The skies over New Rochelle will be a little bit brighter (by about16%) tonight as the moon will be at perigee when the moon's elliptical orbit brings it closest to earth. (Some of you may remember last years Super-Moon)

Time for the full moon phase is at 11:35 eastern time, however watching the moon rise just after the sun has set will be sure to offer some majestic views and vistas. So, enjoy your Cinco de Mayo, cheer on the Kentucky Derby, then go out and enjoy nature's display.

The moon will rise in the east and if you're lucky enough to get a picture of it, send it along to Talk of the Sound - official sponsor of nature!

Apparently the citizens aren't the only ones noticing the uptick in crime in the city. Westchester Magazine has posted it's Winners and Losers: May 2012 and, unfortunately, New Rochelle didn't make the winner slot this month. According to the County-focused magazine, serious crimes in 2011 have risen by 21% over the previous year. This is something that many residents could have told you. One doesn't need to venture very far to hear about the latest crime du jour. (You can view local crime reports on this site by clicking the local crime map in the right side column of this page). Perhaps with other organizations reporting the reality "In the City", the mayor can change his "perception" of the conditions around us.

The article goes on to report the Police Commissioner as suggesting that part of the spike could be "attributed to a change in accounting methods".
I'm sure this is of great consolation to the victims.

Listening to the new Councilwoman of New Rochelle speak about the city's DPW yard has shed some light on the urgency (can we use the word "perception" here) to move the city yard. It was a brief interview with Bob Marrone on WVOX where Ms Rackman cordially spoke of things in her district and offered her thoughts on the decision that would saddle the city with millions of dollars of debt at a time when we can hardly afford it. Not that we can't afford it this year alone, we won't be able to afford it for many years to come.

As the nation-wide pushback against the often cloaked Agenda 21 Policies mount, could Mayor Bramson's pet project be derailed as the truth behind the curtain becomes revealed? You've read the stories on this site about the manipulation and co-opting to lead people to believe they've invented the green movement. The insertion of outside forces to determine what's best for New Rochelle rather than planning from within. The mayor making assertions that anyone that doesn't go along with "his" idea" is of the conspiracy theory, black helicopter crowd. Well, it must be something in the water. We've shown how other communities, after seeing the light, have decided to cut ties with Agenda 21 manipulations after the true costs have come to light. If you were lucky enough to see the New Rochelle process in action, then perhaps this sounds familiar

Tuesday's City Council meeting was the stage as Forest City performed act three of its production of "The Echo Bay Chronicles". The unveiling of the most recent iteration of the once grand development project appeared to produce more questions rather than answers. In and of itself, this assembly of housing (250 -300 one bedroom mixed with 2 bedroom and studio apartments) along with 25,000 square feet of retail would fit nicely in many places.

In the photo above you can see the remnants of a former temporary roof repair. At one point, someone in the city cared enough to secure a blue tarp to protect the roof. It worked, for a while. Now, all we can do is stand by and watch the condition worsen as we drive by. A Main Street display for all to see. A microcosm of what's happening downtown.What happened to the resolve that led to the original temporary repair? As the building awaits its fate, what can be done to halt the continued damage? How can we help?

Meanwhile, the leaks continue.

Taking a look through the archives of the New Rochelle Armory website, two stories caught my attention. The first was an editorial wherein former city manager Peter Korn attempts to set the record straight about the deed transfer from the State to the City. Mr Korn asserts the deal was made, in part, for the purpose of "preventing its sale to a private party" (as in Forest City?).

Questions about the relationship between New Rochelle's administration and Echo Bay developer, Forest City Ratner, are nothing new to the readers of this site. The dichotomy of having one agenda for the public to witness and another "behind closed doors" agenda for the purpose of bypassing public witness of the procedure can only be characterized as self serving. Self serving for the developer, that is, and not, necessarily, for New Rochelle. On one hand, the public is asked to meet and voice concerns and/or support (as required by law mind you) and then the developer disappears behind closed doors to meet with council members, two at a time, thus avoiding open meeting laws. They did this when they were looking to get their first extension and, quite frankly, it was illegal. Will they do it again? Who knows, but it fits their pattern. Couple that with the campaign money to the mayor and the pattern repeats just as it has in Brooklyn, Yonkers and who knows where else.

For the second time in as many years, representatives of Veteran's groups, Save Our Armory Committee, and concerned citizens are formally requesting to meet with the City Council and the Mayor. A new vision for the Echo Bay area that includes taking advantage of an adaptive re-use of the historical structure will be presented for consideration. With time running out on the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) handed to Forest City/Ratner Developers, proponents of Armory re-use contend that now is the time to rethink the possibilities. At the heart of the new vision is the expectation to return the Armory to its original purpose of serving the public good. To that end, the Armory supporters will be requesting a one year MOU with New Rochelle for the purpose of establishing financing and development services.