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CityREVIEW NewRochelle December 8, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 34 | www.cityreviewnr.com
Dems say budget leaves $100M in expense gap By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Real Men Wear Pink campaign raises money for American Cancer Society In its second year in Westchester County, the Real Men Wear Pink campaign has raised more than $60,000 to support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to save lives from breast cancer. Throughout the month of October, 22 prominent men from across the county participated in the activity, raising funds and encouraging the women in their lives and in the community to take action in the fight to end breast cancer. Kevin Murphy, a healthcare executive, was the campaign’s top fundraiser, gathering $17,420 to support the American Cancer Society and those impacted by breast cancer. A very close second place candidate was Nick Siciliano, business owner of Crafted By Nick and Nationwide Maintenance & General Contracting. Siciliano raised $17,225 to lead the fight
for a world without breast cancer. “We are grateful to Kevin, Nick and all our Real Men Wear Pink candidates for lending their voices to our cause,” said Monica Garrigan for the American Cancer Society. “Not only did they wear pink throughout the month of October, but they raised awareness about breast cancer and made a huge commitment to raise funds to help save more lives. Those donations allow the Society to help save lives from breast cancer through early detection and prevention, innovative breast cancer research, and patient support.” “No one should have to face a breast cancer diagnosis alone,” said Murphy. “I joined the American Cancer Society in support of their lifesaving work by becoming a candidate in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. I
have known many people that have been affected by cancer and it was the least I could do. My mother was diagnosed with Leukemia last year and unfortunately on Sept. 26 she passed. This gave me the inner spirit to reach out and contact my friends and business associates, I really have to thank them for their generosity.” According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2017, an estimated 252,710 women and 2,470 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 40,610 women and 460 men will die from the disease this year. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and it is the most common cancer diagnosed in women other than skin cancer. For more information about breast cancer or the Real Men
Wear Pink campaign in Westchester County call 800-227-2345. The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of two million volunteers saving lives in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society’s efforts have contributed to a 25 percent decline in the cancer death rate in the U.S. since 1991, driven by less smoking, better treatments, and earlier detection. We’re finding cures as the nation’s largest private, not-forprofit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call anytime, day or night, at 800-227-2345 or visit Cancer.org. (Submitted)
Ahead of a looming budget deadline, Westchester’s Democratic lawmakers are warning of monumental gaps in a 2018 tentative budget that could total more than $100 million. According to statements this week, among the top concerns are $30 million in budgeted revenue to privatize the county’s airport as well as $40 million in retroactive raises contingent on pending contract negotiations between the county and the Civil Service Employees Association, CSEA, Westchester’s biggest labor union. Without those items budgeted for, county Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat, said that the county may be in rough financial shape for its upcoming budget, and as a result, portend large tax increases. “The Astorino administration’s final budget would leave us with a roughly 18 percent tax increase due to years of a fiscal shell game,” Parker said in a statement. “I’m not going to raise your taxes 18 percent, but I want you to understand what I have been saying for years—there was no real way to keep the tax levy flat over eight years, and still provide meaningful service.” Since taking office in 2010, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, has never raised the tax levy; a fact often touted throughout his tenure.
Democrats have criticized the budget for relying on $30 million in projected revenue included as a part of a prospective deal to privatize the county’s airport. A potential deal seeks to reclassify the airport under a Federal Aviation Administration-run program that allows participants to transition their publicly owned airports into the private sector and then use subsequent revenue toward an operating budget. Last year, after what was shaping up to be a dead-end deal, lawmakers voted to include $15 million in projected revenue derived from the airport’s planned privatization. An original $130 million, 40year agreement, which was sent down to legislators on Nov. 3 2016, would have given the investment firm Oaktree Management the exclusive bid for the project, but the plan was ultimately derailed by Democrats who accused the deal of skirting proper request for proposals process. Since then, the deal has gone through a formal bidding process that, on Nov. 9, resulted in the selection of Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation, which agreed to a $1 billion deal that would extend for 40 years and throughout its lifespan pay the county $595 million on top of $550 million in capital improvements at the airport. Although announced by Astorino, the deal still requires the approval of a supermajority of the 17-member county Board of BUDGET continued on page 5
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