RyeCity REVIEW THE
October 2, 2020 | Vol. 8, Number 40 | www.ryecityreview.com
Play time!
Twelve Westchester County Parks playgrounds officially reopened for the season on Saturday, Sept. 26. The parks are open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk. For more, see page 3.
Photo/Power Lai
County health commissioner awarded ‘Doctors of Distinction’ Westchester County’s Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler has been named a COVID-19 hero in Westfair’s 2020 Doctors of Distinction Awards. Amler, who has served as Westchester’s health commissioner for the past nine years, was honored for her exceptional efforts to keep the public healthy and safe during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Since the onset of the pandemic in March, Amler has continued to be a true hero on the front lines, and was an inte-
gral part of stopping the spread of COVID-19 throughout Westchester County. “Westchester was one of the first true epicenters of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country beginning with a cluster of cases in New Rochelle—our County had never before seen a contagion like this one,” Amler said. “But, our public health team stepped into action immediately, putting aside every other responsibility they had to address head on this crisis as it emerged
in our community. We are enduring a difficult year in 2020, and I am honored to be one of many who are being recognized in Westfair’s 2020 Doctors of Distinction Awards.” The annual award ceremony, which took place virtually this year on Thursday, Sept. 24, celebrated extraordinary health care providers who have gone above and beyond to provide top-quality care and service to patients in Westchester and Fairfield counties.
“Dr. Amler has done a tremendous job in helping Westchester County overcome the Coronavirus pandemic, and she has done so with a professionalism and compassion that is undeniable,” Westchester County George Latimer said. “I am extremely proud that she has been recognized as one of Westfair’s 2020 Doctors of Distinction, an honor that is so well deserved especially during what has been such a trying year for our communities and residents.” (Submitted)
Legislators question Altice about storm response Members of the Board of Legislators spent nearly two hours last Wednesday probing the response by local internet and telecommunications service providers to outages last month resulting from Tropical Storm Isaias. At a Committee of the Whole meeting on Sept. 23, legislators questioned John Dullaghan, director of Government Affairs for Altice—which owns Optimum— about the company’s storm preparations, storm hardening programs, communications with customers and with local municipal officials, cooperation with power utilities, and plan for customer reimbursements for the service outages. Representatives from Verizon were also invited, but declined to appear, citing the ongoing investigation by the New York State Public Service Commission, PSC, into the utilities’ storm response. Although the company said representatives would be willing to appear before the board after the PSC investigation was complete, Board Chairman Ben Boykin expressed his disappointment. “Even with an ongoing PSC investigation, Altice is here today, and representatives of both Con Ed and NYSEG came before us earlier this month,” he said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommunications access, especially internet access, has become an essential lifeline for Westchester families and working people. Our new reality, which includes more frequent and more strenuous storms, as well as the need for social distancing and remote work and learning, have placed our internet
service providers in a new position, and they must step up. You failed us when we needed you the most.” At the meeting, legislators insisted that Altice improve communications with customers, municipal officials and power companies whose poles they share. Legislators also requested that the company assign more personnel to Westchester, assign municipal liaisons to work with local departments of public works, improve its provision for backup power generation, and make sure that when there are storm emergencies the company has personnel on hand at the county’s Emergency Operations Center. Dullaghan said the company would be exploring several of the recommended changes. In addition, Dullaghan said that in the past the company’s restoration plan has prioritized commercial customers, but it would consider treating home customers as commercial customers now, given the new realities of people relying on home internet service for working, learning, shopping and socializing. Dullaghan noted that under state regulations Altice is only required to refund the cable TV portion of a bill when there is an outage. However, he said, the company has agreed to give full credit to all customers who experience outages from the date of the storm through service restoration. Credits will begin appearing on bills at different times depending on a customer’s billing cycle. Full video of the meeting is available on the board’s website, westchesterlegislators. com. (Submitted)