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 DOWNTOWN. From The White Plains Rotary. July 16, 2008:  The White Plains Rotary, the largest in New York State, has named Georgene Mongarella, owner of the design firm The Color Schemer of Scarsdale, as its new president.

 In true Rotary fashion, Mongarella is deeply involved in her community.  She teaches her profession, interior design, at the Scarsdale High School, and serves on the Board of Architectural Review, also in Scarsdale. She chaired the Scarsdale Showhouse in 2005 which worked to preserve the Rowsley Estate (home of the Scarsdale Women’s Club.)She served on the Board of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for three years.

She is on the Boards of United Way of White Plains, the Westchester Coalition of the Hungry and Homeless and the Gift of Life (through Rotary 7230)   She also serves as a Trustee for the Scarsdale Historical Society and volunteers on design projects for terminally ill children through the Make A wish Foundation.Mongarella is the personification of the Rotary motto: Service above Self. 

“I am thrilled to be serving as Rotary president this year, she said, as strains of the tune, “To dream the impossible dream” played in the meeting room. Among other awards she has received were the 2007 ASID presidential award and Westchester ARC’S 2007 Community Image Builder.

 Her clients include six of the New York Yankees, one New York Giant, and Nick Wolff of Century 21 Wolff, who sponsored her in Rotary. She and her husband Joe reside in Scarsdale.  He is always there for her and to support her goals; her life goal is to make the world a better place. Those who know her well think she is setting the bar quite high for the rest of us.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. July 14, 2008 UPDATED July 16, 2008 10:45 A.M. EDT: The White Plains Times weekly newspaper reports on its website that overnite last Thursday, an estimated 3,500 papers were removed from its red distribution boxes in the White Plains downtown. The alleged removal has been reported to the White Plains Police. The issue contained two controversial stories, the affordable housing extensions and the announcement of the Anthony Pilla candidacy for Assemblywoman Amy Paulin’s 88th Assembly District Seat.

Pat Casey of The White Plains Times in front of City Hall, 2005, when she expanded to weekly publication. Photo, WPCNR News.

Pat Casey, Editor of The Times,  said White Plains Police suggested conducting video surveillance of the red White Plains Times newsstands, and that if it happens again, police said they would start an investigation. Casey told WPCNR she was positive the papers were stolen because similar missing paper incidents occurred last month, which she had not considered thefts at the time. She did not understand what the motive could be for such thefts, but said 3,800  papers were a lot of papers requiring a van and quite a bit of heavy lifting to remove, a concentrated effort.

“It takes a lot of effort to distribute the papers,” she said, and was convinced these were systematic efforts to suppress the paper. She felt neither of the two main stories, “Affordable Housing Stalled,” and Anthony Pilla’s assembly seat announcement were not of a controversial nature. She also speculated that enemies of the paper, even possible competitors took the papers out of the kiosks. She said the paper was holding its own in the market place,  though they have cut the number of pages per issue due to rising costs.

Casey said the 3,800 papers out of a 20,000 print run were replaced by extras left over because the schools are closed, and that made up much of the purloined papers.

 According to the newspaper, the following events took place overnight from the time the Thursday July 10 edition was deposited in the red White Plains Times distribution boxes, and we quote from the Times website:

On Friday morning, July 11, it was discovered by White Plains Times staff members that more than 3,500 newspapers had been removed from the red distribution boxes all over town. The theft occurred sometime between 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening and 8:00 a.m. Friday morning. Not only were all newspapers removed, but the issue placed in each box’s front window was taken as well.

If you saw any suspicious activity occur around any of the White Plains Times boxes please notify us at 914-421-1904 or call the local White Plains Police Department, as a police report has already been filed.

WPCNR can verify that  we were suprised on Thursday morning that there were no issues of the Times in a distribution box we passed while shooting pictures of the latest certioraris along Mamaroneck Avenue.

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WPCNR’S THE REAL DEAL By The Wedding Jeannie, Jeannie Uyanik. July 12, 2008: How you feel about how you look on your wedding day is often the best indicator of how you actually look.  A great outfit is half the battle, but hair and makeup, especially during warmer weather is part of the overall package.  And if you think you look great, so will everyone else. 

Hair stylists and makeup artists can play a crucial role in preparing you for anything from a wedding to a big night on the town, but knowing a few of the tricks of the trade beforehand, will ensure that you are working with the right people, and getting the right look.  Next week’s column will address hair, but today we focus on the art of putting your face on, as my grandmother used to say. 

We at Cap and Gown Weddings  find, especially with brides, that 10 out of 10 women will have visited a hair salon at one point in their lives; for a blow dry, hair cut or color application; only 1 out of 10 will have had their makeup professionally done (Macy’s counter aside). 

The standard explanations for this are also the underlying demons for why getting your makeup done, when you finally need it, can be a painful experience.  The biggest reasons that most women will not have their makeup done by someone other than the cosmeticians who sell them their own products include:

1)      most women prefer a natural look and professional makeup applications leave women feeling like someone else

2)      the cost of having your makeup done for an event is not as justifiable as getting a $30 blow dry (which will generally last the next day too!)

3)      fear of the products that professional artists will apply and the premonition of rashes, outbreaks and a new set of ears

4)      distrust that the selected professional will actually do what they want and not what the client wants

The combination of all these factors leads only those who are extremely socially active at a high level and in certain arenas, and who have been exposed to the trials and errors of makeup application for years, to make the practice a regular staple in prepping for an event of any kind.  But sometimes even the regular girl needs to take it up a notch. 

A wedding is often the first time that a woman will take that plunge and has a trial run by a professional artist.  Unfortunately, this also explains why 9 out of 10 hair trials lead to success and why 6 out of 10 makeup trials do not.  For all the reasons listed above, many brides walk away unhappy; feeling that it’s too heavy of a look, that the artist did what she wanted, that the cost does not justify getting it done. 

 In the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut), for a good, experienced makeup artist, the average cost for a bride to have someone come to her and do her makeup is about $350-400.  For a wedding, many aestheticians will price in a mother, one bridesmaid and a bride for about $600-700. 

This is exclusive of the cost of the trial, which generally runs between $125-200 and any associated travel costs if the makeup artist lives or works outside the wedding preparation venue.  Pricing for bridesmaids in addition to the bride will average between $125-175 and often, if you have a large bridal party, professionals will be willing to discount the costs for more than 6 of the bridesmaids. 

For special occasion (i.e. you are not a bride and the stress is less) applications, or for in salon applications by professionals, these costs are greatly reduced and usually average anywhere from $75 (for a trained professional – NOT someone who just started working in a salon) to $150 for higher end locations. 

But at the end of the day, because the trials themselves are expensive, time consuming and emotionally charged, we recommend a few ways to make sure that they will be a success the first time.

1)      Bring a picture of what you like and what you imagine your look to be. The more information the artist has in advance, the better for her and for you.

2)      Understand that in order for make up to last, either through an event OR for the purpose of pictures, it has to be seen.  If you are shiny in your pictures, it will look a lot less appealing than a bit more foundation, than to which you are usually accustomed. 

3)      Be prepared and know the difference between air brushing and regularly applied makeup.  The first is a more enduring look used by almost all professional TV personalities and print models.  The argument can be made that it looks a bit less natural than regular makeup, and while I don’t disagree with that in theory, if you have someone who knows what they are doing, it can look more natural than your own makeup applications at home.  It’s important to research the options and know your providers level of experience with air brushing.

4)      Research the person who is doing the trial.  If you found them at a makeup counter, make sure that they have SPECIFIC event experience, and if for a wedding, that they have done at least 10 so that you can look at their portfolio or get references. 

Hiring someone on the fly will never be a recipe for success for anything, but particularly for makeup; and I can’t tell you how often people hire a makeup artist that they met at the mall without ever asking about their experience.  Some of my favorites work at Bobby Brown, Laura Mercier and Mac, but weeding out the good from the bad takes some time.  Especially if your trial is free (i.e. at a makeup counter) take the time to do a few.  At least you will get some product out of it (the purchase of which is generally polite if a cosmetologist has spent her time making up your face for free).

5)      Never expect your makeup at home to look the same as that of a professional.  It will be different and that’s precisely the point.  But, if that scares you into thinking that you don’t need professional guidance and that your own look is more comfortable, keep this in mind – there is no way that your own makeup will last as long or as well for an event more than 4 hours.  Don’t get lazy and give up finding the person who fits the makeup bill just because it’s not something you enjoy.  Even our most natural and reticent brides have found makeup artists that suited their tastes to perfection.

Finally, a few side notes about how best to schedule makeup for an event and how to provide gratuities.  For a wedding, people always schedule too little time for makeup and hair appointments.  Assume at least an hour on the day of, even if the provider says 45 minutes.  If she says an hour, leave 1.5.  The more time you leave to fix something if it’s not right or to allow the provider to work at a comfortable pace, the more likely it is that you are happy with the outcome. 

Don’t rush makeup artists – there is a reason that they are called artists after all.  And for this reason, do consider giving them a little something extra when the service is finished, beyond just their fees.  A common question is whether or not the owner or the sole employee of a firm should be provided a gratuity and the answer is always yes. 

It’s an acknowledgment of their efforts, and hopefully, if the work was good, the start of a good and long term relationship.  We often recommend 20-30% of the cost of the service.  There are no rules that say you can’t have your makeup done once a month and if a few more people did, they might just find that the external enhancement provides an internal comfort. 

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From The County Clerk Office. (EDITED) July 10, 2008: The Office of the County Clerk reported an sharp increase in consumer credit action filings against individuals for delinquent credit card debt, car loan defaults, medical and tuition bills this year. County Clerk Timothy Idoni projects over 30,000 civil actions will be started in Westchester this year.  The 2006 and 2007 totals were 25,172 and 26,169, respectively. 

 “In 2007, we averaged about 1,700 legal filings a month.  This year we are already averaging over 2,300 a month and anticipate this number will rise,” Idoni said in a news release.  “Our counter people are reporting a massive jump in consumer credit filings.  And as a struggling economy continues and banks tighten their lending practices, we want to let Westchester consumers know what they can do to protect themselves.”  County Clerk Idoni offers the following tips to consumers having difficulty paying their bills:

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Call the creditor and ask for a repayment plan.  Your creditor wants to be repaid and may be willing to work out a payment schedule you can handle. By entering into a repayment plan, you may be able to avoid your debt being assigned to a debt collector who may contact you repeatedly at your home or office.

Seek help from an accredited credit counseling service.  Credit counseling services offer assistance and counseling to help consumers get out of debt and remain debt-free.  A counselor may be able to contact your creditors and work out a repayment plan that you can manage.   For a list of reputable credit counseling agencies in your area, contact the National Foundation for Credit Counseling ( NFCC) www.nfcc.org.  

Stay away from so-called low interest rate credit card solicitations.  Consumers often find themselves in trouble when they answer mail solicitations for so called low interest rate credit cards.  Beware as some creditors offer a low introductory “teaser” rate for a short time that will balloon into a double digit interest rate that can be difficult for you to repay and hurt your credit score.

Make lifestyle and spending changes.  Keep track of your spending by creating a monthly budget that includes all expenses and bills that are covered by your income and stay on track.  Start saving what’s left and put it in the bank. Cut down on using credit cards to pay for unnecessary spending including frequent dining out, shopping sprees, and expensive cell phone plans, for example.  “Be realistic about your debt.  If it’s between 15 and 20 percent of your income, you need to start trimming down your expenses significantly”, cautioned Idoni.

The Westchester County Clerk is the Clerk for the Supreme Court where consumer credit cases may be filed.  The public can visit the Legal Division located at 110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in White Plains between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.  For more information on our Legal Division, please call 995-3070 or visit our website at www.westchesterclerk.com.

  Just last week, Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni bumped into a customer filing eighty  consumer credit card actions in his office.  The customer, who has filed cases for local attorneys and banks on foreclosures and consumer credit issues for many years, shared, “I have never seen it this bad… ever.”   .

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. July 9, 2008 UPDATED 6:22 P.M. EDT: Paul Wood, Executive Officer for Mayor Delfino, expressed concern to WPCNR about the effect the new payment schedules for buy-outs on the Windsor Terrace and Hale Avenue condominium projects and future development of the city yesterday. Wood  said the new guidelines enacted by the Common Council  had definitely brought inquiries about developing in White Plains to a standstill, saying the cold call inquiries to the city about projects had all but disappeared.

Paul Wood supported the grandfathering of affordable housing buyouts for stalled approved condominium projects in the city and  defended the 55 Bank Street land deal for a 20% Affordable Housing project, the city is attempting to salvage with the developer LCOR as making the most sense at the time

Wood spoke in referencing two projects, Windsor Terrace and the Bobker Hale and Maple Avenue condominiums.  Representatives from those two groups lobbied the Common Council that the new payments their clients owed since the Common Council changed the affordable housing set-aside/buyout benchmarks in April, had made the projects financially undoable in today’s market.

Windsor Terrace, now being developed by Rome Partners, originally approved in 2003, has seen its “buyout” payment escalate from $452,600 to $1.47 Million. Hale LLC Condominium saw its affordable housing buyout payment move from $920,000 to $2.6 Million, since its approval in 2005. Developers could have, however, fixed their buyout cost by paying it in advance, it should be noted.

For the record, in lieu of building actual affordable units, that now reach 10% level, a developer needs to pay into the affordable housing fund, $75,000 for a Studio, $150,000 for a One-Bedroom, $200,000 for a Two-Bedroom, and $240,000 for a Three Bedroom. The costs of building an individual apartment may exceed these levels, and certainly would now, according to both developers who blamed increased construction costs for making the new level of buyouts financially unworkable.

Wood  wanted to clarify that in the first editon of this story, , in his opinion, he, Wood, strongly urged the council to “grandfather in” those two groups, and return to the former buyout amounts, so those projects could begin. He wanted WPCNR to make it clear that the Mayor never said the council should “grandfather in” the two groups.

Wood said the jury was still out on  the new 10% legislation and buyout amounts in the new affordable housing legislation, and as of yet was not ready to recommend a rollback to lower percentages. He acknowledged that the lack of financing and state of financial markets had contributed to lack of development interest, but said that the 10% setaside and buyout amounts hurt White Plains compared to other city candidates for development such as Yonkers, Stamford, New Rochelle.

Bank Street Land Offer Made Sense at Time.

Wood, commenting on the LCOR 55 Bank Street request for a restructuring of the financial terms of the 55 Bank Street 20% affordable housing project which became known last week, said that the original sale of the land to LCOR made the most sense. It was not because they were a favored developer, but because LCOR needed the land for parking for the hotel they planned to build on the 5 Bank Street property (site of Bank Street Commons).  

Wood defended the installment nature of the $15.5 Million purchase price, because the Mayor’s Office was trying to get away from the policy of “one-shot” land sales to balance the budget that it had been criticized for in 2006 when Railside Avenue lots were sold.

So far, no one on the Common Council  and the Mayor’s Office has shown interest in taking the land back from LCOR for default on the June 30 payment.

LCOR expects to pay that $5.5 Million payment in September with financing from Lehman Brothers. It is not clear whether this is contingent on the city accepting LCOR’s proposal to redesign the project to one large building 28 stories high, one building 14 stories high, and parking structure, and finance and build them in sequence.