WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. March 30, 2006: The Executive Director  of the Committee  for Open Government of New York State, Robert Freeman told WPCNR Thursday afternoon that the City of White Plains should have released all the names of the bidders on Railside Avenue properties and their bids, as requested by WPCNR today if the bids were opened at a public meeting. Declaring the bids public information, Freeman said "If the meeting where the bids were opened was a public meeting, they should release the names and amounts. I would ask for the bids."

A WPCNR call to Paul Wood, Executive Officer for the vacationing-somewhere Mayor Joseph Delfino, at 5 P.M. today relaying this information, was not returned.

The city is keeping citizens in the dark about who bid on the Railside  property until after the sales are approved in flagrant disregard of open government principles.

 The city promised to release the information Tuesday.  

Told of the city's rationale for not revealing the names and bid amounts of all bidders was that the winning bidders had not yet been notified, Freeman said that was no excuse for withholding the information requested by WPCNR, saying "If it was a public meeting they could have attended the meeting and would know anyway (if there bids were the highest)."

WPCNR asked Rita Malmud, Common Council President, who when the Mayor is away, is technically in charge of running the City of White Plains, if she would intercede and instruct Paul Wood to release the bids to WPCNR. So far, Ms. Malmud, who did not attend the public bid opening Wednesday morning, though opposed to the sales, has not responded to WPCNR's request.

Rita Malmud, Tom Roach (both opposed to the sales) and Benjamin Boykin did not attend the public bid opening Wednesday morning. The other three members of the Council have not been reached by WPCNR.