Sound Shore

Here’s news from the Village of Mamaroneck :

The Village of Mamaroneck has been recognized by the New York State Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) through a Local Government Achievement Award to the Village for our Sanitation Route redesign, which was studied in 2010 and 2011 and implemented on January 1, 2012.

For background on this effort, in 2010, the Board of Trustees authorized the Village of Mamaroneck to retain Red Oak Consulting, a division of Malcolm Pirnie, to perform a study and analysis of the Village of Mamaroneck’s Sanitation function, to increase efficiency and cut costs.

During the course of the ensuing year and a half, the Village’s staff in the Public Works and Sanitation divisions worked with staff from Red Oak Consulting to directly monitor and observe all sanitation routes, observe a full recycling route, and review and analyze our tonnages of garbage and recycling being disposed of on an annual basis.

Upon collecting all of the data and information, the elected officials and administrative staff worked with Red Oak Consulting to guide the process for recommendations that would achieve the greatest cost-benefit for our taxpayers. Staff directly involved in the review and analysis included Sanitation Foreman Bobby Welsh, General Foreman Tony Iacovelli, Assistant Village Manager Dan Sarnoff, Village Manager Rich Slingerland, as well as all of the sanitation workers, clerical and support staff in the Clerk/Treasurer’s Office and Public Works Department.

The project that was implemented by the Board, upon completion and acceptance of Red Oak’s analysis, was the elimination of one full route, cutting one employee and re-assigning two employees and one truck. In turn, the village’s garbage and recycling routes were redesigned to distribute the work among all of the remaining crews and trucks. Once the program was fully implemented, Sanitation Foreman Bobby Welsh’s tweaking of the routes improved the productivity and financial savings to the Village.

Through the elimination of a vacancy, the Village and our taxpayers began saving over one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) per year, starting on June 1, 2011, based on salary, pension, medical benefits and social security expenses. As other employees retire and positions are not filled, the Village will save another $100,000 to $200,000 per year, totaling $300,000 per year when a second (two total) employees have retired and their positions are not replaced, and one truck is taken out of service and not replaced, saving on debt service, gas and maintenance.

Said Mayor Norman Rosenblum, “The taxpayers come first. We are always doing everything we can to make sure our operations are as efficient and cost-effective as possible. This study and implementation of the garbage route changes has been a significant success for the Village, especially since we were able to provide for the savings through elimination of vacancies, and not by firing or laying off anyone. This also illustrates the great working relationship between the Village Administration and its employees.”

Who’s running in your school district in the Tuesday, May 15, election? Find out on LoHud.com’s School Board Elections, 2012 voter guide. It’s got candidate info, news coverage and more.

Go to the school elections guide at http://LoHud.com/schoolelections.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli discusses various issues with the Editorial Board at 1 p.m. Thursday on Editorial Spotlight.

The state comptroller audits municipalities, school district and other entities. The comptroller also administers the New York State and Local Retirement System for public employees and maintains the state’s accounting system, along with other duties.

DiNapoli has been critical of quasi-governmental agencies, including local development corporations and industrial development agencies. In a 2011 audit of the Town of Ramapo, the comptroller’s office was highly critical of the financial relationship between the town and the Ramapo Local Development Corp., which built the Provident Bank Park, home field of the Rockland Boulders baseball team.

To submit a question or comment for DiNapoli before the live session, email adelgado@lohud.com or tweet @lohudopinion.

To watch, go to www.lohud.com/editorialspotlight.

To submit a question or comment during the LIVE session, engage the “CoverItLive” blogging feature.

New Rochelle is looking for someone to save the Fourth of July fireworks display.

It would take $75,000.

The city shoots off its pyrotechnics on July 4 itself, unlike many other communities that hold the celebration shortly before or soon after. And New Rochelle uses Grucci fireworks.

But times are tough, and the money for the celebration was cut from the city’s 2012 budget, along with the $60,000 needed for the Memorial Day and Thanksgiving parades.

So now the city has set up a community events fund to restore the events. Already, donors have pitched in the $30,000 for the Memorial Day parade and almost all of the $30,000 needed for the Thanksgiving event.

But the fate of the fireworks hangs in the balance.

“We are grateful for the support of institutions and individuals who have already More →

Rye became the first community in Westchester County to ban plastic bags at checkout counters—specifically, the thin, two-handled kind known as T-shirt bags.

“I think it’s terrific,” said Carol Rosato, in the photo above, carrying lunch along Purchase Street today.   “We all better start doing something.”

Paper replaced plastic at stores like Andy’s Wellness Cafe, where manager Onur Ozkoc said the new policy fit in with the vegan and natural food theme. “It costs more, of course,” he said. “But it matches what we do here.”

The paper bags at CVS were the most noticeable sign of the ban. Retailers were generally supportive, though there are remaining concerns about spillage when it comes to certain goods.

At Post Road Wine & Spirits, employee David Williams was wondering how the paper bags would hold up when customers carry away chilled and dripping-wet white wines during the warm months.

“There are always unforeseen consequences,” he said. In the photo below are some solutions: reusable plastic totes. The one on the left is designed to be filled with ice.

Williams said he believed in the idea behind Rye’s ordinance, ever since he created his own “Make every day Earth Day” bags back in the 1970s for a store he had on Purchase Street. Those did not exactly fly off the shelves, and he still hasn’t sold them all. They were ahead of their time, he said. “Right idea, wrong coast.”

What do you think?

Here’s news from Larchmont-Mamaroneck League of Women Voters:

Four candidates are running for three open positions on the Mamaroneck School Board, in the district’s first contested school board election since 2006. As a public service, the Larchmont-Mamaroneck League of Women Voters is producing a cable TV show featuring all the candidates, which will be streaming live on Monday at 8 p.m. on LMC-TV, and rebroadcast at various times throughout the week leading up to the Tuesday, May 15th election. Check www.LMC-TV.org for the broadcast schedule.

The four candidates include: Victor Gatti, Melany Gray, Roger Martin and Robin Nichinsky. Mr. Gatti is running as an independent; Ms. Gray, Mr. Martin and Ms. Nichinsky have been endorsed by the Committee for the Selection of School Board Nominees. Ms. Nichinsky is the current president of the Mamaroneck School Board and is seeking her third three-year term, while the others are running for the first time.

Alice Bloom, long-time LWV member and host of LMC-TV’s “A Town and Village Two,” will moderate the discussion as the candidates outline their qualifications, reasons for running and views on the budget, bond and other major issues facing the Mamaroneck schools.

Below is biographical information from the Selection Committee or the candidate.

http://lwvlm.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/schoolboardcandidates1.jpg>

Victor Gatti, Melany Gray, Robin Nichinsky and Roger Martin (r-l) are running for the three open seats on the Mamaroneck Board of Education.

Roger Martin and his wife have resided in Mamaroneck since 2008, when they returned to his family home. The Martins have two grown daughters. Dr. Martin attended Mamaroneck Avenue School, and graduated from Mamaroneck High School. He holds bachelor’s degrees from Drew and Yale, and the doctor of philosophy from Oxford. Currently, Mr. Martin volunteers with seniors at MHS, as they prepare for the college admissions process.

Mr. Martin served as president of Moravian College from 1986 – 1997 and Randolph-Macon College from 1997 – 2006 and was associate dean of Harvard Divinity School. Dr. Martin is author of Racing Odysseus: A College President Becomes a Freshman Again.

Melany Gray and her husband have lived in Larchmont for 21 years. Their two sons attended Central School, the Hommocks, and MHS; their youngest is a senior at MHS. Ms Gray received her BS from the University of North Carolina, and her J.D. from St John’s University School of Law. Currently, Ms Gray is a part-time associate attorney for Collazo, Florentino & Keil in New York.

Ms Gray has been a past president of the Central and Hommocks PTAs, the MHS PTSA, as well as PT Council. She has written about everything from district budget negotiations to school awards ceremonies for the on-line local news resource, The Larchmont Gazette (no longer in publication).

Robin Nichinsky is a practicing attorney with a law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School and a master’s in guidance and counseling from the College of New Rochelle. She was chair of the Mamaroneck-Larchmont Human Rights Commission, co-president of Central School and a PTA vice president at Hommocks and Mamaroneck High Schools. She also co-founded Central School’s CORE conflict resolution program. She and her husband Seth Schafler have lived in the district for 24 years. Their three daughters attended Mamaroneck district schools.

In her first two terms, Ms. Nichinsky was involved in a national superintendent search and collective bargaining negotiations. She is on the district’s Finance and Communications committees and is board liaison to Chatsworth Elementary School and the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation.

Victor Gatti is a partner in the accounting firm KPMG LLP International Corporate Services practice. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, a J.D. Magna cum laude from Western New England College School of Law, and an LLM Master of Tax from New York University. He and his wife Alexandra moved to Larchmont from New York City in 2008. Their daughters are kindergartners at Murray Avenue School.

This year, he has been a volunteer with the district’s Citizens Financial Advisory Committee, working on forecasting the budget for the next five years.

The Mamaroneck School Board and Budget Election will be held on Tuesday, May 15th at your local elementary school. Polls are open from 7 AM to 9 PM.

It looks like the June 26 Congressional primary, the second of three primaries this year, will feature contests for the Republican challenger to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; the Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey in the newly-drawn and newly-numbered District 17, which takes in all of Rockland and large parts of Westchester; and the Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth in District 18, which takes in all of Putnam and part of Westchester (and Orange and part of Dutchess).

In the Republican primary in the 17th, Francis Morganthaler was thrown off the ballot and is challenging the decision in court. Joe Carvin, one of the Republican candidates, didn’t succeed in securing the Conservative line. Lowey failed to get the Independence line.

So far there are no primaries in the new District 16, held by Eliot Engel. Aniello Grimaldi, who wanted to challenge Engel on the Democratic line, was thrown off the ballot. Engel’s Republican challenger is Joseph McLaughlin. The final names could change as court challenges play out but should be final by the middle of next week. Here is the list of candidates. A * indicates a primary contest:

United States Senator:

Republican*

Wendy Long of Manhattan

Bob Turner of Breezy Point

George Maragos of Great Neck

Democratic

Kirsten Gillibrand More →

Here’s the announcement from the county with prevention suggestions for residents:

2012 WEST NILE VIRUS PREVENTION EFFORTS TO BEGIN MONDAY

To eliminate breeding sites for mosquitoes that can carry West Nile Virus, the Westchester County Department of Health will begin its annual West Nile Virus prevention efforts by checking catch basins throughout the county for standing water and applying larvicide as needed starting Monday, May 7.

Health department larviciding teams will begin in New Rochelle, Yonkers and Mount Vernon, evaluating and treating as needed all catch basins on county and municipal roads throughout the county over the next few months. More →

Mamaroneck’s Michael Presley slides safely into second base ahead of the tag by New Rochelle shortstop John Valente during the baseball game at Mamaroneck High School on May 3, 2012.

Mamaroneck’s Connor Bingham crosses the plate to put the team on the board with a 1-0 lead against New Rochelle in the second inning during the baseball game at Mamaroneck High School.

Mamaroneck pitcher Will Hofmann (cq) throws a pitch against New Rochelle during the baseball game at Mamaroneck High School.

New Rochelle pitcher Andrew Zigmont throws a pitch against Mamaroneck during the baseball game at Mamaroneck High School on May 3, 2012. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

Go to LoHud.com for game story from the baseball game between Mamaroneck and New Rochelle at Mamaroneck High School.

We wrote last fall about an unusual grocery store in Port Chester that sells dented, squished and officially-expired* goods. The owner describes it as “the aisle (or isle?) of misfit groceries.”

That Discount Place, at Irving Avenue and North Pearl Street, is going to be closed, owner Jane Stout said today in an email:

We appreciate all of our loyal customers and regret we need to do this. The business just did not pick up fast enough to support itself. We tried. Please come by to support our closing. We have already started to lower prices and will have an official sale beginning on next Thursday. I expect things to sell quickly and would love for our loyal customers to get in on things before they are gone. Please come by. We are also selling furniture and fixtures. I am extremely saddened by this and do hope to have a chance to say thank you to all of you.

*Added: Stout reminds us that the “sell by” dates generally refer to freshness guarantees, and not safety rules. The FDA explains here.