Sound Shore

November seems like a long way off, but the election season is already gearing up. On Thursday, New Rochelle Democrats will draft their slate of candidates for mayor and City Council. The Republicans will draft theirs next week.

Most of the incumbents, including Louis Trangucci, Albert Tarantino, Jared Rice, Barry Fertel and Noam Bramson, have said they will run again. Marianne Sussman, the Democratic representative of New Rochelle’s District 6, has said she will not seek re-election. Republican Richard St. Paul, of District 4, is contemplating a run for mayor. He said he would use the holiday weekend to solidify his plans. The new redistricting lines appear to draw him out of his district.

Meanwhile, the first challenger has declared his candidacy: Ivar Hyden, chairman of the New Rochelle Municipal Art Commission, said on Wednesday he hopes to earn the Democratic nomination to represent District 4 on the City Council.

“I am a tax-paying homeowner, artist and businessman,” Hyden wrote in an email announcing his candidacy. “I want to be a positive voice on (the) City Council and bring creative solutions to problems without regard to politics.”

The primary election will be held Sept. 13; the general election will be held Nov. 8.

New Rochelle has six council districts and three proposed plans for redrawing their lines. The Democratic members of the City Council submitted their plan first and, as such, it was the only plan officially a subject of Wednesday night’s public hearing at City Hall. (You can view all the proposed district maps at this earlier post.)

Nearly 30 people spoke at the hearing, with the number of those clearly supportive of the Democrats’ plan about equal to the number of those clearly unhappy with it. Much of the criticism focused on the slicing of neighborhoods—Residence Park, for example, which is now in two districts, would be shared by three districts—caused by the new lines. Critics also charged the Democrats’ proposed map fails to bolster black voting strength in District 3 as much as it could, undermines Hispanic voting strength in District 4 and is the product of political calculus. (more…)

Unsatisfied with the City Council’s efforts to figure out a fair approach to redrawing New Rochelle’s district lines, a group of residents is taking it on themselves. The Concerned New Rochelle Citizens for Redistricting Committee has formed, in the words of a news release, “to create an unaffiliated and independent legal research sub-committee to study all applicable laws” related to the redistricting process. Former Assemblyman Ron Tocci and former Mayor Len Paduano are members of the committee.

Redistricting, which cities are required to do following the release of Census figures, which happens every 10 years, is often a politically contentious and divisive process. The last time New Rochelle went through it, the city was sued. This time around, the city is racing to complete the process prior to elections in the fall.

Committee Chairman Mark McLean said in a statement, “City Hall must take seriously its obligations to residents of all backgrounds, ethnicities and locations. If the politicians will not protect the propriety and independence of the process, then it is up to the free and independent citizens to guarantee it!”

New Rochelle City Councilman Richard St. Paul is hosting a town hall meeting tonight for the residents of District 4, which he represents. The meeting will take place at the Campus Alternative School, at 50 Washington Avenue, and is slated to run from 7:30 to 9 o’clock. City Manager Charles Strome III and commissioners from the police, fire, public works and other departments are expected to make presentations. Light refreshments will be served.

Marianne Sussman, who has served on the New Rochelle City Council since 1999, announced Wednesday afternoon she would not seek a fourth term in the election this fall.

“I’ve been on the board for three terms I would like to see other people have the opportunity,” Sussman said, adding that she would like to pursue other opportunities as well. A practicing lawyer, she said she would like to be able to focus on one or two issues important to the city, rather than be involved in so many aspects of city government.

In a news release, Sussman, a Democrat who represents the city’s Sixth District, cited her efforts to preserve Ward Acres and Flandreau parks, her role as chairwoman of the city’s Industrial Development Agency and her “instrumental” involvement in bringing the first senior center to New Rochelle’s North End.

“I think we really have improved,” she said of the city’s changes over the last decade.

She did not say the same about the City Council itself, which she said is now more rancorous than ever.

“I think this is the most confrontation,” she said. “That is a function of the distribution we have, 4-3 (Democrats to Republicans).”

New Rochelle City Councilman Richard St. Paul plans to ask his fellow council members to reconsider a decision to make a new crime-mapping website off-limits to the public.

In a conversation Monday afternoon, St. Paul, a Republican, said he would raise the issue at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Last week, Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll presented the new website, crimemapping.com, to the council, explaining how with it, a viewer could see what kinds of crimes happened in New Rochelle, when they happened and where they happened.

The mayor and several council members worried that the crime statistics could cast New Rochelle in an unflattering light. “It’s almost like an anti-marketing campaign,” Mayor Noam Bramson said.

So public access to the portion of the site covering New Rochelle was blocked. According to St. Paul, that was a mistake and a missed opportunity to raise community awareness about crime.

“With that awareness, you create a stronger bond between the neighborhood and the police,” he said. That, in turn, he said, will help police fight crime.

St. Paul said he will suggest adding an educational component to the website, perhaps a pop-up disclaimer that explains to users how to use the site and puts the numbers into some kind of context. He said he would also urge police to meet with neighborhood associations and other constituents, something the police commissioner had mentioned in his presentation.

“We really need people to get involved,” St. Paul said.

In other St. Paul news, the councilman said he has been asked about his plans for the city’s election later this year—specifically, whether he will run against Bramson, a Democrat, for mayor.

St. Paul said he’s made “no official decision,” adding, “I certainly love New Rochelle and certainly love being involved in New Rochelle and city government.”

A memorial service has been set for New Rochelle City Councilman James Stowe, who died unexpectedly on Wednesday.

According to an email from City Manager Chuck Strome:

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 12:00 Noon at the Weinstein Memorial Chapel located at 1652 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, New York.  Burial will follow at the Sharon Garden Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.

New Rochelle councilman James Stowe died this morning from a heart attack at age 69. Stowe, an Air Force veteran and former chemical company executive, was first elected to City Council in 2003.

I’ll have more information about his passing in Thursday’s Journal News and here is the official statement Mayor Noam Bramson put out today:

Jim Stowe’s passing is a devastating loss to our community. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues in City government and by the countless residents whose lives he touched through service.

The entire City Council and Administration joins me in offering heartfelt condolences to Jim’s wife Roxie and to the Stowe family. They will be in the thoughts and prayers of friends and admirers, all of whom understand that New Rochelle has lost one its great leaders.

On the City Council, Jim Stowe was a forceful and fearless advocate for the people of the Third District and a powerful voice for social justice and equality. He played an especially critical role in promoting affordable housing development and in creating new opportunities for young people, and was also fully engaged in all of the major challenges and choices that shape New Rochelle.

But Jim was larger than the City Council and his actions in government were only one aspect of his contributions to our city and our nation. His life was rich beyond measure in its experiences and professional achievements. In every position and role, Jim inspired others through his unshakable integrity and strength of purpose. His example will continue to set a standard for all those who value service to the common good.