paying out to consultants. These out-of-district consultants and their programs are bleeding the district money and energy, without identifiable or measurable results. Why do we have to pay consultants to do the job our administrators are supposed to be doing?

There is no independent assessment of the impact these initiatives (generated by consultants) have had.

Could anyone on the Board (of Education) or administration please tell the teachers and the community why any assessment has not been done? Why any cannot be done?

Could anyone on the Board tell us why we cannot negotiate a fair package?

Thank You.

Teachers filed out clapping in cadence, after Broderick read her statement.

100 Teachers Throng BOE Meeting. Leader Scolds BOE for Failure to Negotiate

Posted on November 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 3, 2008: About 100 or more members of the White Plains Teachers Association picketed that white portico of Education House preceding the Board of Education Meeting, tonight chanting calls for a contract while the Board of Education met prior to the official start of the meeting. Teachers trooped in and thronged the regular BOE meeting, and their President, Kerry Broderick read a prepared statement taking the Board to task for rewarding administrators while refusing to negotiate in good faith. The District and the Teachers Unionfiled a legal Declaration of Impasse in their negotiations last week, according to the Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors.

White Plains Teachers Picket for Pay Tonight

Ms. Kerry Broderick, President of White Plains Teachers Association, in a three-minute statement declared the district talked of respect for their teachers, while not rewarding them with a new contract, paying administrators 10% or more raises, while refusing to negotiate.

The Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors made no public comment at the televised meeting (to be shown on tape possibly Wednesday on the Education Channel) on the state of negotiations first reported by WPCNR last week. Afterwards, Superintendent of Schools Connors told WPCNR the district was attempting to negotiate a new contract and had no comment on the content of Ms. Broderick’s statement that she had every right to represent her members any way.

Outside the meeting before it started, teachers told WPCNR the hangup was on both salary and benefits, and one teacher said the district and union were “very far apart, and that’s what’s so bad.” Kerry Broderick, center, above, prepared teachers for the march into Education House.

The next step in the process, Connors told WPCNR was the appointment by the New York State Employers Relations Board of a mediator to oversee the contract dispute. District Assistant Superintendent for Business Fred Seiler said there was no estimate for a time interval for such mediations, though he mentioned that in Rye a mediated dispute was settled in three weeks. The head of the Employers Relations Board though contacted by WPCNR has yet to respond to an inquiry for an outline of the process.

The President of the Civil Service Employees Association, observing the unprecedented show of the teachers (all dressed in red for “solidarity”) Adel Herzenberg, said she was watching the Board of Education and the District handle the teacher contract negotiations because the CSEA contract expires in June 2009.

Superintendent Connors talking during the course of Monday evening’s meeting said he and other Superintendents would be meeting with New York Governor David Patterson at 3:30 PM at the Westchester County Center to hear him speak on what was in store for education and possible effects on education aid and budgets. Connors told WPCNR he had not begun preparing a contingency budget in case of current year cuts, because there were a lot of rumors going around and the Governor had promised that he would work to avoid cuts in school aid. White Plains receives $15.4 Million in state aid this year, which is paid monthly. The district may have received about $5 Million of that aid so far.

Armonk Players’ Lend Me a Tenor Premiers Friday.

Posted on November 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From WBT’s Pia Haas. November 3, 2008: Lend Me A Tenor is a door-slamming, dress-dropping farce with mistaken identities, mischievous misunderstandings, compromising positions and hilarious situations. The Armonk Players production premiers this Friday at the North Castle Public Library. It is set in 1934 at the Cleveland Opera Company, where everyone is going wild over the impending visit of world-famous tenor Tito Merelli. But the tenor takes too many tranquilizers, leaving the promoter and his assistant to assess that Merelli is dead. The assistant decides to impersonate Merelli, but the star awakens and stumbles out of his hotel room, leaving too many tenors afoot. LOTS OF FUN!!!

Key Players in Armonk Players’ 30s farce: clockwise from L: Jennifer Edwards of New York City (as Diana), White Plains’ Jeff Schlotman (as Saunders), Elizabeth Morris of Pearl River (as Maggie) and Dana Laite of Sleepy Hollow (as Max)

Admission: $15 for Adults, $10 for Seniors and Students at the door. For information & to reserve tickets call: 914-234-5457 or visit : http://www.armonkplayers.org/schedule.html Tickets may also be purchased in advance at Framings, 420 Main Street, Armonk, NY 10504 The Armonk Players are sponsored by The Friends of The North Castle Public Library.

The Armonk Players Present
Lend Me a   Tenor
by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Pia Haas
Friday, November 7, 2008 at 8pm
Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 8pm
Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 4pm
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 8pm
Saturday, November 15, 2008 at   8pm

Starring: Marcia Cummings-Vinci (Pound Ridge), Jennifer Edwards (NYC), Dana Laite (Sleepy Hollow), James Lugo (Congers ), Elizabeth Morris (Pearl River), Marci Stearns McCormick (Bedford Corners), Chris Rudy (Chappaqua),    Jeff Schlotman (White Plains),

Natural Gas Heat Costs to Go Up 15%. Electric KWH Rates sink

Posted on November 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. By John F. Bailey November 3, 2008: Con Edison forecasters predict a 15% increase in the cost of natural gas for customers heating their homes beginning in November. The increase is less than predicted.

White Plains electric consumers, thanks to the plunging cost of oil, saw the kilowatt hour rate drop 3 cents in October to a modest 14.94 cents per kilowatt hour lower than the 15.8 cents/kwh charged one year ago.

Chris Olert, spokesperson for Con Edison said Westchester and The Bronk customers paid an average of $420 a month for natural gas a year ago and can expect that to rise to about $483 a month. Olert said 67% of that cost was charged by the gas companies, 13% for taxes and 20% for Con Edison’s delivery cost.

Electricity bills in White Plains declined from 9.5 cents/kwh hour in September for supply to 7.4 cents for October, and from 8.6 cents/kwh for Con Edison Delivery Costs in September to 7.6 cents/kwh in October. Olert said this was due to the variability of commodity prices.

The price per kilowatt hour in White Plains ran up from 15.8 cents/per kilowatt hour last October to 19 cents per kilowatt hour in June, peaking at 25.4 cents per kilowatt hour in August.

Olert did not have any predictions for continued electric rate reductions.

Regarding electric rates, Olert said that throughout Westchester County the average customer using 450 kilowatt hours paid 20.6 cents a kilowatt hour in October, 18% lower than a year ago.

Ready for their Closup: Skyliners in Sync at Debut Pep Rally for 09 Season

Posted on November 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR RINKSIDE. November 3, 2008: The Skyliners , Westchester, New York and Connecticut synchronized skating team, representing the New York Figure Skating Club and the Windy Hill Skating Club of Greenwich introduced their four skating teams for the 2009 season Saturday at the Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink in Greenwich before an enthusiastic crowd of parents, alumnae and friends and saw the season’s new programs. All parents and friends of the team (though understandably biased) were impressed with the the finesse, poise and teamwork demonstrated by the Preliminary, Juvenile, Novice and Junior teams after a summer and two months of practices, by the young ladies.

Ready for Our Close-Up, Mr. DeMille: The Skyliner Junior Team, bejeweled and bedazzling in their spiral bloc, as the Preliminary Sychronized Skating Team — synchro competitors of the future- look on . The Junior team, 14 to 19 years old, skated their new long program, their powerful, eloquent interpretation of Sunset Boulevard Saturday afternoon: The Juniors, Gold Medal Winners at the Zagreb, Croatia Snowflake Competion this spring have been chosen by United States Figure Skating to represent the U.S.A. at the Spring Cup Competition in Milan, Italy in February.

Those precocious Preliminaries, showing determination and grace skated to a medley from Annie, and impressed all with their sureness on their blades and irrepressible enthusiasm in their first big skate in front of a big crowd. The Preliminary Team features Kelsey Biolo, Paris Cipollone, Madison DeBlasi, Nathalie Felton, Ariel Goldman, Kathryn Goodfriend, Heidi Jacobson, Catherine Kapica, Catherine Keating, Stephanie Logue, Ira Pulling, Ayane Sato, Maggie Toal and Michelle Woo.

The Skyliner Juvenile Team, the “Juvies,” Skating to “Legally Blonde The Musical “performing a flawless splice. The Juveniles are: Stevie-Lynn Angiolillo, Alex Arroyo, Olivia Barbulescu, Hannah Bloch, Brielle Bonetti, Nicole Brenner, Tatiana Fischer, Haley Goodman, Julia Kaston, Ksenia Kudinova, Jillian Longo, Sarah McCarrick, Starr Ortiz, Olivia Pilling, Julia Rauch, Hallie RothSinger, Ariana Sirabian, Sydney Wetmore, Rebecca Wright, and Jordyn Young.

The Skyliners Novice Team Peforming “Peter Pan.” Novice Team members are Brooke Abbott, Jordana Adler, Stevie-Lynn Angiolillo, Hannah Bloch, Alexandria Boering, Mairead Brock, Sennett Cooke, Peyton Delgorio, Amanda Flink, Tatiana Fischer, Julie Goodfriend, Caroline Lee, Micaela Manteo, Jenn Marshall, Nikki Metzger, Olivia Pilling, Julia Rauch, Jenny Schwartzman, Amelia Strauss, and Rebecca Wright.

Skating their Way Into Your Hearts: The Skyliner Juniors. They are: Meghan Barr, Nicole Battaglia, Jackie Bayer, Alexandra Boisselle, Esther Brot, Stephanie Damascus, Katharina Devitofranceschi, Kristin Garfinkel, Marlena Holter, Caitlin Lombardi, Lindsey Marshall, Audrey McQuade, Ashley Mulhern, Hideko Nara, Angelina Santore, Paige Shepperly, Ashley Snow, Lauren Snow, Rachel Terry and Alexis VanAuken

Photo Ops for Parents.

The Skyliners founded in 2001 by White Plains athletic apparal magnate, Larry Rosen, owner of The Athlete’s Foot in The Galleria, feature 75 young ladies from 6 to 19 years of age from the tri-state area on their four teams. Their Junior Team won the Eastern regional Championship in 2007. One of the great features of the synchronized skating experience is how the young skaters starting out look up to the older girls and role-modeling comes naturally. Every Preliminary, Juvie and Novice aspires to get as good as the skaters on the older team and the ethic of improving skills through practice and dedication becomes a way of life on and off the ice.

The Skyliners feature beginning classes in synchronized skating skills (ages 4 to 9) at the Dorothy Hamill Rink. If you are interested, visit the Skyliners website at www.skylinerssynchro.com

Juniors performing their Spread Eagle Block as Novice Team looks on.

Novice Team peforming a pinwheel.

Juniors Performing the circle-within-a-moving circle.

Select Skyliner teams will compete around the USA for the eighth straight season competing in the Plymouth (Massachussetts) Thanksgiving Classic, The Terry Connors Competition in Stamford, Connecticut (Dec. 7), The Cape Cod Classic (December 13), Colonial Classic in Lowell, Massachussetts (January 9); the Junior World Qualifer in Fond-du-Lac Wisconsin (January 9); The USFS Synchronized Skating Eastern Regionals in Morristown, New Jersey, January 29; the Connecticut Classic in Hamden Connecticut, February 15; The Nationals (if they qualify) in Portland Maine March 3^rd; and the Milan Spring Cub, Febfuray 11 th through 16.

The Novice Line.

The Juvies in a blockbuster of a block Skating to Legally Blonde

Election Day From a Poll Worker’s Point of View. What They Do and How they Do it

Posted on November 3, 2008 by John Bailey

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2008. By Renee Marks Cohen. November 3, 2008: At 5:45 a.m. on Election Day, as a volunteer poll watcher, I was making certain that all the voting machines were ready at Eastview School. Four different districts were going to vote in one room. Unfortunately, one machine showed ballots for Primary Day, and the line of voters for that district got longer and longer while we waited for a remedy. People had to get to work.

Was everything going to go downhill from then on? Calls to the city clerk brought a repairman, who fixed the machine. I wrote out an excuse for lateness for a Yonkers school employee who had waited to vote. At first the detailed lists showing which address corresponds to which district were missing, but they soon arrived, along with a short list. I stood at the door of the room with an election inspector, and we quickly told voters which of the sign-in tables to approach. Many brought postcards with an assigned district number, but often the district number was incorrect.

Later it was clear that the special pressure-sensitive paper for listing the voters would run out. School personnel at Eastview, present for staff development programs, let the election inspectors copy the form and the sample ballot, and they let us use the school phones for election-related emergency calls. The building superintendent checked in to see if he was needed. He had helped before the polls officially opened.

Voting was steady and heavy; I was thrilled to be a part of the election and really had to push myself to leave for a late-morning break. Many voters who had handicaps came to vote; some had helpers along. Many voters brought their children. The school building’s evening superintendent checked in late in the afternoon.

Even the city clerk visited, and I asked her about the next technological step up from the lever-operated mechanical machines. She said that the next change would not come to White Plains “in her lifetime.” Still, large numbers of people were voting efficiently.

Early in the evening, I made some calls to remind voters there was still time to vote. But almost all had voted already. I went home from the call center to finish packing for an early-morning business trip—to Florida. Now I’m wondering how many baby boys about nine months from now, in Florida, will be named “Chad,” and, more important, what kinds of reforms we will see: Election Day a true national holiday; uniform ballots with a saturation of sample ballots to study preelection; more voter education; same-day registration? I’m also wondering who our president will be.