Harrison REVIEW THE
February 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 7 | www.harrisonreview.com
County to mull new gun show laws in committee By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Town Council may soon discuss replacement judge By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer More than a month after the untimely death of Harrison Town Justice Joseph Cannella, town officials say they will soon consider whether to appoint an interim judge to fill his vacancy until the November general election, when voters must select a longterm successor. “We’re just beginning to think about it now,” said Councilman Steve Malfitano, a Republican, adding that the Town Council had not been in a rush to have the conversation partially in deference to Cannella, who had formerly served on the council with four of its five members, and whom Malfitano called “a wonderful man and such a wonderful
public servant.” “Clearly at this point, there’s an interest in having a discussion around considering making an appointment,” he said. Cannella died on Dec. 22, 2016, just 10 days before beginning the second year of his first judiciary term; he was 66. According to Town Attorney Frank Allegretti, “The [council] is exploring its options and will be making an announcement about the vacancy and will be looking for suitable candidates.” Malfitano added that the town was still investigating whether it was legally required to appoint a judge between now and the general election later this year. If not, the Town Council could consider holding off until Election Day, after which a new judge
would be sworn in to complete a full four-year term. “We’re not that far away from it,” Malfitano said, referring to Election Day, Nov. 7 of this year. One factor that may sway the council’s decision is the degree of strain which serving as the town’s sole judge puts on Town Justice Pasquale Gizzo. Cannella and Gizzo had been alternating dates on the two-daysper-week court calendar. Currently, Gizzo presides over all cases in town court on both days. “Judge Gizzo has been so terrific,” Malfitano said. “He’s got some additional time and he has the capacity, at least for an interim basis, to fill some additional calendars.” For as long as he covers the duties of two judges, Gizzo will receive the pay of two judges, as
The Town Council recently approved an additional monthly stipend of $5,368 combined with his annual salary of $64,421. Over the course of a year, that stipend would equal Gizzo’s salary. Unlike Town Council seats, judicial seats automatically expire when an incumbent leaves the office. Cannella and Gizzo were in coterminous election cycles; but Cannella’s death resets the term for that seat. Gizzo is in the second year of a four-year term, and will be up for re-election in 2019. Upon election, Cannella’s successor would get his own four-year term, which would run from 2018 to 2021. Gizzo could not be reached for comment as of press time. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
Bipartisan support and public input has reinvigorated a Democratic initiative looking to tighten control over gun shows countywide, after a veto from Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, derailed a potential ban last month. According to Joe Sgamatto, a spokesman for the Board of Legislators’ Democratic Caucus, the potential legislation—which will expound upon a set of Republican initiatives introduced simultaneously with Democrats’ proposed ban on gun shows held at county facilities—came as a result of sweeping public comment. New provisions would seek to bolster security at shows, enforce proper signage, and potentially impose an age restriction for attendees. In addition to the dozens of public testimonies that flooded the Westchester County Convention Center earlier this month on the Republican laws regulating gun shows, Sgamatto said lawmakers received a torrent of phone calls railing against the legislation, which—even after the public hearing—was introduced to the legislative floor unchanged. “We already had 36 voicemails by the time we got to the office in the morning,” said Sgamatto referring to the day following the legislation’s introduction. The Republican legislation that Democrats will look to strengthen is an extension of New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s model New York Guns Show Procedures. According to a statement from county Legislator Ben Boykin, a White Plains Democrat, among
the potential additions to the regulations may be overnight security for private gun shows in addition to provisions mandating greater cooperation with law enforcement when privately held shows do take place. Some of the proposed laws would apply to both public and privately held gun shows in the county. County Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat, told the Review that she would also pursue a possible age restriction for both public and private shows held in Westchester. “I’m applying the same sort of law that you have for children in bars,” Parker said. “You have to be 21 years old to drink and you have to be 21 years of age to even be at a bar.” Exactly what those age restrictions would be, how they would be enforced, or whether they will find their way into a final product, Parker said, would come as a result of committee deliberations. Across the aisle, Legislator Jim Maisano, a New Rochelle Republican, who has been outspoken over his opposition to a ban on gun shows, said while constituents in his district had little to no feedback on the laws, he and his Republican colleagues are open to working with Democrats on retooling some provisions. “We’re very open to having a conversation,” Maisano said. On the county level, tensions over increased regulation on gun shows reached a fever pitch last month after a piece of legislation, passed by the Board of Legislators in a partisan vote by Democrats that effectively banned gun shows at county-owned facilities, COMMITTEE continued on page 9
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