Sunday, August 26, 2007

FINAL POLITICAL THOUGHTS AS SUMMER ENDS

Harrison Apar Rock n Cops Golf Tournament + Dinner - Oct 8, 2007
by Eric Wenzel posted 08/18/2007


SAVE THE DATE + SIGN UP

On Columbus Day!Join the fun and help raise funds for YAC at 2007 Harrison Apar Rock n Cops Golf Tournament + Dinner
Columbus Day, October 8 --

Putnam National Golf ClubHill Road, Mahopac (off 6N)
1 PM Shotgun Start - $200 per player6 PM Reception and Dinner - $100 per person (non-golfers)(Reception and Dinner included in $200 player registration)Awards, Prizes + Silent Auction of sports memorabilia
click here for the promotional flier with more details.
click here to register online or become a sponsor for this charity event.
Event is co-sponsored by Yorktown Athletic Club, Yorktown Police Benevolent Association, Club Fit, North County News, Doc James and Doral Arrowwood. Hole and other sponsorships available. Sponsors will be added to tournament ad running in North County News.


contact mailto:harrisonapar@optonline?subject= /dot/ net or (914) 275-6887 for additional information.

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Dear Readers:

A new Thai Restaurant has opened in Shrub Oak where Gino's Carousel on East Main Street use to be. In great anticipation We(my partner and I) awaited the opening and was not disappointed with the food. It was very good and I predict this restaurant will be a hit with the dining public. However I do not write this to review the restaurant, that I will leave to the NCN. I write instead about the harassment of the new establishment by the Town of Yorktown. You see the owners of this new entry into dining experience had the temerity to put their phone number on their canopy. Who would think that a business would want to do this? Well apparently the Town Of Yorktown thinks this is an affront to the sensibilities of its citizens. There is actually a code banning this!!!!!! Who died and left them boss?????

Of course no one tell the new owners about this before the fact, before they go through great expense to purchase these canopies. No! After the fact and expense the town says they must go. It matter not the a new business has to go through great expense to open up to our elected leaders, they must pile on a new unnecessary one. Their answer is that the dining public can look up the phone number in the phone book. I don't know about you, but I rarely travel with one in my car, but if I did, I would not think it safe to look up a number while I am driving.


This is one of the reasons I believe we should elect a businessman such as Don Peters to be Supervisor, to find the antiquated business unfriendly ordinances and remove them from the code. I have as this writing given a copy of the infraction to Councilman Bianco in hopes he can help these new members of our town. It is also my hope he will revisit this over reach of government and rescind this obnoxious ordinance.
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A MESSAGER FROM PUTNAM VALLEY SUPERVISOR SAM DAVIS:

Hi Andy,

This was an editorial I thought might interest you.

Have a great day.

Sam

FYI - This editorial concerning property taxes appeared in today's Plattsburgh Press-Republican. "Well said"

EDITORIAL: Franklin County’s land-tax break is important— The Franklin County Legislature chose the wise course last week by extending the 1-percent increase in the state sales tax it agreed to in June 2006. It was due to expire this November.The state had offered counties the option of adding a percentage of sales tax to be used for the counties’ purposes, and Franklin County took advantage of it. Legislators never like to add any taxes to the burden any of their constituents’ shoulders. But a sales tax, while detrimental to certain businesses, relieves a significant share of the load for the property taxpayer.And that, at this point in history, must be each legislator’s top priority.The property tax is the main revenue source for local governments, accounting for 79 percent of all local taxes outside New York City. Per-capita property taxes in New York state are 49 percent higher than the national average, and even that doesn’t bespeak the disparity, as New York City residents pay little in property tax.Local property taxes grew by 60 percent from 1995 through 2005.The property tax is the least fair way to raise revenue because it penalizes low-income property owners, who pay the highest tax as a percentage of their income. Also, home value doesn’t necessarily reflect ability to pay, particularly among fixed-income senior citizens.In addition, there are no statewide standards for assessing property. So what is accurate in one jurisdiction may not be considered accurate in another.Still, the property tax provides a stable revenue source not subject to great swings in the economy. Sales tax, for example, can vary significantly from year to year. However, that doesn’t offset the fact that local landowners are being disproportionately penalized.Obviously, governments must have revenue. But deriving it so predominantly from the property tax is not a service to the public at large.The sales tax obliges just about everyone to contribute. It has the additional attraction of including non-resident visitors in the taxpaying pool.Businesses along borders with other states, particularly, balk at sales-tax increases. But the difference in price owing to a 1-percent sales-tax increase is only cents, on most products — scarcely worth a consumer driving to another jurisdiction.As it stands, the property tax is threatening to chase some residents of the North Country out of their homes and out of the area. This crisis has to be averted. They bought their houses and, often, paid them off by hard work and careful planning. They couldn’t plan, however, on a tax explosion.Anything governments can do to spread the obligation and lighten the load of those who have borne it for so long is the right thing to do.Congratulations to the Franklin County Legislature for seeing this with such unerring clarity.



MY COMMENTS ON THIS:

Dear Readers:

Putnam Valley Supervisor Davis guided through the Putnam Valley Town Board a resolution asking the State Legislature to overhaul the funding of our schools though the income tax instead of property tax. Putnam County Legislator Sam Oliverio guided through the County Legislature a resolution asking the same. Yorktown Councilman Nick Bianco at a recent work session of the Town Board asked for a resolution supporting reform of our funding of schools. Unlike the enlightened of Putnam, our wise leaders decided to do nothing except to vote on a generic bill this September 4. To all those town residences who are selling their homes because of high taxes, our Town Leaders except Councilman Bianco said to them "good-bye and good riddance". Kick the can down the road, leave it up to someone else, it is not their problem. Nor have our County leaders thought to speak up on behalf of their beleaguered tax payers. I am sorry, unless our local elected leaders speak up on our behalf as they did on Medicaid funding, no one at State level will care enough to act.
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A MESSAGE FROM PEEKSILL CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR BILL SCHMIDT

Dear Andy:

I am personally sending this release out to your readers.

WKS

.....Demands Decade Old Promise be Kept
For Immediate Release: 8/19/07

Peekskill Mayoral candidate William Schmidt is calling on the city's Common Council to "place as stringent conditions as are legally possible" on the operations of White Plains Linen a controversial industrial supplier of commercial laundry supplies located on Highland Ave in the city. "This company has been polluting our community and side stepping our rules for far to long," said Schmidt. "Time has come to take action."At a special hearing at last Monday night's Common Council meeting, Schmidt who served as a Republican councilman from 1997-2005, said that most of the company's problems were self imposed and that the company promised to move from its Highland Ave location to a more suitable location as long ago as 1996, but never did. "They reneged on this as they did so many of their other promises," he said. According to Schmidt, the company's attorney, Asher Fensterheim, arranged for a temporary special permit under a verbal agreement over 11 years ago in return for vacating this site which they admitted they had repeatedly outgrown. Schmidt noted, "Not only did they not seek a new industrial location, they also repeatedly violated the terms of the 'temporary' special permit, causing serious disruption to the quality of life of the surrounding residential neighbors. As a result of their duplicity on these matters, I and other members of the Common Council voted to terminate their 'temprary special permit' which is why they are back before the Common Council again today." Schmidt also said that the right solution would still be for White Plains Linen to finally honor their 11 year old promises and move all of their industrial operations to their Charles Point Industrial site in southwest Peekskill or any other industrially zoned site they are able to find. "If the city can't legally compel them to do that, then the least we can do is apply the most stringent operating conditions that the law allows. The bottom line is that they chose to improperly expand an industrial site in a primarily residential location, so their problems are strictly of their own making," he said.



WKS
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A MESSAGE FROM PEEKSILL COUNCILMAN BOLDEN:

THIS WAS A LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN THE NCN:

Dear Editor:

I have been an active member of the Peekskill Common Council for the past eight years. During my tenure, the Council majority has always set a civil, bipartisan tone that always puts Peekskill first, even though the Democratic Party minority members of the Council persistently disagree with us about our top priority.
Last summer, when the Mayor returned from his trip to Castlebar, he spoke many times about his trip and the connections he made there, including an arts exchange program. In fact, he presented a newspaper article from Castlebar that spoke of the exchange and included it in the permanent council record. As a result, all Council members knew of this, as did all concerned citizens, including Joe Schuder, who refuses to acknowledge this fact today. Mayor Testa also approached the Peekskill Arts Council to participate in the program.
Not once in my eight years in office have I seen a Council member attempt something as uncivil as blatantly stealing another Council member's idea, as Council member Candidate Joe Schuder has.
Schuder's refusal to admit his theft, as well as his unwillingness to acknowledge his own running mate's complicity in stalling Mayor Testa's proposal, demonstrates that he is not ready for prime time.
Mayor Testa has been advancing an arts exchange program for Peekskill in a revenue neutral manner since last year. Schuder now says taxpayers should bear the cost of this program, but he hasn't explained how he will finance it, other than by another Democratic Party sponsored tax increase.
Peekskill deserves better from its elected officials.


Mel Bolden
Peekskill Common Councilman ************************************************************************************
A MESSAGE FROM PUTNAM COUNTY LEGILATOR SAM OLIVERIO:

RE: DOUGHNUTS FOR SENIORS:

Hi Andy,

Here's what happened last night(08/21/07)....

I opened the Health meeting ( I chair this committee) with the County Legislative meeting room filled with seniors. Representatives from the administration (Office of the Aging and the Health Dept.) were also present. The administrative reps explained all the legalities with numerous comments from our seniors. The bottom line, a compromise was reached which allowed any senior to bring in his or her own donuts, breads, baked goods, etc. to be distributed to friends. If they had large quantities of day-old goods, they could also distribute them outside the senior centers from their cars. The NY State Health Department will not allow a licensed center to distribute goods that the Center has not obtained through the normal bidding process and related food service health inspections. That's why the County originally wanted to ban all goods that weren't provided by the Center itself. Our Commissioner of Health, Dr. Amler, stated that she had no problem with the seniors bringing their own small bags or cartons to the Centers and handing out the goods. This is all personal choice and the donut police will not stop a Senior from indulging. So all in all, it seems to be a good compromise. This issue isn't over though, as the Office of The Aging will be holding forums at the Centers to continue this discussion and other discussion related to operational concerns.I applaud the seniors, Andy. They were articulate, focussed and well prepared for the discussion. And no, they didn't bring donuts to the meeting. If you have any questions, please email me and I'll try to answer any concerns.

Take care and I'll be in touch.

Sam O.
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A MESSAGE FROM WESTCHESTER COUNTY LEGISLATOR OROS:

News from……..GEORGE OROS
COUNTY LEGISLATOR
1ST DISTRICT
Village of Buchanan, Town of Cortlandt, City of Peekskill, Town of Yorktown
5 Justin Court, Cortlandt Manor, New York
(914) 734-2660
E-mail: geooros@aol.com

A Groundswell of Support; Oros Files for Common Sense Party Ballot
Grassroots effort results in hundreds of residents placing legislator on Common Sense line Property tax exemption should be approved for volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel

More than 760 residents put their trust in Westchester County Legislator George Oros (R/C-Cortlandt) by signing a petition that allows him to place his name on the Common Sense Party ballot line in this fall’s election.

Oros, the Minority Leader on the Board of Legislators who has served District 1 since 1995, already has secured the Republican and Conservative lines in November.

“This provides voters with an opportunity to express their support for my candidacy in yet another way,” Oros said. “My record clearly has shown that I have always taken a ‘common sense’ approach to government.”

The Common Sense Party platform includes a call for less government spending, a return to a core function of what County government is for and more involvement of citizens in the governmental process.

Yesterday, Oros filed a petition with 768 signatures, more than what was required by the Board of Elections to establish the line.

Noting the support of nearly 800 individuals who took part in the effort, Oros said he hoped members of the “establishment parties” would not seek to deny him this line and allow the voters the chance to express themselves in the process.

“For too long the established political parties and the special interest groups have attempted to dominate the political process through manipulation of the ballot process,” Oros said. “The Common Sense Party is an opportunity for others to be part of the process.”

George Oros
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THIS WEEKS "IN MY OPINION COLUMN" IN THE NCN:


Dear Readers:

This week I discuss what is at stake in the Peekskill elections. You can read my column on this topic exclusively in this weeks NORTH COUNTY NEWS on sale now. I am worth the seventy-five cents. Look for my column IN MY OPINION(page 10) in the editorial section. Better yet as this column is exclusive to the North County News on a regular basis and will be covering the local political scene, take out a subscription. Click on the North County News link below and go to Subscribe. Between this blog and The North County News you will have all the information to make a vote based on substance.
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FYI:

ATOM TAXI INC. AIRPORT SERVICE:

Dear Readers:

This gives me a chance to plug my business ATOM TAXI INC. Instead of the headache of trying to find Airport parking, we do Airport Service to The Westchester County Airport(and ALL other airports) 24/7. Just call 1(914)879-6121 and my partner Tommy, will be glad to take you in our Airport Taxi. You will also be provided with a free copy of your local paper of record The North County News. If this is a business trip we also provide a professional receipt, just tell Tommy at the time of booking. The cost of a one-way trip to the Westchester County Airport is seventy dollars. To LaGuardia Airport the cost is Ninety-four dollars which includes all tolls. The cost to JFK and Newark Airports is one hundred-twenty-five dollars which also includes all tolls. We do not take credit cards, sorry.

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E-MAIL ME WITH YOUR COMMENTS:

Dear Readers:

It has come to my attention the difficulty in posting a comment on this blog. If you wish to comment, e-mail me at the link posted below, putting "Manifesto Reader" in the subject matter, and I will "cut and Paste" your comments myself. If you DO NOT wish your comments posted, but just wish to communicate with me, please make your wishes known in the e-mail.

LINKS: atom_taxi@yahoo.com(as this a yahoo address make sure you put an underscore (-) between atom and taxi)

For immediate reply: atomtaxi@aol.com
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SITES TO LINK TO:

ON THE OTHER HAND W/ FORMER PEEKSKILL COUNCILMAN SCHMIDT: http://peekskillperspectives.blogspot.com/

YORKTOWN COUNCILMAN NICK BIANCO: http://www.electbianco.com/

PLAN PUTNAM: planputnam@googlegroups.com/

PEEKSKILL GUARDIAN: http://peekskillguardian.blogspot.com/

NORTH COUNTY NEWS: http://northcountynews.com/

THE JOURNAL NEWS: http://thejournalnews.com/

PEEKSKILL DEMOCRATS: http://www.peekskilldems.com/

PEEKSKILLREPUBLICANS:http://peekskillgop.com/

YORKTOWN CANDIDATE FOR SUPERVISOR DON PETERS: http://www.donpetersforyorktown.com/

YORTOWN CANDIDATE FOR SUPERVISOR ROSE MARIE PANIO: http://www.rosemariepanio.com/
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CABLE SHOWS TO WATCH:


ON POINT ON PEEKSKILL: Every Tuesday at 8PM channel 15 (Peekskill only)
Hosted by:DARREN RIGGER


DON PETERS AND YORKTOWN: Every Tuesday at 10PM channel 74
Hosted by: DON PETERS


YORKTOWN WATCHDOG: Every Friday at 9:30 PM on channel 74
Hosted By: ED CHIFFON


LEGISLATORS REPORT: Saturday and Sunday at various times on chanel 20
Hosted By: COUNCILMEN NICK BIANCO AND LOU CAMPISI

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EDITOR'S NOTE:
All articles re-printed in this blog from the North County News are with the permission of Bruce Apar Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

BAZZO 08/25/07

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