WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2005. By John F. Bailey. September 12, 2005: County Legislator Bill Ryan exposed a recent claim by Cass Cibelli, his opponent for the District 5 Legislative Seat, that Ryan has ignored safety and planning for a terrorist attack on the Kensico Dam as being untrue and unfounded and purely political, suggesting that Mr. Cistelli should have checked the facts.

Ryan, in response to Cibelli's charge that a study had not been done, told WPCNR that after 9/11, the county entered into discussions with the FBI and the state of “a number of hard targets” including the Kensico Dam. “We interacted with North Castle, White Plains and the Town of Mount Pleasant, closed the road over the dam, which still remains closed,” Ryan said, and he noted the dam is patrolled by a variety of  security forces, including the County Police, DEP police and State Police.

Ryan said that contrary to his opponent’s news release, a study had been conducted on the vulnerability and effects of an attack, at the suggestion of County Legislator Rob Astorino in 2002. The study also analyzed the extent of subsequent flood resulting from a dam malfunction in the first six months of 2003. He said the study was not made public for security reasons.