EDITOR’S NOTE: The City handed out a paper copy of the speech; this post was created by OCR’ing that document and cleaning it up by hand so please excuse any typos or formatting errors.
HOPE AND CHALLENGE
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
We meet a time of both new hope and continuing challenge for cities all across America.
The national economic recovery is gaining momentum, consumer confidence is returning. The stock market is approaching new highs. At long last. it appears the worst of the recession is behind us, finally giving way to a season of fresh promise.
But for municipalities, the spring looks a little more distant. Years of economic stagnation cannot be erased by a few positive employment reports. Reserves are gone, Service levels are squeezed. And deferred obligations coming due.
Lots of families and taxpayers would say the same – despite renewed optimism, many are still struggling to gain a foothold or make up lost ground Still pressed to the limit.
So how should a city like New Rochelle confront such a moment.
Some might counsel us to focus first on the here and now, and face our persistent problems with clear-eyed, self-sufficient realism. You can’t get to tomorrow. they would say. without first making it through today.
Others might advise us to set our eyes forward, and seize the opportunities that are uniquely and fleetingly present at the turn of an economic cycle to lay a stronger local foundation for prosperity. A short-term solution. they will say. is really no solution at all.
My friends, colleagues and neighbors: in truth, both of these views are correct, and woe to us if we accept any false choice between them, Our actions must encompass the present and the future. Practical need and creative vision. Acknowledgement of our local responsibilities and understanding of our link to the larger world.
It may be a hard thing to blend these divergent impulses into a single coherent strategy, but I believe with all my heart that here, in New Rochelle, we have resources really for and equal to the test.
The resource of experience that teaches us what docs and does not work. The resource of a new Council unbound by tradition and open to fresh ideas. The resource of an administration that believes deeply in its mission.
And one other resource that today joins the others as never before you the resource of our residents, whose talent and wisdom are being enlisted on issue after issue in the vital work that will decide New Rochelle’s fate. These citizens and volunteers know that the state of our city is not determined by forces beyond our control it rises and falls on the choices we ourselves make.
It will be my duty tonight to describe these choices in candid terms, without concealing the hard fact of obstacles and disagreements when they exist. But when I think of the dedicated partners enlisted in our common cause,I can only begin with a statement of unreserved confidence: the state of our city is strong, because the people of our city make it so.
SUSTAINABLE BUDGETS
Our first set of choices concerns the City budget.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is an accounting exercise. It is much more, because each number in a budget says something fundamental about our values.
Is the distribution of what we give and what we get fair and equitable?
What can we do without and what is too important to give up? In an era of limits, how can government respect taxpayers while still upholding the common good?
Every single line item is an implicit answer to these questions. And taken as a whole, they define a compact that links our lives together.
So when budgets are strained or unsustainable, there’s a lot on the line.
Now I happen to believe that New Rochelle has managed this recession’s impacts as well as or better than any comparable community, and I am proud of all that our public workforce, from our managers to our employees has done to squeeze savings out of every department and accomplish more with less.
But despite all our belt-tightening. heading into 2012, the Council still had to close a $7 million budget shortfall.
You might ask with all the austerity measures already adopted, why is there still a shortfall?
Well three factors can tell the whole tale.
First, mandated pension contributions to the New York State Retirement System, up about $5 million;
Second, health insurance payments, also mandated by the State, up about 3 million;
Last, mortgage tax revenue, tied to the housing market. down about $3 million.
Combined those three factors add up to a negative variance of 11 million dollars. Or put another way, if each were simply reset to pre-recession levels, then the $7 million shortfall I mentioned a moment ago would instead have been a $4 million surplus.
It would be easy just to throw up our hands and complain – legitimately –about the unfairness of it all.
But venting our frustrations won’t make them disappear. Here’s the fact; even if cities like New Rochelle aren’t responsible for creating our fiscal problems, we must be responsible for facing them.
And face them, we did using a combination of additional workforce reductions and – let’s be honest – a highly unpopular fee, we managed to close the gap. As a result. the ship of the City’s finances is still afloat.
That means Police officers are still bringing bad guys to justice, keeping our crime rate historically low. That means firefighters are still demonstrating heroism in the face of personal danger. It means that every day, in the most bitter cold and most searing heat, DPW personnel are still out collecting our trash and repairing our roads. And it means that our tiny handful of parks workers are still making sure that acres of fields are open for play.
That is the City. Those are the people and the services that you pay for; with the portion of your tax bill -1/6 of the total – that you send to the City government.
And if our hard decisions have produced the smallest municipal workforce in many generations with lots of sacrifice all around, they have also kept the City’s core operations – on which we all depend – up and running. For now.
Unfortunately, “for now” is not enough.
With the housing market still flat, with labor costs still rising. and with Albany failing to offer any realistic strategy for short-term mandate relief, there is every prospect of further multimillion dollar shortfalls going forward.
Even with a national economic recovery gathering steam. it is clear now to all that something close to a permanent shift has occurred in the very structure of municipal finances.
In this most recent budget cycle, the fourth in a row to feature painful measures, the Council came very close to approving even deeper cuts that would have sliced into the heart of our services, without a full understanding of the implications. Unless we want to face the same unpleasant and devise choices year after year after year, we need a new approach for the new normal.
For this purpose, the Council chose unanimously to bring together a panel of citizens, whose experience spans the public and private sectors, whose perspectives are drawn from every quarter of New Rochelle, and who have made an unprecedented volunteer commitment of time and energy.
Their mission: pursue innovation whenever that’s possible, and recommend clearer priorities, whenever it’s not. Examine local government top to bottom, with everything on the table, and nothing off-limits. Help us create a guidepost for action here and a model for communities everywhere.
The Panel is only just getting to work. Still ahead: six months of intensive effort. followed by a robust public debate, So although it is far too soon to talk about specifics, I can say with certainty that this will be no window-dressing exercise. With the Panel’s help. we are determined to shape a government that is ready for the 21st century and that honors the values of the people of New Rochelle.
SUSTAINABLE PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
The same citizen participation that is helping to guide sustainable fiscal choices is also helping us make sustainable choices about development. And just as budgets define our civic priorities, the built environment often defines our civic character.
Next year, New Rochelle will celebrate its 325th birthday. [She doesn’t look a day over 300,] Since 1688, when a small band of French Huguenots landed upon the Sound shore, physical development has been an evolving expression of who we are and who we want to be.
Farmland, homesteads, shops, the arrival of the train and the highway, the planned neighborhoods with their gracious curves and man·made lakes, the immigrant settlements with their restless, striving energy, the Dick Van Dyke split levels of post-war suburbia, and most recently the rising towers of a resurgent downtown.
In every era, New Rochelle has been the kind of community that reflects the conditions and the aspirations of America itself.
So we are again today. Maybe even more so today.
Because after sixty years of this country placing its bets on wholly new housing developments far from commerce and culture. where everything needs to he built from scratch and where life is ruled by the gas pump and the toll booth, more Americans now understand that a wise growth strategy invests in places that already exist, where people already live and work.
Places where we have more choice in how to put a roof over our head, or how to commute to a job, or how to spend our valuable time
There is a bureaucratic-sounding and often misunderstood term for all of this – that term is transit-oriented development. But whether you call it TOO or smart growth or the new urbanism or just building near the train station…it all comes down to common sense.
New Rochelle has been pursuing this course now for twenty years. We’ve had significant success, with new development generating millions in annual revenue for the City and School District.
And, perhaps more importantly. changing the life of our community for the better.
Anyone who has enjoyed a jazz concert on Library Green, or eaten dinner at a top-notch hometown restaurant, or taken the trolley for Arts Fest can attest to the positive changes.
So can any parent, who’s taken their kids out to bowl for an afternoon. or to see the latest 3-D movie, or to paint store windows on Halloween – all right in our downtown.
And so can those empty-nesters, like my own mother, who, after selling her house of thirty nine years, was able to stay in the city she adores. near the friends and family she loves, because there was a choice to rent a downtown apartment that fit her needs.
We’ve come a long way. But our job is far from finished. Because if some portions of our urban center are thriving, others are still depressed. And I don’t know anyone who is satisfied with the status quo. Not when there is so much more we can do.
Consider the big picture. We are minutes from Grand Central. Minutes from LaGuardia. Minutes from Stamford and Westchester Airport and the shore. We offer nearly unlimited choice in housing style and workplace location, plus lower commuting costs that can help compensate for the regional high cost of living.
These are our assets. They are enormous. Rut. ladies and gentlemen, the positive potential of these assets won’t be realized through wishes and dreams. Just as our community will not leave the future of its finances to chance, so too we must not leave the future of economic development and planning to chance.
And now is the time to act. Now when the economy is finally turning up. Now when the awakened interest in first suburbs gives us a competitive advantage that can and should be pressed to its full effect.
Fortunately, we’ve already gotten started. Even through the worst of the recession, New Rochelle was preparing for the next wave of investment, by carefully evaluating sites and cultivating partnerships.
Today, as a result, we are poised, if we choose, to move forward on every front.
At the Church-Division and Prospect lots, a stone’s throw from Main Street, we have before us a Memorandum of Understanding with one of the nation’s most admired builders to deliver new housing, retail and the urgently-needed replacement of public parking.
Along Garden Street, we have forged an unprecedented agreement among more than a dozen property owners to jointly market public and private land for new commercial development.
A request for proposals could be issued as soon as next month, testing the possibilities for a site with unparalleled promise.
And to ensure that New Rochelle takes full advantage of our Transit Center’s location and multi-modal capacity, we are launching an in-depth study of all the sites that surround the train station, including lower North Avenue, Burling Lane, and the edge of the West End – our part of a regional planning consortium launched last year.
We are working with Sound Shore Medical Center on major streetscape improvements that will enhance appearance, efficiency and safety – and embed one of New Rochelle’s anchor institutions and largest employers more fully into the fabric of the surrounding city.
And we are collaborating with another anchor institution, Iona College, to think together about ways to address the college’s housing needs in concert with neighborhood goals. Never before have community and college representatives worked side by side for such a purpose.
They have already reached initial conclusions that demonstrate common interest, and we all hope that their efforts with continue to bear fruit.
Our goals and choices don’t end downtown or on North Avenue. They extend also to the waterfront. And on this priority. too, we’ve also made real progress in the past year – through hard work obtaining a far better understanding of the possibilities and the constraints that surround our shoreline.
At Echo Bay, we asked Forest City to update their plans to reflect changed economic conditions and our greater experience with the site. even as we conducted our own independent analysis of public costs and benefits. As a result, we can say now with confidence that there is a viable deal to he struck that benefits taxpayers, creates public access to the shore, directs millions in private investment to environmental restoration, and creates a sizeable 11-acre core around which an even broader transformation of the shoreline could take shape.
To those concerned that this re-imagined project is smaller than the version announced a few years ago. allow me to offer some context for reminder. If accomplished, this would be New Rochelle’s largest public-private development in nearly 20 years. the largest new park in almost 40 years years. and the first expansion of public access to the New Rochelle Sound
shore since Jimmy Carter sat in the White House. That is a big deal.
And moving forward on this first phase would enhance our capacity to do even more on Echo Bay in the days to come,
Later this month, the Council will decide how best to acton this new information and advance the generational goal, of a waterfront that is green. vibrant and open to one and all.
And for that other tantalizing waterfront property. Davids Island, we received in the past year a great gift from a volunteer Task force – the best, most thoughtful, and most practical study of re-use options that has ever existed. It cuts through decades of stalemated and fruitless argument to make clear what can and can’t work. It encompasses and unites environmental, economic and social objectives. And it enables New Rochelle to now pursue a homegrown vision with regional support.
The study gave its highest marks to world-class research and conference center served by water-borne transportation, shaped by sustainable design principle, generating its own energy, nestled within parkland and open space, and contributing to the image and vitality of the city of which it is a part.
This spring. I will ask the Council to take up the conclusions of the Davids island Task Force, and set a course that – step by step. phase by phase – can make our vision real. For more than half a century, New Rochelleans have dreamed of, fought over, and ultimately faltered in service of this goal. Let our generation be the one that finally achieves it.
Even when it comes to government itself and to the basic nuts and bolts of our public sector and public facilities, we are making strides,
Last year in this address, I talked about the sorry state of our capital investments and infrastructure. This year. the Council is moving beyond talk and taking action by authorizing and funding the design of a new Public Works Yard on Beechwood Avenue. It’s the right thing to do on every level.
Building a new Yard will cost millions less than modernizing the Yard we have today. It’ll enable DPW to be more efficient and effective. And it will free up the waterfront for better uses that benefit every person in New Rochelle. Cheaper, better, smarter. This debate has jammed us up for more than a decade, and I am grateful to the Council for its bipartisan determination to move forward.
Last year I talked about improving our internal capacity to plan and design, so that we can compete more successfully for grants, and put New Rochelle’s needs front and center when it comes to setting regional and state priorities. This year, thanks to the Council’s action, our staff is armed with better information and GIS systems, the tools to make the strongest possible case. tell the best story. and submit the most competitive applications for New Rochelle. We deserve no less.
Last year, I talked about the value of recreation and play to countless families whose lives are enriched by the joy of sport or the quiet contemplation of nature. This year. we’ll finish building the new fields at City Park – New Rochelle’s most significant recreational upgrade in more than a generation, and a place that will be enjoyed by thousands of men, women and especially children.
Last year, New Rochelle approved its first ever – and now award-winning – Sustainability Plan, GreeNR – a 20-year roadmap for conserving natural resources, improving our quality of life and saving money. This year, we’re putting principle into motion by implementing GreeNRs short-term recommendations, including the highest public sector energy efficiency improvements since Albert Leonard High School was converted into New Rochelle City Hall back in 1962
Finally. please don’t think for a moment that our goal is simply to erase the old and build the new – it’s also about holding on to the positive qualities we already possess. And making sure that the residents and business-owners here today benefit fully from change, Every individual initiative should fit into a larger vision for what our community is and can be.
In this spirit, just a few weeks ago, we launched an effort to write a new Comprehensive Plan, During the next 18 months, the Comp Plan Committee will consider what in New Rochelle should be preserved, what should be enhanced. and what should be set in a new direction.
Their labors will produce a sound foundation for many years of public and private investment, and for a city that is even more healthy and vibrant.
And on this critical priority, like so many others, we are turning to citizen volunteers to lead the way, finding among them contributors of remarkable skill and ability.
Each achievement strengthens our hand. Every time we forge a successful partnership, or bring in a new investor, or demonstrate the viability of our market, or make a strategic investment in our quality life, we build our capacity for the next opportunity, and the next after that, and the next after that. Momentum begets momentum. And so even if you disagree with one or another of the objectives I have listed, please see that together they establish a virtuous cycle that unlocks new possibilities. We arc saying to the world, in a clear, confident voice, New Rochelle is ready to compete for the future, and New Rochelle is determined to win.
OUR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
You can probably tell that I am hopeful and excited about our city’s prospects, most of which have brightened considerably since we met one year ago. The pitfalls are still real, many outcomes are still uncertain. but more than at any time since Lehman Brothers collapsed and the housing market went south, we are now the masters of our own fate.
I offer just one caution.
The history of New Rochelle tells us how quickly windows of opportunity can close. And how difficult it is to recapture that moment when a choice came … and went.
All of us would like to believe that by waiting just a little bit longer or trying just a little bit harder, we can have everything desired without giving anything in return. And, yes, we should have high standards — to hell with anyone who would sell our city short.
But I have yet to witness a deal that checks off every box, or that attains some idealized vision in a single giant leap, I have yet to encounter the project that gives us tax revenue and job creation and cultural energy, without traffic congestion or parking demands, financial incentives and design imperfections, or the innumerable trade-offs that define business and development in the real world.
Far more often, the road to success is paved with small and uneven stones, each with sacrifices, each requiring dogged persistence and a tolerance for controversy, Each requiring the acceptance of some things we don’t like in order lO get more of the things we do.
Realism is what separates good decision-making from wishful thinking, Compromise is the currency of achievement. And, to mix metaphors, the team that connects on a string of singles and doubles is far more likely to score than the team that swings for the fences on every pitch.
Our window of opportunity is here, now. So let us not make the perfect the enemy of the good, Let us not chase illusions that only lead back to the status quo, Let us resolve never to recall this moment with regret at the choices not made. Let us seize the chance before us with all the urgency and courage that the people of New Rochelle expect and deserve.
THE PEOPLE OF NEW ROCHELLE
These can be hard tasks, but thankfully, they are more than worth the effort.
Think about the stakes, Think about what our city is and what it represents
At a time when so many bemoan the division of our nation by income or race or religious belief, here is a community where people of every circumstance and heritage are neighbors and friends.
At a time when the creative impulse is finally recognized as an essential part of a full and complete life, here is a culture that celebrates artistic expression and is not afraid to shake up tradition.
At a time when many wonder how the next generation of Americans will compete in the global marketplace, here is a school system that offers educational opportunities that are dazzling in their range and scope.
And at a time when the answers to tough questions can seem elusive. here are citizens ready and able to roll up their sleeves and answer the call. Saying in generous spirit: the common good is our responsibility. And we will not rest while there is work still to be done.
Throughout the evening. I have made reference to those citizens, to the volunteer panels and committees that have come together to serve us all.
Many of those volunteers are here tonight.
So I’d like to ask the members of the Davids Island Task Force, the Iona College Planning Committee, the Citizens Panel on Sustainable Budgets, and the Comprehensive Plan Committee to please Stand. And let’s together recognize their efforts, Thank you.
We could offer the same accolades to the men and women who devote their energies to the BID, or the Library Foundation. or HOPE Community Services, to the Council on the Arts or the Adult Learning Center, to the Castle Gallery at CNR or the Museum of Arts & Culture at the High School, to Youth Baseball and Little League and a dozen others that teach our kids sportsmanship, to the Chamber of Commerce that brought us together tonight, and to the municipal commissions that work without compensation almost every night. To everyone and anyone who stands up to make a difference. earning no reward beyond the satisfaction of a job well-done and a civic duty upheld.
My confidence comes from each of you and from thousands of others who share the same hope and determination. It comes from knowing that there are no challenges as large as the talents with which we can face them.
Ladies and gentlemen, I close as I began. The state of our city is Strong. because the people of our city make it so.
May we all, in our deeds and in our intent, do right by New Rochelle and prove worthy of God’s blessing. Thank you, and have a good night.
UPDATE: Noam Bramson has published two posts on NoamBramson.org regarding his State of the City Address.
Mayor’s speech from his web site.
Video of speech from Mayor’s web site.
The mayor talks about being
The mayor talks about being realistic? does he really think his plans are realistic? All people wanted him to do is to add parking to the downtown and create some quality shopping so we don’t have to commute to White plains or other cities. Instead, we get one high-rise after the other with the hope that in 20 more years the city will be sustainable. Does anybody see this happening in Pelham Manor where a host of new stores opened?
Window of Opportunity is Closed for Now
Nom should be congratulated for a superb piece of craftsmanship on his address. Unfortunately, the premise and supporting evidence is sketchy at best. He does a a fair assessment of the economy, but, for a liberal democrat, he is pretty conservative in his assessment of the economic future we face as a nation. Ben Bernacke, for example, cautions us that we run the real risk of a double recession, our indicators on oil and related fuel prices bode poorly for a nation that has 2.3 cars per family and consumes 34% of the world’s fuel, the employment rate will not level off substantially; well you know the rest.
His assessment on fault is disturbing. It is not only “its the economy stupid.” It never is. We had choices to make and the conditional consequences of our choices remains troublesome. Using a strategy built around fee income, a budget strategy that concentrates on front line service and first provider coverage instead of exempt management, staff, and consultant choices cannot be adequate explained nor justified even by the most flowery of prose. In financial management we are the causes of our own effects and your home equity, tax bills, another joy ride on the good ship Certiorari, and a failing school district provides cold comfort.
Aristotle described wit as “cultured ignorance.” That is an apt definitiion of what we see happeniing in the development area. Noam had an obligation, yes more than a opportunity to demonstrate how his development efforts would contribute to building a revenue stream in New Rochelle that would provide relief. Instead, he continued to press forward on the two most expendable projects in the forecast. No business leader would ever support initiatives that would bring, at the very best, marginal income to the City. Instead they typify further revenue enhancers and….. I must continue to remind Council Members of their obligation to see through the smoke screen, the fog and mirrors, and as we have been told, not to “put new wine in old bottles.” Indeed, the old bottles, our former jewel, the downtown business district lies adrift in a sea of neglect with nothing said in the “state of the city” that indicates either any positive gain for the revenue base via the new initiatives nor anything but resource consumption and further unnecessary duplication and disruption via Echo Bay or, especially, the large scale development project proposed for off-line Main Street.
The Ciy Charter/Code vests responsibility in the “ceremonial mayor” to give the State of the City Address. I am not being sarcastic when I call Noam the Ceremonial Mayor. The Charter/Code does so and you can see that for yourselves. He is also the Councilman at large for New Rochelle and the Head of the City Council. I state this for a reason which is simply that the City Council presumably had the opportunity to give “advice and counsel” to the Head of the City Council prior to this speech. Based on a quoted remark by Tarantino, my assumption is that he heard it for the first time. This disturbs me and should disturb you.
My point about not indicating benefits for the City on the new initiatives excludes the least discussed, Garden Street. This one seems to have some benefit although, as Ivar Hydin pointed out regarding the large scale planned housing development on Prospect, etal, “that is not a Main Street project and of course, the Garden Street one is even further from that fact. We hear nothing about any planned initiative for Main Street and there is much to hear… safety, security, zoning, rash on non-profits, urban creep by Monroe, lack of any City Agency or Department. Instead we hear about some ‘successes and failures.” Please, come to your senses all of you — we have a modest success on Division Street with some nearby support small businesses on Huguenot. That is it and they are pleading for support and understanding.
But, these fine primarily new occupants trying to build a business base have been labeled as whiners and complainers. They dared to raise issues about City support and services. Our leviatian high rises are under duress; they house non core residents, many residents from Iona and Monroe, etc.
Oh, yes, we have had art festivals, trolleys, wall paintings by students… this is not to be denigrated, but it is not fair, accurate, or respectful of the voter to bring these forward as economic, even social “accomplishments” in an area where crime, misdemeanors, blight, and other forms of decay exist.
City Council members will be judged by every respectable and responsible citizen if they treat this lightly. The major initiatives planned are or should be well outside of the critical path. You owe it to your constituents, your neighbors, your families, and to plain common sense. Look at the situation with non-ideological eyes. Think of the issues that are underscoring this fine verbiage.
And they are Forest City/Ratner, Albanese, lack of service and support, political manueverings, a failing urban environment, a diminishing school district…… wake up and stop being so apathetic. Hold your council members feet to the fire and do so now.
The Window of Opportunity metaphor is actually poorly chosen. If and when things pick up here and elsewhere, the opportunities should be legion unless the venture capitalists and other investors and yes, small business and residents alike, see that the City is like looking at a glass darkly. The window is not open for you or me… perhaps it is to Albanese and the window is always open for the Ratners of this world.
Most of you do not know me. I was Noam Bramson’s biggest supporter and I know the territory about urban planning, strategic planning, change management etc. quite well. I am not one of the folks blessed by being appointed to the citizen’s committee, but that has turned out to be a blessing. This message is NON_RESPONSIVE. It does not begin to address the issues we face now. Noam mentions the validity of positions that portray opportuntiy versus correction (my words). This is a false premise, a strawman, and the eloquence of the words, the syntax, the structure, the length, breadth and width of the message are irrelevant.
Here is what is relevant. It has to do with renewal and restoration. The priorities are simply that along with protecting our providers, doing no further harm to our tax base, and putting enormous energy into bringing in new commercial ventures to our business district and you, from Wykagyl to Pelham Road, up to Main in a safe, secure way, while providing whatever the merchants need to be able to park their guests. It means vibrancy and vitality. Shari Rackman is correct… a great city needs entertainment and dining options. For crying out loud, even the great Yankee closer, had no success in closing his restaurant deal on Memorial Highway.
Shame on all of us! We allowed this to happen over years of benign neglect. We mortgaged our children’s future over a decaying school system. We saw years of sweat and sacrifice go awry as the equity in our homes evaporated. Jobs were lost and adult sons and daughters had to change careers mid stream. Vagrants found easy pickings on Main and North while predators attacked our wives, friends, neighbors, ourselves because we rationalized that police were less important than bureaucrats and managers.
And, don’t forget a handful of new, energetic small business owners were marginalized, insulted and labeled as “whiners.”
If the Mayans are right about 2012 all this is of little important. If they are wrong, a lot of us will have to move. Not because of the sacrifices as much as the loss of moral imperative, the worship of form over substance, and words that roll trippingly off the tongue while we walk trippingly down the decay of Main and North. Enough, Noam, Shari, Barry, Ivar, Jared, Albert, and Louis. There is no window of opportunity only the cold reality of a road not taken or traveled.
I am Warren Gross and I love this City.
Great Posting Warren
Thank you Warren, for another great posting.
I think that for the last 50 years, the New Rochelle City government’s ‘development’ policies have been the main source of New Rochelle’s economic deterioration.
I’d like to see the current City Council break that mold, and focus on improving commerce rather than ill-thought, counter-productive construction.
absolutely brian
thank you for the kind words especially coming from someone who loves the city and has a running history of our city and its evolution.
this is sad for me as I genuinely like Noam and he is capable of so much more. I hope he sees that the path he is on is damaging to all parties concerned.
brian do you have a copy or can you put me on the path to getting a copy of the referendum placed on election day a dozen or more years back concerning a “strong mayor.” as you remember the electorate turned it down. I would like to review it for language and applicability to today’s realities.
again, thank you and keep posting.
w
arren
To Warren on NR Referendums
Warren, there were at least four attempts at Referendums from around 1987-1999. Three of these related to the nature of the City Council, and three related to replacing the City Manager with an Executive Mayor.
I probably have a copy of the Petition of approximately 1987-88, which never actually was voted on due to a City Clerk’s error, but which does contain the citizens’ petition’s referendum’s wording. It is possible the City Clerk’s office has a copy too, as that Petition was filed with the City Clerk.
I probably have a copy of the Referendum of approximately 1991, which was voted on. It is probable the City Clerk’s office has a copy too, as it partially passed, and the City Clerk was totally responsible for counting the votes. The part that passed replaced an At-Large City Council with Council Districts, but the Executive Mayor part failed to pass.
There was another Referendum of approximately 1999, which also proposed replacing the City Manager with an Executive Mayor. It failed to pass. The City Clerk was totally responsible for counting the votes, and probably has a copy of that Referendum.
The Westchester Board of Elections does not monitor or count votes for New Rochelle Charter Elections, nor for Board of Education Elections or Budgets, nor for Library Elections or Budgets. So don’t bother seeking such information from the WBOE.
Brian Thanks
No luck with City Clerk. But, I cannot fathom too much difference in any referendum especially for strong mayor.
if you are comfortable in sharing, my address is 620 pelham road, apt 2a, new rochelle, new york. I would love to see any proposed language to any Charter/Code change for mayor or even city council. This becomes important in terms of roles, relationships and responsibilities and yes, in expense management.
Brian you are a fine citizen and man.
warren
Warren, I agree
I agree with your assessment. I will look for my copies of the referendums and petitions, and forward copies to you. I think I know where I have stored them.
The various referendums did differ in wording, and therefore in functionality. The most recent and failed referendum, while removing the Mayor from the City Council, would have created a high-paid Mayor whose non-cerimonial power would have effectively been to unilaterally appoint a high-paid Deputy Mayor who would have acted in the same capacity as a City Manager under the current Charter.
In comparions, the earlier referndums and petitions would have made the Mayor the actual adminsitrator. That’s how it should be.
No matter what, the Mayor should not be on the City Council, because the At-Large presence infringes on the concept and functionality of a City Council represented by Council Districts.
Great Post
Warren, I alway look forward to your posts and the way you address the issues. There are many citizens who love New Rochelle and truly want the city to get back on its feet and grow. I must express my opinions about Shari Rackman and her presentation at the city council meeting with relations to cabarets in New Rochelle. If that is her idea of entertainment, she is not thinking about all of New Rochelle. Do you really want these cabarets to operate in New Rochelle? Lucas Lucido and his partner have come to citizens to be heard and would like to stay open until 4am, seven days a week in a residential area. I think she would be singing a different tune if a cabaret would open up in one of the northend shopping centers. Were are we getting the police to uphold a safe environment? Let’s not sugar coat this, we are asking for trouble and problems we do not need. Warren, we deserve better, we want more for this city. Quality of life was the phrase used over and over again during campaign time, but it was never clear what that means.I think New Rochelle can afford to pass on the issue and start the rebirth with culture and the arts. But first we must all come together for that common good. I am sure we can count on you for guidance.
Caberets, Deli’s & Night Life in a Boring Affluent City
I don’t know what Shari Rackman stated regarding cabarets.
But I am sure New Rochelle needs more night life and that commerce would benefit from more cabaret licenses. There are plenty of Baby Boomers who would spend money at clubs with decent live music. And there are many college students in New Rochelle who would pay for whatever live music they like to listen to.
Any time I hear the phrase ‘quality of life’, I shiver, as that phrase is generally a euphemism for the a few puritanical people being distressed by others safely enjoying themselves. How anyone can think that live music is harmful is beyond my comprehension. Music is good for you.
The Puritans in New Rochelle now are ranting against 24 hour deli’s. There’s something happening here – what it is ain’t exactly clear.
Next Tuesday March 6 at 7 pm, there will be a Hearing at City Hall regarding zoning and hours of operation of businesses along North Avenue. Hopefully many good citizens will show up in support of small business owners, especially deli’s and restaurants who wish to operate at night or for 24 hours. Such businesses are desired by most people living in those areas, and bring in revenue to City Hall that offsets other taxes.
Music is good for you
Yes Brian music is good for you, but until 4am in the morning, I think not. If a restaurant has good food and people are able to park without fearing a parking ticket many will go to their location. I am not a puritanical person, but I do want people to safely enjoy themselves and since we do not have enough police in the downtown area what makes you think we have enough to protect these caberets in many different locations.
I only wish when the citizens in New Rochelle consider any and all suggestions would just step back and ask themselves would I like this to be next door to my home.
I just learned that a few years ago New Rochelle had a film festival and people were able to enjoy opera live from the Met at the New Roc theatre. It might not be something you or I would enjoy, but this surely is a positive for our city.
Again, I am not against music or small business owners making a living and I think it is time to put ourselves in other peoples shoes rather than labeling them. Don’t we all just want a little piece and quite at the end of the day!
I think live music should be available until 2 am
I agree with you that 4 am is too late for New Rochelle to have live music in bars.
I think live music should be available until 2 am in downtown New Rochelle. The area I am referring to is North Ave from City Hall south to Main Street; Main Street and Huguenot from River / Echo to Weyman. I think there should be live music available in bars/clubs until 2 am, near the Marina in those locations that have traditionally had live music at night. I think bands should not be limited in size, and certainly five piece bands should be permitted in bars.
Also, the NR Parks should be open to midnight during the summer, especially the one in front of the Library and Hudson Park. Our city is dying because the puritans are killing it.
New Rochelle has a better economic future with night life, than during the day, because many of NR’s adult citizens are not in NR during the day.
As it is, I generally have to go to Manhattan, Queens, Nassau or NJ to catch decent live music at night. There are only a few good venues in NR, but those tend to focus on Jazz. I like Jazz and do go to those venues, but I would like to see more Rock and Folk music than New Rochelle encourages.
There has long been something weird about New Rochelle denying culture to anyone under 80. I was aware of this when I was 30, but I am now 61 and still find our City discouraging music that would please my own generation. I pick up on the same thing when I turn my TV to NR’s Government channel and listen to the music there. The people of NR are very educated and hip, but the government has long been culturally out of sync with the people.
Anyone who lives near bars or colleges should have thought about where they wanted to live before moving there. The culture of bars and colleges should not be infringed because some neighbors failed to realize the nature of their own neighborhoods.
Consider that New Rochelle has three colleges, but fails to commercially benefit from them. We should be doing better commericially even if there were only one college. I blame the local puritans for discouraging the most obvious sources of commerce and culture. And the NR City Council has long tended to be overly-puritanical and a poor judge of culture.
At the end of the day, I don’t want peace and quiet, as much as I want culture and music. If I wanted peace and quiet, I’d move to a Senior Citizen gated community near Tom’s River NJ. I had a chance to do so recently, as I could have moved into my late father’s home. It would have cost me little to live there, and that community is all about peace and quiet, and boredom in the boondocks. The one thing that kept me away from moving there is that Ocean County, NJ closes down at about 9 pm.
New Rochelle, a city three miles from the NYC border, deserves and is entitled to a thriving night life.
Good Music
Brian-I certainly understand what you feel would be good for New Rochelle and I do not consider myself a puritan. But you have to understand that many citizens have lived in their homes long before these bars and clubs have been in New Rochelle. We all realize New Rochelle is desperate for revenue and nightlife and it is only one means in a growing city. New Rochelle government has failed to establish new codes and zones for commerical operations near neighborhoods or part of neighborhoods. I feel the colleges in New Rochelle are operating as company stores of old. By that I mean, they want money to stay within their institutions and only when we have retail will we be able to take advantage of these colleges.
I am not sure how long you have lived in New Rochelle, but I remember many good things about this city and many people giving of their time to this city. I hope that those days come back to New Rochelle and we can all enjoy ourselves by attending art shows, music festivals, etc. that is what I would like for New Rochelle. So if that would identify me as a puritan so be it.
Reply to Knitter regarding culture in NR.
I was born in New Rochelle in 1951, and have lived here since 1952. My grandparents and father moved here in 1927. My family owned Dry Cleaning businesses in NR from the 1930’s through the mid-1970’s.
I was an original tenant at 220 Pelham Rd, and I watched the construction of the ‘new’ Trinity School, and of the Church Street ‘Extension’.
I recall when I-95 was a ditch in the ground, under construction, when Davenport Neck’s many Beach Clubs were thriving and a center of culture in NR, when business was thriving in New Rochelle.
I lived on Pelham Rd from 1952-1958, attending Trinity School and moved north of Stratton Rd in 1958, and graduated from Davis School, ALJHS and NRHS. During my residency in the North End, I retained roots in the South End, via my family’s business on Drake Ave, as a member of the Beach & Tennis Club from about 1954-74, and by taking advantage of NR’s thriving downtown culture and commerce as it existed.
I am aware of what destroyed New Rochelle, and that cause was the well-meant, poorly conceived meddling of City Hall in the commerce and development of New Rochelle. But there has long been the problems of the imposition of puritanical values by a few persons, on the many people of New Rochelle.
I am not calling you a puritan. Perhaps I am over-sensitive to puritanical thinking due to over-exposure to the nauseating Rick Santorum. Still, I think in NR, there has long been a greater effort to stymie commerce, than to encourage it, and I think NR’s main commercial future is in night life.
I am critical of anyone living in downtown New Rochelle, or near its colleges, complaining about people actively spending money at night in what have always been commercially active night time neighborhoods. I think most residents in these areas are lviing here, precisely to be near such activities, and that is certainly true in my case.
Knitter, I am sure your concerns are as well meant as my own, and I appreciate reading your posts, even those I disagree with. I am in no way discouraging you from advocating your opinions or stating your knowledge, and applaud your good intent. I think you feel the same way about me.
The main source of NR’s problems is that too many of New Rochelle’s people do not advocate or even participate in discussions about NR nor participate in NR’s commerce and culture. Getting greater citizen participation should be the main goal of anyone concerned about New Rochelle’s future.
Thank you Brian
My family moved to New Rochelle in 1957, but before purchasing a home we drove from Pelham Bay every Saturday and enjoyed the stores, restaurants and movie theatres. My parents felt it was a wonderful place to raise a family. I too attended New Rochelle schools and took advantage of all that New Rochelle had to offer. Moved back to New Rochelle in 1969 and raised my family here. I have met many people from all sections of New Rochelle and I am continuing to do so even now. Perhaps because we both have fond memories of this city and remember it when, that we are very passionate in our viewing what is happening before our very eyes.I truly believe we can solve our problems, but not before everyone is allowed to come to the table and voice their concerns and get their opinions. That is why I believe a town hall meeting is necessary to move on. I have asked the mayor many time to host one but so far he cannot understand that letting people get whatever is bothering them off their chests will only help us move forward.
I am very sad that people are so busy trying to make a living and keep their heads above water that it is difficult to participate in what is happening. Only when it is in our neighborhood do we sit up and take notice. But I do have hope because our city is unique and surely worth saving.
New Rochelle does need more nightlife!!
Brian, I agree music is GREAT and needed. It is not only Entertainment, but brings culture and art to new rochelle regardless of its genre.
But…. unfortunately the state liquor authority will not issue any new liquor licenses in the city of new rochelle. This means only existing locations can only be licensed and the only chances of a nice upscale pub coming in doing it right are either the closed up speckled door on main or any of the existing hole in the wall bars selling out someone willing to renovate put all their life savings into it, just to be harassed… unless you are one of the New Ro boys.
Additionally these new cabaret laws need to be written very carefully.
Music & Alcohol. These are the 2 terms that should shape this new law. I think regardless of how many seats there are or if you are restaurant or a bar, IF you are serving alcohol and have live music a tiered fee cabaret license should be required. I have heard that the city is considering if you have under 50 seats you will not be required to have one?? I think thats a BIG mistake. If thats the case, watch all the hole in the wall Taquerias open up as miniature scummy little cantina clubs after 10pm, and watch main street & north ave get wore worse than its ever been. You need to look at what restaurants are there now and what they might become after 10pm…there are a FEW restaurants that are exceptions in downtown that I know would do the right thing and help build nightlife here. To further discourage these restaurants turning into bars or clubs at night, I think restaurants should be closed at 1am or 2am and allow true designated Bars to stay open to 3am or 4am. It is imperative that this legislation is written CLEARLY & CAREFULLY.
Counsel can easily make this a good thing or a bad thing regardless of intention.
The untold story
Let’s clear the air on cabarets. The restaurant owners have found a way to circumvent the current cabaret laws. Currently there are 2 types of cabarets; cabarets designed from the ground up that require council approval and accessory cabarets, which don’t. The difference is simple, a restaurant owner requires an accessary cabaret license to have entertainment later in the evening after normal dining hours and a full time cabaret can have live entertainment anytime. The accessory use requires NRPD approval and that’s the rub. Let’s be perfectly honest; the changes are necessitated because a well-known Pelham Road restaurant that many NR administrators patronize illegally operated an accessory cabaret. The establishment in question has been on Pelham Road for over 15 years and recently renovated the entire establishment. The building permit was to renovate an existing restaurant. Shortly after the re-opening, the owners began to use the premises as an illegal after-hours accessory cabaret that was truly unruly. So much so that from July through December, 2011, there were 32 NRPD calls for service in response to complaints of noise, Sate Liquor Authority Investigation, larceny, disputes, disorderly behavior and multiple EMS responses for sick and injured patrons. One of the owners appeared before council recently at Citizens to be Heard and claimed his restaurant business was declining and he needed the late night cabaret to survive. Here we have a prosperous restaurateur, who owns half of the shopping center in question, pumping $1 million into a restaurant that isn’t profitable then operating an illegal cabaret. The untold story is that the police commissioner and other city officials, frequent this establishment and the commissioner would be the official reviewing the accessory cabaret application.
The legislation proposed would
A require council approval for all cabarets
B limit the hours of operation deemed appropriate by location
C require renewal/review every 2-years
This is positive legislation designed to close a loophole that is currently being exploited. Ms. Rackman has appeared to sympathize with the establishment totally ignoring the NRPD paper trail of trouble. She and her husband dined at the restaurant during the week but never experienced the late night cabaret. Unfortunately this serves as another reminder of the North/South divide where Ms. Rackman has no clue what is happening and for whatever reason chooses to ignore the documented NRPD incident reports. This legislation should pass 7-0.
Ms. Rackman’s approach to
Ms. Rackman’s approach to “investigating” the Siete Ocho Siete situation is akin to the flooding problem on Brookside in Halcyon Park. It only floods when it is raining; Ms. Rackman would direct the DPW to examine the area on a sunny day.
Whatever side you might take on this issue, the idea that visiting Siete Ocho Siete midweek at 7 p.m. would tell Ms. Rackman anything about what area residents are complaining about during the wee hours of the morning on the weekends is nonsensical. That she would then take any sort of position on this matter based on her “experience” is worse.
It reminds me a great deal of the Mayor, back in 2008, disputing an article in the Journal News about the North-South divide in the public schools by offering as proof that there is no such divide that he and his children had (in his case) or would (in the kid’s cases) attend(ed) the New Rochelle public schools without mentioning that he and his children had or would attend NORTH END public schools, the entire point of the Journal News article.
Apparently, Ms. Rackman is learning at the feet of the master. Master of what, I leave to the readers to determine.
Cabaret legislation
I agree wholeheartedly with Old Timer’s comments on this proposed legislation. The key to me is “appropriate by location,” one that seems to be shared by a number of readers. Bob McCaffrey has a handle on this as well.
I don’t see any value in attacking Shari Rackman especially based on what I perceived to be some independent thinking at the last Council meeting regarding licensing of cabarets. I really don’t know much about her visit to Siete Ocho Siete. If she did, it is better than having a council person not being directly involved. My support earlier comes from her statements that suggest or at least intimated that cities of our size need entertainment venues and fine dining spots if people are going to remain here and spend money. Of course many of us are uniquely involved and committed to this under the aegis of revitalizing the business district.
She appears to be a radical improvement over her predecessor and I do not nor will not see her as a rubber stamp with less than 3 months in office. We are never going to encourage any form of teamwork if we attack council members without specific cause. Lets give her both a chance and the benefit of the doubt.
If we ever are going to convince the city council to act as the trustees of this community as the Charter/Code clearly stipulate, we cannot expend energy dividing them. We have only one clear acolyte of the status quo and you can guess who that is. Lets give her a proper chance to learn her views, where she lines up with her fellow council members on key issues, and whether she ends at least the year with a 100% pro administration voting record. She may very well not based if for no other reason, on her youth and more topical outlook.
Bob McCaffrey also zones in on the 24 hour a day establishment and I view this as being in accord with what the Old Timer reports and what the basic criteria of the City seems to be at this point.
They could add some more criteria and likely will. The key will be strict control and monitoring and we will all welcome the relocation of the five years plus chowder and ale society that met in the old Siete Ocho Siete establishment. There are some legendary stories told by regulars about how one or more would “manage the environment” when they visited weekly.
I think we will prosper from spirited debates on the real issue of which this matter is but a subordinate clause and that is the absolute non-responsiveness of the “state of the city” address. I will be drawing some initial hypothesis on each city council member’s willingness to put the city before party and ideology based on his or her acceptance of some or all of the “initiatives.”
Now is the time to very closely track the outcomes from the “Ctizen’s Panel” to see how they dovetail or differ from what we have just heard on March 1
Punishing the many for the faults of a few!
Tim and Warren,
Thanks for your good words. I remember the days of The Lollipop, Marty and Lenny’s and The Strip on North Avenue. Those were fun times but those were different times. I am not some radical crazy. I just look for nothing more than to have the city and the planning commissions do what is right. These laws are there for a reason. This one deli has a poor track record and shows exactly why there should be no change in their favor. Does this affect me? No, it is too far away from my house. Unfortunately we need to have these laws in place to protect the public from the select few that cause trouble like several of the business you mentioned. It hurts the true business man that has good ideas and wants to make a living which in turn gives us tax revenue. I am active and attend some meetings which I believe more people should. I see and hear the horror stories of people with lounge chairs in Dunkin Donuts parking lot on Main Street and much more. As I said the voices of the neighbors by the deli don’t get heard. The Dunkin Donuts on North Ave got it’s variance but with stipulations that they and any future business on that land cannot sell alcohol. The 24hrs only applies to the weekends. Would the delis like Deli Mart agree not to sell alcohol like the Dunkin Donuts, I doubt it.
I speak out because I love New Rochelle. My family has been a part of this community since the early 1900’s. I have grown up here and would like to have a safe and wonderful city for my daughter to grow up in like I did.
Rackman tipping scales against herself
I agree that new council members should have a honeymoon period to prove their independence BUT unfortunately in the case of Ms. Rackman she is tipping the scales against herself. When you realize she had zero name recognition and was a true unknown in the volunteer community one wonders how and why she received the uncontested nomination. Second, the fact that the bulk of her campaign finances came from Marc Jerome & family, executive board of Monroe College and head of the New Rochelle Business Improvement District. Third, she is basing her opinion of the proposed cabaret legislation based on one mid-week official visit when the problems occur on weekends and she totally ignores the abundance of documented police and EMS responses for service, one wonders is this misguided exuberance or something else? If she is unable to witness the situation at peak offense time, for religious or other reasons, she should respect and follow the lead of the two council representatives most impacted which is a bipartisan duo. She may be trying too hard to prove her independence but her methodology leaves much to be desired.
Give Her a Chance
Tim, suggest we all stick to the simple fact at this moment that she has been in office for a shorter period than Kim Kardashiam and Kris Humphrey were man and wife.
I honestly think that if we become too rabid, too set in our ways in opposing people based on other than what they perform over time, we continue to lose as a City. I mean simply that we are not going to get support City wide from people if we strike out and smack down people who haven’t really demonstrated at this point that they deserve it. Even then, perhaps we can all profit by Cardinal Dolan’s comment concerning Limbaugh and more important, The Church’s opposition concerning the recent Obama mandate.The Cardinal says that we can strongly oppose what we think is wrong and win people over by the power of our argument, not divisive language.
You have not used divisive language and you might be right in the weeks and months ahead. Tim, I know Shari’s mom works for Monroe and I know she has received a considerable campaign contribution from the Jerome clan. I also am becoming aware of the visit she made to Siete Ocho Siete for whatever reason. I have not heard her speak of this visit, but apparently you and others have and we shall see what effect, if any, it has on the Cabaret issue.
Frankly Tim, it doesn’t matter too much that she was unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Al Tarantino was unopposed by the Democrats in his district. I am more concerned with that than I am with Shari not having a competitor in District 6.
My view is that, District 6 is a strong democratic threshhold and I can think of more than one reason that she ran unopposed, but that would contribute to a view that goes against my philosophy at this point in my life.
My sense is that we are making progress opening up the city and that if we continue to address matters on an issue by issue basis, keep the personal diatribes and ad hominem attacks down to a minimum, we could see some major breakthroughs.
I will happily give Shari time to show where she is heading as a councilwoman. Her mother’s place of business is of no concern to me and I have no reason to think it would affect her way of thinking at this time.
I am going to concentrate my work on really bad folks such as Ratner, incompentent city officials and the gathering of as much support as possible to prioritize what we need to do to bring the City back to sanity.
You are an excellent poster and, sadly, you might be right. I have been wrong too often usually attributable to blind faith. But, I try to compensate by strong positions and good colleagues such as yourself on TOTS.
Watch with me every councilmember and check what they do in terms of what must be done, and in addition, keep a close watch on the work of the Citizens panel to see if it simply replicates the State of the City message or whether it offers new hope for community involvement.
Best always and a special thanks to
Briam Sussman who is looking for some key information for me that will help what we are all doing and are concerned with.
Do we have the time?
Warren, I truly feel our city does not have the time to wait and see what Ms. Rackman does or feels what is important. Certainly when she ran for council her ideas about what the city is lacking were very clear. More of the same old, same old.
I wish someone would have the courage to start developing the north end of town and see what Ms. Rackman says and does about that situation. Do I have hope for her to be a new light? No way. She was elected so her district could remain content. Have you noticed that not many citizens of the north end are very involved and speak out at meetings. Why is that? It is because they do not have to feel the pain that the people south of Eastchester Rd. are going through.
I wish I had your faith. Perhaps in another time and place.
Time will tell
Warren, we have been down this road before with Noam and I appreciate your optimism but sometimes you ignore the facts or make unfair parallels. Tarantino was unopposed this time but he had a republican primary his first go-round. Tarantino has superb name recognition and is a fixture in the New Rochelle community so any comparison to justify Rackman optimism is questionable in my opinion and an unfair parallel . Adding insult to injury is the fact that Ms. Rackman ignored the NRPD reports which I can publish if you wish. Ms. Rackman has also expressed favor on the Albanese project; something everyone I have spoken with says will hurt our downtown with its 60 / 40 mix. If you honestly believe the Jerome families overwhelming financial support is meaningless I would direct your attention to Yonkers and the Anabi trial as an example of what COULD happen. I stated she is tipping the scales in a negative direction out of the box and stopped short of labeling her. I admittedly don’t have your opposition and come from the show me state so her votes will ultimately turn the tide for me one way or the other.
If my starting pitcher gives up 3 runs in the first inning I will send him out in the second but he will have a short leash. Not many thoroughbreds can overcome a 10-length lead down the stretch but hopefully the long shot will come in.
Only One or Two Things Count
Tim you miss everything I am saying so no sense in trying to tell you about apples and oranges. You generalize too much and I remain overly optimistic and refuse to indict someone without cause. I hold onto the fact that she cannot be indicted because her mother works for Jerome or that Annabi somehow predicts what she will do in New Rochelle, or that I doubt police reports. Nothing I posted remotely resembles the above. I haven’t a clue what it is any police report and so, why would I doubt what you say. I think she may oppose Cabaret legislation but her apparent visit to Siete does not invalidate the substance of bringing entertainment to the right places and I repeat that Old Timer has the right handle on this.
So, the net message I keep getting from you and few others frankly is that all is lost and only posting against the administration will do any good.
It will do enough good except make some people feel better and that is not enough.
Read Noam Bramson’s address and you will see it is full of issues, traps, and worse. Unless people here on TOTS and elsewhere pick up the beat, get off personal approbations, work towared unifying the City, and work even harder toward building a city-wide coalition, we will get the government we deserve.
The time is long past to overturn how this City operates; it operates outside of Charter/Code. It works through money, influence, dividing geographical line, party hacks, influence peddling, and the unwillingness of people who have been kicked around for years come back for more. what the hell good is it to rationalize that there is a difference between Tarantino running unnopposed compared to jRackman running unapposed. That is the same type of rationalization bent rhetoric Noam is giving you in his state of the city talk in front of a choir of converts on March 1. If the Democratics feared Tarantino in the least, he would have faced opposition. It is that simple. Rackman is interchangable with just about any registered voter in District 6. Her mother working for Jerome is irrelevant given this fact. What is not irrelevant is the power of Jerome who we never had really gotten much insight about in TOTS. What isn’t irrelevant is that Rackman seemingly on all of the things she could have done in the community, visits Nick at Siete Ocho Siete. Why? Why not visit downtown New Rochelle and talk to the merchants, the building managers at the high rises, the man in the street? Don’t know…. I do know that by extrapolation she should not dropped in on Siete Ocho Siete at all given a reeasonable interpretation of what the Code says a Councilmember should be empowered to do on h/her own. But perhaps she did get clearance from Strome.
I want to call your attention and the attention of every other poster who has said little or nothing about the core issues facing our City and invite you to return to the State of the City speech. Again, the Charter says, the ceremonial mayor (actually says mayor only) will GIVE the state of the city speech. I must wonder whether he actually got advice and consent from the rest of the council prior to giving the speech. Likely not, how does a six figure funded ceremonial mayor develop a war chest entitling him to give such a speech especially during a non-election cycle.
Tim, I am interested in these things first and foremost. I am going to do the best I can to stop frequent posting around smaller matters, do less whining, and not respond to each and every nit and nat. What I am interested in is systemic change. Since (and maybe prior to) Idoni, this system has insulted you by not representing its own rule of law. It has degraded you as a non-resident of the elite districgts by disregarding you.
But we continue to whine, when we should do otherwise. How many times do I have to say that TOTS has so many bright and caring people who have been marginalilzed and lack representation. Yet, we care about Rackman’s visit to Nicky. The legislation and its enforcement is the issue here.
Shari Rackman will vote for Albanese. No question about that. The one thing I agree with you is that I am often too hopeful. I will not change that because if I am not, that makes me either a quitter or I run the possibiiity of being a potential violent felon. How can I be otherwise? My wife walks the train area, meets friends in downtown, and predators stalk because they can. Noam says they can voicelessly and so will Shari and surely Bicycle Barry. Suffok County just the other day changed their policing strategy to build or occupy community premises because they had the damn common sense to take crime seriously.
So re-read the state of the city message. You tell me and others how Albanese, Echo Bay, etc.. are “windows of opportunity?” They are nothing more than business as usual, further prompts to increase our certiorari numbers, close the doors on struggling merchants, threaten the livelihood of first providers, and build up risk and negative consequence on good people such as you if you dare to come here after hours or during daylight when a panhandler will pick his way through street garbage and ask for a handout.
Even Mo Rivera couldn’t make it here. He is a closer and he couldn’t make it here. Richard St Paul should have harnessed his power to annoy into his latent power to expose and change.
Let me put it simply for all to see and I do this again, again, and again. If you vote for Albanese or Echo Bay mister or ms councilman you are guilty of a lapse of moral imperative and sound business judgment. You threaten the well being of your neighbors and consituents. If you live in the sylvan north, you place your property value and tax base at increasing jeopardy.
I read with absolutely disdain a paragraph written by a politician that stated that running for and holding office is a sign of courage and bravery. That is total B.S. What would be a sign of courage and bravery would be to run for office and publically commit to a single term in office.
So, I challenge every poster, reader and every blogger to look at the state of the city address and ask yourself fundamental questions. I want to know why the business district with its unquestionable and direct impact on growing a commercial and residential tax base is not place number one on any priority list and maybe represent the only new major initiative. It should include safety, security, zoning, etc…. ad nauseum. I am sick of myself;in my absolute obseesive compulsive need to raise this time and time again. But Tim, you would take away optimism and say this is simple naiviety. Why Tim? I want fundamental and substantive change. I want you and others to talk about what is going on …. who are the power brokers? what are the districts of those empowered to serve on planning boards and what have they done…. why haven’t we heard more about BID on this site…… why aren’t people on this site worried about these matters……. drone, drone, drone.
This City can be restored and resurrected. It is a question of collective action by disenfranchised, marginalized people. All of the moaning and groaning on blogs, Council public forums, will not make a dimes difference.
I am aware that I say these things but cannot and have not organizaed anything of this sort. But, there may be someone or two out there who will and can. I guess I am being optimistic again.
Tim, you are a good, valuable citizen but if you reply, I will read but not answer, I am tapped out.
How do we start?
Warren, How do we start to bring this city together? If the mayor and council do not feel this is important, we owe it to the city we love to reach out. According to Mr. Strome, Forest City will be making a presentation at the March 13th meeting. When will this take place at 3:45pm when few can attend or will the mayor have the courage to allow this to be present at 7pm when more people can be present? I only hope Ms. Rackman lives up to your views and does step out of the box and thinks about all of the city.
Please continue to reply. Your wisdom is needed.
If I’m not mistaken, the
If I’m not mistaken, the mayor thinks the city’s already togther & we’re the outsiders causing trouble.
Eternal Optimism is misguided
Warren, we have been down this road before with Noam and you have finally seen the light concerning the Boy Blunder. You took exception because many said you were NIAVE but that’s what eternal optimism is based on. You state I speak in generalizations which is a blatant lie. Sorry if this offends you but it is what it is because I based my initial opinion about Ms. Rackman on documented facts while you once again rely on eternal optimism. You criticize me for judging her prematurely with your snide remark referencing “Kardashiam” then you call her a breath of fresh air based on your eternal optimism over the same timeframe you criticize me for. You were the one who brought Tarantino into the discussion and YOU were comparing apples to oranges with that BS parallel as the facts pointed out. When one of the most powerful entities in NR, the Jeromes, are throwing money hand over fist to one political party and focusing on a no-name first time candidate my antenna go up. And let’s not forget that the Jeromes are controlling NR’s downtown while residing in NJ. Isn’t it queer that someone that has no connection to NR outside of the for-profit college they own has sooo much control over the NR BID?
Admittedly I could probably use a dose of optimism but my many years living in NR has made me a skeptic and with good reason. You, my friend, need a larger dose of reality. Optimism has been the cornerstone of the past two administrations and the blind mice have followed. You are now on the edge of the dock, the question is, does our eternal optimism lead you to take the final/fatal last step? OR do you realize the next step is fatal and change direction?
Tim do something
sorry tim, you still are short of making sense. let others decide. and it is ok to say i am lying. i don’t mind. you are striking out like a man possessed. some have called be naive, but many have not. read the postings and i do very well. anyone is welcome to check what we both have said on this matter and compare one to another. clearly you love to rail against the powers and curse the darkness and i would rather light a candle. as far as the kardasian situation it was outside of our conversation and simply measured 73 days against less than 60. can’t you see that?
look stop trying to get at my core which is one of believing that people can change, most are decent, some mislead, and you are not doing a damn thing to make this a better city to live in with comparisons to sandy annabi. the worst is you always agree with much of what i say and then use it as if i didn’t say it. the best definition of naivity i have heard recently is that naivity is what some label you when they disagree with your viewpoints.
so Tim, i apologize for answering when i said i wouldn’t. perhaps some others, bob Mc, brian S, fifth avenue guy will weigh in and contrast and compare.
Speaking of Brian, I still would greatly prosper if you can find the referendum data. I want to use it to compare and contrast pre and post referendum states of governance. you also said something interesting about a citizen referendum or petition that was “mishandled” by the City Clerk and so, the citizens lost their rights based on administration error or oversight. that would cause me to stand up and take notice and it has. I have heard of problems in the administration before of a similar nature where material in an office, for example, teh building office, disappear and cannot be accessed by a property owner.
Again, my apologies to Brian and for anyone else who is bothered by this kind of crap. Our focus should be on changing the power fulcrum and to see that the following areas receive priority in 2012/2013
1. restore, revitalize, and secure and sanitize the downtown main street business area.
2. have the city work towards discovering what the health of our downtown high rises are at this point in time and stop pointing to art shows, children’s wall paintings, etc. as examples comparable to bringing forth meaningful commercial revenue to NR
3. provide community with a clear understanding of the City Charter/Code and conform to this or change it. A critical change is to have city council live up to its role as city board of directors which came about by referendum re: council districts in 1998 I believe. If not 1991. This means ceremonial mayor’s powers are limited to those explicit in current Charter and they are not acting as “executive or strong” mayor which is what is happening now.
4. focus the considerable brain power of TOTS bloggers and other caring citizens to recognize the need and responsibility to support our rule of law and expect and demand compliance to the Charter/Code.
5. recognize the terrible truth that underlies a successful city; it must have a business district that works, is supported, is protected from crime and misdemeanors and has support systems such as BID that are accountable to the City Council and work in the interest of the people. Same should be true of th IDA. Actually there is no need for a planning committee that is not a part of the City Council direct control and monitoring and it should be immediately depoliticized and disbanded.
6. The same as stipulated in 5 above goes for a vibrant and functioning school district. How in the name of God can you expect investment if you have our revenue issues, decayed business district, lack of any authority over a diminishing school district, a budget balanced by gimmicks such as fees and one time revenues, and the fiscal sword of damocles hanging over New Rochelle’s first providers based on threats to dismiss when the pool of potential layoffs rests solely within budget cuts and layoffs from exempt management and administration staff and consultants.
7. agreement not to view either Echo Bay or Albanese as “windows of opportunity” when they clearly are well outside of the critical path of what has to be done to restore the City. One this is on the road, and providing Freimuth and his people are still here, we have the staff resources to find a lot of people interested in building and residing here if fundamental changes are made. Give Freimuth his head responsible to the council
8. finally I have presented over and over the above points plus taking a lead role here on reasons to control Marc Jerome and Monroe, challenge the status quo on Iona, presented many facts and areas to think about concerning why we should not agree to Albanese and should offer Echo Bay up via a new RFP in the future once we clean house. Good Lord, is there anyone out there that wants Forest City/Ratner in this town?
My naivity appears in the above so forgive a hopeful fool who knows you take the point not only in combat but in community affairs. I am 75 years old and cannot do what I could even 5 years ago, but I still am pretty damn formidable. Besides, the older I get the more I know the value of community and unlike our dentist friend, what real diversity is and it is not a part of how New Rochelle is treated and managed. The South, West, East sides are under-represented, marginalized, and at best, patted on the head. Our Latino and Italian American brothers and sisters are given a DPW yard and we hear that we get a art show, murals, and I suppose other things which I am fully in favor and supportive of, but doesn’t reflect the differential equation existing in our community.
Tim, I present my naivety to you and maybe you can improve on it. I really mean it this time; I will not respond to anything you say on this topic because frankly, you cannot do what I can do.
I can do one other thing. John D. are you out there? If you are, when things come to light once again on the Armory which we all should have as a community or if it is scheduled for annihilation, I would like you to cuff me to the front door or at least twist tie me there. Let them take me away because you or someone else will quickly take my place and maybe this is the statement we need to make.
Enough! Shari you have my hopes and like your 5 council colleagues, my interim trust. Fail us down here requires reasons we can all relate to and understand. I think you are capable of that and I apologize if your mom has been labeled unjustly or if you have been seen simply as a tool for the administration to wield. Time will tell on where you stand and what your reasons are. Until then, buona fortuna and to all others on the council, I give an abridged few words (minus the Italian cuss word) on the order given to Captain Courageous who abandoned his post.
Council Vada Borda! The entire City needs you NOW.
have a nice day Tim
Warren, chill
Warren, have a beer or beverage of choice and chill. This “CRAP” started because you took exception to Old Timer’s statements about Ms. Rackman that are based on fact or maybe Cox’s opinion. No one, not even you, can dispute police records and statements made by Ms. Rackman at council meetings. Please, stop chasing windmills.
75 or 25 it doesn’t matter, while I am a bit younger, opinions are like a$$holes, everybody has one. I am not shouting at the dark, I am attempting to shine a light to expose things, as they exist so others don’t need to light a candle.
Here’s a new one; the commissioner used to hang out Sieta but now has a new meeting establishment on Division St. The same establishment received the contract to supply prisoner meals. Coincidence or Quid Pro Quo, you tell me!
ok show me the place
tim help me chill. i am on division street heading towards the patisserie tea shoppe every morning after gym at 7:45 – 8:15 or so. can’t miss me, haven’t a hair on my head and wear a watch cap. maybe you can educate me.
you say a restaurant on division – probably know which on not hard to guess.
sorry you are upset about one very simple point that you share with a number of people. that is you have lots of facts, a love to expose or play gotcha but you don’t really have much of a clue as to what to do with these facts or how to work with others to make things improve.
but if I bother you; hell tell me what bothers you. who knows, since we agree on lots of things except for the simple matter that you are very negative and I am not, well its a beginning.
now that the weather is warming, a beverage might be in order.
tim, i really don’t care about the amount of expose. That is old news. this crap has been going on in new rochelle since i was in knee pants. it has simply gotten worse because no one seems to ask the right questions or enough questions and they accept this crap as a way of life. let me show you what i mean – lets take a very small example
1. what is a planning committee?
2. what is their role?
3. why are they needed?
4. how does someone get on the committee?
5. who do they report to?
6. how do they interface with other planning people or groups in New Rochelle?
7. who are the current members?
8. what district do they reside in?
9. are any of the members active pollitical donations to any individual or party in New Rochelle< Once you ask these questions you begin to get someplace. A logical next step is the actual donation process and who has a war chest. take mayor bramson 1. how much money is in his war chest 2. who are his donors? 3. why is so much money available given no tv or media use? 4. what disbursements are typically made from this warchest and to whom? etc. etc. etc. once you do these sorts of things, you then discover that questions are much, much more important than "facts" or exposes. It characterizes who we are and why we are this way. we should have a committee devote to simply raising questions. Socrates is my personal hero.... that is what he would have done you see this is why I am optimistic, "naive" and can make a contribution that binds people together and doesn't divide them. but i told you often that you are a valuable man but i can see you are pissed. again, check the record above and you will see that I fully agree with old timer and his support of the reasons behid the cabaret legislation. but, we can talk about this in private as well as on the blog. try not to take this personally. you call be naive, optimistic.... that is your right. you said i lied, that doesn't bother me. but i am a guy that likes to clear the air face to face and, no matter how pissed you get, I respect you and try to undertand that naivety is always i think aa difference of opinion and nothing mroe
OK I’m mad, suck it up!
Now I get it! Eternal optimism raises questions and disregards the answers. What good are questions without answers? The problem is you can’t deal with reality. Reality is the answers. A quick search shows Bramson with a January 2012 campaign balance of $152,000 and that’s directly after an election campaign. Think about how insane this is; $152,000 balance immediately after an election year for a “ceremonial mayor”, with a $100,000 plus salary, and 4 years to build a larger war chest. Contributions came from Ratner, Capelli, Jerome; do these ring a bell? You make light of Quid Pro Quo’s that have been going since you were in knee pants and that’s exactly the apathetic mindset that leads to widespread corruption. I’m not saying there is widespread corruption in NR but there is absolutely NO ACCOUNTABILITY demanded by our city manager as evidenced by the comish to Fevang.
You don’t bother me at all, I enjoy a debate but you label me negative. Much like Bramson & Strome label people you hold in high regard, like Peggy Godfrey, as Citizens Against Virtually Everything (CAVE) people. Then you become outraged when I rebut you or defend myself. You’re damn right I’m mad! It’s not about the comish or Fevang it’s about the management which allows this behavior and then cries poverty and balances the budget by terminating firefighters. The management that terminates firefighters while we employ a publicist, 2 secretaries in the city manager’s office, a $80,000 + benefits for an “executive assistant” to the mayor and a politically appointed city clerk at $100,000 with no prior experience. These are all good people BUT priorities dictate all non-essential positions go before first responders. Your damn right I’m mad that my taxes went up by 14% this year and if not for an accounting error first responders would have been on the bubble again. So if my being mad bothers you TOUGH! Suck it up! This council majority is poised to bond $20 million to move the city yard when there is a massive revenue decline. The artificially inflated budget, with the Avalon sale monies, which run out next year, continues to cut basic community services while preserving non-essential positions. Yes I’m mad and I fight by exposing the CRAP the people you have eternal hope for have created. The CRAP the last two administrations dumped on the taxpayers and the CRAP that will continue if we don’t realize what has happened and correct it immediately. There are 3 basic services government must supply; protect the citizenry, put out the fires & take out the trash. EVERYTHING else is a luxury!
Bramson legislates Farm Animals
I couldn’t agree more. Check the city council agenda. Mayor Bramson has proposed legislation on FARM ANIMALS. We absorbed a 15% property tax increase with the garbage fee, we are facing a $20 million bond for the city yard, firefighters are unsure of employment and Bramson is focused on farm animals. How many peole have a need to keep 6 hens? This is clearly driven by political payback to individuals. This city needs to legislate for the greater good as opposed to the polically connected!
so you’re mad
we are wasting valuable blog space on this nonsense. the more we post, the angrier you get. you have problems accepting that people can approach things differently and still be on the same page.
i chose to write a blog on ‘facts’ and ‘question’ and I mention your name as the motivation for this blog which few will read, many will disagree, some will agree.
better to do this than take away from the more important issue which is the state of the city and other related matters.
i passed the place on division where the boys migrated from the old mama francesca. they been there for some months now.
maybe i will have a drink at the bar to see if I can spot them; they are noisy and are easy to find in a crowd.
meanwhile try to understand the amount of praise and good will i expressed to you and damn it man, chill out. this city will never change if everyone is 24 hours a day pissed off and throws indictments and accusations directed at people.
join me one of these days for coffee or tea. you know where i am in the morning, you even have my address if you read my posting directed to brian sussman.
warren
I believe I understand
I will gladly sip the beverage of your choice with you and pay for it. I checked your posts and I believe I understand our different views and approaches. Best I can tell you are a renter while I am a property owner so yes we see things from different viewpoints. If I had tenants I could never recoup the 14% tax increase and as a property owner I bare the full load. That’s why I’m mad as hell. Hope has long been beaten out of me by greedy, unethical politicians. I was a renter when first married and it was easier to be care free and full of hope. I take nothing away from you or renters in general but unless you have experienced both sides of the fence it’s to understand. Keep up the good fight because while we may travel different paths I believe we seek the same finish line.
God Bless Tim and Best Always
Tim I am a shareholder and so understand the property tax question. In fact, I am trying to get a bill through the NYS house and senate via Latimore and others on tenants rights with very limited success.
I couldn’t agree more with you on the property tax and other issues. We are definitely on the same page and the same team. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be as a homeowner in this town. The deck is stacked against you and to a lesser degree me on the way in which the City neglgently handles the entire issue around building a revenue base.
I hope we can make inroads into this problem. I have lost too many good friends due to it and it needs to stop. I only wish the people uptown would realize just how dangerous and how impactful city policy and management has on their equity.
It will get worse unless very basic things come to pass and soon.
Again I look forward to meeting you some day. I respect your courage as well as the pertinent data you have collected.
warren
Eternal Optimism is misguided
Warren, we have been down this road before with Noam and you have finally seen the light concerning the Boy Blunder. You took exception because many said you were NIAVE but that’s what eternal optimism is based on. You state I speak in generalizations which is a blatant lie. Sorry if this offends you but it is what it is because I based my initial opinion about Ms. Rackman on documented facts while you once again rely on eternal optimism. You criticize me for judging her prematurely with your snide remark referencing “Kardashiam” then you call her a breath of fresh air based on your eternal optimism over the same timeframe you criticize me for. You were the one who brought Tarantino into the discussion and YOU were comparing apples to oranges with that BS parallel as the facts pointed out. When one of the most powerful entities in NR, the Jeromes, are throwing money hand over fist to one political party and focusing on a no-name first time candidate my antenna go up. And let’s not forget that the Jeromes are controlling NR’s downtown while residing in NJ. Isn’t it queer that someone that has no connection to NR outside of the for-profit college they own has sooo much control over the NR BID?
Admittedly I could probably use a dose of optimism but my many years living in NR has made me a skeptic and with good reason. You, my friend, need a larger dose of reality. Optimism has been the cornerstone of the past two administrations and the blind mice have followed. You are now on the edge of the dock, the question is, does our eternal optimism lead you to take the final/fatal last step? OR do you realize the next step is fatal and change direction?
Do we know for sure?
Do we know for sure if Ms. Rackman is a member of Monroe College? If it is true then some issues need to be brought to the public’s attention. Were there campaign finance rules broken? Did other members of Monroe College donate money to her campaign? Did Monroe College give money to those donating individuals in order to donate such funds? Did Mayor Bramson instruct Monroe College on just how to do that? It seems a lot of money has been changing hands from Monroe College to other areas of New Rochelle. I think Monroe is a for profit college, so as far as reputation goes, they’ll probably do anything to get ahead. The city needs to take a good look at what is really going on there and then begin to make some hard decisions. For example, Monroe can be shut down by the government tomorrow, what happens to the property in which they’ve been renting? A for profit college renting, is not safe for any downtown business district. Marc Jerome has pulled the wool over the eyes of the entire community of business leaders in the downtown area. It’s time more retail businesses enter the arena in order to make pricing more competitive downtown. Around the rumor mill it seems Monroe College is in some financial trouble and they are using the same political pay off principles the mortgage companies used in the 2006 and 2008 elections. If Ms. Rackman is connected to an establishment such as monroe college, we all need to be vigilant in making sure we protect the greater good.
Now what?
Forest City will be making a presentation on Tuesday, March 13 at 3:45pm. Now if the mayor was really interested in having citizens involved in government, I think this presentation should start at 7pm. I guess I will have to take a half day off from work. I hope the council sees the shame in this and asks the developer to come back in the evening so the hardworking citizens of New Rochelle can listen and see the fate of Echo Bay. Even if I have questions about the project and spoke at the citizens to be heard I would never get an answer. This is not the type of government I want.
It’s not just the noise!
The issue with the 24hr Deli is more that the hours. We are not speaking about a business or downtown area. These are businesses that are in a residential area. I don’t think anyone would want this type of operation just over their back fence or right next door. If you speak to the people that live there you will hear their stories of drug dealing from cars and groups of noisy, disrespectful kids and people of all back grounds. Just walk through the neighborhood and knock on any door on Hubert Place. I have seen upset property owners in tears out of frustration because Iona College couldn’t help and has no control because this is not just an Iona College student issue. Unfortunately our police force is under staffed and they can’t be there all the time. The late night activity around the store covers up a lot of issues and also lets the blame be put on the Iona College students when it isn’t them at all. The college, I have heard would rather not see the Deli Mart get the variance to go 24hrs. However, their hand seems to be tied as well. With Facebook and different media type petitions the students have spoken out about the change being denied. The lawyer for the deli has been feeding off this point to drive their request through to approval. The students want it open so they have a place to buy beer at 4 in the morning. The students and other people in the area have plenty of other options available to them. They can buy their chips and sodas before 11:00 pm. Are they too incapacitated to walk or drive another 100 feet to On the Run at the Mobil station, The College Diner and several other establishments which remain open after 11; 00 pm?
Back on September 9, 2004, the City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 198-2004 (Article VIII, §331-61(I), of the New Rochelle City Municipal Code), especially to restrict retail establishments such as Deli Mart and United Gourmet Deli from operating during extended hours, precisely, because they are located in residential neighborhoods.
These businesses opened knowing the law. More importantly, Deli Mart has been and continues to be flagrantly violating the law. Many neighbors complained! Despite notices and warnings, Deli Mart continued to stay open and operate during extended hours. It has now been officially cited by the police for its flagrant disregard of the law and is in court. They want to win this court battle so they have a big push to get the variance approved so it would work in their favor. Cynthia Lobo, Esq., represents the delis and she is expected to bring Iona students to support the Deli Mart appeal. The board should not be bullied into this change.It is not just about one store.
If this variance is passed, it would also open up a can of worms in many other residential areas. So, it isn’t just about Deli Mart. Open all of the 24hour stores and bars you want, Just make sure they are legal and in the right zones for the operation of that business. We all like a good time once in a while.
The flood gates are open
Mr. McCaffrey, I hope you will allow me to call you Bob in the future, you are correct it is not all about noise. Disruptive behavior fosters illegal actions and at an alarming rate. The problem is the hand-picked boards who review the variances. These boards are cherry-picked either by the mayor or city manager so they reflect the mindset of the council majority. As far back as the 90’s then councilman Bramson stated New Rochelle’s future is in night life. This mindset brought us the Palladium with all its drugs, stabbings etc. that turned downtown into a pigsty. For many years the council could not control the revolting throngs of humanity trashing our downtown. In an attempt to take back the downtown, the city adopted the cabaret legislation to build a case against the Palladium but that too failed. Finally a complaint letter to the State Liquor Authority (SLA) sparked a review of the Palladium’s liquor license which was found to be fraudulent and their liquor license was revoked ending the nightmare. The city was compliant in the fraudulent application as the city attorney determined that the 500 foot rule to the nearest house of worship was measured as one would walk the street in contrast to the SLA’s explicit straight line from door to door mandate.
In your specific case the die was cast when the Dunkin Donuts received a variance for extended hours. The flood gates are now open and many more are sure to follow. The code is specific, any business that abuts a residential property cannot be open 24 hours, not have a drive thru window etc. except by variance. The basic reason for requesting a variance is that the circumstance has been deemed inappropriate by the building department based on the NR zoning code. I would like to see the outcome should the CVS or Starbucks request a variance for 24 hour operation in the north end. Even better I would like to see the outcry if the McDonalds on North Avenue requested a variance for a drive-thru window. My point, all affect north end residents.
So I wish you well against the stacked deck and suffice to say you will need as many tax-paying-property-owners at that meeting as possible to have a fighting chance. Here’s a suggestion to increase revenue; the NR code recognizes dormitories as full time residences so all colleges should be charged the $223 refuse fee per dorm room. Bet Iona, College of NR & Monroe will find that a hard pill to swallow!
March 6, Zoning Board Meeting re: 24 Hour Deli’s
I wish to remind everyone, that there will be a Zoning Board meeting at 7 pm, Tuesday March 6, in the City Council auditorium. It will no doubt be transmitted on TV, probably live with rebroadcasts.
As I understand it, due to a large expected turnout, there will be a three (3) minute limit to speeches, so I suggest preparing oneself for that time limit.
My own concern is not the area near Iona College, and I will not speak on that.
I will speak about permitting 24-Hour Deli’s and Restaurants to operate on North Avenue, between City Hall and Main Street. I hope many other speakers will agree, that area is part of the downtown commercial zone, and is appropriate and desirable for 24 hour establishments. It will also provide our government much needed additional revenues from sales tax.
In particular I am concerned about the Deli at the corner of Sickles and North Ave. This Deli is forced to close at 11 pm, but used to remain open 24 hours until very recently. Goffman’s had been a 24-hour Deli for many decades. United Gourmet Deli, is owned by the owner of Goffman’s, who a few years ago took the initiative and at great expense, moved his Deli from its original location in the middle of the same block to its current larger location at the corner, and renamed his Deli. The owner and people of New Rochelle should not be punished for this, and this Deli should regain its 24 hour status.
United Gourmet Deli, 398 North Ave, is an excellent Deli that offers generous portions of excellent food at very reasonable prices. It is near the hospital and a number of buildings inhabited by doctors, nurses, elderly and disabled, and who need a 24 hour Deli nearby. It is conveniently located near entrances/exit to I-95 the New England Thruway. It is exactly where New Rochelle needs a 24 hour Deli. Please come to City Hall, and speak up in defense of this Deli.
Thank you.
Location, Location, Location!
Brian,
I would agree with you on your points. Use a Common sense approach in both cases. This is where we need good people on the board that have the ability to use good judgment. That has not always been the case. If United Gourmet Deli is owned by the owner of Goffman’s, then they should have the ability to go before the board to transfer their variance with their business. They are still surrounded by businesses.
Deli Mart has homes right behind them. The business had not existed prior to their opening. It was Wilson’s Pharmacy before that. They purchased their business with the knowledge of the restrictions. No grandfather clause for that. However, there needs to be some stipulation put in to the site specific zoning for the city to be able to revoke the approval and or limit it to the current business.As was the case for the North Ave Dunkin Donuts. Almost like a 24hr business operation permit that can be reviewed before it gets renewed. As you know, what is there now may not be the same a few years from now then the neighborhood is stuck.
I have missed Goffman’s. Every time I drive past the old store I say,” I remember when.” You know, on the way to the movies, The Lollipop, Marty and Lenny’s. Yes, when New Rochelle had a night life downtown and people would go to the movies on Main Street and stop for something afterwards. I can remember my brother and the senior from Blessed Sacrament would park car during the movies to raise money.
I am going to attempt to speak tonight and would say just as I have as well.
He Forgot the Fourth Factor
When the mayor describes shortfalls by saying “You might ask with all the austerity measures already adopted, why is there still a shortfall?
Well three factors can tell the whole tale….”
He fails to mention the declining sales tax base. The failure to cultivate and reinforce retail business has singlehandedly caused the falling revenue from sales tax. Just walk down Main Street and see the distress of the local merchant.
State of the City
All in all, I found the Mayor’s State Of the City address to be a cogent presentation of New Rochelle’s current condition as well as His Honor’s aspirations for the City’s future. The speech was replete with his understanding that the “status quo” is not a direction, but a condition. It made clear that New Rochelle is on a journey, the final destination of which is not yet in sight, but not either out of vision.
One can only hope that the Queen City can respond affirmatively to the Mayor’s address, for as he said, “. . .we need a new approach for the new normal.”
Of the State of the City speeches that I have heard these past years, I believe that this was one of the more coherent, presenting not only the current plight of New Rochelle, but indications of where we may go in the future.
With the notable exception of one glaring omission, the Mayor fulfilled his obligation to the City, and we can only pray for the best.
What’s wrong with the status quo?
What’s wrong with the status quo or just leaving things as they are now?
Why’s the mayor jonesing to change everything?
Why does the mayor think borrowing money is going to help New Rochelle somehow?
Why does the mayor think tax abatements are a way of life? They don’t need to be and NR would be better weaning itself off tax abatements.
They cut a few million dollars when they needed to cut millions more.
If you thought this year’s 10+% tax increase was tough to swallow, just wait until Bramson borrows us into another Greece, all so the DPW guys can shower after work.
We’ll all feel the pain then, well not everyone, those living tax abated won’t be affected at all.