Dear Readers:
In the Town Of Yorktown(proposed bank at Mohegan Ave. Rt. 6 intersection), the City Of Peekskill(the Cove), and Putnam Valley(the comprehensive plan committee) the same question echo's. Should an appointed board have more say than an elected board? In times past the elected representative bodies had final say in writing and enacting laws. That changes when elected officials who did not want to be held accountable to the electorate started giving final say to appointed boards. This was one of those "incumbency protection" actions. Those gutless politicians wanted to hide behind some bureaucracy. They could then say when controversy erupted that it was not them but this un-elected bureaucracy, and they had no power in the matter.
Times they are a changing. In Yorktown Councilman Nick Bianco wants to enact a law that would give the town board final say over projects in a high impact zone, such as the Rt.6 corridor in Mohegan. Councilmen Campasi and Metz would rather hide behind these un-elected committees and boards. Councilmen Bianco and Martorano would rather not. The question is where does newly elected Supervisor Peters stand? Yet this question should not stop this measure from being proposed. It is important for the voters to see on the record which Councilman has courage to be the final say and be willing to take the grief of taking a stand or who is gutless and would rather hide being boards and committees unaccountable to the electorate.
In Putnam Valley, Supervisor Tendy wants the final say. The opposition does not trust him. The topic in question is whether to disband the comprehensive plan committee. Members of the committee and their supporters want and believe the charter gives them the power to create and enact the recommendations of the comprehensive plan. They believe theirs is the only interpretation and they have the support of the majority of the people. They also do not trust Supervisor Tendy to act on this plan in anyway other than to shelve it. Supervisor Tendy that in the unanimous approval of the plan that the committee's work is finished and it should be up to the elected government to create and enact the plans recommendations. At this time he has the votes to prevail. This vote will be held on February 20. There is one other sector that believes all this is moot without enforcement and believes past actions by the town show that enforcement is selective at best. I think the town board should address this concern.
In Peekskill this is not even up for discussion. More the pity.
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THIS WAS IN THE JOURNAL NEWS: PHIL REISMAN...YOU MUST READ THIS!!
Reforming Westchester government should be priority
Phil Reisman • Journal News columnist • January 20, 2008
Westchester County's $1.77 billion budget is so big, it looks positively glacial to angry property taxpayers who would like to melt it with a nuclear-powered blowtorch.
Only a decade ago, the budget was $950 million.
Take heed, ye who rule in the eighth- and ninth-floor fiefdoms of the Michaelian Office Building. The anger is real - and the sentiment is only going to get louder as the economy worsens.
I hear the frustration every day from regular, hardworking citizens. They are fed up with the county's ruling oligarchy, which increasingly seems to consist mainly of self-serving political careerists and their cronies.
They see a system that's rigged. They see a government that is bloated, superfluous and corrupt. They wonder how it is that the elected officials and bureaucratic hacks have such a sweet setup with heftier salaries, health plans and pension benefits than those afforded most people who slug it out every day in the private sector.
It is astonishing to realize how fast things have changed - and not necessarily for the better. We're well past the point when county government somehow became a more generous employer than IBM.
Heck, I hear that in France people want to work for the state because it's the best deal going. Sacre bleu! We're becoming like France.
A lot of people want to do away with county government altogether. Connecticut, which has no such layer between its town and state levels, is held up as an example of efficiency.
It be would be a Herculean task to muster the strength to eliminate the entrenched county government system. New York state has 62 counties, and that means 62 different sets of opinions on the matter. For all I know, they love county government in the precincts of Herkimer or Onondaga.
In any case, it couldn't happen overnight.
But there are things that can happen quickly to win back some of the hearts and minds in Westchester. The glacier-sized budget can at least be attacked with an ice pick, if not totally obliterated.
Based on some conversations I've had with current and past officials, I would bet that 15 percent of that spending plan directly under the county's control could be cut right off the top. Hard choices would have to be made. Reforms would have to be put in place.
In terms of services rendered, the county government would have to be radically redefined in order to be reined in. There would be pain. But I suspect most of that pain would be borne by special interest types who have inside connections, and who represent the few and not the many.
Here's a few ideas to consider.
First, Westchester should have its own Boston Tea Party. What better way to do that than to eliminate the county Tax Commission? That entity costs $376,693. Local municipalities have their own assessors and they have to collect the taxes levied by the county.
I have yet to hear one persuasive reason to keep the Tax Commission. Junking it would be a symbolic way of saying that the old way of doing business by nickel and diming the taxpayers to death is at an end.
Second, look closely at other agencies and departments that may exist mainly to please local advocacy groups but whose services might already be provided on the local or state level. Formed with the best of intentions, for example, was the county's Human Rights Commission, which costs about $700,000 to run. The commission was created a few years ago because, among other reasons, there was a backlog of cases in the state. Unfortunately, that implies that the best way to solve government sloth and inefficiency is to create more government.
Third, examine what's going on with Playland Amusement Park. Not including the beach and pool and Ice Casino, which also lost money, the amusement park hemorrhaged $3.5 million last year.
Politicians love to talk about how they would run government like a business. But if that were really so, anybody claiming to run Playland would have been fired long ago.
Some people contend that Playland ought to be scaled back to a passive recreation park, while others say it should be sold. Many cite the three accidental deaths that have occurred at Playland in recent years - tragedies which not only tarnished its reputation as a safe and carefree place but raised serious concerns about its liabilities.
Playland opened in 1928 - a simpler age, to be sure. Perhaps it has outlived its time. On the other hand, it is still loved by many and remains an important part of the county's history.
So what to do?
At a minimum, Playland's management should be overhauled. As it stands, the amusement park has three bosses - the county parks department, the Board of Legislators and the county executive. That's too many bosses, and none of them are doing a good enough job.
Milt Hoffman, a former senior editor at The Journal News and my old boss, has urged in print and in testimony that the county put Playland under the control of a single entity, a commission made up of volunteers from the business community. Without bureaucratic interference, they alone would control the park's finances, maintenance and hiring.
A Playland Commission existed with good results in the past, but was done away with for reasons that would take up too much space to explain. What's a mystery, however, is that in 1993 an advisory committee recommended that a "new, stronger" commission be formed - and nothing happened. It's high time that idea was dusted off and put into action.
Finally, changes should be made in the way that lucrative contracts are handed out by the Board of Acquisition & Contract, an agency that for too long has operated in the shadows.
The Republican minority caucus on the Board of Legislators has called for a number of reforms. One of them would prevent the awarding of contracts to relatives of any voting member of the three-person board, which includes County Executive Andy Spano and County Board Chairman Bill "Boss" Ryan.
Another requirement would force Spano and Ryan to disclose campaign contributions they've received from any corporation or person getting a contract.
That alone would put a stop to a lot of the monkey business. Let's see if any of the Democratic legislators have the guts to push this reform past Boss Ryan.
Reach Phil Reisman at preisman@lohud.com or 914-694-5008. Check out more stuff at lohud.com/reisman.
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A MESSAGE FROM WESTCHESTER COUNTY LEGISLATOR OROS:
George Oros
Legislator, 1st District
January 16, 2008 Contact: George Oros
Tel: (914) 995-2828or 522-6774
Goo6@westchestergov.com
Open, honest and ethical government needed
Minority Conference renews call for reform of county’s Board of Acquisition & Contract
Citing recent abuses that appear to provide payback for campaign contributions, once more the Republican Conference of the Board of Legislators is proposing reforms to the way the county’s Board of Acquisition & Contract operates.
Minority Leader George Oros (R-C/Cortlandt), along with legislators Jim Maisano (R/New Rochelle) and Gordon Burrows (R/Bronxville), said for too long the three-member panel, which consists of the county executive, Public Works commissioner and Board of Legislators chairman, has acted outside its scope and function by circumventing public input and oversight from the Legislature as a whole.
“It is clear from recent media reports there is a need for more open, honest and ethical government,” Oros said. “We need to implement stronger checks and balances within the county to protect taxpayers.”
Oros specially cited the recent award of a $55,000 contract to a lobbyist firm that made a $1,000 contribution last fall to the Democratic Majority Campaign Committee and a $250.00 contribution to Legislative Chair William Ryan who is one of three voting members on the Board of Acquisition and Contract.
“This contract epitomizes why this Board needs reform”, added James Maisano. “It was approved without placing the contract out to competitive bidding. There was no public notice that a lobbyist was being hired. Only one company was considered. This contract was never even discussed at a public meeting at the Board of Legislators, and then it was railroaded through the A&C Board. Moreover, the County Executive already engages a lobbyist to do the very same job for half the price. Obviously, this contract should never have been approved, and it is a blatant ripoff to the taxpayers. We must reform the A&C Board to stop this abuse of taxpayer dollars in the future.”
Under the Republican proposal any statutory member of the Board of Acquisition and Contract (i.e. County Executive and Board of Legislators Chairman) must disclose prior to awarding any contract any political contribution made by the proposed vendor to the member. The reform would also prohibit the awarding of a contract to a corporation, firm, person or entity that employs or independently contracts with a spouse, child, parent or sibling of a member of the Board of Acquisition & Contract.
Under the current system, millions of dollars of lengthy contracts are approved without any debate, discussion or a vote of the Board of Legislators. To curtail that, the Minority Conference is proposing any contracts or leases of five years or more, including renewals, must be approved by the full Legislature.
The Minority Conference is recommending the Public Works commissioner be replaced on the Board of Acquisition & Contract by the budget director; each meeting be electronically recorded; and no emergency contract can exceed three years.
If the proposed law is adopted by the Board of Legislators, it would be subject to a public referendum this November.
The republican conference introduced similar reform twice before in 2002 and 2007. Both times the democrat majority refused to approve the measure and put it before the voters.
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WESTCHEST GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE GLOBAL WARMING:
Dear Readers;
To catch you up. Legislature leader Bill Ryan, hiding behind the Board Of acquisitions (this is when an elected official does not have the nerve to do the dirty work themselves), a Board that consists of The County Executive, the Legislature's Leader and Public Works Commissioner (answerable to the County Executive) has okayed the increasing of the fee to a New Jersey based outfit to recommend ways Westchester all by itself can defeat global warming. This out fit happens to be a contributor to the Westchester Democratic Committee(whose job it is to get Democrats elected). The original contract was for twenty-thousand dollars. They are now to get eighty-thousand more. There job is to recommend ways the County can dig deeper into our pockets and remove more of our choices in life in order to halt global warming. I can see the headlines in the next County elections "WESTCHESTER SAVES THE WORLD BY SINGLE HANDILY SOLVING GLOBAL WARMING". My God, we will elect these saviors for life. Our lawmakers feel this is a wise expenditure of our tax dollars. It just kills them that we might want to keep our money.
This same Board of Acquisitions has okayed the expenditure of fifty-five thousand dollars for the Legislature's own lobbying firm. By the way the County executive hires their own lobbying firm for twenty-five thousand dollars, but I digress. This new lobbying firm's job is to convince the State Legislature that our inane requests are for real and should be compensated. Mind you we have gone from eleven Legislative aids in 1990 to forty-three today, yet we need an outside firm to lobby Albany. You see those Legislative aids are busy helping our lawmakers interfere in our lives and getting their bosses re-elected. To think in the last budget discussions all the Budget Committee could do was reduce our tax increase .7%. They do not see the waste of our tax dollars in the above. As I have said before, in their mind they are not public servants, we are the servant public.
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A LETTER FROM PATTY VILLANOVA:
Putnam Valley--
Much has been written on this site and elsewhere about the plan to retire the Comprehensive Plan Committee. As with most of what has been put forth by our newly elected town board, this is basically a non issue, designed to distract the populace from what is really going on in our once fair Valley. First of all, the entire process of setting up this committee and having it go through the motions of putting together yet another master plan for PV was never anything more than an exercise in futility. As soon as it began its task, the CP Committee was rendered obsolete by virtue of the fact that no matter how many iterations of laws and codes they were reworking, the powers that be had no intention of enforcing them. The entire committee should have made it a point before starting their Herculean labors, to demand that the current and future Town Boards actually agree to ENFORCE whatever they decided was the best scheme for development of our town. There was ample evidence at the time to indicate that it was never anyone's intention to do so and that this whole charade was nothing more than another Dog & Pony Show to appease the masses who were demanding a halt to the rapacious doings of the Drive-by Developers who are quickly destroying what's left of Put Valley. Even before the Comp Plan Comm. began there were enough laws on the books to ensure that our fragile environment could be protected. Unfortunately, one has only to look at the recent Santucci/ Emerald Ridge debacle to see how badly these laws were perverted in their execution. I for one couldn't care less if they dissolve the committee or they keep it, as long as it doesn't cost the taxpayers any more money. The truth is that everyone in town knows what the problems are, especially the town board. They just don't have the will or the cojones to do anything about it.
Patty Villanova
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WHAT'S GOING ON AT RUBEN'S RESAURANT N. DIVISON STREET PEEKSKILL:
Hello!
Featuring the cool school, hot jazz, instrumentals, and lyrics, "from Bossa to Broadway", The Swinging Set Jazz Collaborative will be live at Ruben's in Peekskill.
We'll be there on Thursday, January 24th at 7:00PM, and for those of you who have been waiting for a weekend show (buzz roll please) .... come join us on Saturday, January 26th at 9:00PM, as we help Ruben celebrate his 3rd anniversary!
The food is great and so is the atmosphere as we love to see and entertain both new and old friends. We hope to see you as you walk in the door and look forward to chatting as we visit in between sets. Great jazz without the trip ... so come on out! Reservations always suggested.
Thanks,
Andy Polay
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FYI: BOOK SIGNING:
RE: DAVID ADLEMAN EDITOR FORBE'S ONLINE
A Shattered Peace:Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay
TodayGreetings and Happy New Year!
It's been two months now (a month if you're in the UK) since my new book, A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today has hit the stores. And it's starting to get some real traction."Sales did start slowly, but it's picked up amazingly in the past few weeks," said a manager of the huge Barnes & Noble store at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York where a stack is featured on the front table.An audio edition is also just around the corner (I'm in a studio now recording). Keep an eye on iTunes!Leonard Lopate told me after his show on New York NPR affiliate WNYC that it was the most compelling book interview he'd done in ages.ASP has also had some great reviews, and I've made some other landmark appearances [see below!]. Many of you have contacted me to say that you were unable to make previous events, but would like to know if there's something in the future. Well there is.On January 15, I will be featured at a joint "evening" in Manhattan sponsored by the Overseas Press Club and the World Policy Institute where Craig Whitney, the assistant managing editor of The New York Times will engage me in a dialogue on some of the themes of A Shattered Peace. If you'd like to attend, call Sonya Fry at 212-626-9220.On February 17, I will be delivering the President's Day speech at the Newington Cropsey Foundation in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY -- (914) 478-7990.And in March, I will be in London for two presentations. I'll send details a bit later.But above all, I am still anxious that the messages of a A Shattered Peace get as wide a distribution as possible. So, here's yet another appeal. If you've bought the book, THANK YOU.Now, please keep spreading the word. Give it as a gift (after all Valentine's Day is just around the corner!), then there are always birthdays and other occasions. Buy it at Amazon.com or at your local book store and if they've sold out, have them re-order! Tell political candidates about it (some have noticed it already). I do want it to become a part of this year's national dialogue.If you are in a position to review it, get it reviewed, or book me for an interview (on-air or on-line!), please do so. (I'm a great interview, as those to whom I've linked below can attest!) And if you can get the book into the curriculum at any college or university, high school or prep school, you will not be disappointed. Moreover, given the proper incentive, I'd even come and speak there, as I've done at several venues already. Remember what Harvard Professor Ernest May says: "The failed peace settlement following the Great War of 1914-1918 had been the subject of many fine books. In many respects, David Andelman's A Shattered Peace is the best of these. It is compact and compellingly written. Moreover, it explains more clearly t han any other work how the failure of peacemaking in 1919 shaped later history and, indeed, shapes our own era."Thanks in advance for having a look at ASP. Just read the first three pages. You'll be hooked! That's my promise.All the best,DavidNow, here are links to some of the early reviews and appearances:OpenDemocracy.net WCBS-TVNYTimes.com Freakonomics Jim Zirin, Digital AgeLeonard Lopate / WNYC ************************************************************************************
THIS WEEKS "IN MY OPINION COLUMN" IN THE NCN:
Dear Readers:
This week I discuss the first actions by the newly elected governments in Peekskill and Putnam Valley. You can read this on-line now or 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. As you are planning your holiday or business or vacation travel? 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. ***********************************************************************************
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:
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 SUPERVISOR DON PETERS: http://www.donpetersforyorktown.com/
PUTNAM VALLEY SUPERVISOR BOB TENDY:http://www.bobtendyforsupervisor.com/
PEEKSKILL FIRST: http://www.peekskillfirst.net/
THE PEEKSILL NEWS: http://thepeekskillnews.blogspot.com/
PEEKSKILL NEWS (COPYCAT): http://peekskillnews.blogspot.com/
PEEKSILL ONION: http://peekskillonion.blogspot.com/
THE PEEKSKILL GUARDIAN (COPYCAT) http://thepeekskillguardian.blogspot.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 01/20/08
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