WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VIEWS. October 16, 2005: John Carlson, a candidate for Common Council,  spoke on the subject of school financing during the citizen comment period at the Board of Education last Tuesday night. Asked by WPCNR  to amplify his concerns about the dwindling assessment base, Carlson released this statement:

The vitality of the City of White Plains is contingent on the continued excellent performance of its Schools. I want the upgrade plan (of the seven schools) to move forward for the benefit of the City's children and for the benefit of the City.

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However, paying for the upgrades will be easier said than done. The White Plains School System is at the mercy of the City's declining real estate tax base. Moreover, the burden has fallen heavily on the homeowners while the commercial property owners have received tax breaks -- giveaway PILOTS and Tax Certs. The commercial property owners are not paying their "fair share" and they are not "giving back" what they "take out" of White Plains. As the commercial property tax base has declined, the burden has fallen heavily on homeowners. Indeed, the homeowners have become the City's "deep pockets."

The situation is worsening. The commercial assessments have plummeted last year and the trend is continuing. Also, the development of downtown has not produced the real estate tax base that was promised.

In the case of the City's finances, the development of downtown White Plains has not produced the bonanza that was promised. While the Mayor claims to have run a surplus (for the first time in the past 3 years), the surplus was due to a combination of luck (mortgage taxes) along with revenues from parking fees and a ticket blitz that have hurt almost every citizen in White Plains. Furthermore, sales tax revenues are hit or miss and, with gas prices being what they are, I would reasonably expect consumers to spend less. Hence, lower sales tax revenues should be expected while the City's commercial real estate tax base continues to plummet. This being the case, don't bet that Moody's will remove the City from Negative Outlook.

The City has spent lavishly and foolishly over the past years, running budget deficits more often than running a surplus. The lavish and foolish spending included outright gifts to developers and to private partnerships. This has got to stop. I will work to control the city's expenses and, on the revenue side, I will work to reverse the decline in the city's commercial property tax base.

If elected, I will work with the mayor (whether Mayor Delfino is re-elected or if Dennis Power is elected) and fellow Common Council members to lobby Albany to reverse the rules that have enabled the commercial property owners to take from White Plains while the city almost barren. Furthermore, as the city and school system share certain facilities, I will work diligently to optimize the beneficial use of these facilities.