NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Police Association of New Rochelle has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of New Rochelle. An announcement has circulated among members of the PBA this morning that there will be a Special Meeting of all members of the Police Association of New Rochelle to discuss the Stipulation and start the voting process.
The Police Association has been working without a contract for four years.
New Rochelle Police Association President Ray Andolina declined to comment on the Memorandum of Understanding or provide details of the proposed deal but did not acknowledge a meeting of the bargaining unit has been called for 6:00 p.m. tonight to discuss the MOU.
City Manager Chuck Strome and Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll were sent an email by Talk of the Sound seeking comment before City Hall opened today; any reply will be added as an update to this article.
After years of working quietly behind the scenes, the New Rochelle Police Association under the leadership of President Ray Andolina, has taken a more aggressive, public stance on the absence of a contract. Andolina has addressed the City Council on several occasions, issued press releases and organized public demonstrations.
In January, shortly after succeeding Claudio Carpano, Andolina addressed the City Council on the absence of a contract.
In his speech, Andolina expressed the PBA’s “continued and increasing concern regarding the safety of our members, the safety of the public and the apparent unwillingness of the city to negotiate a fair collective bargaining agreement”.
Andolina accused the city of taking the safety and security of its police officers and its citizens lightly and jeopardizing the safety of police officers and citizens.
In March, Andolina led a protest outside the Davenport Club while the State of the City event went on inside. Andolina directed his public remarks at Mayor Noam Bramson, fully aware that as a candidate for Westchester County Executive, Bramson could ill afford to have police contract issues dog him during the campaign.
As the elected “leader” of this city, it is the opinion of our association that the Mayor has now gone too far in supporting these cuts. Subsequently, we feel we have a responsibility to let the citizens of New Rochelle and Westchester County know about this apparent disregard to the safety of our members and to the safety of the citizens ofNew Rochelle.
In April, Andolina went after the Police Commissioner, calling into question his oft-touted claims that New Rochelle is among the safest cities in America. Andolina detailed a series of gun incidents not reported in police data then added:
…events like these and other Part 2 crimes are not counted when a city is named a “Top 5” or “Top 10” of America’s safest cities.
Talk of the Sound has previously reported how serious crime incidents are often suppressed by misreporting them or labeling them “miscellaneous investigations”, as was the case with the recent “Mad Bomber” incidents.
Bramson afraid
The reason the City settled with the NRPBA is simple. Bramson told Strome to do so! The NRPBA had taken their case to the public at citizens to be heard and Bramson was visibly displeased. The last thing Bramson needs on the campaign trail for County Executive is his hometown police association showing up in protest revealing the true Noam Bramson to Westchester County voters. Decimated ranks in NR police, fire and sanitation are a peek into what Noam Bramson will “accomplish” if elected County Executive. Noam was afraid that the NRPBA would pull back the curtain to reveal the real Wizard of Oz.
It Matters Now
Now that Bramson is a candidate for County exec I’m sure all contracts will be settled,but the facts don’t lie our police department is down in manpower and most of this happened while Noam was a councilperson or as Mayor. The fire department is down in manpower and so is the department of public works all on Noam’s watch is this the way we want our county run? I don’t think so.
The Main reason Noam Bramson
The Main reason Noam Bramson has been a disaster for New Rochelle is he calculates every move for his rise up the political ladder.
It has been exasperated by him rising like a lead balloon up the ladder. Nita still alive and kicking and he has never learned to play well with others.
Further complicated by him never having had success at anything else but being Machiavellian and assuming he is just plain smarter.
These shortcomings further effect his future.
I believe a Nazi convicted of war crimes could win an election in Democratic Westchester County. People are blind to things like results more inclined to pay homage to party no matter how little it means County wise or New Rochelle City Wise.
In the end we can’t get rid of him until he moves on.
Its like a chronic illness that we have to live with.
Green Politics, leftist BS all rolled into a Boss Tweed. New Rochelle is in the toilet no end in sight. Noam will only do right by New Rochelle if it has a chance of advancing his career.
Sooner or later the little
Sooner or later the little twirp will step on his tail and run home to mommy. If he thinks he can play the same games at the county level that he plays in NR, he is sadly mistaken. the County unions will eat him alive.
Budgets, Taxes and Civil Service
Since 2008, our American economy has greatly suffered because of the Great Recession caused by the incompetence of the GW Bush Administration.
Because of that poor national economy, municipal and state governments throughout the USA, have received less tax revenue, and have had to increase taxes and/or borrow money and/or reduce spending by cutting staffs.
Unfortunately, when the government reduces the number of its employees, that contributes to more unemployment.
Meanwhile, Tea Party advocates, and other financial conservatives, advocate that taxes should be reduced, which would result in less government revenue and services, causing a reduced number of civil servants.
At the same time, citizens like Jim O’Toole, advocate that the government should not reduce its civil service at least regarding New Rochelle’s Fire, Police and Public Works Depts.
Can we have our cake and eat it too?
Personally I think municipal and state governments should not be reducing their staffs, while the federal government should be hiring more civil servants while further financing the municipal and state governments to maintain or increase the number of civil servants. In fact that is the only way to greatly increase employment/decrease unemployment in the USA, for years to come.
The reduced staff of our police, fire and public departments are due to the decisions of City Manager Chuck Strome, but are the fault of our national economy.
The City Council agreed with Mr Strome, to reduce the civil service, as their alternative would have been even greater tax increases. Mayor Bramson has only one of seven votes on the City Council, so I think it is mistake to blame our Mayor.
I ask, would you prefer that the County government increase its taxes, or alternatively reduce its civil service? Do you have a solution, in which taxes are not increased, while the civil service and public services are not reduced?
Brian
Brian you sound like Obama still blaming Bush 5 years later. Tell me when does it become the people who are is office fault? Bramson has been in office over 10 years either as Mayor or council. Our 3 departments Police Fire and Dpw have lost manpower. Our police department is at record lows on some nights you can’t even get a cop to cover a call. Our taxes have gone up 60% or greater under Bramson and what do we have to show for it? Every piece of property the city owns is falling apart,Mr Bramson voted to raise the Mayor’s salary almost 200% and what did the tax payers get for it? I can’t wait to see your answer
Mayor With City Council & City Manager & Taxes & Jobs
As I continually state, the Mayor has one of seven votes on the City Council, and he shares responsibility with the City Council for its policy decisions and legislation. The City Manager runs the city government and ultimately it is his responsibility for the reduction in civil service staffs.
I like and respect Bramson and Strome. Really, the US economy of the last five years has been much worse than at any time since the late 1930’s. New Rochelle has weathered it better than most communities. The entire City Council and the City Manager have done fine, all things considering.
If the municipal government doesn’t raise taxes, or issue bonds, or receive funding from the state or federal government, it must cut costs to offset increasing expenses. This results in reductions in the civil service
I think issuing bonds tends to be worse than raising taxes. I think reducing the civil service should be avoided if possible, but generally there is a negative trade-off.
I am more concerned about the fire dept than the police, because the NRFD works in teams, with multiple teams throughout New Rochelle. Disrupting the cohesiveness of those teams should be avoided. Police tend to work alone or in smaller groups, and reducing their staffs is less harmful to their functionality although not ideal.
Most property taxes in New Rochelle are of the school board’s, and our citizens vote for tax increases every year.
The real solution is for the NY State Constitution to be amended to fund local public schools in a fairer manner than heavily taxing property for school funding.
NYS’s past solutions towards that end was otb, state lotteries, and casinos, all of which tend to attract lower income, rather than the wealthy, shifting the tax burden away from those who can most afford it, to those who could least. We need more creative, and fair solutions, but what are they?
The thing is, that our city government really has few alternate options in the near future, other than increasing taxes or reducing services. Based on our New Rochelle elections, it is apparent that a majority of voters prefer raising taxes, to reducing services. I think the same is true with the voters of Westchester County.
You make it sound like the
You make it sound like the mayor is just an innocent bystander who has no role in the fact that NR is falling apart. The Mayor hand picked a counsel of democrats that rubber stamps everything he brings to the table. Furthermore, while economic times are tough, the mayor is still hell bent on moving the city yard and ramming the echo bay project down the throats of NR residents. It is projects like this, and Avalon, that contributed to NR’s demise. Projects that Bramson pushed for and wanted. projects that didn’t sit well with the taxpayers but were nonetheless forced down our throats by overzealous politicians. Meanwhile, every community surrounding NR was able to secure retail development. NR still lags behind all surrounding communities. So stop blaming everything on external factors. The truth is that NR screwed up and the fearless leader won’t accept any responsibility for his failures or learn from his mistakes.
He is delusional
Brian on his visit to the Emerald City while trying to get a “Brain”, is paying no attention to that man behind the curtain(Noam Bramson) because the Wizard has spoken.
Bramson has orchestrated all of the failed projects in New Rochelle first hand. Giving Cappelli favorite
developer status, stacking IDA Pilots by having his cronies do his work for him while pretending to not be involved in the process. Manipulation of every move cleanly while feigning the ceremonial Mayoral Role.
Now that is evident and the dust reveals the .99 cent store economy Brian wants to help him pretend this was everyone else’s fault. When you follow the process closely which most people don’t you can only point to a Political Career that should have Bramson thrown out for ineptness while betting on the wrong direction over and over with the same results.
Nothing good for New Rochelle and Nothing good for the County. For us in New Rochelle it’s clearly a Quandary. He looses County and we get to keep him he wins county and we get to keep him.