Greenburgh Passes New Code to Regulate Massage Parlors
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5092
New local laws have been approved by the Greenburgh Town Board to regulate massage establishments that are used for illegal activity including prostitution. According to Bob Bernstein, head of the Edgemont Community Council, the new law "will give its police the tools they need to permanently close all adult massage businesses in unincorporated Greenburgh that employ persons that are not licensed by the State of New York as massage therapists.
The new law was the result of collaboration between Robert Bernstein and Councilmembers Francis Sheehan, Ken Jones and Kevin Morgan. The law employs a three-pronged approach.
First, the Town outlaws all "massage parlors," which are defined as massage businesses that employ unlicensed personnel.
Second, the Town requires all massage establishments to apply for a license, which will give police the opportunity to conduct background checks to determine whether the applicants have a history of hiring unlicensed massage workers.
Third, once licensed, all massage establishments in Town must then obtain a special permit in order to comply with the Town's zoning code.
By adopting this approach, not only will the Town not give licenses to any massage parlors, but if a massage parlor is found to be operating in the Town, the police will be able to obtain a court order to shut it down, either because it never had a license or, if it did have a license, to get a court order revoking it.
All massage businesses in Town will have to comply with the new law within four months."
An initial draft of the law was proposed by attorney Bob Bernstein after Greenburgh Police Chief Chris McNerney made the Edgemont Community Council aware that adult massage parlors had opened up in empty storefronts in strip malls along Central Avenue in Edgemont. The Greenburgh police have made arrests over the years but have had a difficult time permanently shutting down the operations.
Most recently, Greenburgh Police arrested nine people at Scarsdale Foot Massage and Foot Relaxation, both on Central Park Avenue in Scarsdale on Thursday October 22. Similar arrests were made in August 2015, March 2015, August 2013, April 2012 and October 2010.
According to Bernstein the purpose of the law is to target massage parlors in Greenburgh that advertise on the internet offering "adult entertainment." These advertisements typically feature photographs of scantily clad young women with wording that strongly suggests that sexual services can be obtained at these businesses. In addition, according to police, patrons of these businesses would often publish online reviews, describing the various sexual services available and the prices for which they were offered.
Without the law police conducted undercover raids, but were only able to target the women who work in these businesses, not the men who typically employed them. They were not able to charge the women not with prostitution, which is difficult and expensive to prove — but instead with offering massage services without a license, which is much easier to prove and is a Class E Felony in New York.
According to Mr. Bernstein, "Because of the severity of the felony charge, the women arrested would typically plead to minor offenses and be back at work, if not where they were arrested, then at another storefront nearby or in a neighboring community."
Meanwhile, when these arrests would occur, the Town's building department would inspect the premises and if a building code violation were found, the building department would shut the place down. But the businesses would reopen as soon as the violations were corrected.
Before passage of the new law, the police not only lacked the tools to close these businesses down for good, but their enforcement efforts often involved coordinating with state and federal law enforcement authorities and were quite costly to taxpayers.
According to Mr. Bernstein the legislation is considered a landmark because it is expected to serve as a model for adoption by other municipalities in New York.
The cost of obtaining the license from the Town of Greenburgh is now only $100, but the Town Board must still set a fee for the special permit. Under existing town legislation, obtaining a special permit can cost more than $2500, but according to Feiner, the plan is to set a much lower fee so as not to unduly burden the Town's massage businesses and make sure they comply.
Commenting on the passage of the new law, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said, "I would like to express my thanks to Bob Bernstein, head of the Edgemont Community Council, Councilmembers Francis Sheehan, Kevin Morgan and Ken Jones for working cooperatively on a law that was approved unanimously by the Greenburgh Town Board that will give the police the tools they need to close permanently all illegal adult massage businesses in unincorporated Greenburgh. This new law, which had the support of Greenburgh Police Chief Chris McNerney, will enable the town to address an important quality of life concern that many residents of Edgemont and unincorporated Greenburgh have highlighted in the past-- which includes the need to close down prostitution establishments on Central Avenue.
It's my hope that the new law will be the beginning of a new relationship between the town and Edgemont Community Council. This legislation was an example of how government should work—it was a cooperative effort with elected officials and civic leaders working together for the good of the town. Bob Bernstein worked very hard drafting the initial legislation. The ECC also did a good job advocating for the law. Councilman Francis Sheehan spent hundreds of hours (including working at Town Hall after midnight and weekends in the weeks prior to the adoption of the legislation checking every word of the draft law). There was give and take and the people won!
If this spirit of cooperation continues –and I trust it will—we will be able to make our town a much better place to live and work. I look forward to working with ECC leaders on many other important issues during my next term of office."
Election Results for Scarsdale and the County
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5882
Though there were no big races in Westchester to bring people to the polls on Tuesday November 3, some did vote, and the results in Scarsdale mirrored the results county-wide.
In Westchester, Gretchen Walsh, running for Supreme Court Justice received 60% of the vote, and in Scarsdale she won with 705 votes to Montgomery Delaney's 355 votes.
Susan Cacace won her bid for County Court Justice with 58% of the votes in Westchester. In Scarsdale she received 1092 votes to 722 for Helen M. Blackwood.
For Surrogates Court, Brandon R. Sall won 90% of the votes in the county and in Scarsdale he received 771 votes to 129 for Frank Streng.
District 5 Legislator Benjamin Boykin ran unopposed and received 870 votes in Scarsdale and 4,348 in District 5.
The only race specific to Scarsdale was the election of Jeffrey Levin for Town Justice. He ran unopposed and received 827 votes.
A referendum to give the Board of Legislators (BOL) and the public more time to review the County budgets before they are voted on passed with 82% of the vote. The referendum will change the date that the County Executive is required to submit the Capital Budget to the BOL from November 15th to October 15th each year. The deadline to submit the annual Operating Budget will be moved up from November 15th to November 10th. County Legislator Ben Boykin supported the referendum.
Food for Thought
In honor of Veteran's Day on Wednesday November 11, the Scarsdale Republican Town Committee submitted the following for publication:
"History does not long entrust the case of freedom to the weak or the timid." --Dwight David Eisenhower.
The Scarsdale Republican Town Committee thanks all Veterans for their valor and devotion to duty in service to our country.
Pollan Family Debuts Cookbook in Scarsdale
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4993
The Scott Room of the Scarsdale Library was sold out on Thursday night October 21 when the Pollan family came to town to share their new family cookbook, the Pollan Family Table. The audience may have come as much to check out this celebrated family as to preview the cookbook – but whatever the motivation, it was all good.
Corky Pollan, who wrote the Best Bets column for New York Magazine for 18 years and was the style editor for Gourmet Magazine, is the mother of an impressive brood. Her three daughters and co-authors Tracy, Dana and Lori had impressive resumes before the book was published. Tracy is a successful actress, who appeared on television, in the movies and on stage. She is the wife of actor Michael J. Fox and parent of four children, including a set of twins.
Sister Dana was a cofounder of the Pollan-Austen Fitness Center, a top rated exercise studio, and also appeared on a series of six exercise videos. She lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
Lori Pollan co-founded the Pollan-Austen Fitness Center and eventually left the working world to raise three children. She is a certified life coach who helps clients manage their fitness, nutrition and stress.
Their brother Michael Pollan, the only Pollan child who did not collaborate on the cookbook, is a prolific food writer who's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, was a national bestseller.
Nirvana bars
A few tips:
-Chiffonade your basil leaves by rolling them up and then cutting them in strips
-Preserve fresh basil in your kitchen for weeks by putting it in a jar on the counter and covering it with a unsealed platic bag:
-Essential equipment? A cast iron pan and a set of rimmed baking sheets are musts for any serious chef.
-What else? Eat your fruits and vegetables first!
Local chef Jen Rossano cooked enough of a few 
of the recipes in the book so that everyone could sample the Pollan's signature salad, pasta with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and irresistible nirvana bars with chocolate chips, flaked coconut and walnuts on a graham cracker crust. It was all delicious.
Having fed us well, the four authors chatted with the long line of book buyers while signing the colorful cookbooks.
What was not revealed was Corky's recipe for raising and feeding five healthy, creative, independent and successful children while working full time. Anyone want to venture a guess?
Here's the recipe for the Pollan's signature salad:
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar, champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad:
5 to 7 ounces mesclun or mixed baby greens
1/2 cup chopped store-bought or homemade caramelized walnuts
1/2 Bosc pear (cut lengthwise), cored, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation
For the Dressing:
In a glass jar with a lid or in a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegars, mustard, grapeseed oil, olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Shake the jar vigorously or whisk in the bowl to emulsify.
For the Salad:
Place the mesclun in a large salad bowl. Pour on half the dressing and toss the greens to coat. Add the walnuts, pear and more dressing to taste (taking care not to overdress) and toss again. Top with the Parmesan cheese shavings and serve.
Learn more about the Pollan's and their recipes here:
Where are the funds from the Scarsdale Community Center?
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3035
Dear Scarsdale10583: On August 5, 2015, Scarsdale10583 posted a letter from the Executive Committee for the Scarsdale Community Center letting residents know that the SCC was issuing refunds and where to write if you wanted a refund for their deposits. The email address given was: mslonner@earthlink.net. I wrote several times to the email listed and have not received any response or acknowledgment of my request. I wanted to know if other members have received their deposits back or have heard when they will be issued.
Thanks
Margot Milberg
Masseuses Arrested on Central Avenue
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5083
Greenburgh Police have arrested nine people at two foot massage spas on Central Avenue in Scarsdale. Eight purported to be licensed massage therapists when they did not have the licenses and two were changed with aiding and abetting three or more unlicensed persons to practice a profession. All of the suspects were taken to Greenburgh Police Headquarters on Thursday October 22 where they were booked, processed and released on bail. Scarsdale Foot Massage at 734 South Central Avenue and Foot Relaxation at 1113 South Central Avenue were both closed and cited for code violations.
Arrested were the following:
Scarsdale Foot Massage, 734 South Central Avenue, Scarsdale
Wen Tao Song DOB 06/10/78 (Charged with Subdivisions 1 & 2)
Hong Lan Wang DOB 02/21/78
Shanghai Gao DOB 01/22/71
Lan Ling Sun DOB 03/19/88
Qiuxian Lin DOB 07/20/71
Foot Relaxation- 1113 South Central Ave, Scarsdale NY;
Xi De Xu DOB 03/27/56
Wei Wang DOB 08/18/91
Zi Guo Lin DOB 06/01/62
Xiang Man Zhang DOB 10/16/64 (Charged with Subdivision 2)
Guihua Zhou DOB 12/11/71
