Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
July 21, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 29 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Closure sparks wave of pro-Ralph’s protest By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
REACHING OUT
Project REACH held its first annual REACH at the Beach event to help raise awareness for drug addiction and raise money for organizations helping those with substance abuse problems. For story, see page 6. Photo courtesy DanaSimonePhotography.com
Jenkins collects signatures, primary with Latimer now official By JAMES PERO Staff Writer An intra-party battle for the Democratic Party’s nomination for county executive is fated after Westchester County Legislator Ken Jenkins, of Yonkers, easily cleared a major hurdle to trigger a primary. Last week, Jenkins submitted
petitions—almost three times the amount of signatures necessary to force a Democratic primary— to the county Board of Elections effectively pitting him against New York state senator and Democratic frontrunner in the race for the county’s top elected office, George Latimer, of Rye. “Since 2010 when [Rob] Astorino was in office, I’ve been the
one standing up for issues,” Jenkins, 55, told the Review. “Not everyone can say that.” Jenkins, a veteran of the county Board of Legislators, who served as the body’s chairman from 2010 to 2014, will face a formidable challenge in Latimer who secured 71 percent of district leaders’ vote at a countywide convention clinching the Dem-
ocratic nomination back in May, Latimer has also never lost an election in a political career that dates back to 1987. Like Jenkins, Latimer also served on the Board of Legislators, acting as the body’s chairman from 1998 to 2001. Already, Jenkins has started to PRIMARY continued on page 7
Despite a brief protest, Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream has officially closed its doors amidst revelations that the business had been operating without a permit from the Westchester County Department of Health. On Saturday, July 15—two days after the business was mandated to shut down by the village of Mamaroneck—Ralph’s, a popular Staten Island-based chain, officially ceased its 946 E. Boston Post Road operations with the looming threat of fines from the health department. According to village Trustee Keith Waitt, a Democrat, Ralph’s failed to renew its temporary certificate from the health department which expired in April and had remained in operation for more than two months after its expiration. “[Ralph’s owner Scott Rosenberg] is on his third lawyer in a week, and is asking for consideration to reopen,” Waitt said. “Without a health permit, this will not happen. A health permit cannot be issued unless all local violations are addressed and this is not going to be straightforward.” Following the closure of Ralph’s—which was denied a special permit by the village Zoning Board of Appeals to operate earlier this month following a
prolonged zoning review process—pro-Ralph’s protesters rallied outside the business and at public meetings. At a Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, July 17, Rosenberg decried the village’s decision to shutter his business. “It’s funny that you start with the pledge of allegiance—you know, liberty and justice for all,” said Rosenberg, whose Mamaroneck franchise was the first Ralph’s location in Westchester. “[You say] we’re such a friendly village, but it’s been anything but friendly to me.” According to members of the zoning board, who were tasked with reviewing the business after an appeal launched by residents last year, Ralph’s exacerbated traffic and noise conditions and as a result was determined to be unsuited for use in its encompassing C-1 zoning district. While many residents of the surrounding neighborhoods on both Keeler and Frank avenues— which sit adjacent to the formerly bustling business—decried unsafe conditions, noise and traffic spurred by Ralph’s, others have come to its defense following the rulings. In a Change.org petition that began to circulate last week, nearly 2,000 signed on in protest of the business’ closure. Last year, Ralph’s was found PROTEST continued on page 8