“Mr. Ryan is quoted today as saying that accountants aren’t capable of being ‘qualitative’ in their thinking,” Mooney said. “That statement alone clearly shows how far removed he is from the realities of the business world.”

Mooney challenged Ryan’s assumption that WCA has no public policy focus. He said he hoped Ryan would take a “less antagonistic approach and seek to work collaboratively to assure Westchester’s future viability as a business location and place to live.”

In a story published today, Ryan said the budget matter wasn’t an accounting problem, but a public policy one. He said the tough choices aren’t what dollars to cut, but rather what services to slash. Read the story here.

Ryan, through the county board’s press secretary, declined comment.

Central to the talks were the federal housing settlement and the county’s $1.8 billion budget proposal, which legislators are now reviewing — they must approve it by the end of the year. Outgoing County Executive Andrew Spano pitched his budget earlier this week; it raises taxes by 4.9 percent.

The two men met at Astorino’s transition headquarters in White Plains. They previously served together on the  county board when Astorino was a legislator.

Ryan and Astorino also talked about future of county government, developing a bipartisan working relationship and brainstorming on opportunities to streamline, cut costs and improve county government operation, county board spokeswoman Tara Martin said.

Martin said the meeting, a first in-person since the election, was “cordial and productive.”

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, also an organizer, said members will discuss how Rob Astorino’s election as county executive will affect the movement.

Feiner also said the goal is to come up with a legislative plan to make it easier to lower taxes in Westchester. Consolidating government services and supporting local petition initiatives will also be discussed, he said.

The meeting will be held at Mount Vernon City Hall, 1 Roosevelt Square.

Spano on Monday released his proposal, which would increase taxes by 4.9 percent, if approved.

The county board is in the midst of reviewing the proposal and will likely make changes. They have until the end of the year to sign off on it.

A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

For more information, log onto www.LWVwestchester.org.

Ryan won by 136 votes after the results were re-counted, according to Reginald LaFayette, Democratic Commissioner of the Board of Elections and chairman of the county’s Democratic Committee. The elections board is expected to certify the results today.

Staff Writer Ben Rubin confirmed the results at the Board of Elections this morning.

With Ryan’s race won, he may seek another term as chairman of the board, though several other legislators are also interested in that post. Legislators will elect a chairman early next year.

Read more tomorrow in The Journal News and at www.lohud.com.

This team, which includes six Republicans and a Democrat met earlier today in White Plains. Members will help determine who’s in and who’s out under Astorino, who again promised to make taxpayers a top priority in his administration.

More appointments will be made next week.

“I want to make sure when we walk through the doors on Jan. 1 we are up and running,” Astorino said. “We’ve got to get this runaway spending and taxes under control. I want to make sure we’re a model and that those in Albany take notice. A clear shot was sent by the voters.”

The committee include former county legislator Katherine Carsky; Thomas Egan, a retired lawyer and business consultant; Robert Elliott, a former mayor of Croton-on-Hudson and deputy secretary of New York’s Department of State; Ale Frederico, vice president at TD Bank; and Wiley Harrison, president of a financial services firm for small businesses and non-profits.

The committee chairman, which was announced last week, is Kevin Plunkett, an attorney with DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr.

The executive committee will lead subcommittees that will review departments and interview managers and commissioners.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News and at www.lohud.com

“Andy Spano is someone we know and someone we can work with,” said Jack McPhillips, president of CSEA Westchester Local 860. “We endorse him as the candidate who will best look out for the county. He will provide the experienced leadership Westchester, and its workforce, need especially in these times.”

Spano said the union members were his partner in working for Westchester.

The two Republicans toured downtown Peekskill today on what they called a small business tour, assessing the challenges of mom-and-pop shop owners in the city where Pataki was once mayor.

They met at the Governor George E. Pataki Leadership and Learning Center on Division Street.

“I am grateful to Gov. Pataki for his support of my efforts to lower the tax burden in Westchester County,” Astorino said.  “Everyone feels the Spano taxes — senior citizens, young parents, aspiring homeowners, and single people and families who pay the taxes in their monthly rents.  Small business owners, who hire the vast majority of Americans, are getting especially pinched in Westchester, and that’s costing this county countless jobs.”

In a letter, the Republican power broker turned lobbyist said Andy Spano is an “innovative leader who can guide us through these tough fiscal times.” He said the county executive has managed the government well with new technology and ideas.

“It’s the first time I’m making an endorsement of a Democrat with the exception of my brother,” Nick Spano told Politics on the Hudson today. His brother is Assemblyman Mike Spano, a Democrat from Yonkers who was once a Republican. Nick Spano said he felt strongly about the county executive’s “style of leadership.”

He also said he had real concerns with an element of the GOP that represents right wing politics to the extreme.

“Make no mistake, with that extremist power will come intolerance,” Nick Spano wrote in an letter that is going to select voters throughout the county. “Intolerance of people who live different lifestyles and intolerance to a woman’s right to choose. That’s an intolerance that I will not tolerate.”

Nick Spano makes no mention of Rob Astorino in his letter, though in a subsequent conversation, he said he was talking about some of his supporters. Although he said he wasn’t referring to the Conservative Party, which backed Andy Spano with a share of controversy and lawsuits, rather leaders like State Party Chairman Mike Long. (Earlier this week, Long came out to support Astorino.)

“I’m talking about a lot of people who are supporting him and who represent the extremists and intolerance. I think it’s a problem,” he said. “I don’t think a county run by Rob Astorino is a county I would like.”

A recent poll conducted by Regional News Network and Sienna Research Institute shows County Executive Andrew Spano and his Republican opponent Rob Astorino in a close battle.

Spano leads Astorino 47 percent to 41 percent with another 11 percent of likely voters remaining undecided — there’s a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

Also in that poll, 47 percent of responders gave Spano a favorable rating while 46 percent gave him an unfavorable one. Another 7 percent were undecided or had no opinion.

Astorino garnered a 37 percent approval rating and 15 percent unfavorable. Roughly 49 percent had no opinion on Astorino or didn’t know him.

Forty-five percent of the 483 respondents said Westchester County was headed in the wrong direction; 38 percent said it’s headed in the right direction and 17 percent didn’t know or had no opinion.

Fifty one percent said property taxes was the most important issues in the race, 29 percent said county government spending was and another 8 percent said the federal housing settlement was.

For more on the RNN poll, click here.

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but not necessarily an endorsement when its with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

New York’s Republican mayor isn’t backing Rob Astorino for county executive — even though the Republican touted the endorsement during a debate Wednesday and campaign literature.

Astorino had the picture to prove it.

Bloomberg and Astorino met last month and had a substantive discussion, though there was a misunderstanding that an endorsement actually took place, said Astorino’s Spokesman William O’Reilly.

“The error was mine and  mine alone. I apologize for the misunderstanding,” O’Reilly said.

The Bloomberg campaign did not return calls Thursday.

The Spano campaign said it shows that Astorino has been misleading the public during this race.

“It’s just another example that this guy doesn’t tell the truth,” Spano Spokesman Paul Bader said of Astorino. “It’s another example of inaccurate statements he keeps on making.”

The Spano camp, earlier in the day, had called on Astorino’s campaign to pull all of its misleading advertisements — ones that were cited by a fair campaigns group.

The Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee on Wednesday faulted Astorino for five complaints made by the Spano campaign and made two against the Spano campaign.

In making his plea today in Yonkers, Long called it a “terrible injustice” and said voters shouldn’t be hoodwinked  or fooled into supporting County Executive Andrew Spano, who earlier this year received the county’s party endorsement despite several legal challenges and opposition from some of its members.

Watch the video here.

Long, who wrote a letter to registered Conservatives in the county, said when the Westchester County Conservative Party leaders endorsed Spano, they made a mockery of the process. Here’s an excerpt:

“The Conservative Party line has been hijacked in the race for Westchester County Executive. As a result, the conservative in the contest, Rob Astorino, will not be appearing on the Conservative Party line. Instead, liberal incumbent Andy Spano will appear on the Conservative line at your polling place.”

“If Mr. Long is so concerned about the Conservative decision to endorse County Executive Andy Spano, he should have come out against it eight years ago, when as chairman his party chose to endorse Mr. Spano then as well,” the Spano camp said in a written statement. “This year’s endorsement also reflects the support of Westchester Conservatives for Spano’s fiscally responsible record of keeping taxes low, cutting the budget and reducing county staff. Spano’s fiscal responsibility is also why Westchester is New York State’s only AAA Bond-Rated County.”

They liked Astorino, a Republican, because of his plans to have employees kick-in for health-care and pension costs, merging duplicative agencies and consolidating government services.

“Having a fiscally responsible executive to attack Westchester’s out-of-control tax burden could take a huge load off taxpayers’ shoulders. Which is why Westchester voters should pull the lever for Rob Astorino next Tuesday.”

Democrat Alfreda Williams, a former Greenburgh town clerk for 14 years, and Republican Tom Bock, an Elmsford deputy fire chief, answered questions from the moderator, audience and each other about those thorny issues in the race for District 8 of the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

A few dozen people sat divided at Tarrytown Village Hall in support of their favored candidate, reports Stacy Anderson, who is covering the race.

Bock, who said he has no desire to be a “career politician,” spoke in depth about his housing affordability plan that would assist residents with down-payments to promote home ownership instead of subsidized housing in the county.

Williams, who called herself a “servant of the community and neighbors,” said she would like to cut redundancy with consolidation and zero-based budgeting.

The district includes portions of White Plains, Mount Pleasant and Greenburgh.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News and on www.lohud.com

The group, comprised of retired county police officers, cited high property taxes, wasteful government spending, rising crime, and lenient plea bargains to violent criminals as serious issues in this year’s races.

“Westchester is headed in the wrong direction, and if we don’t elect new leaders to reverse the questionable policies of the incumbent county executive and district attorney, we will continue to see our retirees, family, and friends suffer as a result,” said Steve Hoey, president of the Westchester County Police Retired Officers. “Rob Astorino will ensure that Westchester will no longer have the dubious distinction of having the highest property taxes in the nation. He will fight to streamline government and make Westchester affordable for the middle class again.”

The WCA last week sent out a questionnaire that was developed by its members. It is due back tomorrow.

The WCA plans to analyze the answers and publish them at its annual government reception Oct. 21 at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, in White Plains.

“Our members want clear answers from the candidates about how they will deal with issues that are important to Westchester’s economic vitality,” said William M. Mooney, WCA’s President.  “We trust that this will provide the information that the business community needs to make informed voting decsions. ”

County Executive: Incumbent Andrew Spano (Democratic, Conservative and Working Families) and Rob Astorino (Republican, Independence).

County Legislator:

District 1 (Cortlandt): Domenic Volpe (Democratic ,Working Families) and John G. Testa (Republican, Conservative, Independence).

District 2 (Northeast Westchester): Peter B. Harckham (Democratic, Independence, Working Families).**

District 3 (Pleasantville): John M. Nonna (Democratic, Independence, Working Families).**

District 4 (Somers): Michael P. Kaplowitz, Incumbent (Democratic, Independence) and Gregory P. Kane (Republican, Conservative).

District 5 (White Plains): William J. Ryan, Incumbent (Democratic, Working Families) and Bob Hyland (Republican, Conservative, Independence).

District 6 (Harrison): Martin L. Rogowsky (Democratic, Conservative). **

District 7 (Mamaroneck): Judy Myers (Democratic, Working Families). **

District 8 (Greenburgh): Alfreda A. Williams (Democratic, Working Families) and Thomas J. Bock (Republican, Conservative and Independence).

District 9 (Ossining): William E. Burton, Incumbent (Democratic, Working Families) and Susan B. Konig (Republican, Conservative, Independence).

District 10 (Tuckahoe): Vito J. Pinto (Democratic, Working Families).**

District 11 (New Rochelle): James Maisano (Republican, Conservative, Independence, Working Families).**

District 12 (Greenburgh): Thomas J. Abinanti (Democratic).**

District 13 (Mount Vernon): Lyndon D. Williams (Democratic) and Dorothy Fiorillo (Republican, Conservative and Independence).

District 14 (Yonkers): Bernice Spreckman (Republican, Conservative and Independence).**

District 15 (Yonkers): Gordon A. Burrows (Republican, Conservative and Independence). **

District 16 (Yonkers): Kenneth Jenkins (Democratic, Conservative, Independence, Working Families). **

District 17 (Yonkers): Jose Alvarado, Independence, Incumbent (Democratic, Working Families) and Sandy S. Annabi (Conservative, Independence).

• Running unopposed.

“District Attorney Janet DiFiore is an important partner in our efforts at the federal level to stop gun violence in local communities in New York,” Gillibrans said in an announcement. ”Families need to be assured that we are doing all that is possible to eliminate the threat of gun violence in our neighborhoods.”

The two Democrats say they are committed to reducing gun violence and stopping the illegal flow of guns as well as prosecuting internet predators who target children.

The committee on Thursday opened offices in Peekskill and introduced it’s executive director, Ann Kutter of Yorktown.

“This office will serve as a hub for all good citizens to use to conduct research, plan events and educate our public officials and the public about the need to restore ‘common sense’ to government from school boards to the halls of Congress,” said County Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, the PACs founder. Oros is not seeking re-election this fall.

Oros said that too often elected leaders rely on bureaucracy and fail to see the bigger picture. Oros said he “has witnessed hundreds of examples where using common sense to solve a problem would have saved taxpayers money and achieved quicker results.”

The debates are hosted by the Pace University Edwin G. Michelian Institute for Public Policy and Management at the Pace Graduate Center at 1 Martine Ave., in White Plains.

The forums are open to the public and will give the candidates an opportunity to present their views on issues facing the county.

The event will be videotaped and shown on local cable channels. The candidates will respond to questions by a panel of journalists and a Pace University student, followed by audience questions.

The sessions are scheduled as follows:

County Clerk: 5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Invited candidates are incumbent Timothy C. Idoni, D-WF, Robert A. Morabito, R-C-IN, and Raphael L. Guida,RTL.

District Attorney:6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Invited candidates are incumbent Janet DiFiore, D-C, Dan Schorr, R, Tony Castro, IN-WF, and Anthony J.DeCintio, RTL.

County Executive: 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Incumbent Andrew Spano, D-C-WF, and Rob Astorino, R-IN.

The incumbents say the county was the solution to saving taxpayers money by sharing services with municipalities and school districts. The challengers say cut county spending and eliminate redundant services.

Eight candidates running in four districts appeared before the editorial board of The Journal News. They were:

District 5: Chairman William Ryan, D-White Plains, and Bob Hyland.

District 8: Democrat Alfreda Williams and Republican Tom Bock. Legislator Lois Bronz is not seeking re-election.

District 13: Legislator Lyndon Williams, D-Mount Vernon and Republican Dorothy Fiorillo.

District 17: Legislator Jose Alvarado, D-Yonkers, and Sandi Annabi, a Democrat running on the Independence and Conservative lines.

That meeting came after three other district candidates debated earlier in the day.

Watch either of those interviews using the “on demand” key:

http://www.lohud.com/article/99999999/MOGULUS0301/399990034&template=mogulus

“I have always believed the hard-working men and women of Westchester deserve the right to fair wages, workplace safety and a strong social safety net,” Spano said.

The council’s president, Edward Doyle, said Spano has stood up for workers’ rights and that workers have “an ally in Andy Spano.”

In announcing the partnership, WCA President William Mooney said it was to create an “early warning system” about pending legislation that would affect its members in the business community. He cited the MTA Payroll Tax and the proposed Commercial Assessment Ratio bill as examples where members needed to be better informed earlier in the process.

He said the partnership will “improve the chances of preventing potentially damaging bills from being passed or, conversely, actively supporting legislation that could be beneficial to our members.”

“Given the dysfunction in Albany, the precarious economy and the continued erosion of New York as a business friendly state, the WCA needs an experienced presence on the ground in Albany to serve as its ears and eyes on issues that matter,” Mooney said.

The WCA advocates for businesses and promotes economic development in the region

“Andy’s commitment to public safety and the men and women responsible for protecting it is beyond question,” said Robert Buckley, the association’s legislative chairman. “He has consistently worked to ensure that law enforcement has the resources they need to protect the residents of Westchester.”

It was considered by some leaders — including County Executive Andrew Spano and board Chairman William Ryan, D-White Plains — to be one of the most important votes taken by the county board. The controversial vote didn’t happen until around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The vote was 12-5. Here’s how they voted:

YES (in favor of approval)

• Jose Alvarado, D-Yonkers


• Lois Bronz, D-Greenburgh


• William Burton, D-Ossining


• Peter Harckham, D-Bedford


• Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers


• Michael Kaplowitz, D-Somers


• Judy Myers, D-Mamaroneck


• John Nonna, D-Pleasantville


• Vito Pinto, D-Eastchester


• William Ryan, D-White Plains


• Bernice Spreckman, R-Yonkers


• Lyndon Williams, D-Mount Vernon

• Thomas Abinanti, D-Greenburgh


• Gordon Burrows, R-Yonkers


• James Maisano, R-Pelham


• Martin Rogowsky, D-Harrison


• George Oros, R-Cortlandt

In what was their first live debate, Republican Rob Astorino and Democrat Andrew Spano challenged each other’s positions and records for more than an hour.
Astorino ripped Spano’s tenure repeatedly and pledged to reduce the cost of county government.

“Do you really think in years 13-16 things will change?” Astorino said, referring to Spano’s seeking a fourth term.

“I think you have become so tone deaf, so out of touch, you have no idea what middle class families are going through,” he said.

Spano defended his accomplishments and said Westchester was a model for counties around the country.
High taxes and rising costs for businesses were real problems, but not ones created by county government, he said.

“If you really want to get rid of taxes, you should being running for school board, not country executive,” Spano said to Astorino.

They also touched on local government consolidation, Rye Playland, pension reform and their own professional experience.

Watch the debate in full at www.lohud.com/lohudlive1.

The debate was sponsored by the Westchester County Association and moderated by Richard French III of Regional News Network and Caryn McBride of the Westchester County Business Journal.

Legislator Jose Alvarado declared victory in distirct 17, but Yonkers City Councilwoman Sandy Annabi said it’s too close to call and a recount is in order.

View a video segment here:
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Union President Paul Ryan Wednesday called DiFiore “a friend of labor who supports the working men and women of Westchester County.”

The union represents 100,000 working men and women and is affiliated with unions representing teachers, firefighters, communication workers, electrical workers, nurses, painters, Civil Service Employees and Service Employees.

Edward Kennedy, one of the most powerful Senators in American history, died earlier today. The cause was brain cancer. He was 77. Read more here.

The Kennedy clan lived in Bronxville for roughly 10 years on a 5.5 acre estate known as Crownlands, 294 Pondfield Road.

Six of the Kennedy’s nine children went to school in Bronxville between 1929-1938, though the family moved to England when Joseph P. Kennedy was appointed ambassador to that country by President Roosevelt. Ted Kennedy was the only child born in the village.

Teddy Kennedy returned to Bronxville 20 years after the family moved when he married Joan Bennett, his first wife, at St. Joseph’s Church. A reception was held at Siwanoy Country Club.

Crownlands was demolished, subdivided and developed as Crown Circle.