Politics on the Hudson

In a jab to the GOP, Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins appointed Democrats to committee leadership posts and eliminated another group led by a Republican.

The move shows that the Yonkers Democrat has no interest in bi-partisan cooperation and is merely supporting those who backed his chairmanship, Republicans say, though Jenkins maintains they got exactly what they asked for—seats on every committee.

“This is the most partisan assignment of committees in the last 20 years,” said Minority Leader James Maisano, R-New Rochelle, who has been on the board since 1997. “He made sure every Democrat got a stipend. It’s very clear that the chairman made sure that all the Democrats that voted for him got a stipend.”

Jenkins recently won another two-year term as chairman of the county board by a 10-7 vote, a partisan split, with Republicans unsuccessfully putting up their own slate in Maisano and Legislator Gordon Burrows of Yonkers.

The vote for chairman came after a much-heralded budget season where both parties, including Republican County Executive Rob Astorino, lauded each other for working together.

“No one is being penalized,” Jenkins said earlier today. “Republicans got whatever committees they asked for. Republicans are well represented on every committee.”

Republicans were assigned to sit on all of the board’s nine committees, including the likes of budget, legislation, public safety and others, though only the chairs of those groups receive additional money.

Committee leadership posts, which generally come with stipends between $3,000 to $9,000, hold a lot of sway in controlling laws and policy and affect how the county board manages operations, policy and, to some extent, politics.

The chairman of the board earns a $40,000 stipend, while the vice chairman, majority leader, minority leader and heads of the budget and legislation committees each earn $9,000 a piece. The majority and minority whip each get $3,000. That’s on top of the $49,500 they make as lawmakers.

Legislators who receive a stipend for their leadership jobs won’t receive another one, Jenkins said.

In his streamlining efforts, Jenkins eliminated two committees – one for housing and another for generational diversity—and wrapped them under others in the interest of consolidation. He appointed two new legislators—Virginia Perez, D-Yonkers and Catherine Borgia, D-Ossining – to lead committees.

Maisano said it was remarkable that “two rookies” gained such important appointments while Legislator Bernice Spreckman, a Yonkers Republican who has built a career focusing on seniors, lost hers.

Spreckman was “shocked” to learn that she lost her position, particularly after she’s dedicated so much time to those issues.

“This is partisan politics at its worst,” Spreckman said. “I can’t remember the last time that a chairman has handed out committee assignments to only his party, completely excluding the other side. If this is what the chairman meant when he said we would be working under a new spirit of bipartisanship, then I think someone needs to explain to him what the word bipartisan means.”

Westchester County Board Chairman Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, today announced his appointments for Committee Chairs and his recommendations for committee membership, which will be announced next week.

“I am pleased to recommend these capable men and women to chair the Board’s Committees during this legislative term. We have much work to do and many challenges facing our county,” Jenkins said in his announcement. ”I know that these Legislators will be able to deliver the responsible and accessible government that the residents of Westchester have called for to help move our county in the right direction.”  

Two committees have been eliminated, including one for senior citizen issues led by Republican Legislator Bernice Spreckman of Yonkers.  In addition to their $49,500 salary, chairs receive stipends at the discretion of Jenkins, typically between $3,000 and $6,000 (Democrats have not yet provided what these chairs will make).

Here are the new chairs:

Budget & Appropriations: Judith A. Myers, D—Mamaroneck.

Legislation: William J. Ryan, D-White Plains

Appointments: Majority Whip MaryJane Shimsky, D-Greenburgh

Community Services: Alfreda Williams, D-Greenburgh

Environment & Energy: Michael B. Kaplowitz, D- Somers

Government Reform, Efficiency and Savings: Vice-Chairman Lyndon D. Williams, D-Mount Vernon

Government Operations: Catherine Borgia, D-Ossining

Public Safety & Security: Virginia Perez, D-Yonkers

Rules: Majority Leader Peter B. Harckham, D-Katonah

 

After County Executive Rob Astorino put the brakes on the Route 76 bus, Wimore Saladana saw his daily commuting costs soar.

A porter at the Milton Harbor House, a cooperative apartment complex in Rye, the 39-year-old Bronx man said he relied on the bus as a convenient and cost-effective connection from the Metro North Train Station. Now he takes a cab from the Rye or Harrison train stations that typically run him anywhere from $8 to $18 a ride.

The bus was $2.25.

“Life is getting expensive,” he said. “They have to restore the bus. We need it.”

Saladana was among roughly 20 people, including residents, workers and lawmakers who take issue with Astorino’s cancellation of the line; they held a protest Friday in front of the Milton Harbor House in Rye calling on Astorino to restore the route or extend another line through their neighborhood. They say the line is vital to the community and a necessary link to the Metro North Train Station.

“It’s disgusting, it’s really disgusting,” said Dinah Moche, a 75 year old resident of the Harbor House who moved there in 1994 because of its proximity to mass transit. “It would be impossible to live here” without the bus. “There’s no parking at the train station.”

Although Westchester County contracts with Liberty Lines to operate its countywide Bee Line Bus System, the 76 line was run by a separate, smaller operator, Port Chester-Rye Transit. The county executive canceled that contract in an effort to save $243,436.

In its place, Astorino extended the 13 bus route from Ossining, but it didn’t go all the way into Milton Point, a wealthy waterfront neighborhood comprised of large homes, estates, beach clubs and several cooperatives. That would have been too expensive, they have said.

The Astorino administration said it changed this route because it was losing $8 per ride and only had 160 riders. And although the Board of Legislators restored the money in the budget (through a veto-override), they are within their rights to modify the buses. They have said this change only affected 30 riders.

“It’s not economically feasible to subsidize $8,000 per rider,” said Jessica Proud, a spokeswoman for Astorino.

During a speech before the business community this week, Astorino said that until New York state eases up on mandates, he’ll have to make tough choices like cutting bus routes, day care and other services and programs that people rely on.

Legislator Judy Myers, D-Mamaroneck, whose district encompasses Rye, said the county executive “chose to ignore” the board and its override.

Like other public services such as police, fire and others, mass transportation isn’t supposed to make money, she said, and it provides intangible benefits to residents, workers and small businesses.

“Mass transit, by definition is subsidized for the masses,” she said. “This is having an impact far beyond the savings. … Public input was never sought before the cancelation of this route.”

With a seven year wait for a parking pass at Rye’s train station, Steve Vasko, 48, relied on the bus as a convenient way to get to the train station for his daily commute into Manhattan. Now that it’s gone, he has to shell out an additional $10 a day for a cab.

“You’re talking about a couple thousand dollars a year in additional expenses,” he said. “You’re cutting costs in one area, but you’re not really taking savings … The savings are coming on the backs of people in Rye.”

 Westchester County’s largest union, CSEA, issued these statements against County Executive Rob Astorino’s call to repeal the Triborough Amendment.

“The Triborough Amendment leveled the playing field for union negotiations in New York State,” said CSEA Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo. “A look back in our state’s history shows that prior to the Triborough Amendment, many public employers refused to negotiate in good faith, knowing full well that the Taylor Law prevents public workers from the option of striking.”

“Today’s statement from County Executive Astorino is another attempt to distract Westchester residents from his stubborn refusal to address a number of other cost savings proposals in contract negotiations,” said CSEA Westchester County Unit President Karen Pecora. “Our state elected officials understand that Triborough fosters an environment for negotiations that is fair to both sides.”

 

In an attempt to help non-profit agencies like hospitals and schools gain access to needed capital, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is forming a local development corporation to help groups borrow money for building projects and expansions.

The goal of this entity, known as an LDC, would be to fill a void left by the state since 2008 when Industrial Developments Corporations lost their authority to borrow on behalf of non-profits.

“We don’t have to wait for Albany any longer,” Astorino said in his remarks earlier today to roughly 500 business leaders attending the annual Westchester County Association breakfast. “Money from the incentives can then be used for low cost financing for capital projects, which will help create jobs and strengthen the fabric of our communities. This is smart government that Westchester shouldn’t have to wait for any longer.”

During his speech that was followed by a question and answer session, Astorino also spoke about cutting government spending, streamlining the contracts process, dealing with state mandates and promoting Westchester as a place to do business.

He was particularly critical of the state and said its leaders have basically put their “hands over their eyes” and ignored its real problems like spending and mandates that consume so much of the local tax base.

By promoting an LDC, Astorino said it was all part of creating a business-friendly environment because Westchester has been “on defense” for far too long in trying to keep them from leaving for places like Connecticut or the South.

Under his plan, the county executive would appoint five members to a board and the Board of Legislators would approve projects with the most merit, Astorino said. The bonds would be sold at market and neither taxpayers nor the county would be liable for the debt, he said.

Local development corporations are private, not-for-profit corporations typically created by local governments or larger industrial development agencies. They are authorized under the state’s Not-For-Profit Corporation Law and are typically used to spur economic development.

State law affords them broad powers that include the ability to issue tax-exempt bonds and take possession of public property for development purposes, and critics have argued they are not as transparent as governments and are not subject to freedom of information laws.

Ken Jenkins, chairman of the Board of Legislators, said lawmakers would take a good-hard look at the proposal, but noted the state allowed the law to lapse for a reason – so many of these agencies “skirted around the open and transparent government process.”

“We’re going to look at it, but the devil is in the details,” Jenkins said. “I’d like to know how this is going to work.”

With State Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer retiring, the race will likely be between Assesmblyman George Latimer, a Democrat from Rye, and Bob Cohen, a Republican who ran last go-around against Oppenheimer and came within a few hundred votes in a largely Democratic district.

Latimer had been mentioned as a possible candidate for Westchester County executive in two years, though he yesterday told The Journal News that he was “a dark horse” in that race.

State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer today announced that she will not seek re-election this November.  The Senator made her decision upon recently learning that she will have to undergo major shoulder replacement surgery in 2012.

In a release, Oppenheimer, a Democrat from Mamaroneck, said:

“It had always been my plan to seek re-election in November and continue to serve the people of this district.  When considering my responsibilities as Senator, the extensive effort that will go into rehabilitation and physical therapy following my surgery, and the added work of the hard fought campaigns I always wage, it became clear to me that I could do only two of those three important tasks. …

“By the end of this term, I will have served 28 years in the New York State Senate, following eight years as Mayor of Mamaroneck.  The Senate is an institution that I hold very dear to my heart, and I count many of my colleagues – on both sides of the aisle – among my closest friends.”

A date for surgery has not been scheduled, but is expected to take place early in the 2012 Legislative Session.

Legislator Ken Jenkins this week won another two-year term as chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, making the Yonkers Democrat the de facto lead-horse in a race against Republican County Executive Rob Astorino in two years.

“He’s obviously the front-runner,” said Mike Edelman, a Republican strategist who for years worked with Jenkins as a political commentator on television. “He needs to have the confidence of the Democrats on the board.”

While having the support of Democratic legislators throughout the county goes a long way with local party leaders, it may not translate into “free-sailing” for Jenkins, according to Edelman, since other Democrats such as Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Assemblyman George Latimer and County Clerk Tim Idoni have been mentioned as possibilities for the seat.

There could be a Democratic primary for the post, Edelman said, and a lot can happen in the next year, including the entry of other Democrats.

Jenkins, who will be serving his second term as chairman, will be leading with the board’s new 10-7 dynamic, which means Democrats don’t have a veto-proof supermajority. That should “stop the game playing and brinksmanship,” Edelman said.

“Now, they’re going to look badly” if they don’t compromise and work together, Edelman said.

Politics on the Hudson first reported that Jenkins was a possible candidate a year ago.

Reginald LaFayette, chairman of the Democratic Party, did not return phone calls and Jenkins said his main focus will be his current job.

“Somebody’s going to run, I can tell you that,” Jenkins said. “We have a little while to consider” whether we’re going to run.

“What I have my eye on is offering a different perspective” than the county executive, Jenkins continued. “We have had differing philosophies from the very beginning.”

County Executive Rob Astorino was featured in National Review online, where the publication likens New York’s rising Republican to that 1939 character played by James Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” 

The headline reads “Mr. Astorino Goes to Westchester” and outlines some of the battles he’s faced in his first two years.

In the piece published today, they open by questioning why the New York Times would criticize Astorino for his efforts to fight the Obama Administration on the housing settlement with the federal government (Astorino’s response to the editorial appeared yesterday in The Times) and they make the case that he’s “turning the tide” in a deep blue district.

“More or less, a Republican executive in a deep blue district. Over the past two years, county executive Rob Astorino has garnered widespread attention and praise for defending his county against racially tinged federal overreach in a mundane affordable-housing case, while also reducing the onerous costs of county government,” the article reads.

For more on the housing settlement, read The Journal News coverage here. 

 

With 48 hours until campaign filing time, County Executive Rob Astorino is looking to raise $25,000 to help battle his opponents and show he has an “army of backers willing to stand with him in the fight to save New York from the highest taxes and worst business climate in America.”

In a letter to supporters from “Friends of Astorino,” they say that all eyes are about to be on Astorino’s campaign account, which might encourage the bad guys, those “big spending government types to sharpen their knives and plan the next assault on the Westchester County Executive.”

“Public employee union bosses and other special interests have put a bull’s-eye on Rob’s back because he is the leading elected proponent of fiscally responsible government in New York,” the note said. “He is beholden to no one—and they hate that!”

They are looking for $50, $100, $250 or $1,000 to reach their goal by Friday.