WPCNR NEWS AND COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. March 7, 2010(the following is from a presentation made to the White Plains Downton Residents Association, February 27: On the city side, the city has to examine the process of extending site plans indefinitely which is the current common council policy. The effect is that it simply banks land and prevents city growth, and enhances an asset to the owner.

I think the city must take a more pro-active stance in attracting development to the city by identifying what areas might be developed.

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. March 6,2010. The following is adapted from an address to the White Plains Downtown Residents Association February 27: Rob (Tamboia, President of the WPDRA) asked if I could comment in what could happen in the next ten years of the CitizeNetReporter.

First, despite holding the line on the school budget last year, and saying they will hold the school budget to last year’s budget this next year, the school district continues to face a dwindling tax roll and cannot sustain itself except by drastically increasing taxes. I am not making this up.

It is what the numbers say, and presently the school board seems to be burying its 7 heads in the sand. It is as if they never picked up a calculator. This week, as I mentioned earlier, assessed value on the 2010 City Tax Roll declined $3.9 Million, a $2.8 Million decrease in revenue for the school district. It is the eighth year in the last nine the roll has declined.

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. March 5, 2010. (The following is adapted from a public appearance and presentation at the White Plains Downtown Neighborhood Association February 27.):

What was White Plains  like ten years ago?

Tishman Speyer was Mayor Delfino’s first choice to reinvigorate the shell left by Macy’s closing, but they had pulled out after Tishman Speyer’s movie tenant, Leows had departed due in part to a mysterious lawsuit filed by clothing merchant and horse racing enthusiast who filed a lawsuit which threatened to delay Tishman development of the empty Macy’s site. This mysterious suit was dismissed, but not before the movie tenant, Leow’s, condition had deteriorated financially and withdrew.

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. March 4, 2010 (Adapted from a presentation given the White Plains Downtown Residents Association, February 27): The White Plains CitizeNetReporter idea came to  me in 1998 when I was struck by the news story that that major media and newspapers had not been reporting the large protests being staged at a President Clinton sponsored symposium being held in Seattle.

 The extent of the protests was revealed by independent websites internetting pictures of that violence around the world, forcing news networks to cover it, which they had not been doing. This brought home to me the potential the internet had for getting out important information unfiltered by the interests of mass-owned, politically controlled and establishment-motivated and controlled media whatever they may be.

WPCNR MR.& MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. February 1,2011: The Ax has begun to fall on the lower salaried workers in the city as White Plains new administration strives to undo the financial follies of the Delfino Administration, the extent of which may never be known due the tidiness of the Delfino Gang in shredding untold millions of documents last spring, so much was shreded they needed a truck to do it. However, the damage has been done and now must be undone and the city, much like the south during reconstruction after the Civil War has to be reinvigorated with injections of cash.

WPCNR has come up with a list of possibilities other than layoffs which begin tonight with a mere ten persons being laid off at the approval of the Common Council. Which would you consider if you were Mayor Adam Bradley and his management team?

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS SURVEY. January 9, 2010: In view of the New York State $15 Billion Deficit, give or take a few billion here and there, depending on the latest Governor's state press conference, New York State is facing massive state cuts, which at the latest look, the legislature seems unwilling to do.

The state also needs about $16 Billion for the Tappan Zee Bridge reconstruction, and faces another similar $15 Billion gap in 2012.

In the back of most legislators' minds (though WPCNR cannot read the minds, but that presupposes New York legislators think) is that Washington will bail out the state with some of the Troubled Asset Relief Program money they received back from the banks. The state shamelessly did not cut any money from this year's budget and used stimulus funds, sending them back to the counties, which at least in Westchester was used to offset the $60 Million sales tax gap in 2009, according to the former Spano Administration press office.

What do you think? Is New York too big to fail? Of course, should the Obama Administration bail out New York with say $40 Billion in "Obama Bucks" that would mean they would be obligated to send similar money out to Michigan, and similar states ravaged by the economy.

What do you think?

WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS SURVEY. January 1, 2010: The WPCNR Editorial Board has, as has been the WPCNR custom the last ten years it has been reporting the important news White Plains needs to know, is singling out citizens of the city and personalities who have made a difference in the quality of life in the city in an effort to move the city forward during the past year. The list is purely subjective, and we submit the following personalities. One we submit posthumously, always a sad thing.

WPCNR also invites you to send in your own nominations for person of the year and when the votes are in, WPCNR will mention.

Here are this year’s WPCNR suggestions for White Plains Person of the Year 2009, in alphabetical order:

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. December 13, 2009: I spilled my coffee on the editorial page of the Journal News Sunday morning when I read the Editorial Board analysis of county legislators  Mike Kaplowitz , Ken Jenkins, Judy Meyers, John Nonna, Bill Burton  and Peter Harckham  $7.6Million cut on the budget the six announced last Wednesday, because they had learned just last week the county was in trouble financially.

The exact line in the editorial reads, “Kaplowitz said the group was spurred to act by the stark realization that there was a $45 Million tax hole – from overestimating sales tax revenue – in Spano’s Budget.”

Stark realization? Glory be!

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. November 27,2009:

I have been so close to the solution, it had escaped me. But, it came to me this morning!

Attention Governor Paterson, State Senators and Assemblymen!

I am about to solve your problem.

And keep you in office.

You will go from goats to heroes and heroines faster than you can write a news release.

Why didn’t I think of this before! (Slapping myself on the forehead and asking myself why didn’t I think of this before…)

Can you say, can you consider a “Windfall Bonus Surcharge?”

Perhaps a "windfall profits surcharge?"

Lyndon Johnson did it. Richard Nixon did it.

You can do it.

WPCNR NEWS AND COMMENT. Guest Column by Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania. November 21, 2009: We have a problem. This could be “the big one”—bigger than coping with the Ahmadinejads, Kims, and Chavezes of the world and bigger than our current economic woes. Our republic, our society, may be heading for a crackup. We are bankrupt, both financially and politically.

WPCNR PRESS ROOM. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators. November 19,2009: In the weeks ahead when the county Board will be considering the 2010 Budget, a refresher for reporters as to protocols has been issued from Tara Martin, spokesperson for the County Board.

Here they are:

 As the primary county legislative entity, the County Board encourages transparency and openness.  Reporters are encouraged to ask questions, gather additional background that’s needed to write a fair and accurate news story that informs the public and generates thoughtful citizen input. As the Board respects the role of the press, the Communications team aims to gain maximum media coverage and understanding of the Board’s legislative agenda, policies, activities and decisions. 

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. November 2,2009: All right. Have you noticed that the persons running the county and virtually all the Assembly Districts and the towns, with a few exceptions are men? Have we noticed that only Mary Ann Keenan and Rita Malmud and Pauline Oliva, and now Milagros Lecouna, and way back, Joyce Gordon and Jo Falcone even served on the Common Council?

Well, given the lousy shape the city of White Plains is in,  left by the men who have dominated the Common Council and the Mayor's Office the last eight 12 years, is it time, when the city is in the alleged $20 million deficit, taxes going up with no end in sight, accessibles dropping like a rock, and the school budget soaring (with women on the school board, mind you -- but no woman Superintendent of Schools), is it time to consider if women would do better jobs of budgeting, make smarter cuts, make better management decisons, and perhaps be less tolerant of whining "operators" who want special favors and throw money at the city or into campaign chests?

Would women do a better job of managing the city financially and managing its services?

Vote in the poll at the right.

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. October 30, 2009: The Common Council has Friday, Saturday Sunday as the only time left to override Mayor Delfino and direct via a resolution to suspend the present 12 hour work shifts for police patrols and 24-hour firefighter tours of duty and return to the former schedules. If they do not, the 12 and 24 hour shifts become part of the permanent labor agreement. Five members of the Council expressed desire to continue the 12 and 24 hour shifts on an experimental basis last Tuesday evening but did not pass a resolution then to do it, as the Mayor walked out of the council chamber.

The Department of Public Safety Commissioner, Frank Straub presented a glowing report on the first nine months performance of the system, and said he saw no reason to not continue it, as overtime and sick leave had been substantially reduced.

Tell the Common Council what you think they should do in the poll at the right. Vote to suspend or not hold a vote and let the 12 hour and 24 shifts become the permanent practice.

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS SURVEY. September 30, 2009: With estimates of the city deficit from sales tax, mortgage tax, parking revenues down, it is estimated that the city faces a deficit ranging from $3.8 Million to $25 Million. If the worst case scenario comes to pass, a $20 Million deficit could be restored by a one-time 60% increase in city taxes, otherwise expenses would have to be cut $10 million to chop the amount of tax increase to 30%, and $15 Million to cut the city tax increase to 15% -- if other revenues are not found or created by the incoming city government in January.

A 60% tax increase which would replenish most of the dire predictions and restore the alleged missing fund balance of $27 Million. Faced with such a one-shot 60% tax increase, the  median-priced home in White Plains,  marketable at $650,000, would present the median homeowner with an additional $1,741 in the 2010-2011 budget year and a total tax bill of $4,642.In future years as the economy improves, tax cuts could be induced.

If the deficit holds at the City Commissioner of Finance (Gina Cuneo-Harwood) estimate of $3.8 Million -- plus a $4 Million across the board union increase (based on a probable 4% settlement in the voluntary arbitration that commenced last week according to the city negotiating lawyer last month) that's about an $8 Million deficit requiring a 24% increase in city income taxes to balance the 2010-11 budget at the present level of services -- the median home property owner would face only a $696 increase in city taxes bringing their city tax to $3,597 a year in 2010-11.

Now, this is just the effect of the city income tax based on the deficit numbers that are appearing now.

WPCNR was wandering if Mr. and Mrs. White Plains would opt for taking care of the looming deficit with one tax stimulus of 60% which should keep the city functioning the way it is, without cuts in services, or whether they would choose a more modest increase of 24% and not restore fund balance, just take care of current level spending.

Make your choice at the right.

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By U.S.Congresswoman Nita Lowey, 18th Congressional District. August 14, 2009: In recent months, over 13,000 residents in New York’s 18^th Congressional district have contacted my office, participated in telephone town halls, or shared thoughts via my website regarding health care reform. I hope that through continued public dialogue on this incredibly sensitive issue in the coming weeks, all Americans will gain confidence that reform will improve the health, well-being, and financial security of families, businesses, and our economy.