Details

Published: 28 May 2011

Created: 28 May 2011

Last Updated: 28 May 2011

Hits: 5511

“While it might be cloudy outside, it’s sunny for the juniors,” assistant principal Fred Goldberg exclaimed over the loudspeaker at 11:46 today. He was right—it was hot, humid, and muggy. But we didn’t care. We honked our horns, chanted, blasted music, and painted our faces for the next 45 minutes until the events started. Without even realizing it, all the stress melted away. No talk about SATs or college or an upcoming test. We were just reminiscing about old teachers and friends who moved away.

I am a junior and a Heathcote grad, and I can say that Junior Olympics will probably the best day of my high school experience. Because I’ve always been disappointed we don’t have more school spirit, I was so happy to see the juniors donning face paint, bandanas and colored accessories. Junior Olympics was the biggest show of spirit I have ever seen from our school, and I only hope we can keep that momentum up as a class. Perhaps today’s demonstration of enthusiasm continues and becomes part of our legacy as a class. For the afternoon, we forgot that we were stressed out juniors under pressure; we were just some crazily dressed up kids running around the fields without a worry. After they announced the winner, the chants of 2012, ironically reminiscent of a gridlock, showed the pride our grade took in our performance.Up front, Heathcote came in last place, so it’s not a victory that made today’s events so memorable. But in my opinion, it doesn’t really matter who won (though for all curious, it was Greenacres.) Our entire grade should call this day a win because we beat the odds. It seemed that everyone was expecting us to mess it up; even we predicted that the event would last only a half hour before we did something wrong. But from 12:30 when the games started until 3:00 when the winners were announced, we allowed ourselves to be immersed in something totally different from our normal Tuesday afternoon. We didn’t want to screw it up—not for ourselves, and not for the grades to come. So while I thank the administration for allowing our grade the opportunity and privilege of having Junior Olympics, I am just as appreciative and proud of today’s participants; we showed that we could step up to the challenge when the stakes were high and most were expecting us to fail, but hoping we didn’t.

When the bell sounded for dismissal, our Cinderella fairytale was over and we turned back into juniors with research papers, but the air was different. It was still hot and humid, but we had a renewed sense of grade pride and unity. While today we were physically competing, and often the classroom feels like a competition as well, we’re in this together. Having had this day of fun, we walked with an extra spring in our step, and kept our face paint on just a little bit longer, because we didn’t want it to end.

Picture above from left to right: SHS Juniors Jackie Sharlach, Melissa Tucker and Lauren Alin (a Quaker Ridge School captain).

 

 

 

 

 

Details

Published: 23 May 2011

Created: 23 May 2011

Last Updated: 23 May 2011

Hits: 4619

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.

 

Details

Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 16 May 2011

Created: 16 May 2011

Last Updated: 16 May 2011

Hits: 6645

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.

 

 

Details

Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 09 May 2011

Created: 09 May 2011

Last Updated: 09 May 2011

Hits: 6803

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."