January 18, 2005

Dear Mr. John F. Bailey,

In reading your article posted January 15, 2005, “ADAM IN ALBANY” I find it embarrassingly ironic to Mr. Bradley that my own 89th District leader can advocate in your article that he, Mr. Bradley, is committed to lead the fight for meaningful reform in our state government and that he is sponsoring a comprehensive reform plan that will begin to “reform the way New York’s government operates”. 

 He has my complete support and respect to implement such a policy and program and become the watchdog of corruption and political public abuses in NYS, but what about our own city and the recent abuses of the foreclosure and auctioning off of the St. Agnes Hospital property on December 14, 2004. 

Unfortunately there were no political watchdogs there preventing the distribution of our community assets and wealth to private investors with large wealthy pockets.

Unfortunately Mr. Bradley missed his own golden opportunity in the last three months right here in his own District and City of White Plains to expose perhaps the greatest injustice of state and political abuse imposed on the citizens and community of White Plains. 

The foreclosure of St. Agnes Hospital by the New York State Dormitory Authority and the auctioning off of the property to private speculators and investors for $20.4 million dollars.  In addition, the sale of an estimated 8 to 10 million dollars of advanced state of the art medical equipment to one company for the mere sum of  $ 375.000.00 for private profit.

Mr. Bradley was well aware of this issue since he attended some of the very first meetings in White Plans attended by community leaders, Common Council Members, Larry Delgado, Arnold Bernstein, and follow up community meetings attended by County Legislator Mr. Bill Ryan, White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino, and the many residents of our community in an appeal to reach Governor Pataki and the NYS Dormitory Authority to postpone the auctioning off of the St. Agnes property to private investors and to follow the proper procedure for an “RFP” request for proposals by all interested parties especially non profit medical institutions such as the Italian Hospital Society.  All of which fell on deaf ears and ineffective actions by our representatives!

  So now we read “ADAM IN ALBANY” What happened to WHITE PLAINS in Albany and the community needs of White Plains in Albany!

Moving on in your article it states quoting from Mr. Bradley “making public authorities more accountable in an effort to end abuses of the public trust by state authorities and public benefit corporations”.

Then it states to create a public authority inspector general to ensure authorities are given the kind of oversight they’ve been lacking.

The measure would also help ensure that there is no improper influence when it comes to awarding authority contracts.

The Bill would establish an independent budget officer to collect, distribute and assess information about the budget for each authority, and provide the information to the public and elected officials.

In the opinion of many, the very first place to implement this Bill Mr. Bradley is at the NYS Dormitory Authority created for the public interest and directly at Governor Pataki and his appointed influential decision makers and the friends of.  Why not work at the top and work your way down for a change, if this is in fact change you truly want for the citizens of White Plains?

What we are demanding as citizens in White Plains and requesting right now concerning the St. Agnes Hospital foreclosure and auctioning off of its property to investors is an investigation conducted through the New York State Attorney General’s office into the legality of the St. Agnes auction. 

The selling off of the medical equipment and the refusal or possible violation of procedure by the NYS Dormitory Authority not to accept or request for an RFP process.

Officially right now I’m personally making an appeal to my District representative Mr. Adam Bradley on behalf of the citizens of White Plains to meet with many of us who are requesting an investigation into the procedural policies and legalities of the NYS Dormitory Authority concerning the sale of St. Agnes property and the affected medical equipment.


In conclusion and with all due respect to Mr. Bradley to whom I support sincerely, it’s time our elected representation begins to evaluate our community medical needs and emergency care here in Westchester County. Planning for the future and the medical needs of the future for this community and not just the economics and growth of the downtown business district in White Plains. 

Many of our Westchester based hospitals are closing, St Agnes gone, New York United Hospital Medical Center in Port Chester quickly shutting down, Westchester Medical Center in over $100.0000.00 in trouble, emergency rooms closing, existing emergency rooms turning our community away.

If the time is not now then when is the time when our elected representatives represent us and the needs in our community and serve the purpose for which they were elected to do, no different then a hospital, to care for us and provide for the needs of our communities and city.  It’s time we shut down our elected officials, their polices, and participation they close down to us as citizens in our communities and taxpayers.

Our political representatives seem to be blinded by the short sighted vision they see. They seem to never notice the needs of a community until a community opens their eyes and forces them to focus on the issues that are so apparent to us and transparent and invisible to them.  We elected them to lead not to be lead by Albany, County politics, City Government, and influential political favors and financial influence.

So Mr. Bradley, it’s honorable to sponsor a bill to reform Albany, make public authorities more accountable and state government more efficient but you’ll never do that with a bill, try a pink slip, prosecution and indictment.  Only then will Albany be reformed closed down and serve the same faith no different then our community hospitals have. 

Carl Albanese
A voice of free justice.