Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
June 17, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 25 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Full GOP slate to vie for village board majority After the passing of a nationwide FDA regulation classifying all vapor products as tobacco products, vape manufacturers, retailers and consumers of the growing industry may be forced to find an alternative to their alternative. For story, see page 6. Photo/Suzy Berkowitz
By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Various factions move to ‘Raise the Age’ on convictions By JAMES PERO Staff Writer Statewide pleas to raise New York’s adult conviction age have begun to ruminate in Westchester County, attracting the voices of faith leaders, government officials and advocacy groups alike. And while the campaign— dubbed “Raise the Age,” which aims to increase the adult con-
viction age of New York state from 16 to 18 years old—has raised eyebrows, New York state still remains one of only two states in the U.S. with a 16-yearold threshold; the other being North Carolina. Though talks of reforming the age limitation may be somewhat new, the 16-year-old age threshold is anything but. As a part of the Family Court Act, authorized
in 1962 along with the creation of a New York state Family Court, children as young as 16 years old have been viewed as adults in the eyes of the state’s criminal justice system. But now, according to Allison Lake, the deputy director of the nonprofit Westchester Children’s Association, which joined the campaign to raise New York’s conviction age four
years ago, that 54-year statute is closer than ever to being overturned, and for youths statewide, the implications, she explained, could be significant. “The research shows us that young people who are involved in the adult criminal justice system are likely to reoffend,” Lake said. “They are also likely to AGE continued on page 8
With the imminent departure of two Democratic village trustees, Ilissa Miller and David Finch, Republicans will have a chance at three open seats this election cycle, and what the party hopes is its first board majority in five years. With board control hanging in the balance, the Mamaroneck Republican candidates—Joern Malte Stoeckhert, Dennis P. Cucinella and Maria DeRose—will be campaigning against one member on the Democratic slate with political experience and name recognition: Trustee Leon Potok. Joining Potok are political newcomers Keith Waitt and Victor Tafur to round out that party’s slate. Although the Republican ticket is largely new to politics—none of the candidates have held any elected office previously—all three hope to apply their experience gained through volunteering for the village’s volunteer committees. DeRose, 49, who is currently the chairwoman of Mamaroneck’s Ad Hoc Parking Committee and operations manager at Lorenz Sciences Group, a software engineering firm, said one of her focuses will be on ensuring the village’s fiscal responsibility. “I’d make sure that everyone’s tax dollars are spent in a respon-
sible way,” she told the Review. “And keep Mamaroneck a destination for everyone to enjoy.” Among the specific issues she hopes to tackle, DeRose said, are parking, flooding, and what she described as the “general wellbeing” of the village; issues reiterated by her fellow running mates. “I was born and raised in this village,” she said. “I want to keep the hometown feeling.” Although the candidates all agreed that both flooding and parking—issues that have plagued the village for decades—are high items of priority for their campaigns, for Stoeckhert, overregulation spurred by a cumbersome village code will be on his plate. “There are way too many rules and regulations in our village code,” Stoeckhert, 48, told the Review. “A lot of the rules are nonsense… I remember once when I had to replace a window in my house. I needed a permit for that.” Stoeckert is also the chairman of the village Board of Architectural Review and head of commercial real estate lending at NORD/LB, a prominent German bank. Cucinella, 69, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the village Board of Trustees as a Republican in 2012, said that among his major campaign issues will be GOP continued on page 3