RyeCity REVIEW THE
July 15, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 29 | www.ryecityreview.com
Rye heads toward public safety commissioner
THE SWEET SCIENCE
JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Irish featherweight Carl Frampton poses with Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino at Champs Boxing Club in New Rochelle on July 12. Frampton is training at Champs in preparation of his July 30 WBA title fight against Leo Santa Cruz at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. For story, see page 15. Photo/Bobby Begun
Killian campaign secures Independence line By JAMES PERO Staff Writer Rye City Councilwoman Julie Killian’s campaign for the New York state Senate has received the backing of both the Independence and Conservative parties. Bill O’Reilly, Killian’s cam-
paign manager, said the endorsements will be crucial to the success of her campaign going forward. “It’s always helpful to have the extra party lines,” he said. Killian, who announced her Senate run in early March, has already been nominated by the Republican Party and will
also run on the Reform line, a minor party. While incumbent Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Democrat, has yet to announce his campaign for re-election, it is expected that both he and Killian—who announced her bid for a Senate seat in New York’s 37th District in March—will battle it out
in the fall. Latimer has served two consecutive terms as a New York state senator. According to Latimer, while the Independence endorsement carries weight in Westchester County—it is the county’s thirdlargest political party—it is far KILLIAN continued on page 8
With a newly drafted charter in place and multiple public hearings concluding, the Rye City Council is expected to vote in favor of adopting a new position that would combine the roles of a police commissioner and a fire department administrator into one. Councilman Richard Mecca, a Republican, and a member of the city Fire Department Advisory Committee—a study group tasked with assessing the needs of the department—said that since there has been no pushback from council members and minimal public input on the issue, the council will likely close the public hearing and pass the measure on Wednesday, July 13, after press time. The resolution, which was introduced in late May, would be the first major step in creating the city’s first public safety commissioner, a position which would supervise both the city’s fire and police departments. In Westchester, the city of White Plains and the county are the only jurisdictions that institute a department of public safety. Councilwoman Kirstin Bucci, a Republican, spoke about the role at a council meeting in June, and said the combination of the two positions is being created in part to help streamline the departments’ oversight and free
up city funds to hire additional firefighters. Throughout the past several years, Fire Department members and former City Manager Frank Culross have highlighted the department’s decreasing number of volunteer firefighters and concerns over paid staffing levels as a major issue hindering the department’s efficacy. Because the public safety commissioner position would require alterations to the city’s charter, however, the creation of such a position would also be required to go to public referendum, allowing residents to vote on the upcoming November Election Day ballot. The position’s creation would also require the approval of both the New York state and Westchester County departments of civil service. Mecca said the deadline to submit to the county Department of Civil Service for consideration is in September. Currently, fire Lt. Kurt Tietjen—the highest ranking Fire Department member—takes care of much of the day-to-day administration of the department. According to Tietjen, the position is a “logical step” in getting the department back on track, despite the department still needing additional paid firefighters to help assist their current staff of 17. According to Mecca, the SAFETY continued on page 10