Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
February 3, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 5 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Residents may file additional Ralph’s appeal By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Village Manager Slingerland to step down in March By JAMES PERO Staff Writer After nine years in the village of Mamaroneck, Manager Richard Slingerland will resign, taking on a new role as village administrator in Tarrytown, the Review has learned. “Mamaroneck is a great community,” Slingerland said. “I became aware of an opportunity in Tarrytown, looked into it, and I was offered the job.” According to village Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, who has served all four of his terms as mayor working in tandem with Slingerland, the manager’s departure marks a
loss for the village. “I enjoyed the time with [Slingerland],” Rosenblum said. “While we didn’t agree on several items, whether it be something specific or in general, I think he added to the recognition of the village.” According to a statement released by the village of Tarrytown, Slingerland was selected amongst eight finalists—down from 35 initial candidates—and will replace administrator Michael Blau, who has served Tarrytown for the last 17 years. Budget documents for 2015 and 2016 show that Blau’s adopted Tarrytown salary was $222,000 for that time period.
Slingerland’s resignation comes a little more than 10 days after the authorization of a contract with Novak Consulting Group, a performance assessment firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which would be tasked with providing a comprehensive evaluation of the village manager’s performance. According to documents provided to the village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees regarding the contract, the consulting group planned to conduct interviews with village board members, department heads and Slingerland in order to identify “strengths, weaknesses, and perceptions of effectiveness of the
village manager.” The $17,500 report, its findings, and recommendations from Novak are slated to be issued to the public on March 29. Slingerland said he will continue to operate under his current post as village manager until the end of March, and that he is not currently aware of any other prospective candidates to take his position. Currently, Slingerland is making $187,300 annually with the village. A new contract with Tarrytown, which was obtained by the Review, shows that Slingerland will earn $202,000. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
Unsatisfied with a review by the village’s land use boards, Mamaroneck residents rallying against Ralph’s Italian Ices—an ice cream shop which has been the subject of a lengthy zoning appeal—may launch a separate appeal after the village building inspector indicated the shop is not required to seek additional variances. According to resident Anthony Francella, who lives on Keeler Avenue, a street adjacent to Ralph’s—located on East Boston Post Road—residents maintain that several variances have fallen under the inspector’s radar. Among those items are the storefront’s use of lighted signs, parking within 10 feet of the street without setback, and a second driveway leading to a residential street. “This isn’t just a Keeler Avenue, Frank Avenue, issue,” Francella said. “This could happen in anyone else’s neighborhood.” The recommendation that Ralph’s isn’t required to seek additional variances was made clear through records obtained by residents via a Freedom of Information Law, FOIL, request showing village Building Inspector Dan Gray, in an email to Lester Steinman, a member of the village’s zoning board, recommending that “no new variances are required.” The letter also states that an
explanation for the lack of variances in the form of a “bulleted list” will follow. According to additional FOIL requests sent by residents, no such list was ever provided by the building inspector. Meg Yergin, a resident who has been involved in the appeal of Ralph’s zoning compliance, said that while residents have not yet filed the second appeal to the zoning board, but the document has been drafted and residents may still file depending on the outcome of an upcoming zoning board meeting. The second appeal would seek to hear the list of additional variances in front of the zoning board. Since the summer, when Ralph’s—a popular Staten Island-based chain—opened its first-ever Westchester County location in Mamaroneck, backlash from residents in proximity to the business has generated controversy, and ultimately an appeal of its license to operate. Specifically, residents grew increasingly alarmed by traffic conditions and noise, claiming that the storefront had been allowed to operate as a result of a misclassification as a retail establishment by the village Planning Department. While Ralph’s was granted a interim permit to operate with reduced hours in July after a zoning appeal process, residents still maintain APPEAL continued on page 8
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