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CityREVIEW NewRochelle February 10 & 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 5 | www.cityreviewnr.com

State approves anti-corruption bill By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer

Rye Playland construction stalled by city lawsuit By JAMES PERO Staff Writer Progress on a slew of multimillion dollar renovations at Rye Playland continue to be hampered by litigation between Westchester County and the city of Rye, as construction at the park gets pushed back. According to documents obtained by the Review, the county administration has attributed a lawsuit filed by the city in July for spurring multiple contract delays, including an extended March 31 deadline for a county lawmakers’ decision on the fate

of Playland’s pool, in addition to a construction schedule for $30 million in county-funded capital projects by March 1. According to Dan Branda, a spokesman for the Republican County Executive Rob Astorino’s administration, the county is expecting to meet its March 1 deadline for the schedule, but until a lawsuit with the city has been decided, “there will be no shovels in the ground.” According to Rye City Attorney Kristen Wilson, the city will still continue to mull over an injunction halting projects at the park, but will hold off on purs-

ing any embargo until the judge’s decision on the city’s lawsuit. Wilson said there is currently no timeline for a decision on whether the city’s claims that an environmental review process, carried out as part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, SEQR, was mishandled by the county. Under a contract between the county and Playland’s new management, Standard Amusements, an investment firm coowned by Harrison native Nick Singer, the county could still exercise one additional 60-day extension. As for the fate of the Playland

pool, according to county Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat, things remain uncertain. While $10 million has been allocated in a $300 million county capital budget for renovations, the county Board of Legislators must still determine just what type of improvement the pool will undergo. Parker said that if the details aren’t solidified by the March 31 deadline, it’s currently too early to determine whether or not the county would negotiate an additional extension. PLAYLAND continued on page 5

State officials have taken a big step in the fight against public corruption, as the Legislature has approved a proposal to enact a constitutional amendment that would strip taxpayer-funded pensions from state and local leaders who commit felonies in connection with their office. The pension forfeiture proposal will be on the ballot for a referendum held on Election Day, Nov. 7. Enacting a constitutional amendment in New York state requires both the Senate and Assembly to pass the proposal in two consecutive sessions. Afterward, the proposal goes to voters to make the final decision. “Overall, this has had great bipartisan support, and I think it will send an overwhelming message against corruption in government,” said state Assemblyman David Buchwald, a White Plains Democrat, who first proposed the legislation in May 2013. “This measure will cause high level public officials to think twice before they decide to do something corrupt.” Elected officials, gubernatorial appointees, municipal managers, department heads, chief fiscal officers, judges, and several other policy-makers convicted of a felony, involving the breach of public trust, would all be subject to forfeiture of pension benefits. If it were passed in November, the provision would only

apply to officials who committed crimes on or after Jan. 1, 2018, succeeding the date of the constitutional amendment. Currently, a public officer in New York state can accept bribes, steal public funds or engage in numerous other forms of public corruption without the threat of pension forfeiture, even if convicted. Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, which is a statewide coalition that champions open, honest and accountable government, said, “Public officials who break the law shouldn’t get a taxpayer pension, period.” In 2015, after then-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, was arrested and later convicted of public corruption charges, he applied and was successfully granted his pension, which comes to $79,224 a year, according to the state comptroller’s office. Silver was convicted on Nov. 30, 2015 of charges that included honest services fraud, money laundering and extortion, after serving as the head of the state Assembly since 1994. He is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence. Former majority leader of the state Senate, Dean Skelos, a Long Island Republican, was also convicted on federal corruption charges, and was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2015. Skelos had served as the majority leader since 2011. CORRUPTION continued on page 7