Mayor Bramson, speaking today on his WVOX radio show, disclosed he would not ask the City Council to consider an interim appointment to the District 3 seat vacated after the unexpected death of James Stowe. On WVOX last week, City Manager Chuck Strome announced their would be a Special Election in District 3 to serve out the remainder of Stowe's unexpired term. By State law, the winner of the special election would not be seated until January. As a result, District 3 will be without representation for 5 months.

Under the City Charter, the City Council has the authority to appoint an interim member of the City Council until January.

With Stowe, the Democrats controlled the City Council 4-3. With Stowe's passing, the Council is now deadlocked 3-3.

On his radio show today on WVOX, Mayor Noam Bramson confirmed that the City of New Rochelle has given Cappelli Enterprises a new deadline of August 20, 2010 to come into compliance with the MOU Extension approved by the New Rochelle City Council in June, 2010. The actual deadline was July 31, 2010.

SCAN OF LECOUNT SQUARE MOU June 15, 2010

At the time the resolution was passed in June, the Mayor, along with Council Members Barry Fertel and Marianne Sussman, repeatedly stressed (see video below) that a major reason for their supporting an extension of the MOU was the protections afforded the City under a "hold harmless" provision under which Cappelli agreed not to sue the City for anything that happened before the MOU was approved on June 15th. That key provision has now been invalidated and the door is once again open for more threats of litigation by the trigger-happy Cappelli.

The United States Post Office has confirmed to Talk of the Sound that there are no current discussions with Capelli Enterprises related to the sale of the downtown New Rochelle facility to Cappelli, a cornerstone of Cappelli's LeCount Square Project.

"The facility services people have not heard from Capelli in some time," said Postal Service spokesman Tom Gaynor. "They are waiting to hear back...it has been months since they last heard from Cappelli."

Talk of the Sound inquired after reports that U.S. Postal Service Westchester District Manager Joseph Lubrano had commented the matter at a recent employee event at the U.S. Post Office in downtown New Rochelle. Employees have been concerned they will be relocated if a deal comes to pass and had asked about plans by Capelli Enterprises to develop on the site of the New Rochelle post office

In response to questions, Lubrano reassured employees, telling them there were no current plans to move them.

For the 2009-10 school year, the New Rochelle Board of Education stated that the average per-pupil cost in New Rochelle was $20,923. Is that really true? Doubtful.

Here is a link to the City School District of NeW Rochelle 2010-11 Preliminary Budget

Here is a video explaining the types of items schools districts hide.

Any bean-counters out there who would like to calculate the ACTUAL per-pupil cost for New Rochelle using the tips provided in the above video?

Show your work!

When Talk of the Sound reported on Thursday that John Caldararo was arrested with a blood alcohol level of 0.4 of 1%, we only knew from the City web site that Caldararo was a Senior Building Inspector.

Thanks to a reader's comment, we now know that John Caldararo is not just a buildings inspector but the President of the New Rochelle City Civil Service Employees Association or CSEA. Had we known, we would have certainly led with that information as the CSEA, a unit of AFSCME, represents a very large number of New Rochelle's municipal employees.

This might explain a series of comments posted to the original story defending Caldararo or seeking to minimize the issue. These supporters are insisting that a DWI Arrest is a private matter (it isn't), calling him an "asset to our city" (he isn't) and minimizing the seriousness of the case (comparing a BAC of 0.4 of 1% to having a glass or two of wine).

That last one got us thinking. In New York State, like many states, a BAC of .08% of 1 is considered intoxicated. So, just how drunk was John Caldararo that he blew a ".4"?