Leonard Coleman Dies at 82; Brought “Professional, Civic-minded Approach” to Politics
Leonard G. Coleman, a longtime Democratic district leader and campaign volunteer in White Plains, passed away on April 17 at the age of 82.

Coleman was born in New York City and graduated from Bronx Science High School. He received an undergraduate degree from the Philadelphia Textile Institute and a master’s degree in business from New York University. He had many local community interests and activities in addition to his work as a district leader.

In 2005, he was a key member of the mayoral campaign of current Councilman Dennis Power, who was running against incumbent and current Mayor Joseph Delfino. Power said Coleman was one of the original and most enthusiastic volunteers the campaign had, walking with Power in various neighborhoods and performing other important campaign functions. Power said his “professional, civic-minded approach” resembled someone of college age or a young professional. “He had this exuberance and this willingness to just volunteer and get out there,” Power added.

Coleman was also committed after the campaign ended, Power said. “When a lot of other people fell by the wayside,” Power said, “Leonard kept at it. He kept following through on the ideals and issues of the campaign.” Power said that as a councilman he will try to keep Coleman’s beliefs alive, especially as they pertain to parks and open space for all White Plains citizens to enjoy.

Coleman is survived by his loving companion, Riena Kaplow; his three sons and their companions, David and Jennie, Scott and Josh, and Lee and Cindy; and his grandson, Dylan. Coleman loved life and will be missed by everyone who knew him, his family said. A private funeral was held last month; a memorial service will be held on Sunday at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains at noon.

County Legislators: No Raises Until at Least 2010
The Westchester County Board of Legislators announced in a statement on Monday that any pay raises for legislators would not come until at least 2010.

The statement, modeled after a similar statement released by Legislator Michael B. Kaplowitz (Somers) and signed by 13 of the 17 legislators, including Ryan and Kaplowitz, thanked the Compensation Advisory Board, convened early this year to study the issue of legislator compensation, and stated “we particularly agree with the central finding of the Advisory Board that there shall be no stipend or salary increase for any legislative leaders or legislators during this term.” The legislators also agreed that any raises “should be capped by a cost of living index.”

The Compensation Advisory Board, a nonpartisan, seven-member panel, was headed by William M. Mooney Jr., president of the Westchester County Association. They released their recommendations on April 30, with Mooney saying the recommendations “reflect the advisory panel’s findings that the role of the legislators is to serve as an oversight body to the executive branch of the county government, to recommend and initiate policy changes and to serve as a liaison to their communities and respond to the needs of their constituencies.” They recommended a base-salary increase of 7.5 percent and an increase in stipends of $1,000 for legislators and 7.5 percent or $3,000 for the board chair. They also called for “key performance measures” to be established, including reducing expenditures and improving efficiencies, and they called for an independent review by an outside committee to “create accurate job descriptions and to streamline operations to increase efficiency and effectiveness.”

The Board of Legislators said in their statement that they acted “given today’s tough economic times and the fact that many of our county labor union employees have not had a contract since January 1, 2006.” They concluded by saying “it is very important for the confidence and strength of the County Board of Legislators as an institution that this pay issue be resolved fairly. The Compensation Advisory Board has given us a well-reasoned approach to do just this.”
The report will be referred to the board’s Legislation Committee “for full consideration of the recommendations and legislative actions,” the Board of Legislators’ statement said.   

Clarification
The article “Talented Teens Make First ‘Mark Show’ a Success” (April 25 issue, page 13) incorrectly identified the photograph accompanying the article. The photo depicts the Step Up dancers, not Ramalama. The group that performed a tap and jazz dance to “Ramalama” are all students at City Center Dance.

It was indeed a lively evening at City Hall on Monday, as White Plains citizens and business owners packed Common Council Chambers for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Several public hearings were scheduled, from amended site plan approval for the Venue on Bloomingdale Road to the 2008-2009 budget. Several items stood out on the agenda.

The Venue Moves Forward
The Venue on Bloomingdale Road will proceed as the Council voted six to one to approve the amended site plan to allow what has been termed a “high-end” shopping mall with at least one restaurant, to be located in the existing parking lot at 120 Bloomingdale Rd. Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona was the one negative vote. Lecuona explained that she had not seen enough information regarding the number of restaurants that would be located at the site—one or two—and that if the plan did include two restaurants, she had not seen anything about the impact that would have on the area. Lecuona had asked numerous times during past Council sessions about how the project would be “green-building” compliant. Michael Divney, an engineer representing CorePlus Properties, LLC and CPP Bloomingdale, LLC, the owners and applicant, said they were applying for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which is 26 to 32 points out of 69 possible points in the LEED Green Building Rating System. Lecuona said she is pushing for all new White Plains development to be at least a LEED Silver rating, 33 to 38 points, and that she was not certain from what she had seen presented that “the project would actually be ‘green’ in any real way.”

As the remaining Council members explained why they would vote in favor of the project, they all said the property owner was within their legal right according to zoning regulations and that the density of the project was less than that actually allowed in the zone. Council members thanked the developer for its numerous meetings with the abutting neighborhood and for its willingness to cooperate with residents’ concerns. They also cautioned that the concessions that had been promised will be expected and required within a reasonable period of time.

Budget Time
The city’s first budget public hearing of the season brought cautionary words from members of the Common Council and the public. Despite White Plains’ rather positive position in a recessionary market, there was general concern that with a budget relying heavily on sales tax revenue (from $45.4 million to more than $5 million with the sales tax increase) and also on property taxes ($43.2 million), that any market meltdown outside the city as well as continued downturn in housing values could result in the city not meeting its financial expectations. This was considered most important in relation to the spending side of the budget. Already, first quarter sales revenues in 2008 are reflecting a softening market. As people’s disposable income continues to be squeezed, it is likely this trend will continue.

Questions about a chart prepared by Planning Commissioner Sue Habel for budget consideration, showing a cumulative comparison of changes in the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and city/county/property taxes from 1998 to 2008-2009 brought about discussion on what standard the city has been using. Commissioner Habel explained that an urban wage earners and clerical workers category (NYSMA) based on information pertaining to New York City, Westchester and Long Island is used. Using those figures, the CPI has maintained a steady level above local city and county taxes. White Plains resident Robert Stackpole (who ran for a place on the Common Council during the last election), took to the podium during the public hearing, claiming that a lower “national standard” CPI should be used. With both police and fire unions negotiating new contracts, the category and rate for CPI used is important, according to Stackpole.

Citizens to Be Heard
Not on the official Council agenda, but opening the night as part of the Citizens To Be Heard segment, several residents who regularly frequent the city’s Bark Park with their four-legged friends expressed their frustration at the neglect the park has experienced in recent months. Requests for replenishment of gloves and plastic dog-waste bags were acknowledged by Mayor Joseph Delfino, who blamed the poor condition of the park on intrusion by the work being done on nearby I-287.

Members of NACT (Neighborhoods Against Cell Towers), represented by Steve Drago, petitioned the Common Council as well as the city’s Planning Board to denounce the installation of cell antennas by Metro PCS and other mobile cell phone carriers in White Plains. Mentioning two sites that are close to schools, Drago said that the safety of children attending those schools was at stake.

Whitney Seymour Jr., counsel for NACT, also approached the podium and presented the Council with a written statement outlining what he considered to be legal reasons why health, safety and welfare conflicts relating to increasing cell antenna installations are already in violation of the White Plains zoning codes. The city is already saturated with cell antenna coverage, he said. Specific recommendations include a curfew requiring operators of cell towers and antennas within 1,500 feet of any school to suspend cell transmissions between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on days when school is in session. Another curfew would require operators to suspend cell transmissions within 1,500 feet of any hospital, nursing home or residential housing between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The documentation provided by Seymour states that “based on substantial scientific evidence, these reasonable limitations will not unreasonably reduce the public’s use of cell phones.”

Mayor Delfino told Seymour and Drago that the city had already stated its position regarding the cell antennas, which is to keep with the current interpretation of the zoning regulation and allow the new installations. Seymour countered that he would like to see White Plains stand up and do something good for its people, that White Plains had been first to do things in the past, so why not now?     

The “Saga of the Sign” could someday be a throwaway chapter title in a history of White Plains, a seemingly minor but in reality contentious issue that serves as an interesting sidebar in White Plains’ steady ascension to full-blown city. The issue heated up when Cappelli Enterprises, Inc. was denied at the April Common Council meeting the opportunity to purchase a small traffic island on Renaissance Square, as you enter it from Main Street, that has a granite Ritz-Carlton, Westchester sign, a mountable curb (as opposed to a sharp curb), a small tree and lighting at night. Members of the Common Council were adamant that the island constitutes a safety hazard and that it was constructed without their approval. Only Mayor Joseph Delfino voted to allow the purchase, saying the city should be accommodating to Ritz-Carlton if not Cappelli, although both have been instrumental in shaping the city’s newly vibrant downtown.

After that Common Council meeting, Cappelli supposedly had two weeks to remove the sign, but top Delfino aide Paul Wood expressed hope that a licensing agreement could be worked out. After that idea was rejected at a Common Council work session on April 24, the new day of reckoning for the sign was Monday, but instead of the sign being torn down on that day, flowers were being planted along the length of the island. The reason: lawyers for Cappelli won a restraining order in state Supreme Court last week that prevents the city from removing the sign. They argued that the Common Council’s decision to reject the purchase offer was “arbitrary and capricious,” and that its removal would cause “damage to the project and the developer as well as to the people who live there.” The city has until May 16 to submit arguments, with Cappelli’s response due May 23.

Flower Power
Bruce Berg, executive vice president of Cappelli Enterprises, said on Wednesday of Monday’s flower-planting and the island that “while it’s there, we’re going to continue to take care of it.” When asked for definitive confirmation that his company had ordered the planting, he offered to find out for sure but said “I can’t imagine the city doing it, especially since they want it to be brick pavers.”

Councilman Dennis Power said on Wednesday that he couldn’t comment on the issue because it’s under litigation, but he was surprised and a bit amused to hear about the flowers. At Monday’s Common Council meeting, the council tabled until the June meeting a request to refer the licensing agreement to the appropriate city agencies.