RyeCity REVIEW THE
June 15, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 24 | www.ryecityreview.com
Lawmakers unsatisfied by Con Ed, NYSEG dialogue By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Westchester County mulls treatment court for veterans After visiting a veterans treatment court in the Bronx, Westchester lawmakers are aiming to establish one in the county in order to keep veterans out of the criminal justice system. According to Jason Chervokas, the communications director for the county’s Democratic caucus, legislators Catherine Borgia, Nancy Barr, Damon Maher and Catherine Parker toured the Bronx facility on June 4, and are in the process of developing a proposal to establish such a court in Westchester. The Westchester County Board of Legislators’ subcommittees on Social Services, and Budget and Appropriations discussed the idea previously at a joint meeting on May 30.
“Our visit to the Bronx veterans court gave Westchester judges and elected officials a powerful example of how a [county] veterans court can impact the lives of veterans,” said Borgia, an Ossining Democrat. “We owe the brave men and women who served our nation every opportunity to succeed.” Treatment courts were developed as a way to divert veterans with mental health issues from getting tangled up with the criminal justice system. According to county lawmakers, such a court could provide alternatives to incarceration for veterans living in Westchester. Additionally, treatment courts are known for providing assistance to veterans that suffer
Westchester County lawmakers met during a joint meeting on May 30 to discuss the possibility of establishing a veterans treatment court to divert veterans from the criminal justice system. Photo courtesy Westchester Democratic caucus
from post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries and substance abuse. Judge Kathie Davidson, an administrative judge for the New York’s 9th judicial district, which covers Westchester County, affirmed to lawmakers during the
May 30 subcommittee meeting that she supports the establishment of such a court. As of press time, there is no timetable for when lawmakers will present the idea to the county Legislature. -Reporting by Franco Fino
Months after a rash of storms and extended power outages plagued residents across Westchester County, lawmakers continue to try and hold energy providers accountable. On Monday, June 5, representatives from New York State Energy and Gas, NYSEG, and Consolidated Edison—the county’s two major energy providers—met with county lawmakers for two hours to answer questions left open following a previous meeting in March. According to Board of Legislators Chairman Ben Boykin, a White Plains Democrat, despite receiving some answers to lingering questions, the meeting was “disappointing.” “We certainly didn’t hear from Con Ed and NYSEG today how communications systems will be dramatically improved over the disastrous track record from the March Nor’easters and the May 15 storm,” said Boykin said in a statement. Among legislators criticisms were NYSEG’s refusal to reimburse customers for spoiled food as well as their reliance on mutual aid—which is meant to allow providers to request workers from other regions ahead of a major storm event—a system they say is broken. According to county Legislator Kitley Covill, a Bedford Democrat, though NYSEG requested mutual aid days before a major storm event, none was ever provided as evidenced by records provided by the company to the New York State Public Service Commission. “The current system only
seems to guarantee the residents of Westchester at least a three-day blackout until line workers begin arriving from far away,” Boykin said. “There is too much reliance on mutual aid and just not enough locally-based experienced utility staff who can jump right into work tackling downed poles and wires.” Both Covill and county Legislator Michael Kaplowitz, a Yorktown Democrat, also reiterated their calls for an independent assessment of NYSEG. Westchester lawmakers say that the state Public Service Commission, which is responsible for regulating NYSEG, failed to institute storm preparedness measures even despite a report commissioned by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, following Hurricane Sandy detailing failures by utilities statewide. As an alternative, lawmakers are calling for the hiring of a third-party auditor to help assess the efficacy of NYSEG’s storm preparedness measures. In March, two consecutive Nor’ easters left thousands without power, many for more than a week which prompted lawmakers from the state, county and local level to call meetings with leaders of Con Edison and NYSEG. Those calls were compounded by a sudden storm in May that brought dangerous winds and even more outages. County lawmakers say they will forward the results of their most recent meeting with the energy companies to the Public Service Commission, which is currently investigating their response. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com