WPCNR Southend Standard Register. By John F. Bailey. October 16, 2003: A Luncheon and Candidates’ Forum was held in the civilized atmosphere of the great hall of the Womens Club of White Plains mansion on Ridgeway Wednesday afternoon before an audience of  approximately 75 persons and 20 candidates for Common Council, County Legislature, and County Judgeship contenders.

Democrat Common Council Candidates Benjamin Boykin and Robert Greer took credit for moving the city forward the last five years, and denied they were a “rubber stamp” for City administration policies. They promised adequate review of the Louis Cappelli 221 Main hotel project, Greer saying the 221 project would be “scaled down,” and that negotiations with the New York Presbyterian Hospital were continuing.

Dan Hickey promised he would be able to listen and respond best to constituents’ concerns because he was the only person chosen by “the people” to run for council (having defeated Rosa Munoz for the third Republican Common Council nomination). Hickey also expressed concern about the direction the city was headed in development, casting doubt on the city’s infrastructure capacity and criticizing rosey city financial projections as “over estimated.”

The luncheon format gave candidates an opportunity to mingle and ingratiate themselves as responsive to the concerns of  about 60 longtime residents of White Plains. The forum itself was moderated by Rita Malmud, White Plains Common Councilperson who is not running for reelection.

The forum format consisted of a 3 minute introduction from each Common Council candidate, and a 2-minute statement from each of the Common Council candidates, and the County Legislature Candidates. Messers. Binder, Bernstein, Hickey, Boykin, Sheehan, and Greer  and Messers. Frank Cantatori and William Ryan were followed by a procession of  9 County and New York Supreme Court judgeship candidates who spoke for 3 minutes each. This allowed just three questions to be asked when the floor was opened for questions. The format left much to be desired. There was not enough time for questions from the floor, due to the lengthy procession of Judgeship candidates who used up a good 30-minutes.

Womens Club Notes They are All Clean-Cut Judge Types. No Slewas, No Kubeys.

The Judgeship candidates stated their life and career histories and the offices they had worked with, and the uniqueness of their court experience qualifying them for their sought positions. There were no crusaders here.

Judge Joseph Alessandro remarked to the two reporters present, before he spoke, “We really can’t say anything.” No words any judgeship candidate spoke referred at all to why they were nominated to run by their parties, and how they would conduct their judgeships if they were elected, or what mattered to them about the state of the law and due process today. Robert Nouri, one of the candidates, encountering WPCNR at Chef Andrea’s Restaurant in West Harrison, explained to WPCNR that the New York State Judicial Conference prohibits judges by law from commenting on legal issues, what they would do if elected. However, to listen to recitation of resumes as the Womens Club did yesterday, tells the public nothing about which judge candidate would be best for the position.

White Plains Future: Six Views

Taking the Council candidates in the order in which they appeared, Jeffrey Binder said he and Sheehan were running to “wake up the Common Council,” and criticized the present Common Council for being “unresponsive to the city’s needs,” that, if elected he and Mr. Sheehan would work to keep property taxes low “to keep young people coming into the city,” and he personally hoped to open “a major cultural institution” affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art, for example, to make White Plains a cultural destination.

Arnold Bernstein, said he was active “in the lifeblood of the city for 18 years,” and mentioned he had run campaigns for Ms. Malmud, Mr. Boykin, Glen Hockley, and Adam Bradley. Bernstein denied Binder’s charge the Council had been asleep, saying “Our council is very active. Our people are very involved.”

Dan Hickey came across as the most passionate speaker, noting he has been a lifelong resident of White Plains, and had worked for the Department of Public Safety for 38 years, rising to Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner of Public Safety. “I’m the only candidate here selected by the people, not endorsed by any party, and with no financial help from any party.” Consequently, Hickey said, “I am the only one who can speak independently for you.”

Hickey said he knew the problems of White Plains, charged the Council “had not been listening,” that taxes were going up, that revenue projections were “unreliable,” and he had ideas to conserve city spending.

Benjamin Boykin as President of the Common Council defended his record, saying he was proud of ushering in the White Plains Renaissance, and said he was behind creating a trolley system to improve navigation and relieve traffic in the downtown.

He credited his Council with “restructuring the Department of Public Safety,” creating the 6% affordable housing minimum requirement in new apartment complexes, and took credit for approving projects that have generated the “White Plains Renaissance.”

Boykin denied Council sonombulance: “We (the Council) are fully engaged in the process.” He said the Council strongly pushed for the Safe Streets Initiative, the Safe-Housing Task Force, and approved new moderate income housing (South Kensico Avenue).

Timothy Sheehan noted that “some like change, some like it (the city) to stay the same,” however he pointed out the Common Council has had nine years to enact the Poughkeepsie law that would challenge illegal housing and they had not done it. He said that he and Binder have put together a list in their palm guards of  “changes we would like to see” if they were elected to the Common Council, saying, “We are the only candidates who have done that.” He said Binder and he brought “new blood” to the Common Council.

Robert Greer, incumbent Councilman said he was acutely aware of the need for monitoring and evaluating the need for parking and the infrastructure as the downtown development came online.

Frank Cantatore, Candidate for County Legislature in the 5^th District, opposing incumbent William Ryan, said that taxes were his main concern, and criticized his opponent for being on watch while county property taxes soared last year. Cantatore predicted a larger increase last year. Cantatore proposed that St. Agnes Hospital, recently closed, be converted to senior housing.

William Ryan, the incumbent County Legislator, remarked that in three of four years, tax cuts were delivered to county residents, and that the county problem was caused by state mandated services costs being passed on to the counties (by a Republican

Administration).

Two Questions on Traffic and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

After some thirty minutes of judge candidates holding forth, the floor was opened to questions.

The first questioner asked of the Council candidates “what about all the traffic in White Plains?”

Binder said,  “It’s terrible,” then seriously said he was for “a complete traffic analysis” by an independent firm. He also said he was for reviving the extension of Grove Street to add a seventh artery out of White Plains in the westbound direction. (Currently there are six: Hamilton Avenue, Martine Avenue, Quarropas, Post Road, and Maple Avenue, and farther down to the South, Bryant Avenue.).

Mr. Bernstein gravely said, “It (traffic) is not a laughing matter.” He said the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the 221 Main Street project needed to be scrutinized as to traffic impact downtown and its projected influence on the neighborhoods. He said, “No one’s taking it (traffic) lightly.”

Dan Hickey lit right into the question, saying “You ain’t seen nothing yet. No one’s thinking about the traffic.”

The man who was with the White Plains Police Department for 38 years, said when urban renewal was conducted in the 70s and 80s, “we redid the whole infrastructure. We planned for that,” charging that the city has underestimated the effects the double developments of the City Center and the 221 Main Street hotel project will have on traffic.

Benjamin Boykin following Hickey’s dire warning, said the Council would look seriously at the effects of the 221 Main Cappelli-Bland Hotel project when the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is submitted. He also cited the city hiring of Eugenie Baird and Jeff Zupan, two renowned urban and transit consultants as evidence the council was planning with intelligence. He promised that the council would see that “cars and pedestrians have to live together.”

Timothy Sheehan commenting on the traffic question, said “You have to know what the end result is going to be. Change is inevitable.” He recommended that Court Street be widened to four lanes to ease north south flow.

Robert Greer said that within four months the 221 Main project will be reviewed and the advice of the city’s expert consultants would be considered carefully in determining the extent of the project. He said he felt the buildings “had to be scaled down.”

The next question came from a member of the audience who wanted to know about the situation involving the New York Presbyterian Hospital potential parkland. This person was unfamiliar with the 2000 council decision in which the city refused to refer out a plan advanced by NYPH that would have provided 60 acres of parkland to the city in exchange for retail development on the site.

Jeffrey Binder said the decision not to refer out the plan that offered parkland from the hospital “It would have meant a public preserve, a valuable resource. They let it go, instead of doing the right thing.”

Mr. Bernstein said “I think you’re going to see the parkland,” in the near future, indicating that it was not lost to the city.

Mr. Hickey called the NYPH 60 acres “a missed opportunity.” He also recalled that in his experience, the New York Presbyterian Hospital had always been “a good neighbor” to the city. He said if the council had referred the plan out, they would have had an opportunity to negotiate from strength. He said he would call for independent experts to negotiate with the hospital for the parkland. “I think there’s still time to do that.”

Mr. Boykin said Plan A, the plan the council refused to refer out that offered the 60 acres, “was the wrong plan for the city.” He said Fortunoff’s is now in the right spot (at Maple and Bloomingdale Road).

Boylin insisted the city was “at the table” with the hospital exploring ways hospital parkland could still come to the city.

He also insisted the 60 acres as part of Plan A, “was never a gift. We would have to lease it or buy it.”

Timothy Sheehan responded with incredulity: “This is most disturbing. This is issue denial. Some times, some days, you can’t believe what you’re hearing. I guarantee you they’ll pass it up again.”

Robert Greer, detached himself from Boykin’s position, saying the land offered in Plan A, was one of the most contentious issues the council had dealt with, and said he had voted for referring the plan out. He assured the questioner the land was at this time still “on the table,” and the city was holding ongoing talks to secure parkland in exchange for rezoning.

Hospital Spokesman calls Boykin statement on “ land never a gift”

“gratuitous.”

To clarify the exact nature of the New York Presbyterian Hospital 2000 Millenium Plan in which the hospital had offered 60 acres as part of a rezoning for a portion of the property to be commerical, WPCNR contacted Geoffrey Thompson of Thompson  & Bender, the spokesman for New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Thompson said Boykin’s comment was “not relevant,” because the Plan was never referred out by the Council for consideration, at which time the details of the 60 acre transfer were to be worked out.

He said the hospital’s position had always been that the land was not for sale, but that the Plan A intention was that the 60 acres would be “conveyed” to the city in some way, either in a token $1 year lease or some other arrangement.

Because, the Plan was not referred out, the details of the transfer were never negotiated with the city, but Thompson said it was always the spirit of the plan to deed the land to the city in a way that its acquisition would be seamless for the city, but, he said, “there was nothing ironclad about how the transfer was to come about.”

“I think it (Boykin’s statement) is highly gratuitous (to claim it was never a gift),” Thompson said.