Last week the Governor sent the Commissioner of Economic Development, Ken Adams, to address business leaders in White Plains. As part of the “People First” campaign, Adams discussed the Governor’s legislative priorities for the remainder of the session: marriage equality, ethics reform, and the property tax cap.

As both a resident of Westchester and an elected official, I support the Governor’s agenda. With less than five weeks left in the session, however, I am hopeful but wary that the Governor will be able to achieve his goals. We have yet to see bills from his office regarding same-sex marriage or ethics reform, and his property tax cap bill has serious flaws.

The Governor is a strong advocate for marriage equality, as am I. Commissioner Adams chose to focus on the economic advantages of marriage equality: increased tourism, revenue from wedding ceremonies, and an advantage in recruiting top candidates to work in New York. During this period of economic hardship, it’s difficult to ignore these incentives. But for me, the real reason for supporting same-sex marriage is about civil rights. Regardless of the potential for financial gains for the State, the gay and lesbian couples of New York deserve full and equal access to all the benefits of marriage.

Commissioner Adams also spoke of the four components of the Governor’s anticipated proposal for ethics reform: an independent body to monitor the activity of legislators, increased disclosure of outside income, pension forfeiture for elected officials convicted of felonies, and increased disclosure from lobbyists. I understand that the misuse of power diminishes public trust in elected officials. Thus, ethics and government accountability have been important to me throughout my career.

The Assembly, too, is supportive of the Governor’s ethics platform. In fact, just last year the legislature passed sweeping ethics reform legislation supported by the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, and NYPIRG. Unfortunately, Governor Paterson vetoed the bill. Despite this setback, I have continued my efforts to see greater accountability and transparency in government. In the current legislative session, for example, I have introduced a bill that would require elected officials convicted of felony crimes to forfeit their government pensions.

Westchester homeowners know that property taxes are too high. As a result, the Governor’s proposal for a cap has received wide-spread public popularity. And while I strongly support the need for tax relief, the Governor’s bill is insufficient because it doesn’t include any mandate relief for localities. Without mandate relief, a tax cap will inevitably lead to cuts in services and programming. Although the Senate has already passed the Governor’s proposal for a tax cap, they recently announced their willingness to negotiate. I look forward to the opportunity to craft a proposal that will both provide relief to individual taxpayers and ensure that localities have adequate resources to provide the services their residents rely on.

The Governor’s agenda is, in theory, on-target and I applaud him for attempting to address some of the most pressing issues facing New Yorkers today. Ethics reform is sorely needed to restore faith in elected officials; the time for extending the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples is long overdue; and property taxes have reached levels so high that relief must be provided. With such a short time left in session, I hope to see the Governor display the strong leadership abilities he exhibited during the budgeting process in order to achieve his- and my- legislative agenda.

 

Paul Gallay, the Exectuive Director of Riverkeeper was invited to speak at the Scarsdale League of Women Voter’s luncheon on Friday May 13th and he knew what was on people’s mind: Indian Point. In Germany, the use of nuclear power is being phased out and Japan announced that they would not build any more nuclear power plants. But what is being done in the U.S.?

Could what happened in Japan happen here? And what can Westchester County residents do to ensure our safety?

First he encouraged everyone to use energy wisely. With competition for energy resources growing nationally and internationally he told the group to do an analysis of their own homes and make changes to increase conservation.

Second he outlined why Indian Point posed the highest danger of any nuclear reactor in the United States and urged the audience to get involved.

There is currently no evacuation plan for those living within a 50 mile radius of the reactor and radiation from a spill would extend far beyond 10

miles and remain a risk for many years due to the long half life. Gallay claimed that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is in the pocket of the nuclear power industry and has been lax in enforcing standards. In fact, Indian Point owner Entergy has received many exemptions from the NRC’s fire regulations leaving residents at further risk. Furthermore, Riverkeeper contends that plants in the U.S. are inadequately guarded against terrorism or sabotage and though a study by Columbia University shows that the area around Indian Point is susceptible to a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the plant was only built to withstand a 6.1 earthquake.

Last, he relayed that the plant is up for a renewal of its license this fall. A hearing on the relicensing is scheduled for June 2nd in Cortlandt Manor. Gallay urged everyone to come and voice their concerns.

An audience member asked how we would meet our energy needs if the plant was shut down and Gallay argued that energy conservation measures could eliminate the need for 80-90% of the energy we get from Indian Point. The cost to local residents of the plant closure would be about $68 more per year for power for the average area household.

Gallay also spoke to the group about the dangers of fracking. You can learn more about both issues on the Riverkeeper website at www.riverkeeper.org.

He ended by telling the attendees to “Never doubt the ability of a small group of individuals to change the world. Indeed they are the only ones that ever have.”

The luncheon was well attended and a surge of last minute guests had the staff at Scarsdale Golf Club rushing to add tables. On hand was State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, County Legislator Bill Ryan, former Mayor Mayor Carolyn Stevens, Acting Village Justice Arlene Spitzer, School Board President Jill Spieler and a host of past League Presidents. Gallay was introduced by Scarsdale’s Debra Lagapa, a member of the Board of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale. She credited Paul with devoting “more than 25 years of his life to protecting the environment and supporting local communities as a non-profit executive, public official and educator.

Lead by President Jane Veron and a dynamic League Board, the Scarsdale League of Women Voters presented an informative and timely event. To learn more about the League, visit their website.

 

 

For those who support the incorporation of Edgemont into Greenburgh’s seventh Village, the news that real estate sales for Edgemont are down this year was the latest in a long litany of reasons why Edgemont should become independent.

Realtors report that only 10 houses in Edgemont have been sold this year as opposed to 13 at this time in 2010. In Scarsdale, home sales have gone up from 37 homes sold at this time in 2010 to 42 in 2011. With more houses on the market in Edgemont this year and fewer sales, some are looking for an explanation for the dip in home sales. A recent letter to the Scarsdale Inquirer from Robert Bernstein, past President of the Edgemont Community Council, lays the blame squarely on Edgemont real estate taxes which he shows are significantly higher than taxes in Scarsdale for homes of comparable value. Edgemont’s residential assessment ratio (RAR) is 2.81 in comparison to Scarsdale’s, RAR of 1.71.

Others disagree that Edgemont’s taxes or their association with Greenburgh are the reasons behind the dip in sales. In fact, the sample size is so small that the sales data may be a blip in the market rather than a long term trend. A local realtor who sells in both areas says that the decision to purchase a home goes beyond the tax rate. Since Edgemont does not have bus service to and from school or the quality daycare program provided by KidsBase in Scarsdale, it may be a tougher sell for couples with two working parents.

Edgemont has a population of around 8,500 people in 2,900 households, making it about half the size of Scarsdale. Residents in Edgemont pay their municipal taxes to Greenburgh though they fund their own school system. Municipal taxes make up about 18% of resident’s tax bills, with the lion’s share of property taxes going toward school financing. Edgemont’s school district has an excellent reputation and from the numbers it appears to be run efficiently. In 2010-11, spending per pupil in Edgemont was $25,546 in contrast to $28,632 in Scarsdale. Edgemont already has its own fire department but relies on Greenburgh for police and other services.

The conversation about Edgemont’s status is lively. Last week former Scarsdale Mayor Carolyn Stevens was invited to be a guest speaker at a meeting of the Edgemont Community Council where she reviewed Scarsdale’s non-partisan system and Village management in a talk entitled, “Municipal Government, Controlling Your Own Destiny.” Some have even suggested that if Edgemont were to become independent they could contract with Scarsdale to handle some aspects of their municipal services.

Scarsdale Village Manager Al Gatta, believes that a consolidation would help both Scarsdale and Edgemont. He said, “I have not looked at the benefits that would be achieved, but certainly any analysis would have to show benefits for both communities. I am a bit chagrined, although grateful, that the Governor’s effort and promotion for consolidations and dissolutions has not worked its way to a policy level and into the State’s operations and funding programs. The State possesses awesome financial resources and authority to reward those local governments that come together, to the detriment of the others. The others would be burdened by having to rely solely on local revenues to remain independent and with a 2% tax levy cap it will be difficult.”

Those in Edgemont who are happy with the status quo question why Bernstein would publish an article that could potentially damage Edgemont’s reputation and hurt area home sales. Many are content with the small school system and the services they receive from Greenburgh and feel that the issue of incorporation was thoroughly explored in 2005. They fear that incorporation will lead to higher taxes and decreased services and are also afraid that a cloud of uncertainty could impact the demand for homes in Edgemont.

However Bernstein says he only wants what’s best for Edgemont. “My goal is to come up with a plan which shows that, if the people of Edgemont want to do so, we can obtain the municipal services Edgemont needs at less of a cost than we're currently paying the Town of Greenburgh for those services plus the ones we don't need, use or want. In addition to controlling our own municipal taxing and spending, incorporation will also allow us to control our own zoning and planning which is essential for our school district to continue to be first-rate and financially affordable for all Edgemont residents. The Town of Greenburgh simply doesn't share our priorities in that regard and if we don't exercise control, we'll have to live with decisions made for us by Greenburgh politicians who don't live in Edgemont and don't really know or understand what works best for us."

Work on the Popham Road bridge is causing more issues than snarled traffic ... residents on both sides of the bridge are complaining about the noise. Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner has received complaints from Edgemont residents on Overton Road, Lynwood Road and Castle Walk who can’t sleep due to the work during the night. Feiner is calling for advanced notice to residents when work will be done and the offer of free hotel stays for these residents on nights when noise could affect their sleep. He has arranged to meet with Scarsdale Village management to discuss the issue.

In response to his query, Feiner received the following statement from Scarsdale Deputy Village Manager Steve Pappalardo:

“I apologize for the inconvenience and I am sympathetic with the effected neighbors. We received a number of complaints from Scarsdale residents as well. Unfortunately the work that is being done at night is per Metro North’s direction. The Popham Road Bridge Replacement Project is a Village project but because the bridge spans Metro North Railroad tracks they dictate when certain construction activities are to take place. Any time there is a potential for a piece of equipment or building material to fall onto the tracks, Metro North requires the work to be performed at night when they can get track outages and trains are no longer running or running infrequently. Currently the bridge contractor is driving steel piles along the entire south side of the bridge from Garth Road to Scarsdale Avenue in support of the excavation work for the south abutment and the retaining wall adjacent to the Freightway Open Lot. The work is inherently noisy and commenced last night and will continue tonight and Friday evening."

"Night work for the project will be sporadic until the project is completed in the spring of next year. Some nights the noise will be greater than other nights, although this pile driving work is the loudest part of the planned construction. We have and will continue to talk with the contractor and ask him, when possible, to perform the louder work earlier in the night. The Village appreciates the level of cooperation received to date and will continue to do the best we can to minimize inconvenience during construction.”

A meeting has been scheduled with Scarsdale Managers and Metro North on Tuesday May 10 at 6:30 pm. at Scarsdale Village Hall to discuss the progress of the bridge work, the timetable, and notification of neighbors about construction related issues. Anyone with concerns about the construction is welcome to attend.

In other Village news, at an April 26 meeting, the Scarsdale Committee for Historic Preservation approved the demolition of the following homes:

• 21 Morris Lane -Demolition approved
• 60 Sheldrake Road -Demolition approved
• 49 Wildwood Road -Demolition approved
• 39 Oxford Road- Demolition approved
• 11 Pinecrest Road -Demolition approved

At the Planning Board Meeting on April 27, the agenda included a referral from the Village Board regarding a proposed amendment to the Village Zoning Code relative to the provision of Fair and Affordable Housing. The Board moved to schedule a separate work session to consider this complex matter.

The following items were approved:

• A renewal of Hoff-Barthelson’s special use permit to operate the Music School in a residential area
• The relocation of the main entrance of St. Pius Church
• Modifications to the Cingular Wireless tower at 110 Secor Road

However, two items were held over:

• Marti Schiff’s application for a Wetlands Permit to construct an addition and rear yard terrace and associated re-grading and drainage improvements on this wetlands controlled property at 34 Oxford Road
• The application of RGF Development Corp. for approval of a two-lot subdivision at 39 Oxford Road