What began as a way for teachers to apprise students of what supplies they would need for the upcoming school year has morphed into what amounts to a hidden, regressive "user tax" presented under the guise of "community supplies". Gone are the days when parents bought notebooks and pencils for their child along with new shoes and a lunch box. Parents are now expected to collectively pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to provide supplies such as cleaning fluid, paper towels, pencils and paper and the deliver them, no questions asked, to schools with no system in place to track inventory or prevent theft.

The owner of the Wykagyl Shopping Center has applied to the Planning Board for approval of an addition to the Center. The proposal would expand the building behind the Houlihan Lawrence office and Big Top and add a second story in that area. The Zoning Code permits an expansion to the size and height of the building, provided the property owner satisfies numerous requirements, including adequate parking, prescribed setbacks from adjacent properties and roads, emergency access, loading docks, mitigation for adverse traffic impacts, and architectural compatibility (based upon the analysis of the Professional Architectural Review Committee). The Planning Board has jurisdiction over the application to require modification to comply with requirements and/or approve subject to conditions necessary to reduce impacts, or reject the plan. While as a Council Member I have no role in the Planning Board’s determination, I am concerned about the impacts of the proposal.

En Marzo 15 del 2007, se abren las puertas por tercer año a los Jornaleros, Gracias al Adult Learning Center, Hispanic Women Leaders of Westchester, Bellas Artes Business Council de New Rochelle, y un sin numero de voluntarios.

Este citio se ha hecho muy popular y es un modelo en el Condado de Westchester County. Especialmente nos centimos afortunados de tener el apoyo incodicional de la Iglesia de San Gabriel.

In the past members of City Council and I have advocated for improved methods and procedures to better manage illegal housing, code violations and other housing issues. One major step taken recently by the City Council was the establishment of a City Housing Unit to begin to effectively target the many housing issues that plague so many areas of the city. After its initiation, I will propose increasing fines for unscrupulous property owners who consider the current fines “the cost of doing business.” This proactive approach will increase public safety and reduce the financial burden on City residents.