Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
January 13, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 2 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Village supports Green Light driving initiative By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Assistant Editor
A ban on gun shows held at county facilities was pushed forward by Westchester County lawmakers this week following a razor-thin 9-8 partisan vote, but County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, may have the final say, as a veto looms large. For story, see page 6. Photo/Aaron Kershaw
Rye Town Park nets $265K surplus; restaurant still vacant By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer The Rye Town Park Commission is currently soliciting short-term, stopgap offers from vendors to operate the park’s vacant restaurant, and snack and concession stands in wake of Seaside Johnnies’ exit, but mem-
bers will not reveal any potential candidates until the submission deadline, according to the commission president. According to Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman, a Democrat and the president of the park commission, while the commission has received an undisclosed amount of verbal in-
quiries and several restaurateurs have viewed the park premises, the commission has decided to keep negotiations confidential until Jan. 12, the deadline to submit a letter of interest. While the commission has endured pressure to make a deal once the former operators of the park’s restaurant, Seaside
Johnnies, walked away, Zuckerman said the commission is no longer as worried about its current restaurant vacancy, following a positive financial year in 2016. He said the park commission pulled in a $265,000 surplus in revenue last year, which PARK continued on page 8
Following in the footsteps of the villages of Ossining and Port Chester, the village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees unanimously voted to support the Green Light NY initiative on Monday. The initiative, which aims to gain equal access to New York state driver’s licenses regardless of one’s immigration status, was first brought before the village board in December 2016 by the Community Resource Center, CRC. Formerly known as the Hispanic Resource Center, the CRC was founded in 1998 to help integrate immigrants into the community and provide services including youth and adult programs and a worker center. New York state currently prohibits hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses. The common denominator amongst the three communities in Westchester County that have adopted the initiative is a robust Hispanic population. According to 2010 U.S. Census data, Hispanics made up 41.4 percent of Ossining’s population; and in Port Chester, they comprise 59.4 percent. Both villages adopted the Green Light initiative in December 2016. Meanwhile, in the village of Mamaroneck, just under a
quarter of its population is Hispanic. Prohibited from obtaining driver’s licenses puts undocumented immigrants in a bind, as they cannot purchase or register a vehicle, or obtain car insurance, which affects one’s quality of life, including having difficulty getting to work and/or school, a hospital or a place of worship. There are concerns of high costs from accidents, safety on the roads from people driving without being licensed, and immigrants’ fears of being pulled over and ticketed for driving illegally. Tainya Flores, a village of Mamaroneck resident of 18 years, said Green Light NY caught her interest due to the number of immigrants without a reliable form of transport. “So many people are afraid to even drive in the town of Mamaroneck,” she said. “I think many people will have the opportunity to drive without any pressure or being scared.” The New York Immigration Coalition, a nonprofit organization with the aim to “unite immigrants, members and allies so all New Yorkers can thrive,” launched the Green Light NY: Driving Together campaign in 2016 to help undocumented immigrants outside of New York City. A similar initiative was launched in 2006; and in 2007, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, signed an INITIATIVE continued on page 11