WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. August 19, 2005: Cass Cibelli of White Plains, candidate for County Legislator opposing incumbent Bill Ryan, issues this commentary on Mr. Ryan's response to the White Plains homeless dropoff situation:
Dear Mr. Bailey,
Recently, State Senator Jeffrey Klein held a hearing on Civil Confinement in response to the brutal murder of White Plains resident Connie Russo-Carreiro. Beloved by all, Ms. Russo's murder has become the driving force behind the movement for civil confinement legislation within Westchester County and throughout the region. If the NY State Assembly wakes up in the fall, we may have a new piece of legislation with some real teeth, designed to protect our children and families from the Philip Grants of the world. This murder and the subsequent public debate showed us just what we are dealing with in terms of leadership at the County level.
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County Legislative Chairman Bill Ryan, who serves as Chair of the Westchester County Public Safety Committee, made many statements that were not in line with the concerns of the residents of our County. Bill Ryan failed to come out and publicly commit to a complete review of the County policy towards dealing with the homeless, from creating a daytime program, to the proposed transfer of the housing shelter at the Westchester County Airport to the Grasslands in Valhalla.
At a time when the residents of the County needed to be assured that the County was adequately addressing the safety issue, Bill Ryan failed to take a side. Bill Ryan yet again declined an opportunity to stand up for the citizens of this County. What we need is leadership that is more receptive to our needs, not the needs and desires of Andrew Spano.
I call upon the County to adopt legislation that will prohibit the County Department of Social Services from dropping off Level 3 Sex offenders within 2500 yards of a school, playground, school bus stop, park or nursery school.
Present policy allows the DSS to drop off these violent predators within walking distance of schools. Chairman Ryan needs to address this immediately. The residents of Scarsdale and White Plains, not Andy Spano, voted Mr. Ryan into office.
Behaving as Andy Spano's baggage handler, skipping off to China during a bus strike, or being a spin master are not what he was elected for. To date, Mr. Ryan has not communicated with the mayor concerning this tragedy nor has he communicated with the people of Westchester County. As a taxpayer, resident of the City of White Plains, and the father of two young children, I call upon Mr. Ryan to act in a fashion consistent with his duties as County Legislator.
Cass V. Cibelli
