Murphy vs. de Blasio;Round II

Latimer for County Exec? Dems Scramble for Candidates

A Wedding Gown’s Second Life

Follow the Money, Not the Cuomo vs. Feds Showdown Matchmaker Coming to

Empire City Casino

By Dan Murphy Three years ago, in 2014, New York City

Mayor Bill de Blasio led an effort to raise cam-paign funds for State Senate Democrats to help defeat Republican state senators, including State Sen. Terrence Murphy who represents the 40th district including parts of northern Westchester.

De Blasio’s murky use of the campaign fi-nance laws resulted in $200,000 in campaign

funds being spent on television ads and mailings dumping on Murphy, who won re-election regard-less.

Last year, the bad blood between Murphy and de Blasio continued when de Blasio testi-fied in Albany for mayoral control of New York City public schools. The feud continued last week during a joint legislative hearing on the proposed

By Dan Murphy With Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano drop-

ping out of the race for Westchester County executive, and with several county Democrats not satisfied with the prospect of County Leg-islator Ken Jenkins as their nominee for CE, party leaders and elected officials are consid-ering their options and prodding Democrats to challenge incumbent County Executive Rob-

ert Astorino this November. The list of Westchester Democrats get-

ting phone calls over the past week include State Sen. George Latimer, Assemblymem-ber Amy Paulin, County Board Chairman Michael Kaplowitz and Assemblyman Tom Abinanti.

Paulin, like several other prominent coun-

By Robert Kalfus Shortly after John and Jacqueline Cock-

erill’s daughter Paige was born, on Nov. 1 of last year, they searched for a special and memorable item for their daughter’s christening.

Jackie had first planned to donate her wed-ding dress to Brides Across America, a worth-

while charity in which brides’ wedding dresses are donated to the wives of American service-men who perhaps cannot easily afford a wedding dress, before their loved ones deploy overseas. But Jackie’s friend had met and recommended a remarkably skilled seamstress in Yonkers.

Editor’s note: We received the following sub-mission regarding “I Love NY” tourism signs that are featured along the New York State Thruway, which points to a rush to install the signs, not building the signs in New York, and violations of federal laws in their installation. By Peter Feinman

Jon Campbell, the Albany correspondent for Gannet, on Nov. 2 reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal under the byline “Politics on the Hudson” on an exciting new tourist development in our dysfunctional state. According to his report, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had the Department of Transporta-tion install “514 highway signs touting its tourism

programs despite a federal ruling explicitly prohib-iting the state from doing so.”

The investigation, through parent com-pany USA Today, documented that the “Federal Highway Administration has repeatedly notified Cuomo’s administration over the past three years that the signs violate federal and state law, which contain strict rules for what can and cannot be dis-played on major roadways.”

New York had submitted a formal request to the Federal Highway Administration on May 31, 2013, asking to experiment with the new type of highway signs to boost the state’s tourism pro-

Love and luck are in the air this Valentine’s Day!

Whether you’re single, looking for love, or trying to rekindle a flame, relationship expert Siggy Flicker wants to help. Flicker, professional matchmaker, Star of Bravo’s “The Real House-wives of New Jersey” and best-selling author will be appearing at Empire City Casino on Monday, Feb. 13 to meet and greet fans, share relationship advice, and sign copies of her book “Write Your Own Fairy Tale: The New Rules for Dating, Re-lationships, and Finding Love On Your Terms.”

The event is free, open to the public, and will take place in the casino’s entertainment lounge from 8 to 9 p.m. One-hundred Empire Club members will receive advance invites to a private question-and-answer session with Siggy at 7 p.m., where they will receive a free copy her book.

Not an Empire Club member? Sign up for free at any promotions booth.

Flicker has been a successful matchmaker for more than 20 years. She often cites her own personal relationships as examples for her advice. After she and her husband of 10 years divorced amicably, Flicker acted as his matchmaker. Later, when Flicker remarried, her ex-husband served as the best man at her wedding ceremony.

“Valentine’s Day reminds us that our rela-tionships deserve our attention,” said Flicker. “You deserve a happy relationship, and in fact, wanting it and working hard toward that goal is

the only way it will happen. But you have to have the right, positive attitude.”

Flicker has appeared on a multitude of na-tional television programs offering her advice as a relationship expert, including “Good Morning America,” “Today Show,” “Dr. Phil,” “Joy Behar: Say Anything!,” “The Wendy Williams Show,” “Showbiz Tonight,” “Dr. Drew,” “Access Hol-lywood,” “Fox and Friends,” “Mob Wives” and

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, right, and Westchester State Sen. Terrence Murphy, recently clashed again in Albany.

Assemblyman Tom Abinanti and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin are evaluating a run for county executive this fall, along with State Sen. George Latimer.From left are Jackie and John Cockerill with their daughter, Paige, 3 months old, and seam-

stress Leah Katz in her store at 1692 Central Park Ave., Yonkers.

The cost, legality and manufacturing location of “I love NY” tourism signs have been called into question.

Siggy Flicker

Continued on Page 7

Continued on Page 8Continued on Page 7

Continued on Page 8 Continued on Page 7

Darcy Sues Hezi for $2MDefamation Charges Against Yonkers TribuneBy Dan Murphy

Controversial and prominent website “The Yonkers Tribune” and its publisher Hezi Aris have been hit with a $2 million defamation of charac-ter lawsuit by former Yonkers Fire Commissioner John Darcy. The suit, filed in Westchester County Supreme Court last week, alleges that The Yonkers Tribune published “inaccurate or false statements” on six occasions last year, ac-cusing Darcy of pension fraud.

Most of those six stories penned by Hezi surrounded a long-running claim by the Tribune that Darcy “had applied for fed-eral funds” through a $500,000 grant applica-tion while he was assis-tant chief of the Yonkers Fire Department and, according to the Tribune, that those funds were misappropriated by Darcy.

The lawsuit states that on Aug. 12, 2016, Hezi wrote, “‘Red Truth: $500,000 in Federal Grant Funding Serves John Darcy and Friends.’”

The article associated with that headline also im-plied that Darcy was taking care of himself and a few friends, asking: “Should this personal gain serve Assistant Chief Darcy to embellish his pen-sion to greater height by to this alleged fraud on

the taxpayer’s dime?”The lawsuit also

states that on Sept. 25, 2016, Hezi wrote: “The Darcy situation is one in which he is padding his pension by now hav-ing been paid approxi-mately 20 percent of a $500,000 grant which he applied for.”

Further, the lawsuit states that on Nov. 8, 2016, Hezi wrote: “John Darcy and Mayor Mike Spano Allegedly Engage in Pension Padding,” and “worse assertions of his incendiary and alleg-edly ‘steroid-induced’ verbal and physical out-

bursts against his fellow Yonkers firefighters have earned him a soiled and tarnished reputation.”

The lawsuit claims that the above statements, and others, “were defamatory statements of fact”

Continued on Page 9

‘We believe the articles are defamatory

and that’s why the lawsuit was brought.

The statements written on the website are false

and my client was never contacted to verify accuracy.’ Darcy attorney Robert Corini

WESTCHESTER’S OLDEST AND MOST RESPECTED NEWSPAPERS

www.RisingMediaGroup.comVol 36 Number 6 Friday, February 10, 2017

Send your story ideas, photos, announcements and upcoming events to us at dmurphy@rising mediagroup.com

PAGE 2 - SOUNDVIEW RISING - FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017

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Iona Preparatory Lower School eighth-grader Connor Breen of Scarsdale saw first-hand what it takes to be a school leader during his time as “Principal for a Day,” which took place as part of a slate of Catholic Schools Week activities. Connor made announcements, directed hallway traffic, and instituted a few special rules for the day – including allowing the boys to chew gum as a reward for their hard work.

He also gave out ice cream treats to the students during lunch, and announced a “dress down” day for Thursday.

Connor is part of National Honor Society, the soccer team and basketball team, and is one of the leads in the school’s drama production. Having been at Iona Prep since pre-kindergar-

ten, he will be moving on to Iona Prep’s Upper School for grades nine through 12.

Iona Preparatory Lower School Principal Joseph Blanco introduced Connor to some of the responsibilities of being a principal. Among their discussions was the balancing act between keeping parents, students and teachers happy, while also maintaining order and ensuring the school day runs smoothly. Connor even sug-gested limiting homework for the evening so that students could spend additional time studying for tests.

“Connor knows everyone here and is a great fit as a leader,” said Blanco. “I am sure he will be successful in whatever path he chooses in the future.”

For more information, visit IonaPrep.org.

Iona Prep 8th-Grader Is Principal for a Day

Iona Preparatory Lower School eighth-grader Connor Breen of Scarsdale recently served as principal for a day.

Pelham Memorial High School junior Emily Xu, came in first place at the sixth an-nual Brain Bee on Feb. 1 at Burke Rehabilita-tion Hospital. This local championship for the International Brain Bee is an annual, not-for-profit neuroscience competition for high school students and is designed to encourage them to learn more about the brain while inspiring them to pursue careers in neurology and neurological research.

The contest is open to all students in grades nine through 12. At the event, the students are quizzed on subjects such as human neuroanato-my, neuroscience, types of diagnoses and brain cell identification by a distinguished panel of clinicians and therapists from Burke. This year, more than 40 students registered for the event, coming from high schools throughout West-chester and Long Island, including Scarsdale, Briarcliff, White Plains, Pelham, Stepinac and

Solomon Schecter. “The Brain Bee is a great opportunity for

budding neuroscientists to test their knowledge while also learning more about the brain and nervous system,” said Janet Goodman, LMSW, case manager for Burke’s Brain Injury Program and coordinator for the Brain Bee in Westches-ter. “These young women and men will be the future of neuroscience and this competition helps expose them to the profession and find out how they can be a part of helping discover cures for injuries and illnesses that affect millions of Americans.”

Local Brain Bees make up the first qualify-ing round in the International Brain Bee com-petition. The winners then move on to compete in the national Brain Bee in Washington, D.C. The winner from the U.S. finals will go on to compete in the international championship later in the year.

Pelham Junior Wins 1st Place In Brain Bee at Burke

Emily Xue, center, a Pelham Memorial High School junior who won first place in the sixth annual Brain Bee competition Feb. 1 at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, with second-place

winner Paul Lee, left, and third-place winner Gaurav Sharma.

ATTENTION STUDENTS & PARENTS

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Application forms available online at:

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“Overall, this summer taught me a lot and gave me a ton of latitude to explore stories and build up my clips. Thank you again for the financial support that made it possible.”

The New York Press Association Foundation is sponsoring a paid summer internship at this newspaper for a qualified journalism student.

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FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017 - WESTCHESTER’S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPERS - PAGE 3

The fi ght against public corruption in New York State government has taken a big step in the right direction with the State Legislature re-cently passing Assemblyman David Buchwald’s pension forfeiture proposal.

The constitutional amendment allows the stripping of taxpayer-funded pensions from state and local leaders who commit felonies in connection with their offi ce. With the State Senate passing the constitutional amendment, as well, the Assembly’s passage of the bill en-sures a referendum will be on the ballot for the citizens to vote on later this year.

Enacting a con-stitutional amendment in NYS requires both the State Assembly and Senate to pass the proposal in two con-secutive legislative sessions. Only then does the idea go to the voters to make the fi nal decision on changing the state Constitution. This proposed consti-tutional amendment will now be put before New York voters in a referendum during this year’s general election, which will be held Nov. 7.

“The passage of this constitutional amend-ment marks a turning point in the fi ght against corruption in our government and marks a change in the political culture of Albany,” said Buchwald. “I am emboldened by the State As-sembly and Senate taking a stand against those who abuse the public’s trust. New Yorkers will now get to vote on whether they will tolerate sending taxpayer funds to public servants con-victed of job-related felonies.

“Since my election to the State Assembly, I have worked tirelessly to pass this much-needed measure against public corruption,” he continued. “I thank my Assembly and Senate colleagues who supported this measure from the beginning. Let this be a message to all who live in New York State and those who serve them at the highest levels of government: A corrupt ‘business as usual’ culture in state government will not be tolerated anymore.”

Four years ago, during his fi rst year in offi ce, Buchwald proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow the stripping of taxpayer-funded pension benefi ts from state and local elected offi cials and administrators who are convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust. At the time, Sheldon Silver was the

speaker of the Assembly and the legislation nev-er came to a vote on the Assembly fl oor.

Undeterred, Buchwald re-introduced his pension forfeiture bill each session gaining bi-partisan support with 96 Assembly members signing onto his original bill.

In 2015, Silver and then-Senate Majority leader Dean Skelos were arrested, and later they were convicted on public corruption charges. The day after he was convicted, Silver applied for his public pension.

Buchwald then wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about the need to stop corrupt offi cials from receiving their publicly-funded pensions. With the added attention of this issue, the constitution-al amendment contin-ued to gain bipartisan support in both the New York Senate and Assembly, and a ver-sion of the bill, spon-sored by Buchwald and Sen. Thomas Croci of Hauppauge, was even-tually passed by both houses in June of 2016 for the fi rst time.

Last week, the bill secured its need second passage.

“Public offi cials who break the law shouldn’t get a taxpayer pension, period,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York. “Thanks to Assemblymember Buchwald and Senator Croci�s persistent ef-forts to pass this needed response to our state’s on-going ethics crisis, New York is one step closer to restoring the public’s trust in govern-ment.”

“Citizens Union is pleased that today, the New York’s State Legislature voted for the sec-ond time in support of Assemblymember Buch-wald’s constitutional amendment subjecting the pensions of elected offi cials and other public of-fi cers, convicted of corruption and other such se-rious offenses that violate their oath of offi ce, to possible full or partial revocation,” added Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union.

“This is a needed and sensible policy that allows the sentencing judge to consider factors and context in determining if elected offi cials convicted of wrongdoing related to their posts should surrender the full or partial value of their state pension,” he continued. “This is a key part of the state’s new approach to assigning hefty penalties in the hope that it may help lessen leg-islative corruption.”

Buchwald Law Strips Pensions From Corrupt Offi cialsBy eric W. schoen

While the brave new world of a Donald Trump presidency dominates the news, we return to little, old Yonkers to see if the boys and girls are behaving. Some of these things will boggle your mind!

The school Lunch Debt solution: starve Children?

Did I hear a member of the Yonkers City Council say that to deal with the $809,000 Yonkers Public Schools lunch debt for unpaid break-fasts and lunches, the district should “simply not give meals to children with-out money to force parents to either pay their debts or apply for free or reduced-cost meals?”

Yes, I did. Fortunately, the superintendent of schools and the president of the Board of Edu-cation said that no child will be denied lunch or breakfast. The breakfast and lunch students re-ceive in school might be the only meals they get during the course of the day.

The solution to this problem is not overly complex, but requires some thought. For starters, for students with large unpaid bills, the district needs to send a parent coordinator or other offi -cial to the student’s home at the end of the school day, with the student, to fi nd the parent, guardian or family member who can explain what is going on and fi ll out and sign the appropriate forms. Or pay up.

If the parent coordinator or authorized of-fi cial can’t fi nd anyone at the student’s home or fi nds that the student is not living at the Yonkers address listed in district records – which I bet your bottom dollar is the case – we have a much larger problem.

If the student is not living in Yonkers, the student should not be attending school in Yon-kers. The district can go after the family for funds illegally expended in educating the student in Yonkers. Let’s not forget that those funds are taken away from students who legitimately live in Yonkers and attend Yonkers Public Schools.

Everyone in Yonkers knows there are stu-dents who don’t reside in the city who attend YPS, “draining the swamp” (I had to throw in a Trump-ism) of resources that Yonkers students should be enjoying. Someone must step up to the plate to do something about it.

Teachers Don’t have to Respond to Parent email?

Did I hear there is a contractual question regarding teachers having to respond to emails from parents? I didn’t hear it – I read it in this newspaper.

Let’s just say that for at least 15 years in this country, teachers and administrators have been responding to parent emails, and communicating with parents via email. Granted, not all parents have computer access; but, hey, for those that do, email communication is not something magical coming from the sky. It’s the norm in America.

We fi nally realized that putting fl yers in stu-dent backpacks is not the most advantageous and effi cient way to communicate with parents. It is an insult to any good teacher to tell them they don’t have to respond to emails from parents.

And it is an insult to hardworking parents, and many single-parent families with limited time, to tell them that a teacher or administrator does not have to respond to their emails. If par-ents or guardians take the time to send an email, they deserve the respect of a reply.

This shouldn’t be in contracts; this is basic decency. This is the way education works. Wake up, folks in power in Yonkers – it’s 2017!

Under this cockamamie intermunicipal agreement that came about due to four levels

of checks and balances over the YPS budget failing to do what the Board of Educa-tion gets paid highly to do, the board negotiated union contracts. Then the board brought the contract to the mayor, who must give it his OK and give it to the City Council for approval.

This process was rushed through so that Yonkers could get badly-needed state dollars, according to a state-ment issued by the Yonkers Federation of Teachers: “… The latest contract states

that a committee will be formed to negotiate an email usage agreement, which shall be imple-mented by the 2017-18 school year. The APPR evaluation took most of the negotiation hours with other equally important issues, which con-sumed the balance of the time between the board and the YFT. While there was general agreement on the issue of emails, the risk of losing $30 million in state aid pushed both teams to settle the contract by the state-imposed deadline. The email language agreed to afford the union and the board the ability to dedicate the time it de-serves.”

The mayor’s spokesperson replied: “Yon-kers Public Schools and (the) mayor put (forth) the reasons you stated (need for email usage) and Yonkers Federation of Teachers negotiated it out... You should ask Yonkers Federation of Teachers why they wouldn’t comply.

“(The) mayor also asked for concessions on workers’ compensation and health care, which Yonkers Public Schools got. That was a major giveback.”

I then made it crystal clear, by asking: “To be clear, YPS negotiates (the) contract, (the) mayor must be in agreement with the contract, and present it to City Council?” The answer back from City Hall was, “Yes.”

The bottom line is the mayor has requested that the City Council approve a teachers’ contract that doesn’t require teachers to respond to par-ents’ emails. Out of respect for the hardworking teachers, taxpaying parents, and students, until this issue – which should not be an issue – is re-solved, the City Council should send the contract back to Yonkers Public Schools and the mayor, and approve it only when the issue is resolved. Let’s show some respect to the “customers” of YPS.

Informed Delivery From the Post Offi ce Did you receive a letter from the post offi ce

stating that your zip code is participating in the Informed Delivery program? At fi rst I thought it was a joke: “Participate in this new USPS service enhancement test and get images of the mail that will be placed in your mailbox each day. Black and white images of your actual letter-sized mail pieces, processed by USPS sorting equipment, will be provided to you each morning.”

I don’t know about you, but I want my mail delivered not at 8 o’clock at night, but at a rea-sonable hour – let’s say by 2 p.m.; maybe 3 p.m. … at the latest.

What does this silly program accomplish? It tells you at 9 a.m. that a check you are waiting on will be delivered at 8 p.m. – at night, long after the bank to cash your check is closed.

Ever wonder why the post offi ce is always in fi nancial trouble? Yep, dumb ideas like this!

Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com and follow him on Twitter @ericyon-kers. Catch the Westchester Rising Radio Show featuring Dan Murphy and Eric Schoen on Thursdays at 10 a.m. on WVOX 1460 on the A.M. dial or on the Internet at wvox.com and click on “listen live.”

Yonkers, Believe It or Not

Eric W. Schoen

‘Public officials who break the

law shouldn’t get a taxpayer

pension, period.’ Susan Lerner,

executive director of Common Cause

New York

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Renowned surgeon, public health researcher and writer Dr. Atul Ga-wande will be the guest speaker at the 15th an-niversary celebration of the founding of Beacon Hill Village and the sub-sequent Village Move-ment, which the innova-tive model inspired. His conversation, titled “Be-ing Mortal’s Villages: The Value of Commu-nity and Choice as we Grow Older,” will take place Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. It will be moderated by Robin Young, host of NPR’s “Here and Now,” and feature a discussion on aging, living life with purpose, and how we can transform the possibilities for the later chap-ters in everyone’s lives.

The event will be simulcast from Boston to more than 150 of the 350-plus villages open and in development across the country, includ-ing Gramatan Village. All are welcome to join Gramatan Village for a “viewing party” followed by a reception at the Bronxville Library Yeager Room.

Community and choice are concepts long honored across the U.S. They are also among the life-altering concepts in Dr. Gawande’s seminal book “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Mat-ters in the End,” and the underlying principles of Beacon Hill Village, whose founders were de-termined to remain in their own homes as they aged. To accomplish this goal, they created an organization, a virtual village that opened in Boston’s Beacon Hill in January 2002 and en-abled people greater than 50 years of age the op-tion of choosing how and where they live as they grow older.

The concepts be-hind Beacon Hill Village have spread across the country, thus creating a “Village Movement” and have attracted the inter-est of many countries around the world.

One of the great is-sues worldwide today is how to support and care for aging populations. By 2030, 20 percent of our nation’s population will be greater than 65 – an estimated 83 mil-lion people. The num-bers are even larger in many countries around

the world. The village concept and Dr. Gawa-nde’s profound understanding of the importance of community and choice offer valuable insights and solutions for this challenging phenomenon.

The Village Movement is a burgeoning, world-wide movement that champions an alter-native approach for adults as they grow older. Villages are unique in that they are created by and for older adults, empowering their members to make wise, safe and vibrant choices about how they wish to live.

For more information about or reservations for this important event, call 914-337-1338 or email info@gramatanvillage.org. All are wel-come, but reservations are strongly recommend-ed.

Gramatan Village is a non-profi t member-ship organization that engages community resi-dents who want to remain in the home and neigh-borhood they love. The organization supports aging-in-community with a network of volun-teers, community partnerships and peer connec-tions that enable members to stay independent and fully engaged in the community.

By Peggy godfreyIntroduced as a vision for the present city

yard, the Twining Proposal for this site was dis-cussed at the East End Civic League meeting Jan. 18. This waterfront area is characterized as “hidden from view,” and the Alex Twining Com-pany said it will come up with a fi nal plan for the area in the next year. The public was reminded that in 2006, this company was one of two fi nal-ists for this city yard site, which is presently on the New Rochelle waterfront. The previous plan for the site by Forest City Residential was aban-doned by this fi rm.

Twining’s proposal called the plan “Pratt’s Landing” because it would be planned as an extension of Pratt Street, which is on the other side of Main Street. At the recent meeting, it was suggested that the downtown overlay zone could help shape this new proposal. The use of form-based code zoning was praised as a “bet-ter design,” especially when trade-offs are con-sidered, and the lack of a place to “hang out” at the New Rochelle waterfront now was lamented. However, a mixed-use development of housing and retail was supported by the developer. In ad-dition, walking to the downtown was touted as a “10-minute walk.”

However, the concept of walkability to downtown was called “nonsense,” because resi-dents say a car is needed in New Rochelle.

Some also say a new school will be needed and the developer should have to pay for it.

President of Twining Properties Alex Twin-ing presented the plan and answered questions. He explained that the residential buildings will each have a waterfront view and will be LEED certifi ed. Smaller retail was cited and the need for “a lot of work” on the Armory, and emphasis was placed on the time needed to develop this type of project.

When asked, Twining said four- or fi ve-story condos re projected, and that retail space is planned to take up 80,000 to 100,000 square feet, with perhaps 400 to 450 rental units. These six-

fl oor buildings that will line the front of New Ro-chelle’s Main Street drew immediately criticism.

The brown fi eld cleanup was also empha-sized by Commissioner of Development Luis Aragon, who said, “It is going to be a mess.”

Twining added that he will also ask the In-dustrial Development Corporation for payment in lieu of taxes.

Steve Mayo questioned the premises that re-tail will “take off” downtown because there are many empty stores there now, and Vincent Mal-fetano asked whether there would be any build-ing in front of the Armory, which many believe is undesirable. He also asked about whether the un-derground parking will be above the fl ood plain, stating that Hudson Park was recently damaged in a storm.

Mamaroneck was also cited, because it has a scenic view of the waterfront park.

County Legislator, James Maisano, who represents this area, spoke about the “bait and switch” on this property. He said residents want-ed 150,000 square feet of retail, but the devel-oper came back with 25,000 square feet. Twining replied that he does not want to “over-promise,” and emphasized that “a viable retail plan” is needed. He said he does not want to raise hope that he could fi nd the amount of retail the people wanted.

Aragon said the development fi ts into the downtown plan and would complement it.

Former Mayor Leonard Paduano lamented the face that the City Council does not know anything about New Rochelle or zoning, citing as an example that every other month it has to spot zone.

Ron Tocci talked about the frustration of people in the city and cited the long-active Save Our Armory Committee, which has been concerned about the condition of this Armory – given to New Rochelle in l997 for $1 in good working condition.

Restoring the Armory could only comple-ment the city’s development plans.

Dr. Gawande Speech to be Streamed to Gramatan Village

Another Proposal for New Rochelle’s Echo Bay

Dr. Atul Gawande

Every Monday this month, the Westchester Chordsmen Chorus will offer free singing les-sons to men in and around the county as a com-munity service, from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. at Kol Ami Synagogue, 252 Soundview Road, White Plains.

The six-week program provides coaching and instruction to teach new singers how to sing and experienced singers how to sing better. The simple curriculum will take participants from basic fundamentals to advanced concepts, re-gardless of your current singing ability.

Two series last year (January and June) were attended by more than 30 men.

We all sing in our own way; in church or

synagogue, in the car, in the shower. But many of us are unsure about our ability or about sing-ing in front of others. The Chordsmen want to help you get the most beautiful sound possible from your voice, with the confi dence to per-form.

Can’t read music? No problem – no prior musical experience is needed. Men, young and old, who have always wanted to sing, or want to improve their skills, are welcome.

Keith Harris, who has more than 20 years of vocal teaching experience, leads the talented and equally-experienced music team.

For more information, visit chordsmen.org or call 914-298-SING.

Mowgli, Baloo and King Louie, too, are coming to the White Plains Performing Arts Center and kids in grades two through eight can be a part of it.

The White Plains Performing Arts Center Conservatory Theatre has announced the perfect February break activity for kids: “Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS.” Students will be cast, re-hearse, and perform the 30-minute production. Step into “The Bare Necessities of Life” at the WPPAC Conservatory. The jungle is jumpin’ with a jazzy beat in “Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids.” Specially adapted from the classic Disney animated fi lm, the show features a host of color-ful characters and classic songs from the movie.

Banished by the ferocious tiger Shere Khan, a human boy named Mowgli and his panther friend Bagheera are on the run in the deepest parts of the jungle. On their journey, the two meet a sinister snake named Kaa, a herd of elephants, and a giant bear named Baloo, who

teaches them the swingin’ musical rhythms of the jungle.

After surviving a dangerous encounter with a band of monkeys led by King Louie, Mowgli and Bagheera are forced to run for their lives. When Shere Khan returns, these heroes must rally their fellow animals into battle and restore peace throughout the jungle.

The week-long workshop costs $395 and includes two complimentary tickets to the per-formance, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. Additional tickets are $10 for adults, or $5 for children 16 and younger. For registration and tickets, call 914-328-1600, visit the theatre box offi ce between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or visit wppac.com/shows/the-jungle-book-kids. For group sales, email boxof-fi ce@wppac.com.

White Plains Performing Arts Center is lo-cated on the third level of City Center off Ma-maroneck Avenue in downtown White Plains.

Chordsmen Off er Free Singing Lessons to Men

Kids, Join ‘Jungle Book’ Cast During School Break

Westchester Wanderer:Th e Beat Goes On

By Dennis “Dion” nardone

Oh yes, I remember back in 1967 as song by Sony and Cher called “The Beat Goes On.” Read those lyrics and it appears things haven’t changed. But in this great country of ours, the beat will always continue to go on. It starts or fi nishes with the right blaming the left, the left blaming the right, the Liberals blam-ing the Republicans and, of course, the Republi-cans blaming the Demo-crats/Liberals.

It happens with our government elected offi cials and the voters of this USA.

Yes, I’m a conservative-ideology-think-ing guy. But I really try to be fair (as I do on the radio) to fi nd a middle ground. I say it all can’t be left or right; there has to be a middle thought or decision at times.

That’s why I commend the Independent Democratic Conference Coalition in the State Senate up in Albany, led by State Sen. Jeff Klein. As Democrats, they have tied in with the Republicans (it gives the GOP the major-ity) and effectively have passed some good legislation on the environment, education, etc. It is a coalition of the GOP and Demo-crats working together to get things done, and I commend them for that with the utmost re-spect.

Now, of course your staunch Democratic senators are upset with this coalition and feel that Klein and his six members are not living up to the Democratic way of thinking, accord-ing to the ideology of the party. But as I see it, “the beat goes on” – and it is working.

Let’s draw our attention to Washing-ton. It cannot be any surprise to anyone that President Donald Trump was not going to get right down to work on all those issues he cam-paigned on. Why not? He won the election for a complete change of the past 8eight years. Like it or not, we have to face it – he won the election. The people in this great country have spoken, silent majority or not. Please do not give me that “Well, he lost the popular vote” – that is not our presidential elective process.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner wants to create an “Almost President Museum for Hillary Clinton.” Please, Supervisor Fein-er (the longest reigning election offi cial I be-lieve in Westchester County), you have been in offi ce because you do a good job for your constituents and you have come up with some brilliant ideas, but the “Almost President Mu-seum for Hillary Clinton” … no.

Anyway, back to Trump, and protests

across the country by all kinds and different types of organizations against his various ex-ecutive orders. I follow and watch both sides. I follow the president and watch conclusively his decisions; some I agree with, and some I do not. I watch the protesters in action and listen to their reasons, and I watch how certain companies and the huge box stores and companies drop Trump name items.

The president is go-ing to do what he was

elected to do – simple as that. I will not write and say “give him a chance.” You decide how you feel about what Trump does or doesn’t do. But I do ask that you respect the Offi ce of the President and ask anyone to refrain from disrespectful hate toward the offi ce, the president, his family, and any of our elected offi cials.

In closing, I ask you to read the Jan. 24, 1995 State of the Union Address by then-President Bill Clinton. You will likely fi nd it not too far from the thinking of our president of today:

“All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected, but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public ser-vice they use imposes burdens on our taxpay-ers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefi ts to illegal aliens.

“In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.

“We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ul-timately self-defeating for a nation of immi-grants to permit the kind of abuse of our im-migration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”

As I said, the beat goes on.Tune into Dennis “Dion” Nardone on

WVOX 1460 AM on Thursdays at 2 p.m. for his talk show, and Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for oldies music.

Dennis “Dion” Nardone

FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017 - WESTCHESTER’S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPERS - PAGE 5

Letters to the Editor

The Woman’s Club of White Plains ended its centennial year by presenting $15,000 to the YWCA of White Plains and Central West-chester, continuing a partnership that began in 1921.

“The Woman’s Club of White Plains has a long and beautiful history with the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester, and we couldn’t think of a more fitting way for us to end our centennial year celebration than sup-porting the good work of the YWCA on behalf of our area’s girls, women and families” said Christine Roithmayr, president of the Wom-an’s Club of White Plains Foundation.

Present to accept the check were CEO Maria Imperia and Chief Finance and Ad-ministrative Officer Chrissy Esposito of the YWCA, and Pat Jones and Lynn Pollack from the YWCA Board of Directors.

“The YWCA White Plains and Central Westchester is grateful to the White Plains Woman’s Club for having the vision to or-ganize the Community Girls Works program in 1921 to empower young women and give them a room of their own,” said Imperial. “This room has become our YWCA. There’s never been a time in our history when women

need to stick together and support one anoth-er more. With the Woman’s Club continued partnership, there are no limits to creating the change we want to see. Strong alone, fearless together.”

The relationship between the Woman’s Club and the YWCA goes back almost as far as the Woman’s Club itself. The Community Girls Works program was conceived by the Woman’s Club in 1921 to address the needs of young working women and girls. It was huge-ly successful and rapidly expanded to include a variety of classes and activities.

By the end of the 1920s, almost 3,000 girls and women had participated. In Febru-ary 1929, the Woman’s Club submitted an ap-plication to the national YWCA for a branch in White Plains to take over this increasingly popular program. By April 1929, the YWCA of White Plains was a reality.

At the Woman’s Club Gala of the Century in November, the YWCA was honored for its community service. The other evening’s hon-orees – Mary Jane Goldman of PIP Printing and Marketing, and Ruth Mahoney of Key-Bank – were also recognized for their gener-osity and philanthropic efforts.

I am truly saddened to see in Westches-ter Rising Dan Murphy’s article promoting Hanneford Circus. There have been so many “behind-the-scenes” reasons exposing and en-lightening humanity as to why continuing to use wild animals in circuses is wrong. Reasons too numerous to reiterate here; e.g. exposing the abuse required beginning from the time the animals are babies to get a full-grown elephant to stand on its head, etc.

Even if one only contemplates the issue of transporting tigers and elephants, indigenous to temperate climes, being transported while caged and chained in freezing boxcars to get to

White Plains in February, we know it’s wrong. The picture accompanying your article

shows the end result of what man does to break the spirit to be able to command an adult 5,000- to 10,000-pound animal. We can still have circuses, but without using animals – ani-mals who in today’s era are still at our mercy, even as their whole species are threatened with extinction.

Hanneford’s continuing use of these crea-tures is not something to feel frivolous and good about, as your article implies. Marilyn LeybraPomona

Woman’s Club of WPPresents $15K to YMCA

In Response to Article About Circus at County Center

From left are Chrissy Esposito, Pat Jones, Lynn Pollack and Maria Imperial of the YWCA, with Col-leen Fay and Christine Roithmayr of the Woman’s Club of White Plains. Photo by Emily Barry.

State Sen. George Latimer and Assembly-man David Buchwald will host a joint forum to obtain public input on the proposed 2017-18 New York State budget, Thursday, Feb. 16 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Bedford Town Hall, courtroom 321, on Bedford Road in Bedford Hills. The event is open to the community, and any person or organization that wishes to pres-ent is invited to participate.

“The state budget affects every member of our community, and every member of the com-munity should be heard as we deliberate and debate its enactment,” said Latimer.

The public is invited to speak, and will be heard on a first-come, first-served basis. No RSVP is required. Remarks are limited to 4 minutes per person.

Written testimony can also be provided at the hearing, or in advance by e-mail to lat-

imer@nysenate.gov or BuchwaldD@NYAs-sembly.gov.

“This is a great opportunity for the public to voice their thoughts and ideas about our state budget, which impacts crucial areas like edu-cation and tax policy,” said Buchwald. “Sen. Latimer and I want to hear what the public has to say and this forum can foster productive conversations about the needs of our commu-nities.”

Proposed in mid-January by the governor, the executive budget is the first step in adopt-ing a spending plan for New York’s next fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018. The governor’s proposal would pro-vide $152 billion to fund state programs and services. The largest areas included in the spending plan are education, public protection, and health care including Medicaid.

M&M Productions and the Red Monkey Theater Group are presenting a limited-release production of Shakespeare’s comedy of love, wit, deception, revenge and redemption at the Harrison Public Library’s Halperin Building on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.

This new dramatization is directed by Tal Aviezer. It set in the late 1940s, just after the close of World War II, and features period cos-tumes and music including classics of swing and big band, as well as original choreography and original songs composed and performed for the production.

“‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is a play set at the end of a war, at a time when people are

allowing themselves to believe they have a fu-ture,” said Aviezer. “Their emotions are thaw-ing out after a period of national trauma. At the same time, it’s a moment of great social change – people are choosing their own hus-bands and wives based on individual ideas of love and respect, rather than economy or fam-ily arrangements. I felt that the post-second World War era was the perfect setting to ex-plore these ideas. Plus, it gives you a chance to use plenty of Sinatra and Count Basie in the soundtrack.”

This event is sponsored by The Friends of the Harrison Public Library. For more infor-mation, contact the library.

Latimer & Buchwald to Hold Forums on State Budget

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ At Harrison Public Library

State Sen. George Latimer Assemblyman David Buchwald

A number of activities are planned this weekend at Westchester County parks and na-ture centers.

The Westchester Knicks will play the Maine Red Claws on Friday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. at Westchester County Center, 198 Central Ave., White Plains. For tickets, information and a full home-game schedule, go to county-center.biz.

On Saturday, Feb. 11 at Muscoot Farm on Route 100 in Somers, learn morning farm chores from 8 to 10 a.m. Do you have what it takes to be a farmer? Ages 8 and older may join the farm for this hands-on experience; kids must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $6 per person, or $20 for a family of four. Pre-registration required. For more information, call 914-864-7282.

Also on Saturday, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Cro-ton Point Park in Croton-On-Hudson, Eaglefest will feature guided eagle walks, live birds of prey shows, informational exhibits, arts and crafts activities for kids, food and more. For fees and more information, visit Teatown.org or call 914-862-5290.

Make Valentine’s Day crafts Saturday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Cranberry Lake Preserve on Old Orchard Street in North White Plains. The cost is $4 per person, with pre-registration required by Feb. 7. 914-428-1005.

Also on Saturday, the Westchester Knicks will play the North Arizona Suns at 5 p.m. at the Westchester County Center. For tickets, in-formation and a full home-game schedule, go to countycenter.biz.

On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 12,

as well as Feb. 18 and 19, and 25 and 26, Proj-ect Feeder Watch will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. at Croton Point Park. Identify and record bird feeders with members of Saw Mill Audu-bon. 914-862-5290.

Project Feeder Watch will also take place Saturday and Sunday at Lenoir Preserve on Dudley Street in Yonkers, at a time yet to be announced. 914-968-5851

On Sunday, Feb. 12, as well as Feb. 19 and 26, visit the sugar house and watch the sugar-ing process up close from noon to 3 p.m. at Muscoot Farm. 914-864-7282.

Also Sunday at Muscoot Farm, go “Hog Wild Over Ewe” from 1 to 3 p.m. Join 4-H members in making Valentines as you learn about the different animals on the farm. 914-864-7282.

Learn how to identify and control common environmental, pest and disease problems as-sociated with indoor growing during “Dealing with Common Houseplant Problems” from 2 to 3 p.m. at Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial on Route 35 in Somers. Pre-registra-tion is required at 914-864-7264.

Also on Sunday, an opening reception for “A Different Point of View” is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. at Marshlands Conservancy on Route 1 (Boston Post Road) in Rye. Enjoy artwork inspired by Marshlands Conservancy. Refreshments will be served, courtesy of the Friends of Marshlands Conservancy. 914-835-4466.

For more information about Westchester County parks and nature centers, visit parks.westchestergov.com.

Weekend Events at County Nature Centers

The Westchester Photographic Society will present Joe McNally in “The Light and the Life” on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. at Westchester Community College in the technology build-ing auditorium, room 107, across from parking lot 11, 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla. McNally will be speaking about his life as a profession-al photographer, which involves a fascinating range of work that is inspirational and will un-doubtedly generate many technical questions throughout the evening.

He is an internationally-acclaimed pho-tographer whose career has spanned more than 30 years and assignments in more than 60 countries. His expansive career has included being an ongoing contributor to “National Geographic,” shooting numerous cover sto-ries and highly complex, technical features. He is also a contract photographer for “Sports Illustrated.” As the last staff photographer in the history of “LIFE,” he shares a legacy with Gordon Parks, Carl Mydans, Alfred Eisen-staedt and John Loengard. He has shot cover

stories for “TIME,” “Newsweek,” “Fortune,” “New York” and The New York Times’ “Sun-day Magazine,” as well.

McNally regularly writes a popular, oc-casionally irreverent blog (joemcnally.com/blog) about the travails, tribulations and high moments of being a photographer, and has au-thored several noteworthy books on photogra-phy. His most well-known series is “Faces of Ground Zero – A Portrait of the Heroes of Sep-tember 11.” While his work notably springs from the time-honored traditions of magazine journalism, McNally has also adapted to the Internet-driven media world, and was recently named as one of the top five most socially in-fluential photographers by Eye-Fi.

McNally was also named the 2015 pho-tographer of the year by PMDA. His work and his blog are regularly cited in social media surveys as sources of inspiration and industry leadership.

For more information, visit www.wps-photo.org

Photographer Joe McNallyComing to Westchester

PAGE 6 - WESTCHESTER’S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPERS - FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017

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ClassifiedsNotice of formation of RICK’S MARINE REPAIR, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secre-tary of State of NY (SSNY) on November 28, 2016. Of-fice location: Westchester County. The street address is 90 Union Ave, Thornwood, NY 10594. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: Rick’s Marine Repair, LLC, 90 Union Ave., Thornwood, NY 10594. Pur-pose: any lawful act.

#6837 01/06/17 – 02/10/17

Notice of formation of Bar-klee Media LLC Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on January 3, 2017. Office location: West-chester. The street address is: 134 Third Avenue, Pel-ham, NY 10803. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: Philip Kim, 134 Third Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803. Purpose: any lawful act.

#6841 01/27 – 03/03

Notice of formation of Nail-Gurl LLC Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/03/2017. Office location: Bronx. The street address is: 1635 E 174th St, #12D , Bronx NY 10472. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: Tara Fish-er, 1635 E 174th St, #12D , Bronx NY 10472. Purpose: any lawful act.

#6842 01/27 – 03/03

Notice of formation of THE ROLLING SLATE LLC Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/1/16. Office location: WESTCHESTER COUNTY. The street address is: 31 PARK AVE, WEST HARRI-SON, NY 10604. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: JOSEPH CAM-PO, 31 PARK AVE, WEST HARRISON, NY 10604. Pur-pose: any lawful act.

#6843 01/27 - 03/03

Notice of formation of 10 CENTER PLACE LLC Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/19/17. Office location: WESTCHESTER. The street address is: 145 SAW MILL RIVER RD., YONKERS, NY 10701. SSNY has been des-ignated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: THE LLC, 145 SAW MILL RIVER RD., YONKERS, NY 10701. Purpose: any lawful act.

#6844 02/03/17 – 03/10/17

Notice of formation of Fern-wood Cottage, LLC. Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on Janu-ary 19, 2017. Office location: Westchester. The street ad-dress is: 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604. SSNY has been des-ignated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: Gianni Oppedisano 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604. Purpose: any lawful act.

#6845 02/03 – 03/10

Notice is hereby given that VELA KITCHEN LLC has ap-plied for a license, NUMBER PENDING, to sell BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR at re-tail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 14 WASHINGTON AVENUE, PLEASANT-VILLE, NY 10570, WEST-CHESTER for on premises consumption, VELA KITCH-EN LLC

#3241 02/03 - 02/10

Notice of Registration of Veneruso & Accinelli, Attor-neys-at-Law, LLP Cert of Reg filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/30/15. Office location Westchester Coun-ty. NY Sec. of State desig-nated agent of the LLP upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to 35 East Grassy Sprain Road Suite 400 Yon-kers, New York 10710, the principal office address of the LLP. LLP purpose: to practice the profession of law.

#6846 02/10 – 03/17

Notice of Formation of YRJ Capital LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/13/16. Office loca-tion: Westchester County. NY Sec. of State designat-ed agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to 140 Osborn Rd, Harrison, NY 10528, the principal business location. Purpose: any lawful activity.

#6839 01/20 - 02/24

Notice of Formation of For-tune Cookie Capital LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/13/16. Office location: Westches-ter County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to 140 Osborn Rd, Harrison, NY 10528, the principal business location. Purpose: any lawful activity.

#6840 01/20 – 02/24

Notice of formation of GEN-TLE EVENTS LLC Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on SEP-TEMBER 12,2016. Office location: WESTCHESTER. The street address is: 162 CROYDON RD. YONKERS, NY 10710. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process served to: ALLISON GEN-TLE, 162 CROYDON RD., YONKERS, NY 10710. Pur-pose: any lawful act.

#6838 01/13/17 – 02/17/17

North America Landscaping & Irrigation Ltd is looking to fill landscaping worker posi-tions in Valhalla, NY/ Westchester County (NY). This is a temporary, FT peak load position. 4 job openings for employment 4/1/2017-12/31/2017. From work address (1 West Maple Street, Valhalla, NY 10595), Employer will provide transportation to and from work sites at no charge. Duties: Landscaping service: clean property using blower, rake broom and shovels. Mow lawns. Irrigation: paving with shovel, install ir-rigation piping and sprinkler heads. Terms and conditions of employment: $15.52/hr, at least 35 hours/week, Mon-Fri, 8AM-5PM. No overtime. Transportation: From the place from which the worker has come to work, whether in the US or abroad, to the place of employment, if the worker completes 50% of the work contract period, the employer will provide payment for transportation and subsistence (including meals and to the extent necessary, lodging) from the place of recruitment to the place of employment. Upon completion of the work contract or where the worker is dismissed earlier, employer will provide or pay for worker’s reasonable costs of return transpor-tation and subsistence back home or to the place the worker originally departed to work, except where the worker will not return due to subsequent employment with another employer. Amount of transportation payment or reimbursement will be equal to the most economical and reasonable common carrier for the distances involved. Daily subsistence provided at rate of $12.09/day during travel to a maximum $51.00/day with receipts. Employer guarantees to offer work for hours equal to at least 3/4 of the workdays in each 12-week period of the total employment period. Tools, equip-ment and supplies: Employer will provide workers at no charge all tools, supplies, & equipment required to perform the job. Employer will use a single workweek as its standard for computing wages due. Pay period is every week. Employer will make all payroll deductions required by law and will not make any deductions, not required by law. Employer will reimburse an H-2B worker in the first work week for all visa, visa processing, border crossing, and other related fees, including those mandated by the government, incurred by H-2B worker. Employer contact information: North America Landscaping & Irrigation Ltd; Attn: Giacomo Vernillo, 1 West Maple Street, Valhalla, NY 10595. Interested candidates may contact Westchester County Employment Cen-ter, 120 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 10605. Or by phone 914-995-3910

#3242 02/10/2017

SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER

DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDEN-TIAL ACCREDIT LOANS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-QS1 RALI 2007-QS1,

Plaintiffagainst

MARIA CHARRIA, JOHN CHARRIA, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on February 29, 2016.

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Lobby of the Westchester County Courthouse, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, White Plains, N.Y. on the 8th day of March, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. premises described as follows: All that lot or parcel of land, in the City of Yonkers, County of Westchester and State of New York. Said premises known as 63 Hearst Street, Yonkers, N.Y. 10703.

(Section: 3, Block: 3335, Lot: 31.32).

Approximate amount of lien $ 845,236.68 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.

Index No. 61939-14. Andrew M. Romano, Esq., Referee. McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, P.C.Attorney(s) for Plaintiff145 Huguenot Street – Suite 210New Rochelle, New York 10801(914) 636-8900

#1505 02/03/2017 – 02/24/2017

Help Wanted Landscaping Luna Landscaping Corporation is looking to fill landscaping

worker positions in West Harrison, NY/ Westchester County (NY). Temporary, full-time peak load position. 5 job openings for employ-ment 4/1/2017- 12/31/2017. Employer assurances: From work ad-dress (28 Jefferson Street, West Harrison, NY 10604), Employer will provide transportation to and from work sites at no charge. Duties: Landscaping maintenance. Planting, weeding, lawn mowing, general maintenance work. Terms and conditions of employment: $15.52/hr, at least 35 hours/week, Mon-Fri, 8AM-4:30PM. No overtime. Transportation: From the place from which the worker has come to work, whether in the US or abroad, to the place of employment, if the worker completes 50% of the work contract period, the employer will provide payment for transportation and subsistence (including meals and to the extent necessary, lodging) from the place of recruitment to the place of employment. Upon completion of the work contract or where the worker is dismissed earlier, employer will provide or pay for worker’s reasonable costs of return transportation and subsistence back home or to the place the worker originally departed to work, ex-cept where the worker will not return due to subsequent employment with another employer. The amount of transportation payment or re-imbursement will be equal to the most economical and reasonable common carrier for the distances involved. Daily subsistence will be provided at a rate of $12.09/day during travel to a maximum $51/day with receipts. 3/4 guarantee: Employer guarantees to offer work for hours equal to at least 3/4 of the workdays in each 12-week pe-riod of the total employment period. Tools, equipment and supplies: The employer will provide workers at no charge all tools, supplies, & equipment required to perform the job. Miscellaneous: Employer will use a single workweek as its standard for computing wages due. The pay period is every week. The employer will make all payroll deductions required by law and will not make any deductions, which are not required by law. The employer will reimburse an H-2B work-er in the first work week for all visa, visa processing, border crossing, and other related fees, including those mandated by the government, incurred by the H-2B worker. Employer contact information: John DiLuna, 28 Jefferson Street, West Harrison, NY 10604. Interested candidates may contact Westchester County Employment Center, 120 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 10605. T: 914-995-3910.

FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017 - WESTCHESTER’S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPERS - PAGE 7

Town of EastchesterSenior Programs & Services

New Rochelle Opera Pays Tribute to Marta Eggerth

Seniors and Health Care

The Center at Lake Isle Monday, Feb. 13

9:30 a.m. Line dancing with Theresa10:30 a.m. Drawing, games and cards 12:15 p.m. Valentine’s Day concert with Greenvale and Anne Hutchinson schools

Tuesday, Feb. 148:30 a.m. Low-impact exercise with Grace9:30 a.m. Muscle toning with Patricia 10:30 a.m. Valentine’s Day and birthday cel-ebration; music with Ralph Caruso and Val-entine’s Day treats from Supervisor Colavita10:30 a.m. Drawing, games and cards1 p.m. Bridge/cards/Mahjong/board games

Wednesday, Feb. 159:30 a.m. Tap dancing with Paula10:30 a.m. Drawing, games and cards

12:30 p.m. Energizing exercise with Evey1 p.m. Mahjong/Bridge/cards/board games

Thursday, Feb. 169:30 a.m. Intermediate line dancing 10:30 a.m. Drawing, games and cards12:15 p.m. Bingo and treats – bring a friend1 p.m. Mahjong/Pokeno/cards/board games1 p.m. Canasta Club

Friday, Feb. 178:30 a.m. Exercise video9:30 a.m. Strength and balance with Sonya10:30 a.m. Drawing, games and cards12:30 p.m. Chair Yoga with Peggy1 p.m. “See It – Draw It” with StephanieThe Center at Lake Isle is located at 660

White Plains Road, Eastchester. For more infor-mation or transportation, call 914-337-0390.

With Westchester entering the high flu sea-son, County Executive Robert Astorino is urging residents to do four things to protect themselves, their families, and the people around them from the flu and other seasonal viruses, like Norovi-rus:

“Get a flu shot if you haven’t already,” Asto-rino said. “It’s not too late. A flu vaccine is your best defense against the flu, and flu shots are readily available at pharmacies, supermarkets, doctors’ offices and by appointment at our health department clinics in White Plains and Yonkers. Follow mom’s advice to wash your hands thor-oughly and often. When you have a fever, diar-rhea or vomiting, stay home to avoid spreading illness to others. And finally, clean household surfaces with a bleach solution if anyone in your home is sick.”

In a typical year, Westchester experiences roughly 90,000 cases of influenza and 60,000 cases of the Norovirus during the flu season, which runs from October to as late as May.

Last week, the Federal Centers for Disease Control said New York is experiencing epidemic flu activity. The latest figures nationally show influenza levels entering the “significant” des-ignation, with 3 percent of doctors’ visits being attributed to the flu. A 2 percent level of doctors’ visits is considered normal; 7 to 8 percent is con-sidered a “bad” season.

At a news conference in White Plains, As-torino and Health Dr. Commissioner Sherlita Amler said they were calling attention to dis-ease prevention now because viruses flourish in the winter, when people spend more time in-doors together, and because February and March are the height of the flu season. Amler said flu symptoms include fever, body aches, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, chills and fatigue; while norovirus symptoms include nau-sea, vomiting and diarrhea.

“Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu shot each year to protect not only yourself, but the youngest and oldest residents around us,” said Amler. “You can have the flu and not know it and pass it along to infants, young children and seniors, who are much more vulnerable to flu complications. Right now, Westchester is track-ing for a normal flu season, but we still have a few months to go.”

To avoid spreading and catching viruses,

hand hygiene is critically important, noted Am-ler. “Viruses spread more easily in the winter, and handwashing is one of the best ways to avoid viruses,” she said. “Wash your hands thorough-ly for about 20 seconds – the amount of time it takes to sing the ABCs or to sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice.”

To avoid spreading germs, other tips include coughing into your sleeve – not your hands – and reminding children to wash their hands thor-oughly after they sneeze. Also wash your hands before and after using the toilet, blowing your nose or preparing food, and teach your children the right way to wash hands. Wet your hands; work up a lather; scrub the back of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails; and rinse and dry.

Until they are well, people who are ill should stay home and avoid visits to newborns or family members in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices or assisted living facilities, said Amler. People there are often at increased risk for com-plications from flu or other viruses, and viruses spread easily in these settings.

If you have a family member home sick with the flu or another virus, hand hygiene and frequent cleaning are critical for everyone in your household. Environmentally-friendly cleaning products often aren’t strong enough to kill germs, said Amler. Instead, clean high-touch hard surfaces with a bleach solution. (Add a tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water, pour this into a labeled spray bottle and use it to clean countertops and tables, railings and door knobs – but don’t use on upholstered furniture.)

When you are sick, try to avoid preparing food for others and don’t share utensils.

Free flu shots will be given by appointment at the White Plains District Office, 134 Court St., on Feb. 3 and 17, March 3 and 17, and April 7 and 21. Free flu shots will also be available at the Yonkers District Office, 20 S. Broadway, second floor, on Feb. 10 and 24, March 10 and 24, and April 14 and 28. Call 914-995-5800 to schedule a visit.

For more information, contact the West-chester County Department of Health at 914-813-5000 or visit www.westchestergov.com/health. You can also follow the department on Twitter @wchealthdept or like it on Facebook at Facebook.com/wchealthdept.

Learn Best Practices to Combat Winter Flu

more. She starred in the VH1 reality television series “Why Am I Still Single?!” and in 2016, became a cast member on the seventh season of Bravo’s reality television series “RHONJ.”

Before joining the cast of “RHONJ,” Flicker also co-hosted a weekly podcast, “Just Sayin’,” with TV host Clare Galterio and “Jersey Shore’s” Sammi Sweetheart.

Luck in love is not all that’s on the agenda at Empire City on February 13th. Attendees of the Flicker meet-and-greet attendees can also try their luck at winning one of a dozen six-figure jackpots at Empire City Casino, the highest of which is well over $1 million. With more than 5,300 slots and electronic table games, Empire City offers a gaming floor larger than most found in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, without the need for travel. Two on-site restaurants will also offer prix fixe Valentine’s Day menus.

Dan Rooney’s Valentine’s Day prix-fixe menu is $40 per person. Beginning Friday, Feb. 10 and continuing through Sunday, Feb. 19, din-ers can choose an appetizer of tomato and bal-samic bruschetta or Caesar salad; an entrée of seared scallops with a barley and quinoa risotto or blackened salmon with glazed carrots; and a dessert of a triple chocolate tower with raspberry

and Chile chocolate sauce or cheesecake with raspberry sauce,

Nonno’s Trattoria Valentine’s Day prix fixe menu is two for $75 (add two glasses of cham-pagne for $10). On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 12, as well as Tuesday, Feb. 14, diners can enjoy an appetizer of the soup of the day or a classic Caesar salad; an entrée of surf’n turf with two filet minion steaks and two lobster tails with truffle mashed potatoes and broccoli; and a choice of cherry mascarpone and chocolate cake with drunken cherries.

Empire City Casino is one of the largest en-tertainment and gaming destinations in the north-east. Featuring 5,300 of the hottest slots, elec-tronic craps, roulette, baccarat and sic bo, Empire City also offers guests year-round harness racing and international simulcasting, live entertainment including tribute and Latin bands, comedy, New York’s hottest DJs and more. A plethora of din-ing options will satisfy even the most discerning palate with Italian cuisine at Nonno’s Trattoria; Dan Rooney’s, a high-energy sports bar; Alley 810, a craft cocktail lounge with retro bowling lanes; and convenient delicious options at the International Food Court or Lil’ Cocina. Visit Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway located at 810 Yonkers Ave. (off Interstate 87 at Central Avenue). It is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. For more information, visit www.empirecitycasino.com or call 914-968-4200.

Matchmaker Coming Continued from Page 1

So, coming south from Putnam County, Jackie found Leah Katz, who has worked her skills and artistry at “LaRobeByLeah” for the past 16 years at 1692 Central Park Ave., making wedding dresses, suits, made-to-order dresses and other specialty items, and performing al-terations.

Jackie decided to repurpose her wedding dress, an A-line silk gown with beaded embel-lishment on the waist, into a beautiful gown for her daughter’s christening. About seven weeks before the event, Leah first measured the infant, and – planning for future growth – created the gown. Mother and daughter returned to check the size and fit, especially checking that the small opening for the infant’s neck was not too large and certainly not too tight.

“I replicated the mother’s wedding gown, in the correct scale for the baby, planning ahead for the size the baby will be at the time of the christening, more than a month after we first met,” said Leah.

But, said Leah: “How often will a daughter be able to wear her mother’s dress at her own wedding? Wedding dress styles change, your wedding dress may not fit your daughter. It is more probable that a bride will be able to pass her gown from one baby to another.”

She recalled how she made a christening

dress from a different mother’s wedding gown, and three years later, from the same fabric she made an entire tuxedo for the baptism of the same mother’s son.

Jackie and John met at New York City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Fifth Av-enue in 2009, and were married in September 2013 at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Valhalla, with the reception at Beckwith Pointe in New Rochelle. John has been a firefighter with the Scarsdale Fire Department for the past 13 years and currently is a captain, and Jackie is a New York City schoolteacher. They live in Putnam Valley.

Their daughter Paige’s baptism is planned for March at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak.

Leah Katz started learning sewing skills at age 12 from her father, who learned from his mother, a seamstress, how to use a sewing machine. At age 17, Leah was learning more dressmaking skills and how to make fashionable clothing and dresses at a school in Paris.

“People come to me with a dream, and I create their dream,” she said. “They want my opinion if it is possible to really create their vi-sion, and dealing with some very old clothing or piece of fabric, I see if I can recreate it back again. The pleasure that I receive from my work is seeing people’s faces when they are pleased with the results I give them. Leah also teaches sewing classes to children, teens and adults in her store, and also privately.”

A Wedding Continued from Page 1

2017-18 aide to localities portion of the executive budget, and resulted in a testy exchange between the two when discussions moved to the mayor’s request for a three-year renewal of mayoral con-trol of schools.

Murphy pointedly questioned how de Blasio, who is currently the target of two separate federal and state Grand Jury investigations regarding al-leged pay-to-play scandals in his administration, should be trusted in light of the ongoing investi-gations. While not answering the question direct-ly, the mayor suggested that Murphy had a “bone to pick” with him.

“The taxpayers are the ones with a bone to pick with Mayor Bill de Blasio, and they are al-ready on the hook for $11 million in legal defense bills for the alleged corruption in his administra-tion,” said Murphy. “The state is providing aid for services, not legal fees for criminal defense lawyers. Mayor de Blasio is spending so much on his legal defense bills that he is cutting funding for the City Department of Veterans’ Services and eliminating the veterans’ homelessness preven-tion officer and spending six times on legal bills than what it spends on our veterans.”

One of the investigations centers around the 2014 effort highlighted above, in which the mayor and his associates directed individuals with business pending before the city to make

political donations far in excess of the legal limit by funneling them through straw donors, includ-ing the Putnam County Democratic Committee. These same people were asked to contribute to the mayor’s non-profit.

“Mayoral control was created in the first place to root out the corruption, the pay-to-play and the self-dealing at the Board of Ed. and the School Construction Authority,” said Murphy. “It can only be re-authorized when we can trust that the individual or individuals with control of the schools aren’t engaging in that exact same behav-ior.”

The back-and-forth between the two includ-ed this exchange:

Murphy: “What should be of grave concern to every single person in this room is the two sit-ting Grand Juries; is the $11 million you’re ask-ing the taxpayers to pay for representation for you and your administration’s legal fees? I just find this absolutely, incredibly astonishing with every-thing going on with you and your administration.”

De Blasio: “We handled all matters of gov-ernment appropriately.”

Murphy: “These are not my allegations.”De Blasio: “Senator, I’m sorry – they’re al-

legations.”Murphy: “This is at a whole other level…

The trust factor is just something that everybody in this room, and everybody in New York State, should be worried about.”

De Blasio: “Senator, you obviously have a bone to pick.”

Murphy vs. de BlasioContinued from Page 1

New Rochelle Opera kicks off its 2017 sea-son with a tribute to Marta Eggerth on Sunday, March 12 at 3 p.m. at The Fountainhead, 55 Quak-er Ridge Road, New Rochelle. All proceeds will support the company’s June production of Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow.”

The event will celebrate the life and careers of Marta Eggerth and her husband, Jan Kiepura. Together, the couple appeared in more than 2,000 performances of “The Merry Widow;” Eggerth portraying Hanna, the wealthy widow, and Kie-pura singing the role of her suitor, Count Danilo.

The presentation will consist of discussion, video clips and photos as told by Marjan Kiepura and Jane Knox, son and daughter-in-law of Eg-gerth and Kiepura. Additionally, a short concert of selections from the operetta will feature cast mem-bers from the company’s upcoming production.

All tickets are $40 and include a coffee-and-dessert reception following the presentation. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.nropera.org or send a check payable to New Rochelle Opera, Inc., to P.O. Box 55, New Rochelle, NY 10804. All tickets will be held at the door.

For more information, call 914-576-1617. Additionally, New Rochelle Opera an-

nounced new pricing options for 2017. They in-clude a season subscription available in three dif-ferent levels, in which patrons may subscribe to see “The Merry Widow” with additional concerts and events throughout the year for a 15 percent advance savings off single ticket prices; and stu-dent tickets priced for concerts and productions at $15 (does not include fundraisers).

For more information or to purchase sub-

scriptions, visit www.nropera.org. New Rochelle Opera was formed for the

purpose of presenting imaginative and appealing operatic productions to the Westchester commu-nity. It serves to create a deeper understanding and appreciation of live opera, and make it accessible and affordable to a diverse audience. The com-pany presents the art form in its various aspects (e.g. fully staged performances, opera in concert, school programs, opera workshops and demon-strations), engaging aspiring young artists and ex-perienced professionals.

Marta Eggerth

grams. The response was remarkably quick, brief, and succinct. Mark Kehrli, director of the federal Office of Transportation Operations, issued an of-ficial ruling to the state two weeks later: “Your re-quest is hereby denied.”

Despite the federal rejection, in his State of the State address in 2014, the governor said:

“We are going to launch a whole new signage campaign on our roads, promoting the assets of New York, organized into three campaigns. The path through history campaign, the ‘I love New York’ attraction campaign and the taste of New York Food and Beverages. You will see these signs on the roads literally in the next few days. These campaigns link online to all those attractions in that particular area, all along the thruway and all along major routes. The goal is to get people who are on the roads off the roads and into communities and fostering and promoting the economy of the State of New York.”

And that is exactly what New York did. The signs are generally in packs of five, separated by 400 feet; a “motherboard” touts the “New York Experience” followed by four signs touting indi-vidual state tourism programs like Taste NY and Path through History. The Federal Highway Ad-ministration repeatedly said “no,” and New York determinedly said “yes” and installed them. Done deal.

According to the article, in a statement that week, state DOT Spokesman Gary Holmes con-tended that the signs fully comply with the law. He also reported that the cost of the signs and posts – not including the labor to install them – was $1.76 million between the DOT and the Thruway Authority.

“We view them as a critical element in a co-ordinated strategic program to promote the state’s multi-billion-dollar tourism industry,” he said. “We continue to work with FHWA to ensure any questions are answered.”

Cuomo himself then joined the fray. He point-ed out that the state has a mobile application that allows visitors to track what attractions are near them.

“We’re trying to capture those people who travel through New York and say, ‘See something while you’re here. Spend some of your money while you’re in upstate New York,’” he told report-ers in Rochester.

Campbell’s article reports a successful effort in Suffolk to reduce the number of these signs. They were too big and out-of-place for the local flavor the Montauk community was trying to pro-mote for its tourism.

The saga continues.On Nov. 8, Campbell, the same reporter,

quoted Acting Executive Director Bill Finch of the Thruway Authority, asserting that the signs follow “the spirit of the law.” Finch contrasted the “letter of the law” with the “spirit of the law” and chal-lenged the Federal Highway Administration to up-date its standards.

On Nov. 14, Campbell reported that the Fed-eral Highway Administration had questioned 10 newly-opened or proposed rest areas as not being in compliance with the virtually total ban on com-mercial activity on rest stops on the interstate high-ways. As if that would matter to New York State… Do you really think the federal government will withhold any of the $1.7 billion federal funding for New York’s transportation infrastructure. Call-ing the Federal Highway Administration’s bluff is a no-brainer.

On Nov. 30, the New York Times entered the battle. It reported that a meeting would be held in December to attempt to resolve the dispute, which had been festering for years. It also noted an issue had been raised over the increased driving fatalities due to distracted drivers. Trying to read the infor-mation on the motherboard sign touting multiple state attractions at 65-plus miles per hour certainly would qualify as a distraction.

The article went on to quote a state legisla-tor from Suffolk on the situation there, previously

mentioned.“They were really so out of character with

the small communities and two-lane highways that they actually worked against the reason why people come to the East End to begin with,” said Fred Thiele Jr., a New York assemblyman who rep-resents the area and who fought to have the signs removed. “We’ve spent literally a billion dollars protecting small villages and scenic vistas and all of that, and putting up eight giant billboards wasn’t really promoting those very scenic features.”

So not long after the signs were erected, cherry pickers showed up and took down seven of them. Thiele, a member of the Independence Party, said he hopes the remaining blue sign at the inter-section of West Lake Drive and Flamingo Avenue is next.

“Quite frankly, we kind of felt that not only were they inappropriate, but it was really kind of a boondoggle,” he said.

The next day, the New York Post editorial board expressed its concern, ridiculing in its article the hiring of an Arkansas company to promote New York products, as Campbell had reported on Nov. 18.

“I find it ironic that a company from Arkansas was paid to work on a project helping to promote New York State products,” said Assemblyman An-thony Brindisi, a Democrat from Utica. “It’s sim-ply a bad sign when New York picks Arkansas for a project promoting our state.”

The Post provided a reason for this outreach to Arkansas:

“The state hired an Arkansas company to make hundreds of highway signs promoting New York because Gov. Cuomo wanted them up by the July 4th holiday and the Department of Transporta-tion couldn’t meet his deadline, sources told The Post.”

Members of Cuomo’s executive staff were so hot to get the signs ready for holiday travelers, they told state transportation employees to do “whatev-er it took to erect the signs,” sources said. DOT denies the charge.

What do these signs mean for New York State tourism? Where did the money come from? Cuomo just decided he wanted to spend $1.8 mil-lion, plus labor, and the DOT found the money. He certainly didn’t go through the Regional Economic Development Council funding process.

And where did he get the money? From eco-nomic development funds… and without having to go through the REDC funding application process.

The title of this post says “follow the mon-ey.” The brouhaha between the federal and state governments eventually will be resolved. What is more important for the history community is to recognize that funding is available when the gov-ernor and/or the REDCs want it to be.

The state Department of Transportation used emergency highway contracts and paid out thou-sands of dollars in overtime to install hundreds of I Love NY highway signs ahead of the July 4 week-end last year.

Normally, “emergency” means “urgent high-way repairs.” According to Mike Elmendorf, presi-dent and CEO of the state Associated General Con-tractors, this usage was “not typical.”

The documents reveal that the costs of the project substantially added to the almost $2 million cost for the signs themselves. For example, in the Rochester area, the cost to install the 14 signs was $300,000. In Broome, Tioga and Otsego counties, $200,000 was paid but the number of signs was not provided in the documents received. In Long Island the cost was $448,153. The multi-colored signs of complex graphics cost $5,800 apiece, with the smaller signs only costing $2,825.

I think the bigger concern is using capital dollars for something that certainly has no benefit to infrastructure and, I think you could argue, has negligible benefit for tourism, because they don’t really tell you anything.

For a person who wants to be president of the United States in a time of great national division, it is astonishing that he would engage in alternative facts and be so dismissive of the local and state history that helped make America great in the first place.

PAGE 8 - WESTCHESTER’S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPERS - FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017

DW Design and Décor, LLC, of Cro-ton-on-Hudson, has won “Best of Cus-tomer Service” on Houzz, the leading platform for home re-modeling and design. The award-winning interior design firm was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 1 million active home-building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

The Best of Houzz is awarded annually in three catego-ries: design, customer service and photog-raphy. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, includ-ing the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2016.

A “Best of Houzz 2017” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commit-ment to excellence. These badges help home-owners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

“We’re so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2017 to this incredible group of tal-ented and customer-focused professionals, including DW Design and Décor,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of industry market-ing for Houzz. “Each of these businesses was singled out for recognition by our commu-nity of homeowners and design enthusiasts for helping to turn their home improvement dreams into reality.”

Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improve-

ment professionals across the country and around the world. Fol-low DW Design and Décor on Houzz at www.houzz.com/pro/denisewenacur.

With more than 30 years in the de-sign profession, DW Design and Decor provides customized interior design ser-vices for residential and commercial proj-ects throughout West-chester and the sur-rounding areas, from concept to comple-tion. Led by Principal Denise Wenacur, the

team at DW Design and Decor partner their clients with top industry trade professionals to ensure successful results for all design and renovation projects.

“We are so proud to receive this distinc-tion for the sixth year in a row and equally honored that our clients singled us out for our commitment to customer service,” said Wenacur. “The team at DW Design and Decor strives to meet the unique vison of each indi-vidual project along the way and continually enhances the personal experience for each and every one of our clients.”

Wenacur, a resident of Croton-on-Hudson and an active member of the community, is a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design and has had her design work published in several books and trade magazines. The lo-cal mom of two has also served as an online color expert for Benjamin Moore paints and has participated as a judge in the Architectural Digest Home Show in New York City.

For more information, visit www.denise-wenacur.com, or cal1 914-827-5234 to set up an appointment.

Croton-on-Hudson Biz Awarded Best of Houzz

Denise Wenacur, an award-winning designer.

The Port Chester-Rye Union Free School Board approved a capital project proposal Jan. 31, to go before voters March 28.

This project proposes a sound plan to secure capital funding – through borrowing and state aid – to create new and renovated spaces for five out of six schools, including all neighborhood el-ementary schools. The total cost of all additions, renovations and upgrades included in the 2017 capital project is $79.9 million.

This capital project would add the space needed to solve the district-wide problem of classrooms functioning at or near capacity – an issue the district was cited for by the Middle States Accreditation Commission, according to the school board. The plan is critical to meet the needs of a student body that is forecasted for con-tinued growth through 2020.

The plan was developed with the guidance of a community-driven Bond Advisory Council.

“This project is necessary to ensure that we can continue to serve our current and future stu-dents with an exceptional learning experience by giving them the space and attention they deserve,” said Superintendent of Schools Edward Kliszus. “The consensus of the Bond Advisory Council, and subsequently the Board of Education, is that expansion and renovations to district facilities are necessary and should begin as soon as possible.”

A huge benefit of this project is smaller class sizes, which improves teacher-to-student ratio and allow for the type of tailored instruction that contributes to better academic achievement, test scores and graduation rates.

Space added by the capital project would

also allow for added services to students with disabilities, and allow them full access to the mainstream curriculum. At the secondary level, it would provide more space for elective and hon-ors classes, such as the International Baccalaure-ate program, to better prepare students for college and employment after graduation.

The capital project additionally includes fa-cility upgrades for athletics and the arts. Among these, the proposed new high school gymnasium would increase capacity for instruction, while bringing competition space up to State High School Association standards. This would enable the district to host state tournament and champi-onship games. New full size rehearsal spaces for the choral and band programs will make space for greater educational programming in the presently overused auditorium.

Collectively, the district-wide enhancements proposed by the capital project deliver the best possible educational opportunities to students at every level. This initiative would raise the aca-demic profile of the district and positively impact the entire community.

If approved, the 24-year average annual cost to Port Chester taxpayers will be $75 per $100,000 of assessed property.

The designated polling place for the March 28 vote is Port Chester Middle School, 113 Bow-man Ave., Rye Brook. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information on the items included in the capital project, including answers to many frequently asked questions, visit www.portches-terschools.org.

Port Chester-Rye Union Capital Project Goes to Vote

Follow the MoneyContinued from Page 1

ty Democrats, had already previously consid-ered the race against Astorino but declined, primarily because of polling that showed As-torino with a considerably high favorability rating among Westchester voters – Democrats and Republicans – and a double-digit polling advantage over any Democrat. Paulin, who has a sizeable campaign war chest and can tap into wealthy Westchester donors, could be a candidate who could jump into the race for CE as last as May, if she wants to run.

County insiders say Paulin will conduct one more set of polls starting next month and re-evaluate at that time.

Chairman Kaplowitz is another Demo-crat who has previously told party leaders and anyone asking that he has no interest in running for county executive. Kapowitz, who works as a financial planner, is happy with his current role in the private and public sectors. Also, his alliance with Republicans on the County Board would not sit well with loyal rank-and-file Democrats if he decided to run for CE, but his name remains in the mix.

Assemblyman Abinanti is said to have thrown his hat into the ring to see what the response is. Assemblymember Shelley Mayer is another Democrat who looked into the race last year, but declined to run.

Sen. Latimer seems, at this point, the pre-ferred choice of many Westchester Democrats who are searching for a candidate they believe can beat Astorino. Latimer has the experience of several difficult campaigns for State Sen-ate, has experience in county government as the former chairman of the BOL, and has the temperament and can articulate a posi-tive message for a Democrat to return for the county executive’s seat in White Plains.

But Latimer is not yet convinced that this is a race he wants to run, or a race he wants to raise funds for and campaign for in areas of Westchester, where he has little or no rec-ognition.

When asked by Rising Media about the rumor, Latimer said: “Over the past week or so, I’ve been contacted by individuals inside and outside the Democratic Party to consider running for county executive. I’m sure there are several strong potential candidates weigh-ing their own view of the future of our county; I think we’re in a 60-day period when Demo-crats are considering who can best articulate Westchester values and offer a sound platform that can win over the voters. Democrats, in-dependents and many Republicans are seeing, every day, what (President) Donald Trump, and those who support him, intends to do to the environment, to education, to labor, to health care. I think Westchester Democrats in 2017 will offer a smart, vigorous, persuasive alternative to the status quo. Just watch.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also eager to find a candidate that has a “puncher’s chance” to de-feat Astorino, has recently been in touch with Latimer, Abninanti and Kaplowitz.

Waiting to see who, if any, Democrat steps forward to run for county executive is Legislator Jenkins, who served as BOL chair-man from 2010 to 2013 and is the only an-nounced Democrat for CE.

Jenkins wanted to be the Democratic

nominee for county executive against Astori-no four years ago, but abided by the outcome of the county Democratic convention, and the delegates, who selected New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramon over him to run. Bramson lost decisively to Astorino in 2013, by a 55 to 45 percent margin.

Some Democrats, including Cuomo, are looking for someone other than Jenkins to run to avoid another blowout win by Astorino. They say Jenkins was too confrontational dur-ing his stint as BOL chairman and that was the reason he was removed, and replaced, eventu-ally by Kaplowitz and a bipartisan majority of Democrats and Republicans.

“Four years ago, Bramson tried to beat Astorino by talking about guns and abor-tion,” said one county Democrat. “This time it sounds like it’s going to be Jenkins talking about guns and immigration. Any Democrat who decides to run needs to run with a posi-tive message; the voters won’t vote against Astorino because of guns, or Trump or immi-gration.”

Others blame Jenkins for the loss of Democratic control on the BOL four years ago.

“Let’s remember that Democrats had a 12-5 supermajority when Ken was chairman,” said another county Democrat. “Then came the lawsuits and the opposition at every turn to Astorino. He took committee chairs away from Republicans and it became a dysfunc-tional mess. Every issue seemed to be a stand-off and capital projects froze to a halt, and there’s a concern about going back to that in the county executive’s race.”

Other Democrats see it differently. They say that, now, with Spano out and Paulin and others declining last year, Jenkins is the only hope for a unified Democratic Party and the only hope to defeat Astorino.

“Ken has to convince voters that Astorino had damaged county government by putting a tremendous strain on county services,” said yet another county Democrat. “It’s a tough sell but Ken is the only Democrat willing to take Astorino on. It won’t be pretty but he’s the only chance Democrats have to be united and win.”

Legislator Jenkins told Rising newspa-pers:

“I have said consistently since January 2014 that I am taking my case to the people and everyone who wants to run for county execu-tive should run. No convention. Let the people decide… Primaries get the voters engaged and involved. Choice and competition only make candidates better. I feel that Democrats across the country, but especially right here in West-chester, realize they need to get involved

“My campaign, ‘No, Not Here!’ will con-tinually highlight Rob Astorino’s embrace of President Trump and his deafening silence on the core of our beliefs here in Westchester. Such as Astorino saying the Muslim travel ban was ‘a good idea.’ I am the only candidate that actually beats Rob Astorino on taxes. My record is actually reducing county taxes, in-vesting in services and the protection of jobs while streamlining government.

“I am confident that New York State Democratic officials want to support my his-toric candidacy, where I will be the first black county executive in New York State history,” said Jenkins.

Latimer for Continued from Page 1

FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017 - SOUNDVIEW RISING - PAGE 9

Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber served as guest speaker at UJA-Federa-tion of New York’s 11th annual Sports Talk on Jan. 25 at Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester. The event raised funds for UJA, which supports a network of nearly 100 nonprofit organizations that serve every population from early child-hood to old age, and that offer critical assistance in almost every life circumstance.

Event Chairperson Ken Fuirst of Chap-paqua spoke about the organization’s accom-plishments as it celebrates its milestone 100th anniversary. “Now, at the start of our second century, we’re more nimble, more inclusive, and more innovative than ever,” he told the crowd.

Barber is one of three NFL players in foot-ball history with at least 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving in career. He holds almost every New York Giants rushing record including total yards, rushing yards, rushing at-tempts, and is second in rushing touchdowns. He is also the co-founder and co-chairman of Thuzio, which empowers brands and businesses to grow by leveraging influential people, content and experiences.

Event chairpersons were Barbara Bel, Carl Finger and Scott Zemachson of Scarsdale; Ken Fuirst and David Perlmutter of Chappaqua; Jeff Kapelus of New Rochelle; and David Kleinhan-dler of Rye Brook. Richard Leroy of Briarcliff Manor served as auction chair.

Former Giants Running Back Speaks at West. Sports Talk

Guest speaker and former New York Giant Tiki Barber at UJA-Federation of New York’s 11th annual Sports Talk.

The Life of Alexander Hamilton

A discussion and slide show about the public career and life of the inimitable Alexander Hamilton- founding father, political philosopher, first Secretary of the Treasury and tragic duel victim.

This program will be presented by David Osborn, site manager of St. Paul’s Historic Church in Mt. Vernon. David has published numerous articles and chapters exploring topics in early American history and also offered many public presentations on similar themes.

Thursday, February 16th at 2 pm

Registration is required as seating is limited

Alexander Hamilton is the subject of the acclaimed Broadway musical, Hamilton

and that Hezi gave statements to other third par-ties. The lawsuit characterizes the statements as “defamatory and libelous,” claiming they were “materially false and accused the plaintiff (Darcy) of criminal activity.”

Defamation lawsuits are usually difficult to prove to a jury, if the case even ends up going to trial. The key for the plaintiff, Darcy, will be to prove two standards held in every defamation case:

First, were Hezi’s written statements on the Yonkers Tribune website false, or published with a reckless disregard for the truth? And if they were false, did Hezi know they were false but printed them anyway?

The second standard is, what damages did Darcy, who is now retired from the Yonkers Fire Department, incur as a result of Hezi’s comments?

Darcy’s attorney Robert Corini explained: “We believe the articles are defamatory and that’s why the lawsuit was brought. The statements writ-ten on the website are false and my client was

never contacted to verify accuracy.” Darcy is also seeking to collect per se libel

damages, which come automatically as a result of the defendant’s alleged actions, and whereby Darcy does not have to prove the financial cost of the statements made against him.

Darcy’s lawsuit highlights the troubles and concerns that many in Yonkers have about the Yonkers Tribune and its editor. Not included in Darcy’s lawsuit are the horrendous comments that are posted with the stories, penned by Hezi, against innocent family members of the public fig-ures he writes about.

These negative posts are permitted and some-times even encouraged by the editor of the Yon-kers Tribune, and remain on the website. This has resulted in an overall fear by many in Yonkers of the toxic nature of the website and a boycott by almost every elected official in the city.

The time has come for Yonkers to have a pos-itive website, with no permission to post negative comments on anyone – just the news, so that when someone searches “City of Yonkers websites,” they have something that reflects the city and all of its people. We hope to have some news for you on this concept in the near future.

Darcy Sues Continued from Page 1

Legislator David Tubiolo of Mount Vernon and Yonkers recently took his second senior trip, to the Jacob Burns Film Center for its senior movie matinee, which took place Jan. 25. The featured films were “The Lady in the Van” star-ring Maggie Smith and “There’s a Future in Our Past” about renowned musician Vince Giordano.

Transportation was free for seniors, pro-vided by Tubiolo via bus, as were refreshments. With more than 30 seniors in attendance, this was the biggest senior trip yet to the film center. The total cost for seniors was $7 each, for admis-sion to the matinee.

“Keeping our seniors active, social and mo-bile is vital to their health and well-being” said Tubiolo. “I’m glad we’re continuing the work of living legend Bernice Spreckman. We’re plan-ning to have several more trips for our amazing senior community of Mount Vernon and Yon-kers.”

Tubiolo said he is proud to have been ap-pointed chairman of the Senior and Constituen-cies Committee – the same position held by his predecessor and mentor – and vowed to continue Spreckman’s legacy as being an active and vocal advocate for seniors.

Tubiolo Continues Spreckman Tradition With Senior Trips

County Legislator David Tubiolo with seniors during a trip to the Jacob Burns Film Center.

YFT, Emails & City Council Review; the Saga Continues

By Dan Murphy Last week, Rising newspapers reported on

a contractual dispute between the Yonkers Fed-eration of Teachers and the Board of Education, concerning teacher responses to parent emails regarding their students. Over the past week, we have conducted an unofficial review of the poli-cies of other school dis-tricts in Westchester and other nearby communi-ties, asking parents and teachers how they com-ply with email requests from parents, and if it a negotiated item or a dis-trict policy.

The answer we received from all was the same: There is no policy and it’s not in the contract; it’s obvious – teachers should answer parents’ emails. Period. That educational goal and standard is not the same at Yonkers Public Schools, and the reason is that YFT has turned email responses from par-ents into a negotiated and contractual item.

YFT President Pat Puleo disputed and dis-agreed with our story last week, which Rising col-umnist Eric Schoen details on page 3 of this issue. While Puleo claims, “The article recently reported by Yonkers Rising in regard to emails is inaccurate on several factual points,” she fails to identify what points we were inaccurate on.

Puleo claims that other issues, like teacher evaluations and health care contributions from employees, took up too much time so the issue of teacher emails was put to the side, and “a com-mittee will be formed to negotiate an email usage agreement, which shall be implemented by the 2017-18 school year.”

YFT continues: “While there was general agreement on the issue of emails… The email lan-guage agreed to affords the union and the board the ability to dedicate the time it deserves.”

We do not agree with Puleo’s characteriza-tion that there was general agreement on the issue of emails. If there was agreement, then teachers would be responding to emails today, and not wait-ing for a committee to negotiate the topic. “What is there to negotiate?” is the refrain we hear again and again in Yonkers.

Last week, Puleo wrote the following letter to YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, and all YFT members. It is written in “legalese” and con-cerns the City Council’s authority to negotiate and intervene in the YFT contract negotiated by the BOE and the union.

“Please note that in initiating/enforcing the CBA between the Board of Education of the City of Yonkers and the Yonkers Federation of Teach-ers 2014-2021, under the Civil Service Law 204-a(1), ‘the appropriate legislative body has given approval.’ The Board of Education approved the MOA and the funds required for it by resolution passed unanimously on Dec. 30, 2016. The Board of Education is that appropriate legislative body – no other entity. No further approval is required for the agreement to be effective.

“Any oversight the city might have over the Board of Education comes from the Yonkers City School District Deficit Financing Act. While that act required the city and the Board of Education to enter into an inter-municipal agreement, it did not give the city, let alone the Yonkers City Council, the authority to approve or disapprove of collective bargaining agreements. The authority the city has under the act with respect to collecting bargaining agreements is the right to ‘consultation on all labor contracts.’

“Unlike in other situations where the Legis-lature imposed control boards and expressly gave such boards the power to review and approve and disapprove collective bargaining agreements, the Legislature did not do so in the act at issue here.

“Respectfully, the act did not give the author-ity to the city to approve and disapprove teacher collective bargaining agreements, and the city cannot give itself that power through the inter-mu-nicipal agreement, since that would exceed its au-thority. And, it did not. Rather, the inter-municipal agreement recognizes that, at least with respect to teacher collective bargaining agreements, the pow-er to negotiate was retained by the Board of Educa-

tion, with the city having only the right to consult. They have consulted. The city’s representative was the lead negotiator for the district and the Board of Education’s attorney, who works for the Yon-kers City Corporate Council, were always present. The Yonkers City Corporation Council was present when the MOA was signed by the superintendent

and the YFT president.“So, having said all

that, while we are con-fident the Yonkers City Council will give its ap-proval to the MOA and that a City Council vote approving the MOA would certainly be seen as a vote of confidence in the Board of Education, it is not necessary for our collective bargaining agreement to have full force and effect.

“ A c c o r d i n g l y , please immediately take all necessary steps to put each and every provision of the collective bar-

gaining agreement into effect. Please advise when teachers will be receiving their appropriate salaries as negotiated. (End of YFT letter.)

While Puleo and YFT write in the letter above that the City Council has no authority to intervene in the contract, just a few days later, Puelo emailed City Council President Liam McLaughlin the fol-lowing:

“The teachers of Yonkers are asking why the Budget Committee has not brought forth the mem-orandum of agreement signed in late December 2016 between the Yonkers Board of Education and YFT. While other Board of Education departments are moving forward with agreed-upon contract is-sues, the omission of a City Council vote is de-laying the Finance Department from handling the salary issues for our members.”

In her email, Puleo wants the council to take action, but in her letter to members, she says the council has no power to act on the YFT contract. Puleo also refuses to address the inter-municipal agreement, which gives the City of Yonkers, and the City Council and the mayor, the power to re-view all YPS expenses – the largest of which are the costs for teachers.

“The council majority feels strongly that teachers should have to respond to parent emails, and there is little that is more important than parent interaction with teachers,” said City Council Presi-dent Liam McLaughlin. “The current YFT lead-ership is more concerned about lashing out than about having civil discussions with the council… There is a process, where the council has to look into and review the contract and have discussions with the superintendent and BOE trustees. Based on discussions with a responsible group of lead-ers from YFT, which did not include Puleo or the executive board, the council has scheduled a joint Budget and Education Committee meeting for Feb. 7.”

Puleo’s defiance, and unwillingness to sit down and have a discussion with council mem-bers, may be reaching a boiling point with both the council and her own members. “She has personal problems and issue that she can’t rise above from to represent her members,” said Council Majority Leader John Larkin, referring to the undercover Project Veritas video that showed Puleo and YFT Vice President Paul Diamond explaining how to sweep allegations of child abuse and racial epithets against a teacher under the rug.

“Pat has never sat down and talked to us in a normal manner about some of the questions and concerns we have; she was so fixated on her personal issues and problems that a discussion on the contract was not possible,” said Larkin. “Our concern is that, in this day and age when every-one is communicating via email, why not just do it? It’s ludicrous to have to negotiate this issue and I would think the vast majority of teachers in Yonkers are not opposed to responding to par-ent emails. The new IMA has changed everything and she should have known that. On Feb. 7, we will be asking administrators about the email policy.”

Editor’s note: This story could have waited until the council budget meeting next week, but we reported on Puleo’s continued dissatisfaction with members of the City Council and our coverage.

‘The council majority feels strongly that teachers should have to respond to parent emails and there is little that is

more important than parent interaction

with teachers.’ City Council President

Liam McLaughlin

PAGE 10 - SOUNDVIEW RISING - FRIDAy, FEbRUARy 10, 2017

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Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner told the almost 1,000 residents of Westches-ter County who attended the Jan. 29 protest in Sleepy Hollow that the protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies should only be the beginning of their activism. He asked all the protesters to raise their hands and repeat the oath of office as civic activists:

“I swear to uphold the constitution of the United States and State of New York, and pledge to speak out on issues of importance to me at the local, county, state and national lev-els. I will not be intimidated and will speak my mind as a civic activist. I will attend meetings of appropriate legislative bodies and will not be silenced.”

Feiner said he is amazed at how many peo-ple are getting involved in public policy issues for the first time in their lives. “I was at an or-ganizational meeting last Thursday (preparing for the rally) and did not know 90 percent of the

attendees – even though I have been an elected official for over 30 years,” he said. “This is fan-tastic.”

Feiner said he expects to hold swearing-in ceremonies for first-time civic activists at up-coming Greenburgh Town Board meetings.

“Trump will go down in history as the President who got people involved,” he said. “People are now aware of the fact that there are ramifications to being apathetic. I will swear into office as civic activists people who agree with my policies, disagree with my policies, support or oppose President Trump’s policies. The goal of this swearing-in ceremony is to motivate people to not only get involved with one issue, but to stay involved – and to express themselves without fear or intimidation.

“I hope that similar swearing-in ceremo-nies will take place all over the United States,” concluded Feiner. “Millions are speaking out. This is what democracy is about.”

‘Civic Activist’ Oath Administered at Rally

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner “swearing in” civic activists.

Six Archbishop Stepinac High School se-niors – joined by their families – inked their commitments to continue their football careers at college during a National Signing Day cer-emony held last week at the school’s gymna-sium.

The six, who began their freshman year at Stepinac in 2014, joined the championship St-epinac Crusaders varsity football team, which

went on to win the Catholic High School Foot-ball League AAA title two years in a row (2014 and 2015), including an undefeated 12-0 re-cord, and captured its first state Catholic High School Athletic Association crown in 2015. The team posted a 9-3 record for the 2016 sea-son.

For more information, visit www.St-epinac.org.

Six Stepinac Students Sign College Athletic Contracts

From left are (bottom row) Antonio Giannico of Mahopac (Bryant University), Louis Blackwell of Greenburgh (Gannon University), Izayah Powell of Yonkers (Brown University), (top row) Devonte Myles of Yonkers (Sacred Heart University), Tyger Winston of New Rochelle (Gannon University)

and John Walsh of Yonkers (Ithaca College).

Team members from ShopRite Super-markets, Inc., present a check for $151,250 to representatives from Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medi-cal Center Health Network whose mission is to provide lifesaving and life-changing care to children throughout Hudson Valley and beyond.

ShopRite stores collected donations at checkout and hosted in-store activities and events during the month of November to raise additional funds, which will support the hospi-tal’s efforts to provide advanced pediatric care to thousands of local children each year.

Shopper advocates from the top fundrais-ing stores that participated in the fundraiser – the ShopRites of Tuckahoe Road, Bedford Hills, Scarsdale – were on-hand to present the donation, which will help support the hospital’s efforts to provide lifesaving and life-changing care to thousands of local children each year, including those in need of open heart surgery, brain surgery, cancer treatment, trauma and burn care, organ transplants and more.

Participating ShopRite stores include Bed-

ford, Chester, Cortlandt, Croton, New Rochelle, Scarsdale, Thornwood, Tuckahoe, Vails Gate and White Plains.

ShopRite Donates to Maria Fareri Hospital

From left are Tom Urtz, vice president of operations at ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.; Cathy Grisanti, shopper advocate for ShopRite of Tuckahoe Road; Leonora Kunuria, shopper

advocate for ShopRite of Bedford Hills; Eleanor Fallon, shopper advocate for ShopRite of Scarsdale; Meredith Buono Dagross, manager of marketing and community relations for

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital; Sharbari Bose Kamat, assistant manager of marketing and community relations at Maria Fareri; and Brett Wing, president and chief operating officer for

ShopRite Supermarkets.

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