WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2007. By John F. Bailey. October 24, 2007: In the liveliest council candidates’ forum of the campaign, a crowd of 75 persons jammed the Battle Hill School Condominium Community room and peppered questions at the 9 candidates for Common Council last night. Incumbents Dennis Power and Benjamin Boykin defended their records, and listening skills. An exit poll conducted by the leaders of the Battle Hill Association indicated that Augostino Zicca, Cass Cibelli and Robert Stackpole had responded most to concerns raised by the audience, with Anthony Pilla fourth. (See results at end of this article.)

9 for the Council: L to R, Dennis Power, Anthony Pilla, Milagros Lecuona, Cass Cibelli, Candyce Corcoran, Augostino Zicca, Robert Stackpole, Robert Levine and Benjamin Boykin at Battle Hill School Condominium Thursday evening.

Asked about what legislation the incumbents would work to pass, Benjamin Boykin stood on his experience, claiming that his record has shown that he looks at issues and tries to make decisions for the good of the city. Boykin said he would  push the council legislation to expand the percentage of work force housing to 10%, expand the income eligibility to the $120,000 combined income level, and keep White Plains “a diverse city.”

 Dennis Power, his running mate, sounded the theme of drawing the line on exclusivity and kowtowing to one developer, and continued his theme of more open government, more televised meetings, and working forward with all of the citizens to develop, as Boykin put it “their own vision of White Plains.”

Robert  Stackpole supported the  percentage of affordable housing model, but said he would work to eliminate the  so-called “buy out” option of paying million dollar fees to satisfy developers’ 6% affordable housing obligation,  a “buyout”  he claimed every developer has used to avoid building affordable housing. Boykin pointed out the 17 units of affordable housing at Horton’s Mill off Lake Street (yet to open), the 200 units at Kensico Terrace, and the units at Minerva Place did not require buyouts.

(Editor's Note: WPCNR notes that the city contributed $848,497 of the city affordable housing fund money  to the Kensico Terrace project to get that built,  and $327,474 more from the affordable housing fund  to the Horton’s Mill project to build that. Last month, the council voted $250,000 to support the Minerva Place project, when the developer lost a grant in the same amount.)

Augostino Zicca said he would work for legislation increasing the income level on workforce housing, and to bring in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to aid and work with the police and the city in discovering illegal housing.

(An ICE spokesperson in Washington,  Rick Rocha confirmed to WPCNR today, the agency could come into the city under the 1996 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act and investigate illegal housing clusters and possible wrongdoing  and exploitation of illegal aliens in the city.)

Candyce Corcoran said she would work for senior taxation, to provide a tax structure for senior citizens that would enable them to stay in the city rather than sell their homes due to the ever escalating taxes. She advocated workforce housing.

Cass Cibelli said he would work hard to increase fines for illegal housing violations and stamp out illegal housing.

Milagros Lecuona, first time candidate for Common Council, said she would press hard on environmental issues

Anthony Pilla said he would work to “legislate to insure the school district meet monthly with the leaders of the city, and be accountable for the number of children in White Plains who are not supposed to be here.”

Power said he would support legislation to enhance affordable housing.

Housing in the outlying neighborhoods

On the question of affordable housing concentration in Battle Hill, Mr. Boykin said regarding legislation advancing affordable housing to other neighborhoods that it only applied to new multi-family dwellings, permitted by present zoning and would not impact Battle Hill adversely.

Stackpole said Battle Hill was protected by zoning, but the city has to question how projects not complying with present zoning get built in areas such as Central Avenue.

Anthony Pilla cautioned affordable or workforce housing should not be forced into residential neighborhoods, just in mixed-use areas of the city. He said forcing them into the residential neighborhoods does not work long term. He decried the fact that one of his children’s teachers commutes from Danbury and the Superintendent of Schools lives in Connecticut, saying White Plains needs to fix the affordable housing problem.

Ms. Lecuona said she supported affordable/workforce housing, but it was important to determine the amount of money you could afford to pay for affordable housing (meaning combined income levels) that would work.

Court backlogs

On a question on how the city could fix the city court system, Mr. Stackpole charged that the council appointed the last city judge candidate under considerable pressure from political interests and had not made the best selection,  saying “it (the court system) is a mess.”

Mr. Boykin defended the selection, saying “we’re very careful to make the best selection,” and that the state had to approve the city selection. The council appointed a judge to a new term recently, after being lobbied hard by many black church leaders in the city to reappoint the judge, and did so, despite considerable objection from practitioners in the city court recommending otherwise.

Corcoran first said the judges should be voted out, not realizing the city court judges were appointed, and apologized for not hearing the question specifically. She said the Council should examine appointees more carefully and select the best-qualified candidate.

Zicca accused city court judges of intentionally backlogging their calendars and not disposing of cases in a workmanlike manner.

Mr. Levine on the matter said the lawyers created their own problems and should straighten out the court problems themselves.

On the question asking about the development of the White Plains station area, Councilman Boykin touted his effort in turning back the Exclusivity Agreement on the development of the station, but acknowledged that the developer had “put it (the station) in play” and he, Boykin looked forward to working with the residents to develop their vision of the city. Ms. Corcoran accused Boykin of being disingenuous about  his (and Mr. Power’s)  voting to kill the Exclusivity Agreement because she said, had the agreement not been brought to the public’s attention by the media that the council knew about the Exclusivity Agreement before they  said they knew about it, the council would not have voted it down.

Robert  Levine demurred saying that development of the station should not be undertaken so soon when issues such as the school district finances,  recreation, parking, the infrastructure and the city budget were, in his opinion, more important to be dealt with first, as part of “an overall plan.”

Robert Stackpole took up the cudgel, pointing out that the city did not participate in developing the present railroad station and that it does not involve itself, pay attention  and demand a voice with other government entities conducting projects that affect the city. He pointed out the city not participating with the DOT caused the I-287 construction mess at Exit 6 and was an example of that lack of awareness by the present council.

Zicca said he was for construction of a new rail station, but not for closing of the firehouse, and suggested another  800 car garage was needed there.

Candyce Corcoran objected to the 45% increase in the parking permit fee at the city garage.

Mr.Cibelli was more general on the station, saying it did not matter, because it was a matter of “us and them,” meaning the present two incumbents and the rest of the council, “the four of them and what they do.”

Ms. Lecuona said when she visited the train station campaigning in the morning she realized that if the station plaza project had been  given an exclusivity agreement, the development would have blocked the sunrise and Battle Hill would not see the sun again, saying any development had to be considered as to such impacts.

Power said you had to be careful about what was developed in the station area.

In closing statements, Mr. Pilla said you could not run the city at a loss, the council had to be fiscally responsible.

Candyce Corcoran accused the two incumbents, Power and Boykin of blaming all the city ills, rising taxes on everything but themselves.  She said they were not leaders and made the votes that have lead to the present situation.

Cibelli said the election was important, because if the incumbents win, “we will go from an us to a we, and we will be them – not listening, not caring – all will be planned,  and they are very excellent at it – excellent in bad politics.”

Zicca accused Power and Boykin of listening with “deaf ears” then doing what they are told to do. He demanded the city look into working with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and work under the 287(g) statute to attack the illegal immigrant problem in the city.

Boykin said his leadership and record spoke for him, repeated his dedication to workforce housing and listening to the people’s vision for the city.

Ms. Lecuona said what an experience it was for her to be a part of the democratic process, that she would listen carefully, and hoped all would vote democratic.

Mr. Stackpole accused the incumbents of indifference: “They listen with deaf ears. They vote their own way. They don’t want to listen…so you have a voice, so  we have a voice vote November 6 if you want to have change.”

WPCNR did not hear the candidates' opening statements because we had attended the School Board meeting until 8:30 P.M.

The Battle Hill Exit Poll -- from the Battle Hill website:

%	Candidate
21%	Augie Zicca
17.5	Cass Cibelli
16%	Robert Stackpole
11%	Anthony Pilla
10.5%	Candyce Corcoran
10.5%	Dennis Power
5.5%	Milagros Lecuona
4%	Ben Boykin
4%	Robert Levine