Harrison REVIEW THE
June 9, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 23 | www.harrisonreview.com
Astorino launches county response to opioid epidemic By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer
BIG BROTHER? The Police Department has purchased 10 additional license plate readers that will now have the ability to track vehicles traveling throughout Harrison. For more, see page 7. Photo courtesy HamptonRoads.com
Latimer grabs Independence Party endorsement By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer The Independence Party has endorsed state Sen. George Latimer in his bid for county executive. Latimer, a Rye Democrat, is expecting to take on two-term incumbent Rob Astorino, a Republican, in November’s county executive race. And the support of the Independence Party has often been an indicator of electoral success in Westchester. Latimer, who has also been endorsed by the Working Families Party, said he was pleased to have the support of the Independence Party. “I think it’s an indication of the strength of my campaign,” he told the Review. “The Independence Party could have chosen anyone… and they chose me.” Latimer had previously been endorsed by the party in his races for county legislator and state Assembly between 1998 and 2010, but
never received the party’s support during his time in the state Senate. Last November, in his most recent re-election to the state Senate, Latimer was passed over by the Independence Party line in favor of his opponent, Rye City Councilwoman Julie Killian, a Republican. The Independence Party also supported Latimer opponents Bob Cohen, a Scarsdale Republican, in 2012 and Joe Dillon, a Yonkers Republican, in 2014. Latimer won all three of those contests, and in recent years the party’s credibility has been called into question. Astorino has also had his problems with the party. In 2009, after winning the county executive seat from then-County Executive Andy Spano, a Democrat, in which Astorino was endorsed by the Independence Party, he accused party Chairman Giulio Cavallo of seeking patronage jobs for members of his party. In his bid for re-election in 2013,
Astorino lost the party’s support but was still victorious in becoming the only Republican ever elected to the Westchester County executive’s office without carrying the Independence line, by cruising past his opponent, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, a Democrat. Bill O’Reilly, campaign manager for Astorino, said the county executive didn’t even seek the Independence Party’s backing this year. Even so, Astorino has been highly successful in a county where his LATIMER continued on page 8
Westchester County has launched a new program aimed at integrating the response of several county agencies, local officials and community leaders to the growing drug abuse epidemic. On June 7, in the Westchester County Center, County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, launched Project WORTHY: Westchester Opioid Response Teams Helping You, which he said was established to combine all of the county’s individual resources to combat a dramatic spike in opioid-related deaths over the last several years. Heroin and opioid use has been recognized as a growing and widespread problem across Westchester County, New York state and the country; the rate of deaths caused by opioids in the county has quadrupled since 2010, according to Westchester officials. Several local communities have previously established their own committees and task forces to combat drug abuse in those areas. But, according to Astorino, the goal of Project WORTHY is to transcend municipal and organizational barriers keeping key community leaders from working together to combat drug addiction. “In Westchester, we are blessed with an abundance of resources,” the county executive said. “But, their effectiveness can be limited if they remain in geographic and bureaucratic silos.” Project WORTHY is aimed to establish response teams made up of health professionals, law enforcement, first responders, parents, teachers, coaches, clergy, business leaders and youth to help those suffering from addiction and to educate communities about prevention, intervention and responses to addiction. To kick off the initiative, a
INSIDE Food, wine festival kicks off Story on page 10.
panel of county commissioners addressed the County Center room full of community leaders, discussing the pervasiveness of opioid addiction and the problems in confronting it. And they discussed some initiatives the county has already undertaken to address those problems, including training and arming first responders with the opioid-countering drug, naloxone, establishing anonymous drug drop-boxes at local police stations, and participating in joint federal and local task forces to take down illegal drug rings and doctors who over-prescribe opioids. Astorino said there are four prongs to Project WORTHY: education, prevention, integration and action. According to Ned McCormack, a spokesman for the administration, those four prongs become two separate rolls for members of the response teams. Community members in teams can be dispersed to give integrated advice, helping communities to confront individual problems. The teams will also be mobilized to give informational seminars and forums, helping communities recognize signs of abuse, and discussing how to talk about and address the issues locally. About 200 local officials and community leaders attended the program’s kickoff. “Today was all about bringing everybody together and building the response teams and getting the ball rolling,” McCormack said. While the program has no clear first action, county officials said getting all of those community leaders together to organize response teams was a necessary first step. Astorino said, “Opioid addiction can be stopped. We will continue to fight, and Project WORTHY can make us more effective. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
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2 Republicans to face off for receiver of taxes By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Two registered Republicans have announced their candidacies for receiver of taxes, and have each secured the endorsement of separate parties. Thus, the candidates will take the race into the November general election instead of deciding who will represent the Republicans in a September primary. Rosa Mastrogiacomo-Luongo, who received the Republican and Independence parties’ endorsements, and Maria Mioli Pennella, who is being backed by the town Democratic and Conservative and parties, will both run in November to be Harrison’s tax collector, seeking to replace Nancy Masi, a Republican who will not seek re-election.
Pennella, a Republican who sought her party’s endorsement but was passed over, could opt to primary Luongo for the GOP line in September, but said she will instead focus on the general election in November. “With the Republicans not choosing me on their endorsement, I was going back and forth with [whether or not to primary],” she said. Luongo, 32, said she is running to repay Harrison, where she is a third-generation resident. “After getting a lot of different experience in corporate America and in the public sector, I really want to come back to the town and give back to the community,” she said. She told the Review that she worked for two corporations early in her career, developing customer service and bookkeeping skills—which she said would be integral to a role in tax reception—before getting her master’s degree in social work. After earning her degree, she has spent the last four years working as a social worker for the Westchester County Department of Social Services, focusing on foster care and preventative services. She added that she hoped to bring both of those experiences
to the Harrison Tax Department, and that her knowledge of the county’s opportunities for struggling families would enable her to make recommendations to those unable pay their property taxes on time. Meanwhile, Pennella, 40, has spent her entire 20-year career in the private sector, working as a comptroller at Kenlar Electric Inc. in Scarsdale. She also works as a private financial consultant. She said she would also draw upon her volunteer work in the community, including 12 years managing finances for Harrison’s Girl Scouts and her upcoming term as the newly elected Harrison Avenue School PTA treasurer. Both candidates said, if elected, they would aim to update and modernize the town’s tax office. Pennella said that with her experience in information technologies, IT, she could do that without requiring the town to hire a third party. “I want to computerize and automatize the whole department,” she said, suggesting updating the town municipal website to make property taxes viewable and payable online, and offering options to pay property taxes via credit card with
Maria Mioli Pennella
Rosa Mastrogiacomo-Luongo
a surcharge. Luongo said she would also look to make online tax bills and payment options available to residents, but would focus on doing so cost-efficiently. “Being a Republican, I definitely want to look at the enhancements that are going to be fiscally responsible and not incur a higher tax rate for the citizens,” she told the Review. Both candidates also said that giving back to the community was
integral to their platforms. Luongo suggested that she would look to create funds to give back to the community’s youth; and Pennella said she would give a portion of her paycheck directly back to the town Recreation Department. The receiver of taxes in Harrison earns $101,050 annually and is elected to a four-year term. Election Day is Nov. 7. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
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What’s going on... Harrison Public Library
Visit harrisonpl.org for more information on programs and library hours.
Westchester County Airport: A History On Monday, June 12 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Richard E. Halperin Memorial Building. This is a presentation by Kent Patterson, who recently published a book on Westchester County Airport. Westchester County Airport is referred to by the International Air Transport Association as HPN or, more endearingly by its patrons, White Plains airport. The airport is unique in that it has the feel of a rural or regional airport but is within the New York metro area. Today, the airport bustles with traffic, accommodating commercial airlines, business, and private aviation.
Create Your Own Decal Starting Wednesday, June 14 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Richard E. Halperin Memorial Building. This activity will run for three weeks. For ages 11 to 111. All materi-
als will be provided. Space is limited. Please sign up online, by phone at 835-0324, or in person at the library. Do you like to customize your phone case, water bottle, windows, or other objects? Learn how to personalize your world with vinyl decals. In these three consecutive classes, participants will learn great techniques for creating custom signs, mugs, stickers, and posters, with the library’s maker-in-residence, the Shirt Guy.
Daddy & Me Yoga On Saturday, June 17 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Richard E. Halperin Memorial Building. Celebrate Father’s Day in a flexible way. Bond through partner poses and relaxation techniques. For non-walkers with a caregiver. No registration. Limited to 15 pairs—first come, first served.
Harrison Recreation Please be aware that parents must have a current 2017 ID card to register children for all programs. Please be prepared to show proof of residency with a current utility bill and driver’s license. A school report card or progress report is required for a child ID card. 2017 resident IDs and pool passes are now available for purchase. The spring/summer brochure is currently available online, and new programs and applications are added regularly. Visit harrison-ny.gov/recreation for more information on programs and the Recreation Department.
Summer day camps There will be four day camps offering numerous sports, arts and crafts, swimming, music and weekly special events. Children in grades 1–8 as of September 2017 are eligible to apply. Registration fee: $475, $250 for the second child, and $175 for the third and subsequent children. Make the check payable to Town/Village of Harrison. As the deadline for registration has passed, campers will be placed on a waitlist with no guarantee of a spot. The late fee is $50 per child; after Monday, June 12, the fee will be $100 per child. The camps start on July 3 and run through Aug. 11. Applications are at both the Leo Mintzer and Sollazzo recreation centers and on the website at harrisonny. gov/recreation.
Pre-Team Swim For ages 7 and up. Come and develop you child’s swim skill in preparation of joining the Harrison Recreation winter or summer swim team. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Starting July 5 through Aug. 3, for five weeks. There will be 15 60-minute sessions. Child must be able to swim 10 yards unassisted. Location: Ron Belmont Pool Complex. Registration ends on Thursday, June 22. Fee: $150, check payable to Town/Village of Harrison.
Guppies Water School Introductory swim lessons for 3-year-olds that are ready for swimming. Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Starting July 6 through Aug. 8. Class size is limited. Rain dates will be the week of Aug. 7. There will be 10 30-minute sessions. Location: Ron Belmont Pool Complex. Registration ends on Thursday, June 22. Fee: $90, check payable to Town/Village of Harrison.
Tadpoles Beginning swim lessons and water safety skills for 4- and 5-year-olds. Starting the week of July 3, through Aug. 4. On Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. There will be 10 30-minute sessions. Space is limited. Location: Ron Belmont Pool. Registration ends on Thursday, June 22. Fee: $90, check payable to Town/Village of Harrison.
Harrison school news Feeley Fund annual appeal The annual appeal for the Eugene J. Feeley Harrison High School Student Aid Fund has been mailed to the community. For 70 years, the Feeley Fund has enabled needy and worthy Harrison High School graduates attend accredited colleges and/or schools. Since 1947, more than 1,000 students have received loans or grants to pursue their posthigh school education and training. Lola Geiger, from her residence at The Osborn, continues her fundraising activities for this worthy cause. She reports that The Feeley Fund is short of its goal to meet the financial needs of its eligible youth. The fund awards monies to those graduates who are accepted in accredited colleges. The Feeley Fund needs you to share
our confidence in the future of our Harrison youth. Please respond to the request by sending your contribution to: The Feeley Fund, 255 Union Ave., Harrison, NY 10528. For questions or more information, call Geiger at 939-7066.
Westchester County news Register for swim classes at county pools Online registration is now open for swimming and aquatic fitness classes at Saxon Woods pool in White Plains, Tibbetts Brook pool in Yonkers and Playland pool in Rye. For children and for adults just getting started with swimming, Learn-to-Swim lessons are offered for all ages and ability levels, from toddlers age 3 to senior citizens. Classes begin Wednesday, July 5, and run through Friday, Aug. 11. Lessons for adults ages 18 and older will be held only at Saxon Woods pool. The schedule for classes at Tibbetts Brook and Saxon Woods is as follows: Children ages 3–6: Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Children ages 7–10: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Children ages 11–17: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Adults (ages 18 and up): Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. (Saxon Woods only). Class schedule for Playland Pool is as follows: Children ages 3–6: Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Children ages 7–10: Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Children ages 11–17: Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Only online registration is accepted. The registration fee is $80, which includes pool admission fees for the participant. Adults and teens participating in the Learn-toSwim program at Tibbetts Brook and Saxon Woods pools must present a valid Westchester County resident Park Pass on the first day of class; children under 12 registering for the lessons must be accompanied by a Park Pass-holding parent or adult guardian. A Park Pass is not required at Playland. For swimmers who want a high-power, cardiovascular fitness workout, a six-session Aqua Zumba class will also be offered this summer. Classes will be held on Friday nights from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saxon Woods Pool from July 7 through July 26; and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Tibbetts Brook Pool from July 8 through July 27. Fee is $75. A Park Pass is not required but participants must be Westchester County residents. Only online registration is accepted. For more information or to register for the programs, visit parks.westchestergov. com/activities/swimming. Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send all items to news@hometwn.com.
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Reporters discuss fake news, media’s future By TAYLOR BROWN General Assignment Reporter With the current national political climate placing the press under tremendous scrutiny, five reporters dedicated their evening to giving media consumers a look into the work journalists are doing, and discussing the positive outlook they see for the future of the press. This discussion included how news stories are frequently labeled as false when they paint someone in a bad light, the effect that President Donald Trump has had on the media. The paneled, labeled “Fake News, the First Amendment and Democracy,” was held on Wednesday, May 17 at the Rye Community Synagogue. We Persist, a liberal organization founded by women in Rye and Rye Brook shortly after the Women’s March in January 2017, hosted the event, and recorded the event’s attendance at 350 people. Andi Hessekiel, co-chair of the Freedom of the Press/First Amendment Action Team, which is one of the teams that make up We Persist, explained that the organization’s goal is to advocate for democracy. “[We Persist was] talking about what can we do about what seemed
to be an effort by the new president of the United States to develop distrust in the press and in some cases keep the press out of public events,” Hessekiel told the Review following the event. The evening’s panelists included Heather Cabot, a previous ABC News correspondent and anchorwoman; Taegan Goddard, who founded PoliticalWire.com; Chris Vlasto, an executive producer at “Good Morning America”; Diana Williams, a reporter and anchor for ABC7 “Eyewitness News”; and Andrea Canning, a correspondent at Dateline NBC. They were led in the discussion by Lee Woodruff, who is a contributing reporter for “CBS This Morning.” During the conversation on “fake news” Woodruff pointed out that prior to the current presidency, the term “fake news” was mostly reserved for websites like AbcNews. com.co and Cnn.com.de that create their own false news stories to spark a reaction from readers. But today, when one uses the term “fake news,” it is normally associated with attacks by Republican politicians on reporters. This can be seen by President Trump’s use of Twitter, where he frequently calls out publications and journalists that he believes are
painting him in a bad light through random, oftentimes early morning tweets. Trump, not surprisingly, turned out to be the primary focus of the discussion. But for one local resident, that was the reason why she had wanted to attend. “I was really interested in hearing what journalists had to say about Trump threatening the press, and calling respected news outlets fake news,” said Heather Stone, of Larchmont. Williams tried to explain the unprecedented difficulties as a journalist trying to cover this presidency, referring to Trump as a different kind of president. Williams said that because Trump is active “24/7,” especially on social media, news outlets need resources that are able to cover his activity, and reporters are being forced to adapt to this type of constant coverage. “It’s not that we aren’t doing the job [of reporting,] I think we’re doing the job as best as we can,” Williams said. “But it’s a different job now.” Hessekiel, who called the event an overall success, explained that part of the importance of the event was so that the public could get a
Chris Vlasto, executive producer at “Good Morning America,” and Diana Williams, reporter and anchor for ABC7 “Eyewitness News,” at a journalists’ panel discussing the rise of “fake news.” Photo/Andrew Dapolite
behind-the-scenes look at some of the issues that journalists now face. The panelists were eventually asked to discuss what they thought the future of journalism would look like and whether freedom of the press is under attack by the Trump administration. Vlasto said, “I think we’re more vibrant now than ever.” Vlasto added that when journalists are attacked by politicians, they should wear it as a badge of honor, and not be afraid of backlash. Canning shared a similar senti-
ment, saying that she wasn’t worried about the future of the press. She explained that under the new administration, reporters’ jobs might be more difficult, but they shouldn’t let this stop them from doing it. “That is why we put together this evening—to remind people that though the current president may be attacking the press, the press is crucial to holding politicians accountable for their actions,” Hessekiel said. CONTACT: taylor@hometwn.com
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Harrison REVIEW
THE
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Publisher | Howard Sturman ext. 21, publisher@hometwn.com Christian Falcone Associate Publisher | Editor-in-Chief ext. 19, chris@hometwn.com Sports Editor | Mike Smith ext. 22, sports@hometwn.com Assistant Editor | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 25, sibylla@hometwn.com Reporter | Corey Stockton ext. 16, corey@hometwn.com Reporter | Franco Fino ext. 18, franco@hometwn.com General Assignment | Taylor Brown ext. 30, taylor@hometwn.com Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso Advertising | Lindsay Sturman ext. 14, lsturman@hometwn.com Advertising Coordinator | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 27, ads@hometwn.com Staff Writer James Pero Staff Photographers
Andrew Dapolite, Jen Parente Columnists Ron Belmont, Lenore Skenazy
Letters The community’s opinion matters. If you have a view to express, write a letter to the editor by email to chris@hometwn.com. Please include a phone number and name for verification purposes. Community Events If you have an event you would like to share with the community, send it to news@hometwn.com. Delivery For home delivery or to subsribe, call (914) 653-1000 x27. Classifieds & Legals To post your notices or listings, call (914) 653-1000 x27. Postmaster Send address changes to: The Harrison Review c/o HomeTown Media Group, 170 Hamilton Ave., Suite 203 White Plains, N.Y. 10601 Visit us online www.harrisonreview.com
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By TAYLOR BROWN General Assignment Reporter In celebration of President John F. Kennedy’s centennial birthday, the Kennedy family was honored with a plaque commemorating the 12 years that they lived in Bronxville. Until the May 29 official unveiling, Bronxville had been the only place of residence for the Kennedys that didn’t have official public recognition. Marilyn Hill, of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy, said the obscurity of the Kennedys time in Bronxville was because typically historical markers are placed in the home of the previous residents. Yet, the Kennedy family’s 6-acre estate known as Crownlands was located on Pondfield Road, but in the 1950s, the land was torn down and subdivided into what is now known as Crown Circle. The memorial plaque features a broad outline of activities that Kennedy, his siblings and parents took part in while living in the village from 1929 to 1941, according to Hill, who added that Kennedy’s 100th birthday marked “the perfect time for us to do a marker to commemorate [him].” The project stemmed from the historians and residents of Bronxville wondering why there was nothing celebrating the Kennedys lives there, according to Hill. As of a year ago, the conservancy began working with Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin to come up with the plaque idea. “The decision was that we would recognize the years and residence of the entire [Kennedy] family as participators in the community, but with emphasis on John [F. Kennedy],” Hill said. During the family’s time in Bronxville, Kennedy was away attending private school at Riverdale Country School and eventually Harvard University. However, he was still an active participant in the village. Kennedy was a member of Boy Scout Troop 2 and took lessons at Miss Covington’s School of Dance. Although Kennedy wasn’t enrolled in the Bronxville school district, his six younger siblings attended both private and public schools there. Walter Sedovic, a historic preservation architect from Bronxville, said he felt it was important that he attended the plaque’s unveiling. “John F. Kennedy in my earlier life represented all the ideals that I had as a child,” Sedovic said. Mayor Marvin explained that one of the best parts of the monument was Bronxville’s collaboration with neighboring Tuckahoe,
President John F. Kennedy. Photo courtesy Flickr.com
President John F. Kennedy stands with Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. Photo courtesy flickr.com
President John F. Kennedy rides in a motorcade with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy. Photo courtesy commons.wikimedia.org
who donated marble stone from a local marble quarry for the plaque. “I am so proud to share this commemoration,” she said. “As for me, President Kennedy will always represent bold vision, a commitment to public service, a youthful energy, and in my mind, a vigor that signals America will always have even better days ahead.” Bronxville resident Dawn Tyrell said that her and her husband wanted to come to the memorial to support their son, who is a part of Boy Scout Troop 2. She said they first learned that Kennedy was a member of Troop 2 when they were looking for a troop for their son to join. “It’s very exciting,” Tyrell said. “We love the plaque.” CONTACT: taylor@hometwn.com
The President John F. Kennedy plaque commemorates the Kennedy family’s time spent in Bronxville from 1929 to 1941.
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Town spends $114K on advanced police equipment The Harrison Police Department is ramping up security in an effort to outfit the town with sophisticated police equipment that scans car license plates. On June 1, the Town Council approved the purchase of an estimated $114,000 for 10 additional station-
ary automatic license plate readers, which are becoming an increasingly popular way for police to track down criminals. The equipment, which reads the license plates of every vehicle— parked and moving—are often attached to police vehicles, freeway
overpasses and telephone poles, scanning passersby. According to police Chief Michael Olsey, the new equipment comes as a way to keep up with security efforts throughout Harrison and to continue assisting other police departments throughout West-
chester County that often rely on this type of technology in ongoing investigations. “The readers will be critical in apprehending crimes throughout our town and all over [Westchester] County,” he said. The chief added that the equipment, which will be installed in phases throughout Harrison near its entrances and exits, has the capability of scanning up to 1,800 license
The Harrison Town Council purchased an estimated $114,000 of automatic license plate readers for the Police Department, which are expected to be used in an effort to beef up security. Photo courtesy HamptonRoads.com
plates per minute, day or night, at speeds up to 150 miles per hour. Olsey also told the Review that the license plate readers will particularly impact the department when trying to find stolen vehicles and catching up with individuals who have active warrants against them. The readers will also assist Harrison police by consolidating the process of physically taking down license plates numbers and checking them against the department’s database. After being scanned by a reader, a license plate number can easily be searched in the department’s database along with photos of every sighting of a specific vehicle, including a location of each sighting and a time. According to the Police Department’s latest report released in April, the department has arrested 200 individuals since the beginning of the year. The department has also issued 5,452 state summonses up to this point. “The town board has been really proactive in helping us catch all types of criminals,” said Olsey, who added that the town has been able to help police efforts by continuously budgeting for advanced equipment. Councilman Rich Dionisio and Mayor Ron Belmont, both Republicans, could not be reached for comment, as of press time. -Reporting by Franco Fino
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Congratulations all round HARRISON HAPPENINGS Mayor Ron Belmont
The town/village of Harrison’s Town Council recently recognized the winners of the 2017 Mayor’s Choice Award, a long-running and most prestigious award for talented students. More than 100 works of art were submitted for review and four students received this notable distinction. Additionally, all the award-winning selections will become part of the permanent collection exhibited in Town Hall. Recipients of the 2017 Mayor’s Choice Award are Michael Barletta, Jaclyn Ciaramella, Bianca De Oliveira and Ana Pena. This award represents the diverse talents of our local student body and the varied curricula offered by individual art departments. Each year, incredibly beautiful pieces of art are entered and it is a privilege to recognize the hard work and dedication of each student. I look forward to evaluating the submissions and am always impressed with the creativity of our youngest residents. This year’s annual St. Anthony’s Festa took place last weekend in West Harrison. Once again, this greatly anticipated celebration had many residents and visitors attending the festivities and enjoying the food, games and attractions. Vendors provided popular Festa favorites that included sausage and peppers, pasta and fresh cannoli. Children’s activities, music, dancing and carnival rides were enjoyed by attendees of all ages. The event was a big success and provided a wonderful way of shining a light on Harrison’s Italian heritage. It was great to see many friends and familiar faces enjoying this very special tradition. Congratulations to all involved.
Congratulations are also in order for all who participated in this year’s annual Relay for Life in Harrison. Hundreds of residents and friends joined the fight against cancer by walking for all those affected by this disease. The event was a great success and over $100,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino for his Harrison Town Hall meeting this week. On Monday, June 5, Astorino came to Town Hall to answer questions and update our community on his administration’s progress. He covered topics concerning Westchester County taxes, services and economic growth, among other things. This meeting was part of the county executive’s ongoing effort to keep local municipalities informed of the developments occurring at the county level. I urge all residents to stay informed. You can catch the meeting on our cable channel (Channel 75) or on our town’s website, harrison-ny.gov. Way to go, Harrison Hurricanes! With hard-fought victories over New Canaan and Yorktown this past weekend, the Hurricanes are the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League spring champions in the 11-and-under (11u) A-division. Both New Canaan and Yorktown came into the playoffs undefeated before losing to the powerful 12-member Harrison squad. The Hurricanes beat out 10 teams on the road to the championship, including Tuckahoe, Ossining, Cortlandt, Somers, Rye and New Rochelle. Once again, congrats to the team and to coaches Victor Cottini, Mike Iannacchino, Marcos Cabral and Brian Gibbons. In closing, I hope you are enjoying this lovely late-spring weather. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call or stop in to Town Hall. I am eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and my door is always open.
LATIMER from page 1
State Sen. George Latimer, who received the official nomination of the Westchester County Democratic Committee last month in his bid for county executive, now also has the support of the county’s Independence Party. Photo/Jen Parente
voting bloc is at a decided disadvantage. According to voter registration numbers compiled by the county Board of Elections, Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans by more than 2-to-1, approximately 278,000 to 130,000. The Independence Party, which is the third largest political party in the county, makes up about 4 percent of the total number of registered voters in Westchester with 21,555. And although Latimer has also received the official support of the Democratic Party, he will likely have to win that party’s primary election in order to appear on the
November ballot. Following last month’s county Democratic nominating convention, Latimer won more than 70 percent of the vote against county Legislator Ken Jenkins, a Yonkers Democrat. But even in defeat, Jenkins has remained steadfast in his desire to challenge Latimer in a Democratic September primary for the right to carry the line in the general election. The Westchester County executive is elected to a four-year term and receives an annual salary of $160,144. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
Town/Village of Harrison
Official Newspaper
Athena and Apollo are just two of many adorable kittens looking for loving homes! A huge variety of kittens will be available for adoption at Pet Rescue’s Kitten Palooza this Sunday, June 11 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Pet Rescue, 7 Harrison Ave. in Harrison. The adoption donation for a kitten is $100 plus a refundable $60 spay/neuter deposit. To learn more about these lovely kittens, call 835-3332 or 835-4133, or visit NY-PetRescue.org. (Submitted)
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ITALIAN CENTER HOSTS
food & wine festival kickoff By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Assistant Editor This year’s Westchester Magazine Food & Wine Festival kicked off with a new event: a wine tasting. The kickoff, which was held at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center in Tuckahoe on June 6, featured a tasting tour of Italian wine, antipasti and dessert from DeCicco & Sons, cooking demos from Tarry Lodge Chef Andy Nusser, and a special vintage tasting with wine expert Kevin Zraly. Barbara Begley, marketing and communications director at Westchester Magazine, said organizers were looking to add another event to celebrate the festival’s seventh year. “Everybody loves Italian
Chef Andy Nusser of Tarry Lodge Port Chester holds two cooking demos, one of them featuring this peach crostata with lemon thyme ricotta.
wine,” she said. “[The cultural center] is a beautiful building, and the layout works for this kind of event. It’s an Italian night, and it’s a perfect fit.” Joe Armentano, a cultural center member and locally renowned oenophile, was the perfect host, given his 20-year-old passion for wine. Armentano is also a rare Italian-American with roots in four southern regions in Italy: Sicily, Campania, Calabria and Puglia. “It’s unusual to have all four grandparents come from different parts of Italy,” he told the Review. Westchester Magazine approached Armentano for the festival to not only sponsor the tasting, but also because of his hobby. “Wines are a big hobby of mine,” he said, adding that he has a cellar that can hold a few thousand bottles and a new tasting room in his Rye Brook home. “If I have an opportunity to marry my passion and hobby with a good cause, you can’t do any better than that, quite frankly.” On Tuesday evening, guests had two tasting rooms to explore more than a dozen wines from six Italian regions, from a light prosecco to full-bodied Super Tuscans. Bottles were available for purchase courtesy of Varmax Liquor Pantry, located in Port Chester. The cultural center also has a
A DeCicco & Sons employee pours some wine for a guest in one of the two tasting rooms.
cellar in its basement, where the wine expert, Zraly, drew crowds into the small, dark space to taste two of the most expensive wines being featured. One wine, a lush Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany, was already delicious with a 2010 vintage. “Wait until you taste it 10 years from now,” he said. Chef Nusser also held two cooking demos in the base-
ment’s kitchen, preparing a mortadella and rabiola panini, and a peach crostata topped with lemon thyme ricotta—“Like peach pie without the hassle,” Nusser said. Both dishes will be available at Tarry Lodge’s Port Chester location. The wine tasting was the first of a week of events highlighting what Westchester has to offer
when it comes to food and wine, on through Sunday, June 11. In its seventh year, the festival, which runs through Sunday, June 11, added two other events to its offerings, including a food and fashion event at Savor Westchester and a junior chef experience for children ages 3 to 12. CONTACT: sibylla@hometwn.com
Italian market DeCicco & Sons served platters of food at the wine tasting.
Joe Armentano, who hosted the kickoff event to Westchester Magazine’s Food & Wine Festival, speaks to guests during the wine tastings. Photos/Sibylla Chipaziwa
June 9, 2017 • THE HARRISON REVIEW • 11
Rye House:
your new favorite hangout
By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Assistant Editor Rye House Port Chester, located in a historic building right at the corner of Willet Avenue and Main Street, continues to add to the village’s ever-growing, eclectic food scene even after two years. Upon entering, there’s lots of dark wood, exposed brick and dark brown leather visible throughout the restaurant. Aside from the food and drinks, the people behind the operation, and the diverse crowd is what brings me back time and again. Some of you may be familiar with the original Rye House on 17th Street in New York City, which was opened by Our House Hospitality, which includes Dan Forrester and recently Jeffrey Skiba, who is the general manager of the Port Chester iteration. A 15-year industry veteran who lives right down the street from the Port Chester location, Skiba said the concept has developed since the eatery’s opening in late 2014. “At first we tried to mirror what was happening in the city,” he said. “We quickly realized that this is different. In Westchester, you can’t really get away with being bar-focused. You have to be food-focused.”
Rye House’s food has struck a good balance; you’ll find duck poutine to eat while you wait for the entrees, which includes a Korean fried chicken sandwich with gochujang sauce and pickled ginger. There’s some comfort food, too, like a truffle grilled fontina cheese on country white bread that I still think about; and “chef-driven” options like a hamachi “ceviche” with a red pepper coulis. “Rye House is the place where you can get really good drinks and food without the pretention or trying too hard,” Skiba said. “Yes, we’re easy and approachable and we wear jeans and sneakers, but we take what we do seriously.” More on the drin-ks later. Forrester, who discovered the building that Rye House occupies, has been in real estate for 25 years in New York City. A Rye Brook resident since 2000, Forrester said he chose Port Chester as the second location for Rye House, which is named after the American distilled spirit, because of the easy commute from the city, and the variety of ethnic food that was popping up in the village during that time. “This is an ideal place to have as home and have the amenities of the city, without [being in] the city,” he said. “I saw that [Port Chester] was
getting recognition as a food destination,” Forrester added, especially after Mario Batali came to town around 2007 opening Tarry Lodge. “Everything is right here.” Forrester spoke to his business partners, and convinced them to buy the corner property in the middle of the village, which around 2013 was “a neglected, ugly piece of retail.” The size of the location— there is also a lower level that can be rented out—was what sold them. Rye House’s cocktails like to trick those who don’t usually go for
Sarah Pyles, Rye House Port Chester’s bar manager, makes beet and lemongrass water and Thai basil syrup for two new cocktails. She makes a point to use ingredients with medicinal properties. Photo/Sibylla Chipaziwa
the darker side of liquor, myself included; I won’t go for a neat bourbon or whiskey. You can thank bar
Rye House Port Chester’s décor adds to the cozy, tavern-like atmosphere. Photo courtesy Sandro Art & Photography
The Korean fried chicken sandwich, made with gochujang sauce, pickled ginger, house slaw and cilantro on a challah bun, is one of the latest items on the food menu. Photo courtesy Jeff Skiba
manager Sarah Pyles, who started her career as a line cook after going to culinary school, but soon grew bored of the routine. “Cooking is very therapeutic for me,” she said, “and doing the exact same thing all the time was making my escape not as lovely.” Pyles got her first bartending job four years ago, at Barcelona in Stamford, Connecticut, and learned a plethora of techniques. That’s where she met Patrick Martin, Barcelona’s bar manager who left to head the bar at Rye House Port Chester, and has taught Pyles everything she knows. “He is ‘the mixologist,’” she said. “I always give him so much credit. I would not have the skill level [I do] without him.” Two new cocktails have recently been added to the menu; one of them, Grimm’s Landing, was created as a tribute to a close friend of hers who passed away unexpectedly. The drink is made with gin and black pepper sage syrup—her friend used to grow sage in his garden—and she would refer to him and his brother as the Brothers Grimm. “I try to change [the cocktails] as the season’s change,” Pyles said, adding that she uses ingredients with medicinal properties because she likes to stay fit; she practices Brazilian jujitsu. If you’re lucky to get a seat at the bar, you can’t help but watch Pyles and her crew at work. Whether you want a nice sit-down meal, or to knock back a few drinks at the bar while meeting new people, Rye House will sneak up on you in more ways than one, and you just may end up with a new favorite spot. CONTACT: sibylla@hometwn.com
RYE HOUSE PORT CHESTER 126 N. Main St., Port Chester, NY 10573 481-8771 • ryehousepc.com
12 • THE HARRISON REVIEW • June 9, 2017
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June 9, 2017 • THE HARRISON REVIEW • 13
Maryland resident hits casino jackpot
PROUD MEMBER of the James E. Dobson, of Maryland, won the $143,723 jackpot at Empire City Casino on May 27. Photo courtesy Facebook.com/empirecitycasino
James E. Dobson and his good friend Donzella Parker Bert made a four-hour bus trip from Stevensville, Maryland, to New York to visit Thelma Sligh, Bert’s aunt, to celebrate her 89th birthday over Memorial Day weekend. There was even greater merriment than anticipated when Dobson hit a $143,723 jackpot at Empire City Casino in Yonkers on May 27. “We hadn’t seen Aunt Thelma [Sligh] in three or four years, so we took the bus to New York, not wanting to deal with the holiday traffic,” Dobson explained. He said Sligh lives in Harlem and, “She wanted to go to the casino.” She and Bert share the same birthday, May 28. “It only took two spins,” said Bert, an avid casino-goer, who visits Delaware Park, the Horseshoe in Baltimore, and Dover Downs casinos. “I usually play the slots, for $5 to $10 spins, but this was the biggest jackpot I [have] ever hit.” As is customary, Dobson made a $10 wager on a $5 denomination machine, this time on the wildly popular Wheel of Fortune slot in the Gotham Palace for the big payday at 8 p.m. on Saturday. “We’ll be back,” he vows. Dobson, 76, is a retired welder, having spent 45 years at Grumman. He said that he was “Alone when I hit the jackpot. When they got back, they were so happy to see me win.” He reports that he gave them “A birthday present,” sharing part of the winnings, which he plans to invest. “I have scheduled a meeting with my broker.”
When not playing the slots or visiting Slight, Dobson is an avid fisherman, “I live on Chesapeake bay,” he says. He also enjoys hunting and bowling, but the slots have now become his most lucrative hobby. The Wheel of Fortune has been more than good to Empire City players from near and far. Just six days earlier, on May 21, James M. made a shorter trip from the Bronx to Yonkers, where he hit the jackpot of $149,931 at Empire City. The six-figure score was also made in the Gotham Palace on the Wheel of Fortune, just yards away from the slot machine where a New York State racetrack casino record $1,713,985 jackpot, as of May 30, is still waiting to be hit. James M. made a $6 wager on a $1 denomination machine to score at 4:23 p.m. The Empire City life-changer continues to soar. On May 9, it eclipsed $1.6 million for the first time in history. This record-breaker is ripe again for winning and is only available on two Wheel of Fortune slots at Empire City Casino. Who will be the next Howard G.? (Submitted)
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SPORTS
14 • THE HARRISON REVIEW • June 9, 2017
Softball not a hard sell LIVE MIKE Mike Smith
The best baseball game I watched all year wasn’t a major
league contest. It wasn’t a Section I playoff tilt, either. In fact, it wasn’t even technically “baseball.” On Monday night, softball teams from Oklahoma and Florida played the first game in a bestof-three College World Series fi-
nals. Seventeen innings and 5 1/2 hours later, Oklahoma came away with a thrilling 7-5 victory to put them just one win away from a second-straight national title. The game had it all; lead changes, fantastic pitching, momentum
Rye Neck’s Olivia Dunn throws a pitch during the Section I finals on May 27. After watching the 17-inning College Softball World Series game between Oklahoma and Florida on Monday night, Sports Editor Mike Smith is convinced that more people need to pay attention to softball. Photo/Mike Smith
shifts, sharp defense, and extra-inning heroics—about 10 innings worth of them—everything that makes baseball my favorite sport, just a little bit different. But taking in the last 11 innings of this classic showdown, I couldn’t help but wonder; was anyone else watching? I know my friends—inveterate baseball junkies—were. We had a text chain going from about the eighth inning on, dissecting the same minutiae we would be discussing if this were the Yankees and Red Sox squaring off in the ALCS. As a fan of our national pastime, it was absolutely impossible not to get sucked into a game that, as of 9 p.m., I didn’t even know was happening. But then I started thinking; when it comes to my coverage during the spring season, which would I rather spend two hours covering; baseball—a sport I played through college (and still do today)—or softball? And it’s softball, 100 percent. There’s something about softball, especially when both teams involved have a talented pitcher in the circle, that positively oozes the same sense of immediacy that old-school National League-type fans miss in baseball. Low scoring games, situational hitting, bunting and defense—capped off by the occasional home-run
blast—that’s why we love the game, isn’t it? And thinking back to this year’s Section I playoffs, we saw those kinds of games time and again, as evidenced by Eastchester, Mamaroneck and Rye Neck’s thrilling postseason runs. So why doesn’t college softball get more love from fans? Now, of course, the MLB is always going to be king when it comes to bat-and-ball sports in America. Recognizable stars and franchises, the longstanding tradition in our culture; I’m not expecting professional softball to leapfrog the majors in the national conversation. But as far as televised college athletics go, softball is imminently more watchable than its male-dominated counterpart, so I’d urge you to give it a chance. By the time you’re reading this article, the College Softball World Series will have already wrapped up, so it may be too late for this year. But next spring, if you’re looking for a good ballgame, don’t forget to check your local listings for a softball game. At the very least, it has to be better than watching the Mets.
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SPORTS
Carver to head Hudson Valley team By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor
On June 6, Mamaroneck head coach Tyrone Carver was picked to head the Hudson Valley team in the BCANY Summer Hoops Festival, which will take place later this summer. Carver previously served as an assistant in the tournament under former coach Bill Thom.
Four months after guiding his squad to a near first-round upset over eventual Section I runner-up Scarsdale, Mamaroneck basketball coach Tyrone Carver has a new gig—at least for the summer. On June 6, it was announced that Carver, who just finished his 12th year at the helm of the Tiger program, would be in charge of some of the area’s brightest stars, as he would take over head coaching duties of the Hudson Valley team in the upcoming Basketball Coaches Association of New York Summer Hoops Festival Tournament that will take place in August. Former Croton-Harmon coach Bill Thom, who previously ran the Hudson Valley team, was ineligible to resume his duties this year due
to his involvement as an assistant coach on the collegiate level at Birmingham-Southern, a Division III school in Alabama. But Carver’s past participation in the tournament and his prominence on the local basketball scene made him a natural fit. “They needed a replacement and I had previous experience of being on Coach Thom’s staff a couple of years ago,” Carver said. “It’s an honor for some of your colleagues to think that you can handle a position of this stature, and I want to thank [Lower Hudson Basketball Coaches Association] President Anthony Nicodemo for thinking that I was capable of this.” With the Summer
June 9, 2017 • THE HARRISON REVIEW • 15
Hoops Festival set to kick off in Johnson City on Aug. 4, Carver won’t have much time to ease into the position. The first of four tryouts for the Hudson Valley team will commence on June 8, after press time, at Hendrick Hudson High School. The team will eventually be made up of some of the top public and private school players from the immediate area. Carver said that he and his staff, which includes current Fox Lane head coach Mike Tomassi and Hen Hud JV coach Steve Purcigliotti, will be looking for those who possess the skills to match up with some of the state’s
Tyrone Carver prowls the sideline during a February playoff game against Scarsdale.
Tyrone Carver draws up a play for his Tiger team during the 2016-2017 season. Contributed photos
standout ballers but will also relish the opportunity of playing for the Hudson Valley. “We are obviously looking for talented players,” Carver said. “But we’re also looking for guys who this is going to mean something to; guys who will take pride in this process and play together and go for a gold.” The Hudson Valley’s last gold medal at the games came in 2014, but Carver maintains that, more often than not, the process can be just as fulfilling as the final result. “I think it’s a fun experience for some of our players to play with their friends who they may compete against, but don’t get to play with,” he said. “To come together, to play for the Hudson Valley, I think it means something to be a part of that.” CONTACT: sports@hometwn.com
16 • THE HARRISON REVIEW • June 9, 2017