WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. November 22, 2006: Council President Rita Malmud agreed to head up a committee of Tom Roach, Benjamin Boykin and Dennis Power to initiate a series of talks with Westchester County leaders to bring about the closing and relocation of the 85 Court Street County Drop-in Shelter tonight.

Malmud accepted the Mayor's challenge after 40 minites of acrimonious finger-pointing between the Mayor, and Glen Hockley and Mr. Roach over the Council 4-3 vote to table indefinitely the Mayor's resolution calling for the county to close the shelter that has been operating since last January at 85 Court Street. The Mayor said it has been there too long, he objected to Mr. Roach's comment that the resolution was "political" on his part.

The Mayor blustered and bristled that he had exhausted possibilities with the county, that they had "deaf ears." Mr. Roach said the resolution had the effect of doing nothing except creating acrimony, and that the previous resolution was inflammatory. The mayor insisted it was not political. Mr. Hockley took his fellow council members to task for not voting for the resolution, citing again his statistics from the police department that there were over 500 incidents, involving the homeless from 85 Court Street and 86 E Post Road. Hockley in a prepared statement said this is "a life and death issue, a quality of life issue."

Mr. Roach called for the Commissioner of Public Safety, Dr. Frank Straub to address the Council in a public meeting on the scope of the demands on police services, appearing to cast doubt on Mr. Hockley's numbers. The Mayor did not readily endorse Dr.Straub's appearance. Dr. Straub has been very invisible around city hall the last ten months, and did not appear at the press conference the Mayor, Mr. Hockley and Rick Ammirato of the BID held citing Dr.Straub's department statistics on the homeless.

After about an hour of discussion on the homeless issue -- (more than was spent on the Memorandum of Understanding) -- Rita Malmud weighed in between Mr. Roach and the Mayor, stating she felt the resolution would do nothing. The Mayor innocently invited Mrs. Malmud would she try to talk to the county -- because he had and they have not responded. Mr. Power said nothing would be gained by the resolution that the Mayor threatened to put back on the agenda for December 4.

Mrs. Malmud, looking somewhat dubious, agreed that she would speak to the county representatives on the issue, and that she would involve Mr. Power, Mr. Roach (who said he had been talking to the county privately on the homeless saturation of White Plains), and Mr. Hockley and Mr. Boykin.  Mr. Boykin suggested the resolution would do nothing and suggested the Mayor had to talk to the county, at which the Mayor blew up and said his letter of some months ago and his efforts had fallen on "deaf ears."