PRESORTED STANDARD PERMIT #3036 WHITE PLAINS NY
Vol. VI No. III
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
Life without Indian Point? By ABBY LUBY, Page 10
Thursday, January 19, 2012 $1.00
Creating a Monster Page 5
Creative Disruption Page 8
OCD: THe World Within Page 11
Porgy & Bess Page 13
There’s Life... And Then There’s Living Page 14
Oppenheimer Will Not Seek Re-election
The Political Femme Fatale Transparency, Respect, Arrogance, Strategy, Honesty By HEZI ARIS, Page 23
Page 15
Losing the Fight Against Crime in New Rochelle Page 19
Hating Tim Tebow Page 24
westchesterguardian.com
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
The Westchester Guardian
Of Significance Community Section................................................................................4 Books......................................................................................................4 Najah’s Corner......................................................................................5 Business.................................................................................................5 Calendar................................................................................................5 Charity...................................................................................................7 Creative Disruption.............................................................................8 Cultural Perspective............................................................................8 Energy Matters...................................................................................10 Health...................................................................................................11 Spoof.....................................................................................................12 Sports....................................................................................................12 Eye On Theatre...................................................................................13 Trave.....................................................................................................14 Government Section.............................................................................15 Albany Correspondent.....................................................................15 Mayor Marvin’s Column..................................................................16 Campaign Trail...................................................................................16 Education............................................................................................17 Feiner Report......................................................................................17 Inquiry.................................................................................................18 Government........................................................................................19 OpEd Section..........................................................................................23 Hezitorial.............................................................................................23 Letters to the Editor...........................................................................25 Ed Koch Commentary.....................................................................25 Weir only Human..............................................................................26 Legal Notices...........................................................................................25
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
Guardian News Corp. P.O. Box 8 New Rochelle, New York 10801 Sam Zherka , Publisher & President publisher@westchesterguardian.com Hezi Aris, Editor-in-Chief & Vice President whyteditor@gmail.com Advertising: (914) 562-0834 News and Photos: (914) 562-0834 Fax: (914) 633-0806 Published online every Monday Print edition distributed Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday Graphic Design: Watterson Studios, Inc. www.wattersonstudios.com
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RADIO
Westchester On the Level with Narog and Aris
Westchester On the Level with Co-hosts Richard Narog and Hezi Aris is heard from 10 am to 12 Noon, from Monday to Friday. January 16-20 is sure to be promising. We begin the week on Monday, January 16th with Dennis Sheehan who will introduce us to a bevy of authors on disparate genres of work who will share their concepts with us on a weekly basis. Ending the week on Friday, January 20th is Yonkers Philharmonic Maestro James Sadewhite. In between, we will have the opportunity to scrutinize the political landscape. Listen live at http:// www.BlogTalkRadio.com/WestchesterOnThe Level and join the conversation by call toll-free to 1-877-674-2436. For those who cannot join us live, consider listening to the show by way of an MP3 download, or an on demand after 12:15 p.m., after every show at the link provided above. Co-host Richard Narog is on foreign assignment.
The entire archive is available and maintained for your perusal. The easiest way to find a particular interview is to search Google or any other search engine for the subject matter or the name of the interviewee.
Mission Statement The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/ or employed in, Westchester County. The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without favor or compromise. Our first duty will be to the PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO KNOW, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, no matter where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with daily journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive, chronological step-by-step accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate. From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what, when, where, why, and how, the why and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere. To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necessarily better. And, furthermore, we will acknowledge that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.
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CommunitySection
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
BOOKS
The Retired (Try To) Strike Back—Chapter 36 – How To Make Noise By ALLAN LUKS “I constantly hear voices in my head since I became a candidate for City Council,” says Myron to his friends: “You’re better.” “You want to win.” “Don’t lose this chance.”
“Fight.” Myron laughs. “I think my mind’s trying to pump me up into seeing myself not as a short, retired actuary but as some strong, handsome guy who can step into the ring against Mary Ellen—you’ve seen her—this beautiful, young attorney.” “Myron, you worry me,” says Bob. “You sound as if you’re trying to convince yourself and us, your best friends, your campaign team, that you can’t beat her in the election.” “I just wanted to share what I’m feeling,” Myron says, smiling at his friends sitting in his apartment. “Then let’s get started,” continues Bob. “We’re here tonight for Myron to choose one of the two thirty-second commercials I wrote for the City Council race. We’ve raised money to pay for it. Once Myron makes his selection, we’ll start discussing how to build a strategy around
that commercial.” “Let me say I’m not sure about the commercial that goes after Mary Ellen,” Myron says. “The other one of me standing in front of my old insurance company as the morning crowd arrives, showing I had responsibility for so many people, scrawling my achievements at the bottom of the screen—that one I like.” “You wanted two choices,” says Bob. “But if you want to win, I strongly prefer the first.” “Mimi, what do you think?” Myron asks his wife. “You’re my campaign manager.” “Since you and I have discussed the choices a lot, let’s hear more from Bob.” “The wife not wanting to disagree with her husband in front of friends?” says Myron, but smiling at Mimi. “Myron,” Bob continues, “the few news stories about your City Council race have said you and Mary Ellen have about the same public awareness, and it’s low. Most voters don’t know either of you well. That’s fertile territory for you. The other commercial displays Mary Ellen’s law school transcript and her grade rank near the bottom. Shows her at a party next to the former City Councilman, who isn’t popular, and
a voice over explaining she got her city lawyer’s job through him. And it focuses in on a torn marriage license—thanks to a little creative art— since her marriage lasted only a month. Seeing that commercial, how many voters will believe they can rely on her? And I’ve found photos that don’t show her as being so attractive.” “Mary Ellen mentioned to me—because we do talk before debates—that her husband had severe emotional problems and she was married in law school. That’ll be her explanation.” “Myron, you’ve spoken to reporters and at a number of community meetings now about the vitality of today’s seniors,” Bob argues. “Being vital means being able to make noise, be noticed. That’s why your mind keeps reminding you that you need to fight.” “Or wants me to think more about how to fight,” Myron answers— “Since my husband and I share an advertising background,” interrupts Joan, smiling at Bob, “I should note that how people react to a commercial is never really known until after the fact. I’ve actually read reports of bullying by women in senior residences, ganging up on a
No Guarantees: One Man’s Road Through the Darkness of Depression Chapter Twenty – “Where is that Coming From?” By BOB MARRONE Very early in my second session I got a taste of what seeing a good a shrink is all about. It is most certainly not what you might think, if you have not been through it. Shed most of your
preconceptions picked up from the movies or urban myth, particularly those focusing on deep analysis of your life and the meanings of your dreams. True, you life unravels over the course of time, and even your dreams make the occasional, if rare, appearance. But it is your feelings about
things that serve as the doorway to your “self ” and then on inevitably to your life. I can still remember, on that second visit, that things were not like in the movies. During the week between sessions one and two my agitation and fear drove me to call doctor
new woman arrival because they don’t like her for some reason. Bob, it’s possible voters won’t like a too negative commercial. That they’ll see Myron as a senior bullying a younger opponent.” Bob shakes his head at Joan—but then the couple smile at each other. “Let’s go with the commercial that’s just about me,” says Myron. “Yes, we’ve told reporters one major reason I’m running is to be a model for other seniors to consider public office. That we can be different leaders. I want a campaign that’s different.” “If that’s the commercial you want, I’ll do it,” says Bob. “But I’m still questioning if voters will see strength in you in a commercial of a person standing still, just nodding business-like to people coming to work, with your achievements moving across the bottom of the screen? Myron, you want seniors to be seen differently—but it’s also how people see anyone today. They need you fighting an opponent. I know from making so many commercials. I’m telling you what I’ve learned.” Allan Luks is anationally recognized social works leader and advocate for volunteerism. He is currently a visiting professor at Fordham university, where he teaches several courses in nonprofit leadership.Learn more at http://allanluks.com. Direct email to allan@allanluks.com. Casarino often just to get through the day. He was patient but firm that I had to wait until I saw him. On our last call he left me on hold for what seemed like a long time. When I got there, I told him how upset I was to be placed on hold when I was in such pain. Then I proceeded to launched into my issues: “Was I a coward. Why do I need therapy? Why can’t I control my thoughts?” He stopped me abruptly. “Where is that coming from? What is that about?” he asked. “What?” I was stunned and shocked. Continued on page 5
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
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BOOKS
No Guarantees: One Man’s Road Through the Darkness of Depression Continued from page 4 “Where is that coming from, that phone thing?” He replied. “I don’t give a #@@#,” I responded, “I just want to know what’s wrong with me” He sat there and just stared. A little context is needed here. When you are at the end of your rope and the issues include that you hate yourself and are afraid of everything, the last thing you want to do is confront your psychiatrist. It cannot be stressed enough just how fragile the relationship is, particularly early on. You, the patient, hang on every word. I submit that your doctor has the power, just by saying the wrong thing, to send you home to put a merciful gun in your mouth. For seriously depressed people, as I was, it is a long time and a sign of better mental health, before you can tell him he is wrong about anything. Thus, know that my tone in these conversations is plaintive, not assertive. “Look,” I said, “my mother used to do the same thing when I called her at work. I hate that. But what does that have to do with anything?” “I don’t know, you tell me,” he replied. Again, John stared at me from across the black plastic and glass desk. “This isn’t going to be that moment where
you tell me I hate my mother, and now we launch into my childhood; is it?” I inquired. John was not to be put off. “What do you think it means; how did it make you feel when you mother left you on hold?”That question was followed, once again, by his stare, which is such a staple of these encounters. The doctor went on to explain carefully how feelings, our reactions to things, have meanings, and that it was necessary to put them under a microscope; examine what they mean and then file them away. At that time I did not understand what he meant. But when I got home that night, I realized that my reaction to his placing me on hold had a lot more significance than I thought. It was not what you would call a flash of insight or that ‘moment of clarity’ that you often see in the movies. But it was a start. The early weeks in treatment were similar to the first two. My declarations about my thoughts and obsessions, interrupted by questions about my reactions and feelings about things, filled a lot of the time. Another part of these precious first few weeks was spent getting my obsessive talking outside of the office under control. As my earlier discussions with Vince showed, I was all over the place. And what made it worse was that
my therapy, focusing attention off of the obsessions and onto why I felt a certain way, drove me to seek satisfaction outside of the treatment process. The very nature of my obsessions was, as I learned, albeit slowly, about all such behavior, is that the answer is never forthcoming. You can ask a thousand people if you are a coward, or if you did the right thing in this or that endeavor, or if you are a horrible person for being mad at your mother for giving you away or making you do your homework, and you will come up with a thousand answers. None of them, not one, will satisfy you. And, if all 1000 agreed, you would spend the rest of your life seeking just one more to confirm it. Doctor Casarino used to call this mental masturbation; and when it was particularly self destructive and judgmental he referred to it as mind f##%ing. On the subject of judgment, there is no judge, jury, interrogator, executioner, or sadist as cruel as one’s own psyche turned inward. It is, I am certain, what hell must be like. This might be a good time to reread the previous paragraph. Most of those obsessions and harsh thoughts, which no words of reassurance can relieve, are about why you deserve to be punished and in pain, and deserving of no reprieve. The mind
does a terrifyingly wonderful job of delivering on that conclusion. The words and retorts by John Casarino, intended to redirect my judgmental inclinations towards the underlying issues will stay with me forever. “I don’t know from right or wrong, Bob, tell, what you think.” He would say when I asked him to referee an exchange with a parent or another when I was young. He was also quick to point out when I ‘flip flopped,’ or tried to bury a feeling with a qualification. For example, I might say, “I really didn’t like it when my mother would leave on Friday afternoons.” To be followed almost immediately by,” don’t get me wrong, I loved my mother, she was a great women, she did what she had to do.” John would always follow this kind of statement with, “where is that coming from, why do you feel the need to tell me about how good your mother was,” or words to that effect. “Tell me about how here leaving on Fridays made you feel.” From these early exchanges came the story of my life, some of it already told here, and how I came to be in this situation. Bob Marrone is the host of the Good Morning Westchester with Bob Marrone, heard from Monday to Friday, from 6 – 8:30 a.m., on WVOX-1460 AM.
NAJAH’S CORNER
Creating a Monster, Part 2 By NAJAH MUHAMMAD Mister began to talk, “You look like your father. That’s probably what I hate about you the most. A long time ago, before you were born, your mother, Jimmy and I were a jazz group. We toured all over the country, hitting all the hot spots, New York, and such; we were so tight back then. I played piano and Jimmy played the sax. Your mother, she was my girl. She sang. We were in love and things were looking up then. Sometimes each of us would make up to fifty dollars a night. When we went to the hot nightclubs and played on streets, we had people dancing and groovin’ ‘til dusk, I’ll tell ya, we were hot, ‘Yes sir!’ As long as I had my sweet love by my side and my best friend playing sax, all was great. The money flowed in like a waterfall. We had a plan, we did. Your mother and I, we would go on tour up North and save up. We had one big black suitcase, bigger than that raggedy old cot you sleep on. Every time we made a buck we would save most of it and put it in that suitcase. We were saving up. We planned to get married and have a family. We sure did work hard for that money. I’d put as much as I could into that suitcase. It was so heavy that the horses pulling this carriage couldn’t even bare it. One day, after the show, your mother surprised me with the best news I could’ve ever
imagined. She was pregnant. I sure was a happy man for those nine months. I decided to quit being a musician and get a job at a factory. All three of us moved out here to South Carolina. Like I said before, we were in love. Your mother and I, we didn’t live in no little cabin like you and I do. Our place now looks like the one I lived in as boy. Your mother and I lived in a real house, a nice one, and that, no good Jimmy who used to play sax squandered all of his earnings from our preforming days. But I was smart; I saved. I know now, and I knew then, that you’re not anything without money. All of my money, about $3,000 was in that suit case. He never was a wise man, that Jimmy. He was a fool, and often boasted that he wasn’t in a jazz band for money, but rather for the love of the art of music. For that, he fancied himself better than me. I could tell. He was a fool, but since he was my best friend, I let him move in with me and Sharon. I would go off to work each day at six in the morning to return home at six at night. For nine months I worked hard in that factory and those Continued on page 6 C
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- RICHARD MARINO, MD EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
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AFFILIATED WITH THE MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL HOME OF THE COCHRAN SCHOOL OF NURSING 914.964.4DOC | RiversideHealth.org 967 North Broadway | Yonkers | NY | 10701 ©2011 St. John’s Riverside Hospital | All Rights Reserved.
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BUSINESS
Creating a Monster Continued from page 5 two, no good fools would reap the benefits. Jimmy got a job bagging groceries at the local grocery store just down the way from our house.So he was always closer to home than I was, closer to her. Like I said before, I got home at six every night. But it was one day before September and the ninth month of Sharon’s pregnancy and she was expecting you any day. I decided to surprise her one evening and come home at five. But the surprise was on me. When I got home, I was shocked to find that neither Jimmy nor she had yet been home. On my bed laid a note, and here it is.” Mister reached down in his pocket. The boy could hear loose change rustling about him, then Mister handed the boy a clearly old piece of paper. The boy eagerly took the delicate piece of paper and began to read. Written on the letter was: My Dearest Rodger, I hope one day you may forgive me. I couldn’t find the words to tell you earlier. I’m in love with Jimmy. I love you too, but just not the same. You’ve been a dear friend to me all these years and I truly regret lying to you all this time. I stuck with you because I knew Jimmy couldn’t make or save enough money for me and the baby to live a good life. Jimmy’s been saving up and now that we have the money we need I can move on. I hope you forgive me one day, and if something should happen to me and Jimmy, I know you’ll take care of the boy. Won’t you? For me, I know you will, hate just isn’t your nature. Please forgive me one day. Goodbye. As the boy folded the paper Mister began to speak. Najah Muhammad is a 17-year-old senior in high school. She plans to attend college next year majoring in communications.
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
BUSINESS
Lowey and Franchisee Tout Job-Creating Federal Loan and Guarantee Elevation Burger Franchises Will Directly Create More Than 65 Jobs in 2012 RYE BROOK, NY and YONKERS, NY— January 10, 2012 -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) was today joined by local business owner Daniel Magnus to tout job-creating federal assistance for local businesses and call for greater investment in small business loan programs. Mr. Magnus received a $1.3 million loan, 90% guarantee, and fee waiver from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), saving $35,000 as he opens Elevation Burger franchises in Rye Brook and Yonkers, which will create dozens of local jobs. “This public-private partnership is a great example of how the federal government can promote economic activity and job creation,” said Lowey. “Helping Daniel Magnus secure the capital he needed – without the typical fees – made it possible for him to purchase franchises, offer a competitive product, and create local jobs.” “Working closely with Hudson Valley Bank and the New York Business Development Corporation to secure SBA financing and a waiver of lending fees helped to make my first two Elevation Burger locations a reality,” said Daniel Magnus. “Between our newly-opened first location at the Rye Ridge Shopping Center in Rye Brook and our second location in Yonkers, which will open early this year, we will have created more than 65 new jobs in the county.” With the help of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Mr. Magnus opened the first Westchester County franchise of Elevation Burger, utilizing sustainable building materials and serving 100% organic food.
Mr. Magnus received the capital to open his first two stores through the SBA 7(a) loan program, which works with financial institutions to provide a 90% guarantee on the loan to qualified applicants. SBA waived fees associated with the loan, saving Mr. Magnus $35,000, valuable capital he is using to expand his business. The Small Business Jobs Act, enacted in September 2010, contained legislation sponsored by Lowey to increase SBA loan limits and guarantees and waive loan fees. This is critical for business owners in high cost-of-living areas, like Mr. Magnus, where the price of goods and services is higher than the rest of the country. In addition to franchises in Rye Brook and Yonkers, Mr. Magnus intends to open a
third Elevation Burger in Westchester County in 2012. By the end of 2012, his three stores will create more than 65 jobs, not including construction and service sector jobs contributing to the transformation and maintenance of the new stores. “Last month marked 22 straight months of private sector job growth, but there is still more to do,” said Lowey. “We must expand successful and job-creating initiatives like SBA loan programs for small businesses and extend the payroll tax holiday through 2012, which will save hard-working families nearly in New York’s 18th Congressional District $1,700 this year.”
Also at the Pound Ridge Library… look up and join their presentation of “What’s Up: An Introduction to the Night Sky,” with Alan Alterman starting on February 1st. There is lots going on at the local libraries… the annual meeting of the Katonah Village Library and the Katonah Village Improvement Society will be on Monday January 23rd with refreshments at 7pm followed by an author presentation at 7:30pm. The featured guest will be author Lucia Ewing Greenhouse who will speak about her book, “Fathermothergod: My Journey Out of Christian Science.” The book is recommended by Good Reads and Oprah. So come by for some village news and what is sure to be a great presentation! Bedford Audubon Board Member and Naturalist Adam Zorn is hosting a workshop where partocopants will learn the basic tools and deatures of the eBird program. This program
tracks bird sightings and helps view, manage, and summarize personal observation data. If you are interested in contributing your bird sightings for science and research purposes and want to learn more about how this eBird program works come to the workshop on January 19th from 7pm-9pm. Love the name of this event:“Winter Woolies” will be presented at the Muscoot Farm in Somers o January 22nd, come viist the wooly sheep and try your luck at spinning and weaving, call 914-864-7282 for the “sheepish” details… No excuses for this one, Club Fit in Briarcliff is offering a free day of fitness on Janury 21st, swimming, excerize and massage all for just stopping by, I feel better just mentioning it… The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville is looking for volunteers to help out in their education programs for school and
CALENDAR
News & Notes from Northern Westchester By MARK JEFFERS So the very long presidential campaign is underway with Iowa and New Hampshire casting their ballots, and it looks like the only sure winner is this week’s “News and Notes.” Good luck to our friend and neighbor Lee Woodruff,author and wife of ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, as she has been named a contributor to “CBS This Morning.” The announcement comes on the same day the revamped morning show debuted with new hosts Charlie Rose and Gayle King joining Erica Hill. My daughter Amanda and I may have to join this… a new table tennis, or as we call it ping
pong… league is forming at the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, and they’re kicking off with a tournament boasting a $4,500 prize on January 21st and 22nd. Call 914-7410736 for details. Anyone looking for some spare money? I mean other than everyone! There is a Babysitter Training Course on January 24th from 4 – 6:15pm for girls and boys ages 11-15 at the Bedford Hills Community House. For more information call 666-7004. Attention Pound Ridge seniors, it’s time again for “Films on Fridays” at the Pound Ridge Library, first up “Help” be presented on January 20th.
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The Westchester Guardian
CALENDAR
News & Notes from Northern Westchester Continued from page 6 community groups… join the team and have a positive impact on the lives of young children across the region, for more information, call 914-773-7663. How about a Conversation with Local Gardeners, then stop by the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem on February 11th. They will share their extensive knowledge, give out some ideas and answer questions. My question is, how do I get a green thumb? Bring your Q’s, Z’s and X’s to the Scrabble Club at the Bedford Free Library as they are looking for new members, give them a ring at 914-234-3570. Turning to sports…first up boys’ hoops, in an overtime thriller, Yorktown got by Lakeland
65 to 63 and Fox Lane beat Port Chester 70-42. On the girls side, Somers defeated Mahopac 55-47. Over on the lanes in bowling, it was Peekskill rolling past Hen Hud by the final score of 7 to 0 and jumping into the pool, in swimming action John Jay/Brewster swam past Yorktown 60-33. My daughter and I both celebrated birthdays this week, and if I survive blowing out all those candles, we’ll see you next week…
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
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When was the last time you dealt with Lexington Capital Associates?
Mark Jeffers successfully spearheaded the launch of MAR$AR Sports & Entertainment LLC in 2008. As president he has seen rapid growth of the company with the signing of numerous clients. He resides in Bedford Hills, New York, with his wife Sarah, and three daughters, Kate, Amanda, and Claire.
CELEBRATION
Mayor Spano Celebrates New Year with Malayalee Community
YONKERS, NY -- On Saturday, January 7, Mayor Mike Spano celebrated the new year with the Indian American Malayalee Community of Yonkers at the Will Library. Mayor Spano served as the Chief Guest, and, along with the community members, enjoyed cultural performances celebrating the winter season.
CHARITY
Yonkers Police and Fire Unions Donate $63k to Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center YONKERS, NY -- The Yonkers police and fire unions donated $63,000 to Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, Wednesday, January 11. The Yonkers Police Benevolent Association and Yonkers Fire Local 628 presented the check to the pediatric facility at its new facility at 300 Corporate Blvd. South in Yonkers. The money was raised in October during the “Toughman” boxing competition. The popular boxing matches between Yonkers firefighters and police have raised $400,000 for local charities in the past seven years. At Wednesday’s event, Senior Director of Development for the Pediatric Center, Brian
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Harrington, lead a tour of officials, including Mayor Spano and representatives from the unions, around the facility. The center is scheduled to open this Spring. The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center is a comprehensive health care facility focused on enriching the lives of medically fragile children, ages birth to 21.
Lexington Capital Associates, LLC. 240 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10801 Phone (914) 632-1230 fax (914) 633-0806
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THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
CREATIVE DISRUPTION
Music By John F. McMullen Creative Disruption is a continuing series examining the impact of constantly accelerating technology on the world around us. These changers normally happen under our personal radar until we find that the world as we knew it is no more. Perhaps nowhere has the impact of technology been more obvious than in the music industry. Technology has changed dramatically: new delivery systems have sprung up, causing once successful businesses to fail; changed the direction of a major industry organization; industry-related lawsuits have worked their way up to the Supreme Court; and a computer company has become the largest music retailer in the country -- and it’s all happened in the last 50 years, dramatically accelerating on the last 20. In the mid-1960s, music buyers were making the transition from “singles” (78RPM (“Revolutions Per Minute”) and 45RPM vinyl platters called records with a single song on each side to “albums” (33RPM records with 6 to 10 songs on each side). There had been albums for a number of years but they were generally collections of previously recorded singles, grouped by a theme such as “Love Songs by ..” or as “The Greatest Hits of ...”. Additionally,“record players” that played albums generally cost significantly more than record players that played only singles (the ones that played 33RPM generally had settings (and an attachment for 45RPM) that allowed them to also play singles. These units were called “Hi-Fi” (“High Fidelity”) or later as the technology improved, “Stereo” (“Stereophonic Sound”). The transition happened because of a number of factors -- the prices of the record
players decreased as systems went from tubebased to transistor-based; the music-buying public, buoyed by boom times and encouraged by music radio stations were spending more money on records; and albums were being recorded as original music with unifying themes -- the most important of these, The Beatles’“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was released on June 1st, 1967 -- and the transition moved into high gear. The growth in music-related sales led to the development of chains of big box record stores such as Tower Records with large inventories and discounted prices. The success of the chains led to eventual disappearance of most of the small local “record stores”. Another important technological innovation was introduced in June 1967, the “Moog Synthesizer”, which allowed one electronic device to simulate and “mix” the sounds of many instruments. Diana Ross and the Supremes released the first “rock” song backed by a synthesizer, “Reflection”, in July 1967 and other well-known artists (ex. Doors, Monkees, Rolling Stones, Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, and Buck Owens) soon followed using the technology. Music artists such as Herbie Hancock, Laurie Spiegel, Todd Rundgren, and Trent Reznor (“Nine Inch Nails”) turned to computer systems as composition tools and music-editing programs such as “Digi Design” became standard tools for musicians. Of all the technological developments, none would have the long-range disruptive impact as the 1993 publishing of the “MPEG-2 Audio Layer III” (“MP3”) standard for digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music. The first application of this standard was simply the copying of music from CD to computers but, in 1994, MP3s began to appear on the Internet, allowing the sharing of music through e-mail and “Internet Relay Chat” (“IRC”). This ability
became of immediate concern to the “Recording Industry Association of America” (“RIAA”), the industry group concerned with such things as copyright violation. When Diamond Multimedia announced the Rio PMP300, a portable MP3 player, in September 1998, In the following month, RIAA filed in the Central District Court of California an application for a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the sale of the Rio player, claiming the player violated the 1992 Home Recording Act. The RIAA application was ruled against and 200,000 copies of the Rio were sold. In spite of RIAA’s concern, the distribution of copyrighted music was limited mainly to Internet-knowledgeable “hackers” able to use IRC.This situation changed dramatically in June 1999 when Shawn Fanning, a Northeastern college student, introduced “Napster”, a system that allowed users to exchange music through the Internet. Fanning’s system did not require the music to be stored on a central “server”. It simply allowed users to find out which other users had songs of interest and then “download” the songs directly from the other user. This approach left it rather fuzzy as to whether Napster was itself violating any laws. Some clarity was brought to situation when Metallica and Dr. Dre sued Napster for copyright violation and began a series of legal challenges that led to the eventual demise of Napster. In the meantime, however, many other file-sharing systems such as Limewire, Kaaza, Freenet, and Gnutella appeared and “the genie was out of the bottle”. In 2001, Apple Computer introduced iTunes (in January for the Macintosh and in October for Windows), a system that allowed the transfer of CDs to digital format, the “burning of CDs” from digital music, and organization of music on computer systems for sorting, searching, and organization. Although not obvious at the time, this was the first step in a
succession that allowed Apple to become the largest retailer of music in the United States. The next step was Apple’s introduction in October of the same year of the iPod, which rapidly became the dominant MP3 player in the world. The last “nail in the coffin” of the way things were in the music industry occurred in April 2003 when Apple introduced the iTunes Store, an on-line music store that allowed the legal purchase and downloading of music to an iPod (and later the iPhone and iPad). To set up the on-line store, Stephen Jobs, Apple CEO, had to convince the music companies that it was in their best interests to provide their music to iTunes – that it was better to sell their sings at a low price (.99) than to have them stolen on-line. Music industry analysts did not believe that the music companies would agree to such arrangements – but they did – and Apple’s initial projection was that it would sell 1,000,000 songs in six MONTHS; instead the iTunes Store sold 1,000,000 songs in six DAYS! Jobs was quoted as saying “This will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry.” Jobs was right – Tower Records went out of business in 2007 – Apple became the largest retailer of music in the US, surpassing WalMart and Amazon – and every song purchased through the iTunes Store should remind us that there is no longer a need for these songs to be transcribed to a media (record, cassette, or CD) that must be packaged, transported to a retail outlet staffed by salespeople and cashiers. John F. McMullen has been involved in technology for over 40 years and has written about it for major publications. He may be found on Facebook and his current non-technical writing, a novel, “The Inwood Book” and “New & Collected Poems by johnmac the bard” are available on Amazon. He is a professor at Purchase College and has previously taught at Monroe College, Marist College and the New School For Social Research.
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Malek Akkad: Like Father, Like Son By SHERIF AWAD Malek Akkad grew up among movie sets. The very same movie sets were the movies produced by his renowned Syrian-born father Moustapha Akkad conducted his craft. The senior Akkad, now deceased, moved from Syria to the United States where he became a legendary Arab-American filmmaker who would bequeath cinema some historical epics. As a director, Moustapha Akkad presided over both Al-risalah (1976) and Omar Mukhtar, Lion of the Desert (1981); and as producer, he was the driving force in bringing the immortal horror film series Halloween on screen. Unlike his
brothers and sisters who used to briefly visit film sets, eight- year-old Malek Akkad never wanted to leave his father’s side even when everybody told him, “it is time to go home.” At that age, the young Akkad also began experimenting with his 8mm camera in order to create some early amateur films. Growing up, he followed in his father’s footsteps by studying filmmaking, thereafter becoming a Hollywood producer. In his office at Trancas Films, where he is CEO and chairman, he keeps a variety of white masks worn by actor Michael Myers, the protagonist and killer in the Halloween series. Malek Akkad has also visited Egypt several times; including once during the Cairo Festival when he came to
receive a special tribute in honor of Moustapha Akkad after he, and his daughter Rima, fell victim to a suicide bombing in Amman, Jordan, back in 2005. Since then, Akkad continues his work as producer of a new Halloween series with the aim to return as a director behind the camera starting with this year: 2012. The interview… AWAD: What do you remember was your most impressionable film experience when you were a young boy at your father, Moustapha Akkad’s side? When did you realize you wanted emulate your father in the film industry? AKKAD: During one summer vacation, I travelled with him and a film crew to the Libyan Desert where he was shooting scenes for Omar Mukhtar. It was an exciting experience and I remember I was holding his pants Continued on page 9
Malek with Moustapha Akkad; circa 2003.
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
The Westchester Guardian
Page 9
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE AKKAD: Like I said, I was on the set all the time, so when I was watching Halloween, I was approximately ten-years-old, but already very familiar with all that happened behind the scenes, from camera movements to lighting. My friends, though, were very scared when I made them watch it.
Malek Akkad: Like Father, Like Son Continued from page 8 and I would oftentimes ask him, “What’s this and what’s that?!” On the set, he was always calm, never raised his voice and never grew tired of explaining stuff to me. Eventually, I started to work in the film industry. I was fifteen then. I was doing practically everything. The job title was production assistant but I was really a runner; sometimes I was sweeping the set, sometimes I was making coffee. But I loved it. When I got into college, I remember that I postponed my studies for a while, and my father told me, “Finish your studies and get a real career!”I found this funny, coming from Moustapha Akkad who was behaving like a typical Arab father when it comes to his kids and their future. He was worried about me and hoped I had enough passion and patience to venture into filmmaking, like he did. I eventually graduated with a film degree from USC, like he did, years before. AWAD: Halloween became an instant cult horror classic since its first release in 1978.
Malek Akkad and Rob Zombie.
Malek Awad.
good films. AWAD: You started to experiment with 8mm camera as child but eventually you became a producer. Do you ever consider directing your own films in the future? AKKAD: In this business, you must be flexible and you need to seize opportunities, and go with the flow the river takes you. Before and after my graduation, I used to do cinematography and directing commercials and music videos for singers like Kadim Al Sahir, then I helmed one film called Psychic Murders back in 2002. During the last six years, I was working more like a producer and CEO to popularize the new Halloween series. At the beginning of this
year, I said it is time to go back to the creative process and let my employees run the day-today operations of the company. So last May, I returned to behind the camera to do a new music video called Tomorrow/Bokra. [http://www. tomorrowbokra.com/]. It was shot in Morocco and Qatar where I directed with leading music composer Quincy Jones. The Tomorrow/Bokra single is an Arabic re-adaption of Qunicy Jones’ Grammy-award winning song entitled, Tomorrow/A Better You, A Better Me. Among its singers, the Egyptian Amr Diab, the Lebanese Majida El Roumi, the Iraqi Kadim Al Sahir, and the Tunisian Saber El Rebai. It is a charity single destined to raise money for children’s arts and culture in the Middle East and Africa. The film I am preparing to shoot here in Los Angeles is called Stuck, which is an action edge-of-yourseat thriller. After the New Year, we will start to shoot a new Halloween, which will be the first one in 3D. It is scheduled for an October 2012 release. My vision for this one is to go back to basics, the fun ride, not the darker tone. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sherif Awad is a film/video critic and curator. He is the film editor of Egypt Today Magazine, and the artistic director for both the Alexandria Film Festival, in Egypt, and the Arab Rotterdam Festival, in The Netherlands. He also contributes to Variety, in the United States, and Variety Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Moustapha Akkad on the set in Libya.
AWAD: After realizing Al-risalah and Omar Mukhtar starring Anthony Quinn, Moustapha Akkad dreamt of making The Crusades with Sean Connery, as Saladin. Is it possible for you to realize his dream? AKKAD: I have amazing scripts that involve the history of the Arab world including one I am working on now about Andalusia, the region won by the Moorish invasion of Spain. It is called The Princess of Alhambra, which was finished by the late Robert Bolt, the Oscarwinning screenwriter who gave us Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia. But for Saladin, which I consider a big message from my father, maybe we can do it in five years because many people expressed interest into becoming part of it. I am also open to realize co-production projects with any filmmakers from the Arab or the entire world who has the talent (L-R): Scout Taylor Compton, Malcolm McDowell and Malek and the enthusiasm to realize Akkad.
Robe Zombie with Michael Myers, young and old. We still remember its music score by the Director John Carpenter and the silhouette of its villainous killer, Michael Myers, that inspired many horror films in the years that followed. When did Moustapha Akkad allow you to watch Halloween?
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
ENERGY MATTERS
Life without Indian Point? By ABBY LUBY
NEW YORK, NY -- In a landmark public hearing last Thursday, January 12, 2012, state lawmakers listened to testimony on the potential effects of closing down the Indian Point nuclear power plants just 24 miles north of New York City. In a public hearing that lasted most of the day here in lower Manhattan, the New York State Assembly Committee on Energy heard from regulatory and utility brass who support the continued operation of the twin reactors in Buchanan and from experts who want to shutter the 40 year old twin reactors. The hearing room was filled to capacity. More than 16 Assembly members sat on the
state’s economy and electrical system? And how can we tap into the surplus electricity being generated by facilities in upstate New York, electricity that could replace Indian Point’s output? Prohibiting the flow of needed electricity to the southern part of New York and to New York City is known as “transmission congestion.” “The last transmission upgrade was in 1987,” Brennan told NYISO Chief Operating
lines from upstate New York or Canada include the Champlain Hudson Cable, New York Power Pathway, and the West Point Transmission Line. Gonzalez warned that replacement
Joseph Oates, Con Edison Vice President of Energy Management.
Gonzalez said NYISO used a model study that looked at a generic solution to congestion where the cost ratio benefits were greater than one. “In general, the beneficiaries [rate payers] would have to pay for the upgrade.” NYISO oversees and operates New York’s
Anti nuclear activist at Indian Point public hearing. Gary Shaw, Croton-on-Hudson resident who resides near the Indian Point nuclear power plant.
panel led by Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill, Chairman of the Committee on Energy, and Assemblyman James F. Brennan. Testimony, which was by invitation only, was heard from the New York Independent System Operators (NYISO), Con Ed, New York Public Service
(L-R): Assemblyman James Brennan, Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill, Chairman of the Committee on Energy, and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi.
Commission, Synapse, an energy consulting firm, Indian Point owner Entergy and others. Environmental groups such as Clearwater and Riverkeeper were not invited to speak, but the panel encouraged the groups and the public to submit written testimony. Would closing Indian Point impact the
Protesters outside the Indian Point public hearing held on Thursday, January 12, 2012, at 250 Broadway.
A crowded room at the Indian Point public hearing held in New York City.
Occupy Wall Street environmental group activist Luna Scarano.
Officer, Rick Gonzalez. “We’ve been talking about upgrades for decades. Why is it taking so long?” “This issue is the cost allocations,” said Gonzalez. “Who will pay for the upgrades?”
electricity grid and plans for future energy needs of the state. Brennan pressed Gonzalez on how to get power downstate. “What could we do more quickly to lessen transmission congestion?” Gonzalez mentioned a few programs NYISO was considering to augment the existing transmission system. “It would get us 300 megawatts,” he said. At times panel members seemed to bartering for more electricity to replace the 2000 megawatts produced by Indian Point. Of the current projects geared to bring additional power to New York City, some are already have the green light; others are in the approval process. The already approved Hudson Transmission Line is expected to bring 660 megawatts from New Jersey to Manhattan. The completion date is 2013. Pending is the Cross Hudson Line, which will offer 800 megawatts from New Jersey to Manhattan. Other pending proposals to build 1,000 megawatt transmission
resources must be in place before closing Indian Point. “Failure to do that will have serious reliability consequences and an increase in rolling blackouts.” Verbal sparring about the reliability of electricity produced by Indian Point to the plant’s safety reliability was initiated by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee from Rockland. Jaffee intoned a history of accidental shutdowns at Indian Point, including the most recent shutdown last Monday from a broken pump seal at Unit 2. “Given an aging plant and its shutdowns, how can you suggest that Indian Point is a reliable source of energy?” asked Jaffee, who received a round of applause. “My reliability statement is focused on grid reliability, not the reliability of the plant,” said Gonzalez. Jaffee referred to the disaster last year at the nuclear power plants in Fukushima, where a major earthquake and tsunami caused the destruction of four plants resulting in a core meltdown and the large release of radiation. “I question whether Indian Point is reliable or safe, especially in light of what happened in Japan,” she said. Gonzalez was questioned for over an hour, a terse exchange at times only to be ironically interrupted by the lights going out for no apparent reason, garnering a moment of humor in the proceedings. Activists made their voice heard during a break and chanted the benefits of closing Indian Continued on page 11
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
The Westchester Guardian
Page 11
ENERGY MATTERS
Life without Indian Point? Continued from page 10 Point. Lead by Luna Scarano, an activist from the Occupy Wall Street environmental group, numerous anti nuclear activists echoed Scarano’s shouted words admonishing the plant for threatening the lives of 20 million people who wouldn’t be able to evacuate in case of an serious accident at Indian Point. Indian Point 2 produces 1,028 megawatts of electricity and Indian Point 3 produces 1,041 megawatts. Currently Con Edison, who purchases 350 megawatts of electricity from Entergy, transmits between a total of 9,000 and 13,000 megawatts of electricity to New York City and Westchester during daily peak periods. Joseph Oates, Con Edison’s vice president of energy
management told the panel that on the hottest summer day, if the plant wasn’t producing electricity, there would be a 1,000 megawatt shortfall. Cahill asked Oates how they would replace the power if the state closed down the plant. “We have not made any firm plans if the state decides that. There’s been no official announcement of a plant shut down – that process hasn’t been triggered,” Oates answered. “What if Indian Point has to construct cooling towers and the plant has to close? Is Con Ed prepared for that contingency?” asked Cahill. “We are preparing generic types of solutions. If a situation of retrofitting required support, our recommendation would be to shut only one plant at a time to satisfy needs in the short term.” Breenan asked Oates about electricity produced by the gas powered, cogenerated plant
in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and if it could make up the lost power from a retired Indian Point. “Could taking power from a co-generated market in the future be a potentially economical purchase?” Oates agreed. “Co-generation is a more efficient use of the fuel because we are using it twice. We are open to good ideas, especially ones that will minimize the cost for the customer.” Both operating licenses for units 2 and 3 at Indian Point will expire in 2013 and 2015. Entergy applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2007 to renew their licenses, but their application has met much resistance from Governor Andrew Cuomo and environmental groups Riverkeeper and Clearwater. Since the nuclear disaster in Fukushima last March, the anti-nuclear movement has rallied with concerns
about safe evacuation, Hudson River fish-kill by thermal pollution and the precarious location of the plant on a seismic fault. It is unknown at this time how the Assembly Energy committee will use the information from the public hearing. The committee has the power to enact legislation and amend energy law and policies that impact energy availability and Public Service Law.
Participants will receive a copy of the new “Livable Communities CareCircle Guide: Step Forward and Give Back,” a how-to manual that explains the way to start, maintain and coordinate a CareCircle. It also includes general information for caregivers, a listing of community resources and a glossary. DSPS sponsors the CareCircle initiative with the Westchester Public/Private Partnership on Aging Services. The training session will be led by Ellen Wright, a licensed master social worker; Robbin Sweeney, an attorney and Better Living Life Coach; and Colette Phipps, DSPS’ staff liaison to the Caregiver Coalition, which developed the guide.
The need for caregivers is at a crisis level today because fewer and fewer family members are available to help Westchester’s growing senior population.Today, 20 percent of all county residents – one in five people – are 60 or older. People live longer today. Siblings pass away and children move away. As a result, seniors must turn to their friends, neighbors and other seniors for help.
Photos by Abby Luby and courtesy of Abby Luby Photos. Abby Luby is a Westchester based, freelance journalist who writes local news, about environmental issues, art, entertainment and food. Her debut novel, “Nuclear Romance” was recently published. Visit the book’s website, http://nuclearromance.wordpress. com/.
HEALTH
Training to Start for New CareCircle Initiative RYE BROOK, NY -- A training session for volunteers who want to participate in the CareCircle initiative of Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) will take place on Jan. 25 at Atria Senior Living, 1200 King St., Rye Brook. A CareCircle is a group of people who volunteer to share caregiving tasks of daily living for an older person in the community that cannot be met with public funds. Those tasks may include meal preparation, pet care, laundry,
general errands or simply companionship. The idea is to create the physical and emotional support families traditionally provide that seniors are able to continue to live in their homes. The program will be under way from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and refreshments will be served.
Registration is required to take part in the training session. To sign up, contact (914) 813-6263 or dql7@westchestergov.com.
MENTAL HEALTH
OCD: The War Within
As the brain keeps sending out signals warning of the dangers of multiple bacteria from mostly source, the mind, almost By GLENN SLABY every without second thoughts of fighting or ignoring such signals, The thoughts begin easily accepts and performs the usually simply enough with simple required action. Trying to our family’s weekly remind myself of how exposure builds meal at the local the body’s immune and resistance level diner. They are as common and as has limited success. Strangely, I don’t basic or simple as putting on ones coat. mind working in the yard or cleaning First there is the reminder to wash my the litter box. Go figure. hands before leaving and limit what I Then there are further thoughts touch. Then my brain tells to keep my that may not have any visible attributes. actions and exposures limited, such as I analyze what to order – should I eat the opening the doors to the restauvery healthy, should I vary the combirant, handling the menu, touching the nations, what did I eat yesterday, what table etc. I use a straw. I use antibiotic am I having tomorrow? What are the soap (only on my hands) and make sure negative affects of the meal I order – my utensils don’t touch the bare table. is it farmed raised and from where? When someone passes me an item, I (Always analyzing, always calculating think, are there hands clean? When thinking too much about what ifs and the waiter serves, thoughts about germs too little about those gathered around occur for they handle, probably the the able and the meal we’re sharing.) It dirtiest item around – our paper money.
is difficult and embarrassing to air these thoughts in public; maybe they will increase ones’ understanding and avail another’s pain. Constantly, routinely, other obsessive thoughts influx the mind such as the loss of loved ones, accidents, robberies, various diseases, ailments and disorders. Financial worries, loss of a job, loss of faith, all point to the illness that robs one of a deeper security of Faith in the spiritual, Faith in God and faith in others. Some of these may be common thoughts but it is the degree, intensity and frequency of these thoughts that confirm and reinforce the disease. I am reminded of the lack of control inherent in life; the unease that exists constantly, as I am overwhelmed by this hyper brain. The outsider does not see this deeper struggle, the more personal thoughts too personal to discuss some times even within a well established relationship. Continued on page 12
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
MENTAL HEALTH
OCD: The War Within Continued from page 11 These are just some of the signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). How can one describe pain; the awful anxiety exerted on an individual? Contamination from germs is usually the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions OCD. Outsiders may observe continuous hand washing or notice the fastidious compulsion of doing everything by a certain route such as using of the three. Here the sufferer will take three tissues, wash the hands three times, etc. What the outsider does not see in the anxiety and pain inflicted is the wave that brings terror to the shore of consciousness. One may see the trembling and shakes that come with such high anxiety as the OCD descends
deeper into the conscience and sub-consciences of the individual. One may see how an individual is ‘frozen’ in place; unable at achieving a simple task. Most of the time, OCD overwhelms all other brain functions, even breathing may be a struggle. I’ve seen individuals struggle with the common act of shaking hands. It’s a war inside the mind, pitting the brain against itself. As society studies and grows with the understanding of mental illness, its various forms and attributes, new methods (both chemical and behavioral) of confronting the beast are developed. For example, in OCD treatment there are the 4 R’s, developed by Jeffrey M. Schwartz in his book, Brain Lock, which are relabel, reattribute, refocus and revalue. Very briefly, relabel means to recognize and identify the thoughts for what they really
are – obsessive, intrusive thoughts, urges and compulsions that are a result of the mental illness known as OCD. Reattribute means to realize these thoughts, urges and compulsions are caused by OCD probably with a biochemical component. Distracting yourself and focusing on something else, doing something behavior comes under the refocus step. Lastly, revalue is to review the prior three steps, see what worked, what didn’t and tell yourself that the OCD thought is insignificant and not to be taken at face value. Done sequentially, regularly and repeatedly, over periods of time they have shown to work. The difficulty is remembering the skills, doing them sequentially, regularly, and repeatedly, over periods of time. As well as applying them over and over, accepting the pain and discomfort
they initiate. I tried some distraction techniques, when mobility choices are limited. Lately, I carry some light reading material without appearing too rude. I try to become involved in the conversation. I also try to be an observer of those around me (become a people watcher) as a distraction when my own conversing capabilities are limited. But I must also try to first tell my self that this is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I’m not alone and to learn/develop the skills that are available. Glenn Slaby is married and has one son. A former account with an MBA, Glenn suffers from mental illness. He writes part-time and works at the New Rochelle Public Library and at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison, New York, where he receives therapy.
THE SPOOF
Ten Comments from Experts about the Possible Ending of the World in 2012 By GAIL FARRELLY What’s the skinny on this scary prediction? Here’s a sampling of comments: Martha Stewart: “Be prepared. Pack yourself some nice take-out meals that travel REALLY well.” Queen Elizabeth II: “I’m not leaving without my tiara, my royal robes, and my purse.” Entrepreneur Donald Trump: “I STILL
may run for president.” Twitter executive: “Send some good-bye tweets, but remember to keep them to 140 characters or fewer. The rules don’t change, just because the world is ending.” Chicken (The Sky is Falling) Little: “I told you so! I told you so! You should have listened to me a long time ago.” Lady Gaga: “A least I got to kiss Mayor
Bloomberg before my trip. It was better than wearing a meat dress or riding around in an egg.” Dick Clark: “I’ll be back next New Year’s Eve.” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: “Buy an Amazon Kindle and pack it with books for your trip.” John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives: “You know what Lesley Gore says: It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to...”
Gail Farrelly, spoof writer: “If you were foolish enough to make New Year resolutions, break them right now and have a blast doing it. Happy New Year!” Learn more about The Farrelly Sisters http://www.farrellysistersonline. Authors: com/ on the Internet.
SPORTS
Fordham’s Ryan Meara Drafted by Red Bulls
First Fordham Player Drafted Since John Wolyniec in 1999 THE BRONX, NY -- The culmination of a memorable senior season and career came to fruition for Fordham keeper Ryan Meara on Thursday, January 12, 2012, as he was drafted in the second round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls with the 31st overall selection. The senior was the only pick of the 2012 draft for the Red Bulls and he becomes the first Fordham played chosen by an MLS team since the New York/New Jersey MetroStars selected John Wolyniec in 1999. Meara reflected on the accomplishment: “It’s pretty crazy. It’s almost surreal. I don’t think it will set in for a couple of days, but I was with my family and friends and when I saw my picture and name come up I was thrilled. It will be great to remain close to home.“ Meara was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the year and All A-10 First Team following his senior season in 2011,a year in which he posted an 11-6-1 record while becoming the school’s all-time leader in shutouts (31). He was
part of a defense that recorded a pair of clean sheets against ranked opponents Xavier (#23) and Charlotte (#11), and he posted a careerlow goals against average (0.65) while stopping an all-time best 12 shots in the season end win over Temple. As for Atlantic 10 marks, Meara led the league in goals against average (0.65), shutouts (10) and save percentage (.862) this fall. He was also named to the NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Team following his senior season, the third time in his career
he was honored by the regions coaches. Additionally, the senior was named All-A10 three times. “This is great for the soccer program at Fordham and for Coach McElderry,” continued Meara, “Having two players get drafted here says a lot.” Coach McElderry shared his thoughts on Meara: “I am very happy for Ryan and his family. He has been a special player for Fordham over the past four years, leading Fordham to four consecutive winning seasons,
a conference championship and numerous individual records. I know he will continue to be successful at the next level not only because of his exceptional talent, but his work rate, personality and competitiveness. I look forward to watching Ryan develop and represent Fordham for years to come in the professional ranks.” Erik Soler, General Manager of the Red Bulls, mentioned why the team likes Meara, “Todd Hoffard, our goalkeeping coach, has been following him for a long time. We think he’s the best goalkeeper in the college system. He’s big, he’s strong, we need a goalie, and he’s from New York. Every factor that we looked at was there, and he was the player we wanted most from the draft simply because we needed a goalkeeper. Realistically there were a bunch of others we couldn’t calculate on getting, so we were very happy. We went here with a positive attitude and we got the best out of what we could get.” In the SuperDraft, Meara was the first goalkeeper selected and was the only player chosen from an Atlantic 10 school. Meara’s time to celebrate is short-lived as he will report to pre-season camp with the RedBulls on Monday, January 16, 2012.
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
Page 13
EYE ON THEATRE
Diane Paulus’s “Porgy & Bess” By John Simon What is now ridiculously renamed “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” can be guardedly recommended. It is still a great work, albeit with new emphases and micromanaged changes, some of which are interesting, but most of which are artistically unwarranted. There has been some meddling with every aspect of the work, as directed by Diane Paulus, intermittently rewritten by Suzan-Lori Parks, and musically jazzed up by Diedre L. Murray, none of who really knows better than the original creators. But it would take even more piddling fiddling to scuttle a timeless masterpiece. The alterations benefit mostly the several authors’ estates that profit from a thus renewable copyright.
“Get me my stick,” as he proceeds on foot, proudly erect but with even fainter chances of success. The new, abbreviated production runs on two trends. One is to be more aggressively theatrical rather than conservatively operatic. There is more In the foreground, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, and Phillip Boykin frantic bustle by a reduced cast, and even in the great are believable enough, although the flaming red Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis love duets more fuss and histrionic eroticism number in which Bess first appears, whether or resonant; the Heyward and Ira Gershwin lyrics, at the expense of the singing and music, which not authentic for the period (I think not), is a bit though artful, coming across charmingly artless. underwent disimprovement by Ms. Murray. too blatant. And her demure dress after some Best of all is Audra McDonald’s perforOr take the fake wedding certificate, now more cohabiting with Porgy may be a trifle too glibly mance, a Bess for all occasions, whether for improbably, thanks to Ms. Parks, issued not by the opposite, sweetly girlish. operatic-quality singing or superiorly enacted a male swindler, but by But enough quibbling. The show continues naturalness and spontaneity. There is some Mariah, a jolly, portly, to be, even diminished, a prime jewel of the trouble with the good Norm Lewis’s Porgy: motherly neighbor, who American theater, whether viewed as a sophisboth his looks and his bearing are a mite too later befriends Bess. ticated Broadway musical or as a touching folk heroic for the part; he is rather too Broadway The other trend is opera. George Gershwin’s music, even tampered leading-mannish-looking and lacks vulneraway from grimy natuwith, is still idiomatic and endearing; the book, ability. Though possessed of a fine voice, Lewis ralism toward a stylization based on the novel by DuBose Heyward and Continued on page 14 that borders on the capriits play version by him and his wife, still amply cious. This is startlingly noticeable in Ronald K. Commercial • Industrial Brown’s choreography, & Residential Services which rather than blend naturally with the period and locale, indulges in Roll-Off Containers 1-30 Yards fanciful cavortings that Home Clean-up Containers are downright bizarre. A further problem is the The crap game. Turn-key Demolition Services scenic design of Riccardo Hernandez. DEC Licensed Transfer Station Catfish Row is now a walled-in enclave in a DEP Licensed Rail Serve surreal Neverland, the Transfer & Recycling Services walls like something out of a Braque painting: Licensed Demolition Contractor mostly large flat quadrangles, asymmetrical Locally Owned & Operated and pockmarked, with Radio Dispatched strange, vaguely doorlike or windowlike apertures Fully Insured - Free Estimates arbitrarily scattered over various levels and at On Site Document Destruction quaint angles. There is no trace of inhabitable Same Day Roll Off Service The arrival of Bess (Audra McDonald). rooms; no sense of a If You Call By Noon Charleston wharfside, In the new version, Porgy is no longer a and the impoverished blacks are now trapped in cripple riding a goat pulled cart, but manages to www.citycarting.net some sort of analytical Cubism. For the island walk tolerably with a leg brace and cane. So now picnic, this set is only incompletely covered by City Carting of Westchester • Somers Sanitation when he goes after his vamoosed Bess in New a somewhat skimpy blue backcloth, featuring a B & S Carting • AAA Paper Recycling • Bria Carting • CRP Sanitation York he doesn’t command his fellow denizens of few painted curves remotely suggesting waves. Catfish Row, a black ghetto in 1930s Charleston The effect is part frugal, part absurd. 800.872.7405 • 8 VIADUCT RD., STAMFORD, CT • 203.324.4090 to, “Get me my goat,” instead, he demands, The costumes by the oddly named ESosa
Page 14
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
EYE ON THEATRE
Diane Paulus’s “Porgy & Bess” Continued from page 13 keeps it, for whatever reason, too restrained, too fearful of becoming lusty and fails to blend with McDonald in the duets. In this respect, David Alan Grier is more to the point, even though I prefer my Sportin’ Life (or, as the program would timidly have it, Sporting Life) less burly and more sneaky-slippery. Political correctness even turns “plenty of nuttin’” into “plenty of nothing.” As the villainous Crown, Phillip Boykin is properly brutish although, alas, more on the comfortably fatty than menacingly muscular side; Joshua Henry is a likable Jake; and, as the two young wives, Clara and Serena, Nikki
Robbins’ funeral.
Renee Daniels and Bryonha Marie Parham could not be more winning. NaTasha [sic] Yvette Williams has Mariah down to a capital T. Christopher Innvar makes a duly intimidating detective. Special kudos to Christopher Akerlind’s lighting, perhaps too unrealistically lyrical and various, but so lovely that one wouldn’t have it otherwise. And, in its studiously brash way, Diane Paulus’s direction does hold its own. I myself prefer the four-hour
operatic version, but this cut and tinkered-with production may well be what Broadway audiences with their limited attention span—like the money-hungry heirs—require. Photo by and courtesy of Michael J. Lutch. John Simon has written for over 50 years on theatre, film, literature, music and fine arts for the Hudson Review, New Leader, New Criterion, National Review,New York Magazine, Opera News, Weekly Standard, Broadway.com and Bloomberg News. Mr. Simon holds a PhD from Harvard University in Comparative Literature and has taught at MIT, Harvard University, Bard College and Marymount Manhattan College. To learn more, visit the JohnSimon-Uncensored.com
TRAVEL
There’s Life …And Then There’s Living By BARBARA BARTON SLOANE I was dangling from a steel cable suspended high above the jungle canopy in Puerto Vallarta. As soon as I’d say the word, my guide would unhook me from the brake that kept me tethered and I’d fly 200 feet above the dense green Mexican rain forest on
Sea Horse statue, Banderas Bay.
a 2,000-foot-long zip line. And – comforting thought – after this I would only have 11 more zip lines to go before I could once more board the 4x4 off-road truck that brought me here and return to my hotel to collapse (faint?) in bed. I who, unfazed, tell anyone who’ll listen that I’m “hardwired for cowardice,” had absurdly signed on for Vallarta Adventures whose tag is “One of the greatest adventures on earth,” and, fingerscrossed, I hoped to live to confirm this claim. Nothing Adventured, Nothing Gained
I was visiting this magical town with a group of happy, devil-may-care, let’s throw caution to the wind, fellow travelers who somehow coerced me into going along with this madcap plan. Shortly after signing the form that released the company from any responsibility in case of injury or death!, I found myself speeding across the bay in a small boat, arriving at a jungle outpost, then hiking along a dusty path to my next ride, a small brown mule who ambled up and down steep paths until we reached the aforementioned off-road contraption. Donning helmets, we then careened along dirt roads with gargantuan boulders and cavernous holes until we reached our final destination hidden in a virgin tropical forest in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Looming before us, the zip line platform that we were expected to ascend, assisted by young, muscular, bemused guides who feigned patience as each of us took our turn on the platform and stood gaping at the ominous view below. Wheeee…I’m Flying…Sort Of Suffice it to say, throughout this adventure I never came to truly love those 12 zip lines. Although my guide explained how to hold onto the line above me, I couldn’t master the light touch it required. This meant that mid-way, say 1000 feet along on the line, I several times inadvertently stopped myself and had to be rescued, a guide coming out from the landing to pull me onto the next platform. After the second rescue, I gave up being humiliated and just let it happen. Lest you think that all we did was zip line nooooo. This was only a part of our adventure. This 6 ½ hour escapade also included rappelling down a sheer cliff, through a waterfall, right into a natural river pool (getting thoroughly drenched in the bargain), and traversing swinging rope bridges. My trepidation aside, I’ve got to admit that
Family enjoying sunset on Banderas Bay.
this was one of the highlights of my Puerto sculpture on the bay and Los Arcos, (the arches). Vallarta visit. After all, 90% of the adventure was On second thought, let me amend that - there’s up in the treetops, offering a unique perspective a fourth symbol: unadulterated romance. You on an area of unspoiled, rich ecological beauty. see, the town is also known for that glamorous Due to a fantastic and very competent staff of couple, Liz and Dick, who lived here in an good-looking young men, after my first zip I Continued on page 15 always felt safe; excitement and butterflies were there, sure, but not fear. By the time I returned back to my hotel and replayed the day in my mind, a rather nice feeling overwhelmed me – that of being fully alive and empowered! Pretty Puerto Vallarta There are three symbols that Puerto Vallarta is known for: the Malecon (boardwalk) around Banderas Bay, the mammoth seahorse Marigalante, the pirate ship.
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
Page 15
TRAVEL
There’s Life …And Then There’s Living Continued from page 14 upscale part of town called Gringo Gulch when Burton was filming The Night of the Iguana in 1963. That definitively put this place on the map. Downtown, the colonial heart of Puerto Vallarta is very walk-friendly with its quaint cobble stone streets, white washed houses, wrought-iron balconies and red tiled roofs. Here you’ll find the historic Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral, flourishing arts and crafts markets, numerous galleries, restaurants and enough designer boutiques to fulfill any retail therapy urge. I enjoyed just walking around Bahia de Banderas, the deep blue bay, and discovering that this is a favored pastime of the locals. Families file onto the boardwalk each evening and watch the spectacular sunsets. Swimming with Horses, and Other Cool Activities Over the course of the next few days our group participated in lots of very fun activities. We rode horses and had the chance to ride them into a river till they’re submerged up to their
necks. I passed on that (probably just adventured-out). I did, however, experience a unique thrill on my horse Toby. As we strode slowly in line right behind our leader, it seems that his horse thought it would be cute to sit down on the sandy bank of the river. Copying the leader, as I’ve learned horses are wont to do, and before I knew what was happening, I found myself astride my guy as he plopped down on the sand as well! I was so stunned I didn’t realize that Toby was just about to roll over –on me. The guide shoved me out of the way just in time. Although stunned and sandy I was none the worse for the abrupt sit-down. One evening we set sail on the Marigalante, an exact replica of Columbus’ ship Santa Maria, refitted now as a pirate ship. On board, food and booze flowed, the “pirates” put on a fantastic skit of a mutiny and an acrobatic show and our view at anchor was the myriad colored lights of the city. Another day, a visit to Hacienda Dona Engracia and its tequila factory was informative – and tasty. Infusion Orange or Chili Pepper
GovernmentSection
tequila, anyone? On our last night we saw “Rhythms of the Night”, an astonishing folkloric spectacle on the secluded island haven of Las Caletas. After an hour’s boat ride across the bay we reached the island, once the residence of the director John Ford and now a resort. There was a performance by “Indians” dressed in the native garb of their particular tribes, with pyrotechnics, music, dancing and chanting. Because all of this took place deep in the heart of the shadowy jungle and lit entirely by tiki torches, the performance felt authentic and was utterly astonishing. Our Puerta Vallarta stay was made all the more pleasant because we were guests of the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa. The property is nestled between the Sierra Madre Mountains and Banderas Bay, a kind of gateway to all that’s happening. A beautiful beach, a huge pool, a marina, and a luxurious spa helped to make this visit a dreamlike experience and, for sure, one to remember. Photos by Michael Sloane and courtesy of Michael Sloane Photography.
If You Go:
Puerto Vallarta Tourism www.vallartatourcenter.com
Where to Stay What to See and Do
CasaMagna Marriott www.puertovallartamarriott.com Vallarta Adventures www.vallarta-adventures.com Holiday Inn www.holidayinn.com Marigalante Pirate Tour www.piratesofthebaypv.com Occidental Nuevo Vallarta www.occidentalhotels.com Hacienda Dona Engracia Tequila Tour www.vallartashorex.com
Where to Eat
La Palapa Restaurant info@lapalapapv.com La Estancia www.puertovallartamarriott.com
THE ALBANY CORRESPONDENT
Oppenheimer Will Not Seek Re-election By CARLOS GONZALEZ ALBANY, NY – January 12, 2012 -- I had an interview with State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) during the end of the legislative session last year. Something didn’t seem right with the senator especially when I had questioned her on her real interest in running again for the seat. After discussions with the editorial team of The Westchester Guardian, I scrapped the entire interview because I couldn’t find any reason or merit to make any part of the interview print worthy. And Oppenheimer made no news until today. She announced that she will not seek re-election this November. The Senator made her decision upon recently learning that she will have to undergo major shoulder replacement surgery in 2012. Said Oppenheimer: “It had always been my plan to seek re-election in November and continue to serve the people of this district. When considering my responsibilities as Senator, the extensive effort that will go into rehabilitation and physical therapy following my surgery, and the added work of the hard fought campaigns I always wage, it became clear to me that I could do only two of those three important
tasks. I want to thank the people of my district for the honor and privilege of representing them. Wherever I go throughout Westchester County, I am buoyed by the well wishes and support of longtime friends and residents. I have enormous faith in the people of New York. If they are ever tough on their elected officials, it is only because they believe – as I do – that we, as a state, can and will be better. I intend to make 2012 another productive year where I can tackle tough issues, move legislation and have an impact in areas where I have particular expertise. I am most excited about being part of Governor Cuomo’s efforts to bring much needed change to Albany by reforming, reorganizing and making state government effective again. By the end of this term, I will have served 28 years in the New York State Senate, following eight years as Mayor of Mamaroneck. The Senate is an institution that I hold very dear to my heart, and I count many of my colleagues – on both sides of the aisle – among my closest friends.” Senator Oppenheimer has always taken a bipartisan approach as an elected official. “I
continue to believe that government at every law, and the needs of local governments and level succeeds when we work together without not-for-profits. regard to party to find solutions through discusIn 2011, Senator Oppenheimer sponsored sion and compromise,” said the Senator. more bills passing both houses than any other She has been an outspoken leader in the Democratic Senator. She sponsored important Senate on a variety of concerns, including legislation involving Westchester, including education, environmental protection, and issues Continued on page 16 affecting women and children. As a former League of Women Voters’ President, Senator Oppenheimer has long advocated for governmental reforms, including public financing of campaigns, open government at all levels and reform of the state budget process. During her years in the Senate, Oppenheimer sponTHE ROMA BUILDING sored or co-sponsored 2022 Saw Mill River Rd., Yorktown Heights, NY over 300 laws, Office & Store Space for Rent addressing such areas as education reform, Prime Yorktown Location Office Space 965 sq ft.: Rent $ 1650/mo. the establishment of Store Karl Ehmers: 1100 sq ft- $3100/mo. the Environmental Store in back: 1300 sq ft. $2650/mo. Protection Fund, 914.632.1230 domestic violence, the open meetings
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
THE ALBANY CORRESPONDENT
Oppenheimer Will Not Seek Re-election Continued from page 15 the landmark law allowing Purchase College to develop a senior community housing facility integrated onto the campus. She also passed government reorganization legislation allowing the village and town of Ossining to merge their courts and thereby lower costs to taxpayers. The Senator’s announcement acknowledged many individuals who have helped her throughout her long and distinguished career:
MAYOR Marvin’s COLUMN
“I would like to thank my superb staff in the district and in Albany. They are public servants in the truest sense of the word and without their dedication and tireless work ethic, I would not have been able to accomplish all that I did. Through the years, we have helped thousands of constituents with their personal issues, and we will continue to do so throughout the coming year. I would also like to thank my husband
The Village is quite fortunate to have a cadre of department heads who are extremely proactive and always looking for ways to improve and modernize their departments. For the past few years, some of their aspirations were stymied because our capital programs were reduced or put on hold in response to the stagnant economic climate. I am pleased to report that the capital program will be funded this year though in a modest form. As a result, Chief Satriale’s Police Department will modernize on several levels. Officers will now be able to write tickets on a hand held computer in lieu of a paper tablet. Currently, tickets are handwritten, then manually entered in police department logs and then manually entered again at the Court level. As a result of the new equipment, the process will not only be more time efficient, but the chances of error, which automatically invalidates a ticket, are decreased significantly. By eliminating the three entry process, accuracy will increase and with it a better financial return. A second patrol car will soon have a licensed plate reader thanks to the capital program coupled with a State grant. This will allow two
statewide basis. While I will be out of elective office in 2013 for the first time in 36 years, I expect to continue my involvement and pursue new opportunities to serve our community and our state.” A date for surgery has not been scheduled, but is expected to take place early in the 2012 Legislative Session.
be under the umbrella of the Public Works Department and its leader, Rocco Circosta. Both of our major Village-owned open spaces – Sagamore Park and Maltby Field – will have refurbishment plans go out to bid next week. Work will begin on Sagamore Park around Memorial Day with Maltby Field improvement to follow soon after. Sagamore Park will be made more handicap accessible. The park will also be enhanced with landscape and play equipment. Walls and buffers will be repositioned to make the park as safe as possible and more toddler friendly. As is the plan for Maltby Field, additional benches, plantings and trash/recycle receptacles will be added. The entire Maltby property will be regraded and top soil added. A manicured walking path will also be created. Both park plans were designed to be created in segments, allowing for additional improvements as monies become available. Engineers have been engaged to begin the Public Works Department’s ambitious storm sewer project. Starting in flood prone areas, Village pipes will be inspected, cleaned and repaired where necessary. Our entire pipe system will finally be mapped, further increasing our opportunity for flood mitigation measures. For example, by mapping all our pipes we may find that changing a pipe alignment or “softening” a connection angle could increase pipe flow and capacity. Our Department of Public Works will also be repairing the tennis facility’s all weather courts,
filling cracks and sealing and recoating surfaces. The Public Works Department will increase the budget devoted to both the repaving of streets and the planting of street trees. In both cases, the department keeps a running list of locations pinpointed for improvement so we encourage you to call to add potential streets to the list. As an aside, given Con Edison’s current “slash and burn” method of trimming Village street trees located under electrical wires, we have been asking residents to allow us to locate Village purchased trees away from the wires and on private property. Finally, our Building Department, under the leadership of Vincent Pici for the past 24 years, will begin the process of digitizing all of the Building Department records with the ultimate goal of creating a virtual Village Hall of property documents on the computer. Currently, New York State law requires that all documents pertaining to an existing home or business must be maintained by the Village in perpetuity.The amount of storage to meet this requirement is enormous. By digitizing these documents, not only will accessibility immediately increase, but space concerns, preservation and document decomposition will be eliminated. Net-net, in the not too distant future, every resident will be impacted positively by the changes constantly occurring at your Village Hall.
Share your thoughts with Carlos Gonzalez, The Albany Correspondent, by directing email to carlgonz1@gmail.com.
GOVERNMENT
Capital Improvement Program By MARY C. MARVIN
Martin and my wonderful children, Marcy, Evan, Josh, and Ali. I could not have done my job all these many years without their unwavering support and encouragement. Most important, it is the trust, partnership and support of Westchester residents over the past 28 years that have made service in the Senate so tremendously rewarding. When individuals or organizations bring a problem to my attention, they open the door for us to work together to solve it. This is the gift that democracy brings forth, and it has been an honor to advance the issues and needs of families in Westchester on a
patrol cars on duty to be equipped with this technological advance. Our current license plate reader records the plates of every car parked or moving that the patrol car passes. Not only has this technological advancement aided in identifying scofflaws and unregistered vehicles, its use has been directly responsible for the recovery of stolen cars, the capture of a sex offender and the arrest of an individual who called in a bomb threat. As an additional upgrade in the Police Department, cameras will be installed in the jail cells and along route from cell to court.The installation of video surveillance will protect both our police officers and prisoners should there be a dispute as to treatment or proper procedure. The New York State Department of Corrections encourages all of the above technological enhancements and we will be receiving some grant monies for our efforts. In the same vein of further automating our operations, the Finance Department capably head by Bob Fels for the last 22 years, will be installing a new accounting program to replace software and hardware in use since 1988 and now no longer supported by the equipment provider. The new program will link our accounting systems with our property tax collection program, thereby promoting additional efficiencies in the department. The most significant changes in 2012 will
Mary C. Marvin is the mayor of the Village of Bronxville, New York. If you have a suggestion or comment, consider directing your perspective by email to: mayor@vobny.com.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Bill Nuckel Declares Candidacy for 93rd Assembly District By HEZI ARIS YONKERS, NY – January 11, 2012 -- Bill Nuckel, a lifelong Yonkers resident and former City Councilman, this morning announced his candidacy for the 93rd Assembly District recently vacated by Mike Spano who acceded to the office of Mayor o the City of Yonkers on January 1, 2012. “It’s about representation,” advided Mr Nuckel. “This district needs to be represented.
The Spano Administration needs a friend in Albany. Mayor Spano needs to know that when he calls, a ‘friend’ will be on the other end of the phone. Together we will work to ensure that Yonkers receives all it is entitled to and more.” Mr Nuckel said, “I am a full time resident of Yonkers. I am not a career politician. I do not need a job. I do not need a pension. I understand the workings of government and have a genuine
desire to serve Yonkers. We need someone who knows and cares about Yonkers.” Bill is a former manager for Verizon and a lifelong Democrat. He is an adjunct business professor for both Rockland Community College and Nyack College.
In addition, Bill is a securities arbitrator for The Financial Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which is the largest independent securities regulator in te U.S. whose chief role is to protect investors by maintaining the fairness of the U.S. capital markets.
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
Page 17
BUDGET
Mount Vernon City Council Approves 6.15 Per Cent Tax Increase By HEZI ARIS MOUNT VERNON, NY – It was January 12th, long after the December 31, 2011 deadline by which then Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton Young, Jr., then Mount Vernon City Council President Karen Watts, and Mount Vernon Comptroller Maureen Walker abdicated their fiduciary responsibility to design a city budget for the 2012 year. Instead, they chose to point at one another when confronted by Mayor Ernest “Comeback Kid” Davis, who admonished the threesome for leaving Mount Vernonites on the lurch. Mayor Davis’ public outcry within days of
the closing of last year was not sufficient to move the “players” of the out-going administration to action. Instead, it sparked righteous indignation; nothing more. Circumstances, such as they were demanded immediate action. That would have to await Ernest Davis being sworn into office, as well as Roberta Apuzzo, the newly elected City Council President. They, along with Maureen Walker, the Comptroller, will two more years allotted to her term, would by January 12, 2012, conclude approval to a $92 million municipal budget. The adopted budget would thereby cost
residents an additional 6.15 percent increase in taxes. Even so, the acrimony continues. City Council President Roberta Apuzzo has yet to be informed by Comptroller Walker what the 6.15 percent tax increase will, on average, cost the taxpayer. The games continue to be played. The triumvirate needed to pass a budget because speculation was the City of Mount Vernon, without a budget in place, would not have been able to meet employee payrolls as early as January 13, 2012.
While there are no major cuts in programs or positions in the 2012 budget, the Mount Vernon Inspector general position salary has been reduced to $90,000, approximately $75,000 less than had initially been proposed.
EDUCATION
Statement from Governor Cuomo on Warning from the U.S. Department of Education “As I said in my State of the State Address, this state is facing a crisis in our education system and how we hold our schools accountable for their performance in educating our children. We cannot allow a system to continue where we spend the most of any state on education, but rank only 38th in results. It does a disservice to both the student and the taxpayer. “We have a system that protects the massive education bureaucracy rather than focusing on investing in our classrooms. The forces that protect this bureaucracy have stymied reform at every turn, and as a result, hundreds of millions of dollars in education funding are now at risk. “One of the tasks set forth by the original Race to the Top competition was simple – design
a teacher evaluation system that holds teachers accountable for their performance. Without a doubt, the system the state designed to accomplish this goal has been a failure. “Secretary Duncan’s report saying New York is on the watch-list for failure is yet another warning that the inability of school districts across the state and their unions to come together has jeopardized the quality of our kids’ education. New York State’s students are now in danger of losing hundreds of millions of dollars because of the failure to devise a teacher evaluation system that works. “We need to achieve both short term and long term reform of this failed system. I will pursue such reform aggressively.
“In the short term, I call on the State Department of Education, local school districts and the union leadership to expedite their negotiations on a teacher evaluation system to prevent the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. “Over the long term, we need to overhaul the system and change the law on the books.The Assembly-led legislation in 2010 protected the teachers union at the expense of the students and instituted a system that was destined to fail.” Despite the powerful interests working to protect the status quo at the expense of our students’ success, this state must become a national leader in student performance.”
THE FEINER REPORT
Questioning Whether Consolidation Law Worked By PAUL FEINER In 2009 the New York State Legislature approved an important new law that authorized voters to petition for a public vote on government consolidation. I am curious: Has the new law resulted in consolidation of any government entity in New York State? How many local governments have consolidated? Is the law a success or a big disappointment? The law, when it was first enacted, was considered to be a potential game changer; a tool to reorganize and streamline government. New York State has more layers of government than any other state in the nation. In my own county, Westchester, the law seems to have been a failure. No consolidations have come about as a result of the new measure. I am the Supervisor of the Town of Greenburgh. In 2010, I formed a Fire District Consolidation Commission. Over a year ago they issued a report and came up with some legislative recommendations that could make the law more meaningful. Under the consolidation law enacted by the New York State Legislature in June 2009, giving voters a process to petition for the public vote of a government entity consolidation, the governing
bodies of the entities contemplating the consolidation are required to set the date of the voter initiated referendum and to develop a consolidation plan. There is a weakness in this process in that it hands control over these decisions to the very governing bodies that may wish to maintain the status quo. While there are procedures to appeal in place in the event that the governing bodies are unwilling or unable to formulate a consolidation plan, it is a rather unwieldy process. The Fire District Consolidation Commission recommended the consolidation law be reevaluated and amended by the New York State Legislature so that a group consisting of representatives of the governing bodies and a citizens group work together in setting the referendum date and developing a consolidation plan. In addition, the law should be expanded to authorize voters to petition for the consolidation of county governments; not only municipal governments. The counties are the most invisible levels of government in New York State and have the least amount of public support. Eliminating or consolidating county governments would have support from many taxpayers. Paul Feiner is Town Supervisor of Greenburgh, New York.
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
INQUIRY
Conflicts of Interest By RAY TARTAGLIONE January 10, 1012 City of Rye Rye City Council
City Hall 1051 Boston Post Road Rye, New York 10580 Re: Conflicts of interest Dear Rye City Council, At the December 21, 2011 regularly scheduled Rye City Council meeting, City Manager Scott Pickup stated the legal issues surrounding Mayor Douglas French’s 13 Richard Place home were referred to The Rye City Board of Ethics for their consideration. These issues include apparent violations of Rye City building laws, zoning laws and property tax assessment laws. Additionally, since the Rye City Assessor’s Office is responsible for administering the NYS STAR tax exemption program in this jurisdiction, and Mayor French has apparently claimed two principal residence’s with STAR tax exemptions in Rye for over a decade (one of those properties being the aforementioned 13 Richard Place), additional state tax statute violations are issues as well. On Tuesday December 20th, 2011 – local independent documentary filmmaker Leon
Sculti released an investigative film to the public entitled “13 Richard Place.” As of this writing, hundreds of viewings of the approximately 18 minute film have been recorded by YouTube. In the film, Mayor French, City Manager Scott Pickup and City Corporation Council Kristen Wilson are recorded in the acts of making possibly untrue assertions and claims about Mayor French’s property at 13 Richard Place at a series of contentious Rye City Council meetings. These claims are then challenged from multiple independent sources recorded and presented by the filmmaker. These claims were also the subject of a prior investigation and exposition by our local environmental activist group Heal the Harbor.com - who has cached relevant public records from Rye City pertaining to the home on its web site. As you are aware, the Rye City Municipal code 15-2 states “No officer or employee of the
city shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect or engage in any business or transaction or professional activity or incur any obligation of any nature which is in conflict with or might reasonably tend to conflict with the proper discharge of his duties in the public interest.”
As constituted as of this writing, the Ethic’s Board is currently staffed as follows:
Board of Ethics
Three members appointed by the Mayor with Council approval for a 3-year terms. Chairman selected by the Board from among the public members.
Expires John L. Alfano 1-1-13 Edward B. Dunn 1-1-12 Elizabeth Griffin Matthews 1-1-14 Scott D. Pickup City Manager ex-officio Corporation Counsel ex-officio Judge John L. Alfano, a former Rye City Councilman, has been a leader of the Rye Republican Party for over 2 decades. During this time he has been closely associated with and boosted the ascendancy of candidate, now Mayor, Douglas French – subject of this Ethic’s Board inquiry. Judge Alfano is widely known as one of Mayor French’s close political mentors and supporters. Judge Alfano is an honorable man, but, respectfully, he is not disinterested, unaffiliated or objective in the matter of the public career of Douglas French. Edward (Ted) Dunn, a former Rye City Councilman and Mayor, has been involved in the Rye Republican Party for over 2 decades. During this time Mayor Dunn has been an associate of and worked with Douglas French for many years. As an example, at the city council meeting referenced above, now Mayor French eulogized former Rye City Councilman Ed Collins whose political campaign Mayor French served as treasurer for. Mr. Collin’s running mate was Mayor Dunn. Mayor Dunn is an honorable man, but respectfully, he is not unaffiliated, disinterested or objective in the matter of the public career of Douglas French. Scott Pickup, Rye City Manager and Kristen Wilson, Rye City Corporation Council
are each “ex-officio” members of the Board of Ethics. Regrettably, they are also the subject’s of this particular inquiry. As such, Mr. Pickup and Ms. Wilson are not disinterested, objective or unaffiliated in these matters. We respectfully request that John L. Alfano, Edward Dunn, Scott Pickup and Kristen Wilson and Elizabeth Griffin Matthews be asked to recuse themselves from this inquiry due to conflicts of interest and that the Rye City Council under its powers enumerated in the Rye City Municipal code section 15-2 nominate and seat replacement Ethic Board members unaffiliated with the political career of Douglas French or the appointment of Manager Pickup, Noreen Whitty or Corporation Council Wilson. I have viewed the Rye City website where it is noticed that the Ethics Committing will be meeting on Thursday January 12, 2012 at 10:00 AM. Please be advised there is no date on the notice and it is also very vague. Is this a public meeting? Will this meeting have anything to do with the aforementioned Mayor Doug French, Stott Pickup, Kirsten Wilson or Ms. Noreen Whitty? Please feel free to call or e-mail me ASAP on your answers to the matters outlined above. Very truly yours,
Raymond J. Tartaglione
LABOR
CSEA Response to Astorino Call for Repeal of Triborough Amendment The Triborough Amendment leveled the playing field for union negotiations in New York State,” said CSEA Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo. “A look back in our state’s history shows that prior to the Triborough Amendment, many public employees refused to negotiate in good faith, knowing full well that the Taylor Law prevents public workers from the option of striking.”
“Today’s statement [January 13, 2012] from County Executive Rob Astorino is another attempt to distract Westchester residents from his stubborn refusal to address a number of other
cost savings proposals in contract negotiations,” said CSEA Westchester County Unit President Karen Pecora. “Our state elected officials understand that Triborough fosters an environment for negotiations that is fair for both sides.”
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THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
The Westchester Guardian
Page 19
CRIME
Losing the Fight Against Crime in New Rochelle By STEPHEN MAYO NEW ROCHELLE, NY -Last week’s New Rochelle crime wave in miniature has stirred the community out of its mid-winter doldrums. In defiance of claimed improvements in crime indices, the murder-suicide in October, the manhunt for a knife-wielding sneak thief and a police car/helicopter sprint after drug suspects straight out-of-Hollywood through the upscale north end last week have cast a pall over our struggling downtown. And have collectively earned us unwanted attention from regional and national media once again. If prior experience is any guide, official responses will be diversionary and unhelpful. The simplest and most useful contributions will be made in this journal and elsewhere by civilians; residents, taxpayers, business owners and working folk. Contrast this with the absolute vacuity of city hall’s responses to other examples of recent law-breaking. How scant seems the take on “reality” reflected in official “thinking” and public pronouncements? There will be cries of poverty, as there indeed may be a shortage of funds needed by local government to “take a bite out” of such outrages. But where else should blame for New Rochelle’s financial woes be placed, but on the city manager and council majority? No doubt, difficulties will mount as mayoral priorities continue to favor inflation of the central city’s population in taxpayer-subsidized rental apartment construction. And municipal deficits will persist despite the adoption of fiscal year 2012’s record-breaking budgetary tax increase. But truth be told, the greatest scarcities exist not in New Rochelle’s treasury, but in its “bank” of political imagination and resolve. City Hall is consumed in itself; stuck in a vicious circle of denial and Clintonian “spin.” Instead of welcoming work-a-day advice from a highly educated, but practical New Rochelle population comprised of some of the brightest minds in business, law, health administration and medicine, and, public and private finance in the nation, the administration continues to rely on its “well” of professional policing wisdom, and NYPD management practices; much of it rather shopworn. Traditional law-enforcement wisdom has its place, but practically speaking, New Rochelle’s problems are one-of-kind - a fast-growing population; a city-like suburb hampered by a declining fiscal foundation, constrained by unique geographic challenges; a weavingcoastline, and a sausage-shaped boundary line that makes geometric delineation of sectors or precincts exceedingly difficult, and efficient patrol car “prowling” almost impossible.
Perhaps the solutions to its problems must also be one-of-a-kind. Perhaps the bureaucrats need to break some rules, and try some new approaches. But judging from the species of “intelligence” that usually issues from their offices, don’t count on it! The relevant commentary that we have been availed of has been of a fairly limited and ancient vintage. There exists an enormous body of modern police theory and practice, in literature and software, however. Among the offerings: creation of precincts/mini-precincts, utilization of bicycles/motor scooters, enlistment of auxiliary “resources” (unarmed, please!), electronic “monitoring” measures (limited, selective and discreet, please) and predictive “intelligence” media. Just presenting these for discussion could provoke the start of a grand town hall-type, problemsolving exercise with unprecedented citizen participation! But this would require listening to the simple public, benchmarking from neighboring village police departments, even “cadging” from academic/industrial institutions. More significant, it would require the council majority and city management to finally acknowledge the problem and its vast complexity. The administration’s past record in outreach and popular engagement does not inspire confidence. Official New Rochelle prefers to set simpler goals, like promotion of environmental principles, rather than more complex matters like combating crime and the attendant serious matters of public policy and private misdeeds. Public safety was barely discussed in the recent municipal election. The majority-party slate studiously avoided the best mechanism for considering it; free-ranging debate. On two occasions, dates certain for such a purpose were just ignored by a Democrat endorsement- bearer. The debates themselves and the majority’s avoidance thereof were ignored also by those “journalists” supposed to be covering such matters for what passes for local TV/radio and press! More compelling, in the media’s eyes, were the failings of Republican mayoral hopeful “Big Daddy” and the elusive “achievements” of the “uncommonly intelligent” incumbent executive (as described by a fawning morning radio presenter). Consideration of delayed police response times or fire department coverage lapses, like discussion of simple potholes, was characterized as the tired carping of “Grumpy Old” Republicans! How to remedy this claimed electoral “wasteland?” Why, “(t)he GOP needs to embrace its new more forward looking (sic) faces” according to the jaded jock! Under assault from a criminal element, the public is ill-equipped to confront the practical issues of law and maintenance of order. The
usual instruments of democratic problemsolving, a free press (see above), free speech and assembly seem to have lost their utility. How about the political process? What does it offer? Municipal government itself? The free political parties? Local government? Do not look for innovation in crime-fighting from this administration. Search all you want in its employee manual for “citizen empowerment” and “best management practices of business and non-profits.” You will not find them. And do not interrupt the solemn deliberations or otherwise sully the gentle bonhomie of this august “body of seven”
with unsolicited commentary at city council’s “citizens to be heard” night. This carefully stagemanaged political operation is not accustomed to free-ranging, over-the-transom contributions such as originate from there. That is not how a machine works. Your new council wants to do things its own way, and if you have something to contribute, contact your local ward-healer, please. The Democrat one. Republicans, independents? Hope and pray. Or just switch parties. And then get in line and wait. Stephen Mayo is a manufacturer, attorney, and radio show host.
CRIME
Citizens’ Panel on Sustainable Budget Formed NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- With the municipal workforce and finances stretched to the limit, the City Council is set to approve the creation of a Citizens’ Panel on Sustainable Budgets to help determine optimal service delivery levels and methods for 2013 and beyond. During the next six months, the18-member panel will review all facets of City operations and provide an analysis of current and alternative service delivery methods and revenue sources, along with recommendations that could help shape New Rochelle’s 2013 budget. “It is time for a fresh look at the
fundamentals of local government,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson. “This publicly inclusive process will help set a long-term foundation for fiscal stability in an era of limits, while better advancing the priorities and expectations of the people of our community.” The Council-appointed panel will include at-large and district members. Those interested in serving should submit a resume to the City Clerk by January 17 for the at-large appointment or to their Councilmember prior to the January 24 district appointment deadline.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Please submit your Letter to the Editor electronically, that is by directing email to WHYTeditor@gmail.com Please confine your writing to between 350 and 500 words. Your name, address, and telephone contact is requested for verification purpose only. A Letter to the Editor will be accepted at the editor’s discretion when space permits. A maximum of one submission per month may be accepted.
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THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
The Westchester Guardian
DIVESTMENT
Governor Cuomo Signs Iran Divestment Act ALBANY, NY -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Iran Divestment Act on Friday, January 13, 2012, a new law that will exclude companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector from entering into contracts with state and local governments. “This new law ensures that companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector do not do business with the State of New York,” Governor Cuomo
said. “I thank Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Silver for their leadership and hard work on this important law.” The Iran Divestment Act of 2012 prohibits companies that invest in the Iranian energy sector from receiving state or local government contracts. The Office of General Services will develop a list of entities involved in such investments and will inform these companies that they will be unable to bid on government contracts as long as they
support Iran’s energy sector.The law also requires companies to certify that they do not hold such investments when applying for government contracts, and allows affected businesses to appeal. The law takes effect in 90 days. Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said, “This new law will make sure that New York does not allow companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector to receive state contracts. By putting in place this important legislation, we are standing together to denounce Iran’s attempt to build nuclear weapons that would pose a grave threat to America, Israel, and our other friends in the Middle East. I thank Governor Cuomo for signing this bill into law.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, “It is no secret that Iran is the patron of terrorism in the Middle East. This tyrannical regime has been linked to terrorist activities ranging from assassinations and hostage taking to bombings and hijackings directed against Israel and the West. By divesting the state from any business with corporations who fuel Iran’s terrorist activities and pursuit of nuclear weapons, we are doing our part to make the world a safer, more secure place. I commend Governor Cuomo for swiftly signing this measure into law.”
FRENCH ON RYE
A 2011 Year-End Retrospective of the City of Rye By DOUGLAS FRENCH 2011 will be best remembered when two forces - the economy and Mother Nature - left their mark on the City of Rye. The following is a look back at 2011 highlights from this column:
Snow Appreciation
The City was hit with record snow falls right after the Christmas Holiday heading into the New Year - and ended with another record snow fall on Halloween. The Council and I want to again thank the City staff and departments for an extraordinary effort and setting the example for the Sound Shore in getting the City back up and running in such a timely fashion after what was a never-ending series of snowstorms.
The Osborn Resolution
It’s official. Representatives from the City, Rye City School District, and the Osborn Home met to reconcile the outstanding property tax balances and refunds. Following the Court decision, the agreement ends the more than 10-year Osborn Home dispute -- and instead begins a look toward the future and partnership opportunities.
Playland’s Citizen Committee Report
After more than 3 months and several meetings, the 19-member Citizen Committee established by the County Executive in March released its final report identifying three proposals for further County consideration. The Committee’s charge was to evaluate the feasibility of proposals in response to the Westchester County request for proposals to “Re-invent Playland Park for the 21st Century”.
$1M in Bird Homestead Grants Fully Received
As part of Rye’s efforts for historical preservation, the City received notification of receipt of the final two Bird Homestead Grant monies.The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation grant in the amount of $350,000
and a Westchester County grant in the amount of $200,000 were both received bringing the total funds received to $1,000,000 to fully restore the City’s financial outlay.
1037 Boston Post Road Site
In 2006 the City acquired the old CVS site (Lester’s) with the implied intent of developing a Police Station/Court House facility. In 2010, based on up to $25M in development plus acquisition costs, the Council reversed that decision. With no public purpose intended for the site, in 2011 the City began the process of long-term planning for the site and weighed the merits of extending current downtown zoning. The state of the real estate market, flooding, traffic, parking and the potential impact on schools leave few immediate answers for the site.
Successful Kickoff to Environmental Sustainability
The City took another important step to a sustainability plan for Rye with a kickoff forum of over 100 attendees to introduce the concept of sustainability, hear from leaders on the subject, and dialog and gather community feedback. The City later became the first community in Westchester to ban plastic retail shopping bags. Affordable Housing Project Update As part of the affordable housing settlement and the consent decree between the U.S. Department of Justice and Westchester County, Rye moved forward with one of the first qualified projects for 22 units at Cottage Street.. Rye is one of the named 31 communities in which the County is required to build 750 affordable units over 7 years.
Pedestrian Safety on Purchase Street
The first phase in converting to stop signs on Purchase Street has proven to be an effective pedestrian safety, traffic flow and cost-effective measure. In addition, parking spots were marked to identify parking stalls and improve traffic flow. Other elements of the project included curb
extensions and additional sidewalk space, landscaping and lighting.
A Roadmap for a Safe and Active Community
The Council created the Shared Roadways Committee to make recommendations to the City on policies, projects and programs that will make Rye a safer and more enjoyable walking, jogging and biking community. The Committee is a cross-section of non-profit organizations, schools, community leaders, and concerned residents that represent a continuation of the grassroots sentiments in Rye for improved pedestrian safety. In their initial report, the Committee makes several recommended projects and policies for City implementation.
Central Avenue Bridge and Former Black Bass Property
The City continues to wait for NYS Department of Transportation approval as the regulatory process is extremely slow when funding comes from elsewhere. Central Avenue is a key connecting road through Rye and the need to re-establish access to that area for traffic and emergency vehicles is imperative. Also, the City is working with the owner of the former Black Bass property to obtain the necessary permit and approvals for demolition as well as an application with the Planning Commission to review plans for a new structure.
Damage Assessment
The damage assessment for the City after Irene as we all experienced is significant as many areas including downtown were severely hit by a combination of coastal flooding, brook flooding and torrential rains simultaneously. Late storm wind gusts on Sunday evening further exacerbated tree damage and power outages. 800 homes were without power and the City worked with Con Edison to restore power, clear roads and remove trees. An estimated 200 structures have been impacted including the Locust Ave Firehouse. Damage to City structures is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. An oil spill at Highland Hall required assistance and coordination with State DEC and County Department of Health. The work of City of Rye employees from storm
management preparedness to implementation was as strong in Rye as anywhere in the County.
September 11th Ceremony
The City held a ceremony on the 10th anniversary of September 11th at the Locust Avenue Firehouse and then proceed to the September 11th Memorial Gazebo. The focus of the event remembered Rye citizens lost, paid tribute to our first responders, and called on residents to volunteer with community organizations ongoing as part of a National Day of Service. Volunteering is one of the things that brings communities together and is a way to remember and establish a legacy.
A Final Budget Approved at 2.92%
Three years since the economic crash of 2008, the City continues to hold the line on property tax increases to reflect the relief needed by the community. Unemployment, under-employment and significant drops in wealth are realities in Rye with no end in sight.The total property tax increase for the last 3 years has been 5.45% or an increase of 1.82% per year. The average increase the 10 years prior was 6.53% per year. While the City has done incredible work in maintaining service levels during a down economy, the effects will be felt in 2012. There are no new capital projects planned beyond the ones that have already been funded. There will be no surplus revenues for the undesignated fund balance. Other impacts could be felt in labor relations. The City is currently in labor arbitration with the Police Union with an expired contract from 2009, and negotiations have yet to begin on the expired 2009 contract with the Fire Department.
A Sudden and Tragic Loss
Most of all, for those that frequent City Hall, 2011 will be remembered for the day we lost Vinny Tamburo, the City’s long-time Building Inspector. His commitment to his family and this City were an inspiration. He is missed. Visit the City of Rye Website at www.ryeny. gov or contact me, City Council members or the City Manager should you need more information. Doug French is the mayor of the City of Rye, New York. Direct email to: mayor@ryeny.gov.
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
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GOVERNMENT SER VICES
Westchester Legislator Myers and Concerned Residents Call for Bus Line Restoration in Rye Illegal Elimination of Route 76 Bus Follows Board’s Funding Approval RYE, NY -- A number of concerned residents joined Westchester County Legislator Judy Myers (D-Larchmont) on Friday, January 13, 2012, to call for immediate restoration of the Route 76 bus line service between Port Chester and Milton Point in Rye. County Executive Rob Astorino cancelled the Route 76 bus line on December 26, 2011 and service officially stopped on December 31, 2011. Regular passengers of the 76 bus—and members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (WCBoL)—learned that the service was being discontinued on Wednesday, December 26, during a week when many were taking a winter vacation between Christmas and New Year’s. There were no public hearings held on the subject. “Because thousands of riders, both residents and hard-working individuals employed in the area, depend on the Route 76 bus line, we are calling on the County Executive to follow the law and ensure this important service is restored,” said Myers. “Removing the bus route without a public hearing and the required consent of the WCBoL is irresponsible and
violates Section 188 of the County Charter.” On December 22, just days before Astorino summarily axed the bus line service, the WCBoL had voted to override the County Executive’s veto of the funds required to maintain the bus service. As a result, most riders assumed that the bus service was reinstated. “On Tuesday morning, when people returned to work around here after the holiday weekend some stood waiting for a bus that never came,” said Arthur Stampleman, a Milton Harbor House resident. “How meanspirited! Cutting this bus service is especially hard on senior citizens who can’t drive, caregivers who depend on the bus to get to where their clients and loved ones reside, and other workers who depend on the bus to get to their jobs.” The call for the Route 76 bus line
restoration came today at a press conference held at the former bus stop on Milton Road in front of the Milton Harbor House. The Route 76 bus line service was contracted to Port Chester-Rye Transit; it is one of the original routes combined in the 1960’s to create the Westchester Transportation system. In 2009, the Route 76 bus service
carried 56,088 passengers. Selected Route 13 bus line trips will operate over part of the Route 76 line between Port Chester Railroad Station and Playland—in essence, giving most of the Port Chester-Rye Transit contract to Liberty Lines, another private contractor, but there will be no service to Milton Point, where there are several major residential developments and senior living facilities. Service on the Route 76 line was decreased in mid-2011 because of “very low ridership,” again without a public hearing. At the time, County Executive Astorino’s chief of staff, George Oros, communicated to Legislator Myers that a public hearing on the issue did not need to be held “unless a substantial number of passengers are affected or are proposed to be eliminated.” Since the early 1970s, Westchester County has diligently developed a county-wide mass transit system, of which the bus lines are an Continued on page 22
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
GOVERNMENT
Westchester Legislator Myers and Concerned Residents Call for Bus Line Restoration in Rye Continued from page 21 integral part. In contracting with private bus companies, the County has recognized the franchise rights of the bus companies, and the County Charter requires the BOL to approve any modifications to bus franchise contracts. Also, by assigning portions of Route 76 to a different bus line, County Executive Astorino may have exposed the County to legal action and damages.
“At a time where the County should be trying to do all it can to maintain the quality of life for seniors and preserve jobs, County Executive Astorino has acted in complete disregard of both the governing process and the County Charter,” said Myers. “The Board restored funding for the 76 bus line because the residents in the area wished us to do so. Other bus routes in Westchester carry fewer riders and yet maintain their service levels. Our
continuing investment in mass transportation is the right thing to do for so many reasons, and I hope the County Executive will support the seniors who live in this area and uphold the laws of Westchester County by restoring Route 76.” A number of local residents have petitioned the County Executive to restore the Route 76 bus line, but to no avail. “I’m surprised and disappointed by the
Westchester Legislators Sworn-in and Begin New Two-Year Session Jenkins and Williams Re-Elected to Leadership Posts WHITE PLAINS, NY – January 10, 2012 --The Westchester County Board of Legislators (WCBoL), including four new members, were sworn into office at a special ceremony tonight during its 2012 organizational meeting to mark the beginning of the 2012-2013 county legislative session. The ceremony, conducted in the WCBoL Chambers, was presided over by Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni and drew a standing room only crowd of family members, friends and supporters. The Westchester legislators also re-elected Legislator Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) as WCBoL Chairman and Legislator Lyndon Williams (D-Mount Vernon) as WCBoL Vice Chairman during the ceremony after Administrative Judge Alan Scheinkman from the Ninth Judicial District had administered the oath of office to the legislators. The oaths of office for the two BOL leaders were administered by Supreme Court Justice Sam D. Walker from the Ninth Judicial District. Tina Seckerson was also re-elected Clerk of the WCBoL. The new members of the WCBoL are: Michael J. Smith (R-Valhalla), representing
The 2012-2013 Westchester County Board of Legislators: Front row: John Testa, Alfreda Williams, Bernice Spreckman, Sheila Marcotte, Judy Myers, Virginia Perez, Bill Ryan, Catherine Borgia and Michael Kaplowitz. Back row: Michael Smith, Gordon Burrows, Jim Maisano, Ken Jenkins, Peter Harckham, MaryJane Shimsky, Lyndon Williams and David Gelfarb. Photo by Tom Staudter and courtesy of the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
Engineering Study Supports City Yard Relocation NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- A detailed study of the options for the location and modernization of the municipal Public Works Yard has concluded that relocation is the best option. The DPW Relocation Study, conducted by Dolph Rotfeld Engineering, was commissioned by the City government in early 2011 to compare the costs and benefits of modernizing the current East Main Street operations center versus constructing a new DPW facility at City-owned property on Beechwood Avenue. The study was presented to the City Council
on Tuesday. In comparing the two options, the study found: • Constructing a new Public Works Yard on Beechwood Avenue would save taxpayers more than $3 million when compared to the estimated cost of modernizing the Public Works Yard at its present location. The estimated cost of the Beechwood site is approximately $13 million as compared to $16 million for the East Main Street site- which has the additional expense of
developing and operating a temporary facility during the construction period. • The Beechwood site already meets all current and projected operational standards and spatial requirements for the Department of Public Works and has already been rigorously reviewed under the terms of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA.) • Relocation to the Beechwood site would free up the East Main Street site, which has a higher value re-use for alternative public and private purposes, including expanded public access to the Long Island Sound shore. Based on the study’s findings,City Manager
County Executive actions,” said Tom Saunders, a Rye resident and president of a local advocacy organization, Staying Put in Rye and Environs (SPRYE). “We fully expected the bus line to be reinstated after the Board of Legislators voted to restore the funding in the budget. With the county’s senior population expecting to increase in numbers in the years ahead, the County Executive should be focusing on public transportation as a way for seniors to get around Westchester.”
District 3 (Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville and North Castle); David B. Gelfarb (R-Rye), representing District 6 (Harrison, Rye Brook and Port Chester); Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining), representing District 9 (Crotonon-Hudson, Cortlandt, Ossining and Briarcliff Manor); and Virginia Perez (D-Yonkers), representing District 17 (Yonkers). In his remarks following his oath of office, Chairman Jenkins remarked upon the successes of the previous legislative session, and said: “Working for the people of Westchester means understanding the values that we share, and staying focused on the priorities that are right for all of our residents. Working together, this Board will confidently meet the challenges ahead.” Vice Chair Williams thanked Chairman Jenkins and his fellow legislators for their efforts over the past two years, and also acknowledged the sacrifices made by families of the legislators, adding: “One thing the legislators here tonight, and those who have served before us here, can all agree on, though, is that being a legislator requires the highest level of purpose and accountability possible.” The next regular meeting of the WCBoL is on Monday, January 23. Between now and then, legislators will be assigned to the eleven standing committees of the BOL and chairpersons for each of the committees will be announced. Charles B. Strome, III will recommend the Council proceed with the development of the Beechwood site. “New Rochelle’s Public Works Yard must be modernized to meet current and future service demands and avert the ongoing, escalating cost of emergency repairs,” said Strome. “Further delay could expose taxpayers to significant risks, while raising the cost of inevitable and unavoidable infrastructure expenses.” The item will be discussed at the January 17 meeting of the City Council. Copies of the report are available as part of the City Council agenda on the City website www.newrochelleny.com .
The Westchester Guardian
OP EDSection HEZITORIAL
The Political Femme Fatale By HEZI ARIS
Transparency, Respect, Arrogance, Strategy, Honesty It was Election Day, November 8, 2011. New York State Assemblyman Mike Spano had won the office of Mayor of Yonkers among a pejorative political landscape. Yonkersites would be consumed by the disparaging words that were meant to detract and diminish the successful battle for accession to the most prominent position in Westchester County. Reality was questioned beyond that day; many
people were shocked and in disbelief. Hope for calamity of any sort was the “plan” to derail the mayoral-elect. As delusion and self-denial quivered before the political reality that had revealed itself, the political side-show, cloaked for fear that discussion of it would unravel the final outcome was subliminally making inroads onto the political arena. A successor to complete the second year of the term of office of New York State Assemblyman Mike Spano was seemingly forgotten, or so it was hoped. The reality was far from the truth. In reality, this reporter was played. Yes, you heard it here first. This reporter was played. She had a story to tell. I had wronged her in the past she claimed. I was expected to make amends. She asked for a meeting over lunch or a cup of coffee. It was appropriate to clear the air; it was agreed.
The femme fatale is Shelley Mayer. The former Chief Legal Counsel for the New York State Democratic Senate Majority was offended over the many years in which our paths crossed, yet at which I found no cerebral rationale to be supportive of her political conduct and the goals she set for herself vis-à-vis the City of Yonkers. We first met upon being introduced by Yonkers City Council Chuck Lesnick. My lack of respect for the resume of shenanigans and deceptive dossiers of Chuck Lesnick was not such that I appreciated. His accolade filled attribution of Shelley Mayer were very effusive. He seemed to fawn over her; I was cautious. Mind you this happened after I had learned that Shelley Mayer’s son had been hired as an aide to work for President Lesnick. Son, Adam Smith gained employment the old fashioned way, he was part of the patronage mill. Issues of how much Mr Smith was paid and how Mr Lesnick connived to make this position available, has yet to be revealed. These facts were made public on the Yonkers Tribune but there was little interest in rectifying such excess in times of excess. This was acceptable behavior. When Mr Lesnick had Mr Smith accompany him in a display of power against power upon their canoeing stunt in Sprain Lake, despite having been warned against it, I questioned how Ms Mayer, legal eagle that she is, would permit her son to possibly get a legal citation that would diminish his chances for study of higher learning at an august Ivy league institution. Those who are part of the “in” crowd do not get tickets or citations but is they do, they are routinely dismissed. Such are the facts attested to by many in Yonkers. Then there was the time the studied acumen of Ms Mayer was supposed to eclipse the so-called lack of knowledge of then Assemblyman Mike Spano at a publicly held political debate conducted at Sarah Lawrence. Mike Spano had studied the issues and was eloquent in delivering a palatable response to the questions asked. Ms Mayer, seemingly believing her time before the public and the media would be a cakewalk, stumbled miserably by embarrassing herself by her lack of preparedness. I wrote the scene as she had played it. It was curtains for her; or so I thought. She lost the race against Assemblyman Mike Spano. Next thing we know, she gets a position in Albany with the Senate Democrats as legal counsel. Quid Continued on page 24
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
HEZITORIAL
The Political Femme Fatale Continued from page 23 pro quo when you are regarded a “Queen for all time,” despite there being little to warrant a tiara. Ms Mayer was quick to hide out in Albany. She for one hoped she would not attract attention despite her bedazzling silhouette on the political dance floor. But she couldn’t help herself. One of the many facets adorning her caught the eye of New York State Inspector General Joseph Fisch. What concerned I.G. Fisch was specifically with regard to an alleged rigging of the process for picking a company to run video slot machines at Aqueduct racetrack. I.G. Fisch recognized that Ms Mayer was covering up an allegedly corrupt development scheme. I. G. Fisch was eventually to issue a scathing report in which he emphatically stipulated New York State’s highest-ranking elected officials rigged the bidding process for an unqualified gaming company seeking a lucrative contract to bring
gambling to Aqueduct racetrack. Those involved in selecting Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) included Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson. Shelley Mayer’s name is all over that report. Fisch said the bidding process was entirely political. To make matters worse for Yonkers, Ms Mayer could and did scrutinize the project allegedly enabling the project to move forward despite questions posed with regard to it.The deal would eventually collapse under a cloud of impropriety, to say the least. Ms Mayer knows full well that almost 40 percent of the traffic enjoyed by Empire City at Yonkers Raceway is derived about the area abutting the Queens’ racetrack. She was mum over her involvement with regard to her conduct then and remains so to this day. New York Post reporter Aaron Short’s headline last year, “Vito Pal’s 23G Mystery Gig,” speaks
about Carl Landicino, a politically connected consigliere of Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez, and a friend of the Democratic Party who earned $23,000 for a 10-week gig with the New York State Senate last year for a “no show” job. Landicino collected paychecks last spring as a “special counsel” advising Senate Democrats, but his colleagues insist they never saw Landicino once or discussed assignments. Landicino’s supervisor was Shelley Mayer. At issue now is whether Shelley Mayer is running to serve Yonkersites in the capacity of elected office worthy of Yonkersites support and vote. Westchester County Independence Party Chairman Giulio Cavallo advised by email on Thursday, January 12, 2012, that his party has endorsed her candidacy for New York State Assembly. Ms Mayer has not divulged her interest for the office of New York State Assembly, but those in the know have advised that the deal was sealed to relegate her to that office. Support for her candidacy is part of the
Yonkers Democratic City Committee game plan. The Yonkers Republican City Committee by plan or ineptitude has become the de facto, non-aggression pact partner to this backroom deal. Should her effort derail will the office of dogcatcher suffice? Whether New York State Assemblywoman or dogcatcher, at issue for Yonkers is can Yonkers afford another elected official with a soiled past? Will the concepts of Transparency, Respect, Arrogance, Strategy, Honesty, in the political world be valued beyond the trash it is today? It is unlikely in the form of Ms Shelley Mayer! Perhaps former Yonkers City Council Majority Leader Patricia McDow will consider the august office worthy of her time? And who will play the game of subterfuge from the Republican side of the aisle? I can’t wait. Get the vote out. The propitious day? March 20, 2012. It is another day that will go into the history books as a day of infamy.
told the story of the Tebows’ pre-natal struggle. The word “abortion” was never even uttered, but a positive portrayal of childbearing was all it took. And so began the left’s hate affair with Tim Tebow. Radical feminist groups, media-types and liberal pundits alike lost their collective noodle even before the ad ran. Erin Mattson, vice president of The National Organization for Women (NOW), told ABC News that Tim’s story of survival was “really quite offensive. … This ad is hate masquerading as love!” she barked. Tim wasn’t dismembered alive and scraped in pieces from his mother’s womb, you see. The New York-based Women’s Media Center launched a failed censorship petition drive to pull the ad, framing it as an “attack on choice.” Get it? Pam Tebow chose alright; she just happened to make the wrong “choice,” and dared to share about it publicly. But as a Denver Bronco, Tim Tebow’s profile has grown exponentially. So too has the left’s hatred for him. This is due in large part to his very open Christian faith. After each game, Tim begins by thanking God: “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” And who hasn’t heard of “Tebowing,” wherein one drops to a knee in prayer? Then there’s Tim’s favorite Bible verse, John 3:16, which he’s known to wear painted in black swaths under each eye. After the Broncos’ recent electrifying playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, John 3:16 was reportedly the most popular search term on the Internet. Remarkably, during the game Tebow passed for precisely 316 yards and averaged 31.6 yards per completed pass. The television viewing audience for the last 15 minutes of the game was 31.6 percent. This only added to the mystique.
So big was the story, in fact, that major news outlets like CNN ran the text of John 3:16 in its entirety: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The attention that Tebow’s bold Christian faith has drawn to the Gospel message has secular “progressives” and other God-deniers tied in knots. American Atheists, a New Jersey-based group that promotes religious cleansing from the public sphere, says that Tebow is “full of cr*p.” “Tebow takes religion and injects it into the mix and divides the fan base,” complained David Silverman, the group’s president. “[Religion] injects the divisive force into football,” he continued (because, absent religion, football is just a touchy-feely snuggle fest). “Why in the world are we talking about religion when we are talking about football?” he demanded. Of course,Tim Tebow is merely doing what Jesus asks of his followers: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) The problem is that secular “progressives” don’t want Christ acknowledged before anyone, period; and they endeavor to shut down or mock anybody who tries. During the Broncos’ regular season loss to the Buffalo Bills, for instance, “progressive” troglodyte and pseudo-intellectual funnyman Bill Maher tweeted about the game, encapsulating the left’s visceral hatred for Tim Tebow in 140 characters or less: “Wow, Jesus just [expletive deleted] #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler ‘Hey, Buffalo’s killing them.’” Jesus addressed the Bill Mahers of the world — past, present and future — on more than
one occasion. In John 15:18-20, for instance, He reminds His followers: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” Those who belong to the world do indeed hate Tim Tebow. He stands for much of what our postmodern popular culture despises: sexual purity within the bonds of natural marriage, the sanctity of human life, selflessness, personal charity, humility and much, much more. I mean, Tim Tebow has never even been arrested for drug possession or sexual assault, for crying out loud. We simply can’t allow children this kind of role model. So, does God care about who wins NFL football games? Probably not. Does he care about those who play, watch and love football? Unquestionably. Win or lose, no matter what happens with the rest of the Denver Broncos football season, one thing is for sure: people will keep talking about Tim Tebow. And when people are talking about Tim Tebow, they can’t help but talk about the profound faith that drives him both on and off the field. In the meantime: Go Broncos!
OPED
Hating Tim Tebow By MATT BARBER I grew up in Denver and am admittedly biased. I’m a Denver Broncos fanatic. In the Mile High City, the Broncos are more than just a football team; they’re an institution. Everybody loves a comeback. Former Broncos quarterback John Elway — one of the greatest QBs in NFL history — had comebacks in his DNA. Since he retired in 1999 after backto-back Super Bowl wins, Denver fans have been jonesing for that regular shot of adrenaline Elway provided week in, week out. Enter Tim Tebow. In the category of, “Holy cow, can he actually do it?” no Broncos QB since Elway has delivered like Tebow has. He feels familiar. This is what Broncos fans expect. We don’t do steady. We prefer up and down, high and low until that improbable rocket launch to victory in the final seconds of the game. Will Tebow end up an NFL great like John Elway? That remains to be seen. Opinions are all over the place. But what is certain is that Tim Tebow is more than just a sports phenomenon. He’s a cultural phenomenon. For starters, Tebow’s very existence is somehow controversial. He’s a walking pro-life testimonial. He’s been pulling off comebacks since before he was born. Pam Tebow, Tim’s mother, courageously chose to carry baby Tim to term despite doctors’ recommendations that she abort him. You may recall that before Tim went pro, the Christian group, Focus on the Family, commissioned an innocuous TV ad that ran during the 2010 Saints-Colts Super Bowl game. It briefly
Matt Barber (@jmattbarber on Twitter) is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action. (This information is provided for identification purposes only.)
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
Page 25
ED KOCH COMMENTARY
The Need for a Federal Czar to Oversee the Development of the Nation’s Oil Reserves By EDWARD I. KOCH Legislation to Fingerprint Food Stamp Recipients Ethanol is produced from some agricultural products. It is a form of alcohol which is added to regular gasoline in order to make us less reliant on foreign supplies of oil, from which gasoline is derived. The subsidy to create ethanol was first provided 30 years ago and ended December 31, 2011 when Congress decided not to renew it. The federal subsidy paid over the last 30 years to growers of corn was $20 billion. Providing that subsidy for corn meant that farmers devoted their corn crop for ethanol use, driving up the price for corn used for food, including animal feed. That in turn hugely drove up the cost of meat coming primarily from cows. My recollection of discussions concerning ethanol derived from corn is that it was the least efficient way to manufacture ethanol and that using certain grasses (not part of the food chain) provided
more ethanol using less energy and the fuel (oil) required to produce that energy. For whatever reasons, Congress was able to resist the pressures of the farm lobby to extend the ethanol subsidy. Now it’s time for Congress to stand up and show the same intelligence and courage and end subsidies for a host of industries. The most profitable companies in America are the oil companies, and every so often we read about major oil companies not paying any federal income taxes or paying vastly reduced taxes because of loopholes built into the tax code by Congress. Over the years, the oil corporations, Wall Street securities firms and the banks, and the prescription drug manufacturing firms have made billions of dollars in campaign contributions to members of Congress while also keeping an array of lobbyists on their payrolls. Also, we have had members of Congress who, instead of representing the public interest, used their public office to get special deals and tax avoidance
schemes for these industries. After leaving Congress, they often go to work for those very industries they helped avoid paying federal taxes and for which they obtained enormous subsidies, adding to our national deficit year after year. The U.S., aggregating the expenditures for oil by both the public and private sectors, spends and sends to oil producing countries abroad over $500 billion a year. If we required all 18-wheel trucks in the U.S. produced here in the U.S. to use diesel oil or, even better, natural gas (available in huge quantities in the U.S.), I have read that we could reduce our purchases of oil from OPEC nations by half. We could save even more, that is cut oil imports, by requiring existing 18-wheelers to convert to diesel or natural gas, which would cost approximately $60,000 a truck. Why not provide federal loans to truckers at low interest rates to do the conversions? What has been needed for a long
time—and is needed now more than ever—is the appointment of a U.S. czar with jurisdiction over all of our energy resources. Such a czar should have the power given to the head of the Manhattan Project which developed the nuclear bomb during World War II, harnessing the assets of our country, intellectual and material. The cost of the Manhattan Project was $2 billion; adjusted for inflation would be $21 billion today. What a bargain, if we could hugely increase our energy resources here in the U.S., including the use of natural gas fields newly discovered which are estimated to provide the U.S. with energy resources greater than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. The President should lead the fight doing what he can immediately by executive order and rallying the Congress to do what is required of them. If they won’t willingly work together with him on this issue, then he should make it the priority campaign issue in the 2012 election. Continued on page 26
LEGAL NOTICES ZYGGE HANDYMAN, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/20/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process Corporation Service Company 80 State St. Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Registered Agent: Corporation Service Company 80 State St. Albany, NY 12207 Notice of Formation USA 2 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 12/13/2011. Off. Loc.: Westchester Cnty. SSNY designated as agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 457 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605. Purpose: all lawful activities.
GEORGIO FAMILY III LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 12/5/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Patricia G. Micek, Esq. 2180 Boston Post Rd. Larchmont, NY 10538. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
B8 ENTERPRISE LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 12/7/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process Justin Jaikaran 9 Holly St. Yonkers, NY 10704. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
LIGHTCHARTS LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 12/20/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Patricia G. Micek, Esq. 2180 Boston Post Rd. Larchmont, NY 10538. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
THE FARM FOODIE, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/28/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Stern Keiser & Panken, LLP 1025 Westchester Ave. Ste. 305 White Plains, NY 10604. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
SIGNATURE PUBLIC RELATIONS, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/27/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Randal B. Hayes 101 Ellwood Ave. 1E Mt. Vernon, NY 10552. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
ALBERT E. ALEXANDER FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 12/1/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LP upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Stern, Keiser & Panken, LLP 1025 Westchester Ave. Ste. 305 White Plains, NY 10604. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
QUICK CASH OF PEEKSKILL LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 12/21/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process The LLC 2712 E. Tremont Ave. Bronx, NY 10461. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
2 column
HARLEM LINE MEDIA, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/14/2011. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process Corporation Service Company 80 State St Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Registered Agent: Corporation Service Company 80 State St Albany, NY 12207
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The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
ED KOCH COMMENTARY
The Need for a Federal Czar to Oversee the Development of the Nation’s Oil Reserves Continued from page 25 There are legislators and members of the media who believe that if participation in a government program like food stamps requires fingerprinting, the beneficiary of the program is stigmatized. I think that is ridiculous. Every member of the armed forces is fingerprinted, and has been since the days I served in World War II. Today, I believe most, if not all, federal government employees and members of Congress are fingerprinted. I don’t believe any of those people feel stigmatized, nor should they. My recollection is that every baby – at least when I was born 87 years ago – was foot printed. Yes, fingerprints help in recording and will also help in reducing fraud by allowing the weeding out of possible fraud. The most obvious is someone registering under different names to secure more than the allocation of food stamps they are entitled to. The food stamps program is one of the federal government’s best programs. It not only
feeds hungry people, including large numbers of children, in every state of the union, it feeds the bottom line of farmers, selling their produce to these impoverished people using government food stamps. In the Great Depression, my family, made up of mother, dad and three children, lived through a period when my father was out of a job. In those days, there was no food stamp program. I recall on one occasion, my dad had only $5 in his pocket before a major religious holiday and was worried that we wouldn’t have a holiday dinner. He asked an aunt to lend him $15 and she did, and we never forgot her generous act for the balance of her life. We revered her for that act. Reasonable people in this day and age when we are as a nation in a huge deficit situation and there is any reasonable possibility of fraud in a government program such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and a host of other programs, are willing to take reasonable measures to safeguard them from fraud.
The New York City Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration, Robert Doar, responded to an editorial in The New York Times which criticized the use of fingerprinting for those applying for food stamps. His letter defending fingerprinting follows: To The Editor: With an increase of nearly 500,000 people since 2008, the New York City Food Stamp program today provides more than 1.8 million New Yorkers benefits worth more than $3 billion a year. Given the magnitude of the program, it is imperative that we protect its integrity by preventing duplicate benefits. Requiring applicants to be electronically fingerprinted is a simple and effective way to prevent duplication and fraud by ensuring that people cannot be approved for multiple foodstamp benefits, as was too common in the years before welfare reform. Just a quick glance at the facts and you would understand that the purpose is to deter and detect fraud before it happens, which is why it is not surprising that the process does
not lead to criminal prosecutions. Referring low-income New Yorkers for prosecution solely because they once tried to get duplicate food-stamp benefits is not our goal, nor is it a good use of taxpayer dollars. During the last year, by catching potential duplicate benefits before being issued, the process has saved $5 million in taxpayer dollars at a cost of less than $190,000. Last month, the Obama administration awarded the city the Hunger Champion citation, for our efforts to help struggling New Yorkers receive food-stamp benefits. New York City should be proud of the outstanding efforts we have made in providing assistance to people and families in need. ROBERT DOAR Commissioner, New York City Human Resources Administration New York, Jan. 2, 2012 The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served as a member of member of Congress from New York State from 1969 through 1977, and New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989.
WEIR ONLY HUMAN
How to Buy a President By BOB WEIR When viewers watched and listened to Newt Gingrich during the early televised GOP debates, his poll numbers began to rise quickly and soon passed Mitt Romney’s. However, when the former Massachusetts governor realized the nomination was slipping away, he went with his real strength, an inexhaustible bank account. He began spending
millions of dollars on attack ads against the former Speaker of the House in order to manipulate the minds of people who, up to that time, thought they could make up their own minds by hearing directly from the candidates. Try to imagine how difficult it would be to survive an incessant televised bombardment of vicious charges against your character and reputation, especially if you didn’t have enough money to pay for ads that would set the record straight. Since most people don’t follow the political campaigns and have little knowledge of each candidate’s career, they are very influenced by those expensive, cleverly produced sound bites that pop up during commercial breaks in their favorite sitcoms or reality shows. It’s interesting to note that, during a National Press Club appearance, Gingrich spoke critically about the process that ultimately chooses a candidate: “We’ve invented a system where we’ve replaced big city machine bosses with consultant bosses. ... The job of the candidate is to raise the money to hire the consultants to do the focus groups to figure out the 30-second answers to be memorized by the candidates. ... Then you combine the stultifying, exhausting, shrinking process
with the way these auditions have occurred. ... Candidates are held to a rigidity standard, while their answers are held to a 30-second sound bite standard that is frankly absurd. “What’s your answer on Iraq in 30 seconds? What’s your answer on health care in 30 seconds?” He was referring to the ludicrous and demeaning process by which we select the person who we hope will lead us into the future. The question is; if we make a circus out of the process, and the candidates submit like trained seals, how can we respect their leadership abilities? If the best they can do is to follow paid consultants, how in the world can they be qualified to lead America? Perhaps we should elect their consultants. It seems evident that Romney would not be the frontrunner if he didn’t have enormous wealth. In a debate setting, voters are given an opportunity to get an in-depth look at the candidates and their individual strengths and weaknesses. In a biased commercial ad, voters can be fed a litany of lies and distortions with no evidence to back up the vitriolic calumny. If you’ve ever participated in debates, you’ll remember how stressful they can be and how often you must struggle to keep your emotions in control. That’s why such formats are an invaluable tool that allows the public to get a look into the personality and the temperament of the people who will be representing them for the next few years. The potential insight there cannot be equitably compared to a slick television commercial that airbrushes the candidates before selling them to a gullible audience with a long record of suspending disbelief. Hence, Mr. Gingrich is correct when he says the current electoral system has become overly dependent on money and the ability of highly paid consultants to groom candidates and market them to the voters like breakfast
cereal. The Founding Fathers did not invent this process for the enrichment of consultants or for the cynical maneuvering of those who seek power. Instead, they envisioned a process that would enable voters to determine whom they would lend power to. And the process should start with this question: what is the kind of campaign the American people need in order to have the kind of country they deserve? If a candidate’s personal fortune and/or the contributions from the wealthiest partisans continue to be the deciding factor, then democracy will be defeated, and plutocracy will rule. Yes, politics is not a level playing field and life is not fair, but should it be based on a level of greed that says acquisition is all that matters? Evidently, in a free market system, money is the deciding factor in all transactions. Hence, whether you want to purchase that precious blue diamond broach on display in the window at Tiffany’s, or, buy the most powerful political position in the world, all you need is few truckloads of cash. President Obama is reputed to have access to about a billion dollars for his reelection effort. Therefore, in the true spirit of capitalism, if the GOP nominee is unable to amass more than that; guess who wins the election this year? Bob Weir is a veteran of 20 years with the New York Police Dept. (NYPD), ten of which were performed in plainclothes undercover assignments. Bob began a writing career about 12 years ago and had his first book published in 1999. Bob went on to write and publish a total of seven novels, “Murder in Black and White,” “City to Die For,” “Powers that Be,” “Ruthie’s Kids,” “Deadly to Love,” “Short Stories of Life and Death,” and “Out of Sight.” He also became a syndicated columnist under the title “Weir Only Human.”
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
The Westchester Guardian
Page 27
Yo n k e r s D o w n t o w n
International Restaurant Week Saturday January 21
~ to~ Sunday January 29
Take a fabulous culinary trip around the world when the Yonkers Downtown BID presents its very first International Restaurant Week. You will have the opportunity to dine in some of Westchester’s best restaurants at an incredible discount for lunch and dinner.
a 20% discount on lunch & a 25% discount on dinner.
Select menu items. Prices do not include alcoholic beverages, gratuity and taxes. To receive your discount, you MUST acknowledge “Yonkers International Restaurant Week” when calling to book your reservation at the restaurants of your choice listed below. Online reservations will NOT receive this special offer.
Visit our Website Now To Receive Your Discount Voucher
YonkersRestaur antWeek.com
“
S t eph en San so n e Executive Director Yonkers Downtown BID
Participating Restaurants (At time of publication. Other restaurants to be announced.)
C’mon downtown to Yonkers and
join us for our First International Restaurant Week. Enjoy some
of Westchester’s most critically
acclaimed restaurants serving up
international cuisines by some of the
”
X 2O - XAVIAR’S ON THE HUDSON 71 Wat er G r ant S t . (914 ) 96 5 -1111 x aviars. c o m Excludes Sunday Brunch
ZUP PA R E S TAUR ANT AN D LOUNG E 5 9 M ain S t r ee t (914 ) 376-6 5 0 0 z up p ar es taur ant . c om
LA BELLA HAVANA 3 5 M a i n S t r ee t ( 914 ) 9 2 0 - 97 7 7 l a bel l a hava n a .co m
most celebrated chefs in the region at amazing discounts. Bon Appétit!
KHANGRI JAPANESE AND ASIAN 2 2 Warb ur to n Av e. (914 ) 96 8 -213 4 khangr i jap anese r es taur ant . c o m
GIOVANNI’S IV 2 5 M ain S t r ee t (914 ) 37 5 -14 2 9 giovannis4 . c o m
D O LPH I N R E S TAU R A NT Van D er D o n ck S t. (914 ) 7 51 - 817 0 do l p h i n rbl .co m
Entertainment
THE PIZZA PLACE 9 2 M a i n S t r ee t ( 914 ) 7 0 9 - 10 5 0 t hep i zza p l a ce in c.co m
Musical entertainment will take place at restaurants throughout the week. Visit YonkersRestaurantWeek.com for information and updates. 15 M a i n S t r e et , Yonke r s , N Y 1 0 7 0 1 ( 9 1 4 ) 9 6 9 -6 6 6 0 w w w. Yo n k e r s D o w n t o w n . c o m
Page 28
The Westchester Guardian
THURSDAY, January 19, 2012
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