November 24, 2017 by The Eastchester Review

Eastchester REVIEW THE

November 24, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 47 | www.eastchesterreview.com

Astorino releases 2018 budget; partisan tensions flare By JAMES PERO Staff Writer

Getting into the

holiday spirit

The first annual Spirits of the Holidays pop-up market at Rye’s farmers market on Nov. 19 gave shoppers the opportunity to sample and buy from independently owned liquor companies in New York state. For story, see page 6. Photo/Sibylla Chipaziwa

Senior center employee helps reconnect siblings after hurricane Eastchester Senior Programs employee, Maureen Casey, really cares about the residents who come to the Garth Road Senior Center. After Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rice, she showed that care and concern and jumped into action. Sonia Tull, a regular at the center, was very upset about not being able to reach her brother, Father Terry Tull who was living in Puerto Rico. Casey offered to help Sonia Tull locate him after seeing her so worried each day. She searched the internet for helpful phone numbers, websites and social media to find him. She was able to search the Red Cross Safe & Well page, but Terry Tull wasn’t registered there. She found find him on Facebook and sent him a private message, but did not receive any response from him. Casey gave Sonia Tull and

her daughter phone numbers listed online for people to call to locate their loved ones, but all lines were tied up for weeks. Sonia Tull was worried sick about his safety while Casey tried to keep her optimistic that he was probably okay in a shelter and out helping others. It turns out that Terry Tull was out helping others and doing a documentary with reporters from Germany on the destruction in different areas in the mountains. Terry Tull made it to New York for a few days of rest and was extremely tired. On Oct. 27, Terry Tull, from the San Antonio De Padua Parish in Guayama, Puerto Rico, was welcomed as a guest speaker at the Garth Road Center to discuss the devastation to Puerto Rico, what he encountered from Hurricane Maria and the

damages to his church. During his presentation, he referred to his scary experience during Hurricane Maria as “feeling like you were in a high-powered vacuum cleaner.” His church also experienced two tornadoes with 185 mph winds. Eighty homes were lost in his Parish neighborhood alone. In addition, he said “the church’s door was blown off and a steel door on the ceiling roof was sucked out.” He compared his overall Hurricane Maria experience to the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” Furthermore, Terry Tull said this devastating hurricane brought the people of Puerto Rico together. “People were able to forgive each other and come together as one community on the countryside, where they have never spoken to each other before.” He also said the people

were left bewildered, but want to go to church now. Most of the distressed people Terry Tull helped said, “Although they have lost material things, they are happy because they have their health, family, faith in God and their community.” The Garth Road seniors enjoyed Terry Tull’s visit. The center was very well attended with over 50 seniors in anticipation of his visit and the annual Halloween party. He was pleased with the warm welcome and the senior’s personal donations of $312 to help with some repairs to his church. Attached with all the donations, they filled out a pumpkin card with their best wishes and inspirational thoughts for Terry Tull and the people of Puerto Rico. SENIOR continued on page 5

In his final budget as Westchester County executive, Rob Astorino once again held the line on taxes, but in doing so scaled down the workforce and cut key staffing positions that opponents claim will hamstring the incoming administration. The Republican Astorino, in unveiling his $1.8 billion 2018 county budget on Nov. 13, continues a flat tax levy for the eighth consecutive year, but concerns have been affixed on a number of cuts that county Democrats say deal incoming County Executive-elect George Latimer, a Democrat who will take office come January, a short hand. Latimer beat Astorino on Election Day, Nov. 7, to win the county executive seat for a four-year term. As proposed, the 2018 budget keeps the tax levy flat at $548 million, holds expenses flat and accounts for a minimal increase in overall spending of less than 1 percent. “I made a promise to protect taxpayers, and I have kept it,” said Astorino about his commitment to never raising the tax levy during his 8-year run in the county executive’s office. “In doing so, much needed money has stayed in the pockets of individuals, families and, in particular, seniors across Westchester.” In releasing the 2018 budget, the outgoing county executive touted the plan to preserve essential services in the budget. Funding for the Department of Social Services would increase by $8.5 million under this plan. Funding for day care would also increase by $2 million, meaning parent contributions

would remain at the current level of 27 percent. Also, nonprofit funding, which has become a hot-button issue after nearly ending up on the chopping block throughout the past several years, is being kept static next year. “This is a budget that protects taxpayers, preserves essential services and promotes economic growth,” Astorino said. But members of the county Democratic Caucus have already begun criticizing the budget by keying in on staff cuts to the county Engineering Division of the Public Works Department, which will lay off 12 people, in addition to reducing manpower on the county executive’s staff by 25 percent; that Democrats contend were enjoyed throughout the entirety of Astorino’s administration. “From the self-imposed fiscal crisis the Astorino administration has left us in to the inclusion of irresponsible revenue sources in this budget, it is clear we have some real work to do on behalf of the people of Westchester County,” said Democratic Majority Leader Catherine Borgia, of Ossining. “The attempted use of $30 million of revenues reserved for the [Westchester County] airport is bad budgeting, fiscally reckless, and exactly what the voters made clear they were fed up with.” Democrats have criticized the budget for relying on $30 million in prospective revenue included as a part of a prospective deal to privatize the county’s airport. On Nov. 10, Astorino announced that he had selected Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation, who agreed to a $1 billion deal that would last for 40 years, and throughout its lifespan pay the county $595 million in new revenue on top of $550 BUDGET continued on page 9