city review-new rochelle 7-24-2015

THE NewRochelleCityREVIEWJuly 24 & 31, 2015 | Vol. 3, Number 15 | www.cityreviewnr.com

Historically, the hotel occu-pancy tax bills, which impose a 3 percent charge on hotel oc-cupants within a municipal-ity’s borders on top of a 3 per-cent Westchester County hotel tax that is already in place, passed in the Democratic-led state Assembly but were re-peatedly shot down by the Republican-controlled Senate because of a reluctance to in-stitute a new tax.

But during this legislative session, under the new lead-ership of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Dem-ocrat, and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, a Hun-tington Republican, the Sen-ate changed its longstanding

policy and passed a number of new taxes, including a hotel occupancy tax for Westchester communities and three upstate counties.

State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Scarsdale Democrat, said the hotel tax approvals for county governments opened the door for the possibility of a hotel tax in the local Westches-ter municipalities.

A group of four Democratic Assemblymembers—Pau-lin, Steve Otis, of Rye, Tom Abinanti, of Greenburgh, and David Buchwald, of White Plains—pushed Heastie to intervene on their behalf and urge the Senate to pass the bills.

“There was drama all day,” Paulin said. “It was late in the legislative session—I’d say around 10 [p.m.] or so—when we found out the bills passed the Senate. It’s hard to know what changed their minds, but I know a lot of calls were made. A lot of pressure was put on the leaders.”

When asked if the change in regimes from former As-sembly Speaker Sheldon Sil-ver, a Manhattan Democrat, and Dean Skelos, a Rockville Centre Republican, to Heastie and Flanagan had anything to do with the bills passing, Pau-lin said, “There’s no question.”

By CHRIS EBERHARTStaff Writer

In a stunning, last-minute change of heart, the New York state Senate passed hotel oc-cupancy tax bills for six West-chester communities, including several towns and villages, after years of unsuccessfully trying to petition the state for the tax.

The Westchester munici-palities that already had the hotel tax in place, including New Rochelle, which secured the tax back in 2009, were re-authorized by the state. The authorization has a sunset clause requiring communities to reapply for the tax every three years.

I have no doubt she’s go-ing to do it again,” Lindhardt said. “So, I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

Historically, Marcotte has had trouble financially out-pacing her Democratic oppo-nents, although the disparity has never been as a stark as this year’s race. Nonetheless, Marcotte has always been able to persevere and pull out close victories in each of her previ-ous two county elections.

In 2011, Marcotte’s run at her first full, two-year term on the Westchester County Board of Legislators against former Tuckahoe Mayor John Fitz-patrick, a Democrat, Marcotte raised $10,872 through July to Fitzpatrick’s $12,012. And at this time in 2013, during Marcotte’s last re-election to the District 10 seat, Marcotte raised $3,984 while her oppo-nent Mary Jo Jacobs, a New Rochelle Democrat, raised $10,557.

Marcotte has held the Dis-trict 10 seat since 2010, when she defeated Greg Varian, a New Rochelle Democrat, in a special election to replace Vito Pinto, a Republican, who was tabbed by County Execu-tive Rob Astorino, a Republi-can, to head the county’s Vet-erans Service Agency.

Legislature re-ups hotel tax; boutique inn in the works

JUST-MICHAEL continued on page 8

HoTEL continued on page 11

Just-Michael raises $61KBy CHRIS EBERHART

Staff Writer

Campaign finance reports for all of this year’s political candidates were required to be filed on July 15, and through July, Westchester County Legislator candidate Haina Just-Michael, a New Rochelle Democrat, had raised a whop-ping $61,000.

By contrast, Just-Michael’s opponent, incumbent Sheila Marcotte, an Eastchester Re-publican, had only generated $7,898 in financing. The two candidates are battling for the county’s 10th legislative district seat, which includes Eastchester, Tuckahoe and parts of New Rochelle.

Just-Michael’s fundraising is a combination of donations from supporters, friends and family. And her significant war chest does include a com-bined $30,000 donation from her husband and father.

“It always feels good to get a thumbs up, however it comes,” Just-Michael said. “In general, people are excit-ed, and the momentum natu-rally happened. They want a different representative in District 10, and a lot of people are saying, ‘I want to do what I can,’ and they did. I’m so surprised and grateful.”

Arnold Linhardt, a Demo-cratic political strategist, said the $61,000 that Just-Michael raised is a good showing for a challenger and will help her be-cause it gives her a solid foun-dation to draw from, but the difference “doesn’t mean it’s the end of Sheila [Marcotte].” “Sheila [Marcotte] has shown in the past that she can put money together quickly, and

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In seasonFarmers market season was in full swing on July 17 as New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson stopped by to take part in a ribbon cutting ceremony and welcome new vendors to the city. For story, see page 6. Photo/Nicole Reed

2 • THE CITy REvIEw • July 24 & 31, 2015

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July 24 & 31, 2015 • THE CITy REvIEw • 3

Astorino suffers setback in housing boutBy CHRIS EBERHART

Staff Writer

Recent momentum for Re-publican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in his fight against the U.S. Depart-ment of Housing and Urban De-velopment over affordable hous-ing came to a screeching halt during a U.S. Supreme Court decision made in late June.

On June 25, the court made a ruling on a Texas affordable housing case in a 5-4 decision in favor of HUD and disparate impact, which says housing discrimination doesn’t have to be intentional in order to be illegal, which will set a prec-edent for future affordable housing cases, such as West-chester County’s case.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the opinion of the court, said disparate impact claims are consistent with the central pur-pose of the Fair Housing Act which outlawed the refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

“[Law]suits targeting un-lawful zoning laws and other housing restrictions that un-fairly exclude minorities from certain neighborhoods without sufficient justification are at the heartland of disparate-im-pact liability,” Kennedy wrote. “Recognition of disparate-impact liability under the Fair Housing Act plays an impor-tant role in uncovering dis-criminatory intent.”

Charles McNally, an HUD spokesperson, said, “Today is another important step in the long march toward fulfilling one of our nation’s founding ideals: equal opportunity for all Americans.”

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that HUD can continue to use this critical tool to eliminate the unfair barriers that have deferred and derailed too many dreams,” McNally said. “Working with our partners on the ground, we will continue to do all we can to build a housing market that treats all Americans with basic dignity and respect.”

Although the Supreme Court

case was about the final appeal of a Texas court case—Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The In-clusive Communities Project, a Dallas-based group advocating integrated housing—the impact will be felt in Westchester.

In Westchester County, a 2009 affordable housing settlement between former County Executive Andy Spa-no, a Democrat, and HUD, re-quired the county to build 750 units over a seven-year pe-riod, complete an analysis of impediments—a review of the barriers that prevent afford-able housing—and promote fair housing practices.

The analysis of impedi-ments includes two analyses, both completed by federal housing monitor Jim Johnson who was appointed to oversee the implementation of the set-tlement, that rely on disparate impact to show evidence of exclusionary zoning in West-chester municipalities based on socio-economic factors and race, respectively. Under the Berenson analysis, seven mu-

nicipalities in the county were deemed to have exclusionary zoning. Under the Huntington analysis, six municipalities were identified.

Since taking over the coun-ty executive position in 2010, Astorino has repeatedly denied the existence of exclusionary zoning in Westchester and has been at odds with HUD over the implementation of the af-fordable housing settlement. To date, the county has passed a source of income legislation and is on pace to fulfill the 750-unit mark on time. But the one sticking point that has

remained is HUD’s unwilling-ness to accept any of the eight analyses of impediments sub-mitted by the Astorino admin-istration.

The standoff resulted in ap-proximately $23 million worth of withheld federal grant money from the county for 2011 to 2014 that goes toward building afford-able housing and revitalizing neighborhoods that are not in compliance with the settlement.

And prior to last month’s ruling, Astorino had been gain-ing momentum over the past nine months in this legal battle with HUD.

In a decision made on Nov. 3, 2014, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said plaintiffs in affordable housing cases must show that racial segregation within zoning laws was in-tentional and arguments in fa-vor of the contrary “appear to be nothing more than wishful thinking on steroids.”

“This is yet another exam-ple of an administrative agency trying desperately to write into law that which Congress never intended to sanction,” Leon wrote in his decision against disparate impact. “It is nothing less than an artful misinterpre-

tation of Congress’s intent.”Next came Westchester’s

victory in its attempt to recov-er the withheld grant money.

On Feb. 18, 2015, a feder-al appeals court overturned a lower court’s decision stating that HUD’s rejections of the county’s analyses of possible zoning discrimination in its municipalities and subsequent withholding of grant money for fair housing are not subject to judicial review.

The ruling allows the county and Astorino to pursue its case to recapture $752,844 in 2011 federal grant money, which is what hasn’t been re-allocated of the $7.4 million from the 2011 community development block grant funding that was administered to the county by HUD.

In March, the county’s ex-isting lawsuit was amended to include the $16 million in grant money already lost from fiscal years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

But after the June court deci-sion to uphold disparate impact, the job of county attorneys be-came that much more difficult.

CoNTACT: [email protected]

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino suffered a blow in his fight against HUD over affordable housing. File Photo


What’s going on...New Rochelle Library 3, 4 & 5s: Includes stories, songs and a take-

home craft. Mondays, July 6 to Aug. 10, 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the main library for ages 3 to 5. Sessions at HCL will be on Tuesdays, through Aug. 11, 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Preschool Fun & Fitness: Children ages 2 to 5 and their parent, grandparent or caregiver are invited to join the health and fitness team from Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Services for a fun-filled hour of movement, games and healthy eat-ing and lifestyle tips. Mondays, through Aug. 10, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., in the main library Meeting Room. Registration is required. Please call Ru-ben or Nicolas at the WIC office at 637-1677.

Bedtime Stories: for ages 3 to 5 years. Paja-mas and stuffed animals are encouraged. Thurs-days, through Aug. 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the main library.

For bigger kidsDesigned to encourage participation in the

Summer Reading Game, the programs offer great educational experiences through the sum-mer. Admission to the programs is on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning 15 minutes before the start of each program. This year’s slate of free program includes experiments in Cooking and Science, Calligraphy, Mexican dance classes with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company and Bricks 4 Kidz® workshops.

Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. in the Ossie Davis Theater will offer films of amazing ad-

ventures alternating with live science shows.Summer Fun of the Patio at HCL will run

Mondays to Fridays through Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a free drop-in program providing good old-fashioned summertime fun, including ping pong, arts and crafts, games and outside activities that are supervised by expe-rienced, enthusiastic adults and teens. Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult care-giver. The Summer Fun program does not take place during rainy weather. For details on all these activities, visit nrpl.org.

For teensHealthy cooking workshops, gamers tourna-

ments, yoga journaling and weekly movies are a few of the great programs teens can choose from this summer at the New Rochelle Public Library.

Craft Lab, Random Fandom, Gamer Clash!, Super Science Thursdays, and Movie Madness, all under the supervision of Teen Librarian Ken Petrilli, will take place on a drop-in basis in the Teen Room or Teen Conference Room on the second floor.

The third annual Summer Writers Work-shops, which meet three mornings or three af-ternoons a week and are conducted by New Ro-chelle High School students, will be held in the Teen Conference Room.

In the library’s Meeting Room, Cook like an Iron-rich Chef, Tweens Yoga Journaling and Mexican dance classes will be led by profes-sional instructors, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Calpulli Dance Company instructors will lead these classes over seven weeks, with a culminating performance by students and Cal-pulli dancers on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. To register, contact the Community Relations of-fice at 632-8254 for more information.

International Music and Dance The International Music and Dance series

continues with Arabian Dance by Aszmara, with music of Armenia, Turkey and Egypt on Tuesday, July 28. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the crowd-pleasing Bokandeye Troupe, directed by Anthony Wooden, closes the 2014 series with African dance to djembe drumming. The cul-tural traditions of African villages come alive as the troupe’s multigenerational dancers perform in authentic costume.

Seating for the free programs is on a first-come, first-served basis, to the capacity of the Ossie Davis Theater. Doors open at 6:45 pm. For more information, visit nrpl.org.

Family filmOn Monday, July 27, “The Moon Spinners,”

a mystery thriller, will be screened in the Ossie Davis Theater at 6:30 p.m. Suitable for all ages. Running time: 118 minutes.

Adventures in GardeningFor ages 6 to 12. On Tuesday, July 28, from

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., The ABC Garden off the Children’s Room at the main library will be-come a bountiful vegetable, flower and herb gar-den with the help of the junior gardeners enrolled in this 6-week workshop. Teachers Jean Marie Healy and Naomi Tower will guide the planting and other wonderful related activities. Registra-

tion will take place during the first class on a first-come, first-served basis in the Meeting Room.

Lunchtime YogaFor adults. On Thursday, July 30 at 12:30

p.m. in the Meeting Room. Conquer stress and fatigue, return to work with renewed energy and focus, with a gentle yet invigorating 30-minute session of yoga with Nora LeMorin. No need to change clothing or lie on a mat. Free. Made possible by the Friends of the Library and par-ticipants’ donations.

Brown Bag Book ClubFor adults. On Wednesday, Aug. 5, from

noon to 1:30 p.m. Bring your lunch and join in the librarian-led discussion of great books in the second floor Conference Room. Please register with librarian Kofi Addo-Nkum at 806-6543.

Upcoming book saleThe Friends Big Book Sale will take place on

Friday, Aug. 8 at the main library from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the first floor’s lobby. For all ages.

Lighted Boat Parade

A parade of boats will pass Hudson Park and Neptune Park between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Par-ticipants will light their vessels in as many fes-tive lights as safely possible and parade through New Rochelle Harbor. Come show your appre-ciation and cheer loudly for the most impres-sive display. Boats from all surrounding marinas are welcome to join. If you wish to participate, please email [email protected] or send a fax to 235-8268 prior to 3 p.m. on Fri-day, July 24. In the event of inclement weather, please contact Captain Sal at 235-6930 or (917) 559-2827.

BID Music on the Green

Zero 360 will perform on Thursday, July 30 at 7 p.m. on the New Rochelle Public Library Green, located at 1 Library Plaza. Zero 360 is a contemporary, multi-ethnic variety show/dance band that performs Motown classics, soul, R&B, funk, old school disco, dance and rock.

Gather up friends, family, a picnic and settle in on the Library Green for great music, good times, and summer breezes. The popular out-door concerts, in the heart of downtown New Rochelle, are made possible by the New Ro-chelle Downtown Business Improvement Dis-trict in cooperation with the New Rochelle Parks and Recreation and the New Rochelle Public Library. In the event of rain, the con-cert moves indoors to the Ossie Davis Theater of the New Rochelle Public Library, on a first-come, first-served basis to the capacity of the 138-seat theater, beginning at 6:45 p.m. Call 632-8254 for weather updates after 4 p.m. the day of the concert.

Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though

space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send all

items to [email protected].

The library’s website has a full listing of free programs, dates and times for all ages this sum-mer at nrpl.org. Programs for infants to teens are being held both at the main library and at the Huguenot Children’s Library. These free programs are made possible by the Friends of the Library and the New Rochelle Public Li-brary Foundation.

For the little onesAll programs are on a drop-in basis, first

come, first served.Bouncing Babies: a Mother Goose program

of songs, music, movement and a story for chil-dren six to 24 months. Thursdays, through Aug. 13, 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Children’s Room of the main library; 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at HCL.

Let’s Pretend: Introduces theater through games, songs, nursery rhymes, and an on-stage experience with Nora Maher for children ages 3 to 5. Thursdays, through to Aug. 13, 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the main library; 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. at HCL.


NRPL Foundation elects new board

Left to right, Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni, Dr. Amy Bass, Christina Selin, a former New Rochelle city councilwoman, and Jon Garrow. Contributed photo

Spirits ran high on Tuesday, June 16 at the annual din-ner meeting of the New Rochelle Public Library Foundation, where former City Councilwoman Christina Selin was elected president. New board members includ-ing Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni; Dr. Amy Bass, au-thor and professor of history and director of the Honors Program at the College of New Rochelle; and Jon Garrow, professional fundraiser and head of Prospect Research and Development Operations at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in New York City, were also elected.

A new roster of officers was

also approved, including vice presidents Gwen Adolph and Betsy Kravits, Secretary Dr. Cheryl Archbald and Treasurer Mindy Eisenber. Also cel-ebrating with the foundation were Library Director Tom Geoffino, president of the Library Board Haina Just-Michael and Greg Varian, a library board trustee.

In her remarks, Selin, the newly-elected president, ex-pressed her pleasure at being given the opportunity to work with such a strong and capable board in support of the library that is relied upon by so many New Rochelle residents for a multitude of services.

Since its incorporation in

1993, the NRPL Foundation has raised more than $3.1 million for capital improve-ments at the library, includ-ing the establishment of a world-class music library, Business Center and Teen Room, and the renovation of the Children's Room, Ossie Davis Theater, adjacent meet-ing room and much more.

Selin said, “As the needs of our community change and technology advances, the foundation stands ready to ensure the future well-being of the library and to provide support for initiatives that en-hance opportunities for learn-ing, exploration and public discourse.” (Submitted)

Library foundation sponsors video contestAttention talented teens:

students are encouraged to un-leash their creative energy to capture the magic of the New Rochelle Library in a 60-to-90-second video themed “I Found It At The Library.”

The contest is open to New Rochelle residents in grades nine to 12. First prize is $1,000, second prize $500 and third prize $250. Deadline for sub-missions is midnight, Sept. 7.

All entries will be viewed and judged by a panel of New Rochelle industry stars, including Tom Honeysett, broadcast editor for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Evan Klupt, direc-tor of production for NBC's

“Today Show” and David Saperstein, author of the New York Times bestseller and Academy Award-winning film “Cocoon.” Saperstein has also written, directed and produced for film and TV and has taught film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Manhattan

Marymount College. The winning videos will

be screened and prizes will be awarded on Oct. 11 at the Ossie Davis Theater as part of the foundation’s Donor Recognition Day. The winning videos will also be posted on the foundation and library web-sites and used in social media.

Contest participants are encouraged to attend three free video-making work-shops to be held at the library this summer. For more de-tails on these workshops and to download the complete contest guidelines and entry form, visit nrplfoundation.org. (Submitted)

With Westchester County pools open for the season as of June 26, County Executive Rob Astorino and Health Com-missioner Dr. Sherlita Amler shared some water safety tips for residents and their families.

“Westchester County pools will be staffed [opening] week-end with trained and conscien-tious lifeguards, but parents and guardians are our first line of defense,” Astorino said. “Please always keep your eyes on your children when they are in or near the water and make sure they never swim alone and swim only when and where lifeguards are on duty.”

County pools opened June 26; county beaches opened May 23. Westchester Coun-ty’s popular Learn-to-Swim program is offered at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers and Saxon Woods Pool in White Plains. For more information or to register for the program, go to westchestergov.com/parks. Swimming lessons are also offered at many Y’s and at municipal pools.

“Teaching your children how to swim is one of the most valuable lessons parents can provide,” Astorino said. “Knowing how to swim can lead to a lifetime of fun and recreational fitness and can even save your life.”

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death among children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children ages 5 to 9, ac-cording to the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention.

Sunburn and stroke can also cause health risks. Beach goers should always take precautions to stay hydrated and protect their skin from the effects of the summer sun.

“Be sure you and your fam-ily drink lots of water through-out the day at the pool or shore to avoid heat exhaustion,” Am-ler said. “Wear a hat and sun-glasses, avoid the midday sun and reapply sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 every two hours, especially after you swim or sweat, to avoid sunburn.”

Amler had additional wa-ter safety advice for parents. “It’s also critical to always stay within arm’s reach of infants and toddlers in the water and to always keep your eyes on children playing in or near the shore,” Amler said. “Pool floats, inner tubes, water wings and noodles are no substitute for close supervision. Swimming and alcohol, just like boating and alcohol, don’t mix.”

Amler also offered the following tips to stay safe

around pools and beaches this summer:• Learn how to swim and teach your child to swim and never to swim alone.

• Don’t swim in pools or lakes that are closed.

• Never leave a child unattended in or near the water and always watch your children closely around all bodies of water.

• Designate a water watcher to supervise children in the pool, spa or at the shore. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smartphone or otherwise distracted.

• Learn how to perform CPR on both children and adults.

• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.

• Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that com-ply with federal safety stan-dards, and, if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safe drain covers.

• At the beach, never fight currents; swim parallel to shore and at an angle if you find yourself in a rip current.

For more health and safe-ty tips, visit westchestergov.com/health. Like us on Face-book at the WCHealthDept page or follow us on Twitter at @WCHealthDept. (Submitted)

Astorino advises safety at pools, beaches

With all pools and beaches open and fully operational, Westchester County is offering beach and pool users tips to remain safer during the summer season. Pictured is Playland Pool. File photo


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THE

NewRochelleCityREVIEW City cooks up fresh

food at farmers marketBy NICoLE REED

Contributor

A firetruck pulled up to the New Rochelle Farmers Mar-ket on North Avenue on Fri-day, July 17. The men hopped off and surveyed the scene. Instead of fighting a fire, New Rochelle’s bravest were there to buy fresh fruit and vegeta-bles for the firehouse. As one of the firefighters explained, “It used to be stereotypical that the guys ate bad food, but that’s changed. It’s a younger generation in the firehouse and these guys are health conscious. Now we’re eating healthy and staying healthy. Everything here is always fresh. It’s great that the farm-ers market is in our backyard.”

The vendors and customers who stopped by the farmer’s market that Friday were ac-companied by New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and community advocates for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Vendors featured at the mar-ket include Alex’s Tomato Farm, Dagele Brothers Produce, Mer-edith’s Country Bakery and the most recent addition: The

Cheese Guy. The farmers

are from New York state and sell non-GMO produce. The market’s baker brings savory breads and sweet treats to the table, including a line of glu-ten-free products.

Last Friday, The Cheese Guy, Brent Delman, debuted his goods at the market. Accord-ing to Delman, he is one of only about a dozen kosher cheese makers in the United States.

Delman, raised in an Ital-ian area outside of Cleveland, Ohio, grew up with a love for cheeses and spent years using his marketing skills to promote specialty food companies.

Along the way, his esteem for tradition grew.

“As I got older, tradition be-came more important to me, from the tradition of handmade cheese to the tradition of keep-ing a kosher home,” he said.

Then he went to the island of Sardinia in Italy.

“A lot of things came to-gether for me there,” he said. “I love sheep milk cheeses. On Sardinia, their sheep graze in the fields and eat naturally. I learned how to make a sheep milk cheese in this setting.”

When Delman traveled to Italy, he met a farmer whose knowledge was invaluable to The Cheese Guy. When craft-ing cheese, makers use ren-net, a mix of enzymes added to milk to catalyze the curding process. As is custom, the ren-net comes from the lining of a calf’s stomach. This method, however, does not meet kosher requirements. The farmer Del-man met in Sardinia was will-ing to use a microbial culture as a replacement for the ani-mal-based rennet.

“Then I was able to use traditional methods and my cheeses could become ko-sher,” Delman said.

Vendors at the New Rochelle

Farmers Market range in age, and include campers from the Beth El Synagogue Center, also known as the Stars and the Astros, who use inspiration from the farmers’ produce to create a fresh recipe for cus-tomers. Recently, they have been offering tastes of home-made peach salsa, and will be cooking up culinary creations from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. now through Friday, Aug. 14.

The New Rochelle Farmers Market, located on North Av-enue at Huguenot Park, in front of New Rochelle High School, is managed by Down to Earth Farmers Markets and is open every Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. through Nov. 20.

Day campers from Beth El Synagogue Center offer up some peach salsa to patrons at the New Rochelle Farmers Market.

Brent Delman, also known as The Cheese Guy, offers customers samples. Photos/Nicole Reed

New Rochelle Mayor Mayor Noam Bramson, Frankie Rowland of Down to Earth Markets, and community advocates cut the ribbon to celebrate market season.


Pension forfeiture bill targets 2017

To punish elected officials who have engaged in crimi-nal behavior and perhaps cur-tail future offenders, the New York state Assembly has ad-vanced a proposed constitu-tional amendment that would strip taxpayer-funded pen-sions from those who have been convicted of felonies.

The proposed amendment, which was approved on June 16, would apply to all elected officials at the state and local levels, judges, executive ap-pointees, policymakers and certain members of public boards and governing bodies. The amendment’s compan-ion portion in the state Senate passed back in March as part of a measure in the 2015-2016 state budget.

The measure comes on the heels of former Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver’s ar-rest and resignation from his

leadership position back in January in the face of corrup-tion charges. Silver, a Manhat-tan Democrat, faces federal corruption charges brought on by U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara and the FBI, and the matter is currently making its way through the courts. Silver held the leadership post in the Assembly for more than 20 years; he remains a member of the Assembly.

In response, lawmakers then rushed to push for ethi-cal reform through the state Legislature.

Assemblyman David Bu-chwald, a White Plains Dem-ocrat, was one of the propo-nents publicly calling for Sil-ver’s resignation at that time and has been championing legislative reforms since May 2013. Buchwald said, if any-thing, the amendment should act as a deterrent for this kind

of behavior. “My biggest focus is get-

ting public officials to think twice before they engage in corruption,” Buchwald previ-ously told the Review.

A pension forfeiture bill was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, in 2011 which only goes as far as to strip a convicted person’s pension from 2011 and on. Therefore, the law wouldn’t be retroactively applied to those receiving a state pension before the date when the bill became law.

The amendment now still needs to be reconciled and voted on a second time by the state Legislature in 2017. If the bills pass then they would each appear on a statewide ballot via a public referendum either in the same year or the following one.-Reporting by John Brandi

A New York state constitutional amendment to strip taxpayer-funded pensions from elected officials at the state and local levels who commit felonies has just passed the state Assembly, advancing the measure to eventually reach voters by 2017. The measure comes on the heels of Sheldon Silver’s arrest back in January in the face of corruption charges. Photo courtesy assembly.state.ny.us/Sheldon-Silver

If you enjoy slapstick comedy, then Kimmie (female) and Keno (male) are just for you! These beautiful tuxedo kittens (3-and-a-half months old) are hilarious and seem to just fall out of the air with their leaps. Happy, outgoing and affectionate, they’ll quickly become your new best friends. They do have a mild neurological disorder called cerebellar hypoplasia, CH, which can cause a little wobbling. However, it is not progressive nor does it affect their overall health. Their slight imperfection is endearing and they will definitely steal your heart. Kimmie and Keno were born in late March, are in excellent health and up to date with all vaccinations. Why not donate to Larchmont Pet Rescue $80 for each, plus a $60 spay/neuter deposit? Visit ny-petrescue.org or call us at 835-3332 for more information. (Submitted)

The next two elections— 2011 and 2013—have been close, and Linhardt expects the same this year. And with no national or state elections, the strategist said he expects a low voter turnout, mean-ing the race will come down to who does a better job of grassroots campaigning to make their name known to voters. That’s where Just-Mi-chael’s $61,000 will help her, he said.

“Sheila [Marcotte] is the incumbent; she’s starting with higher name recognition. So, she doesn’t have to introduce herself to the voters, unlike Haina [Just-Michael],” Lind-hardt said. “As the challenger, [Just-Michael] has to persuade voters why they shouldn’t vote for the incumbent, and you need a lot of money for that.”

Marcotte believes she’s the underdog going into the elec-tion season, but, as in years past, she said she’ll have enough money to fund her campaign and will again focus her campaign on her record of keeping the county property tax levy flat.

“Both candidates will have the necessary resources to run their campaigns, and I look

JUST-MICHAEL from page 1

forward to bringing my cam-paign to our wonderful neigh-bors in Eastchester, Tuckahoe and New Rochelle,” Marcotte said. “But I’m proud to run on my record.

Marcotte pointed to her work as the chairwoman of the Budget and Appropria-tions Committee, ensuring fis-cal discipline and holding the county property tax levy flat for the past five years.

“To those who say we should increase the property tax levy, I’m happy to have that debate,” she said.

Ultimately, Linhardt, who has donated to Just-Michael’s campaign, said the race will come down to two areas that each candidate has to “lose closer in.”

For Just-Michael, he said the unincorporated Town of

Eastchester, considered a Re-publican stronghold, is pivot-al. And for Marcotte, it’s the North End of New Rochelle, which is largely comprised of Democrats.

According to Linhardt, Mar- cotte’s defeat of Jacobs in 2013 was largely due to New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, who challenged Astorino for the county ex-ecutive seat, poor showing in the North End of New Rochelle.

Legislators are elected to serve two-year terms for a base annual salary of $49,000. The next Westchester County Board of Elections filing date for campaign finances is Oct. 2, and Election Day is Tues-day, Nov. 3.


New Rochelle’s Haina Just-Michael, left, the Democratic challenger to Westchester County Legislator Sheila Marcotte, is off to a strong start having already collected $61,000 in campaign contributions. File photos


Local teen named one of top youth volunteers State Sen. Andrea Stewart-

Cousins, the Senate Democratic leader, recognized Jake Gallin, 13, of New Rochelle for be-ing named as one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for his volunteer work on behalf of military families.

Gallin was nominated by Volunteer New York and select-ed by the Prudential Foundation as a National Honoree from a field of more than 33,000 youth volunteers from across the country.

“Jake Gallin’s efforts to rec-ognize the sacrifices made by military families, whether they have a loved one serving in the military currently, or have lost a family member who made the ultimate sacrifice, is exem-plary” said Stewart-Cousins. “He continues to volunteer his time, to raise money and awareness with his ‘Stars for Cars’ initiative, and as a result, he has received well-deserved national, and now state recog-nition.”

The seventh grader at the Albert Leonard Middle School in New Rochelle created “Stars for Cars,” a fundraising and outreach initiative for mili-tary families. Gallin has raised more than $19,000 for the United Service Organization, USO, by selling star-shaped magnets for cars that honor military families at starsfor-cars.org.

Gallin thanked Stewart-Co- usins for the honor. “It was great—a once-in-a-lifetime op-portunity. I was so glad to be there, to take part in it. I’m so grateful,” he said.

Gallin’s parents, Ally and Tom, accompanied him. Mr. Gallin said, “It’s another mile-stone for Jake and another platform for Jake to get his message out.”

Gallin’s inspiration for the initiative occurred in 2011, when he was 8 years old. He was watching a TV talk show, and heard First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, the

vice president’s wife, talking about the needs of military families. Teresa Arciola of Elmsford, a Gold Star mother who lost her son, Michael, in Iraq in 2005, was also on the program.

Gallin will tell you that Obama reminded the audience that 1 percent of our country is protecting the other 99 per-cent. He took it to heart, and started “Stars for Cars” to raise awareness for the sacri-fices military families make here at home while a loved one is serving in the military, a Blue Star family, or is lost while serving in the military, a Gold Star family.

Gallin has also reached out to schools across New York state to make the “3 Holidays Announcements,” on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Sept. 11, also known as Patriot Day.

The message is, “We take

this time to remember our ‘Blue and Gold Star’ military families and thank them for their sacrifice and generosity, and we want them to know that we are part of their com-munity.”

More than 100 schools and districts in New York have signed on to make these pub-lic announcements. Stewart-Cousins delivered the Veteran’s Day announcement with Gallin at his school last November.

Gallin plans to donate the personal award of $5,000 to Volunteer New York and an-other $5,000 grant he also got from the Prudential Foundation to the USO.

The Prudential Spirit of Community awards is a na-tional youth recognition pro-gram sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. (Submitted)

New Rochelle’s Jake Gallin, 13, was recently recognized for his work on behalf of military families. Contributed photo


Bond refinancing nets savings to city

Take seasonal precautions to avoid West Nile The Westchester County

Department of Health advises residents to prevent mosqui-to bites after both Rockland County and New York City reported that batches of mos-quitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus. The mosqui-toes were collected in Clark-stown, Queens and Staten Island. While no mosquitoes found in Westchester County have tested positive for the vi-rus to date, this is the time of year when the health depart-ment expects to find them.

“Given the fact that our neighbors have reported posi-tive mosquitoes, it is safe to as-sume that mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus are also present here in Westchester County,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler. “The recent rain we’ve had also provides optimal breeding conditions for mosquitoes that can carry the virus. I urge all residents to re-move standing water from their property and to take personal protective measures against mosquito bites when spending time outdoors.”

Last year, seven positive mosquito batches were found in Westchester County and two human cases of West Nile virus were reported. The health department has sent more than 40 batches of mos-quitoes for testing since it be-gan collecting them in early June, and will continue col-lecting batches of mosquitoes throughout the season.

As part of its integrated pest management strategy, the health department evaluated more than 53,000 catch basins. Of those, nearly 40,000 that held standing water have been treated with larvicide, and this work is nearly completed. The department also gave away 400 pounds of free minnows

to property owners with ponds. The minnows reduce the mos-quito population by feeding on larvae and pupae before they emerge into adult mosquitoes. Once positive pools are identi-fied, the department will also send out inspectors to try to lo-cate and eradicate any standing water. If needed, storm drains in the area also would be re-treated with larvicide.

To help eliminate mosquito breeding grounds:

• Remove standing water around your home. After it rains, walk around and look for toys, flower pots or similar water-holding containers that should be overturned or put in-side to avoid collecting water.

• Cover outdoor trash con-tainers to keep rainwater from accumulating inside.

• Drill holes in the bottoms of recycling containers that are left outdoors.

• Clean roof gutters and re-move standing water from flat roofs.

• Drain water in birdbaths, plant pots and drip trays twice a week.

• Sweep driveways after it rains so they are free of pud-dles.

Clean and chlorinate swim-ming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs. Keep them emp-ty and covered if not in use; drain water that collects in pool covers.

To reduce your risk of mos-quito bites:

• Avoid being outdoors in places and during times where

and when mosquitoes are ac-tive and feeding.

• Use insect repellents with no more than 30 percent DEET, but use them sparingly and with care.

• Select the lowest concen-tration effective for the amount of time spent outdoors.

• DEET should only be ap-plied once daily. Repellents with a concentration of 10 per-cent are effective for about two hours, and those with a con-centration of 24 percent offer about five hours of protection. Repellents containing DEET are not recommended for use on children under 2 months old. Carefully read and follow the package directions, and wash treated skin when mos-quito exposure has ended.

• Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts and socks when outdoors and at times when mosquitoes are active.

• Make sure doors and win-dows have tight-fitting screens and repair or replace screens that have tears or holes.

Residents who notice large areas of standing water on public property should report this to the Westchester County Depart-ment of Health at 813-5000 or by email at westchestergov.com/health under “Contact.”

For more health informa-tion, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/wchealthd-ept, follow us on Twitter @wchealthdept or visit west-chestergov.com/health. (Submitted)

Taking advantage of contin-ued low market interest rates, the City of New Rochelle at the end of June sold approxi-mately $4.5 million of general obligation refunding bonds, otherwise known as refunding bonds, to replace higher-inter-est bonds issued in 2005 and 2007. The maturity schedule of the refunding bonds mirrors

that of the issue being refund-ed and will produce budgetary savings of $260,000 over the next 13 years for an average savings to taxpayers of about $20,000 per year.

“This is another example of our diligent efforts to reduce our budgetary expenses with-out impacting the services pro-vided to our taxpayers,” City

Manager Chuck Strome said. “The sale of the refunding bonds at very favorable inter-est rates attests to the strength of the city’s credit worthiness.”

The city is scheduled to close on these bonds on July 8. The refunding bonds will be held in escrow until the respec-tive redemption dates of the existing bonds. (Submitted)

Cities such as New Ro-chelle, Rye, White Plains and the Village of Rye Brook are among the other municipalities in Westchester that already im-pose the tax on hotel patrons.

In 2011, Rye Brook set the precedent as the only non-city to secure the tax. White Plains, New Rochelle and Rye an-nually collect approximately $1 million, $300,000 and $150,000 annually in hotel taxes, respectively, while Rye

HoTEL from page 1

Brook collects approximately $630,000 annually.

New Rochelle has two ho-tels within its city limits: the Residence Inn Marriott on LeCount Place and the Radis-son at 1 Radisson Plaza, with plans in the works for a third.

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, a Democrat, said a new Vib Hotel, which is Best Western’s boutique brand, is “likely coming to downtown New Rochelle” on

Church Street. Bramson said the hotel would be an eight-story structure with 80 rooms and could generate “tens of thousands of dollars” in hotel taxes to the city.

“This [is] an enormously pos-itive addition to the downtown,” Bramson said, “and an indicator that the development communi-ty and investors see great oppor-tunity in our downtown.”


AG announces arrest of nursing home aide Attorney General Eric

Schneiderman announced on June 22 the arrest of Ekua Hakikson, a certified nurse aide who worked at United Hebrew Geriatric Center in New Rochelle for allegedly dropping an 85-year-old pa-tient from a mechanical lift.

On Aug. 29, 2013, Hakikson attempted to move the resident by herself with the use of a me-chanical lift. During the trans-fer, the resident allegedly fell to the floor suffering injuries to her nose, temple and shoulder.

“The irresponsible conduct by this aide put the safety of an elderly patient at serious risk,” Schneiderman said. “Nurses and aides who care for the el-derly and infirm must put the well-being of those for whom they care first. We will con-

tinue to prosecute and hold ac-countable those who endanger the health of our most vulner-able citizens.”

Hakikson, 38, of Bronx County, was responsible for the daily care of residents at the Geriatric Center. Hakikson was assigned to provide care for an 85-year-old resident who suffered from several de-bilitating physical ailments that rendered her totally de-pendent upon the staff for her care. Due to her physical condition, the resident's care plan required a mechanical lift and two persons to move her from her bed to a wheelchair. Hakikson had been trained in the use of mechanical lifts in-cluding the necessity of two persons in performing any transfer to ensure the safety

of the resident.Hakikson is charged by fel-

ony complaint with endanger-ing the welfare of an incom-petent or physically disabled person in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person or an incompetent or physically disabled person in the second degree, both Class E felonies. She is also charged with two counts of willful violation of health laws, which are Class A misdemeanors. She faces up to four years in prison.

The charges against the defendant are merely accu-sations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The defen-dant was arraigned on June 22 in New Rochelle City Court. (Submitted)

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The City of New Rochelle was reauthorized this year to implement a 3 percent hotel occupancy tax on patrons. As a result, the city collects approximately $300,000 annually in tax from its area hotels like the Radisson, pictured. Photo courtesy radisson.com


Business Briefs

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties acquires

Tri-Crest Realty, Inc.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Westchester County. Selectively chosen by Berkshire Ha-thaway HomeServices and HomeServices of America, the global reach, financial strength and fresh brand make Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England and Westchester Properties the premiere real estate firm in the Northeast. Whether it’s residential, commercial, corporate relocation, equestrian or waterfront living, our company and Realtors® are local market experts committed to providing excep-tional service to our clients. For more informa-tion, visit bhhsNEproperties.com. (Submitted)

New agents join Houlihan Lawrence in Westchester

Houlihan Lawrence is pleased to announce new additions to their Armonk, East Fishkill, LaGrangeville, Katonah, New Rochelle, Pel-ham and Yorktown offices. The longstanding regional market leader, which ranks among the top 15 brokerages nationally by sales volume, sells about one third of all homes north of New York City—more than double the sales of its closest competitor.

Please find information regarding the New Rochelle and Pelham branches below.

New Rochelle:The combination of renovating her sec-

ond home, and an addiction to house flipping shows, initially drew Melanie Williams to real estate. As a real estate salesperson, she brings more than 10 years of experience to the broker-age’s New Rochelle office. Previously working in public relations and sales, Williams found a passion for helping first-time buyers, and was inspired by the Houlihan Lawrence team’s cut-ting edge technology ways and strong commu-nication skills. Currently residing in New Ro-chelle with her husband and two children, Wil-liams also serves on the Boys & Girls Club of America’s fundraising committee. She can be reached at 636-6700 ext.19438.

Houlihan Lawrence’s New Rochelle of-fice is located at 15 Quaker Ridge Road, New Rochelle.

Pelham:With her strong background in interior de-

sign, Christine Gesky-Farahat brings a keen eye to Houlihan Lawrence’s Pelham office as a real estate salesperson. Her sense of style, plentiful experience and confidence allows her to em-brace each client, identifying their ever-precise need to make a house a home. Originally from Wantagh, Long Island, the creative gardener, culinary enthusiast and traveler currently re-sides in Pelham, her home for the past 15 years, alongside her husband and two children. She can be reached at 738-2006 ext.12273.

Houlihan Lawrence’s Pelham office is locat-ed in the Pelham Metro-North train station at 1 Pelhamwood Ave., Pelham.

About Houlihan Lawrence:Built upon more than 125 years of family

tradition, Houlihan Lawrence, the leading bro-kerage in New York City’s northern suburbs, is committed to exceeding expectations in every aspect of the real estate process. The firm today serves over 90 communities with 30 offices and more than 1,200 agents, leveraging global part-

ners on six continents and in 56 countries. The company ranks among the Top 15 of all broker-ages nationally and achieved a total sales vol-ume of $5.3 billion in 2014. For more informa-tion, visit houlihanlawrence.com, on Twitter @HoulihanRE and on Instagram @houlihanlaw-rence. (Submitted)

Bronxville newcomers win ‘Best of Westchester’

Congratulations to three new Bronxville businesses for winning the 2015 “Best of West-chester” honors put forth by Westchester Maga-zine’s annual ballot: North (Best New Women’s Boutique), Candy Rox (Best Retro Candy) and Soccer and Rugby Imports (Best New Sports Shop).

Other top winners include J Pocker & Son (Best Frame Shop), Gramatan/Bayside Trav-el (Best Travel Agency), SilverSpoon (Best Baby Gifts), Adrian East (Best Baby Clothes), Weezie D (Best Women’s Boutique), Early Childhood Center at Sarah Lawrence College (Best Preschool), Nora Montoya who teaches at the Bronxville Adult School (Best Personal Trainer), Paws and Play (Best Pet Spa), Polpet-tina (Best Neighborhood Restaurant) and Kevin Chin Golf (Best Golf Pro). (Submitted)

Weichert, Realtors in Larchmont recognized for regional awards

Nicholas Germak, regional vice president of Weichert, Re-altors, announced the Larch-mont office was recognized for outstanding performance in May. The office led the region, which is comprised of locations throughout the Orange, West-chester and Rockland counties in New York and portions of Connecticut, in new home dollar volume and resale dollar volume.

In addition, Weichert, Real-tors, announced sales associ-ates Patricia Moccia and Bo-nita “Bonnie” Scarimbolo of the Larchmont office were in-dividually recognized for their exceptional industry success during the month of May. Both top producers, Moccia led the region for new home dollar volume, while Scarimbolo led for resales and resale dollar volume.

To learn about the real estate services that Weichert, Realtors has to offer, visit Weichert’s Larchmont office at 2090 Boston Post Road, or call 833-0800.

About Weichert, Realtors:Since 1969, Weichert, Realtors has grown

from a single office into one of the nation’s lead-ing providers of homeownership services by put-ting its customers first. A family of full-service real estate and financial services companies, Weichert helps customers buy and sell both resi-dential and commercial real estate, and stream-lines the delivery of mortgages and home and title insurance. Weichert leverages its customer website, weichert.com, one of the most visited real estate websites in the nation, to help fami-lies and individuals realize the dream of hom-eownership through quick and easy access to listing information and the services of its real estate professionals nationwide. For more infor-mation, Weichert’s customer service center can be reached at 1-800-USA-SOLD (872-7653). (Submitted)

The next Business Briefs section will run in August. Please send any submission for

our August edition to [email protected], with “Business” in the subject line of your email. Each submission may include

one picture. If you have any questions, email us at [email protected].

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties announced on July 6 the acquisition of Tri-Crest Realty, Inc., a 30-agent brokerage operating in Eastchester and the low-er Hudson Valley. The transaction gives New England Properties a total of 56 offices, more than 1,600 agents operating in four states and an even larger presence in New York’s thriving Westchester County market.

New England Properties entered the West-chester County market on July 1 with the ac-quisition of Prudential Centennial Realty. The acquired companies now operate as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Westchester Proper-ties to reflect their local market expertise.

Broker Veronica Meola will continue leading the Eastchester office. “Veronica is a dynam-ic, positive and dedicated manager,” said New England Properties President and CEO Candace Adams. “Her team is skilled, professional and productive. All told, the brokerage is well-suit-ed for our organization with a wonderful culture and similar core values.”

Meola said, “We’ve been the No. 1 brokerage in our Eastchester market for many years run-ning. Nothing can stop us from reaching new heights with our powerful Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand and New England Proper-ties ownership. Candace Adams and the com-pany are class acts and we’re proud to be part of the family.”

New England Properties is Berkshire Hatha-way HomeServices’ sixth-largest brokerage for volume and one of its first affiliates. The com-pany will continue strategic expansion in key markets. “Our vision is to grow our company organically and through acquisition of high-quality brokerages. Of course, we’re always looking for top-notch real estate professionals with a passion for client service,” Adams said.

With their transition, Westchester Proper-ties agents gain access to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ Global Network Platform–a ro-bust suite of real estate tools and resources–plus professional education, business consultation, marketing support and the exclusive Luxury Collection program for high-end listings. All resources are geared for premium client service and support.

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England and Westchester Propeties:

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England and Westchester Properties is a lead-ing real estate brokerage firm with more than 1,600 Realtors® operating in Connecticut,


SOWE launches music festivalThe Southern Westchester

2015 Music Festival, produced in association with 107.1 The Peak, features a lineup of top national and regional artists performing on multiple stages, presenting a wide variety of world class rock, folk, alter-nate and indie bands on Satur-day, Sept. 19.

Artists scheduled to per-form include: Felix Cava-liere’s Rascals, Marc Cohn, David Johansen, Shawn Mul-lins, Willie Nile, Cheerleader, Steve Forbert, Andrew Belle, Joe D’urso & Stone Caravan, HeyDaze, Third Story and East Love. Many more artists will be added in the next few weeks. Check out sowemu-sicfestival.com for an updated schedule, ticket information, parking and more. Tickets are on sale now.

The Southern Westchester, SOWE, 2015 Music Festival offers a variety of wine, beer, food trucks and delicacies from around the world. In ad-dition, it will feature dozens of rides and games for kids, plus a full complement of activities the entire family can enjoy.

“Westchester Family is thrilled to partner with Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in offering a Family Fun Zone at the upcoming SOWE Mu-sic Festival,” said Jean Sheff, associate publisher and editor of the magazine. “We hope all our readers will come out and enjoy the day. We guarantee it will be fun.”

Harbor Island Park, located at 123 Mamaroneck Ave. in Mamaroneck, is the perfect setting for an outdoor music festival, with 44 waterfront acres encompassing a salt water beach, sprayground, pavilion, restrooms, showers, marina, boat launching area, docks, fishing floats, tennis club, picnic tables, benches, swing benches, ball fields, play fields, parking and more.

Early bird tickets are avail-able through July 31. VIP tick-ets, which include tented hos-pitality lounges, VIP parking and access closest to the stages

are also available for this day-long celebration.

“We are excited to pro-duce live music shows in ad-dition to our successful food and wine festivals,” said Rich Baumer, founder of SOWE. “The demand for quality live music in Westchester County is very strong, and our lineup this year delivers a wide range of great nationally-touring acts in a fun, exciting, family atmosphere. With 107.1 The Peak involved, you can be sure to hear your favorite bands and find some great new ones, as well.”

Chris Herrmann, program director for 107.1 The Peak said, “At 107.1 The Peak we are always excited about live rock and roll music and our in-volvement in the 2015 SOWE Music Festival helps to ex-pand the live music offering in Westchester. After all who doesn’t like listening to great live music in an amazing set-ting?”

As a station dedicated to “New York’s Backyard,” 107.1 The Peak is actively support-ing emerging local artists with a new weekly feature “The 9:37 Local.” Original acts are invited to submit music for the chance to hear it played and promoted on The Peak. Dur-ing the weeks leading up to

the SOWE 2015 Music Fes-tival, artists featured on “The 9:37 Local” will also be in-vited to take part in an online “Battle of the Bands” to win a spot in the lineup at the festi-val. This will be an added op-portunity for promotion both for the sponsors and the par-ticipating bands, with a strong presence on social media and The Peak’s website 1071the-peak.com.

Sponsors include: Houlihan Lawrence, Westchester Medi-cal Center, Morgan Stanley, Whole Foods, Westchester Magazine, Hometown Media Group, Doral Arrowwod Hotel and many more. Captain Law-rence, recently named Best Craft Brewery in the Hudson Valley by TAP New York, will be on hand for the third straight year.

Please keep your eyes out for announcements in the near future with details on addition-al performing artists, activities and food and beverage choices available, as well as how to get tickets, VIP passes and more. SOWE 2015 Music Festival is a rain or shine event.

Follow us on Instagram, @sowemusicfest; Facebook, @sowefoodfest; Twitter, @sowemusicfest; and LinkedIn, linkedin.com/company/sowe-music-festival. (Submitted)

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world you care about yourself. Don’t overdo the jewelry or cologne. Be sure your haircut represents who you are. Be kind, be gentle and be patient. Most importantly, be yourself. Don’t try too hard. The “girl next door” is looking for a guy who is “real.” Ask the universe to bring you the girl of your dreams. Then when it feels right, go for it. Good luck.

Dear Tonia:It’s been a long time since

my husband and I have gone out on a date. With our kids recently out of the house, I’d like to start “dating” him again. What can he wear on our date night to look current, but not look like he’s at a business meeting or sports event with the guys, without breaking the bank?

R.S., Larchmont

Dear R.S.:Don’t worry about what

he should wear. Think about what you’re going to be wear-ing. Create the mood you are seeking with the message you are sending in your dress. Re-member that beauty is a pres-ence of mind, a strong body and a glow from the inside. Try to recall what attracted him initially.

If you’re so worried about what he should be wearing, then you are already too con-trolling. That is definitely not what attracted him to you at

the onset. Be alluring, flirt with him, laugh at his jokes, and allow him to be the man and I guarantee you will have a great time.

Dear Tonia:With the warmer weather, I

love maxi dresses, especially on those days I have no desire to shave my legs. I have short-er dresses, but they no longer “look right.” What is the appro-priate dress length these days?

T.G., Mamaroneck

Dear T.G.:Summer is a great time to

wear dresses—both long and short are in style. Maxi dresses are great, so long as they are not too big. Choose a more slender, flattering style. Short dresses are fun and flirty. Flats work with both lengths, but heels will naturally sway your hips and create a sexier look.

If you are under 25, more fitted styles will look racy with heels but if you’re over 40, be careful you don’t come across as looking trashy. The middle-ground between a short and long dress is one that is three-fourths in length, which will make your legs look curvy. Show your ankles and at least half of your calves.

Dear Tonia:I have been described as a

“man’s man.” Recently I’ve been thinking about settling down and dating again. I know I have to spruce up my ward-robe since all I own are T-shirts and jeans. I have no interest in high-maintenance girls, but I’d like to attract the “girl next door.” How do I make the tran-sition from hanging out with my buddies to impressing that special someone?

J.B., Pelham

Dear J.B.: To begin the transition, go

out with just one other friend, rather than a group of guys, as you will be more approach-able and taken more seriously about looking for that special someone. Be sure your T-shirt is crisp and clean and free of any graphics, especially beer or bar logos. Your jeans should not be too long and should fit you properly. Wear nice shoes for the evening, or clean, nice sneakers for the afternoon. Boating shoes are also accept-able. If the weather permits, wear a linen blazer, perhaps black, over a crisp white T-shirt. Be sure you are clean-shaven and groomed.

Looking like you make the effort to look good tells the

Dating again, and the long and short of it

TONIA SAYSTonia Tagliaferro

For more information, you can contact Tonia at [email protected],

visit her website online at artofdressing.net or call 441-9335.


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July 24 & 31, 2015 • THE CITy REvIEw • 15SPORTS

the golf course. On the 18th and final hole, a

par 4, I lined up for my last tee shot of the day and “blasted” a 290-yard drive right down the heart of the fairway. It was my best shot of the day, and de-spite the fact that I followed it up with an embarrassing three

putt, I was positively beaming as I headed back to the club-house for a cold beer and some much-needed air conditioning.

Nobody in their right mind would have mistaken me for Jordan Speith or Dustin John-son, or even someone who had the slightest bit of idea what

he was doing on the course. But after that last drive, at

least to me, none of that mat-tered. Golf can be an aggra-vating game. But even for a duffer like me, there’s a lot of fun to be had.


Amid all the excitement surrounding the PGA Open Championship this past week-end, from the weather delays to Tiger’s drought and the emergence of amateur Paul Dunne, there’s one golf story that may have been overlooked by major media outlets: my re-turn to the links.

On Sunday, after nearly a decade away from golf, I once again teed the ball up, eager to give the sport that bedeviled me in my youth another chance.

Given my long layoff, the results were predictably aw-ful, but if my loop proved one thing, it’s that no matter how frustrating this sport can be, all it takes are a few good shots to make you want to come back.

Now, as far as golf goes, I was never technically “good.” But it wasn’t from lack of try-ing. I got into the sport around

Teeing offhigh school, and for about six years, I did my best to get out on the course whenever possi-ble. Things really took off for me in college, where, despite living on a shoestring budget, $8 rounds at the local munici-pal course ensured I was out there at least once a week.

Which isn’t to say I’ve ever really improved much. Sure I could hit the irons OK, but once you put me within 30 yards of the green, I would turn into Ralph Kramden try-ing to smack a pincushion in his kitchen.

And after college, I just never made the time to pick up the clubs. Between my work schedule and the fact that most of my weekends in the spring and summer were taken up with my men’s baseball league, it was one of those things that just fell by the wayside.

That is, until a rare bye-week offered a few of my bud-dies and me the chance to hit up the Pelham Bay course on Sunday afternoon.

My friends are all decent golfers, so I was admittedly concerned when I accepted their invitation. I tried to knock off some of the rust on Friday afternoon with a quick trip to the range, which only served to reaffirm my fears that whatev-er golf skills I once possessed were now lost to time.

But I went out on Sunday anyway, flawed swing and all, to see what I could do.

I’d love to say I shot a 79, but mostly, I stunk.

My first two drives of the day went maybe a combined 60 yards. When I did con-nect with my irons, I invari-ably sailed shots way over the green, forcing players in the next tee box to scramble for cover, then shake their fists at me in rage.

But halfway through the round, things started to come together. My balls were fly-ing straighter, my putts were truer, and fewer exple-tives were coming out of my mouth—always a good sign on

Sports Editor Mike Smith prepares to tee off at Pelham Bay Golf Course on July 19. For his first time swinging the wrenches in nearly a decade, he didn’t do half bad. Contributed photo

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Follow @cityreviewnr for Mike’s live, in-game action updates

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16 • THE CITy REvIEw • July 24 & 31, 2015 SPORTSRye summer league grows

By MIKE SMITHSports Editor

In its second year of exis-tence, the Rye Resurrection Basketball League contin-ues to grow, providing local youths the chance to hit the hardwood with their friends twice a week during the dog days of summer.

In its inaugural season in 2014, the league boasted 48 players, aged 14 to 17, on four teams that squared off two times a week at Resurrection’s newly-renovated Doty Gymna-sium. This summer, the league has jumped to six teams with 75 youths registered to play. Games are played at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. each Monday and Thursday, with high school-certified officials overseeing the action.

According to Resurrec-tion Rev. Monsignor Donald Dwyer, while expansion was the plan, the turnout this year proved a real treat.

“It was a happy surprise,” Dwyer said. “A lot of it is word of mouth, although we do send out extensive emails. But the kids vote with their feet and by coming to the gym.”

Dwyer was quick to point out that several adults in the community have embraced the league as well.

“Parents are delighted that the kids have something to do a couple of nights a week dur-ing the summer,” he said

The 2015 schedule kicked off on June 25 and will run until July 30. With 12 to 13 players per team, and many of those athletes currently play-ing in high school basketball programs at schools like Rye, Rye Neck, Fordham Prep and Iona Prep, Dwyer said that the real challenge was ensuring that the teams were balanced and competitive.

“We have coaches who know these kids, who have seen them play,” the monsi-gnor said. “So when we put the teams together, we try to sort by talent and height and we’ve been happy with the balance.”

With players on each squad currently playing at the varsity level, and others who played at the JV level last winter, Dwyer

said that most contests are de-cided by only a few points.

“We deliberately do not have playoffs because we want it to be a fun league without a lot of pressure,” he said. “We just want the kids to play bas-ketball and have fun and I’m amazed at how many ‘A’ qual-

ity players we have.”Pleased with the success of

the league so far, Dwyer said there have been internal dis-cussions about future expan-sion, but so far, nothing is set in stone.

“I had a number of kids who approached me after the

registration, so do I think we could get 88 kids and add more teams,” he said. “I’ve talked with the officials, and we have two gyms, but the players do like playing [at the Doty Gymnasium].”


Skyler Twyman drives towards the hoop.

Two players battle for a jump ball during a Rye Resurrection Summer League game on July 20. The league is now in its second year and continues to grow.

AJ Thompson goes strong to the basket at Rye’s Doty Gymnasium.

Brett Egan splits two defenders on July 20. The Rye Resurrection League grew by 19 players this summer. Photos/Bobby Begun

city review-new rochelle 7-24-2015

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