WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007. By John F. Bailey. October 18, 2007: The always civilized White Plains Woman’s Club held their traditional Candidate’s Forum and Luncheon Wednesday.  Uncivil campaign fireworks erupted as six council challengers criticized council land sale decisions, laissez faire council budget supervision and “running the city at a loss,” as Mr. Pilla, the Republican put it.  Council knowledge of budget matters was sharply criticized by Independents Robert Levine and Robert Stackpole, who pointed out the Council and Mr. Boykin and Mr. Power should have known of the existence of the city projections sent to the Department of the Budget last spring and first revealed  two weeks ago by The CitizeNetReporter.

The Big Eight-- Benjamin Boykin leads off with Opening Statement, while, left to right, Milagros Lecuona, DennisPower, Anthony Pilla, Augostino Zicca, Candyce Corcoran, Robert Levine and Robert Stackpole marshall their thoughts at the Woman's Club Candidate's Forum & Luncheon Wednesday.

 Incumbent councilperson Dennis Power disassociated himself from Mr. Boykin on the city sales of land, his incumbent running mate, repeating that it was not he (Power) who had voted for the Railside land sale to “balance the 2005-2006 budget,” but did point out that he and Boykin had stopped the Memorandum of Understanding on New York Presbyterian Hospital subdivision, and the Exclusivity Agreement Cappelli Enterprises sought for the train station area.  

These examples of Council proactivity,  were witheringly dismissed by opponents as strictly responding to a massive e-mail campaign against the Exclusivity Agreement after it had been revealed by WPCNR that the Council knew (with the exception of Mr. Power who declined to attend his  briefing with the Cappelli organization when invited),  about the Exclusivity Agreement in advance and the council incumbents did nothing to stop it until public outcry overwhelmed the Council on the issue.

Mr. Power responded to blunt criticism from former Mayor Alfred Del Vecchio that the council condoned operating without a Budget Director at Mayor Delfino’s suggestion. Del Vecchio complained that a Budget Director would be a second set of eyes and judge of the budget.

Benjamin Boykin defended his Railside Avenue sale vote as evidence that he had "real leadership."

An intimate, but demanding gathering of citizens and candidates gathered for the affair.

After an elegant luncheon of chicken marsala, the Council Forum started out with the usual gentility with candidate statements, from the candidates for judgeships. Next came County Legislator candidates William Ryan and Lois Bronz who were running unopposed. All statements were timed  to the second by the Woman’s Club Official Timekeeper who broked no overruns by the aspirants.

The Woman's Club Official Timekeeper -- to the second and assertive -- with stopwatch in hand. There would be no comment overruns at the Common Council if she were handling the action.

Incumbent Councilman Benjamin Boykin, pointing to his seven years of experience on the council, taking credit for White Plains “outstanding renaissance,”  saying “I have made the difference,” and cited the recent Kensico Terrace opening last Thursday, a senior affordable housing complex, as one of his accomplishments, and preservation of 50 acres of open space. He said it was important to listen “to all of our citizens.

Milagros Lecuona, running for Council for the first time, announced to the public that she came to this country 20 years ago and has lived in the city for 18 years, becoming a U.S. Citizen two years ago. She mentioned she had founded La Casa de la Cultura, a city community organization; had been co-president of the PTA, and would bring her experience on the County Planning Board and as an architectural designer to the council. In her duties on the Westchester County Planning Board she has participated in the County’s Patterns 2025 project which will be fortcoming, she said, which will aid communities in developing their cities and towns through a better understanding of zoning and county regulations. She pointed to her experience within the White Plains community, the school bond review, and professional expertise in development matters as assets that prepared her for the council.

Dennis Power, the other incumbent Councilperson, said he had returned to the council because his daughter and son-in-law had moved back into the city and this inspired him to return to politics. He prided himself on voting no the Exclusivity Agreement and previously the New York Presbyterian Hospital Memorandum of Understanding, and recently supporting and voting for eliminating paper streets on the Greenway to preserve that park perpetually.

Then the challengers picked the Democratic Slate apart.

Anthony Pilla, the Republican,  described himself as a 10-year resident of Battle Hill, who had become community-involved over traffic issues, quality of life issues and legal housing, and most recently over lack of reporting by authorities of convicted sex offenders living in the Battle Hill area. He shifted gears and called for financial accountability and would push for fiscal responsibility in the city, and would push for the ½% sales tax increase which the incumbents have not supported to date.

Agostino Zicca, Republican challenger,  said the city progress was being held back by a “block of people” the incumbents who  posture during Council meetings, holding up important legislation. “It’s a circus. They work for themselves…I’m sick of it.” He championed safety issues in the streets, the reporting of resident convicted sex offenders, more police and firefighters, and the need for a new Superpumper for high-rise fighters.

Cass Cibelli, the third Republican Challenger is a principal in the New York City school system (and Wednesday was a school day), and was unable to attend the mid-day forum.

Candyce Corcoran, the lifetime White Plains resident, running on the Conservative line, recited her long resume of community involvement and experience in the banking industry, and posed the question whether “you like the way the city has grown into a real cosmopolitan city?” She called for White Plains to be “fiscally responsible,” and that a projected 7% City Tax Increase was twice the rate of inflation and said “It is obvious that we have serious financial issues that require serious people to solve it. You need someone who can analyze the situation, without being compromised by unions, developers, Westchester County or political bosses.”

Robert Levine, one of  the two Independent candidates,  Mr. Stackpole being the other,  took the microphone and said he was running because “elected officials have to listen to the people,” accusing the incumbents and the Common Council have having “sold it (the city) out” He said it was obvious that the city has gone astray in two areas: money and planning of development. “I have the professional qualifications to deal with planning and finances of the city.”

Stackpole, the second of the two Independents, cited has long experience on the Planning Board (ten years)and his role in stopping the New York Presbyterian Hospital Robert Martin proposal in the early 80s, as credentials for his ability to serve competently and achieve results against the odds. He criticized the city’s reliance on sales tax as a revenue staple because in a recession, “it does not mean you’ll have the revenues.” He called for fiscal planning.  He said the people of White Plains needed to be listened to on what they wanted for the next twenty years. “The council has not been listening, because you have a gong show at the council, {where persons are not allowed to speak more than 5 minutes).” He called for putting the city ‘in the hands of the residents.”

Selling Land

Then, Co-Chair of the event Jo Falcone opened the floor to questions. Paula Peikos asked about the Exclusivity Agreement and the sale of Railside and the fireworks began.

Corcoran said she found the Railside sale, voted positively by incumbent Boykin, “appalling,” as well as the sale of land to balance the budget (on the Bank Street affordable housing project, which both incumbents running (Boykin and Power) voted to approve.

Zicca, too, said he did not believe in selling land to balance the budget. Zicca, from the Battle Hill neighborhood,  said he would consider development of the railroad station area, but rejected the notion of selling the firehouse there. He called for remodeling the train station with a walkway over into the Battle Hill area into the Veterans Park. Stackpole said any Exclusivity Agreements he was dead set against it, because it limited competition. Pilla noted that once any land was sold, when it was not there the next year, “you’re in a big hole,” alluding to his call for better budgeting.

Dennis Power, took pains to point out that, he, Power, did not vote for the Railside sale. “Unfortunately, it happened,” pointing out that the council did kill the Exclusivity Agreement in April, and the RFQ proposal in September.

(Editor’s Note:There was no mention of the fact by any candidate that the RFQ was rejected by the council in the press, possibly for what some would think was political effect before the primary September 18, but the same Council did not hold back the RFQ when they had a chance to stop it from going out in the third week of August during the work session when the Commissioner of Planning presented  the RFQ. Instead the Council objected to the RFQ in the press after the Council allowed the RFQ to be distributed.)

Milagros Lecuona, who did not vote on the Railside plan, said “It is an aftermath and there is no profit in whether we improved or there is a benefit. “ (In her future possible decisions), “The City of White Plains needs to consider the real impact…what it would do for the entire city.”

Boykin dryly pointed out it was a 4-3 vote to approve Railside, and defended the sale, saying, “As a leader of this city, you’re faced with difficult decisions, that’s real leadership.”

 Why Raise Taxes and Expenses Every Year?

When a senior citizen rose, he witheringly asked the incumbents why they continually raised taxes and spending every year. Zic ca, the Republican warmed to the task, calling for “commercial property owners to pay their fair share (of property taxes). (This brought spontaneous applause.)

Corcoran referred to the revealed budget projections, indicating a number of tax increases (7% a year for the next three years) in the next few years’ budgets, and called for analysis of expenses and what any possible breaks for commercial developers would cost the city in taxes compared to full value assessments when the developments were completed.

Boykin waded in defending the council budgets, saying,  the Budget and Management Committee attempts to keep the expenses and taxes as low as possible. He said the city negotiated PILOTS (payment in lieu of taxes) from developers worth $12.8 Million, but that they were shared with the county and school district with the city only receiving 20% of the $12.8 Million. What he did not say to answer Corcoran’s policy suggestion on PILOTS computation, was how much those PILOT-wanna-be properties are or will be worth when construction is completed and what the gap between maximum possible real estate tax and the tax their PILOT pays actually would be.

Our Budget Director is Missing Alfred Del Vecchio, former Mayor of White Plains (1976-1993) rose from the audience, and challenged the incumbents as to why they continue to operate without a Budget Director, who provided an independent view of the budget. (Ann Reasoner, former Budget Director, left the city for undetermined reasons in June 2006.) Currently only one financial officer prepares the budget and overseas all things financial and that is the Commissioner of Finance, now with the title of Chief Financial Officer (Gina Cuneo-Harwood).

Mr. Power seized the microphone, and jumping on this one, saying, “I agree and disapprove of this (operating without a Budget Director) as well…it (hiring a Budget Director) is still an item in planning. We’e going to force and push for it.

Mr. Stackpole, his eyes gleaming,  said, “I couldn’t agree more.”  He then chided Mr. Boykin and Mr. Power and their colleagues (on the Common Council) for not knowing that the AIM (Aid & Incentives to Muncipalities) $5.7 Million in state aid, required a multi-year budget projection, when it was right in the budget. Referring to the multi-year projections the Council claimed they did not have  (that the Council has professed they had no projections to go on in denying the recently requested ½ % sales tax increase, the same projections published in their entirety by WPCNR), Stackpole  said of the Council, “They’re not doing the job.”

With that, it being 2 PM, the forum ended.

To be continued at the next forum, Monday evening, sponsored by the League of Women Voters at the White Plains Public Library at 7:30 P.M.