running

Records Broken for Trio of Events at Chamber’s 2017 Cider and Donut Festival

October 22, 2017 by The Inside Press

‘Twas a fun and mega successful day at Wampus Brook Park bringing together 350 walkers/runners for Jamie’s 5K Run and a record-breaking crowd on September 17, according to Stacy Wilder of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. Some 1600 donuts were sold “with plenty of apple cider to wash them down with,” she added as families turned up with good cheer to enjoy old fashioned fun at the Chamber-spon-sored Cider and Donut Festival which included the Jamie’s 5K Run for Love, and the Byram Hills Preschool Association’s carnival rides and activities too. All the activities took place at beautiful Wam-pus Brook Park. An array of merchant sponsors made the day possible. Visit armonkchamberofcommerce.com for more info.

From the start of the races ‘till the very last one, supportive cheers and waving banners encouraged the runners braving warm, humid temps. At the race, the male winner was: Kevin Harvey from Fairfield, CT, with a time of 16 minutes. The women’s overall winner was Sydney Durand from Brighton, Massachusetts, with a time of 19 minutes and 26 seconds. – Grace

PHOTOS BY GRACE BENNETT

Up Close & Personal with Democratic Nominee for County Executive George Latimer

October 21, 2017 by Andrew Vitelli

It has been 13 years since State Senator George Latimer left county government to serve in Albany. Latimer spent 13 years on the county’s Board of Legislators before his 2004 election to the New York State Assembly, including two terms as board chairman. Now the Democratic nominee for Westchester county executive, Latimer calls a return to White Plains, and to a leadership position, a “natural fit.”

“It is the opportunity of an executive job not just to, as legislators do, advocate for ideas and sponsor ideas,” Latimer tells the Inside Press. “But to actually administer a government and to try to shape it in a direction that you think is positive.”

Latimer, a Mount Vernon native who has lived in Rye for 30 years, worked as a marketing executive for companies including subsidiaries of Nestle and ITT before entering politics. He was elected to the Rye City Council in 1987, then to the Board of Legislators in 1991. After four terms in the Assembly, he was elected to the Senate in 2012.

Latimer announced his candidacy for county executive in April, winning the backing of the Democratic committee and in September, defeating county legislator Ken Jenkins in the party’s primary. Now, he looks to unseat County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican who has convincingly won two elections in a Democrat-heavy county. While Astorino has highlighted his administration’s record of keeping the tax rate down, Latimer believes the incumbent’s overall fiscal record is flawed.

“What I am going to promise to do is to get an honest set of eyes to look at our fiscal situation,” Latimer says. He plans to ask the state comptroller to do a full audit of the county, he elaborates, and will then create a blue-ribbon commission comprising members of the business community, academia and others to chart a responsible path forward.

“If you think that we can run the county forever and never raise a tax because politically people don’t like taxes,” Latimer says, “then you are going to have to make some decisions about cutting everything and having no services.”

While the tax levy has held steady–even dropping slightly during Astorino’s term–Latimer claims the headline numbers do not paint a full picture. For example, the county has been too reliant on borrowing for recurring expenses, Latimer says, and may now be overestimating projected sales tax revenue in order to avoid a budget gap. Naturally, Astorino disagrees. “I think George has been in Albany so long he now has Albany math,” Astorino quips. (For a deeper look at Astorino’s policies and platforms, see the accompanying article about Astorino: https://www.theinsidepress.com/spotlight-on-republican-incumbent-rob-astorinos-final-bid-for-county-executive/)

Favors Consolidating Services

Latimer says he will look to generate alternative revenue sources or to save money by consolidating services before raising property taxes.

He does not promise to keep taxes flat, saying that he will need to see the 2018 budget and get a deeper look into the county’s finances, but notes that he has no intention of breaking the tax cap. “If we can deliver another 0 [percent increase] that would be good, but I don’t marry myself to any commitment until I know the specifics,” he says.

Similarly, Latimer acknowledges that bringing back every position cut by Astorino is unrealistic.

“On merit, you probably need to restore a ton of it. But the money isn’t going to be there,” he says. His priorities, he adds, are to strengthen the Department of Public Works, police services and the planning department. “Some of the downsizing that [Astorino] has done is probably sensible,” Latimer admits. “The question when you [make cuts] across the board is, are you throwing out the bathwater and the baby?”

In November 2016, Astorino announced plans to enter into a public-private partnership for Westchester Airport. The deal would have seen Oaktree Capital Management pay the county $130 million upfront for a 40-year revenue-sharing lease. Though that plan was stopped by the legislature, the county is now considering several competing plans to privatize the airport, which is located partially in North Castle.

Latimer sees privatization of the airport as more or less a nonstarter. Giving up control of the airport not only cedes a source of revenue, Latimer explains, but gives the county less control over decisions with environmental and quality of life implications.

“I don’t want those decisions on that asset being made by a private sector entity unless there is a reason for it,” Latimer says. “And there is no reason for it except that [Astorino] wants to fill a budget gap.”

Optimism in the Last Stretch

This race, Astorino tells Inside Press, will be his last run for the office he has held since shocking Andrew Spano in 2009. This means, in all likelihood, it will be the party’s last chance to knock off the incumbent, perhaps before he takes another shot at the governor’s mansion.

Democrats were optimistic four years ago when Astorino saw a challenge from New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson. Obama won the county by 25 points the previous year, and Bramson looked to keep Democratic voters engaged with a focus on national issues such as guns and abortion. Astorino, focusing on taxes, won with 56 percent of the vote.

Latimer points to a handful of differences between his race and Bramson’s. Bramson, as the mayor of a city, was less well-known than Latimer, who represents a third of the county in Albany. And he notes, around 45 minutes into an hour-long interview, that so far in the conversation he’s spoken only about local issues. But, he continues, “there is the Donald Trump factor.”

Trump received just 31 percent of the vote, five points worse than Mitt Romney’s 2012 showing, in the county. Latimer has looked to tie Astorino to the president–a picture of the two Republicans together features on at least one of Latimer’s campaign mailers, while Astorino’s veto of a bill limiting the county’s cooperation with immigration enforcement was dubbed “Trump-like.”

“Donald Trump, as every day passes by, is giving more people doubt into what it is that he is all about,” Latimer continues. “I don’t know about Wisconsin, but he is definitely less popular in Westchester than he was a year ago, and I don’t see Rob distancing himself at all from Trump.”

Latimer does not seem to be going all-in on the Trump card. His campaign has centered on challenging the incumbent’s fiscal record. But he also does not hesitate to oppose, for example, the county executive’s decision to bring gun shows back to the Westchester County Center.

Latimer recognizes the challenge in taking on Astorino, whom he calls “a very sharp guy” and “a great communicator.” He points out, though, that he has been in tough races before. His 2012 election over Bob Cohen for the Senate seat vacated by Suzi Oppenheimer came two years after Cohen nearly knocked off Oppenheimer, a 14-term incumbent.

His contest in November will be his toughest yet.

Spotlight on Republican Incumbent Rob Astorino’s Final Bid for County Executive

October 21, 2017 by Jordan Stutts

In his third and final campaign for Westchester County Executive, Rob Astorino sat down with the Inside Press to explain how his administration has held firm on the conservative fiscal policies he brought to office eight years ago.

Every year since 2010, the two-term Republican has requested a county budget of around $1.8 billion, the same amount last requested by his Democratic predecessor Andrew Spano that also came with a 2.9 percent tax levy increase.

Astorino has instead reduced the tax levy by 2 percent. He’s also frozen the county property tax levy, something he’s quick to point out as a major accomplishment for his administration’s goal to “stop the tax madness.” All of this is so middle-class people have a “fighting chance” to live in Westchester and small businesses have a “chance to survive and thrive,” Astorino explained in our interview. He’s now betting his low-tax platform that won the 2009 election will translate into a positive message that says his administration can govern efficiently and effectively without big spending.

“We’ve just showed that you can do it better without having to be wasteful and having to go to the taxpayer every year saying we need more,” Astorino said in the interview.

But State Senator George Latimer, the Democratic challenger for county executive, said there’s more to Astorino’s tax relief record. “He is arguing that he has kept taxes at zero when in fact they levy is not the only thing the county does,” Latimer said. (For a deeper look at Latimer’s policies and platforms, see the accompanying article about Latimer: https://www.theinsidepress.com/up-close-personal-with-democratic-nominee-for-county-executive-george-latimer/)

Sewer and refuse district taxes have ticked up during Astorino’s administration, Latimer notes, adding “all of a sudden it may not be that you actually paid less.”

Astorino counters that the county’s property tax levy has fallen from $560 million to $548 million under his watch. “Any increases in refuse or sewer district taxes Astorino continued, have paid for the expansion of necessary government services, like the launch of a household material recovery facility at Rye Playland.

The tax-friendly environment Astorino created helped insulate Westchester from New York’s first population decline in a decade, he said, with the county being one of the few to grow last year. It’s also helped 44,000 private-sector jobs in Westchester since he took office, Astorino said in the interview. “We’re inviting businesses to come in, which is making it attractive for people to come to Westchester to start a family, to start a career,” he explained.

Putting assets to work

Lower taxes means Astorino has had to manage the county in a way that finds new revenue and cuts inefficiencies.

He’s cut the government workforce by 16 percent, either through buyouts or “reorganization.” For example, Astorino said a contract he ended for the Planning Department to work on section 8 housing saved the county $1 million a year and put the workers under the state’s purview.

“You’ve got a smaller but more efficient county government,” Astorino told The Inside Press.

He has also hunted for new revenue streams, looking for county assets that can generate a profit with new development. For example, Westchester is allowing the construction of a “biotech village” on 60 acres of vacant land at the Westchester Medical Center campus that Astorino said will create high-tech jobs.

“You can’t sit idly by,” he said. “This is part of our philosophy: if we’re not going to ask taxpayers to pony up more, we still need new revenue to come in. So we’re going to use the assets that the county has and put them to work.”

This strategy led Astorino to announce in November 2016 plans to enter into a public-private partnership for Westchester Airport. Astorino wants to hand control of the airport to a private company for a $130 million upfront payment and a 40-year revenue-sharing lease.

Astorino is marketing the plan as a way to put the airport’s value to use without fully selling it to the private sector. “That’s how you pay for parks and police, daycare and all these other services that people want,” he explained during the interview.

The criticism his plan has faced, including from Latimer, is that the county will receive a one-off payment but lose out on revenue down the road, as well as losing control of airport management.

Another concern is that a private company will want to expand Westchester Airport for greater profit, disrupting the Armonk-North Castle area where it’s located. Astorino insists that no company can “build any major structure without county approval.”

“We want a better not bigger airport,” he said.

One question remaining

Astorino won’t say for certain he’s going to run again for New York Governor. In 2014, he tried to unseat Andrew Cuomo for the position and lost by 14 points. “My thoughts and everything is on election day to run for county executive,” he said. One caveat: “nobody should ever close the door on anything in their future.”

He is feeling confident about the election at hand as well. Throughout his two terms, Astorino has navigated the politics of a Democrat-leaning county. His conservative policies have been in action for seven years now and applied to a range of issues.

What seemed like the defining issue of his administration early on, the HUD housing lawsuit, is now fully in the rearview mirror. The disagreement was never about if Westchester should build more affordable housing, Astorino explained, adding the county has exceeded the federal requirement by building 900 units. “When it was evident that the central planners in Washington were going to try to dictate who lives where in this county and what gets built, that was all out of bounds. That’s what we fought on,” he added.

He said he’s not worried if Latimer tries to tie him to the social policies of President Donald Trump. In the election four years ago, he pointed out, Democrats tried to use Barack Obama’s popularity, winning Westchester by 25 points in 2012, by making the campaign about national issues.

Astorino said voters won’t fall for it this time either. “People are smart enough to realize that neither Obama in 2013 or Trump in 2017 are on the ballot,” he said.

The vision for Westchester Astorino’s bringing to his final campaign for county executive is an “extension” of what got him elected the first time. He said he is confident his version of “fiscal common sense” coupled with the experience of two terms in office will carry him over the finish line once again.

The only question remaining is if voters still want the same thing.

To Support Multiple Myeloma Research: Eric Gelber Aims to Go the Extra (200th!) Mile

June 3, 2016 by The Inside Press

Photo 1 - Eric Gelber Running — Gelber running in the Mojave Desert as part of his 135 miles in the Badwater Ultra-Marathon, Death Valley, CA, 2015.

By Matt Smith

You know how the saying goes: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” While these words are no doubt sage advice for anyone wishing to achieve any goal, you can bet they’re especially pertinent to Chappaqua resident Eric Gelber, who will take his third stab at running 200 miles on September 16th through New York City’s Central Park to support and raise funds for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Gelber began running independently for the cause in 2007, to raise money in support of a friend who had been diagnosed with the disease, an incurable blood cancer that has one of the lowest five-year relative survival rates of all cancers. “It started out with a marathon in New York City,” he explains, “and over the years…sort of built up and [I] started running longer races.”

The idea for the Central Park event arose in 2011, when “I did a solo run through the Catskills,” which he completed in 45 hours, beginning in Oneonta and ending 175 miles later at his parents’ home in Suffern. “It wasn’t a [official] race, though,” he explains. “It was just [of] my own [accord] to raise money…and attract some more attention [to the cause].” However, “when I got there [to the finish line], there were 50-60 people–I could hear them cheering from down the road as we finished and I just knew right then that we were doing something that was making a difference.”

And he capitalized on that feeling. The following year, he ran the Badwater Ultra-marathon in Death Valley, CA, “but the plan was to come back in 2013 and do something in New York City.” And, that September, as planned, the epic Central Park challenge was born.

Gelber initially pledged a goal of 200 miles, which he would achieve by running continuous 6.1 mile loops around Central Park. Though he hasn’t made it quite yet (his previous attempts in 2013 and 2014 covered 164 and 176 miles respectively), after a year off in 2015, during which he returned to Badwater–and raised a whopping $140,000 for the MMRF–he’s excited to be back in New York City for another shot at the 200-mile goal. “8 a.m. [on] September 16th, I’ll be out there,” he says, proudly, noting he’ll begin up at Engineer’s Gate on the East end of the park, “and I’ll [aim to] finish sometime on the 18th.”

If you’re inclined to support Gelber in person, “we’re really easy to find out there,” he says, noting the “big orange MMRF tent” at which he and his team will be situated. “We also have a [Facebook] page called ‘Just a Mile to Go,’” he adds, “where we will post information on how you can actually register and sign up to come run a loop with me, [or] make a donation, or set up your own fundraising page.”

If you can’t yet decide how you’d like to contribute, you can always simply show up at the event and take it from there, which Gelber notes “a lot of people do.” (They’ll also live stream the run straight from the Facebook page as well.).

(L-R) Kyle, Tani, Isla, Eric and Jared Gelber

Whichever way you support, Gelber hopes you do take note of the cause, as it’s near and dear to his heart. To that end, though his friend, Anita Sorrell, unfortunately lost her battle in 2012, his involvement with the MMRF has allowed him and his wife to engage and connect with others who have been affected both directly and indirectly by the cancer. “Sometimes when you lose the person you’re fighting for, your first reaction–which certainly was mine–is ‘What’s the point?’” Gelber explains. “But after taking a step back and thinking about where we were on this journey, my wife and I thought it was important to keep fighting for everybody who’s still with us. So, we do it for them.”

And while it isn’t always easy waking up to a daily 4:30 a.m. alarm and training intensely before heading off to a full-time job, Gelber acknowledges that the strides made in collecting donations and funding further research make it all well worth the effort, stating: “I know that what I am doing is making a real difference in the lives of [multiple myeloma] patients.”

But that’s not to say he does it all solo. Wholly recognizing “there’s no way I could do this on my own,” he wishes to extend sincere thanks to the entire staff at the MMRF for all their help and assistance, as well as his many close friends and family, both here in Chappaqua and in other neighboring towns. Above all, however, he thanks his wife, Tani, and three children, Jared, Kyle, and Isla. “Their support is unwavering,” he says, with a smile. “It’s been amazing.”

In closing, Gelber, who describes himself in three words as “determined [and] mentally tough,” offers a few encouraging words to those “adventurers”–men, yes, but also people of all ages and gender–who might be looking to pursue a similar goal. “I think you just gotta commit,” he says, “and not just to the end goal, but to the process of getting there.”

Citing the multiple myeloma patients and their “incredible mental focus, commitment, and [the fact that they’re] willing to fight,” he reminds the dreamers: “Don’t let anything stand in your way. You gotta follow through, make promises to yourself and keep those promises. I remind myself of the promises I make to myself each night, and I get up and do it. Take one step at a time, and you’ll reach your goal eventually.” And hopefully, if you’re anything like the tenacious Gelber, when you do, the world will be better for it.

For more information on the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, including how to join Gelber in his efforts and/or donate to the cause, please visit www.themmrf.org.

New Castle 10k/5k: A Family Affair

June 3, 2016 by The Inside Press

The New Castle 10k/5k is one of the most anticipated events in town each year thanks in large part to the hard work of the town’s Recreation & Parks Department. Many families have more than one member participating, too. Runners/walkers were blessed this year to wake up to clear skies, the sun poking through and mild temperatures before embarking on a five or ten mile course. For a full list of the race winners this year, please visit: http://georesults.racemine.com/Town-of-New-Castle/events/2016/New-Castle-10K5K/results