Note from The Yonkers Insider.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 12, 2009
Change is needed in our elected offices in the County Office Building.
We believe that we need to clean house in the County Office Building, in terms of the County Exec’s Office and the Westchester County Board of Legislators as well.
We currently have a bloated out of control County Government. Reform is needed in our County Government. Reform will never happen, with the same people staying in power, that is why we need New Blood in the County Office Building in White Plains and starts at the top in the County Exec’s Office.
But we need a clean sweep of new blood in the Executive and Legislative branches of our County.
There are problems of issues of bloated Manager’s salaries, also County Cars, Cell Phones and other materials. Also the perk of Andy Spano having Bodyguards with him always, the question is why does Mr. Spano need this perk?
We believe that the County Taxpayers continue to get taking to the cleaners, by this Tax and Spend County Government.
We believe we need to look at all levels of County Government, look where we can Downsize or Consolidate Departments, with the goal being, to lessen the tax burden in the highest taxed County in America.
It is time for the taxpayers to get a break, We the People should come first and not the Political Insiders in County Government.
This opinion is the sole opinion of The Yonkers Insider
The Yonkers Insider
Note from The Yonkers Insider.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 12, 2009
News 12 Westchester reported tonight that Westchester GOP Leader Doug Colety has gotten a job in the Westchester County Board of Elections. It shows The Yonkers Insider that the Patronage Machine is still alive and well in this County. We believe that these kind of jobs for Political Party Leaders shouldn’t take place. We believe that this reeks of a conflict of interest, in our view. Let The Yonkers Insider know what you think. Don’t forget that Westchester County Democratic Leader Reggie Lafayette is the Democratic Commissioner of the Board of Elections and also New Rochelle Democratic Leader Arnie Klugman, works there as well. We at The Yonkers Insider say enough is enough.
This is the sole opinion of The Yonkers Insider.
Press Release.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 11, 2009
Place : Getty Square , by Galaxy Coffee Shop
Attending : Leading governmental officials and community leaders
Agenda:(1) Welcome Envoy and Mrs, Javier Alvarez as newly appointed leaders of the Yonkers Salvation Army
(2) Announce city wide “Christmas in July campaign” July 13 thru July 18, a kettle drive to address the needs of the increasingly needy in this financial crisis. Anonymous donor will match a dollar for every dollar earned
(3) Entertainment provided by Salvation Army Brass Ensemble and Cray and Dempsey, leading Irish singers.
(4) Call for more volunteers to collect and dedication to the needs of the impoverished
More info from Coordinator, Bob Stauf 914 476 2284
Letter to the Editor.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 10, 2009
July 10, 2009
Dear Editor:
Government mandates of unproven technology and systems thought to combat crime can waste tax dollars, increase manufacturing costs and put high-paying manufacturing jobs at significant risk. Most certainly, these initiatives give our elected officials a false sense of achievement and distract us all from focusing on truly effective solutions – like putting criminals in jail and keeping them there for the longest possible time.
Here in New York State, microstamping is the latest distraction. A commercially unproven process which embeds a registered identification number on a firearm for transfer to the case upon firing, microstamping purportedly imprints information that would permit law enforcement to trace the cartridge case to its source.
The truth is that microstamping does not reliably transfer identification markings to fired cases. Proponents of this patented, sole-sourced technology would have you believe that being able to trace (microstamped) cases recovered at a crime scene helps catch criminals and thus deter crime. Studies indicate both assumptions are faulty.
Ballistic imaging, another flawed marking system already mandated, has done nothing to prevent or solve crimes. A significant impediment to success here lies with “chain of custody” problems that render the value of this information questionable from an evidentiary point of view. In the end, if all worked perfectly, officials could only trace back to the last registered owner of the firearm – but then, Bureau of Justice statistics tell us, that person is typically not the criminal.
Both Maryland and New York have spent millions of taxpayer dollars operating ballistics imaging systems that capture and catalogue ballistic images of firearms registered at retail sale, yet neither system has resulted in significant investigative leads or convictions. This is likely because most criminals do not obtain the firearms used during the commission of a crime from federally licensed firearms retailers. It is an unfortunate reality that criminals find a way to game most systems.
In 2004, Maryland State Police officials recommended that the law requiring ballistic imagining be repealed in their state. The system was shut down, and the dollars redirected to more useful projects.
Even if case traceability did reduce crime, the viability of microstamping has yet been proven. To date, three independent studies have reached the same conclusion – that this sole-sourced technology is flawed, unreliable and easily defeated by criminals (Ref: Professor George Krivosta, Suffolk County Crime Laboratory in New York – AFTE Journal; Graduate Student Michael Beddow, Forensic Science Graduate Group – UC Davis; and National Research Council – National Academies Press).
The research indicates that the transfer of microstamped markings to cases is less reliable than proponents claim. Prof. Krivosta found that many firing pin strikes resulted in illegible marks as it is common for firing pins to stutter on impact, striking the case more than once. Successive strikes don’t land in the same place and obscure the original impression.
It was also found that microstamping is easily defeated in mere seconds with common household tools. And lastly, it was observed that the markings wear over time.
Microstamping is meaningless if fired cases are not recovered, and most types of firearms do not automatically eject empty cartridges. The possibility that unrelated cases with other markings could be introduced to a crime scene to deliberately mislead the investigation was also suggested.
The UC Davis study concluded “At the present time, therefore, because its forensic potential has yet been fully assessed, a mandate for the implementation of this technology in all semiautomatic handguns sold in the state of California is counter-indicated. Further testing, analysis, and evaluation are required.” Additionally, the National Academy of Sciences’ report recommends further study, as does the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest law enforcement group!
Microstamping legislation was passed in California in 2007, mandating implementation in 2010 once certain conditions are met. In addition to New York State, similar ill-conceived legislation has been under consideration in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Like ballistic imaging, mandating microstamping will cost New York taxpayers millions to implement. Crime labs in the state will be forced to purchase expensive scanning electronic microscopes and related equipment in order to read and decipher the markings of recovered cartridge cases – the legibility of which is currently questioned.
Given the crushing budget deficit facing New York, it is foolish to waste limited resources on unproven technology and systems that will do nothing to stop criminals or reduce crime.
As such, Kimber urges all elected representatives to oppose these and any related initiatives. I encourage you to do the same.
Ralph E. Karanian
Chief Operating Officer
Kimber Mfg., Inc.
Kimber Mfg., Inc. is an American company that designs and manufactures premium firearms for sporting, law enforcement and military markets. Manufacturing operations are headquartered in New York. Kimber also distributes accessories and less-lethal self defense products. Additional information is available at www.kimberamerica.com.
Press Release.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 10, 2009
Rain or Shine, Antoinette Montague will “Reign” at Free
Jazz & Blues @ Dusk Concert, July 17th , on Yonkers Waterfront
Rain never dampens jazz vocalist Antoinette Montague from opening up wide the floodgates of her satiny-smooth pipes. Even a torrential downpour didn’t stop her scheduled performance at the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront BID Jazz & Blues @ Dusk concert, last year. She returns for a third engagement, July 17th, starting at 6:30 PM, rain or shine. “We’re ready for just about anything,” said the highly-acclaimed performer.
Performing with Montague in the Waterfront Amphitheatre will be musicians Bill Easley on reeds, John DiMartino, on piano, and Payton Crawsley, on drums. In the event of rain, the concert will be performed in the covered adjacent pier on Water Grant St., located adjacent to X20 restaurant and just south of the MetroNorth/Amtrak train station.
The (Newark) Star-Ledger’s influential jazz critic, Zan Stewart, reviewed Montague’s headline performance, last month with over 600 in attendance at the Newark Museum Centennial Celebration Jazz in the Garden Series. He described her as “an assured singer who delivered with zest and feeling… She worked hard, digging into her songs, and talking to the audience, telling a story or two as she did…smartly, she mixed up her material, going with a little bit of everything… a solidly swinging instrumental version of Ellington’s “Cottontail,” a hearty “Let the Good Times Roll” — which displayed the punch she packed in her alto voice…a stroll through “Pure Imagination”…a percolating “Just Squeeze Me,” and an emotive “God Bless the Child…A rousing blues provided the aesthetic finale.”
Montague’s Westchester County fans, familiar with her performances at the former Jazz on Library Green Series in New Rochelle and the acclaimed Presbyterian Jazz Society Series in Mt. Vernon, can expect a medley of jazz classics and original material that will seamlessly blend the upbeat with the sentimental. Her Yonkers repertoire will include a performance of “Behind the Smile,” the title song of her soon-to-be released second CD. Montague wrote both the lyrics and music. The song was her maiden venture into composing.
Antoinette Montague at Jazz & Blues @ Dusk Concert, July 17th/page 2
“‘Behind the Smile’ is in many ways a reflection of my life,” explained Montague, a shadow of her former self after a dramatic but carefully planned weight loss of more than 80-pounds since her performance in last year’s Jazz & Blues @ Dusk series. “I could not find an existing song to express all that I wanted to, so I wrote it myself. What a blessing it was to be able to communicate to others the music that, initially, only I could hear. A group of versatile and interpretative musicians gave it life and helped me turn it into a recording and live performance piece.”
Montague said the inspiration for the title song of her new CD came from a roller coaster of emotions that she rode this past year. “We all smile to mask the anger, joy, and sometimes even nice, nasty energy that’s really going on inside our hearts and heads. From my very happy loss of all that weight this past year, to the very sorrowful loss of my beloved sister, Barbara, and a best friend and co-worker, sometimes even my best stage smile could barely camouflage the emptiness that I was feeling. Producing this CD was a project of both happiness and sorrow. It had a far more emotional toll on me than I ever could have imagined,” confessed Montague.
Montague will also be performing with her quartet at the Jazzmobile Summer Festival Monday, July 27, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at 143-22 109th Avenue, Jamaica Queens, NY and Friday, August 21, 2009, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at Marcus Garvey Park, 124th Street and Madison Ave., New York. For a sample of her music and a regularly-updated performance schedule, visit www.antoinettemontague.com.
Journal News Article on Sam Rivers from Today’s Paper.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 10, 2009
Yonkers Insider Editorial.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 9, 2009
The Yonkers Insider
Press Release.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 8, 2009
City Councilwoman, McDow
Calls on the City of Yonkers to Declare
Yonkers as a State of Emergency
YONKERS, NY- JUNE 23, 2009
After an extensive tour of the 1st district and seeing first hand the damage that was a result of last nights storm and speaking with the residents of the damaged areas it is is very clear that Yonkers and homeowners need financial assistance in the cleanup process needed to make the City whole again.
I would like to commend the Yonkers Department of Public Works, Police Department, Fire Department and the Action Center for the work they have been doing and continue to do during this difficult task.
I will post a Storm Information Section on my website: patriciamcdow.com to keep everyone updated on the Storm Aftermath.
Press Release.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 8, 2009
Astorino: Spano Spending More Tax Dollars on Political Race.
Says Spano Cars and Bodyguards Must Go.
White Plains, NY–July 8…Westchester County Executive Andy Spano continues to sock taxpayers with campaign expenses, routinely using taxpayer-paid cars, bodyguards, and gasoline to travel to and from political campaign events, reform County Executive candidate Rob Astorino (R-I) today charged.
Mr. Astorino called on Mr. Spano to release a schedule of all political events he has attended since announcing his candidacy for re-election, an accounting of how he got to those events, and a list of those who accompanied him to them.
“Using public money for political events is effectively stealing taxpayer dollars,” Mr. Astorino said. “The money he is using for political gain does not belong to him; it belongs to the taxpayers. If Mr. Spano must have around-the-clock cars and drivers, he should pay for them out of campaign funds where only politics are involved.”
Mr. Spano’s use of publicly-funded cars and bodyguards for private errands and political use, which has gone on for 12 years, is just part of a systematic pattern of abuse of public dollars, Mr. Astorino charged.
Mr. Spano has repeatedly used taxpayers dollars for political purposes, the reform candidate said. His $157,000 Deputy County Executive has routinely acted as his campaign spokesperson on the public dime, despite warnings not to do so.
“Andy Spano seems to think that public resources belong to him personally,” Mr. Astorino continued. “This pattern of abuse is unacceptable any way you cut it. Maybe it is time for Mr. Spano to buy his own car.”
Press Release.
Posted by: wielandheusler on: July 2, 2009
ASTORINO: YONKERS CRISIS DEMANDS NEW COUP IN ALBANY.
Calls on Westchester Senate Delegation to Reject Current Leadership.
White Plains, NY-July 2…Westchester County Executive candidate Rob Astorino (R-I), who called on leaders in the New York State Senate–Democrats and Republicans–to resign their leadership posts last week, today called upon Democratic and Republican state senators from Westchester to demand new conference leadership.
The City of Yonkers is facing a virtual shut-down within days because Republican and Democratic senators in Albany cannot agree on a power-sharing deal to pass routine legislation re-authorizing Yonkers’ personal income tax surcharge. The Senate has been deadlocked 31-31 for weeks.
“Our elected leaders represent people not political parties,” Mr. Astorino said. “Yonkers is in serious financial jeopardy because of destructive hyper-partisanship in Albany. A single courageous state senator can help break this log-jam by demanding new leadership-leadership willing to put the interests of New Yorkers before his or her own.”
Mr. Astorino warned last week that Yonkers would be hurt first and worst by the Albany gridlock.
“Paralysis in the State Senate has real consequences to hard working people,” Mr. Astorino said at the time. “A $15 million budget hole in Yonkers would mean hundreds of layoffs or major tax increases. And that’s just Yonkers; other Westchester municipalities will pay a high price for the conflict in Albany as well.”
Recent Comments