the town report, 2-3-2012

Vol. 14/Number 5 www.mytownreport.com February 3, 2012

Klein would lose Eastchester in redistricting plan

By CHARLIE JOHNSONSTAFF [email protected]

Proposed new state legislative districts released last week would move Eastchester and a part of New Rochelle currently represented by Sen. Jeff Klein (D) into an exclu-sively Westchester Senate district, while making only subtle changes to the Assembly district held by Amy Paulin (D).

Eastchester – including the villag-es of Tuckahoe and Bronxville – and roughly half of New Rochelle, would join several Sound Shore communi-ties currently in Senate District 37 held by Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer (D), who recently announced her intention to retire at the end of her term.

Oppenheimer’s district already contains a chunk of New Rochelle. The proposal would split the city between District 37 and District 35, represented by Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D), removing Klein from the city entirely.

Under the new plan, Klein would also lose a section of Yonkers he currently represents. In Westchester County, the senator would be con-fined to Pelham and Mount Vernon, while being given additional territory in his native Bronx. Klein said he does plan to run for re-election this year in his reformatted District 34, but said he is sad to lose his suburban constituents.

“I did a lot of good work over the years in Eastchester,” said Klein, who took office in the current 34th District in 2004. “It’s a great town…but un-fortunately, it looks like it won’t be in my district anymore.”

Klein said he was proud of his ef-forts to secure grant funding for the Eastchester’s school districts and for his fight to pass statewide tax cap legislation to provide relief to prop-erty taxpayers in communities like Eastchester.

As the current legislator for two

KLEIN, continued on page 6

Colavita mulls a run in reshaped 37th state Senate district

Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colavita (R) is considering a run for the Senate seat in the 37th District. File photo

COLAVITA, continued on page 4


Eastchester Supervisor Anthony S. Colavita (R) has announced that he is interested in a possible run for the newly configured Senate seat that would be created if the state adopts the legislative redistricting proposal released last week.

New legislative maps released last week would move the town out of Bronx Democratic state Sen. Jeff Klein’s 34th district – which straddles Bronx and Westchester lines – and into a re-envisioned District 37 along the Sound Shore, which observers are saying was carved specifically to convey a Republican advantage.

“Several people have encouraged me to run for that seat,” said Colavita. “Right now, that’s something that in-terests me, and I’ll certainly be giv-ing it some good thought.”

Colavita cited his record as super-visor, his name recognition through-out the county, and his decade of

senatorial experience as a staff member of former state Sen. Guy Velella (R) as factors that could give him momentum if he chose to run.

The supervisor also said he was “very confident” that he would secure the endorsements of the Independence and Conservative

parties for the seat.Colavita, whose father Anthony

J. Colavita served as the New York State Republican Party chairman in the 1980s, said that it would be in-cumbent upon the party to “rally be-hind the best candidate” to face off against Democratic opposition.

Longtime Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election this year, represents the cur-rent 37th District. So far, the most-discussed Democratic possibility for the seat is state Assemblyman George Latimer, who entered the Legislature’s lower chamber in 2004, following a single term on the Rye City Council and a 14-year stint on the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

Latimer previously told The Town Report that he was exploring a run for the seat and intended to make his decision by sometime in mid-February. As of Monday, he said he

Bronxville Library director resigns, drops lawsuit

Eckley takes job in Larchmont

Laura EckleyPhoto courtesy/Larchmont

Public Library


A month and a half after fil-ing a suit against the Village of Bronxville, its library, and its mayor over a rescinded raise, Bronxville Library Director Laura Eckley announced last week that she had withdrawn her suit amid plans to resign from her position and take the director’s job at the Larchmont Public Library.

Eckley submitted a letter of res-ignation to the library, effective Feb. 3. She will be starting at her new job in Larchmont on Monday, Feb. 6.

On Dec. 15, 2011, Eckley filed suit in New York State Supreme Court, arguing that the Library Board had breached her contract by rescinding a pay increase that would have brought her salary up to $100,000 and alleging that Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin (R) had inappropriately interfered to urge the board to reverse the raise.

After the board passed a resolu-tion on Oct. 12, 2011 increasing Eckley’s annual salary to $100,000 from its previous $81,640 level, the lawsuit alleges that Marvin held a private meeting with Bronxville Library Board President Kathleen Muller and Trustee Rosanne

Welshimer urging them to rescind the raise.

With one trustee dissenting, the board voted to rescind the previ-ous raise at a Nov. 14, 2011 spe-cial meeting, approving instead a smaller $3,500 salary increase and a $7,400 bonus for the end of 2011, which did not impact Eckley’s 2012 salary.

Given her planned departure from the Bronxville Library, Eckley said last week the suit was “no longer pertinent” and had

LIBRARY, continued on page 13

Bronxville GOP names slate for 2012By CHARLIE JOHNSONSTAFF [email protected]

Bronxville Democrats will make no challenge to a seven-year incum-bent and a new political face forming the Bronxville Republican ticket for the two village trustee seats on the March 20 ballot.

At their Jan. 26 party caucus, Republicans formally nominated Anne Poorman, who will run for her fourth two-year term on the board, and Guy A. Longobardo, an active community member making his first run for elected office. The party also nominated Village Justice George Mayer, an eight-year incumbent, to run for his third four-year term.

Poorman had initially planned not to seek another term but reversed course after Bronxville Republican Committee Chair Rene Atayan and Mayor Mary Marvin (R) asked her

to stay on.Poorman, 52, has lived

in the village for 19 years and was first appointed to the Village Board in April 2005. In her time as a trustee, she has served as the liaison to the vil-lage’s police department, library, court, chamber of commerce, senior citizens, and Bronxville School. She served on the village’s Zoning Board for five years prior to be-ing named to the Village Board.

Poorman said that she is proud of her responsiveness to residents dur-ing her tenure and her work on the two budgets that produced 0 percent tax increases. “That was not easy,” she said. “Talk about fine-tooth comb treatment of a budget.” SLATE, continued on page 12

Trustee Anne Poorman and candidate Guy A. Longobardo, both Republicans, pose after their formal endorsement at the Jan. 26 Bronxville Republican caucus. Photo/Charlie Johnson

No contest for Tuckahoe incumbentsBy CHARLIE JOHNSONSTAFF [email protected]

Tuckahoe’s Republican and Democratic committees each nominated a single incumbent this week for the March trustee elec-tions, setting up the fifth uncon-tested race in Tuckahoe in as many years.

For the two trustee seats ap-pearing on the March 20 ballot, Republicans nominated Trustee

Janette Hayes, who was first ap-pointed to the board last spring, and the Democrats named Trustee Stephen Quigley, who won an uncontested election two years ago following an appointment to the board by former Mayor John Fitzpatrick (D).

Hayes also received the nomina-tion of the village’s Conservative and Independence committees.

Hayes, 41, was sworn in May 9 to the Village Board, filling the

trustee seat vacated by Mayor Steven Ecklond (R) when he stepped up to the executive role. In her nine months on the board, Hayes said she was proud of her effort to organize a meeting for the village’s co-op and condo owners – a second of which is planned for the end of February – and her work on the village’s resident surveys of village departments.

RACE, continued on page 9

Longobardo, 50, first moved to Bronxville in 1969 and graduated from Bronxville High School.

Longobardo has spent the past 10 years leading the turnaround of a

2 • THE TOWN REPORT • February 3, 2012

Draft maps face veto threat from CuomoBy PAIGE RENTZASSOCIATE [email protected]

New maps of the proposed state legisla-tive districts have many in the state crying foul.

The plan was released last week by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, a commit-tee made up of four legislators and two non-legislators appointed by party leadership in each chamber. If approved, the plan would reshape legislative districts and shuffle rep-resentation for several local communities.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has threatened to veto the maps in their current forms. After Cuomo took office last year, one of his earli-est pieces of legislation was an independent redistricting bill that proposed an indepen-dent commission comprised of qualified can-didates selected from a bipartisan pool that reflects the state’s geographic, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. A bipartisan nomina-tions committee selected by the legislative and executive branches would be responsible for naming the commission’s members, all of whom must be at least four years removed from service in the Legislature or Congress, as a legislative aide or as a lobbyist. The bill has been sent to committee twice in each house, where it has remained, never making it to either chamber floor for a vote.

When he introduced his bill, Cuomo also threatened to veto any district lines drawn under the current system, a vow he reaffirmed after the proposed maps were re-leased on Thursday.

But a Cuomo veto could complicate the

timeline for the redistricting process. A de-cision handed down from Federal District Court last week requires New York to move its Congressional primary from September to June 26. For the time being, state legisla-tive primaries remain slated for September, but with talk of a possible move to June as well, those primaries and their associated July filing dates could approach even more quickly.

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted just before Christmas revealed that slightly more than half of New Yorkers agree with the governor on this issue. Of those polled, 52 percent believe an independent com-

mission with no ties to the New York State Legislature should draw district lines, and an additional 27 percent prefer a commission with some legislative input. Only 11 percent support the current redistricting system.

Statewide good-government organiza-tions like Common Cause New York, the New York State League of Women Voters, and the New York Public Interest Research Group have been lobbying for independent redistricting, releasing in October 2010 a re-districting policy paper along with Citizens Union of the City of New York, that analyzed the current system of incumbency protec-tions and made their case for an independent commission.

Common Cause has even drawn up its own maps for the Senate, Assembly and Congressional districts, many of which dif-fer greatly from the current and proposed legislative task force lines.

Though a great deal is being made of the much-anticipated maps, the process is far from over. The task force has public hear-ings scheduled to continue through Feb. 16, and after considering public feedback, should be releasing any revisions thereafter. Then, both chambers of the legislature must approve the lines as drawn, followed by the governor. If Cuomo vetoes the proposal as he’s threatened, the task force must go back to the drawing board.

The New York State Constitution requires that districts be drawn so as not to split up towns or city blocks, be in as compact a form as practicable, consist of contiguous territory, and contain as nearly as may be an equal number of inhabitants.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has said he will veto any gerrymandered redistricting plan.

February 3, 2012 • THE TOWN REPORT • 3

This map outlines the borders of the 37th Senate District, if the redrawn lines are approved. Contributed photo

Proposed redistricting reshapes Oppenheimer’s Senate district By CHRISTIAN FALCONEASSOCIATE [email protected]

Fixed in Republican crosshairs, a parti-san-led redistricting of state Senate lines has substantially altered the geographical make-up of the 37th District – a district that for the last 27 years has been commonly known as “Suzi’s seat.”

The plan has sparked widespread cyni-cism of the process. And it’s clear that Republicans have been eyeing the seat in the hopes of retaining their slim Senate majority ever since political newcomer Bob Cohen (R) nearly defeated Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer (D) two years ago.

The 37th district is one that has traveled as far north as New Castle and all the way down to New Rochelle. It includes most of the communities that comprise the Sound Shore region, lying abutting the Long Island Sound, as well as White Plains and Ossining.

Under the proposal, Republican strong-hold Eastchester and a portion of Yonkers are added into the district, while Democratic friendly Scarsdale is redistricted out. The district has also seen the northern portion of it – New Castle and Ossining – cut out and replaced with Bedford.

“I’m back again to what I had in the 1980s,” Oppenheimer said on Monday, add-ing that her district included Eastchester until 1992. When Oppenheimer was first elected to the state Senate in 1984, her district also included Mount Vernon.

But one of the bigger sticking points for Democrats is the lines in New Rochelle that are redrawn in such a way that elimi-

nates much of the advantage of a heavily Democratic city.

Another focal point of criticism has been the redistricting of Ossining, a Hudson River town which holds a high Democratic voter registration. Ossining was removed from the Oppenheimer district and lumped in with communities in Rockland County.

Oppenheimer said that with Democrats holding a large voter registration edge in the state, the only way for Republicans to maintain control of the Senate is through partisan redistricting. Some have also argued that districts should be more con-tiguous.

“I would say it’s a classic example of why we really have to move toward an in-dependent redistricting commission,” said Oppenheimer, who will retire at the end of the year. The senator doesn’t believe the new lines will withstand the proverbial litmus test. “It has been egregious, the partisan div-vying up of our state,” she said.

But for Cohen, an establishment outsider, his mind wasn’t so much on the politics of redistricting as it was preparing for his sec-ond bid at state office.

In the midst of prepping his campaign team, Cohen did speak to the fact that his district had lost Scarsdale, the community he lived in when he first ran in 2010.

“It’s an area where I had a lot of friends and support,” he said about the village. “We lived in the community for 20 years. It’s un-fortunate.”

However, Cohen moved to New Rochelle last year, fueling speculation that his reloca-tion was done to rid the district of Scarsdale, a notoriously Democratic village.


CommunityBRIEFSUpcoming events at Sarah Lawrence College

Book readingTuesday, Feb. 7 at 4 p.m.Esther Raushenbush Library, 2nd fl oorFormer Writing Institute student Lucia

Greenhouse will read from her acclaimed book “fathermothergod: My Journey Out of Christian Science.”Writing Institute open house

Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.45 Wrexham RoadSpring faculty will be on hand for pro-

spective students to learn about the course offerings for the spring term.Dar Williams lecture and concert

Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.Reisinger Concert HallSinger/songwriter/activist. Dar Williams

has brought her passion for the environment to her music and will share her views on the high cost of consumption as well as her songs. Presented by Sarah Lawrence College and the Westchester Land Trust. For tickets, contact www.westchesterlandtrust.org/lec-tures or call Grace Buck at (914) 241-6346.

Event at the Music Conservatory

Fifth annual Tango EveningFriday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.Music Conservatory of Westchester will

host the fi fth annual Tango Evening featur-ing Tango Quartero. The performance will feature original tangos composed by Marco Valentino Quartero (piano), accompanied

by Kathy Adorney (violin, viola), Chris Wessman (cello), Nancy Goodman (fl ute), Clayton Heydorn (piano) and Gary Mayer (piano, clarinet). Traditional tango dancers will also perform.

The Music Conservatory of Westchester is located at 216 Central Ave. in White Plains. For more information on these events, call (914) 761-3900 or visit musicconservatory.org.

Artwork sought for marshlands art exhibit

Paintings, sculpture, drawings and other artwork that was inspired by Marshlands Conservancy or created at the site can be submitted for entry in the 39th annual “A Different Point of View” art exhibit on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Conservancy in Rye.

All paintings and drawings must be framed and ready for hanging. There is a limit of three entries per person. Please note that photography is not included in this exhibit.

The exhibit will open on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m., with a reception for the artists and public.

Children’s adventure programThe Westchester Children’s Museum

(WCM) is ready to bring young imaginations to life with the “Come In and Play” event on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Ethical Culture Society of Westchester (ECSW). WCM is collaborating with Pop-Up Adventure Play, an international non-profi t advocating for children’s hands-on and self-directed play, and ECSW to pro-mote art activities using recyclable materials

for an exciting and environmentally friendly day of family fun. Activities include potluck-style play spaces – an environment using loose materials and found objects where children ages 2-10 are free to create. Admission is free, but space is limited. The ECSW is located at 7 Saxon Wood Road (off Mamaroneck Avenue) in White Plains. To register, call (914) 948-1120, email [email protected] or visit popupadventureplay.org for more informa-tion.

Christian Coffee House eventThe next Good News Christian Coffee

House will be held at Village Lutheran Church on Saturday, Feb. 11 and will feature Diane McKoy. The Coffee House opens at 7 p.m. with gourmet coffee and pastries, and the con-cert begins at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Children ages 5-12 are $3. Babysitting will be available. The Village Lutheran Church is located at 172 White Plains Road in Bronxville. For more information, call (914) 337-0207 or visit vlc-ny.org.

“Be Beautiful For Valentine’s Day” event

The Salon, Westchester’s premier up-scale full-service salon, will host the annual “Be Beautiful for Valentine’s Day” event on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.

At the free event, The Salon’s staff will rec-ommend and apply its special e-cure Japanese conditioning to restore and protect your hair from the harsh winter elements. Goody bags fi lled with samples will also be distributed.

This event is free, but registration is essen-tial. To register, call Mark at The Salon at (914) 472-1800. Space is limited.

The Salon is located at 794 Post Road in Scarsdale. For more information, visit thesal-onatwestchester.com.

Raffl e to benefi t grandparents raising grandchildren

Would you like a luxurious vacation in a sunny location – a relaxing getaway from winter’s wind and snow? If so, consider donat-

ing $10 for a raffl e ticket to win a week at a timeshare in Florida.

The raffl e is sponsored by the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services and will benefi t its Grandparents Coalition, which helps grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. The donation for the seven-day stay at the Blue Tree Resort is $10 per ticket.

The public/private partnership raises mon-ey to supplement programs of Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS). The drawing for the time-share will take place on March 15.

The winner must use the timeshare within two years; transportation to Orlando is not in-cluded. The cost will be an additional $169 if the winner prefers a timeshare in another loca-tion in the United States or in another country.

To donate money for a raffl e ticket, con-tact Corina Sonara, the DSPS liaison to the Grandparents Coalition at (914) 813-6393 or [email protected]. Make checks payable to the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services and mail them to the partnership at: 9 S. First Ave., 10th fl oor, Mount Vernon, N.Y. 10550. Volunteers willing to sell tickets should also contact Sonara.

First annual “Winterbowl”On Thursday, Feb. 23, Grand Prix New York’s

new state-of-the-art bowling center, Spins Bowl will host Music Conservatory of Westchester’s fi rst annual “Winterbowl,” benefi ting its Music Therapy Institute, which is celebrating its 25th year. The event includes bowling, kart rac-ing, food, drinks, and live music featuring Conservatory faculty and students. Grand Prix New York is located at 333 N. Bedford Road in Mount Kisco and the event takes place from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Kids 16 and under are $50; adults are $60. For tickets, call (914) 761-3900 or visit www.winterbowl.eventbrite.com.

Deadline for our Community Briefs section is 12 p.m. every Friday. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accom-modate your listings. Please send all items to [email protected].

was still thinking it over.Latimer, whose Assembly district stretches

from Port Chester down the Sound Shore to the Pelham line, has gained a reputation as untouchable in his current seat, capturing over 65 percent of the vote in successive re-elec-tion victories. But the Senate could present the greatest challenge of Latimer’s political career – particularly if the district was drawn, as crit-ics charge, to tip the scales to Republicans.

“You have got to be able to look at the lines and say, ‘do I have a fair shot at the district?’ and ‘can I make my case in a reasonable way if it’s stacked one way?” said Latimer.

But the Democratic assemblyman would be but one obstacle to Colavita’s prospects on the campaign trail, as another Republican candi-date has expressed interest and already appears to be in campaign mode.

Republican Bob Cohen, the Scarsdale businessman who came within a few hundred votes of unseating Oppenheimer in 2010, has indicated he will be running again for the seat this year.

Though Scarsdale was entirely removed from the proposed 37th District, Cohen relocat-ed to New Rochelle last year, and Democrats have speculated that the district lines were carefully drawn to accommodate his new resi-dency status.

But Colavita said that the fact that Cohen is already presenting himself as the party’s presumptive nominee does not automatically close the book on the supervisor’s own candi-dacy. “I have a lot of experience in primaries,

so that’s not something that’s going to be very persuasive in my book,” he said.

Colavita came to offi ce in Eastchester in 2003 after unseating Supervisor James Cavanaugh, a fellow Republican who had obtained the Conservative and Independence endorsements. After narrowly defeating the incumbent in a contentious Republican primary, Colavita won a solid victory over Cavanaugh in the general election rematch and has not faced meaningful opposition from either party in his four subsequent re-election campaigns.

For his part, Cohen said he had not recently been in touch with Colavita and that he was fo-cused on assembling his own campaign team for this year’s race. “I’ve heard that a number of people might be interested,” he said. “I have not spoken to him in quite a long time.”

Eastchester Republican Committee Chair Lou Reda said he felt the supervisor would be a strong contender in a contest for the Senate seat.

“If he did decide to enter the race, he would have an excellent chance to win,” said Reda. “He’s a hard worker, and he has the name recognition necessary to win the seat.”

Colavita, who has frequently been rumored as a potential Senate candidate, told The Town Report in 2010 that he was considering a pos-sible run that year for Klein’s seat. Ultimately, he did not campaign for the seat, and Klein won an easy victory over Bronx Republican Frank Vernuccio.

-With reporting by CHRISTIAN FALCONE and PAIGE RENTZ

COLAVITA, continued from page 1

Concordia College names DiFiore as commencement speaker

Concordia College is proud to announce Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore as commencement speaker at the col-lege’s 131st graduation ceremony on May 5.

The college will present DiFiore with an honorary doctor of laws degree to honor her long career of public service as a judge and pros-ecutor in Westchester County. As district attorney, DiFiore currently oversees the largest local prosecu-torial agency in New York State north of New York City.

Elected as district attorney in 2005 and re-elected in 2009, District Attorney DiFiore is the county’s chief law enforcement officer. Her office prosecutes ap-proximately 40,000 cases each year.

District Attorney DiFiore, a life-long Westchester resident, served as an assistant district attorney in Westchester County for more than

10 years, and as chief of narcotics for the last 4.5 years. As chief of narcotics, she coordinated drug enforcement and prosecution efforts on behalf of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

DiFiore has received many honors, some recent highlights include the Distinguished Alumnae Award from the Women’s Law Society of St. John’s Law School, the “Spirit of Giving” Community Service Award at the Lois Bronz Children’s Center’s Annual Gala, and the Star of Hope Award from the Westchester Region of Hadassah. (Submitted)

District Attorney Janet DiFiore

small segments of the City of New Rochelle, Klein specifically cited his work with the South End Civic League to clean up the downtown’s commercial areas.

“It’s a loss,” said the senator. “You represent people. You represent groups. You have rela-tionships with various people, and you have victories on various issues.”

Klein, who has supported independent redis-tricting in the past, said he was disappointed that the Democrats did not pass legislation establish-ing an independent redistricting commission during their two years in power in both houses of the legislature.

But he said it appears to be too late in this year’s redistricting for a wholesale change in the process. He said he hopes feedback received through the series of hearings that began this week will help the legislators make the lines more “palatable” to the community.

Party leaders had different takes on legisla-tors’ decision to shift Klein’s Eastchester and New Rochelle territory into District 37, which at the same time would be stripped of heavily-Democratic Scarsdale and half of White Plains.

Eastchester Republican Committee Chair Lou Reda said he was pleased at the possibili-ties the new lines could bring for his party in the district, which saw a tough fight in 2010 between longtime Mamaroneck incumbent Oppenheimer and Scarsdale businessman Bob Cohen (R).

“It definitely solidifies the possibility of that seat being won by a Republican,” said Reda. “Based on the fact that we almost won it last time, I’m very optimistic with Eastchester, Tuckahoe and Bronxville in that seat.”

Arnold Klugman, New Rochelle’s Democratic Committee chair, echoed the sen-timent of others in his party that the proposed Senate district lines represented a fairly blatant Republican maneuver for control.

“The Republicans tried to make the district more Republican,” Klugman said, arguing that the lines were drawn explicitly to ben-efit a reprise of the Cohen campaign this year. “This whole thing is a battle for the Senate. The Republicans I don’t believe care about the Assembly.”

New Rochelle – under the new plan – is di-vided between District 37 and District 35, which would absorb a serpentine strip cutting through the city. The current District 34 boundary cuts two small divots out of a city which is otherwise already contained in District 37. “If they had New Rochelle all in one district, it would make more sense,” said Klugman.

The state’s 88th Assembly District, oc-cupied by Paulin, would continue to include Eastchester and a portion of New Rochelle un-der the proposed 2012 maps, along with Pelham and Paulin’s hometown of Scarsdale.

But the 88th would also get a larger portion of White Plains and New Rochelle, while losing a downtown section of the Queen City of the Sound. Paulin said that the areas being added to her district were sections dominated by single-family homes. “My district probably reflects that they were trying to keep like communities together,” she said.

However, Paulin conceded that the changes did make the 88th a more reliable bet for her party. “Just the fact that I’m getting more of the cities probably makes it a little stronger Democratic district.”

Paulin, who had endorsed independent redis-tricting, mirrored Klein in suggesting that time may be running out to institute a new method in 2012. But she said the public will let Albany know whether lack of an independent process translates to an unfair result.

“What I hear is not all the lines look beau-tiful,” said Paulin. “But what I’m more inter-ested in hearing from the public is does it keep communities together…If we deviate from the shape, you need to have a reason.”

KLEIN, continued from page 1


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The Assumption Church, 100 years old

Historically Speakingwith Eastchester Town Historian Richard Forliano

the early Italians faced when they arrived in America in a book she coauthored, entitled “The Italians in Yonkers”:

For many Italian immi-grants, the Roman Catholic Church in America was alien and failed to meet their needs. The hierarchy of the church was concerned about what was termed the ‘Italian problem.’ The Irish had preceded the Italians to the United States and the Roman Catholic hierarchy and priesthood was, to a large extent, dominated by the Irish. Sermons were given in a language that the Italians did not under-stand, and the mass became meaningless for those who did attend. There was also suspicion about confiding in a priest who did not un-derstand the language and customs of the immigrant.

This situation did not merely happen in lower Westchester, but all over the more populated areas of the Northeast. Recent Italian immigrants in Tuckahoe felt shut out from the predominantly Irish congregation of the Immaculate Conception Church that had recently moved from Waverly Square to the ‘Cathedral on the Hill” at the top of Winterhill Road.

The role of the Roman Catholic Church was to administer the spiritual needs of its constituency. Either in response to the ethnic conflict between the Irish or because of it, the church began to encourage priests from Italy to travel to America. One of these priests was the beloved Rev. Vincent Lojacomo. In 1906, he was assigned as a second assistant to Father McCormick at Immaculate Conception Church. A native of Palermo, Sicily, he mi-grated to the United States in 1904.

Italians did not feel comfortable with the service conducted in an alien language that was mindless of Italian customs. Catholicism, as practiced by most southern Italians, was a rich blend of traditional Catholicism and folklore, mixed with colorful celebrations and religious feasts with origins dating to Roman times. What they found in America was far different, austere in comparison.

By the start of 1911, it had become evident to the Roman Catholic hierarchy that a sepa-rate church had to be built for the Italians living in Tuckahoe. In January of that year, Father Lojacomo made his first baptism, Angelo LaManna, and made his first convert, Mary Florence Powers. On March 5, 1911, Lojacomo celebrated mass for the first time in Italian. The mass took place at the now defunct Lyceum building where a mall now stands, just south of Tuckahoe Village Hall.

Construction began on July 16, 1911 at the highest point of Pleasant Avenue, near a quarry directly up the hill. The structure was to be 44’x90’ with a capacity for seating 400 people. The church was built entirely of Tuckahoe marble by Italian stonecutters,

masons, contractors and other laborers on their own time. Construction began on Aug. 20, 2011. The first mass of the then unfin-ished church occurred on Christmas Eve of that year. The final dedication took place on Columbus Day, 1911.

The entire structure is supported by wooden beams, shown by hand. One must look in awe at those workers, ex-hausted by long hours, constructing so beautiful and meaningful an edifice. The families of three of the men of whom many still reside in our town who built the church with their own hands are the DiPippos, DiRienzos, Vecciarellis and the Capparellas.

Michael Servidio, who is working on a history of the church, beautifully places the importance of the Assumption Church in perspective:

The church of the Assumption has been and still is the presence of God in the small Village of Tuckahoe. I see the church as a shining light of

hope for the people who built the church so long ago. These were peo-ple encountering all the difficulties of living and raising their families, complicated by the recent immigra-tion of many parishioners to their new country, America.

Father Vincent Lojacomo served as head pastor of the church for 17 years. On Sunday, Aug. 4, 1928 he performed his last baptism. He had witnessed the start of a new church for Italian Americans of Tuckahoe and Eastchester. Father Lojacomo had guided the growth of a parish whose members were to display an exemplary loyalty to their new home America, as well as sense of ancestral pride in their old world heritage.

The Assumption Church celebrated its 100th anniversary on Oct. 12, 2011. This is the eighth in a series of articles on the Italians in the Tuckahoe community. “Historically Speaking” appears biweekly.

The Assumption Church in Tuckahoe celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. Contributed photo

It is very difficult for young people grow-ing up today to understand how different life was before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. It is almost incomprehensible for them to understand that in the American South, the descendants of African-American slaves not only had to ride in the back of the bus, but attended separate and grossly inferior schools and were even denied the right to vote. It is also equally hard for many middle-aged people to fully understand the ethnic animosity that existed against south-ern and eastern European immigrants, many of whom were Italian.

In the late 1840s, Irish Catholic im-migrants that came to America consisted of some of the most backward peasants in Europe that also faced discrimination from the mainstream Protestant majority. For the Irish fleeing the horrors of the Potato Famine, the Roman Catholic Church domi-nated by Irish clergy provided their fellow countrymen in America with advice, lead-ership, and support in a culture that looked down upon them. The churches, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and places to social-ize gave meaning and order to the lives of the first large wave of Irish immigrants.

For the Irish here in town and in other major cities, the arrival of Italians posed a dilemma. The Italians had come to America for the same reasons the Irish had a few de-cades before, but the Italians posed, at best, a dilemma and at worst, a threat. First, the Italians were in desperate need of work and they were willing to work for less. They spoke a different language, were ambivalent about staying in America, and preferred han-dling most matters by themselves.

For many Italian immigrants, the Roman Catholic Church in America was an alien institution. Marge Gotti, a former president of the Tuckahoe Board of Education with a Ph.D. in American History, beautifully described the uncomfortable situation that



With honorsDavid J. Quigley of Tuckahoe, a second-year student at the College of the

Holy Cross, has been named to the Dean’s List for the fi rst semester of the 2011-2012 academic year.

Hannah Geiling of Bronxville was recently named to the President’s List at the State University of New York at Potsdam.

The following local residents were among over 1,800 students from Wake Forest University who made the fall Dean’s List:

Samantha Diliberti, a resident of BronxvilleWilliam Murphy, a resident of BronxvilleAnne Torell, a resident of Bronxville

The following area residents were named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2011 semester at Quinnipiac University:

Nina D’Ambrosio of BronxvilleAnthony Poli of BronxvilleNicholas Poli of BronxvilleAmanda De Salvo of EastchesterCarina Lazzaro of EastchesterAlexa Linden of EastchesterNicole Pizzolato of Eastchester

The following local students have been listed on the Dean’s List for the University of Scranton for the 2011 fall semester:

Kelly Tracy of EastchesterKatherine Phelan of EastchesterMelissa Frascone of Eastchester

Michael Ciotti of Bronxville, of the Spring 2015 class at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., has received Faculty Honors for the 2011 fall semester.

‘Sopranos’ star returns home to New RochelleVincent Pastore doesn’t get annoyed when people call him

“Big Pussy.” After playing Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpenspiero on “The Sopranos,” he’s actually gotten used it.

“It was one of the best TV shows of all time, so it stuck,” he says. Pastore even jokes about making his own tomato sauce called “Big Pussy’s Puttanesca Sauce.”

“You just kind of play with it and enjoy being recognized.”Sure, playing a character that has become an American icon is pretty cool, even if it means

strangers are calling you “Big Pussy” wherever you go.“What does that name mean to you?” he asks me, staring intensely.“A cat, of course,” I say.“Well yeah, the character got the nickname because he was a cat burglar,” he says. “When

we fi rst did the piece, we didn’t think about ‘that other stuff,’ there wasn’t a lot of connec-tions we made to other meanings. But this is AM radio, so we’re not gonna go there or we’ll get kicked off the air.”

true wiseguy fashion, talks with his hands. His hands, by the way, are so thick he probably wouldn’t need industrial gloves if he took up welding as a hobby. He squints and has a bit of an intimidating scowl, a look that made him his bones fi rst as an owner of a rock bar in New Rochelle called “Crazy Horse,” then as an actor known for mobster parts.

Not only does he look the part and get recognized everywhere as Big Pussy, but like many Italian-American actors, he finds the roles he is offered usually involving the Mafia.

“It’s tough, very tough,” he says. “New York shows in particular. Every time ‘Law and Order’ calls me, they want me to be a gangster.” That is one aspect that could be annoying, he says, because he is more than just a mob actor. He rattles off credits, like an appearance in “Chicago” on Broadway, that show his true range.

“I didn’t come into the business as a gangster,” he says. “I came out of Blessed Sacrament Drama Club, under Joe Martini. We did a bunch of musicals, we did ’12 Angry Men.’” Pastore recently formed “The Buffalo Group Theater Company,” which will be working on several projects including “Wild Children,” a play Pastore wrote. It

takes place in the 80s, but features characters born 1945-1946 – an age group Van Morrison called “the wild children.”

But it’s not like he’s saying “fuggedaboutit” to the possibility of playing more gangsters, and he’s not turning his back on his old crowd. In fact, his new show will include a segment called “Dead Sopranos,” where he’ll have a call-in guest that was an actor whose character on the show “got whacked” or otherwise met their end.

During the interview, Pastore continually puts on his bifocals to check his Blackberry. He’s texting back and forth with “Little Steven” Van Sandt, Silvio of “The Sopranos” and the guitarist for the E-Street Band. Pastore is texting about an upcoming Bruce Springsteen con-cert. He notes that when he met “The Boss,” Springsteen knew who Pastore was, which was quite a rush as a rock music fan. “I got to MC one of Bruce’s events, down at Asbury Park,” he says. “It’s all because of ‘The Sopranos.’” He flips his Blackberry to some shots of Springsteen and the band playing.

“Good seats,” I say.“Seats?” he says, with a flick of his hands. “What seats? I was on

the stage.”His new radio show will mix music, guests, and banter between

Pastore and Dennis Nardone, a local DJ based out of Harrison. Nardone and Pastore insist they are cousins, but Pastore notes that whenever he’s on the air, people call in – sometimes they are his cousins, sometimes they are people saying they are his cousins, and other times they are honorary cousins.

“Coming back here is like coming back to family,” he says. “This is my family.” And no one could question one of the Soprano gang about that.

Dennis Nardone and Vincent Pastore during a recent broadcast at WVOX. Pastore has launched a new show called “What’s Going On” that airs Monday during drive time. Nardone will serve as Pastore’s “Ed McMahon,” according to the host.

Mark Lungariello

LUNGARIELLO AT LARGE

I’m interviewing Pastore in the small kitchen area of New Rochelle’s WVOX Radio, where the actor will be hosting a new show called “What’s Going On” every Monday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. He hasn’t changed much since his days on “The Sopranos,” though at 62-years old, there’s more white and gray visible in his thick hairline.

He smiles rarely, if at all, even though he shoots out the jokes and wisecracks in a rapid-fi re, New York rhythm. His megaphone voice is deep and resonant. The local accent heard on “The Sopranos” was no put on.

The radio show is a homecoming for Pastore, who grew up in Westchester and went to Blessed Sacrament and New Rochelle high schools. After his turn on “The Sopranos,” Pastore got his radio start on WVOX, then moved to “The Wiseguy Hour,” which ran on Sirius for fi ve years before being canceled. “Today, I’d rather do a show up here than in the city,” he tells me. “All the work getting down there, there’s nowhere to park. Here, my guests could drive up, park in the lot, and then come on the air.”

He sips coffee out of a huge Styrofoam cup, leaning forward when he speaks, and in


“I think I’m very accessible,” Hayes said, adding that she tries to bring clarity to residents who voice questions and concerns about the village’s operations. “I try to be as active as I can, come to as many events as I can.”

“She’s got energy and great ideas, and she’s been tireless; She’s like a ‘mini-Sheila,’” said Tuckahoe Republican Committee Chair Larry Marciano, compar-ing Hayes to Tuckahoe-based Republican County Legislator Sheila Marcotte. “She never backs away from a job.”

Hayes serves as liaison to the village’s en-vironmental, tree and beautification commit-tees, as well as to the Building Department and the clerk’s office.

RACE, continued from page 1 Quigley, 59, is running for his second full term as a trustee, having been originally ap-pointed by Fitzpatrick in December 2009. The lone Democrat on the current five-mem-ber board, Quigley said that he brings an “independent voice” to the trustees’ discus-sions and that, while the village is constantly looking for ways to save money, it’s also im-portant to be aware of what the government actually provides. “We also have to realize that people count on us for a certain amount of services,” he said.

A private-practice attorney, Quigley said he feels his legal background has been an asset to the board. “I think my training as a lawyer makes me understand the language and make it more effective and ultimately make sure the language in the resolutions does what we want it to do,” he said.

In his new term, Quigley said he wants to focus on ways to expand shared services between Tuckahoe and the other local municipalities. Quigley serves as a liaison to the Eastchester-Tuckahoe Chamber of Commerce, the Tuckahoe Public Library and the Tuckahoe Housing Authority.

“He has the experience; he has a great knowledge of village is-sues,” said Tuckahoe Democratic Committee Chair Chris DiGiorgio, of Quigley. “I think it speaks vol-umes that the Republicans decided not to run anyone against him.”

Marciano said that this year’s deci-sion not to run a second candidate to seek Quigley’s seat was based simply on the absence of a second person to compete. “No one came to me and

showed interest,” he said.DiGiorgio, who has in the

past expressed his desire for a full slate, said it was not to be for this race. “We did contact a number of people,” he said. “There were people who were interested, but not this year.”

Tuckahoe Mayor Steve Ecklond (R) praised both in-cumbents, commending Hayes’ work ethic and noting that Quigley has worked well with the rest of the board members.

Though she faces no opposi-tion, Hayes said she still had plans to campaign for her first full term on the board. “I plan on walking and talking and knocking on doors and meet-ing with people still for the next six weeks until March 20,” she said.

DiGiorgio said his party may send out a letter to village resi-dents reintroducing Quigley.

Trustees on the Tuckahoe Village Board serve for two-year terms and earn $5,075.

Tuckahoe Trustees Janette Hayes (R) and Stephen Quigley (D) at their respective caucuses this week. Photos/Charlie Johnson


BusinessBRIEFSWii Limo names Wayne Schaffel director of sales and marketing

Wayne Schaffel has been named sales and marketing director at Wii Limo in New Rochelle. Schaffel, who has more than 20 years of diverse marketing, public relations and sales experience, has been brought in to spearhead the company’s aggressive expan-sion plans.

Schaffel has held a variety of positions during his career, including stints at PR fi rms in New York and Philadelphia, and marketing positions at casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Laughlin, N.V. He also ran his own marketing fi rm, Public Relations Network, for several years.

Schaffel currently lives in White Plains with his wife, Michele. For more informa-tion, contact Wii Limo at (914) 633-8200 or visit wiilimo.com.

Studio Shoko Dance and Fitness has new location in Harrison

Harrison resident Shoko Daddario has opened a new dance fi tness studio in Harrison. Located at 261 Halstead Ave., the studio offers a wide variety of fi tness classes ranging from golf maintenance, jazzercise, adult ballet and yoga. In addition, kid classes are offered in hip-hop, jazz and ballet.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Shoko began tak-ing dance classes at the age of four and was trained in classic and modern ballet for 14 years. She has been a jazzercise instructor for over six years.

For information regarding class schedules, contact Studio Shoko at (914) 671-5813.

Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s International Realty welcomes Virginia Doetsch to Bronxville branch

Westchester County’s premier real estate fi rm, Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s International Realty recently announced that Virginia Doetsch has joined the fi rm as manager of the Bronxville Brokerage.

Prior to joining Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s International Realty, Doetsch was recog-nized as a top producer in her positions as as-sociate broker with both Houlihan Lawrence in Westchester County and Greenwich Fine Properties in Greenwich, Conn. From 2006 through 2009, she managed the highly suc-cessful Greenwich offi ce of Country Living Associates.

Before that, Doetsch worked with Holmes and Kennedy Real Estate for 10 years, and then was hand-selected to serve as manag-ing director of Antares Residential, a full service real estate fi rm and subsidiary of Antares Investment Partners in Greenwich. There, she was responsible for sales and management of a team of real estate agents representing the $500 million “Cider Mill”

project, an exclusive gated community in Armonk comprised of 27 luxury homes, part of the Antares portfolio.

As manager of the Bronxville Brokerage, Doetsch will head the offi ce’s team of real estate professionals serving the luxury home market in the towns of Bronxville, Eastchester, Tuckahoe, Yonkers and Mount Vernon, as well as other communities in Westchester County.

The Bronxville offi ce of Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s International Realty is located in the heart of the town’s English-style village, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s International Realty also has offi ces in Scarsdale, Rye and Larchmont. Virginia Doetsch can be reached in the Bronxville offi ce at (914) 620-8682.

Bill Rosenberg named executive chef of Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle

The renowned chef Bill Rosenberg has been named executive chef of the Radisson Hotel New Rochelle. In his new position, Rosenberg will lend his culinary talents to create cuisine for weddings, banquets and other catered events at the hotel, as well as for the new in-house restaurant currently under renovation, which will be re-branded and re-launched as NoMa Social in the spring. The new cuisine in the new restaurant will be Mediterranean style. Previously, Rosenberg served as ex-ecutive chef/owner for F.I.S.H. Restaurant in Port Chester where he earned extensive criti-cal praise, including from the New York Times food critic M.H. Reed, as well as earning a Zagat rating as one of the top seafood houses in American, among other accolades. He was also executive chef for other top restaurants, including Two Moons in Port Chester. A resi-dent of Port Chester, Rosenberg attended the Culinary Institute of America and received a degree in culinary arts.

Yankees strength and conditioning director establishes athletic center

ML Strength, a new state-of-the-art per-formance training center, is now open in the heart of White Plains on the fi rst fl oor of the Key Bank building at 188 E. Post Road. Founded by Dana Cavalea, director of

strength and conditioning for the New York Yankees, the ML Strength Performance Center is designed for high school, college and pro athletes, as well as recreational fi t-ness enthusiasts who want to take training to a higher level.

With its approach, “train like a pro,” ML Strength provides a professional sports en-vironment that is both fun and challenging. Unlike other gyms, there are no rows of bikes or mirrors. Instead, a turf fl oor and workout stations create an atmosphere similar to a pro team’s training facility. The center wel-comes school teams, corporate groups as well as individuals. Each class and training session incorporates team-based activities and a competitive challenge to push physical and mental limits to the next level.

Using the same techniques and protocols used by today’s top athletes, ML Strength has developed a methodology based on seven elements: evaluate, educate, prevent, train, compete, fuel and recover.

For more information, call (914) 437-8484, email [email protected] or visit mlstrength.com.

Drain Doctor unveils Nu Flow technology to lower Westchester

Drain Doctor Plumbing Specialists are pleased to announce an innovative solution to repair your old, damaged pipes. Imagine the dread of having a broken main, the dis-ruption of the problem magnifi ed by the dis-order of the repair: digging up your lawn, uprooting trees, closing roads.

Drain Doctor has a method to fi x the problem fast and effectively with the least disturbance possible. Don’t dig – reline your pipes.

The Drain Doctor is lower Westchester’s representative of Nu Flow, the manufacturer of green technology able to rehabilitate the inner infrastructure of deteriorated or fail-ing pipes using an epoxy pipe lining. Reline broken, root infested, cracked pipes as well as bad joints, pool pipes, storm water pipes, and more.

Visit Drain Doctor at draindoctorny.com for all your plumbing, heating and drain cleaning needs or call (914) 576-0123 for more information.

Larchmont resident Ralph Engel named ‘Best Lawyer’

For the sixth consecutive year, longtime Larchmont resident Ralph M. Engel, who heads the New York Trusts and Estates prac-tice at the international law fi rm of SNR Denton, has been listed in “The New York Area’s Best Lawyers” in the fi eld of trusts and estates. Each year since 2007, he has also been listed in New York Super Lawyers for the same legal specialty.

This year, Engel was also listed in “The New York Area’s Best Lawyers” in the fi eld of Trusts and Estates Litigation. In addition, the group that he heads in New York was listed in a newly-established listing by U.S. News & World Report as being in the top tier of law fi rms in New York for both trusts and estates and trusts and estates litigation. SNR Denton was listed as one of only 24 in the top tier nationally for trusts and estates litigation.

A longtime member (and former di-rector) of the Estate Planning Council of Westchester, and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel since 1983, Engel maintains offi ces in both Larchmont and Manhattan.

Jim Weichert named one of 2011’s most infl uential real estate leaders

Jim Weichert, founder and president of Weichert, Realtors, has been selected for the Inman News list of the “100 Most Infl uential Real Estate Leaders” for 2011. This is the fi fth consecutive year that Weichert has been honored with this celebrated distinction.

Weichert was recognized in the ‘Brokerages, Franchisors and Brokerage Organizations’ category for his more than 40 years of sales experience and the growth of Weichert, Realtors from a single offi ce in 1969 to one of the largest privately held real estate companies in the nation. Weichert and the other real estate professionals on the list were chosen for their ability to impact the business of buying and selling homes, and on the belief that their voices and actions can move the industry toward change.

Inman News is one of the nation’s leading independent real estate news services. The annual “100 Most Infl uential Real Estate Leaders” list recognizes those who embody leadership, ingenuity, strength, conviction, power, persistence, perseverance and prog-ress.

For more information about Weichert, Realtors or to fi nd your local offi ce, visit weichert.com.

Park 143 Bistro opens in Bronxville

Park 143 Bistro, which recently opened in Bronxville, combines small plates, hand-crafted cocktails, and a polished interior for their take on new American dining.

Wayne Chessler, who may be familiar to Westchester diners from previous roles as the general manager of Harry’s of Hartsdale and Underhills Crossing Restaurant, is the owner of this new restaurant on Parkway Road. Before assisting in the opening and running of those two establishments, respec-tively, he honed his industry skill as the gen-eral manager of a consortium of food service operations at Rockefeller Center, which in-cluded the landmark Assembly Steak House and multiple full-service restaurants.

Executive Chef Derek Townsend, who was most recently sous chef at Manhattan’s 10 Downing Street Food and Wine, leads culinary operations. An Arizona native, Townsend spent years in varied leadership and training roles at world-class resorts in Scottsdale, including, the AAA Five Diamond awarded Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North.

Park 143 Bistro is located at 143 Parkway Road in Bronxville. For more information, call (914) 337-5100 or visit park143.com.

Award-winning agent Ellen Schwartz joins Prudential Douglas Elliman

Following its recent expansion into Westchester County, Prudential Douglas


Elliman, the largest residential brokerage in New York and fourth largest in the United States, announces that licensed Associate Broker Ellen Schwartz has joined the ex-panding fi rm. Schwartz will be a lower Westchester specialist servicing Scarsdale, Rye, New Rochelle and other surrounding communities. She will be based out of the Chappaqua offi ce, one of the six newly ac-quired offi ces in Westchester.

Schwartz joins Prudential Douglas Elliman after nine years as an agent with Prudential Centennial Realty. Her dedication and hard work have made her a multiple recipient of Prudential’s prestigious Chairman’s Circle Gold Award (most recently in 2010), plac-ing her in the top 3 percent of all salespeople nationwide. Due to her tremendous sales volume as well as her extensive knowledge of the Westchester market, The Westchester County Board of Realtors has also hon-ored Schwartz with many gold and silver awards.

Prior to her work in real estate, Schwartz worked for 15 years in New York’s fashion industry, worked as an advertising executive and managed a mid-size home improvement company.

Sheila T. Cromwell among “Best of Best” at Barron’s summit

Sheila T. Cromwell, certifi ed fi nancial planner and senior vice president, in addi-tion to the award recipients, was one of ap-proximately 400 fi nancial advisors who were selected by their fi rms to attend the sixth an-nual Barron’s Winner’s Circle Top Women Advisors Summit, hosted by Barron’s mag-azine to promote best practices in the indus-try and the value of advice to the investing public. The invitation-only conference was held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla. from Nov. 30, 2011 – Dec. 2, 2011.

This exclusive conference is designed to promote best practices and generate new ideas across the industry. Participants attend-ed workshops led by the top 100 women fi -nancial advisors that explored current issues ranging from business development ideas, through managing high net worth accounts and families, to portfolio management and retirement planning.

Also in attendance were 86 of the top

100 women fi nancial advisors in the United States, as ranked and published in Barron’s June 6, 2011 issue. The top 100 women fi nancial advisors, comprising fi nancial ad-visors from major security fi rms and inde-pendent operations, are chosen based on the volume of assets overseen by the fi nancial advisors and their teams’ revenue generated for their fi rms and the quality of the fi nan-cial advisors’ practices. This annual ranking is the basis for the Top Women Advisors Summit.

For more information about Barron’s winner’s circle conferences, visit barrons.com/conferences.

Ridgewood Savings Bank president promoted to chairman, CEO

Ridgewood Savings Bank recently an-nounced that its Board of Trustees has ap-proved the promotion of Peter M. Boger to chairman and chief executive offi cer. Boger will continue to serve as the bank’s presi-dent.

Boger, who joined Ridgewood Savings Bank during March 1999, succeeds William C. McGarry as chairman and chief execu-tive offi cer. McGarry is retiring after hav-ing served as chairman and chief executive offi cer of Ridgewood Savings Bank since January 2004.

Ridgewood Savings Bank is the largest mutual savings bank in New York State with $4.8 billion in assets.

Boger serves as a trustee on the boards of St. Joseph’s College and Helen Keller Services for the Blind. He is also a board member of The Greater New York Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The Real Estate Institute at Stony Brook University. Most recently, Boger was elected vice chair-man of America’s Mutual Banks, a national association of mutual fi nancial institutions.

BusinessBRIEFS continued

Send us your Business News!The next Business Briefs section will run

on March 2. Please send any submission for our March issue to [email protected] by Friday, Feb. 24. Each submission can include one picture and must be between 175-225 words. If you have any ques-tions, email Asst. Editor Rachel McCain at [email protected].


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Hyde School to host open houseHyde School, a national leader

in character education and lead-ership development, will host a winter open house on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. on its Woodstock, Conn. campus. The event will offer a glimpse of a day in the life at Hyde School. Guests will be greeted by Hyde faculty, staff, students, and current Hyde parents, and have a chance to ask questions and learn more about Hyde’s programs. Campus tours begin promptly at 1 p.m. Visitors are asked to make a reservation prior to the event.

Hyde boarding schools offer stu-dents a character-based curriculum

of rigorous academics, competitive athletics, performing and visual arts, and many enrichment programs.

The Hyde approach to education has been developed since 1966 at the Hyde boarding campuses in Bath, Me., and Woodstock, Conn., and through public school initiatives in New Haven, Connecticut and Bronx and Brooklyn. Known for their suc-cess in developing leadership skills in teenagers, Hyde boarding schools offer students in grades 9-12 and post-graduate studies a strong aca-demic curriculum including many AP and Honors courses, a wide range of sports, a performing arts program, plus many enrichment programs,

including the Hyde Leadership Society. Students may also par-ticipate in mentoring programs in Hyde’s New York public schools, and internship and volunteer.

Ninety eight percent of Hyde School graduates are accepted to four-year colleges. To learn more about Hyde Schools, its summer leadership programs, and parent-ing and teen workshops, visit HYDE.edu.

For more information about Hyde School and the upcom-ing open house event, contact Kathy O’Dea in the admis-sion office at (860) 821-0160 or [email protected]. (Submitted)

Georgia-based payphone company, which – at the time of his arrival – had been going through bankruptcy after its former leadership had perpetrated a Ponzi scheme.

Locally, Longobardo served as Bronxville’s deputy village counsel from 1991 to 1996 and has served on other committees in town. He has also been active in the Bronxville School District as co-chair of its athletic coun-cil and has held leadership positions with the Bronxville Field Club.

Longobardo said a desire to give back is “in my DNA,” given the com-munity involvement of his father, Dr. Guy S. Longobardo, and mother, Anna Longobardo, who serves on the village’s Planning Board.

Both of the candidates hold law degrees.

Longobardo will run for the seat currently held by Trustee William Barton (R), who plans to step down from the board this spring. According to Atayan, Barton, who was not pres-ent at the caucus, decided not to run again for his seat because he and his wife are considering a possible move

out of the village and he did not want to commence a new term he might be unable to complete.

Atayan said that Barton’s financial background had been helpful during his time as a trustee and particularly lauded his work as the board’s liaison to the Department of Public Works.

Atayan said that Longobardo would be a good fit for the responsi-bilities of the trustee position. “He is very well-equipped in terms of skill set, he is enthusiastic about serving the village, and he fully understands the time commitment required,” she said. “If you can hit those three points, that’s kind of a hat trick in my book.”

Atayan also spoke highly of Mayer, the party’s choice to continue representing Bronxville as a judge. “He has considerable experience on both the prosecutorial and defense side and is personally a vigorous supporter of Bronxville, volunteer-ing and organizing a multitude of activities for its residents.”

Just before the Republican cau-cus began last week in Village Hall, Bronxville Democratic Committee Chair Betsy Harding and five other party members convened their

own caucus across the street at the Bronxville Library.

Harding told the group that she had reached out to a few individu-als about a possible run, and all had declined. “In high school, everybody wants to run for student council,” she said, “but once you get past the student council level, nobody wants to run.”

Bronxville’s Democrats have his-torically struggled to attract candi-dates for village elections. The party has not fielded a trustee candidate since 2006.

Poorman said that the lack of a contested race will allow her to devote more time to her current governmental role. “I respect the role campaigning plays in our open democratic process, but it can be a time drain from the work that needs to be done,” she said.

As he seeks office for the first time, Longobardo said that getting to know the residents will be an important process even without a challenger. “I think we’re here to hear what the vil-lagers have to say,” he said. “Whether I was opposed or unopposed, that’s the key to my campaign.”

SLATE, continued from page 1


Latimer robocall backfi resTo the Editor,

After receiving an anonymous, pre-recorded phone call attacking our Assemblyman George Latimer, I wondered what he could have done to deserve this. George has always been accessible and intelligent in every interaction that I have ever had with him and I fi nd it hard to believe that he would do anything that would not be benefi cial to the people he represents. I know that I am not the only one who believes this.

If George’s consideration of running for the state Senate is what he did to “deserve” the cowardly attack on his record, then I believe he should run. Clearly, his potential opponents for a Senate race are frightened of George’s ability to relate to real people, fi ght for what they need, regardless of what party they’re in and do it in a way that doesn’t make ordinary voters like me disgusted with politics.

The anonymous phone call ended by asking, “And now George Latimer is thinking about running for the Senate?” As someone not tremendously engaged in the political process, I wasn’t aware that George was interested in running for the Senate. But now after being told by this recorded message that he is, I think that George should run and he should win. If he does, he has my vote no matter who runs against him.

Samuel Borrero,Larchmont

Who wants to be ripped off?Even when times are good, no one likes

paying more than they have to, but during a recession, when our limited means are being stretched to the limit, no one really likes to be taken advantage of. At least if “the powers that be” admitted we were in a depression, we

could be depressed, but no, we’re only in a recession, so we can only be recessed.1 It makes it sound like you’re going out to the school yard to play instead of strug-gling to fi nd the funds to fi x up your home. Even that’s a rip-off!

So, how do you avoid being taken advantage of when remodeling your home? Is it really necessary for you to become an expert in every facet of the project you’re undertaking? Who has time for that? What you really need to do is fi nd someone that you can trust to handle your project, and the best way to do that is to use a little common sense.

Prior to calling prospective contractors, ask friends who have done similar work for referrals. If they have had a good experience, chances are you will as well. But if they have had problems with their contractor, like hidden fees and missed deadlines, keep looking. Check with professional organizations (like the National Kitchen & Bath Association) for members in your area. Call the local department of consumer affairs to fi nd out what type of licenses are required for the work that you’re considering, and make sure that the company you hire is properly licensed. Also, check to see that they have liability insurance and that their workers are covered by Worker’s Compensation and disability insurance.

When you have compiled a “short-list” of contractors to call, leave yourself enough time so that you don’t have to rush into a decision. Set up a meeting with the contractors to get estimates and, more importantly, see if you feel comfortable with them. The relationship between you and your contractor is the key to a suc-cessful job. If you start with someone who doesn’t return calls, shows up late, and has no patience for your questions before you hire them, don’t expect much more after you’ve given them a check.

When you’ve narrowed it down to a couple of choices, it’s time to check refer-ences. Ask the contractor to supply you with the names of people that they have worked for. Of course, just getting the names won’t help you much if you don’t call them. And, since you’re on the phone anyway, call the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any legitimate complaints lodged against the contrac-tors.

Once you have selected a fi rm, insist on a written contract that specifi es exactly what’s going to be done at your home. If you have any doubts…put it in writing. The more explicit the contract and work orders are, the less chance of misunder-standings after the work commences. Reputable fi rms also use “change orders” for any deviations to the original contract, which require both you and the contractor to sign. Don’t be afraid of the paperwork; its purpose is to protect both you and the legitimate contractor.

If you do your homework, and select a reputable contractor, your project will be a successful one, and chances are you won’t be ripped off. However, even with a great contractor, don’t expect that any job will go without some glitches. Anyone who promises a major renovation with no problems at all is not being entirely hon-est; there are just too many variables. But, when you’re dealing with a legitimate contractor any problems that do arise will be dealt with quickly and effi ciently, and in the end you will be thankful that you put a little extra effort in selecting them.

1 In researching the material for this month’s column I discussed the current economic conditions with my mom, who will be 98 in June. She commented, “you have no right to complain, I lived through the real depression, and yes, it was pretty depressing.”

Paul Bookbinder, M.I.D., C.R., is president of DreamWork Kitchens, Inc. lo-cated in Mamaroneck. A master of design (Pratt Institute), and E.P.A. certi-fi ed remodeler, he serves on the Advisory Panel of Remodeling Magazine. A member of the National Kitchen & Bath Assoc., he is also a contributor to Do It Yourself Magazine. He can be reached for questions at (914) 777-0437 or www.dreamworkkitchens.com.

Town is again a political footballTo the Editor,

The New York State Senate Republicans who have been in charge of redistricting as far back as I can remember have always used Eastchester as a political football. Back in 1992, Eastchester was in then Republican Sen. Nick Spano’s district.

Then in 2002, it was moved to Republican Sen. Guy Velella’s district. Much to the cha-grin of the State Republican Party, Mr. Velella resigned and the seat was taken over by a Democrat – Jeff Klein, who has served as Eastchester’s state senator since 2004.

Now, in a very blatant attempt to create a Republican state Senate district, Eastchester is being placed in the district of retiring Democratic state Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer – the 37th District. Also, to showcase their abilities at gerrymandering, the Republican controlled state Senate redistricting committee has the gall to split this new district in half by carving out a large portion of New Rochelle and placing it in a district predominantly in Yonkers and Greenburgh.

To paraphrase that great fi lm, “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” and offering my apolo-gies to it in advance, I can just picture some cigar-chomping Republican state senator say-ing, “Democrats! We don’t need no stinkin’ Democrats!” Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already stated that he will veto the redistricting plan submitted by the Republicans. Let’s hope the courts see this proposal for what it is worth and redo it. The people of Eastchester, Tuckahoe, Bronxville, and New Rochelle deserve better, and should not be used as a block of Republican votes to solve whatever political problems the state GOP may have.

John Filiberti,Chair, Eastchester Democratic Committee

Paul Bookbinder, M.I.D.©

THE KITCHEN ANDBATH INSIDER

therefore been withdrawn by her attorney. Her resignation announcement came a day before the village’s formal response on the suit had been due.

In an interview this week, Marvin said that the claims made in the lawsuit that she had called a meeting with the library trust-ees were false. The trustees, she said, held a meeting with Village Administrator Harold Porr and Treasurer Robert Fels because they wanted to better “understand the ramifi ca-tions” of the salary and benefi ts package. “I never called those people,” said the mayor. “They initiated the meeting on their own.”

Marvin said that she was walking by and stepped into the meeting as it was in progress but that she never urged the library trustees to rescind Eckley’s raise.

Eckley, who has worked for the Bronxville Library since January 2003, was named the library’s provisional director in March 2009 and its permanent director a year later. She said that the confl ict over the raise had been the only signifi cant tension in an otherwise collegial relationship with the trustees of the library and the village.

“I had an excellent relationship with both the Library Board and the Village Board, and, frankly, other than this incident, I still do,” she said last week. “I continue to have open communication with them and work well with them, and I’ll continue to do that until it’s my last day.”

Eckley said she was looking forward to starting her new position in Larchmont. “I’m

excited to have a new opportunity in another one of Westchester’s excellent communities,” she said.

Eckley noted that Larchmont has one of the county’s larger libraries and that its residents see their library as an important asset. “That was really clear in the interview process that this is a community that really values their li-brary and is moving their library into the 21st century.”

Eckley will earn a base salary of $95,000 at her new job.

Eckley, 43, has lived in Bronxville since 1982 and graduated from Bronxville High School. Despite her recent litigation with the village, she said that she continues to feel at home in Bronxville, where she will continue to reside. “I’ve received nothing but support on this issue from my community,” she said. “It’s a wonderful village, and I’m proud to be a resident.”

In a release, the Larchmont Public Library indicated that Eckley’s performance at the Bronxville Library had been key to her selec-tion for the new directorship and noted that Bronxville was highly regarded for its pro-gramming for all ages. The library recently was listed among the Library Journal’s “Star Libraries” for the fourth year in a row.

“We are very excited about the selection of Laura Eckley as our new director,” said Pamela Dubitsky, chair of the Larchmont Public Library Board of Trustees. “We believe she will be a great fi t here in the Larchmont-Mamaroneck community, and that her experience and energy will benefi t our library tremendously.”

LIBRARY, continued from page 1

SPORTS14 • THE TOWN REPORT • February 3, 2012

Mike Smith’s Hometown Sports ThrowdownA GIANTS FAN’S SUPER BOWL PROMISE

I keep telling myself I’m not going to be loud. I’m not going to whoop it up and do a sack dance through my apartment when Jason Pierre-Paul drives Tom Brady into the Indianapolis turf. I’m not going to bellow ‘Cruuuuuuuuuuuz!’ when Big Blue’s breakout

star somehow turns a 10-yard out into a 60-yard gain. I’m not going to curse at the zebras when a dubious penalty on third-down prolongs a Patriots’ drive. I’m not going to go nuts. Why would I? I’ve been here before.

I may have been alive in 1987 and 1991, but my fandom was still in its nascent stages. 2001? Did they even play a Super Bowl that year? If they did, I certainly didn’t have much to get excited about. Super Bowl XLVI on the other hand: I had a right to get a little rowdy. The stage was set beautifully. A scrappy underdog team who most had written off as also-rans, taking the fi ght to a big, undefeated bully that had been the class of the league for years, on sports’ biggest stage.

There were defensive fi reworks and a magical, miraculous play that gave all Giants fans a reason to believe larger forces were at work. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the end any better – Eli Manning keeps the play alive, heaves a bomb, and connects with a journeyman wide-out who would never catch another ball in the NFL. Four plays later, the Giants go up for good. Pandemonium ensues.

For a Giants fan too young to have seen the ‘Miracle on Ice,’ this was sports nirvana. We jumped and screamed in delight, knowing in our hearts that this would be the one we told

a magical, miraculous play that gave all Giants fans a reason to believe larger forces were

our kids and grandkids about. It would simply never get better.This year, it’s all different.We don’t have anyone writing us off before the opening kick-off. Heck, most media-

types seem to have the Giants as favorites. And why not? Sure, the team struggled a bit at times. So we weren’t supposed to make the play-offs. And yes, Tom Coughlin’s job may have been on the line, but that’s ancient history. That was almost two months ago!

The Giants are no longer the little engine that could. They’re the wreck-ing crew. After all, they’ve got a su-perb pass rush, a revamped running game and an elite quarterback running the offense. The Patriots? They have an Ugg-wearing pretty boy under cen-ter and a defensive secondary fi lled with kick-returners and wide receiv-ers. Where’s the drama? Where’s the challenge?

Call me crazy, but it just won’t be the same as 2008. It couldn’t possibly live up to it. So I’m not going to cheer, I’m not going to be nervous, I’m certainly not going to wear the Justin Tuck jersey I’ve worn for every single game the past three seasons. I’m going to sit back, take in the game like a calm, col-lected fan, knowing full well that the Giants will handle whatever New England throws at them.

And then the game will start. And I’ll forget everything I just said.

King of the hillNew Ro’s sole ski whiz carving up the mountain

By MIKE SMITHASSOCIATE SPORTS [email protected]

It’s safe to say that there is not another ath-lete on the New Rochelle ski team that’s had the type of success this year that Jonathan Yudell has had. The Huguenot freshman has burst onto the Section I scene this year, es-tablishing himself as one of the area’s top racers with big wins over highly-touted up-per classmen. But there’s another reason that Yudell stands alone on this New Rochelle team: he’s the only one on it.

Although New Rochelle has historically offered a skiing club, they do not fi eld a team to compete against other varsity pro-grams – at least not until Yudell and his family started asking questions during the fall. A skier since the age of fi ve, Yudell had friends from other schools who competed as high school skiers and was intrigued by the possibility.

“My parents and I tried to fi nd out if there was a ski team at New Rochelle,” he said. “We spoke with [athletic director] Dr. John Magnotta about it, and that’s what got every-thing started.”

Despite New Rochelle’s lack of accom-modations, Magnotta enlisted the help of Bronxville High School to fi nd Yudell a home, a practice not uncommon in some athletic endeavors.

“It’s something you’ll see a lot in more in-dividual sports,” said Magnotta. “If a school doesn’t offer something, like swimming or wrestling you can fi nd a school that does. Bronxville was kind enough to take him in, and it’s something you see, where, as long as an athlete clears medically, you can reach an agreement between the two schools.”

“Jonathan can’t score for us,” said

Bronxville ski coach Jim Agnello. “So he’s never going head-to-head with us in terms of team scoring. He’s become such a part of the team with practices and team dinners, there’s never any ill-will or anything when he races.”

Agnello did admit, however, that one thought does cross his mind when Yudell

heads down the slopes.“I wish he and his family would move to

Bronxvillle,” he laughed.Despite being one of the younger compet-

itors on the mountain, Yudell has acquitted himself well, fi nishing third in his fi rst race and earning a fi rst-place fi nish on Jan. 18 – on a day that saw him post the two fastest

times on the mountain.“I’m really happy

with the way I’ve been skiing so far,” said Yudell. “I know that I’m going against re-ally good skiers and to be able to compete with them, a lot of seniors, as a freshman, that’s not easy.”

As for the experience of varsity competition, Yudell – who also races for Hunter Mountain’s ski team – said it has been helpful in terms of developing his skills

“It’s pretty cool to meet new kids and com-pete against them,” he said. “I know a lot of them are good skiers and that helps me get into the right mindset before a race.

“You need to be very focused,” he added. You’re going top speed down a course, if your technique isn’t right, you’re going to mess up.”

Yudell is hoping that his success this year might perhaps open the door for other New Rochelleans who hope to hit the slopes for the Huguenots.

“I know I have a few friends who ski, and I think there was someone else who was interested but I don’t know what hap-pened,” he said. “But I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Jonathan Yudell, seen here racing for the Hunter Mountain team, is the lone member of the New Rochelle ski team but is in many ways part of Bronxville’s squad. Contributed photo

SPORTSFebruary 3, 2012 • THE TOWN REPORT • 15

Tough start for Main Street in early goings of Golden Gloves

By MIKE SMITHASSOCIATE SPORTS [email protected]

The start of the Golden Gloves tourna-ment has not been kind to the pugilists from the Main Street Boxing Club. Just two weeks into the scheduled bouts, just under a half of the New Rochelle gym’s fighters – each one to step in to the ring – in fact, have tasted de-feat. But with some of his brightest stars still yet to take centerstage, Main Street coach Ryan O’Leary still feels that glory is within his charges’ grasp.

The tournament’s opening night on Jan. 19 was an especially cruel one for the club, as they lost three fighters in opening round bouts, including one boxer whom O’Leary had high hopes for coming into the new year. Fighting in the super heavyweight open division for the first time, however, Bronx native Dwayne July was stopped in the second round by a larger, stronger, and more experienced opponent in Kingsway Boxing’s Eugene Russell.

July, who won the Metro tournament in the Novice Division in 2011, was matched up in the first round against Russell, the winner of the tournament’s Open Division. Russell was able to outbox July, working over his body to wear down his opponent.

“I thought Dwayne went out there and fought admirably in the first round, but the other kid just had more experience and was able to weather the storm,” said O’Leary. “[Russell] is a fantastic boxer and has been in their longer and I think that was the dif-ference.”

Michelle Herzl, fighting in the women’s 141 lb. novice bracket was also hurt by the luck of the draw, as her first round opponent was a highly experienced Tiffany Chen. Chen landed at will in the first round while

Herzl looked tentative. In the second round, however, Herzl took control of the fight, beating Chen to the punch. Until the final bell rang, the slugfest emerged as the best fight of the night. Unfortunately for Herzl however, it was Chen who got the nod in a close decision.

“I rarely get upset in the corner, but I knew she could beat that girl,” O’Leary said. “So after the first round, I said ‘don’t do this for yourself, do it for me,’ which I’ve never said to a fighter in my life. But I’m so proud of the way she went out there. She really turned it around.”

Main Street’s third fighter Malla Fautin also lost a decision, making the club 0-3 on the night. Since then, two more of the team’s novice fighters have also been defeated.

“It’s a devastating start,” the trainer said. “Whenever you have kids go up a level to the Open Division, or have them fight that first time, you run the risk of that happening. But we’ve got some of our stronger boxers left to go, so I think we can turn it around.”

Chief among the fighters still around are New Rochelle’s Anthony Pegues – last year’s Novice champion at 178 lbs., and Port Chester’s Bryant Cruz, who fights at 132. Both Cruz and Pegues were recently tabbed to represent lower New York at nationals in Colorado, and will temporarily suspend their Golden Gloves bids when they travel out west for a week start-ing March 4. According to O’Leary – who will be taking the trip to Colorado – regardless of how the trip turns out, it should serve to supply the duo with some much-needed experience as the push forward through the ranks of the tournament.

“Win, lose or draw, these guys are going to be there, training with guys who will be on the Olympic team,” said O’Leary. “A guy like Anthony, who has 19 fights, can face a

Malla Fautin (in yellow) was one of three Main Street fighters to be eliminated from Golden Gloves competition on opening night.

guy that has 200-300 fights, so he’s got to be prepared for that.

“It’s going to be a great learning experi-ence for those guys,” he added. “I think

it’s going to make a real mark on them, and I think they’re going to cause a lot of problems for whoever is facing them in the Golden Gloves when they get back.”

Anthony Pegues (pictured) and Bryant Cruz will represent lower New York at nationals. Photos/Mike Smith

the town report, 2-3-2012

Documents

assembly district

oppenheimers district

reformatted district

reenvisioned district

jeff klein d

new plan

possible run

new legislative maps