WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER 

February 2, 2012

Are Newly Erected FASNY Signs in City Right of Way?

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. February 2, 2012:

White Plains Police apprehended 42 year old Daniel Mosca of 10 Bryant Crescent White Plains early Thursday morning 12:20 A.M. in possession of a anti-FASNY sign and charged him with petty larceny and fifth degree of stolen property.

Last Friday evening, approximately 30 Anti-French School of New York Development signs were removed from private home yards in the vicinity of Ridgeway Country Club, according to an e-mail from the President of the Gedney Farms Association, Terence Guerriere. (The school is planning to develop the former country club into a central campus, a project bitterly opposed by the neighborhood.)

LoHud Reporter Richard Liebson in reporting the arrest, cited a police report of the arrest as saying Mosca had thought the signs were put up by the French School in support of the project, and that he thought the signs were ugly and detracted from the neighborhood.

That the suspect admitted he was confused is interesting.

FASNY SIGNS RETURN TO LINE RIDGEWAY.

Last year, when the anti-FASNY signs first sprouted up in yards bordering Ridgeway avenue adjacent Ridgeway Country Club, the popular White Plains Week television news roundup show pointed out the ambiguous message of the design of the signs.

Many of the signs, pictured above featured the classic cross-out red circle (a negative) on top of the "FASNO" word, actually neutralizing the message of the neighborhood being against the FASNY project. The commentators agreed it was an ambiguous design which possibly sent the wrong message. Apparently in one case, it was misunderstood.

WPCNR HEALTH NEWS. By Westchester County Roving Correspondent Nancy King. January 31, 2012:

CSEA workers at the Westchester County Medical Center held another press conference Tuesday.   Workers who attended were mostly employed at the Behavioral Health Center and who were recently laid off from their positions after BHC was privatized by Liberty Health Care Corporation.  This time, there are about 150 jobs on the chopping block, although Liberty and the WMC have invited current employees to re-apply for their jobs.  

According to Patrick Roche, a Senior Psychiatric Aide who has been employed by the WMC for 29 years, he would be eligible to retain his employ at the new hourly rate of 15.00.  He would also have the opportunity to purchase his healthcare through an HMO.  Westchester Medical Center Employees currently do not contribute to their health care benefits.

According to union leaders John Staino and Peter Piazza, negotiations with the Medical Center are at an impasse following a breakdown in talks with NYNSA (nurses union).  CSEA leaders expressed dismay that even after they offered concessions in their contract negotiations, hospital brass declined to meet to find a resolution to the problem.

Union leaders and those employees of the Behavioral Health Center, distributed a flier today citing a long history of problems that Liberty Health Care has had while overseeing other facilities.   Reports of high turnover rate, salaries that may be as low as 12.00 an hour and unsupervised patients were highlighted in the document.

However, the most unusual aspect of this press conference was the presence of not only three County Police Cars and officers, but a presence also by a number of the Medical Center’s own security staff.  Further away from the press conference, administrative staff could be seen in small groups observing the conference.   County Police Officers, explained to President Staino that because there was no permit filed, they would be unable to conduct the press conference on hospital property or on the road directly across the street which is Westchester County owned property. 

In the meantime, it appears that Westchester Medical Center in its entity as a public benefits corporation is being disassembled one piece at a time.  Prescription for Westchester residents; don’t get sick.

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. January 31, 2012:

City Assessor Lloyd Tasch reported this morning to WPCNR that the number of homeowners challenging their assessments this year (the interval to challenge expired last Friday) was 914, down 20% from last year.

Tasch said he expected the Board of Assessment Review would be able to meet the challenges and defend the city assessments more successfully this year because the White Plains Equalization Rate and Residential Assessment Ratio both went up significantly.

However, Tasch says, the damage has been done.

He reports the roll has already absorbed an additional $1.9 Million in lowered assessments. He predicted that he expected the Roll for 2012 to be down $2.25 Million.

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. Special to WPCNR from Westchester County Roving Correspondent, Nancy King. January 30, 2012:

David Buchwald was nominated to run against Robert Castelli for the New York State Assembly 93rd district Monday evening.

Democratic leaders met on January 30^th at the YWCA in White Plains to choose a challenger to run against current Republican Assemblyman Robert Castelli.  At stake is Castelli’s seat in what is currently the 89^th legislative district.  Under  new redistricting maps, this district will  renamed the 93^rd district and that means that lines will shift as well.   Going into tonight’s nominating session were three possible candidates.  David Buchwald, current Common Council member, White Plains lawyer Jeremiah Frei-Pearson and Harrison resident Clifford Gevirtz. 

David Buchwald is a current member of the White Plains Common Council and acts a liason between City Hall and a variety of city departments.  Frei-Pearson is a lawyer who specializes in workplace complaints. Harrison resident Dr. Clifford Gevirtz also has also made clear his intentions to run for office. Though all three shared the same Democratic principles in regards to same sex marriage, reproductive rights and adversion to hydro fracking each had a different vision quest going into this race.

WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. By John F. Bailey. January 30, 2012:

So White Plainsians can clearly see what the proposed new legislative districts are in the City of White Plains. We publish them herewith with some brief comments.

Dividing White Plains in the Assembly: New redistricting map for the new 93rd Assembly District Seat held by Robert Castelli. The bold gray line shows the district boundry between the 93rd and 88th Districts. Castelli loses Battle Hill, Fisher Hill, Prospect Park, the massive southend vote to the left of the line that includes the Highlands, Gedney, Ridgeway and Rosedale. Amy Paulin, Assemblyperson for the 88th District gets them. Castelli  gets the White Plains downtown and North End

Crooked Gray Line Divides White Plains State Senate Representation equally from the northwest to the southeast between Senate Districts 35 (currently held by Andrea Stewart-Cousins) and 37 (the seat State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer if retiring from). The 35 runs from Park Circle, takes Battle Hill, half the downtown, half the Highlands, Prospect Park, Hillair Circle, Saxon Woods and Rosedale. The 37th includes Woodcrest Heights, Eastview, Carhart, Gedney Farms, Ridgeway and Haviland Manor.

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. January 30, 2012:

The splitting of White Plains as envisioned by the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reappointment released last week, currently threatened with a veto by Governor Andrew Cuomo if eventually adopted in anything close to its present form will give White Plains two State Senators (Senate Districts 35 and 37) and give less weight to the White Plains vote in the new 93rd Assembly District.

The splitting of the White Plains constituents between the 35th and 37th districts will also possibly mean those Senators in 35 and 37, don't have to pay that much attention to White Plains needs.

That 93rd District assembly race will take shape tonight when Democratic District Leaders hear from White Plains Councilman David Buchwald, new Westchester resident political activist from Queens, Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, and Harrison resident, Clifford Gevirtz, all seeking the nomination to run against Roert Castelli in the race for the 93rd.

Should the new redistricting lines be vetoed by Governor Cuomo the districts would have to be renegotiated in some manner, a process that will be unwieldy at best, according to Assemblyman Robert Castelli's office.

 Mr. Castelli's Saturday news release revealed the lopping off of the southend of White Plains (south from Martine Avenue), from the Castelli district, and gave him North Salem.

 Castelli said "In essence, the gerrymandering remains. I believe there is still time for us to do better, though, because when politicians are choosing their constituents, instead of the other way around, it's the people that lose."

Elizabeth Schollenberger, head of the White Plains Democratic City Committee, told WPCNR she had not run the numbers yet to assess the impact of how many votes Tom Roach received from the White Plains areas lopped off from the former 89th District (now redesignated the 93rd), when Roach narrowly lost to Castelli in 2010.

According to Councilman Buchwald who is in the hunt for the Democratic nod to face Castelli, Tom Roach carried White Plains by 2,000 votes in his attempt to oust Castelli in that 2010 race.

Buchwald, speaking to WPCNR Saturday said he is in the race to stay, but did acknowledge that " I don't think Mr. Castelli has much to complain about (the redistricting)." Buchwald said it was "clear" the loss of a substantial block of White Plains voters, being replaced with North Salem, was favorable to Castelli, but said he (Buchwald) felt he could run very well in North Salem.

If the newly defined 93rd District remains in place for the November election, future Republicans from the 93rd should do well, due to the loss of White Plains southend as a voting factor in the district. The 88th Assembly District where Amy Paulin is the incumbent is bolstered by getting those White Plains southend votes that should assure Paulin of more popularity.

White Plains may be seriously hurt by splitting the city east to west between Andrea Stewart-Cousin's 35th District and the former Suzi Oppenheimer seat in Senate District 37. Robert Cohen who nearly ousted Ms. Oppenheimer two years ago in a close race, now no longer has Oppenheimer as opposition, the Senator choosing to retire. Cohen seems sure to benefit from the inclusion of a large section of Scarsdale in the new Senate District 37 and from a newly included southend section in White Plains. With all of Yonkers (a very needy city according to Yonkers), Greenburgh and some of Tarrytown to worry about, Ms. Strewart-Cousins, may not be able to advocate as strongly for White Plains as Ms. Oppenheimer did when White Plains was her baby.

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. January 28, 2011:

Assemblyman Robert Castelli of the 89th Assembly District, announced today that his 89th Assembly District has been redesignated the 93rd Assembly District and reconfigured to include North Salem, The new 93rd eliminates White Plains South of Ridgeway, splitting the city West to East for Assembly seat selection purposes and takes away approximately half the strongly Democratic southend of town as a voting block.

According to the Assemblyman, the areas of Ridgeway, Rosedale and Gedney Meadows have been taken out of the district and assigned to Assemblywoman Amy Paulin's 88th Assembly District.  Mr. Castelli told WPCNR, that if approved (Governor Andrew Cuomo told WNYC Radio today, he would veto the proposed redistricting), the redistricting would be in place for the November Assembly election. Mr. Castelli is expected to face White Plains Councilman David Buchwald or Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, or a third dark horse  candidate from Harrison.

On the State Senate Side, according to the proposed maps published by the committee redrawing the district lines,  White Plains has been split in half North to South. 

If the present plan is adopted, White Plains will be represented by two State Senators, the Senator from the 35th District (currently Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and whoever wins the 37th Senate District being vacated by Suzi Oppenheimer. Robert Cohen and Assemblyman George Latimer are expected to contend in that race.

WPCNR FBI WIRE. Special to WPCNR From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. January 27, 2012:

A 14-count superseding indictment was unsealed this morning in Brooklyn federal court charging five members of the Bonanno organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (the “Bonanno family”) variously with racketeering, extortion, illegal gambling, and conspiring to distribute marijuana. An associate of the Gambino organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (the “Gambino family”) was also charged with loansharking.¹

The defendants were arrested earlier today in New York and are scheduled to be arraigned FRIDAY afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Joan M. Azrack, at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. The case has been assigned to United States Chief District Court Judge Carol B. Amon.

An indictment of 5 MS-13 members was unsealed January 23 at the U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, charging five members of La Mara Salvatrucha street gang (the MS-13) with murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, armed robberies, firearms offenses, and related conspiracy charges.

The White Plains NewsBoys .

Tonight WHITE PLAINS WEEK, the city news roundup show, with WPCNR Executive Editor John Bailey, left; former international anchor and White House Correspondent Peter Katz,(center) and the Dean of White Plains School of Journalism, Jim Benerofe, of www.suburbanstreet.com  talk about the approval of the City Dump Clean-up by the State DEC, the Tappan Zee Bridge Rush Job, the Mayor's Vision for the City of White Plains, the destruction of the Robin Myth, and White Plains Money Today.

Catch your neighbors who know all the truth and tell nothing but the truth, so help our ratings.

See them at 7:30 on Channel 76 or Channel 45 and later on the internet at www.whiteplainsweek.com

WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY By the WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. January 27, 2012:

Temperatures in the fifties combined with the heavy moisture in the atmosphere after last night's rains, made downtown White Plains, New York, USA invisible this afternoon at 1 P.M. The rare sight of zero visibility to ground level made it appear as if aliens had beamed White Plains up into space and no city ever existed. Photographs are from the terrace of City Limits Restaurant, looking East to the City Center. You would never know two 500 foot buildings were in that fog bank.

WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. January 25, 2012 UPDATED WITH ROBIN INTELLIGENCE, January 26, 2012: 

Two of the 5 Robins who visited WPCNR News Tuesday afternoon.

A squadron of five robins, red-breasted and well-rested landed at WPCNR World News Headquarters in White Plains, New York, USA Tuesday afternoon at 4:45 P.M and proceeded to browse the grounds.

A WPCNR Reader, Paul Schwarz responded to our inquiry yesterday as to why the robins are back so early. He explains they may never leave:

"I participate in Feeder Watch - a project which is based at the Cornell Dept. of Ornithology. Thousands of individual reports from all around the country help to create detailed maps and patterns of bird populations.

WPCNR GREEN NEWS. January 24, 2012:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has approved the White Plains measures to cap, seal and close the Gedney Landfill, Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti told WPCNR Monday. The Commissioner said he received final approval from the DEC in a letter Friday.

White Plains Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti

The plan was devised by the Commissioner in several versions over the last six years under the auspices of the NYSDEC. It came about based on a series of test well readings measuring the amount of Tri-Chloral-Ethylene (TCE) contamination below ground beginning in 2006.

After the series readings, the Commissioner of Public Works working with consultants devised a recommended plan to cap the dump on the surface and on its sides to prevent escape of an underground TCE pocket sixteen feet below the surface that has been polluting the Mamaroneck River for over 35 years. The TCE pocket was created by disposal of dry cleaning agents in the dump for many decades.

As part of the plan, the city will  resurface the Our Lady of Sorrows Softball field adjacent the dump, to avoid users of the field from any contact with contaminated soil, according to the DEC)  below the surface of the field, or adjacent to the field..

Commissioner Nicoletti told WPCNR bids will be requested shortly, and he expected the work to begin by June, 2012.

Previously the Commissioner has speculated the project could cost the city $8 to $10 Million with the state reimbursing the city approximately $2 Million.

WPCNR CITY CIRCUIT. January 23, 2011:

 The Capital Projects Board voted unaminously this afternoon to spend $130,000 to purchase three-quarters of an acre of open space along Chapman Street off a development on Orchard Street to preserve the land as open space, adding it to the open space inventory.

Mayor Thomas Roach said the small parcel had been on the list of properties recommended by the Open Space Committee to acquire, and that it preserved a wild life habitat (of a migrating turtle) and also provided a buffer to the city's watershed property that is adjacent to the strip of land to be acquired.

Asked if the area would be open to the public, Chief of Staff John Callahan said that the city had not considered that possibility yet.

Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti, told WPCNR and Councilperson Milagros Lecuona that the $130,000 would be paid for out of the city Water Fund.

The land first came to the attention of the city and opposition formed against the proposed subdivision in the summer of 2007. The prospect of opening the wooded area behind the subdivision to possible future development, and possible runoff into the reservoir across route 120,as well as a threat to the Eastern Box Turtle, were primary reasons why the city explored acquiring the strip.

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. January 20, 2012:

David Buchwald, the White Plains Councilman, after two months of being asked repeatedly by WPCNR if he was going to run for Assemblyman Robert Castelli's 89th Assembly District seat as the Democratic candidate, announced his candidacy for the seat to The Journal News Thursday.

Buchwald, who squandered two months of potential political positioning time by agonizing over whether he would run or notwhen he was shoring up support, is being challenged by a political unknown, Jeremiah Frei-Peterson, who has come out of nowhere. He is a lawyer locally and a White Plains resident since last year.

WPCNR Political Correspondent King tells WPCNR Mr. Frei-Pearson is the choice of the  County Democratic Party, and perhaps the New York City Democratic power structure. Though unknown politically in the city, he is a seasoned, savvy political operative.

Frei-Pearson also announced his candidacy to the Journal News this week. The Gannett reporter, Richard Liebson writes Frei-Pearson ran for the Assembly in the 36th District in Astoria, Queens in 2010.

WPCNR has learned that Frei-Pearson competed against two other Democrats for the Democratic nomination to run for that seat, but dropped out of actually contending in the primary because, Frei-Peterson's spokesperson at the time, Michael Murphy said in a Gotham Gazette article, "because Frei-Pearson and Aravella Simolas has similar stands on the issues, Frei-Pearson did not want to take votes from her that might allow for a third snd more conservative candidate, John Ciafone to win." To read about this race, go to www.gothamgazette.com/article/Albany/20100805/204/3329 

WPCNR has also learned Frei-Pearson is a accomplished attorney, who won a $63 Million lawsuit against Con Edison for victims of the Queens blackout, and has won state reforms in how the developmentally disabled are treated.

Liebson describes him as a native of the Lewisboro, Bedford Hills and Mount Kisco and reports him as saying he and his wife, Karla Mosley a television actress (with a former role as a regular on The Guiding Light, and now a star of the childrens show, Hi-5), , moved back to White Plains to settle down.

More about Frei-Pearson, can be learned at http://www.thealbanyproject.com/diary/8108/locals-want-jeremiah-freipearson-to-run-for-state-assembly

The local White Plains Democratic Party district leaders will get an opportunity to meet both candidates this week.