Happy St. Patrick’s Day
March 18, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 12 | www.harrisonreview.com
Legislators expected to surpass Playland deadline By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Paws of
love
A dog mingles with attendees during the 12th annual Pet Rescue Gala, held on March 4 in New Rochelle. For more, see page 6. Photo/Louis Vaccaro
Ex-town justice pleads guilty to drunk driving in NYC case Former Harrison town Justice Marc Lust pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, March 1. The conditions of his plea deal are that Lust, 64, pay a $1,000 fine and perform seven days of community service. Additionally, his driver’s license will be revoked for six months, and he will be required to use an ignition interlock device— a breathalyzer that prevents the engine of a car from starting if
the driver’s blood alcohol content is above the legal limit—for one year. The charge stems from an incident that occurred on Dec. 19, 2014, when Lust struck another vehicle, belonging to Michael Anticello of Ridgewood, New Jersey, on 10th Avenue between 34th and 35th streets, and then drove off following an office Christmas party. After being pulled over by police, Lust was allegedly slurring his words and smelled of alcohol. Lust was also supposedly having a hard
time finding his balance, and was described as “swaying on his feet” by the arresting officer. The arresting officer also said that Lust refused to take a breathalyzer test when he was stopped and tried to use his position as a judge to get out of the arrest by saying that he’d “take care of this.” Because it was a misdemeanor arrest as opposed to a felony, Lust, a Democrat, was allowed to continue being Harrison’s town justice, a position he held for 16 years. Ultimately, however,
Lust, who was up for re-election for his fifth term in 2015, lost in the general election. For the first time since becoming town justice, he was passed over by the Republican Party as their nominee. Both Lust and fellow town Justice Nelson Canter were defeated by Joseph Cannella and Pasquale Gizzo, the two candidates that were backed by the town Republicans. Lust’s attorney, Andrew Quinn, could not be reached for comment as of press time. -Reporting by Angela Jordan
A deadline for the transfer of Playland Park to the management company Standard Amusements may be turning into a dead end. According to Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat, there’s virtually no chance of the county Board of Legislators clearing a March hurdle. “I think it’s pretty clear that the March 31 deadline was an artificial deadline,” she said in regard to the date first introduced in October 2015. “We will not be finished by March 31.” The March 31 deadline is significant because it serves as the deadline for Standard if it were to opt out of its management agreement with the county for Playland, according to the county administration officials. Standing in the way of legislators and finalization of the amended agreement, which was announced by the administration on Feb. 22, Parker explained, are both the $58 million in countyfunded capital projects—which marks a nearly threefold increase from the original agreement reached in 2015—as well as numerous concerns regarding the nature of those projects. On Monday, March 14, several legislators, guided by a representative from Standard Amusements, toured the ailing 88-yearold, county-owned amusement park in an effort to gauge the scale of the work needed to refurbish it. However, according to Parker and county Legislator MaryJane Shimsky, a Hastings-on-Hudson Democrat who chairs the coun-
ty’s infrastructure subcommittee, many questions surrounding the agreement’s list of capital projects still linger. Shimsky, who was among the legislators that toured Playland, was struck by both the park’s poor condition and the cost of its improvements. “I found myself growing increasingly concerned by the deteriorating condition of portions of the park,” Shimskey said. “We need to take a thorough look at the details, to ensure that the deal with Standard Amusements— which has changed materially by the near tripling of the county’s capital project budget—will benefit the taxpayers.” So far, more specific information on both the scope of work needed at the park and engineering reports detailing projects have yet to be provided to legislators, according to Parker, who told the Review the information was requested of the county administration two weeks ago. Parker said that even if the agreement were to be completely vetted before the final deadline, it would likely not include the full $58 million in capital projects. “I don’t think any legislator would support the agreement with $58 million on the taxpayers back,” she said. One project in particular that drew scrutiny from legislators on March 14, during a joint meeting between the infrastructure, budget and parks subcommittees, was a $1 million project to rehabilitate Playland’s shoreline. According to legislators, the project would see the county funding renovations to storePLAYLAND continued on page 8
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