NEW FOIL WEBSITE: New York launches single web form for all Freedom of Information Law requests

Screenshot of New York's new transparency website
New York launches single web form for all Freedom of Information Law requests for 59 state agencies, that previously required sending emails or letters to each agency individually.

Transparency laws have always been a bit two-faced — they make the government’s information available, but often at the expense of time and money  from the person seeking it. A new website announced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday could go a long way to reverse that trend, providing a single form for making state Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL, requests across the 59 state government agencies.

The website is called Open FOIL NY and the governor’s office says it’s the first site in the nation to provide an online form allowing users to select multiple agencies for a single request. If the website succeeds, it could provide a more convenient option than the current process for FOIL requests in New York, which is to mail or email the “records access officer” of each agency. And the answer to how much a requests costs is usually, ” it depends .”

The website is an addition to a relatively expansive transparency portfolio led by the state’s Office of Information Technology Services, or ITS. Open NY contains a growing host of transparency initiatives that includes an open data portal health data portal , and budget portal .

New York’s chief information officer, Robert Samson, said in a press release that the new website is another example of how the state is “employing modern practices to promote efficiency and transparency.”

Beyond the public portal, the governor’s office has also announced plans to roll out new software, developed by ITS, that improves both the state’s backend for records requests and the public user experience.

New software that state agencies can use to process public records requests more easily will roll out over the next 12 months, according to the governor’s office. Agency websites will also be updated for “a more user-friendly interface” and to ensure consistency across agencies. An online tracking system, scheduled for launch in 2019, will provide users an account-based interface for submitting, tracking and receiving digital records.

In 2015, the Center for Public Integrity gave New York state a D-minus grade for transparency and accountability, though the grade derives heavily from an “unending string of scandals” and opaque accountability processes in Albany, and not explicitly from a shortage of freely available datasets.

In many states, making freedom-of-information requests remains a frustrating process with inconsistent results. Several third-party tools have been developed to overcome the problem, such as FOIA Machine, but these frequently are poorly supported and likewise have inconsistent results.

Cuomo says the state’s new website, though, will build on the success of Open NY and take a “giant leap forward, bringing the Freedom of Information Law into the 21st century.”

Bedford Town Clerk – Lisbeth “Boo” Fumagalli – 5 Stars

Image = Lisbeth %22Boo%22 Fumagalli Bedford clerk 24
Lisbeth “Boo” Fumagalli

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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Ms. Lisbeth Fumagalli was given some very challenging public documents to provide by Freedom of Information request. One document had to be researched by the town attorney creating a slight delay.

All of our FOIL Requests have been acknowledged and filled flawlessly by the Ms. Fumagalli

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests 

townclerk@bedfordny.gov

Or

lfumagalli@bedfordny.gov

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
321 Bedford Road
Bedford Hills, NY 10507

4. Experience:

Lisbeth “Boo” Fumagalli has been the Bedford Town Clerk for 14 years, but seems to to know how to respond to Freedom of Information requests for public documents.

Bea Rhodes ran for Town Clerk of Bedford in 2009 on the D/WFP lines and lost to Lisbeth Fumagalli

She lives in Bedford Hills, has two grown sons, and a new granddaughter.

FACEBOOK: Boo Ford Fumagalli

https://www.facebook.com/boo.fordfumagalli

5. From The Town Website:

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To obtain a marriage license in the Town of Bedford:

      1. Marriage licenses are issued by appointment only and both parties must come together. Hours are from 8:30 to 4 daily, Monday thru Friday. If you need an after-hours appointment, please call the Town Clerk to make arrangements.
      2. Bring the following documents with you:
        • An original birth certificate or certified duplicate issued by the registrar of vital statistics in the city where you were born. A photocopy is not acceptable.
        • Photo identification: a driver’s license, non-driver’s id or a valid passport.
        • If either of the applicants has been previously married, a certified copy of the decree of divorce, dissolution of marriage or death certificate is required. If there have been multiple previous marriages, this applies for each marriage. Note: If any of the documents listed are not written in English, the document must be translated by a certified translator. A number of translation services are listed in the yellow pages.
        • The fee for the license is $40.
        • There is a 24  hour waiting period after the license is issued in which you may not get married. The license is then valid for sixty days beginning the day after the license is issued.Reporting of Wild Animals

Chapter 680 of the Laws of 2002 enacted General Municipal Law 209-cc, requires the annual reporting of the presence of wild animals. The law states that each person owing, possessing, or harboring a wild animal as set forth in 209-cc must report its presence to the Town Clerk’s office on or before April 1 of each year. The town clerk will forward a copy of the completed report form to each state police troop, local police and fire department and ambulance/emergency services having jurisdiction over the hamlet where the wild animal resides. A copy of this law and form to report the Presence of Wild Animals is available at the Town Clerk’s office or can be found on this website under Resources/Forms & Applications under the heading Town Clerk.

Links

6. Media Reports

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DAILY VOICE: Bedford Town Officials Kick Off 2016 With New Terms

Officials in the town of Bedford began 2016 by taking their oaths of office to start their new terms.

Lee Roberts, a former supervisor who retired two years prior, officially rejoined the town board when she took her oath to become a councilwoman. Incumbent Supervisor Chris Burdick and incumbent Councilman Don Scott were each sworn following successful re-election victories in November.

Also sworn in, albeit it merely for ceremonial purposes, was Francis Corcoran…..

Please Read More Here:

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/news/bedford-town-officials-kick-off-2016-with-new-terms/616139/

 

BEDFORD REPUBLICANS: November 3rd, 2009 Election Results

Congratulations to Lee Roberts, Boo Fumagalli, Peter Chryssos, Francis Corcoran and Eric Jacobsen for their victories in the Local Bedford Elections on November 3rd, 2009.

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Bedford, New York

Image = Bedford_(town)_highlighted.svg

Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census. The town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford, and Katonah.

The town of Bedford was founded on December 23, 1680, when 22 Puritans from Stamford, Connecticut, purchased a tract of land three miles square known as the “Hopp Ground” from Chief Katonah and several other Native Americans for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth.

Bedford was made a part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square. Only when KingWilliam III of England issued a royal decree in 1700 settling a boundary dispute did Bedford become part of New York.

The town served as the county seat of Westchester County during the American Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains, until Bedford was burned by the British in July 1779.

After the Revolution, Bedford was made one of two seats of county government, alternating with White Plains, until 1870. Westchester County’s oldest government building is the Court House in Bedford village, which was built in 1787 and renovated in the 1960s.

The Bedford Village Historic District, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Palmer-Lewis Estate, and The Woodpile are listed on the National Register of Historic Places…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_(town),_New_York

Area: 39.42 mi²

Elevation: 381′

Population: 17,335 (2010)

Area code: 914

More Information About Bedford, NY

The Town of Bedford traces its origins to a land transaction, which occurred on December 23, 1680. It was on that date that 22 Puritan men from Stamford, Connecticut purchased land of roughly three miles square known as the “Hopp Ground”. The lands were bought from the native Mohegan Indian Chiefs for an assortment of coats, blankets and wampum totaling “46 pounds 16 shillings and ten pence.” A copy of the original deed is displayed in the Town House lobby. The new “proprietors” promptly set about to lay out their new settlement, planning for a meeting house, grist mill on the nearby Mianus River, and a burying ground.

Today’s Village Green, the graveyard and surrounding principal roadways remain substantially as they were originally planned in 1681. In 1682 the Connecticut Colony legislature established the name of Bedford for the new settlement. As there is no evidence of a linkage of the settlers to Bedford, England, it is thought that the name was chosen by the legislators in accordance with its principle of keeping alive the memory of England. For the next 18 years, as both the colonies of Connecticut and New York grew, a dispute developed as to which colony Bedford belonged. In 1700, by Royal Decree, King William III established that Bedford was “henceforth and forever” part of the royal colony of New York. By 1723, through additional purchases from Chief Katonah and other Mohegan chiefs the Town had grown to over thirty-six square miles. Bedford’s population also grew rapidly. In 1710, but only 156 residents were listed.

By 1790, the population was 2,470 persons. Bedford was part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square and it wasn’t until England’s King William issued a royal degree in 1700, to settle a boundary dispute that Bedford became part of New York.

The Town’s importance grew during the Colonial period and it was a model for town meetings and self government. Bedford served as the wartime Westchester County seat during the Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains and until Bedford was burned by the British on July 11, 1779.

THE HAMLETS Three distinct hamlets, each with its own “personality” and rich history, make up the Town of Bedford. The original 1680 Bedford settlement was in BEDFORD VILLAGE in the southeastern portion of the Town, with its Village Green and historic buildings dating to the 18th and early 19th centuries. Among these are the 1787 Court House and several homes built after the British burned the village during the Revolution. In 1972, the Bedford Village Historic District was established by local ordinance and is listed on both the New York State and the National Register of Historic Places. The burying ground, established in 1681, was apparently still in use after the Colonial period as the latest headstone dates to 1885. A museum in the Court House is open to the public. A museum in the Court House, which is maintained by the Bedford Historical Society, contains exhibits of Bedford’s history and is open to the public.

KATONAH named after Chief Katonah, this hamlet was once located several miles to the north. It was moved to accommodate the expansion of the watershed for New York City. As a result of the move in the late 1890s, and the rebuilding of a new town, the largely preserved architecture provides an attractive glimpse of the Victorian era. The Katonah Village Improvement Society, which still exists today, provided direction for the move, and landscaping for the “new Katonah” was largely the work of the renowned firm of G.S. and B.S. Olmstead. In 1983, the Historic District of Katonah was listed on the New York State and National registers of Historic Places. Katonah is a vibrant hamlet with a lively and most attractive commercial area. Additionally, it is widely known as home to the Caramoor Music Festival, the Katonah Museum of Art (formerly The Katonah Gallery), and the John Jay Homestead.

BEDFORD HILLS, originally known as Bedford Station, this hamlet grew up in the mid nineteenth century, primarily to serve Bedford Village. Following the Civil War it grew to be a transportation and commercial hub for the area. By the early twentieth century residents of farms and estates in the broader area of the hamlet, petitioned the Town to change the name to Bedford Hills. A Centennial celebration of this event occurred in May of 2010. Bedford Hills extends from its bustling business center at the railroad station to farms and estates as it spreads eastward along Harris, Babbitt and Bedford Center Roads, and south along the Route 117 business corridor toward Mount Kisco. The Community House (originally built to serve the needs of returning World War I veterans) is located in Bedford Hills, as is the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the largest women’s prison in New York State. Bedford Hills is the seat of Town government and home to the Town House, built in 1927.

THE GOVERNMENT

The Town of Bedford, a municipal corporation and a Town of the First Class under the Laws of the State of New York, is governed by a five-member Town Board which functions as the legislative body of the Town and is responsible for the “health, safety and welfare” of its residents. The Board is composed of four Town Councilmen, each elected to a four-year term, and the Supervisor. The Supervisor, who functions as the Chief Fiscal Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Town, is elected to a two-year term. A Deputy Supervisor is appointed to assist with the varied duties of the Supervisor’s Office in their absence. In addition to its legislative responsibilities, the Town Board sets Town policy and is responsible for the adoption of the Town budget each fall. The Town Board also makes appointments to the various boards and advisory groups that operate within the framework of the Town’s government. Among these groups are the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Wetlands Control Commission, Conservation Board, Drug Abuse Prevention Council, Energy Advisory Panel and the Historic and Recreation advisory groups.

We often have openings on these and other Town Boards/Commissions and Committees all of which can be found on the Town’s web site (www.BedfordNY.gov). Letters of interest to should be sent to the Town Supervisor at Supervisor@BedfordNY.gov or mailed to the Supervisor’s Office at 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, NY 10507. Traditionally, the Town Board meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 8pm in the Town House in Bedford Hills, except when a holiday causes rescheduling. All meetings are open to the public and only certain, legally sensitive subjects, as defined by the New York State Freedom of Information Act, may be discussed in executive session. Agendas and minutes of these meetings can be found at www.BedfordNY.gov/html/meetings.html. The Town of Bedford, its 39.3 square miles embracing the three hamlets in the rolling hills and rugged topography of northern Westchester County continues to adhere to the objectives of its Town Plan calling on the Town to continue as a predominantly residential community of exceptional character.

TOWN OFFICES Bedford’s town government offices are located in two buildings located at 321, Bedford Road and 425 Cherry Street in Bedford Hills where residents can find almost every necessary municipal service. Offices are open weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The Town’s website is www.BedfordNY.gov. Detailed information is available on the website for all departments and services or call the Town Clerk’s office at 666-4534 and we will help direct you.

The Town House building at 321 Bedford Road houses the following offices:

The ASSESSOR’S OFFICE (Assessor@BedfordNY.gov) can help a resident find out about the assessment on their home and property. Questions about current taxes, overdue taxes, and tax rates can be answered in the RECEIVER OF TAXES OFFICE (Receiver@BedfordNY.gov) where school bills may be paid in September & January and where Town and County tax bills may be paid in April.

The SUPERVISOR’S OFFICE (Supervisor@BedfordNY.gov) is the busiest in the Town House and where the Supervisor, as Chief Executive Officer, oversees the Town’s day-to-day operations. The statutory duties of the Supervisor are only a small part of the tasks which accrue to this role as community and intercommunity leader.

The PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT (Personnel@BedfordNY.gov) is most employees’ first exposure to the Town of Bedford. Openings for employment as well as managing promotional opportunities and benefits for current employees are also done in this office.

The COURT CLERK’S OFFICE (Court@BedfordNY.gov) is where you would pay any parking ticket issued in the Town. Two Town Justices hold sessions of Criminal Court, Civil Court and Traffic Court. Any one wishing to sue in Small Claims Court, where claims cannot exceed $3,000, should visit this office.

And tucked away on the top floor of the Town House is the TOWN HISTORIAN’S OFFICE (Historian@BedfordNY.gov) which is open limited hours by appointment.

At 425 Cherry Street, you will find the following services:

First Floor:

The Bedford RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT (Recreation@BedfordNY.gov) offers a comprehensive variety of programs and services year round for residents of all ages. In addition to the Town’s three active parks and Dog Park, this department maintains bikeways, greenbelts, historic properties, administers the Meals-On-Wheels program as well as offering a lively seniors program. In each hamlet the department oversees a summer day camp program for elementary school children and a Tiny Tots program for preschool children. A copy of the latest brochure is available at: www.BedfordNY.gov/html/recreation.html.

Second Floor: The FINANCE OFFICE (Finance@BedfordNY.gov) headed by the Town Comptroller, assists in the creation and administration of the Town’s budget, pays the Town’s bills and oversees payroll for the nearly 173 employees. The WATER DEPARTMENT (Water@BedfordNY.gov), a part of the Department of Public Works, is responsible for four water districts serving Bedford. The Cedar Downs District serves approximately 62 customers in the ‘”Stanwood” area of town with a single well and storage tank. Nearly 2,200 homes in sections of Bedford Hills and Katonah are served by the Consolidated Water District while the Farms District in Bedford Village serves 82 customers and The Old Post Road District services 44.

On the Third Floor you will find: The PLANNING DEPARTMENT (Planning@BedfordNY.gov) and Director of Planning should be the first point of inquiry regarding any special permits and property questions relating to subdivisions or any change of use of land or buildings. The Planning Board oversees the planning and development of the Town. In addition, the Planning Department works closely with the WETLANDS CONTROL COMMISSION (Wetlands@BedfordNY.gov) also on the third floor. The office of the BUILDING INSPECTOR and BUILDING DEPARTMENT (Building@BedfordNY.gov) is where requests for building permits, certificates of compliance or occupancy should be directed while the ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS (Zoning@BedfordNY.gov) office can assist a resident wishing to appeal a decision by the Planning Board, Building Inspector or Town Board, depending on the issue.

307 Bedford Road is the home of: The Town’s full-time POLICE DEPARTMENT (BedfordPolice@BedfordNY.gov) consists of 40 full-time sworn officers. In addition to the Chief of Police, there are three Lieutenants, six patrol Sergeants, one Detective Sergeant, four Detectives (including a Youth Officer), one School Resource Officer, one civilian dispatcher, two part-time civilian dispatchers, one full-time Parking/Dog Control Officer, one full-time and one part-time Parking Enforcement Officer, one full-time Office Assistant, one part-time Records Clerk, five school crossing guards, and one fulltime Community Service Worker. The Police Department is a full-service agency providing patrol and investigative services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The department is also the primary 911 answering point for the Town and provides its own police dispatching. The department participates in the DARE program, Westchester County STOP-DWI Program and hosts the Westchester County Zone 5 Arson Investigation Team. The Department also has an Accident Investigation Team, CERT Program, Drug Recognition Experts, Bicycle Patrol Unit, and provides most of its own in-service training with in-house Training Instructors. A police Explorer program was established in 2010 to attract teens to the law enforcement profession. The department also provides inspections of child safety seats free of charge.

301 Adams Street:

Maintenance of the Town’s 120 miles of roads, including 32 miles of dirt roads, is the responsibility of a full-time HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT (Highway@BedfordNY.gov) which has its office and garage on Adams Street, Bedford Hills, and a garage facility on Crusher Road, Bedford Village. The department’s 23 members, directed by the Commissioner of Public Works, are responsible for drainage work, snow removal and maintenance of bridges and commuter parking lots.

BOARDS Residents are encouraged to play an active role in the Town and those interested in serving on the various boards, whether regulatory or advisory, should communicate that interest to the Supervisor (Supervisor@BedfordNY.gov) or any member of the Town Board.

REGULATORY BOARDS

True to its New England tradition of self government and service, the Town of Bedford is served by several boards of volunteer citizens who give their time and energy in a multitude of capacities to oversee and administer the Town’s various ordinances and local laws.

The first Zoning Law in Bedford was adopted in 1681 and it decreed that no house lot should be less than three acres. The regulations today, detailed in the Town’s Zoning Ordinance and Town Development Plan, are much more complex and deal extensively and sensitively with today’s environmental and human concerns. The Town’s various regulations, ordinances and local laws are published in the Code of the Town of Bedford which is available on-line at our web-site, in each of the three hamlets’ libraries and can also be purchased at the Town Clerk’s Office.

The planning and zoning policies provide for the development of the Town as a predominantly low density residential community with a limited amount of higher density and multi-family residences and non-residential support facilities in appropriate areas.

The PLANNING BOARD (http://www.bedfordny.gov/html/boards_planning.html) oversees the planning and development approval processes. Any subdivision of property within the Town must be reviewed and approved by this board, which is also responsible for reviewing site plans, new roads, and new commercial and multi-family residential buildings. The five members of this board are appointed to five-year terms by the Town Board.

Variances to the Zoning Ordinance must be granted by the five-member ZONING BOARD OF APPEAL (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/boards_zoning.html) which meets on a regular basis in open meetings in the Town House at 425 Cherry Street on the first Wednesday of each month. Additionally, it is the responsibility of this board to decide appeals from any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official or agency charged with enforcing the Zoning Ordinance. ZBA members serve five-year terms.

After adopting a Wetlands Ordinance in 1973, the Town Board created the WETLANDS CONTROL COMMISSION (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/comm_wetlands.html) to implement the intent of that ordinance. This five-member Commission is charged with reviewing and recommending action on matters referred by other boards, including the Town, Planning and Zoning boards. The Commission’s main responsibility is to decide on the issuance of permits for any work in or around wetlands as defined on the Town’s official Wetlands Map. The members of the Wetlands Control Commission serve three-year terms.

VOLUNTARY BOARDS

The CONSERVATION BOARD (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/boards_conservation.html), a 9-member board, was created to advise on the development, management and protection of natural resources, to keep an inventory and map defining the Town’s open space, to be involved in projects, such as recycling, which have an effect on the environment. The members, appointed by the Town Board, serve 2-year term.

Also serving the Town, the RECREATION AND PARKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/boards_rec_advisory.html), a 9-member panel serving in an advisory capacity to the Recreation and Parks Department. This committee, whose members are drawn from all 3 hamlets, meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month.

BLUE MOUNTAIN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/boards_blue_mountain.html) serves the Town of Bedford as a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote diversified housing while at the same time preserving the integrity of the community plan. The members of Blue Mountain also serve on the BEDFORD HOUSING AGENCY, a public agency created to administer all facets of moderate income housing from tenant selection to rent increases.

DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION COUNCIL www.BedfordNY.gov/html/boards_drug_abuse.html a 5-member volunteer group provides the community and its schools with programs to prevent the abuse of drugs and alcohol by youth and adults alike. The Council, funded by three towns: Town of Bedford, Pound Ridge and Lewisboro along with New York State, provides a direct drug education service and addresses the underlying causes of drug abuse.

The regulations of the KATONAH AND BEDFORD VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICTS are within the purview of their respective HISTORIC DISTRICT REVIEW COMMISSIONS which are charged with maintaining the character of their respective Districts by overseeing new building, reconstruction, alternations or demolition of existing structures. In addition, the Town has a HISTORIC BUILDING PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, established in 2003 to help preserve the historical, archeological, architectural and cultural heritage of the Town. To obtain more information or contact any of these committees, please contact the Building Department at 666-8040 or Building@BedfordNY.gov.

The Town of Bedford is committed to energy conservation and to that end has appointed an ENERGY ADVISORY PANEL (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/green.htm). With their help the Town has committed to reducing its carbon footprint 20% by 2020 to promote a sustainable community. Be sure to take a look at all the energy saving tips and information on our website
(www.BedfordNY.gov/html/green_tips.htm).

In addition, the Town has a RECYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/committees_recycling.html) formed in 1990 which is responsible for the formation of our recycling center at 301 Adams Street, Bedford Hills, as well as an educational brochure for our residents.

The mission of the Town’s COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE is to provide recommendations to the Town Board in areas such as cable franchise agreements and possible television/web casting of Town meetings.

The Town is committed to preserving its history and has recently appointed a CEMETERY COMMISSION to develop a master plan for restoring and preserving the Town’s more than 30 cemeteries. Since 1997 we have had a TREE ADVISORY BOARD (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/boards_tree_advisory.html) which acts as an advisory group to the Town and its residents on matters related to preservation, planting and removal of trees.

OTHER INFORMATION ANIMALS Dogs: Owning a dog in the Town of Bedford comes with its rewards but also its responsibilities. Restrictions are not only on the animal but on his owner as well. These regulations are detailed in the Dog Control Ordinance, Chapter 48 of the Town Code. All dogs 4 months and older must be licensed. License applications are on our website: www.BedfordNY.gov/html/forms.html scroll to Town Clerk or in the Town Clerk’s Office at the Town House, 321 Bedford Road.

The Town charges a local fee in addition to the State fee. Dogs are not allowed to run unfettered in any Town park (except Canine Commons at Beaver Dam Park with a valid permit) or in the hamlet business areas. A Dog Control Officer is employed by the Town and, along with the Police Department, is empowered to enforce the ordinance.

DOGS ARE NOT allowed to:
o Engage in excessive loud howling or barking
o Damage property or commit a nuisance
o Chase, harass or intimidate any person
o Habitually chase or bark at motor/moving vehicles, bicycles, or other animals,
o Run at large when in season o Attack, bite, molest, or maul any person.

Dogs violating these restrictions may be seized by the Dog Control Officer and a summons may be issued that is answerable in the Town Court.

Cats: Cats do not need licenses in Bedford and you will find additional information on keeping animals in Bedford, in the Town Code, Chapter 125. Horses: Horses are permitted in two and four-acre residential areas with two acres being required for the first horse and one acre for each additional horse. The Zoning Ordinance should be consulted regarding the keeping of horses.

CABLE COMPANIES: You may contact Cablevision, (914) 962-4444, (www.cablevision.com) or Verizon, (914) 741-8740, (www22.verizon.com). Both companies offer TV services and have a franchise agreement with the Town of Bedford. CIVIC GROUPS: Civic Groups abound in all the hamlets, they are all described in a wonderful book called; Bedford….”Our Town” which can be found at www.BedfordNY.gov/html/comm-resources.html.

CULTURE: The cultural life of Bedford — and northern Westchester County — is enhanced significantly by the presence of The Katonah Museum of Art, (www.katonahmuseum.org) formerly the Katonah Gallery, considered the premier gallery north of New York City, and Caramoor (www.Caramoor.org) an outstanding center for musical performances during the summer months and educational opportunities year round.

These two cultural landmarks bring to the northern county performances and exhibits of national importance.

The John Jay Homestead, (www.johnjayhomestead.org) the retirement home of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States and twice governor of New York State, was occupied by his descendants until 1958 when it was purchased by Westchester County and turned over to New York State. The Homestead, now a State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark, has been restored and refurnished with authentic heirlooms and is known for its collection of American portraits by artists such as Gilbert Stuart. The Homestead is open to the public and guided tours of the house and grounds can be arranged by appointment. Special events include frequent musical concerts, craft programs and Christmas program.

Westmoreland Sanctuary (www.westmoreland.org) is just one of several natural areas throughout Bedford which promotes preservation throughout the region.

With two-thirds of its 625 acres in Bedford, Westmoreland offers a variety of activities and lectures whose topics range from pond ecology to camp cooking. A 200 year old building, a former Presbyterian Church from Bedford Village, was reconstructed at the Chestnut Ridge Road entrance in 1973, and serves as the sanctuary’s museum and nature center.

The Mianus River Gorge Preserve, our nation’s oldest Natural History Landmark and The Nature Conservancy’s pioneer land project, maintains a five mile hiking trail through a pre-colonial hemlock forest and 555 acres at the end of Mianus Road.

The Audubon Society (www.BedfordAudubon.org) conducts bird walks periodically at the 28 acre Palmer H. Lewis Wildlife Sanctuary off Route 121. The Agnes and Eugene Meyer Nature Preserve off Oregon Road are open for hiking and nature study as are the Marsh, Butler and Beaver Dam sanctuaries.

Bedford is served by New York City newspapers, radio, television and cable televisions stations as well as several local newspapers and a Mount Kisco radio station, WVIP.

ELECTRIC AND GAS: Currently both New York State Gas and Electric (www.NYSEG.com) and Con Edison (www.ConEd.com) service the Town of Bedford, depending on where you live. Please check with previous homeowner or a neighbor to determine which supplier you should contact.

FIRE PROTECTION AND AMBULANCE SERVICE: In each of the three hamlets fire protection is provided through the efforts of the wholly volunteer Fire Departments providing round-the-clock fire protection to the Town’s residents 365 days a year: Bedford Village Fire Department (www.bedfordfire.com); Bedford Hills Fire Department (www.bedfordhillsfd.org); and Katonah Fire Department (www.katonahfd.org). The Bedford Village Fire Department also provides an ambulance service while emergency ambulance service in Bedford Hills and Katonah is provided through the Katonah-Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps (www.kbhvac.org). GARBAGE: Garbage pick up in the Town is by private carter. Call the Town Clerk’s office (666-4534) for a list of properly registered garbage companies to operate within the Town of Bedford. In addition, for those “seniors” (60+) we offer a Senior Refuse disposal program. The program allows for disposal of plastic bagged, non-recyclable refuse at the Town Recycling Center, Adams Street, Bedford Hills (241-2671), Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8am to 3pm. Coupons may be purchased at the Town Clerk’s Office, five coupons for $25.

LEAF PICK UP: The Public Works Department will pick up leaves year-round on properties of one acre or less. These materials must be placed for pickup out at curbside in biodegradable (i.e. paper) bags. Branches (smaller than 3” diameter or 3’ or less in length) bundled and tied will be picked up as well. Bundles and bags must not weigh more than 50lbs. Non-bio-degradable matter such as rocks, bricks, drywall, rubbish or dirt may not be placed in leaf bags. Residents who have bagged leaves or branches out for curbside pickup should notify the Public Works Department: 666-7669. Leaf pick up is accomplished on a first-come, first-servebasis. Residents are asked to keep in mind this service is provided as courtesy and other overriding priorities such as storms and scheduled large construction projects may impact the timeliness of curbside pickup.

The Public Works Department also picks up loose leaves piled and left at the curb from October 1 to November 15 during leaf season (at any other time of the year, leaves must be bagged). The goal of the Department of Public Works will be to visit each neighborhood on a bi-weekly basis. However, due to weather and other scheduling factors, it is difficult to predict the precise time the leaf pickup crew will visit a particular street. Residents may view the leaf pickup schedule posted during leaf season on the Town’s website’s What’s New page.

LIBRARIES: Each hamlet has its own library operated by a Board of Trustees. These libraries, associated with the Westchester Library System, have the ability to reach beyond their own walls by means of the County-wide automated circulation system, Westlynx.

The Bedford Hills Free Library (666-6472) first opened in 1915 in two rooms above a hamlet shoe store. The library moved to its present site, a 140-year-old building, at 26 Main Street in March, 1952.

For more than 100 years the Katonah Village Library (232-3508) has been serving this hamlet and is also home to the Katonah Historical Museum, founded in 1980 to preserve the hamlet’s history. The library boasts the area’s largest reference collection and an active Children’s Library.

The Bedford Village Library (234-3570), housed since 1903 in the former home of The Bedford Academy on the Village Green, traces its earliest beginnings to the Bedford Circulating Library.

MEALS ON WHEELS: Homebound residents unable to prepare meals and have no one to do so for him or her may be eligible for a hot midday meal. Call the Recreation Department at 666-7203 for more information.

MEDICAL SERVICES: Northern Westchester Hospital Center serves the health needs of northern Westchester offering a wide range of support and community services in addition to a modern hospital facility. There are several medical groups and many private physicians in our town and surrounding towns. Please consult your local phone book for names and addresses.

The District Nursing Association serves the region and is available to provide inhome services while ambulance service is provided on a volunteer basis throughthe Bedford Village Fire Department and the Katonah-Bedford Hills Ambulance Corps. in addition to a commercial service in Mount Kisco.

Counseling services are available through the Northern Westchester Guidance Clinic where teens are involved, and the Northern Westchester Shelter offers services in instances of family abuse. Four Winds Hospital is a psychiatric facility in Katonah, and the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla is within convenient driving distance.

PARKING: We have parking lots in each hamlet to facilitate shoppers, employees and commuters. Information on the permitted lots and metered daily parking is available at www.BedfordNY.gov/html/d_parking.html.

SCHOOLS: Bedford is served by three exceptional public school districts and several private schools. The largest public district is Bedford Central School District which also serves Pound Ridge and Mount Kisco. Byram Hills School District serves a small area in southeast Bedford and the Katonah-Lewisboro School District serves nearly all of Katonah. Both private and parochial schools are also available to Bedford residents.

SENIOR PROGRAMS: The Recreation and Parks Department offers a variety of programs for seniors. For information on program offerings and schedules, please call 914-666-7203 or check our website (www.BedfordNY.gov/html/recreation.html) for the latest Recreation brochure.

SNOW REMOVAL: The Public Works Department is responsible for plowing snow on all roads in the Town that are not owned by the State or County or that are Private Ways. On-street parking is prohibited in the Town from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am from November 15 through April 1 of each year. Snow Removal Policy for residents: No owner or occupant of any premises abutting any Town street shall throw, place or deposit any snow or ice into or on any such street, with the exception that the same may be deposited in the gutter (i.e. the area extending 3’ out from the edge of the road/curb), only in the event that there is no facility to deposit the same on the premises. It is against the law to throw or place snow from private property onto a roadway or to plow across the street. In general, in residentially zoned areas, the Town is responsible for snow and ice removal on sidewalks. In commercial areas, the owners and/or occupant of premises abutting and/or bordering on paved sidewalks along town streets shall remove all ice and/or snow from the sidewalks, or in the case of ice which may be so frozen, thoroughly cover it with sand, within twelve hours.

WHO TO CALL

Call the BUILDING DEPARTMENT if you plan to renovate or build an addition to your house, change the electrical or plumbing systems, install a fence or take down a tree. In many cases, you will need a permit – better to be safe than sorry!

Call the CONSERVATION BOARD with questions about environmental constraints on your property. Does it have or adjoin steep slopes, swamps, streams? Will trees be clear cut? Is your land in the Critical Environmental Area? Aquifer Protection Zone? One hundred year Flood Zone? Ask to see the Natural Resources Index Maps and other Town studies that may include your property.

Call the HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT if you are thinking of putting in a new driveway, building a new fence or stonewall along a Town right of way, or putting in a new driveway with a new curb cut on a public road.

Call the HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION if you live in the Bedford Village or Katonah Historic Districts, before you make plans to change the appearance of your home or your property.

Call the PLANNING BOARD if you are considering subdivision of your property, an accessory apartment or any change of use of a commercial building.

Call the TOWN CLERK if you need a dog license, dog park permit, marriage license, hunting license, fishing license, or need to register to vote or are unsure who or where to call. We will try our best to steer you in the right direction. We provide copies of all ordinances in the Town Code as well as maps of our Town, biking trails and information for resources throughout Westchester County.

Call the WETLANDS CONTROL COMMISSION if your property contains wetland, moving water or adjoins a wetland and you are considering any physical changes within 100’ of these areas.

TOWN OFFICES TELEPHONE DIRECTORY Department Number Contact Department Number Contact Alarms 666-7273 Alex O’Connor Police Non-Emergency 241-3111 Chief Bill Hayes Assessor 666-5149 Harry Girdlestone Police Emergency – Call 911 Building Dept 666-8040 Steve Fraietta Public Works 666-7669 Kevin Winn Conservation Board 666-4434 Simon Skolnik Receiver of Taxes 666-4475 Amy Pectol Court Clerk 666-6965 Nancy Artese Recreation Dept 666-7004 Bill Heidepriem Dog Control Officer 666-4855 Ray Teetsel Recycling Center 241-2671 Drug Abuse Prevention 234-3227 Patty Warble Senior Citizen Line 666-7203 Jim Whiting Finance Office 666-8283 Edward Ritter Supervisor 666-6530 Chris Burdick Highway Dept 666-7669 Foreman: Andy Rosafort Town Clerk 666-4534 Boo Fumagalli Historian 666-4745 John Stockbridge Water Dept 666-7855 Bill Nickson Parking Permits & Meters 666-8097 Jacqueline Johnson Wetlands Control Comm 666-5140 Andrew Messinger Personnel Office 864-0045 Joan Gallagher Planning 666-4434 Jeffrey Osterman Zoning Board of Appeals 666-4585 Peter Michaelis Planning Board 666-4434 Deirdre Courtney-Batson Additional Important Telephone Numbers: Bedford Central School District 241-6000 Bedford Hills Fire Department 666-8253 Bedford Hills Library 666-6472 Bedford Village Fire Department 234-3133 Bedford Village Library 234-3570 Katonah-Bedford Hills Ambulance C 232-5872 Katonah-Lewisboro School District 763-7000 Katonah Fire Department 232-4570 Katonah Village Library 232-3508

LOCAL, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPERVISOR Chris Burdick Two year term ending 12/31/15 Supervisor@BedfordNY.gov 914-666-6530 / FAX: 914-666-5249 TOWN BOARD Francis T. Corcoran Town Board Member Term ending 12/31/17 FCorcoran@BedfordNY.gov David Gabrielson Town Board Member Term ending 12/31/15 DGabrielson@BedfordNY.gov Mary Beth Kass Town Board Member Term ending 12/31/17 EVKass@Optonline.net Town Clerk Lisbeth (Boo) Fumagalli Term ending 12/31/17 321 Bedford Road TownClerk@BedfordNY.gov 914-666-4534 / FAX: 914-666-5249 Town Justices Court@BedfordNY.gov 914-666-6965 / Fax: 914-666-2490 Erik Jacobsen David Menken Term ending 12/31/17 Term ending 12/13/16 Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni 110 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd White Plains, NY 10601 914-995-3080 cclerk@westchestergov.com Executive Robert P. Astorino 148 Martine Avenue White Plains, NY 10601-3327 914-995-2900 ce@westchestergov.com Legislator – 2nd District Peter Harckham (D) West. County Building 148 Martine Ave. White Plains, NY 10601 914-995-2810 Harckham@westchesterlegislators.com New York State Senate – 37th District George S. Latimer (D) 222 Grace Church Street, Suite 300 Port Chester, NY 10573 914-934-5250 latimer@nysenate.gov New York State Assembly – 93rd District David Buchwald (D) 125-131 East Main Street, Suite 204 Mt. Kisco, NY 10549 914-244-4450 buchwaldd@assembly.state.ny.us United States Senate Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D) 531 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510 202-224-4451 http://gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/ United States Senate Charles E. Schumer (D-IN-L) 757 Third Ave., Rm. 17-02 New York, NY 10017 212-486-4430 senator@schumer.senate.gov United States House of Representatives 18th Congressional District Sean P. Maloney (D) 123 Grand Street Newburgh, NY 12550 845-561-1259 https://seanmaloney.house.gov/contact/email-me

According to Bedford’s town clerk Lisbeth “Boo” Fumagalli, by law, owners of wild animals are required to report them every year. The law states that each person owning, possessing or harboring a wild animal must report its presence to the town clerk’s office by the end of April.

https://vimeo.com/156979790

Cortlandt Town Clerk – Joann Dyckman – 5 Stars

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Joann Dyckman

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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To date Joann Dyckman has been given two difficult FOI requests all were responded to a delivered in 60 hours or less.

Ms. Dyckman Clearly has one of the most informative Town Clerk Webpages in Westchester County.

The Cortlandt Clerks office is professionally run with a consumer friendly approach that serves the town residents well.

With nearly two decades of responsive service using bold public access initiatives. She has set on of the highest standards in Records management techniques in Westchester County by moving to automated records retention, instantly scanning and transmitting electronically, transcribe minutes using streaming video.

Clearly Ms.Dyckman is a dependable and proven full-time public service to clearly understands New York States freedom of Information Laws and the need for accountability and transparency in local government.

If we could we would give Ms. Dyckman’s Office six stars, but our FOI Compliance Scale only goes to five stars.

But we are holding two thumbs up as we announce that JoannDyckman is one of Westchester’s 5 Star Clerks.

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Ms. Dyckman’s other civic service activities include:

Cortlandt Waterfront Preservation Committee
Cortlandt Advanced Life Support Committee
Committee for Respect & Toleration

2. Email Address To Submit A FOI Request 

joannd@townofcortlandt.com

3.Street Address To Submit An FOI Request 

Town Clerk’s Office
Town of Cortlandt
1 Heady Street
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567

4. Experience:

Jo-Ann Dyckman is proud to be serving her 15th year as Cortlandt’s Town Clerk after being elected to three, four year terms.

Prior to running for public office Jo-Ann was publisher for many years of the local newspaper the “Cortlandt Observer”. It was during those years, reporting the local news, that she realized her desire to serve the people of Cortlandt in a different capacity.

Public service comes in many forms and Jo-Ann has a strong background of leadership and advocacy involved in many community related organizations and volunteer roles. Starting at the age of 14 as a candy striper at the Hudson Valley Hospital Center, her dedication has spanned decades and includes serving on the Committee for Respect and Tolerance (HHHS); the Cortlandt Advanced Life Support (Paramedic) Committee; past President of the Verplanck Residents’ Association; and the Cortlandt Waterfront Preservation Committee. She currently volunteers time as a Town Hall campus gardener and is particularly proud the renovation that the Town Hall Courtyard has undergone as this area is used several times throughout the year including Memorial Day to honor our Veterans. Jo-Ann was involved with the development of the Cortlandt Technology Committee and the Green Team at Town Hall. This new “Green Team” initiative includes a plan to reduce Cortlandt’s consumption of energy by 25%.

Since taking office in 1998 Jo-Ann has spearheaded a series of bold initiatives in the Town Clerk’s Office to update the technology and incorporate modern management techniques in the day-to-day operations. Major accomplishments include:

Ø      moving to automated records retention and the use of several software programs to allow for instant retrieval for vital statistics, licenses and permits.

Ø      Working closely with the Town IT department she now scans and electronically transmits vital information packets to Town Board members and department heads saving many hundreds of pages in paper

Ø      Transcribes minutes using streaming video.

Ø      Implemented the Laserfiche program which allows practically instant retrieval of documents dating back decades.

“When I was first elected to the position of Town Clerk 15 years ago my office staff typically used a process server, copy machine, fax and phone and even an antiquated typewriter.  By implementing an innovative and proactive approach over many years, a typical day now includes the use of up to date computers with high speed internet access, scanned documents, e-mail with attachments, the electronic transfer of funds,  web pages and several software programs that allow for almost instant retrieval of documents dating back for decades, and efficient tracking of vital statistics.”

Responsibilities of the Town Clerk span a wide spectrum that includes assisting with the preparation of the Town Board business agendas, resolutions, local laws and ordinances with detailed and time sensitive follow-up; execution of hundreds of Town Board authorized contracts and agreements; preparation of all Town Board and Public Hearing minutes; maintaining required securities; issuance of various licenses and permits in accordance with Town and New York State law; and all Town records retention.

Jo-Ann Dyckman serves as the Registrar of Vital Statistics and issues all birth, death and marriage certificates in the Town of Cortlandt. She is the local election liaison for Westchester County and Town Freedom of Information Officer. “It is vital that the Town Clerk utilize the power of her office to create a climate conducive to progressive planning, productive problem solving and effective, efficient public service for all citizens.”

Jo-Ann is a lifelong area resident and has made the Town of Cortlandt her home for the last 35 years. She is the proud mother of Wendy, 29, a graduate of Hendrick Hudson High School and the University of Massachusetts, currently working for a large law firm in Boston; and Sarah, 23, also a graduate of Hendrick Hudson High School, currently working in Tarrytown as a Certified Medical Assistant.

5. From The Town Of Cortlandt Website:

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Welcome Town of Cortlandt Town Clerk Joann Dyckman

The office of the Town Clerk is the hub around which Town business revolves. The Town Clerk, elected every four years, is the Records Management Officer of the Town. Custodian of all the records, the Clerk is responsible for active files, disposition of inactive records and protection of the archives. As Secretary to the Town Board, the Clerk is responsible for preparing and maintaining the minutes of Town Board meetings. Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests are administered by this office.   The Clerk of Cortlandt also serves as the Registrar of Vital Statistics.

Please note Cortlandt is proud to now offer their Town Board, Zoning Board and Planning Board meeting videos streaming online.  Please visit our main homepage and scroll down to “Now Streaming” to view latest content.

Birth Certificates   

All birth certificates are filed with the Commissioner of Health of New York State. Your birth certificate is also on file in the clerk’s office of the municipality where you were born.

Requirements for Certified Copies of Birth Certificates:

  1. Birth Certificates can only be obtained by persons born within the Town of Cortlandt provided they are 18 years of age or older;  their parents or legal guardian can obtain their certificate.
  2. They can be obtained in person with identification (Driver’s License), or by mail.IF applying in person:  You will need:a.  Exact change, money order, or personal checks (do not accept out of State checks) for $10 per copy payable to Town of Cortlandt.
    b.  Photo copy of Identification.
    c.  Person’s name, date or birth, parents names including
    mother’s maiden name.IF applying by MAIL – You will need:a.  Money order, or personal checks (do not accept out of State checks) for $10 per copy payable to Town of Cortlandt.
    b.  A Notarized letter stating the person’s name, date or birth, parents names including     mother’s maiden name.
    c.  The name and address of where to send the document.

    1. The mailing address is:                        Joann Dyckman
      Cortlandt Town Clerk
      1 Heady Street
      Cortlandt Manor , NY 10567
      A certified copy or certified transcript of a birth certificate may be issued only:

      1. To the person named on the birth certificate, if 18 years of age or older.
      2. To the parents of the person named on the birth certificate.
      3. To a lawful representative of the person named or the parents of the person named on the birth certificate.
      4. To the Commissioner of Health.
      5. To a person with a New York State Court Order.
      6. To a municipal, state or federal agency for official purposes.

      There is charge of $10.00 per certified birth.

Death Certificates

Requirements for Certified Copies of Death Certificates:Death Certificates can only be obtained by:

1) Spouse, parent or child of the deceased.
2) A lawful representative of the spouse, parent or child of the deceased
3) Funeral Home
4) A person requiring the record for a documented legal right or claim.  This is established on the basis of documentation that the requestor has a legal need for the copy of the death certificate.
5) A municipal, state or federal agency when needed for official purposes.

They can be obtained in person with identification (Driver’s License), or by mail.

If requesting a death certificate by mail, the person must include:

a.  Money Order or personal checks (do not accept out of State checks)                                       $10 per copy payable to Town of Cortlandt

b.  Notarized Letter stating reason for request and relationship to person.

Please Note:  Death Certificate’s are not public record.

Elections  

The Town Clerk of Cortlandt is the local liaison with the Westchester County Board of Elections.  For more information please click the following links.

Polling Place Locator

Poll Worker Information

Board of Elections.

Freedom of Information Officer  

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)New York State’s Freedom of Information Law (Public Officers Law §87 et. seq. ) allows members of the public to access records of governmental agencies. FOIL provides a process for the review and copying of an agency’s records.

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Requests

Freedom of Information Law requests for Town of Cortlandt records may be made by filling out a form and submitting it to the Town Clerk.

Once the form is completed you can either

Mail it to:

Joann Dyckman, Town Clerk

Town of Cortlandt

1 Heady St

Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567

OR sending via E-Mail joannd@townofcortlandt.com

Hunting & Fishing  

The Town Clerk’s office issues Hunting and Fishing Licenses on behalf of New York State.  The licenses which are issued are valid anywhere in New York State. Non-State Residents may also apply for NYS Hunting and Fishing Liceneses at a different fee schedule.

All applicants for Hunting and Fishing Licenses must comply with the regulation of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.  More details below.

For full information about Hunting and Fishing Licenses and the requirements of New York State – please visit:

NYS DEC

Marriage Licenses  

 

Marriage License Information
Town Clerk
Registrar’s Office
1 Heady St
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567
Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except on the last day of the month
when they are only issued from 9AM to 10 AM 

(914) 734-1020A couple who intends to be married in New York State must apply in person for a marriage license to any town or city clerk in the State. The application for a license must be sworn and signed in the presence of the issuing clerk by both the bride and groom.A representative cannot apply for the license on behalf of the bride or groom. This applies even if the representative has been given the Power of Attorney. Notarized marriage license affidavits signed by the bride or groom cannot be substituted for their personal appearance.All applicants must bring valid forms of identification when applying for a marriage license. Expired forms of identification will not be accepted.

 

2 Forms of Identification are necessary,
one from each column per person.

Column 1

Column 2

Proof of age and identity:

* A Certified Record of Birth.* A Baptismal Record.* A Naturalization Record.
One current identification related
document with phot
 

* Valid, current U.S. Driver’s License or valid U.S. non-driver’s license.* Valid Passport, non U.S. passports must have current VISA.* U.S. Military Identification.* Valid and unexpired Green Card.

 

Photocopies of the above documents will not be accepted
as proof of identity.

All foreign documents, not in English, require a certified translation.  Acceptable are those produced by consulates, embassies and universities.


Information regarding all previous marriages must be furnished in the application for a marriage license. This includes whether the applicants are divorced, whether the former spouse or spouses are living and, if so, when, where and against whom the divorce or divorces were granted. 
A certified copy of the last Decree of Divorce  with Official Seal or a Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage is required.  Divorce papers in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified translation. If widow or widower, a certified copy of death certificate must be presented.
$40.00 fee must be paid in exact change or money order, personal checks (do not accept out of State checks). Fees are set by the State of New York and may be changed at any time.

A marriage license is valid for 60 days, beginning 24 hours after issuance.

Age Requirements:
If either applicant is under 14 years of age, a marriage license cannot be issued.
If either applicant is 14 or 15 years of age, such applicant’s must present the written consent of both parents and a justice of the Supreme Court or a judge of the Family Court having jurisdiction over the town or city in which the application is made. If either applicant is 16 or 17 years of age, such applicant(s) must present the written consent of both parents.
If both applicants are 18 years of age or older, no consents are required.

No premarital examination or blood test is required to obtain a marriage license in New York State.

To visit our Downloadable Forms Page CLICK HERE

Town Code Book  

The Town Clerk is responsible for all updates to the Town Code Book.  The current version of the Town Code Book is available via link to General Code Publishers.

Town of Cortlandt Code Book

Clerk Permits, Certificates, Licenses 

The Town Clerk issues State licenses such as marriage, hunting and fishing, games of chance, dog, bingo, peddlers and parade permits.  The Town Clerk is the Registrar of Vital Statistics, issues and maintains all birth and death certificates and records in the Town and issues Marriage licenses.

You can hover your mouse over the left hand side menu under Town Clerk and click “Downloadable Forms” for more detailed application. Some of the most popular have direct links below.

Marriage Licenses

Death Certificates

Birth Certificates

Hunting and Fishing Licenses

6. Notes:

This Page Has Been Updated With New Information

About Cortlandt, New York

Image = Cortlandt_highlighted.svg

Cortlandt is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. Cortlandt is located at the northwest edge of the county, at the eastern terminus of the Bear Mountain Bridge.

Commuter service to New York City is available via the Cortlandt train station and the Croton-Harmon train station, served by Metro-North Railroad.

U.S. Route 9 passes through the town along the Hudson River side.

The Bear Mountain Bridge Road and Toll House and Site of Old Croton Dam are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortlandt,_New_York

Elevation: 318′

 

Area: 50 mi²

 

Population: 41,592 (2010)
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (Apr 2015)

Eastchester Town Clerk – Linda (Doherty) Laird – O Stars Failed

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Eastchester Town Clerk Linda Laird

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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FAILED – Eastchester Town Clerk Linda (Doherty) Laird has not provided the public documents we requested, while most Westchester County Town Clerks have been able to respond to and grant us access to the same public records request test that we gave Ms. Laird in a matter of hours or a few days.

Ms. Laird seems not to understand the towns legal obligations under New York State’s Freedom of Information laws and often violates those statutes.

Sadly, Ms Laird was so clueless that she could not even locate or provide public documents for the salery, benefit and pension costs that Eastchester taxpayers are paying for her own elected position.

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Ms. Laird also seems to be a very poor records manager and stated she needed 20 days to find a public document that listed the compensation for her elected position.

Town taxpayer complain that there is a lack of transparency in Eastchester and often cite the clerk’s office as a big part of the problem.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests 

ldoherty@eastchester.org

Or

townclerk@eastchester.org

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
40 Mill Road
Eastchester, NY 10709

4. Experience:

Image = Missing Person = Eastchester Town Clerk - Linda (Doherty) Laird

The very unresponsive Linda Laird also did not respond to our request for a short biographical paragraph.

Ms. Laird also did not respond to the 2015 League Of Women Voters Guide for voters. Here is Ms. Laird’s listing in the LWV Voting Guide from last year….

TOWN CLERK – EASTCHESTER
Linda Doherty Laird
Questions: – no response –

5. From The Town Website:

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The Town Clerk’s Office is the gateway to government and the hub of the Town’s administrative system.  It is often the initial source of information about the Town, serving residents and visitors in person at the office, over the telephone and on the Town’s web site.

Role of the Town Clerk:

* Maintain Town Board Mintues
* Process Freedom of Information Law Requests
* Issue Marriage License 
* Maintain and issue copies of Marriage Record, and death records
* Issue  Handicapped Parking Permits
* Issue  Dog Licenses.  Click here for an application.
*Fishing and Hunting Licenses
* Issue Tag Sale Permits

* Due to a reduction in staff, the Town Clerk’s Office will limit the issuance of Marriage Licenses to Eastchester, Bronxville and Tuckahoe residents: Monday- Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Non-residents may make a Marriage License appointment during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday only.  Due to employee work schedules and the volume of work in renewing Garth Road Parking Permits, there will be no non-resident appointments made May 23th – July 8th.

As a service to Eastchester, Bronxville and Tuckahoe residents only, the Town Clerk will officiate Marriage Ceremonies at Town Hall during regular business hours.  Please call for an appointment.

Issue Garth Road Parking Permits

Garth Road residents, merchants and visitors can obtain an application from the Town Clerk’s Office. Completed application must be returned with required documentation (driver’s license, vehicle registration, proof of residence and/or employment on Garth Road, letter from resident for visitor). No permits issued to anyone with outstanding tickets. There is no fee. Permits are valid July 1st to June 30th of the following year and must be renewed every year. Overnight guests and service personnel should be encouraged to use one of the 114 non-permit spaces located on the southerly part of Grayrock, along Essex and on Garth Road near the play park. A map of these permit-free zones is available from the Town Clerk’s office. You may also call the Eastchester Police Department (961-3464) to have your short term visitor placed on an exempt list, giving the desk officer all the pertinent information: year and make of car, license plate number and location of vehicle. This call must be placed daily. Full-time employees may apply for a Merchant Permit. Part-time employees and frequent visitors may apply for a Visitor Parking Permit, but only if they must park on Garth Road on weekdays between 7 and 9:00 a.m. on a regular basis. 
Resident Application      
 – Merchant Application   – Visitor Application

6. Media Reports / Relate Pages

HERE IS ONE REASON WHY YOUR TAXES ARE SO HIGH IN The TOWN OF EASTCHESTER

Eastchester Supervisor Colavita Fails To Collect Fines And Hides Losses From Voters

It is the Eastchester Supervisor Anthony S. Colavita and his board have the responsibility to develop appropriate policies to defi ne how to determine parking ticket collectability and when to deem parking tickets uncollectible and remove them from the records.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s auditors say unpaid parking tickets expected to be available to help finance Town activities should be reported as receivables at year end, but remaining unpaid for several years should be deemed uncollectible and removed from the accounting records.

Despite the high collection rate, the Court still has over a million in cumulative unpaid parking tickets outstanding. This included thousands unpaid parking tickets totaling hundreds of thousands that have been outstanding for more than five years.

The amount of unpaid parking tickets continues to rise and the New York State Auditors said…..

“Without established benchmarks and relevant policies and procedures, there is an increased risk that parking tickets will not be properly accounted for or appropriately processed. Further, by not recording such revenues as receivables based on realistic expectations of collection, Town offi cials do not have these moneys available for budgeting purposes.”

Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colavita and the others incompetent’s in Eastchester’s Privileged Political Class of has written off over a million dollars in fines that the single Family homeowners had to make up.

There are only about 10,000 Households In Eastchester.

If Colavita and his board had done a better job of making sure fines were collected then there could have been tax savings for Eastchester’s taxpayers.

The Town is governed by an elected five-member Town Board including the Town Supervisor Colivita. The Board is the legislative body responsible for overseeing the operations, finances, and overall management of the Town, including the activities of the Town Justice Court.

The Court is administered by two elected Justices, Janet Madonia-Calano and Frederick J. Salanitro who are assisted by two Court clerks.

Image = Eastchester Republicans 700

Pictured Are: Glenn Bellitto, Joseph Dooley, Eastchester Town Clerk Linda Doherty Laird, Town Supervisor Anthony Colavita, Town Justice Janet Calano, Domenick Porco, Receiver of Taxes Rocco Cacciola and Westchester County Legislator #SheilaMarcotte

Please Read More Here:

https://www.facebook.com/BronxvilleRoundup/photos/a.269733289794561.44952.209656482468909/823213671113184/?type=3

First Bloomberg Wanted To Ban Large Soda’s Now Colivia Tells You What To Eat…..

THE NANNY STATE IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY: Heavy Handed Eastchester Dictator Anthony Colivita Bans ‘Fast Casual’ Restaurants

Image = Panera Bread 714

COLIVITA: “Go Get Your Sandwich in Larchmont”

The Dear Leader Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colivita and his little band of idiots on the town board town board have banned “fast casual” family dining restaurants like Panera, Cosi, and Quiznos.

Changes to the zoning code of the Westchester County town will prohibit any restaurant with more than 15 locations nationwide from setting up shop.

http://westchester.news12.com/news/new-zoning-law-bans-chain-restaurants-from-entering-eastchester-1.4944308

Buying your child a happy meal at McDonald’s was already prohibited under town laws, but chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts who already have locations in Eastchester will be grandfathered in under the anti-free market communities totalitarian rules.

Speaking with The Journal News, the delusional Town Supervisor Anthony Colavita, sounded like Michele Obama as he explained the decision was a reaction to a new threat to the Eastchester dining scene: “Hybrid” fast food restaurants with “milliard decor.”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/04/01/eastchester_bans_fast_casual_chains.html

What in the world did this bureaucratic fool just say?

But is a Panera really all that terrifying? Yes, Colavita says in an interview with Fox 5 News:

“You can go get your sandwich in Larchmont. We aren’t going to cheapen the town with fast food or these formula fast-quick casual places.”, said the nearly senile town supervisor.

An “unscientific” poll conducted by the Eastchester Daily Voice suggests that roughly 30% of residents think the decision “is a mistake by the authoritarian town supervisor.

http://eastchester.dailyvoice.com/neighbors/residents-split-over-eastchester-chain-restaurant-ban/572672/

Some residents have graver concerns. “I think its unconstitutional,” one resident told News 12 Westchester, while another expressed deeper-seated fears of her local government saying, “I think they want to start policing everything we do.”

Maybe someone should tell the very strange acting Colivita that the nearest that if started taking his meds he might realize that the Panera is in Scarsdale.

The real funny thing is that Eastchester isn’t really upscale at all, while Larchmont and Scarsdale are.

But in Eastchester you are not allowed to hang out, sip their Quad Venti Mochas, grab an asiago bagel at Panera.

Most residents are just praying that Ayatollah Colivita doesn’t become a vegetarian and ban meat in the town.

Most Eastchester single family homeowners think Anthony Colivita and the zoning boards are out of control. Taxpayers often complain that there is a lack of accountability and transparency in the town.

Many residents complain that it is difficult to get public documents from the secretive and temperamental Eastchester Town Clerk Linda (Doherty) Laird

https://www.facebook.com/1441652006074635/photos/a.1441658549407314.1073741828.1441652006074635/1747972128775953/?type=3

Many long time Eastchester residents and seniors have moved away, because of the foolish attitudes of the Colivita administration, as well as, all the “rules” and regulations and on and bickering.

Eastchester has changed for the worse on Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colivita’s watch – it really is a time for a change.

But the sad fact is that most people in Eastchester know that this is how business is done in the Corrupt Colivita Administration. The high scale eateries want to limit the competition from the chain stores so they grease some palms in town hall to get them banned.

This stinks of protectionism and seems unconstitutional, but who cares if Anthony Colivita is made happy.

Please Read More Here:

https://plus.google.com/+BrianHarrod/posts/im9w6i3CcJJ

Meet The Eastchester Marriage Officer From Hell…..

Image = Marriage From Hell 79

THE KNOT: Eastchester Town Clerk – Linda  Laird

11/18/2014 Carissa D

I’m writing this review to warn other couples. We chose to have a quick marriage ceremony done at the town court. We were not expecting anything fancy or complicated, just a civil ceremony with a small group of close friends and family followed by lunch at a local restaurant.

We made an appointment a month before our wedding when we got our marriage license. The town clerk, Linda Laird, was to do the ceremony at noon on a Friday.

We planned to arrive there at 11:45. The court is only a few minutes from my house and we expected the ceremony to take no more than ten minutes.

On the way there, a family member got lost (due to the parkway being closed) and we had to make a slight detour to help her get there. We pulled arrived at exactly 12:02pm, literally two minutes late, and were told that it wasn’t happening.

We had two friends who had arrived at the court earlier and who were there when the clerk walked out at noon.

They tried to convince her to wait for us since at that point we were right around the corner, but she refused, saying “Twelve o’clock means twelve o’clock.” We were fortunate enough that Mount Vernon was able to perform the ceremony last minute, but it almost didn’t happen.

I cannot believe how poorly we were treated when all we were asking for was a 5 minute ceremony which we had arranged weeks in advance. If she was so busy that performing our ceremony literally two minutes late would have thrown off her entire schedule (on a Friday afternoon…) she should not have offered to do the ceremony in the first place.

All we wanted was something simple and they managed to make a complete disaster out of it.

If you’re looking to do a civil ceremony and live in this area, stay away from Eastchester!

What Kind of a Monster Bans Chipotle?!
Image = Chipotle 715

The Westchester’s Nanny State Award Goes To Easychester Supervisor Anthony Colivita
 
MEEDLING IN BUSINESS IS GOOD: Petty Local Bureaucrat Anthony Colivita wasn’t satisfied with outlawing traditional fast food joints like McDonald’s and Burger King.
 
He decided to kick it up a notch and shield locals from “fast casual” restaurants like Panera Bread and Chipotle (and to think these newcomers, with their earth tones and organic offerings, thought they could stave off the taste police!).
 
Presenting the Westchester’s Number One Nanny Eastchester Supervisor Anthony Colavita!!!!!!
 
Please Read More Here:
 
 

#Bronxville #BronxvilleNY #Eastchester #EastchesterNY #Tuckahoe #TuckahoeNY #Westchester #WestchesterCountyNY #Nanny #NannyState #AnthonyColivita

 

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-doherty-10aa116

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Eastchester, New York

Image = Eastchester_(town)_highlighted.svg

Eastchester is a town in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 32,363 at the 2010 census. There are two villages within the town: Bronxville and Tuckahoe.The town contains a census-designated placealso named Eastchester.

The town that is now called Eastchester began settlement in 1664 when ten families migrated from Fairfield, Connecticut.Thomas Pell, who at that time also owned the territory that is now New Rochelle and Pelham, granted a deed to the group to “settle down at Hutchinsons’,” where the home of Anne Hutchinson had stood some twenty years before. The ten original families were shortly joined by another 26.

Laws for the region were established the following year, in 1665, under an agreement called the “Eastchester Covenant”. The covenant was a rare document for this period. It contained 26 provisions, including such items as education of children, disposition and upkeep of property, and support of a minister.

Confirmation of their 1664 land patent was granted by Governor Richard Nicolls in 1666 after the occupation of the area by the English.

A controversy arose in 1700 when the settlers signed a deed with the Native Americans. The tract of land involved was known as “Long Reach” because of its odd geographical makeup. The sites included are the present Bronxville, Tuckahoe, and a section of northwest Mount Vernon. The dispute over the ownership of the land involved the towns of New Rochelle, Westchester and the Pell family. When a decision was reached in favor of Eastchester, England’s Queen Anne granted a second patent in 1708…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastchester_(town),_New_York 

 Population: 32,363 (2010)
Area code: 914

Greenburgh Town Clerk – Judith A. Beville – Under Review

Image = Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith Beville 0626
Judith A. Beville

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Image = twostars

Status – Under Review – Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith Beville has failed to respond to some of our freedom of information requests and phone calls to her office.

Ms. Beville’s Office seems not to be consumer oriented at all.

Oddly, the clerk’s web page lists the town’s main number instead of the clerk’s phone number. When asked about this Carol in the office said that Ms. Beville did not want her staff bothered with calls that might be for other Greenburgh town departments.

Ms. Beville’s staff can be difficult at times, because of the clerks attitude of not wanting to be bothered with questions from residents.

Ms. Beville fails to realize that the Greenburgh Clerk’s office is often the first point of contact for many town taxpayers and voters that have a question or concern.

It is important forMs. Beville to do a better job in order to ensure access to information in an efficient, convenient and unencumbered manner.

Ms.Beville needs to do more to help to facilitate a resident’s access to information as well as assisting them in navigating their course through local government on any matter or issue.

Maintaining a customer friendly environment for the public needs to start being of high importance to Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith Beville.

Image = expect-major-delays-sign-626

Quickly and efficiently responding to and completing FOI Requests seems to a bit of a problem. In public statements Ms. Beville has said the hardest part of her job is…

The most challenging part of my job is just making sure that things are done in a timely manner.

I suppose that one of the most challenging parts of my job is keeping a clear desk! But I really enjoy what I do. As a reelected official, we are going to be confronted with challenges every day.

Ms. Beville has often stated that that Greenburgh has a statutory period of time to first acknowledge receipt of a request for information and that she has the right NOT to immediately respond or produce any information.

This is a very bureaucratic approach that doesn’t lead to accountability, confidence or transparency in Greenburgh.

When Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith Beville can legally and unnecessarily withhold a taxpayer’s access to a public document until the last minute of the last hour of the last day of the FOI laws stated statutory times, but morally and ethically it is wrong for Ms.Beville to unnecessarily withhold a taxpayers access to a public record.

Sadly many taxpayers in Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings On Hudson, Irvington and Tarrytown feel that Ms. Beville’s motives for withholding public records are political in nature.

Ms. Beville, likes playing it both ways.

When a New York State’s “Committee On Open Government” Executive Director Robert Freeman issues an advisement in her favor, then she is quick to use it to deny taxpayers access to public records they technically own.

Image = NYS FOIL Robert Freeman-FOI 626

But when one of Mr. Freeman’s issues an advisement from the Committee Open Government not in her favor she takes the position that

While that has been the position of the Committee on Open Government, we note that its advisory opinions are not binding upon the Town

With Ms. Beville’s FOI games a Greenburgh town resident is damned either way.

Often Greenburgh’s taxpayers, who want access to public documents, must go through the additional expense of an FOI appeal or court case. This is because of Ms. Beville’s inconsistent manner in handling Freedom of Information requests for public documents.

If Ms. Beville or others in Greenburgh’s privileged political class want to keep secrets inside town hall.

New Yorks problem with local corruption is a lack of accountability and transparency. Ms. Beville’s failure to provide quick access to public record and her inconsistencies make a fertile ground for corruption that the taxpayers of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings On Hudson, Irvington and Tarrytown must ultimately pay for.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

townclerk@greenburghny.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
177 Hillside Avenue
Greenburgh, NY 10607

4. Experience:

Image = noresponse-623

Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith A. Beville refused to provide a short biographical paragraph to this public interest project to measure the responsiveness of Westchester County’s town clerks.

On the internet we found the following for Ms.Beville: 

City/Town of Residence: Town of Greenburgh (White Plains)

Once a member on the Valhalla Union Free Public School Board.

Email: jabeville@yahoo.com

Many town residents have said Beville’s hosting of fundraisers, farmers market music guests, cable public access shows and other events distracted Beville from her core responsibilities.

Despite Ms.Beville and the town board’s efforts to license massage parlors in town. The town is plagued by massage parlors that are really being used for prostitution.

5. From The Town Website:

Trucks drive through a flooded road in Greenburgh, N.Y. Sunday, March 14, 2010 after a storm passed through the region. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Trucks drive through a flooded road in Greenburgh, N.Y. Sunday, March 14, 2010 after a storm passed through the region. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

WELCOME TO GREENBURGH: Image From The Town Of Greenburgh Website Home Page, Managed By Town Clerk Judith Beville

The Office of the Town Clerk Provides the Following Services for Town Residents

Agendas & Meetings
Coordinates and prepares all Town Board Agendas (Tentative, Final, Special Meetings, Work Sessions, Outreach Meetings, receives requests for street closings for holiday and civic association events and prepares resolutions for agenda)

Bids
Places Legal Notices for all Town Departments in Official Town Newspaper.  Receives and files Bids.

Cable
Serves as liaison between Town residents and Cable companies.  Assists resident’s in resolving Cable related problems and oversees Cable contracts along with the Legal Department.

Dog Licensing
Serves as Administrator for the Dog Licensing Program for Unincorporated Greenburgh and the Town’s Six Villages.  Issues New Licenses, Annual Renewals, and Replacement Tags

Elections
Coordinates Elections with Westchester County Board of Elections.  Acts as a satellite office for the Board of Elections on all election days. Coordinates the use and set-up of the Town’s 81 Polling Places. Assists in the delivery of materials for the Board of Elections to polling places. Works with Elections Inspector Coordinators in assigning election inspectors.  Supplies Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Forms.

Freedom of Information (FOIL)
Receives all Foil requests and disseminates to appropriate department for review and response.  Contacts applicant upon response, provides submitted documents, collects any associated fees.  Coordinates Foil Appeals with Town Board. The Town Clerk serves as the Freedom of Information Officer.

Licensing & Permits
New York State Licenses: Fishing, Hunting, Handicap Parking Permits
Town of Greenburgh Licenses: Cabaret, Canvassing/Peddlers & Solicitors, Filming, Going out of Business, Sanitation, Taxicab and Taxi Driver

Records Management Officer
Coordinates the retention of all Town records, keeping in compliance with the New York State Retention Schedule. Generates departmental reports for all records stored.  Oversees the scheduling for destruction of all Town records, as per the New York State Retention Schedule.

Senior Citizen Rent Abatement Program (ETPA)
Serves as liaison for qualified Town residents and New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal Office, including annual report for Receiver of Taxes

Vital Records
Issues original birth, death and marriage certificates. Retains all vital records and issues certified copies.  Does searches for Genealogy. Apostles

Sales Tax Letters
Issues letters to residents and businesses for correct Sales Tax amount for the Town

Code Of The Town Of Greenburgh
Files newly adopted Local Laws with NYS Department of State; Maintains and updates Town Code Books, distributes supplements to all Agencies

Miscellaneous
Maintains book of Dangerous Conditions; Town Clerk is the receiver of the following documents; Notice of Claims, Summonses, Petitions, Certioraris, Scar Applications, etc. Maintains Oath of Office Book for elected officials and all other oaths administered by Town Clerk; Maintains and updates Boards & Commissions and  Civic Association lists; Maintains records for the Board of Ethics; Coordinates Internship program for the Town

6. Media Reports

GREENBURGH TOWN CLERK SAYS DON’T BLAME HER FOR TOWN’S POOR WEBSITE

Image = Greenburgh Town Clerk = Its Not My Job 626
Image = Greenburgh Town Clerk beville-email-regarding-town-website1

It seems Town Supervisor Paul Feiner and Town Clerk Judith Beville, both of whom are running for reelection this fall, are touchy on the subject of who is to blame for the Town’s failing grade for its website.

Town Clerk Judith Beville said today that she is not responsible for the Town’s website, which received a failing grade last fall from Albany-based public interest organization Empire Group…..

Even though Ms. Beville claims to have never had any responsibility whatsoever for the town’s website, a press release from Mr. Feiner published (and long since buried) on the town’s website itself states otherwise.

On June 13, 2011, under the headline, “Town Website needs improvement – Task Force Being Formed,” Mr. Feiner said that in response to months of complaints from residents that the town website was difficult to navigate,  “I have asked Town Clerk Judith Beville to head up a task force to improve the website.”  He then asked if residents had any “comments or suggestions,”  they should contact him and Ms. Beville.…..

Please Read More Here:

https://edgemontecc.com/2015/03/22/town-clerk-says-dont-blame-her-for-towns-poor-website/

PATCH: Massage Parlors Under Scrutiny in Greenburgh

Image = Greenburgh Massage Parlors 626

A proposed law to regulate the establishments is meeting resistance, according to attorney and community advocate Bob Bernstein.

In recent years, the number of massage parlors in Greenburgh has grown, a move that has many in the community upset because they claim the establishments are brothels merely posing as massage parlors.

The Journal News reports that some officials and residents are trying to take matters into their own hands by passing strict legislation to regulate the establishments. But according to one local attorney and community advocate, the matter is being met with some resistance.

On The Edgemont Community Council website, group president and local attorney Bob Bernstein writes that a proposal to regulate such businesses is being opposed by Town Attorney Tim Lewis and Town Clerk Judith Beville, namely because Lewis questions whether local jurisdictions can regulate the businesses under New York State laws…..

Please Read More Here:

http://patch.com/new-york/tarrytown/massage-parlors-under-scrutiny-greenburgh-0

DAILY VOICE: Uncontested Races Retain Incumbents In Greenburgh, Ardsley

Image = no-choice-ballot 626

Incumbency is alive and well in the Town of Greenburgh, where the 24-year town supervisor and his entire board was reelected on Tuesday unopposed.

The same held true in three of the six villages within the Town of Greenburgh on Tuesday: Voters in Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington all elected village officials who ran unopposed this fall…..

…Also in the town of Greenburgh, Town Clerk Judith Beville, a Democrat, ran unopposed; as did three Democratic candidates for Town Justice: Arlene Oliver, Delores Brathwaite and Walter Rivera…..

Please Read More Here:

http://greenburgh.dailyvoice.com/politics/uncontested-races-retain-incumbents-in-greenburgh-ardsley/601367/

WCBS: Greenburgh Town Hall To Be Open Sunday For Gay Marriage Licenses, Ceremonies

Gay Marriage (file / credit: DANIEL KFOURI/AFP/Getty Images)

Greenburgh town supervisor Paul Feiner says it’s a moment in history.

Gay couples in New York have waited for the right to marry and so Sunday, he realizes, is a meaningful day.

Therefore, the town hall will be open to approve and perform ceremonies….

…They’re asking couples planning to do so to contact the town clerk by phone at 914-993-1500 or e-mail at townclerk@greenburghny.com ahead of time.

Right now, the plan is to make licenses available until 2:00 p.m., but that could change with demand.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07/20/greenburgh-town-hall-to-be-open-sunday-for-gay-marriage-licenses-ceremonies/

MID HUDSON NEWS: Over a dozen same-sex couples tie the knot in Westchester

Image = Greenburgh Marrage Cerimony 626

TOWN OF GREENBURGH – It was all smiles and wedding bells Sunday afternoon in the Town of Greenburgh as some of the first legally recognized same-sex marriages in the Hudson Valley were performed at the Greenburgh Town Hall by Town Clerk Judith Beville.

Beville opened the clerk’s office at noon and preformed ceremonies while on her day off Sunday afternoon….

Please Read More Here:

http://midhudsonnews.com/News/2011/July/25/MarEq_WC-25Jul11.html

7.. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With  Additional Information

About Greenburgh, New York

Image = Greenburgh_highlighted.svg

Greenburgh is a town in the western part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 88,400 at the 2010 census.

The Romer-Van Tassel House served as the first town hall from 1793 into the early 19th century. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Other locations on the National Register are the Church of St. Joseph of Arimathea and Odell House. The Spanish American War Monument to the 71st Infantry Regiment in Mount Hope Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011…..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenburgh,_New_York

Zip code: 10607

 

Population: 88,400 (2010)

Harrison Town Clerk – Jacqueline “Jackie” Greer – 4 Stars

image + Jacqueline “Jackie” Greer 64

Jacqueline “Jackie” Greer

I. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

image = fourstars 64

To date Ms. Greer has been given three FOI requests all were responded to a delivered in about a week’s time or less.

Overall we felt the office staff was very polite and helpful.

However, one difficult request involved a call to the New York State Committee On Open Government, as well as, a interactions with the assistant town attorney and the town supervisor.

It is good that Ms. Greer took the extra steps to insure that the documents she was releasing were actually public documents.

2. Email Address To Send FOI Request

JGreer@Harrison-NY.Gov

3. Street Address To Send FOI Request

Town Clerk
1 Heineman Pl. 1st Floor
Harrison, NY 10528

4. Experience:

Ms. Greer worked as an executive assistant for many years in Westchester County including time with the Coca Cola company.

Ms. Greer has been active in local politics. She was a local district leader, and has often collected signatures for the local Republican Party. However, she gets support from all parties during town elections.

She has served in the clerk’s office as a deputy clerk and is now currently the town clerk.

 

5. From The Town Of Harrison Website:

Image = Harrison Town Clerk Jackie Greer 710

The office of the Town Clerk is the hub around which Town business revolves. The Town Clerk, elected every two years, is the Records Management Officer of the Town. Custodian of all the records, the Clerk is responsible for active files, disposition of inactive records and protection of the archives. As Secretary to the Town Board, the Clerk is responsible for preparing and maintaining the minutes of Town Board meetings. Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests pertaining to vital documents are administered by this office. The Clerk’s office also provides free notary service.

The Town Clerk issues State licenses such as marriage, birth, death, hunting and fishing. The Clerk issues Town licenses and permits including, commuter parking, peddlers, solicitors and film.

The Town Clerk is a designated Marriage Officer, and as Registrar of Vital Statistics, issues and maintains all birth and death certificates and records in the Town.

Hours of Operation:

Monday – Friday | 9:00am to 5:00pm Labor Day to Memorial Day

Monday – Friday l 9:00am to 4:00 pm Memorial Day to Labor Day

Marriage Licenses 9:00am to 3:30pm By Appointment

Hunting or Fishing Licenses l Monday to Friday l 9:00am to 11:00 am and 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Home visits for individuals with special needs can be made by appointment.

Evening Hours:

The Town Clerk’s Office began extended hours January of 2012.

Evening Hours are 7:00pm to 8:00pm while the Town Board meets for regular sessions. Please see the Town website or watch Cablevision channel 75 or FIOS Channel 1960 for the exact dates.

Additional evening hours are the fourth Tuesday of every month from 7:00pm to 8:30pm when the Planning Board meets.

Marriage Services:

Marriage ceremonies are performed during regular office hours. Weekend and evening services are by appointment only.

Deputy Town Clerk, Bryan Cipolla: (914) 670-3033

Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics: Diana Minishi: (914) 670- 3032

Please come in and meet our great staff in the Town Clerk’s Office so that we may assist or direct you to the proper department to satisfy your needs.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Jackie Greer Town Clerk 914-670-3030
Bryan Cipolla Deputy Town Clerk 914-670-3030
Diana Minishi Senior Clerk 914-670-3030

6 Notes:

Review Has Been Updated With Additional Informatiom

About Harrison, New York

Image = Harrison_highlighted.svg

Harrison is a village and town located in Westchester County, New York, approximately 22 miles northeast of Manhattan. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census.

Harrison was ranked sixth in the list of the top 10 places to live in New York State for 2014 according to the national online real estate brokerage Movoto.

According to Forbes, Harrison is the 326th wealthiest place in the United States with a median sale price of $1,230,625, slightly below that of Chappaqua.

Harrison was established in 1696 by John Harrison, who was given 24 hours to ride his horse around an area which would become his, to fill an owe the King had to him. Because Harrison had to travel by horse the town contains no waterways that could not be forded on horseback. The town gets its name from Mr. Harrison, and was incorporated as a town on March 7, 1788, by an act of the New York State legislature.

Merritt’s Hill in West Harrison was the site of the Battle of White Plains during the Revolutionary War. Regiment 182 of the Continental Army, of the 367 regiments there, was the Harrison Regiment, composed solely of people from Harrison.

During the 1830s, David Haviland settled in Harrison where he produced Haviland China which he sold in his store in New York City before returning to his native France. Today there exists a Haviland Street in a neighborhood of Harrison known as “South Downtown”, whose only street marker looks rather quite older than the rest in the town, composed of wrought iron in scrolled shapes.

In 1867 Benjamin Holladay purchased the land that is now Manhattanville College in Purchase. On the property is a Norman-style Roman Catholic chapel built for his wife. There is also Reid Castle, once called the Ophir House, before being renamed for a later purchaser. The castle hosted the King and Queen of Siam in the early 1930s.

What is now the Metro-North Railroad‘s New Haven Line, running from Manhattan, New York City, to Greenwich, Connecticut, first came through Harrison in 1848, though the first station was not built until 1870. Before that time, Harrisonites had to flag down the train to get a ride. Harrison remained generally free of factories through the Industrial Revolution, while large factory districts grew in the neighboring towns of White Plains, Port Chester and Mamaroneck.

In 1929, the Hutchinson River Parkway was extended to Harrison…..

Please read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison,_New_York 

Zip code: 10528
Population: 28,005 (2013)
Colleges and Universities: State University of New York at Purchase,

Lewisboro Town Clerk – Janet Donohue – 5 Stars

Image = Janet Donohue Lewisboro clerk

Janet Donahue

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

Image = fivestars

To date Ms. Donahue has been given some very difficult FOI requests all were responded to a delivered in 48 hours or less.

2. Experience:

Janet Donahue has served multiple terms as the Lewsboro Town Clerk.

Ms. Donahue was originally appointed by the town board upon the retirement of longtime Town Clerk Kathy Cory-Andreasen.

Previously, Ms. Donahue served four years as deputy town clerk.

Residents and professionals dealing with Lewisboro have come to rely on the Town Clerk for courteous, respectful, efficient service.

They have come to rely on the Clerk for many items, including prompt answers to questions, for prompt responses to document requests, and for confidential assistance with important personal matters.

Ms. Donahue’s responsibilities include attending all Town Board meetings and preparing the minutes in a timely manner, assisting in local elections and she is the liaison with the Board of Elections. She also issues licenses and permits for peddling and soliciting, collection of refuse, marriage licenses, dog licenses, cabaret licenses, accessible parking permits, hunting and fishing licenses, alcoholic consumption in public permits.

Ms. Donahue earned her five star rating for her duties as the Records Management Officer who maintains all records of the Town of Lewisboro>

As the Records Access Officer, she responds to all requests under the Freedom of Information Laws.

As the Registrar of Vital Statistics her office maintains records for all birth and deaths which occur in Town. Ms. Donahue also sells cemetery plots in the South Salem Cemetery and coordinates burials.

Moreover, she handles dog complaints and the Dog Control Officer works under my jurisdiction and her office designed and maintains the town’s website.

Lastly, this hardworking clerk provides Notary Public services and she is an E-Z Pass retailer for town residents.  In our opinion the residents of Lewisboro are well served by Ms. Donahue.
Image = Lewisboro Town Clerk Message 623

3. Email Address To Submit A FOI Request

townclerk@lewisborogov.com

4.Street Address To Submit An FOI Request

Town Clerk
11 Main Street
P.O. Box 500
South Salem, NY 10590

5. From The Town Of Lewisboro Website:

Image = Lewisboro_highlighted.svg

Janet Donohue
Town Clerk

Jennifer Caviola
Deputy Town Clerk/
Webmaster

Responsibilities

  • attends and prepares minutes of all Town Board meetings. Minutes of all other Town of Lewisboro boards and committees are filed with the Town Clerk.
  • as Records Management Officer maintains all records of the Town and as Records Access Officer responds to all requests under Freedom of Information Laws.
  • as Registrar of Vital Statistics maintains records for all birth and deaths which occur in Town, issues marriage licenses, and maintains genealogical records of births, deaths and marriages.
  • assists in local elections and is the liaison with the Board of Elections.
  • issues licenses and permits for peddling and soliciting, video games, collection of refuse, bingo, alcoholic consumption in public places, accessible parking permits, the use of community houses, hunting and fishing licenses, movie and commercial filming and dog licenses.
  • approves all bills submitted for payment to the Town of Lewisboro.
  • sells cemetery plots in the South Salem, Beck Hill and Reynolds Cemetery.
  • handles dog complaints and the Dog Control Officer works under the jurisdiction of the Town Clerk.
  • is a Notary Public.  Please call 763-3511 to make sure the Notary is in.
  • designed and maintains the town’s website
  • yearly fee schedule.
  • do not knock registry form.
  • E-Z Pass retailer

9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Phone: 914-763-3511
Fax: 914-763-3678

Directory

Position Phone Email
Janet Donohue Town Clerk 914-763-3511 Email(link sends e-mail)
Jennifer Caviola Deputy Town Clerk & Webmaster 914-763-3511 Email

 6. Media Reports

PATCH: Janet Lee Donohue, Rep. Candidate for Town Clerk of Lewisboro

Prior to being unanimously appointed Town Clerk, Lee Donohue served as Deputy Town Clerk/Webmaster.

General Information

Name : Ms. Janet Lee Donohue
Age : 51
Place of residence : Town of Lewisboro

Education College

Attended college : Yes
College : Brockport State College
Degree : B.S. in Business Administration
Year of graduation : 1985……

Please Read More Here:

http://patch.com/new-york/bedford/janet-lee-donohue-rep-candidate-for-town-clerk-of-lewisboro

DAILY VOICE – Letter: Vote Donohue For Lewisboro Town Clerk 

To the Editor:

I wanted to add my voice to the chorus endorsing Janet Donohue for Lewisboro town clerk. I’ve known Janet as a friend and neighbor for more than a decade, as our daughters are good friends and Janet was their Girl Scout troop co-leader for several years.

I’ve also had the extremely pleasant and seamless experience of seeking Janet’s help at Town Hall, first as a witness to my will and, more recently, as the official who shepherded my husband’s and my marriage license through the right channels. We specifically drove three hours from Massachusetts so that we could register our marriage in Lewisboro with Janet. We wanted it done right by someone we trusted.

I’m well aware that not all visits to Town Hall are so happy, and that’s precisely why Janet was former Town Clerk Kathy Cory’s obvious choice. She is genuine, compassionate, discreet and incredibly organized. Those are precisely the qualities you want behind the counter when you go to Town Hall to attend to a sensitive and important matter.

As town clerk, you can’t misplace or even mis-order documents. You have to demonstrate incredible attention to detail, adhere to firm deadlines and keep multiple plates in the air at all times, or constituents can suffer real harm. You want someone who dots every “i” and crosses every “t” on your behalf, because she understands how much it matters, and that’s Janet Donohue. So, I encourage you to cast a vote for continuity and elect Janet Donohue on Nov. 6.

Tara A. OwenSouth Salem

http://lewisboro.dailyvoice.com/neighbors/letter-vote-donohue-for-lewisboro-town-clerk/535160/

DAILY VOICE: Donohue Ready to Take Over as Lewisboro Town Clerk

After nearly 30 years, Lewisboro residents who come to the Town House will find a new, yet familiar, face behind the town clerk’s desk.

Following Kathy Cory’s announcement last month that she would be retiring from her post as town clerk at the end of March, the town board unanimously voted to appoint Deputy Town Clerk Janet Donohue to fill the position.

“I’ve got some really big shoes to fill,” Donohue said of Cory. “She’s been my boss, my mentor and my friend. But I’ve had awesome training from someone who was the New York State Town Clerk of the Year, so I feel ready.”

Donohue has served as deputy town clerk for the past four years. She grew up in Rochester, N.Y. and moved to Lewisboro 15 years ago and got married. In fact, Cory officiated at her wedding.

While living upstate, Donohue was a custom service manager for Wegmans supermarket chain for 14 years. When she moved to Westchester County, she took a job with Searle Pharmaceuticals in Stamford, Conn., before taking time off to raise her two daughters. She then worked for a medical education company in White Plains before learning of the opening the town had for a deputy town clerk.

“I learned that Florence Furdyna was retiring and I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring,” Donohue said. “I e-mailed my resume to Kathy at midnight and she got back to me the very next day and I went in for an interview. She told me she liked my customer service background, which is a big part of this job.”

Donahue has been married for 15 years to her husband Ken and has two daughters, Jenna, who is in the fifth grade, and Lauren who is in the seventh grade…..

Please Read More Here:

http://lewisboro.dailyvoice.com/news/donohue-ready-to-take-over-as-lewisboro-town-clerk/470073/

LEWISBORO LEDGER: Board favors town clerk’s budget

Town Board members had a positive reaction to the preliminary 2015 departmental budget presented Monday night by Town Clerk Janet Donohue.

“Janet’s budget seems like it is going to come in pretty flat, which is a good thing,” said Deputy Supervisor Peter DeLucia.

The town clerk’s office brings in a myriad of fees both small and substantial from different areas, and Ms. Donohue said these would be holding steady in some areas and going up in others, including sale of cemetery lots.

She said her deputy town clerk, Jennifer Caviola, had done an outstanding job with dog licenses, providing residents with better tools for making sure their dogs are “legal.”……

Please Read More Here:

http://www.lewisboroledger.com/14813/board-favors-town-clerks-budget/

LEWISBORO LEDGER: Town tightens leash on dogs

Alerted by a recent spate of dog-biting incidents, town officials have taken steps to tighten leash and licensing laws, and to require a special permit for a local dog trainer who has been holding group and individual classes on town property without official authorization for the past 20 years.

The matters were first discussed two weeks ago with town prosecutor Greg Monteleone, who said he had been placed in a difficult position because of recent dog bite activity and needed more restrictive laws on the books.

Licenses and leashes

In New York State all dogs must be licensed. In Lewisboro the charge is $10 per year for neutered animals and $18 for un-neutered.

Town Clerk Janet Donohue sends out a renewal reminder letter 45 days before the annual license fee is due. If there is no response, she sends a second reminder in 30 days, warning of a penalty……

Please Read More Here:

http://www.lewisboroledger.com/13024/town-tightens-leash-on-dogs/

LEWISBORO LEDGER: Expanded recycling grows in popularity

…The Ledger sat down with Lewisboro Town Clerk Janet Donohue last week to discuss the recycling center and what it now offers to town residents.

“The town recycling center has been in operation since 1975,” Ms. Donohue said. “It closed after a few years and then reopened in 1991 and stayed open until Town Supervisor Edward Brancati shut it down due to the town’s budget crisis in 2008. His successor, Charles Duffy, reopened it in 2010.”

Prior to the addition of the new electronic waste recycling component in mid-April of this year, the center accepted plastics No. 1 through No. 7, light household metals, broken-down cardboard, and newspapers and magazines.

“All of these items still come in every week,” Ms. Donohue said, “but it is the electronic waste disposal that has really caught on.”

Items accepted through the E-Waste Alliance Network, of which Lewisboro is now a part, include a host of electronic items. They include answering machines, calculators, CD/DVD players, chargers, circuit boards, computers and laptops, copiers, fax machines, digital cameras, GPS units, inkjet cartridges, and microwaves.

Also, keyboards and mice, monitors, network equipment, paper shredders, radios and turntables, routers, scanners, servers, speakers, telecom equipment, televisions, terminals, universal power suppliers, video game systems, and wiring and cabling.

Responsible disposal

“There is no need to make an appointment to drop items off at the center on Saturday mornings, and we have one or two strong young men on board to unload residents’ cars,” Ms. Donohue said.

There are no restrictions on the number of items that may be dropped off at one time. The only caveat is keeping to the 100-pound weight limit, which leaves out large appliances.

Ms. Donohue said that large items like computer monitors and TVs are individually wrapped in special containers for pickup and everything is put into a 20- by 20-foot e-waste Dumpster supplied by Regional Computer Recycling and Recovery.

“All waste is organized by category before being picked up and taken away,” Ms. Donohue said.

According to Regional Computer Recycling & Recovery, the company conscientiously subscribes to the “Three Rs.” This involves reuse of equipment whenever possible; reduction of waste through advanced sorting, processing, and tracking systems; and environmentally sound recycling practices. The vast majority of equipment is disassembled and recycled on a materials basis.E-waste needs to be recycled because computers and other electronics contain hazardous waste elements. Even the cases of some electronic devices may be coated with toxic substances to prevent them from catching on fire or melting during use.

Residents love it

Ms. Donohue said the electronic waste disposal program has given a big boost to activity at the recycling center.

“Town residents have told me they are thrilled with this service and it has inspired them to do home cleanups,” she said. “Now is a great time of the year to look through your basement, garage and attic and see what you might want to dispose of. We anticipate a steady stream of customers over the rest of the spring and summer.”

Ms. Donohue said she sees the e-waste program as a great benefit to Lewisboro residents. “It’s completely free and I hope as many residents as possible will take advantage of this great service,” she said…..

Please Read More Here:

http://www.lewisboroledger.com/5604/expanded-recycling-grows-in-popularity/

PRESS RELEASE: Lewisboro Democrats and Republicans jointly endorse local slate

The Lewisboro Republican Town Committee and the Lewisboro Democratic Committee have come to an agreement to cross-endorse six incumbents running for re-election in 2015: Town Supervisor Peter Parsons, Town Board members Dan Welsh and John Pappalardo, Town Clerk Janet Donohue, Highway Superintendent Peter Ripperger, and Town Justice Susan Simon.

This unusual agreement is motivated by the shared view that the current town government has worked well together for the good of the town. For example, the Board voted unanimously to make Lewisboro the first town in New York State to adopt a “Community Choice Aggregation” ordinance, designed to provide lower electricity rates for Lewisboro residents. This option was recently authorized by the state.

Lewisboro was also the first town in the region to take advantage of the Cornell Local Roads Program, in which an engineer spent the summer assessing town roads and devising a 20-year plan for their maintenance. Now, with the plan endangered by the effects of two successive, brutal winters on town roads, the Town Board has once again come together to pass a bond anticipation note for $600,000 to allow our Highway Department to at least perform emergency repairs on our roads.

“Sometimes local issues transcend national politics,” said Supervisor Parsons, “and addressing the crisis with our Lewisboro roads is just one of those issues. Our current Town Board is working well together and we hope to continue making progress for the benefit of all residents of Lewisboro.”

It is because the Board has worked well together in these and other areas, all while keeping a careful eye on town finances, that both Committees felt the entire Board should receive their endorsement. In addition, both Committees feel the Town Clerk, Highway, and Justice Court departments are functioning smoothly and the incumbents deserve re-election.

From Christina Rae and Alan Cole, Co-Chairs of the Lewisboro Democratic Committee, and Andrea Rendo and Robert Sullivan, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Lewisboro Republican Town Committee.

http://www.lewisborodemocrats.org/jointpressrelease2015.html

JOURNAL NEWS: Lewisboro town candidates cross-endorsed

Lewisboro’s Democratic and Republican committees will cross endorse the six candidates up for re-election to town government in the November elections, according to party leaders.

Supervisor Peter Parsons and town Councilman Dan Welsh, previously backed by the Democratic Party, will be cross-endorsed along with Republican candidates Councilman  John Pappalardo and Town Clerk Janet Donohue. Also cross-endorsed are Hiwghway Superintendent Peter Ripperger and town Judge Susan Simon.

In a statement, Parsons said, ‘Sometimes local issues transcend national politics…Our current Town Board is working well together and we hope to continue making progress for the benefit of all residents of Lewisboro.”

The parties will not cross-endorse candidates in county elections.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/politics-on-the-hudson/2015/04/13/lewisboro-town-candidates-cross-endorsed/25738725/

HAMLET HUB: Lewisboro Inauguartaion Ceremony to take place January 1st

TOWN OF LEWISBORO – Inauguration Ceremony – Lewisboro Library

January 1, 2016 11:30 AM

Invocation – Reverend Dr. Chip Andrus from South Salem Presbyterian Church

Marc A. Seedorf, Town Justice, Town of Lewisboro, administers the oath of office to:

5. Related Pages

Facebook – Janet Donohue for Town Clerk

https://www.facebook.com/JanetDonohueForTownClerk/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-donohue-90928656

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/janetdonohue1

Lewisboro Republican Town Committee

http://westchestergop.com/go-local/town-committees/lewisboro-republican-town-committee/

6. Notes:

Page Has Been Updated With New Information

More About Lewisboro, New York

Lewisboro is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 12,411 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John Lewis, an early settler.

After purchasing land from the local natives, the first settlers established themselves around South Salem. The town was formed as “Salem” in 1747. By 1790 the town assumed its current dimensions as lands were removed for other towns. The name changed to South Salem in 1806. John Lewis, a financier, requested that the town be given his name and established a fund for the town, though he did not follow through on his promise of a railroad link. Lewisboro is noted for its elaborate gardens, most notable in its public traffic triangles. Dry-stone walls and elegant Colonial mansions are other dominant features.

Lewisboro has had two noteworthy historical characters. Sarah Bishop was the hermit of West Mountain. Apparently mistreated by British soldiers at the time of the Revolutionary War, she retreated to a solitary life in the Lewisboro area. A spot known as “Sarah Bishop’s Cave” is on the hill on the north side of Lake Rippowam, near Mountain Lakes Camp.

The second historical character appeared around the time of the Civil War. The Leatherman was a wanderer who got his name from homemade leather garments. He is frequently mentioned as being in Lewisboro in the middle of the 19th century. He followed a route past homes that would offer him a meal and reappeared at the same doorsteps for 25 years. One of the hiking destinations in Ward Pound Ridge is to the Leatherman’s cave, reportedly one of his more frequent homes.

In 1987 a 10k trail race called “The Leatherman’s Loop” was started to honor his legacy and continues every spring at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

The Mead Memorial Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999…..

Please Reas More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewisboro,_New_York

Mamaroneck Town Clerk – Christina Battalia – Under Review

Image = Mamaroneck Town Clerk - Christina Battalia

Christina “Secret Evidence” Battalia

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Image = top-secret-evidence 626

Christina Battalia has sent a response to one of our Freedom of Information Requests say that she has done some kind of bizzare investigation and has some secret “evidence” that supposedly allows her to deny our rights to access the public documents.

And things have gotten even stranger, because Christina Battalia refuses to share her secret “evidence” making it impossible for us to appeal this bizarre records denial to Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson.

Image = Bob Freeman 626

We are trying to have NYS “Committee On Open Government” Executive Director Robert Freeman advise Ms. Battalia and Ms. Seligson what New York States Freedom Of Information Laws actually say and what a town is permited to do with public records under those laws.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

CBattalia@townofmamaroneckny.org

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
740 West Boston Post Road
First Floor, Room 103
Mamaroneck, NY 10543

4. Experience:

 

Image = refuse-symbol-under-the-magnifier626

Ms. Battalia refused to provide us with a short biographical paragraph, so we will try and search the internet to learn about her background and experience.

However, despite Ms. Battalia’s bizarre and hostile behavior, we must say her staff is very friendly and almost appoligetic about how she treated our FOI requests.

5. From The Town Website:

Image = Town-Of-Mamk-Indian logo 711

The Town Clerk is an elected official who serves a four-year term. The Town Clerk serves residents directly through the issuance of licenses and permits as well as serving as the Town’s Records Management Officer. In addition, the Town Clerk serves the Town Board as the recording secretary for all their proceedings and decisions.

Vital Records

As Registrar of Vital Statistics the Clerk has the responsibility of issuing and maintaining birth and death records. The Town Clerk holds these vital records dating from 1881.

Marriage Licenses

New York State Marriage Licenses are issued through the Town Clerk’s Office and is responsible for issuing Marriage Certificates and recording them with the State of New York. The Town Clerk is a Marriage Officer who performs wedding ceremonies.

Other Licenses

The Town Clerk issues licenses and permits for the State, County and local municipality, including but not limited to licensing for Dogs, Hunting, Fishing, as well as permits for Alarms, Garage Sales, Peddling and Block Parties.

Parking Permits

Parking permits are issued through the Town Clerk’s Office for Commuter Lot No. 1 (Myrtle Boulevard and Vine Street), Area Business for Lot No. 2 (Maxwell Street) and Overnight and 24-Hour for Lot No. 3 and Lot No. 4 (Myrtle Boulevard).

FIOA Requests

The Town Clerk is the Freedom of Information Officer, liaison to the Board of Elections and holds the designation of Notary as well as the certifications of Registered Municipal Clerk (RMC) and Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC).

FAQs

6. Media Reports

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information.

About Mamaroneck, New York

Image = Mamaroneck_highlighted.svg

Mamaroneck is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States.

The population was 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck (part of which is located in the adjacent town of Rye). The majority of the town’s land area is not within either village, constituting an unincorporated area, although a majority of the population lives within the villages. Legally, the unincorporated section and the villages constitute the town as a political and governmental subdivision of New York State. The town is led by a town board, composed of five town board members, which includes the Town Supervisor, Nancy Seligson.

Much of the unincorporated section of the town receives its mail via the Larchmont Post Office and thereby has a Larchmont address.

The Town of Mamaroneck was ranked first in the list of the top 10 places to live in New York State for 2014 according to the national online real estate brokerage Movoto.

The area that is now the town in Mamaroneck was purchased from Native American Chief Wappaquewam and his brother Manhatahan by an Englishman named John Richbell in 1661. During the American Revolutionary War in 1776, the British loyalist William Lounsbury was attacked and killed by a group of revolutionaries led by John Flood. Several other skirmishes occurred that year between loyalists and revolutionaries.

The New York Legislature created Mamaroneck as a town on March 7, 1788. The Town of Mamaroneck is divided into three parts: the Village of Larchmont, an unincorporated area, and the Village of Mamaroneck, the rest of that village being in the town of Rye. This three-part division occurred in the 1890s to meet the growing demand for municipal services that the town could not provide. By definition at the time, a town could only provide basic government functions such as organizing and supervising elections, administering judicial functions, and constructing and maintaining highways.

During the 1890s, parts of the town of Mamaroneck that were situated closest to the water thrived. Larchmont Manor, with its beaches along Long Island Sound, had become well known as a summer resort for families from New York City, and people were beginning to live there year-round…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamaroneck,_New_York

Zip code: 10543

Population: 19,237 (2013)

Area code: Area code 914

Mt Pleasant Town Clerk – Patricia June Scova – 5 Stars

Image = Mt plesant Town Clerk Patricia Brennan ScovaImage =Pat June Scova Mt Pleasant

Patricia June Scova AKA Patricia Breenan Scova

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Image = fivestars

Mt Pleasant Town Clerk Patricia June Scova provided all of the information that we requested within the prescribed times of New York’ Freedom Of information laws. We give her office a five star rating and feel that town residents are well served by her.

 

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

pscova@mtpleasantny.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
One Town Hall Plaza
Valhalla, NY 10595

4. Experience And Background Information:

Volunteer Service: Secretary for “Great Hunger Memorial of Westchester County”; Board of Directors, Mt. Pleasant Italian American Association

Residence: Mt. Pleasant (Hawthorne)

5. From The Town Website:

Image = Town of Mount Pleasant NY

Duties & Responsibilities

The Town Clerk’s Office is responsible for issuance of licenses, including marriage, dog, hunting and fishing, birth and death certificates, commuter parking permits and handicapped parking permits. The Town Clerk is the Freedom of Information Officer and clerk for Town Board.The clerk serves for a two year term.Hours of Operation:

Monday – Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

Phone:(914) 742-2312Fax:(914) 747-6172

Frequently Asked Questions

Name Title
Patricia June Scova Town Clerk

6. Media Reports

JOURNAL NEWS – Mount Pleasant: TV, movie fame will cost you

…The filming fees under the new law are $1,000 for an advertisement that is not profit-motivated, such as something done for community service; $2,500 for an advertisement that sells a product; and $5,000 for feature film/television/video…..

Mount Pleasant’s new law, which applies to public and private property, says someone making a movie, documentary, television program or commercial needs to apply for a license from the town clerk.

Clerk Patricia June Scova said the town had “Law and Order” come twice in the last year or so, “but we didn’t have anything on the books.” She said there’s been other filming near where Routes 117 and 448 meet. A house on Eastview Drive drew cameras as well. She and other officials, including the police chief, have gotten the necessary information, such as proof of insurance, when productions have come to town.

But having the permitting law “is an important step for the town,” Scova said. “We get calls all the time from scouts who are looking for buildings,” she said….

Please read more here:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2016/06/14/mount-pleasant-movie-tv-filming-fees/85687938/

7.. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Mt. Pleasant, NY

Image = Mount_Pleasant_highlighted.svg

Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.

The villages of Valhalla, Hawthorne, Thornwood, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow and a small portion of Briarcliff Manor lie within the town,[a] as well as a number of hamlets.

The John D. Rockefeller Estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a National Historic Landmark.

Please Read More Here:

Elevation: 249′

 

Population: 43,724 (2010)

 

Unemployment rate: 4.0% (Apr 2015)

Ossining Town Clerk – Mary Ann Roberts – 5 Stars

Image = Ossining Town Clerk - Mary Ann Roberts 625

Mary Ann Roberts

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Ossining Town Clerk Mary Ann Roberts acknowledge all Freedom of Information requests and quickly process them even though the information we asked for was difficult to obtain. We rate Ms. Roberts with five stars. The citizens of Ossining are very well served by this Ms. Roberts.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

mroberts@townofossining.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
16 Croton Avenue
Ossining, NY 10562

4. Experience:

MaryAnn Roberts is Clerk to both the Village and the Town of Ossining.

Ms. Roberts has held the position of Town Clerk since taking office on January 1, 2000, as well as being appointed  Village Clerk for the same term.

Ms. Roberts was elected to her first four-year term in a two-way race in 1999.

Ms Robertshas has been a resident in the Village of Ossining nearly all of her life and is married with two grown children who have gone through the Ossining School System.

5. From The Town Website:

Office Hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. The following services are available in the Town/Village Clerk’s Office.

Town of Ossining Schedule of Fees: schedule consists of a compilation and consolidation of provisions pertaining to fees for the various applications, licenses and permits required or provided for under the Town Code, rules and regulations.

pdf Schedule of Fees (39 KB)

Freedom of Information Request Form: application for public access to records.
pdf FOIL Request Form (40 KB)

  • Licensing:
    • Conservation (Hunting, Fishing)
    • Dog
    • Marriage
    • Games of Chance
    • Bingo
    • Peddler
    • Refreshment
    • Taxi Driver
    • Taxi Owner
    • Laundromat
    • Coin Operated Devices
    • Cabaret
    • “Going Out of Business”
  • Parking Permits:
    • Railroad Station Parking (Annual)
      – For Residents of Town of Ossining only
    • Municipal Lots
  • Birth Records:
    • Certifications of Birth Records from 1881 to present
  • Death Records:
    • Certifications of Death Records from 1881 to present

NYS Dept. of Health – Vital Records (Birth, Death, Marriage & Divorce Records)

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Ossining, New York

Image = Ossining_(town)_highlighted.svg

Ossining is a town located along the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 in the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor.

The rest is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant. It is the location of Sing Sing maximum-security prison.

Frederick Philipse bought the area which presently constitutes the Town of Ossining from the Sint Sinck Indians in 1685. The Sint Sinck were members of the Matinecock (Algonquin) tribe, who originally resided in the area of Cow Neck Peninsula on Long Island, New York. His Manor extended from Spuyten Duyvil Creek on the border between present day Manhattan and the Bronx to the Croton River. The last Lord of the Manor, Frederick Philipse III, was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War who fled to England. The State of New York confiscated the manor in 1779.

In 1813, the village of Sing Sing was incorporated. Sing Prison, now known as Sing Sing Correctional Facility, which is a maximum-security prison, opened in 1826. The prison was opened to replace the Newgate Prison that was located in New York City. In 1845, the New York State Legislature created a new town out of the northern part of what had been the Town of Mount Pleasant. A local Indian authority suggested the town be named Ossinsing, a different form of the name Sing Sing. One year later the last “s” was removed for ease in pronunciation. In 1881, the town considered changing its name to “Garfield Plains” to honor the recently assassinated President of the United States, James Garfield, but dropped the idea after the much larger city of White Plains in southern Westchester County objected. In 1901, to prevent confusion of goods made in the village with Sing Sing prison-made items, local officials had the village name changed to Ossining as well.

In 1902 an area east of the village of Ossining, then known as Whitson’s Crossing, was incorporated as the village of Briarcliff Manor.

The Jug Tavern and Scarborough Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places…..

Please Read More here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossining_(town),_New_York

Zip code: 10562
Population: 37,674 (2010)

Pelham Town Clerk – Colleen Walsh – 2 Stars

Image = Pelham Town Clerk = Colleen Walsh 625
Colleen Walsh

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

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Pelham Town Clerk Colleen Walsh has failed to provided a response to all of our Freedom of Information Requests for access to public documents under New York States FOI laws.

It appears that Colleen Walsh doesn’t know how to respond to a simple FOI request for access to a public document. After many written and phone inquiries the town had the attorney listed bellow to respond to our FOI request for the town clerk’s compensation.

While it is good that after nine days we finially got a copy of the current budget with Ms. Walsh’s pay listed, it is bad that the honest hard working taxpayers had to pay for a Manhattan attorney to do Ms. Walsh’s job for her.

Image = I-m-billing-you-for-this-630
Thomas Richard Kleinberger, Esq
411 Fifth Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10016
(917) 326-5523 (Telephone)
(917) 326-5525 (Fax)
tkleinberger@adamsre.com

But the attorney for the town attorney is very temperamental. When we emailed a FOIL of his invoices to the town.

We wanted to learn just how much Pelham’s attorney was was pocketing in fees due to Ms. Walsh’s incompetence when it came to responding to FOI requests for documents.

In less than an hour of getting a Freedom of information request for copies of any invoices from the Pelham Town Attorney responded to the email saying,”In future any FOIL requests will only be addressed by the Town if in  a physical writing (i.e. a letter).

We had to to respond to Thomas Kleinberger’s mini meltdown with…..

New York’s courts have repeatedly ruled that every town subject to the Freedom of Information Law, and must accept emailed FOILS provided that it has the ability to receive requests for records from the public and transmit records by means of email, is required to do so.

Some have joked in Pelham that the hussy fit throwing Mr. Kleinberger got his law license at Sears.

Image = LWV-Logo_630
Town Clerk Colleen Walsh was not just unresponsive with us. When the League Of Women Voter’s sent her a questionnaire in the 2015 election she refused to respond.

From The 2015 LWV Voting Guide:

TOWN CLERK – PELHAM Term: 2 years; Salary: $5,500
Candidate: Colleen W. Walsh Party: R, REF
Questions: – no response –

Sadly abuse and corruption can flourish in Pelham and in New York when government officials feel entitled and refuse to follow New York State’s Freedom Of Information statutes that allow taxpayers and the media to bring accountability and transparency to local government.

Pelham Town Clerk Colleen Walsh would have gotten a rating of FAILURE, but Pelham Town Attorney Thomas Richard Kleinberger was able to provide a copy of the 2016 budget listing her pay.

So we are tentatively given Ms. Walsh TWO STARS as we wait to see if Mr. Kleinberger can try not to be so emotional and complete the other open FOIL requests, when he returns from vacation next month.

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However, if we could we give Colleen Walsh the Bubble Headed Bleach Blonde Award, because she need to get TomKleinberger, Esq to complete a simple Freedom Of Information Request asking for her pay as an elected official.

What good is a town clerk that doesn’t have the skill set need to respond to an FOI request for a public document. It is laughable that she uses the email address toptownclerk@aol.com.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

toptownclerk@aol.com

Or

townclerk@townofpelham.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests:

Town Clerk
34 Fifth Avenue Town Hall
Pelham, New York 10803

4. Experience:

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UNRESPONSIVE: We got no response from Pelham Town Clerk Colleen. Walsh on our information request about her experience.

From the internet we learned Ms. Walsh is a fitness trainer who provides personal training and group fitness classes and has sometimes called her classes,”Sun and Moon Fitness”.

She even made a video called “Strong Mamas/Fit Families”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F09pSoOUWq4

Image = Pelham Town Clerk Colleen Walsh 630
Colleen Walsh

Ms. Walsh apparently has a “Corporate Wellness Coaching” Certificate and a “Holistic Life Coaching” Certificate from some place called the Spencer Center.

Many in Pelham say that Ms. Walsh’s fitness training experience doesn’t give her the experience needed to bring the accountability and transparency that Pelham desperately needs.

Honest hardworking town residents are grossly over taxed and pay too much for often poorly delivered services. This is because they can’t access to the public documents and information they need to bring about real change in the town.

5. From The Pelham Town Website:

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FAILING WEBSITE – GRADE

It looks like that as of the date of this post Town Clerk Colleen Walsh has failed to have the town website updated with the latest information about the Pelham Town Clerk’s Office, which lists another person, Timothy Case, as the Pelham Town Clerk.

The Clueless Ms. Walsh has been the Town Clerk since January 2014, so for 2 years And 7 months she has listed someone else as the Town Clerk on her Town Of Pelham Web Page.

Worse yet the Town’s web Page is not ADA compliant.

The Pelham Town Website Reads:

The Town Clerk is an elected official and serves for a term of two (2) years. The Town Clerk is charged with custody of all legal records, books and papers of the Town and is responsible for the recording of all of the Town Board’s Proceedings and decisions. In this regard, the Town Clerk’s charged with publishing items tobe considered by the Town Board during its meetings and is charged with posting all notices required by law.

The Town Clerk supervises all town wide general elections, primaries related to those elections, conducted in the Town of Pelham pursuant to applicable laws. Applications for absentee ballots, and voter registration forms are available in the Town Clerks Office.

The Town Clerk also serves as Registrar of Vital Statistics, which includes records of Marriages, birth, deed records as early as 1860. Current birth & death records are kept in the Village of Pelham and the Village of Pelham Manor.

The Town Clerk’s office also issues Marriage licenses. It is necessary to make an appointment to obtain a Marriage license.(9:30 AM – 3:30 PM Monday – Friday) Please call (914) 738-0777.

The fee for a Marriage license is $40.00.

Marriage Transcripts are $20.00.

Dog Licenses are available at the Town Clerks Office for Village of Pelham residents. The requirements for the license are (1) Village of Pelham Resident, (2) updated paperwork on dog, which should include current rabies information and proof of neutered/spayed, (3) Owners I.D.

The fee for a dog license is $16.00 (neutered/spayed)

$23.00 (unaltered)

$5.00 for a lost tag.
Click here to print out application.

****Pelham Manor Residents must go to Village of Pelham Manor (Village Clerk at 4 Penfield Place) to acquire a Disabled permit and/or Dog license. If you have any questions please call 914/738-8820.  ****

If you are a new voter, have moved since the last election, or wish to change your registration you may do so by visiting the Town Clerks office.

Timothy Case
Town Clerk

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6. Media Reports

Extra, Extra Read All About It!!!!

Pelham’s Privileged Political Class Wins Again!!!!!!

Only 54 People For For Colleen Wash To Be Town Clerk!!!!

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DAILY VOICE: Pelham Residents Vote For Uncontested Candidates

Voters Tuesday turned out to vote for Pelham supervisor, town clerk, two council seats and receiver of taxes — all of which were uncontested.

With 10 percent of the vote counted at 9:30 p.m. Supervisor Peter DiPaola Jr had 56 votes – 100 percent of all votes cast. DiPaola ran on the Republican line.

Republican Colleen Walsh received 54 votes – 100 percent – for town clerk…..

Please Read More Here:

http://pelham.dailyvoice.com/politics/pelham-residents-vote-for-uncontested-candidates/412525/

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Pelham, New York

Image = Pelham_highlighted.svg

Pelham is an inner-ring suburban town in Westchester County, New York, approximately 14 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 12,396.

Historically, Pelham was composed of five villages and became known as “the Pelhams”. Pelham currently contains two independently incorporated villages: the Villages of Pelham and Pelham Manor

Approximately 28 minutes away from Grand Central Terminal by the Metro-North train, Pelham is home to many New York City commuters and has an active social community for its residents.

In 1654, Thomas Pell bought the area within the present-day town from theSiwanoy Indians. He named his manor “Pelham” in honor of his tutor, Pelham Burton.

Pelham was incorporated as a town on March 7, 1788. It included all of City Island and present-day Pelham Bay Park east of the Hutchinson River. In 1895, the town was reduced in size to its current boundaries. In 1891, the village of Pelham Manor incorporated. In 1896, the village of North Pelham and the village of Pelham incorporated. In 1975, the villages of North Pelham and Pelham merged, forming the present village of Pelham. The Village of Pelham and the Village of Pelham Manor share several services such as school and recreational activities.

There is a grassroots movement to continue the consolidation of services in order to reduce taxes.

The Pelham Picture House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010..

Pelham is home to four elementary schools (two located in each village), one middle school, and one high school. The elementary schools are Hutchinson, Colonial, Siwanoy, and Prospect Hill. Pelham Middle School and Pelham Memorial High School gather students for all of Pelham. These are all part of the Pelham Union Free School District. There are also several private and religious based schools. Since 1948, New York City has paid the district to educate children who live in a small strip of land between Pelham and Pelham Bay Park that is part of the Bronx due to a boundary error, as doing so is less expensive than sending school buses there….

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham,_New_York

Pound Ridge Town Clerk – Joanne Pace – Under Review

Image = Pound Ridge = JOANNE PACE

Joanne Pace

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

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Under Review – So Far The Highly Compensated Pound Ridge Clerk Joanne Pace Has Failed To Respond To Four FOI Request We Sent. Most Of The Other Town Clerks In Westchester County Have Responded.

And it appears that we have to soon appeal to the New York State Department’s Committee On open government concern  Ms. Pace’s failure to respond to our requests to the town clerk’s office.

http://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/

There appears to be a problem with Ms. Pace meeting deadlines and complying with New York State Laws.

In the past, Pound Ridge had control of most election chores. Not anymore. When asked by the county in January, Pound Ridge clerk JoAnne Pace refused to give the county its keys to its lever voting machines.

Under a law created by New York State, Westchester County has control of the elections in 2006 and beyond.

The Pound Ridge government’s act of defiance ended when Pound Ridge received a letter from the county in March that said “despite numerous requests, the board [board of elections] has not received your municipality’s voting machine keys.”

Reginald A. LaFayette, the commissioner of the board of elections, wrote that he “regretted” that if Town Clerk Jo anne Pace did not comply with the request for keys and unless the keys could be inventoried, the county would notify the New York State Board of Elections that the town did not comply with state law.

The county further wrote that “we will be unable to certify your voting machines for the upcoming 2006 elections.”

Joanne Pace, immediately drove the keys down to the Westchester County offices in White Plains.

Ms. Pace was also unresponsive when the League Of Women Voters sent her a questionaire for the 2015 voter’s guide.

From The Voter’s Guide….

TOWN CLERK – POUND RIDGE Term:
4 years; Salary: $71,415
Joanne Pace
Questions: – no response –

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests 

jpace@townofpoundridge.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

179 Westchester Avenue
Pound Ridge, NY 10576

4. Experience:

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Pound Ridge Clerk Joanne Pace did not respond to a request to provide a biographical statement to this project to measure how well Town Clerks respond to and comply with New York State’s Freedom Of Information Laws. Compliance With The law and transparancy appear not to be a priority with Ms. Pace.

5. From The Clerk’s Town Website:

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6. Media Reports

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Pound Ridge, New York

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Pound Ridge is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,104 at the 2010 census.

The town is located in the eastern corner of the county, bordered by New Canaan, Connecticut, to the east,Stamford, Connecticut, to the south, Bedford, New York, to the west and Lewisboro, New York, to the north.

In the early seventeenth century Pound Ridge was inhabited by Native Americans who spoke the Munsee language[ and were members of the Wappinger Confederacy. The geographical boundaries of the tribes within the Confederacy are unclear. Pound Ridge has been variously listed as within the territory of the Kitchawong,Siwanoy and Tankiteke tribes. These claims are not necessarily exclusive as tribal boundaries were not fixed and the land used by different tribes was often interlaced or shared. Interaction with Europeans caused Indians to change their settlement locations over time. Furthermore, the territories listed in sales to Europeans by particular tribal chiefs are not strict guides to the boundaries of tribal control or occupancy. The Siwanoy are generally agreed to have lived along the north Long Island Sound Coast with a maximum range extending from Hell Gate to Norwalk, Connecticut. The Tankiteke appear to have occupied eastern Westchester County and Fairfield County. The territory of the Kitchawong is thought to have extended from the Croton River to Anthony’s Nose along the Hudson and some distance east from the river.

The Wappinger Confederacy participated in Kieft’s War which began in 1640 as a result of escalating tensions over land use, livestock control, trade and taxation between the Dutch West India Company colony of New Netherlandand neighboring native peoples. In March 1644 a Wappinger Confederacy village in present-day Pound Ridge was attacked by a mixed force of 130 Dutch and English soldiers under the command of Captain John Underhill. This event is now known as the Pound Ridge Massacre. The attackers surrounded and burnt the village in a night attack killing between 500 to 700 Indians. The dead included 25 members of the Wappinger tribe, with the remainder being either Tankiteke or Siwanoy or both. The New Netherland force lost one man killed and fifteen wounded. More casualties were suffered in this attack than in any other single incident in the war. Shortly after the battle four Wappinger Confederacy sachems arrived in the English settlement of Stamford to sue for peace.

The territory of modern Pound Ridge was first permanently settled by Europeans in 1718 in the present-day Long Ridge Road area. Long Ridge Road was originally an Indian path and had been used by the first settlers of Bedford, New York as they traveled to that destination from Stamford. Although the very first settlers were from Huntington on Long Island, most of the original settlers of Pound Ridge were from Stamford. A large portion of Pound Ridge was included in the town of North Castle when it was incorporated in 1721.

Three thousand acres in the northern part of present-day Pound Ridge were included within the more than 86,000 acre Cortlandt Manor grant which extended from the Hudson River in the west twenty miles east to the Connecticut border. A member of the historically prominent Lockwood family first purchased land in Pound Ridge in 1737 and several members of the family settled in the town within the next six years. The Scofield family first settled in the area in 1745 and the first Fancher settled in the area in 1758. Roads in the modern town bear the name of each of these families.The first record of the term “Old Pound Ridge” to refer to the present-day town’s territory is found in the North Castle records from 1737. “Old Pound Ridge” begins to appear in Stamford records in 1750. The name “Old Pound Ridge” is thought to have originated from the presence of an Indian game pound on a hill within the territory when the settlers first arrived.

…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_Ridge,_New_York

Zip code: 10576

Population: 5,104 (2010)

 

Area code: 914

Somers Town Clerk – Patricia Kalba – 5 Stars

Image = Patricia Kalba Sworn in 2016

Patricia Kalba Being sworn In January Of 2016

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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Patricia Kalba was given three Freedom Of Information requests that all were resounded to filled in less than four days time. We found the office to be responsive and courteous.

In her first bid for elected office, deputy Town Clerk Patricia Kalba has the support of both the Somers Republican and Democratic parties to succeed her boss, retiring Longtime Town Clerk Kathleen R. Pacella.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

pkalba@somersny.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests:

Town Clerk
335 Route 202
Somers, NY 10589

4. Experience:

Patricia Kalb was Somers Deputy Town Clerk for over a decade.Born and raised in Somers,

Ms. Kalba is a graduate of Somers High School who went on to earn her associate’s degree from Mercy College. In addition to her years in the town clerk’s office, Kalba has held a number of private-sector jobs

5. From The Town Of Somers Website:

Image = Somers_highlighted.svg

Contact:
Town Clerk
Deputy Town Clerk
Address:

335 Route 202

Somers, NY 10589

Phone:
914-277-3323
Fax:
914-277-3960
Hours:
Mon – Fri, 9:00am to 4:30pm
Additional Links:
6. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Somers, New York

Somers is a town located in northeastern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434.

The nearby Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time of 65 to 75 minutes from stations at Purdys, Goldens Bridge, and Katonah.

Somers was originally inhabited by Native Americans known as Kitchawanks, part of the Wappinger tribe, an Algonquianpeople who called the land Amapaugh, meaning “fresh water fish.” This land was located in the eastern segment of an 83,000-acre (340 km2) tract King William III of England granted to Stephanus Van Cortlandt of New York City in 1697. The part of Van Cortlandt Manor that ultimately became Somers and Yorktown was known as the Middle District, or Hanover.

European settlement in the New Oltenia area began after Van Cortlandt’s death in 1700 and the final partition of his estate in 1734. Early European settlers included tenants and freeholders from neighboring areas, among them English, Dutch, French Huguenots and Quakers. At the first known town meeting of European settlers held on March 7, 1788, at an inn owned by Benjamin Green, the town named Stephentown was established. However, there already existed a Stephentown in Rensselaer County. To alleviate confusion, the name was changed in 1808 to Somers to honor Richard Somers, a naval captain from New Jersey who died in combat during the First Barbary War. A memorial in West Somers Park was erected in his honor at Memorial Day ceremonies in 1958.

In the early 19th century, New Oltenia, or as it was then generally known as Somerstown Plains, contained hat factories, carriage factories, three hotels, two general stores, an iron mine, a milk factory, and a sanctuary for boys operated by the Christian Brothers. {Today, the facility is known as Lincoln Hall, and houses incarcerated teens.} There was a constant stream of goods and passengers to large markets and cities through the village. As early as 1809, a weekly newspaper was established, the Somers Museum and Westchester County Advertiser. Though primarily agricultural, the rural economy also supported a varied population of weavers, preachers, merchants, cabinetmakers, doctors, lawyers, teachers and servants. A good system of roads was maintained and some operated as commercial “toll roads”. The railroad, developed in the 1840s, bypassed the town of Somers, and affected a decline in growth over the next hundred years. The presence of the railroad in nearby communities did allow the agricultural emphasis to move towards dairy production and fruit growing, since the products could be shipped to markets in the city.

Industries continued to thrive, with grist, paper, saw and clothing mills operating in the area. Between 1890 and 1910, the Croton and Muscoot rivers were flooded to create the New York City reservoir system thereby changing the local landscape considerably. In the 1920s small lake communities began to spring up as vacation havens for summer visitors and farmers’ guests. These lake communities became larger and firmly established, eventually evolving from seasonal to year-round neighborhoods now known as Lake Lincolndale, Lake Purdys and Lake Shenorock. FollowingWorld War II, the rural countryside of Somers continued attracting “weekenders”, many from New York City who became more mobile because of the proliferation of automobile travel. The construction of Interstate 684 in the mid-1970s facilitated a resurgence of residential and commercial development in Somers for the next 20 years. Somers grew most rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, after IBM and PepsiCo built large corporate facilities within it.

Somers is known for being the “cradle of the American circus“. It gained this notoriety after Hachaliah Bailey bought an African elephant, which he named “Old Bet“. Bailey intended to use the elephant for farm work, but the number of people it attracted caused Bailey to take her throughout the Northeast. Bailey’s success caused numerous others to tour with exotic animals, and during the 1830s the old-style circus and Bailey’s attractions merged to form the modern circus. Old Bet died on tour in 1827. Bailey later erected the Elephant Hotel in Somers in honor of Old Bet, and it was purchased by the town in 1927. It is a town landmark and in 2006 was dedicated a National Historic Landmark. The elephant remains a symbol of the town to this day, with the high school sports teams nicknamed “Tuskers”. The Elephant Hotel is currently the Somers Town Hall.

Somers was in a minor dispute with Baraboo, Wisconsin, over which community is the “birthplace” of the American circus.

The Mount Zion Methodist Church, Gerard Crane House, Elephant Hotel, Somers Business Historic Preservation District, Bridge L-158 and West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somers,_New_York

Zip code: 10589
Population: 20,434 (2010)

 

Yorktown Town Clerk – Diana L. Quast – Five Stars

Image = Diana L. Quast, Town Clerk Yorktown 6
Diana L. Quast

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings

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To date Ms. Quast has been given two difficult FOI requests all were responded to a delivered in 60 hours or less.

2. Experience:

01/16-Present TOWN CLERK, Town of Yorktown, NY

Elected Town Clerk to four year term beginning January 1, 2016.

10/07-12/31/07 TOWN CLERK, Town of Yorktown, NY

Served as the appointed Town Clerk for three (3) months when the Town Clerk was appointed Town Supervisor to fill vacated position.

2003-12/31/15 DEPUTY TOWN CLERK, Town of Yorktown, NY

Administrative position, the Deputy assists the Town Clerk in all areas of responsibilities as mandated by law.

1999-2003 DEPUTY TOWN CLERK, Town of New Castle, NY

City/Town of Residence: Town of Yorktown

Education: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Graduated Magna Cum Laude

Prior Civic Service: Westchester County Town and City Clerks Association, New York State Town Clerks Association, Yorktown Parks and Recreation Commission Chair, Yorktown Community Emergency Response Team, Vice President and Lifetime Member of the Millwood Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, Past Member of the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corp., Ossining Boat and Canoe Club, Ossining Womens Softball League.

3. Email Address To Submit A FOI Request

townclerk@yorktownny.org

4.Street Address To Submit An FOI Request

Town Clerk
Yorktown Town Hall
363 Underhill Avenue
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

5. From The Town Of Yorktown Website:

Image = Yorktown_highlighted.svg

Welcome to the Town Clerk’s Office

Diana L. Quast - Do not use without permission.

The Town Clerk’s Office serves as the hub of the community by providing the public with information both in person and over the telephone. Please feel free to contact the Town Clerk’s Office with any questions you may have.

Diana L. Quast, Town Clerk
Maura Weissleder, Deputy Town Clerk

Additional Staff:
Elena Panagi, Intermediate Clerk
Tom Travis, Records Management Clerk

Phone: (914) 962-5722 ext. 209
Fax: (914) 962-6591

Office Hours:  8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Marriage License Hours:  9:00 am – 3:30 pm

The following are some of the responsibilities of the Town Clerk:

  • Custody of all records, books and papers of the Town.

  • Attends all meetings of Town Board, acts as clerk thereof, keeps a complete and accurate record of each meeting’s proceedings.

  • Records all local laws in office in a separate, indexed book.

  • Filing officer of the Town for various documents, papers and records in connection with operation and administration of Town Government which are required by law to be filed with and be on file in the Town Clerk’s office.

  • Issues various types of licenses and permits pursuant to Town, State and Local Law

  • The Town Clerk serves as the Town of Yorktown’s Registrar of Vital Statistics who is entrusted with keeping a record of births, deaths and marriages.

  • As Records Management Officer, the Town Clerk is responsible for administering the noncurrent and archival public records and storage areas for the Town of Yorktown in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines.

  • The Town Clerk applies for and provides written grants.

  • The Town Clerk works in conjunction with the Westchester County Board of Elections with regards to Primary, General, Presidential and Special Elections.

  • The Town Clerk acts as the Records Access Officer.

  • Serves as a Notary Public.

6. Media Reports

THE EXAMINER: Yorktown Town Clerk Roker Not Seeking Reelection

Yorktown Town Clerk Alice Roker announced Wednesday afternoon she will not be seeking reelection to the post she has held for a quarter of a century.

Roker, a former television news producer for NBC, said she had no immediate plans once she leaves office at the end of the year, but stressed she was not retiring.

“I don’t know what God has in store for me. I’m open to everything,” she told two members of the local media in an otherwise empty meeting room at Yorktown Town Hall. “It’s been a long 25 years. It is a humbling experience working with the public. I’ve had a great life here. I love being a cheerleader for Yorktown.”

Roker, who began her career in Yorktown with Supervisor Nancy Elliot, repeatedly said she would not be running on the Democratic line this year and also ruled out running for any elected office in 2015, but she did not close the door on throwing her hat back in the political ring in the future.

“This is a story that’s bigger than politics. I have been a Democrat my whole life and I will probably die a Democrat,” she said on the eve of the town’s Democratic Committee caucus. “The clerk position suited my personality because a clerk gets to talk a lot. I love this community. The people in Yorktown don’t know how lucky they are to have a lot of people working for them who are the best at what they do.”

At the Democratic caucus Thursday night, Roker said she would nominate Bob Giordano as one of the two Town Board hopefuls and would recommend that her longtime deputy clerk, Diana Quast, get the nod to be her successor. She added that she hoped the Republican Committee would not put up a candidate to challenge Quast.

“She’s paid her dues and she has the best credentials,” Roker said of Quast, who has worked for Yorktown for the last 12 years after doing the same job for New Castle for three years. “The success of my office is more than just me. Nobody can say we didn’t try hard to do what we do.”

An emotional Quast said she was not shocked when Roker informed her of her decision since they had discussed the possibility in the past.

“She has always trained me to follow her. I didn’t think it would be now,” Quast said. “Alice and I have a very close relationship. We’re friends. It’s very hard for me.”

PATCH: Letter to the Editor: Diana Quast for Town Clerk

Letter to the Editor

Alice Roker picked Diana Quast for a reason.

If you look up the definition of a Town Clerk it says that he or she is the chief administrative officer of a town or city. The service that a clerk provides is at the core of how the Town relates to its residents.

Alice Roker has famously carried out the responsibilities of Town Clerk in Yorktown for over 25 years with integrity and resourcefulness and deserves all of our respect and thanks.

Alice picked Diana Quast as her Deputy over 12 years ago. She did that for a reason.

Someone was needed who could carry out the duties of Clerk in the same style and fashion as Alice. Someone was needed who could bear the responsibility of the office the same way Alice had for years. Someone the Town could count on.

Now that Alice is leaving she has chosen Diana as the person to follow her and continue the service and dedication to the Town of Yorktown that has been the hallmark of the Clerk’s Office. Diana is the obvious choice on Election Day- a choice for continuity and integrity.

Alice picked Diana Quast- you should too.

Elliot Krowe

http://patch.com/new-york/yorktown-somers/letter-editor-diana-quast-town-clerk-0

DAILY VOICE: Yorktown Democrats Name Candidates For November Election

The Yorktown Democratic Town Commitee has announced a full slate of candidates for the 2015 November election.

These are the candidates: For Supervisor, Councilman Vishnu Patel; Town Board, Ilan (Lanny) Gilbert and incumbent Councilwoman Susan Siegel; Town Justice, Richard Abbate; and Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk Diana Quast.

Please Read More Here:

http://yorktown.dailyvoice.com/politics/yorktown-democrats-name-candidates-for-november-election/538818/

DEMOCRATIC DOJO: Yorktown Democrats Name Candidates For November Election

The Yorktown Democratic Town Commitee has announced a full slate of candidates for the 2015 November election.

These are the candidates: For Supervisor, Councilman Vishnu Patel; Town Board, Ilan (Lanny) Gilbert and incumbent Councilwoman Susan Siegel; Town Justice, Richard Abbate; and Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk Diana Quast.

Patel, Abbate and Quast were nominated unanimously. The committee also gave its support to County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz in his re-election bid to represent District 4.

“It’s a strong slate that brings together Yorktown residents with a long history of distinguished service to our community and experience in town government,” said Ron Stokes, co-chair of the Yorktown Democratic Committee. “It’s a winning team that will be able to make a real difference for Yorktown residents beginning January 1, 2016.”…..

Please Read More Here:

http://democraticdojo.com/yorktown-democrats-name-candidates-for-november-election/

TAP INTO YORKTOWNP: Smoking Ban in Yorktown Parks Gains Momentum

The Parks and Recreation Commission is moving forward with a plan to ban smoking from certain areas in Yorktown parks.

Commission Chair Diana Quast, also town clerk, said people smoking near playgrounds, athletic fields and pools has become a problem…..

Please Read More Here:

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/yorktown/articles/smoking-ban-in-yorktown-parks-gains-momentum

6. Related Pages

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Diana4TownClerk/

Flipagram

https://flipagram.com/f/eg2BQjr4Zz

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/diana4townclerk/

7. Notes:

Page Has Been Updated With New Information

More About Yorktown, New York

Yorktown is a town that lies on the north border in Westchester County, New York, in a suburb approximately 38 miles north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,081 at the 2010 census.

Yorktown has a rich historical heritage beginning with the earliest known inhabitants—Mohegan, Osceola, Amawalk, Kitchawan, and Mohansic peoples—after which local places were named. Most of Yorktown was part of the Manor of Cortlandt, a Royal Manor established by King William III for the Van Cortlandt family.

The Croton River, which runs through the southern part of Yorktown, was dammed by New York City to provide its first major source of clean and reliable water. The first Croton Dam was located in Yorktown and broke in 1842, causing significant damage to property and major loss of life.

First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown in Crompond on a vintage postcard

During the American Revolution, Yorktown was of strategic importance, with the Pines Bridge crossing guarded by a regiment of Rhode Island troops made up mostly of African Americans, who were massacred at the Davenport House in Croton Heights. A memorial to them was erected at the Presbyterian Church in Crompond, New York.

MajorJohn André, a British officer who communicated with Benedict Arnold, ate his final breakfast at the Underhill House on Hanover Street just before his capture and eventual hanging as a spy.

In 1788, the township was officially incorporated as Yorktown, commemorating the decisive Revolutionary War Battle of Yorktown, near Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781.

Moving north after the battle of Yorktown, the French army camped at the site of today’s French Hill Elementary School, where cannonballs and other relics have been found.

Although rumors claim that George Washington passed through Yorktown, no factual records confirm this.

During the town’s bicentennial in 1988, Yorktowners honored their historic heritage, including that of the 19th and 20th centuries, and commemorated their community’s participation in events that led up to the birth and growth of the United States. A Bicentennial Committee reviewed the town’s remaining historic sites and determined which should be preserved as a link between the Yorktown of yesterday and the Yorktown of tomorrow.…..

Please Read More Here: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorktown,_New_York

Elevation: 459′
Population: 36,081 (2010)

Zip code: 10598

 

Village of Ardsley – Barbara A. Berardi – 5 Stars

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Barbara A. Berardi

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Village of Ardsley Clerk Barbara A. Berardi passed our review with flying colors. The response from her office was exceptional. She is truly an asset to the taxpayers of Ardsley.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

BBerardi@ardsleyvillage.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
507 Ashford Avenue
Ardsley NY 10502

4. Experience:

Barbara A. Berardi has been Village Clerk since 2006.

5. From The Village Website:

Image = Village of Ardsley Website 74

The Clerk‘s office is located on the main floor of Village Hall, and is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Village Clerk is appointed to a two year term and has custody of all Village records, papers, books and communications, as well as the reports and communications of the Board of Trustees. She attends all meetings of the Board of Trustees, serves as Clerk of the Board, and maintains records of the meetings.

The Clerk’s office issues various licenses and permits including annual parking permits for the Village Green and Bridge Street Lots, peddler’s permits, film permits, street opening permits, leaf blower permits and dumpster permits.

The Vital Statistics office is also part of the Clerk’s office. The Registrar of Vital Records maintains and issues certified copies of birth and death records of the Village. The Village Clerk is also the Freedom of Information Officer and processes all requests for records under the Freedom of Information Law.

The Village Clerk acts as the Deputy Treasurer, in the absence of the Village Treasurer.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Barbara A. Berardi Village Clerk (914) 693-1550 x120

6. Media Reports / Related Pages

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HAMLET HUB: New Village Website Design for Ardsley

It’s always exciting when something gets new and improved and it looks like the Village of Ardsley has done some spring cleaning in hopes of re-vamping the town’s website, and it looks as though it has worked!

The new website has a much more user friendly design, is much easier to read, and contains more useful information than past websites.  In the first 2014 edition of The Ardsley Villagerour town’s newletters, Mayor Peter Porcino make sure to give a shout-out to Nicole Minore, former trustee, and Barbara Berardi, village clerk, for their hard work on the new website design…..

http://news.hamlethub.com/rivertowns/politics/493-new-village-website-design-for-ardsley

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: Former Village Manager Remember’s How The Clerk’s Office And Village Used To Be

In 1946 Sam Goldwyn released a wonderful film called “The Best Years of Our Lives.” The drama received seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, and had absolutely nothing to do with me. Its title, however, pretty much sums up the last 24.5 years of my life spent with you as your Village Manager. Little did this fellow know back in 1990, he would be spending nearly a quarter of century dealing with the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of this one square mile community. In a sense 1990 was a relatively quiet time in the Village, and much was still done with pencil and pen. The Village Treasurer and the Village Clerk would break their routine each day at 10:00 am, and prepare tea and scones for themselves and anyone who happened to stumble into the offices. Computers had not arrived yet, nor had postage machines, fax machines, copy machines with collators, or even smoke detectors, but we did have an Addressograph! Construction was slow. If my memory serves me correctly, a grand total of 5 building permits were issued that year. The fleet of vehicles were ancient, but not as ancient as our Village Hall whose attic and walls were shelter to many squirrels, bats, and other furry fauna, with heaving floors, a failing HVAC system, and non-functioning windows. The timbers in the basement were still scarred black from an oil fire in the 1970s, and one of my first big assignments was to secure a firm to install metal reinforcements so the floors wouldn’t collapse. My second big assignment was to get a bond issue to cover the cost of introducing computers to the workforce. My third big assignment was to determine how to address the trout who had taken up residence in the Village Green parking lot — a very long story unto itself. The Village Board was embroiled in a debate with the local merchants about the costly retro-fitting of fire sprinklers in the various storefronts, and much in the way of midnight oil was burnt as this routine stretched on for months and months. Roll the cameras forward to 2014. To the casual observer not much has changed, but the landscape really has changed, and the changes have been vast. The ancient Village Hall was finally demolished and a new modern facility was erected in 1998. A new fire house arrived a few short years later. The reconstruction of Ashford Avenue and its sidewalks, first conceived by my predecessor, Tim Idoni, in 1989, was finally completed in 2001. The library endured not one but two expansions thanks to the generosity of the Carvel Foundation and a joint services contract with the Village of Elmsford, and of course the legendary tenacity of Floyd Lichtenberg. The 1960s vintage ASVAC building was demolished, and thanks to the cooperation of the NYC DEP and the leadership of Captain Pat Hoffmann and her volunteers, a new modular building arrived in the last decade. The bucolic Jordan property was subdivided, and Jordan Lane came to be with its several beautiful homes. The Ardsley Garden Club with the help of a state grant erected a beautiful clock in Addyman Square. Thanks to Arline Weston and Frank Jazzo, Revolutionary War signs were erected in Bicentennial Park and McDowell Park illustrating Ardsley’s role in that era. With the guidance of the Little League Commissioners and Mayor Leon the parking lot was paved in McDowell Park, a new modular restrooms facility arrived, and 4 ball fields were restored. Pascone Park has its skatepark now thanks to Lorraine Kuhn, and a gazebo thanks to Cheryl Mathew. Milton Pintell subdivided his property and the 175 unit Woodlands – Atria and the nearby beautiful homes on Sylvia Avenue came to be. Consolidated Edison was finally persuaded to take over the maintenance of the power lines on McCormick Drive which ensured the Middle School would receive immediate response in the event of a power outage after a major storm. Bridge Street was revived with the arrival of new or remodeled buildings occupied by Doctors United, Riviera Bakehouse, Bucci Auto, and Stagioni. Lou Cillo built a beautiful office building on the south side of the Village, and Maurice Hyacinthe and the DeCicco Brothers revitalized a shopping center in the heart of the Village. Mayor Leon secured a large state grant, and, with the aid of Don Marra, we now have sidewalks we can be proud of on Heatherdell Road, at least between Farm Road and Town Park. And the changes will continue. Although the plans are in place, I leave a Village Board and a very talented new Village Manager who will be faced with the tasks of contending with the reconstruction of the Ashford Avenue bridge, the widening of a portion of Route 9A, the dedication of the 22 unit affordable housing project on the former Waterwheel Restaurant site, and whatever traffic is generated during the construction of Rivertowns Square. I have full confidence that Mayor Porcino and Trustees Malone, Kaboolian, DiJusto, and Monti will perform their tasks admirably as did the five mayoral administrations before them. Often I hear people say they moved here for the schools, and though the schools dearly deserve their fine reputation, I dare say the schools represent only part of the equation. Ardsley has always been very fortunate with the people who reside here. The volunteer spirit in this community has always been alive and well, and continues to thrive even in this era of busy dual income households. The residents stay in tune with what their local government is up to whether it be via newsletter, local newspaper, television, the Internet, over the fence gossiping with a neighbor, or showing up unannounced at the front counter of Village Hall. No matter the mode of communication, the important thing to take away is that the people of Ardsley care about what happens in their community, they really do care, and as a local municipal administrator I really cannot ask for more than that. And so, from the bottom of my heart I thank you all for caring, for volunteering and for letting me be part of your lives these last few decades! — George Calvi, Village Manager

http://rivertowns.dailyvoice.com/news/ardsley-village-manager-offers-november-report/460536/

Response to FOIA Request – American Civil Liberties Union – Automatic Plate Readers

Aug 8, 2012 – Ardsley, New York 10502. (914) 693-1550 … BARBARA A. BERARDI. We are in receipt of … Ardsley Village Police Department. 507 Ashford Avenue …

https://www.aclu.org/files/FilesPDFs/ALPR/new-york/alprpra_ardsleyvillagepolicedepartment_ardsleyny_1.pdf

FIND THE DATA: Barbara Berardi Salaries

2011 – $79,946

2013 – $85,696

http://state-employees.findthedata.com/d/a/Barbara-Berardi

JOURNAL NEWS: Westchester villages on fiscally stressed list

Mayor: Ardsley not ‘fiscally stressed’

Four villages in Westchester and Rockland counties made 2014’s most-fiscally stressed list released Monday by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The comptroller’s report said Tuckahoe was among four villages in the state facing “significant fiscal stress” while Ardsley was designated along with two other villages as being under “moderate fiscal stress.” Pomona and New Square were listed in a third tier, “susceptible to fiscal stress.”

DiNapoli reviewed 539 out of the state’s 549 villages and scored them by calculating year-end fund balance, short-term borrowing and patterns of operating deficits. The 10 villages with fiscal years beginning in January will be included in a later report….

….Ardsley Mayor Peter Porcino said the village had under budgeted for police salaries and village contributions to benefits by $200,000……

The Mayor Later Responded:

“Our financial condition is fine,” said Ardsley Mayor Peter R. Porcino. “We’re surprised that the comptroller has us in that category.”

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/23/rockland-westchester-villages-stressed/23904495/

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About The Village Of Ardsley

Image = Ardsley_highlighted.svg

Ardsley is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Greenburgh. The village’s population was 4,452 at the 2010 census. The current mayor of Ardsley is Peter Porcino.

The Ardsley post office serves the entire village of Ardsley plus some nearby unincorporated sections of Greenburgh. The Ardsley Union Free School District includes the entire village of Ardsley plus parts of the village of Dobbs Ferry and unincorporated parts of Greenburgh. Ardsley has a library that is a member of the Westchester Library System.

Ardsley should not be confused with the nearby hamlet of Ardsley-on-Hudson, which is part of the village of Irvington.

Before the area where Ardsley is now located was settled by Europeans, it was inhabited by the Wickquasgeck Indians, a band of the Wappingers, related to the Lenape (Delaware) tribes which dominated lower New York state and New Jersey.

After the Dutch came to the area, the land was part of the Bisightick tract of the Van der Donck grant purchased byFrederick Philipse in 1682, but in 1785 the state of New York confiscated the land from his grandson, Frederick Philipse III, after he sided with the British in the American Revolution, and sold it to local patriot farmers who had been tenants of the Phillipse family.

The village of Ashford was formed from some of these portions, named for the main road. Notable businesses included a blacksmith, and a sawmill and grist mill both situated upon the Saw Mill River. Three pickle factories were in operation by the Civil War, and in the 1880s the construction of the Putnam Railroad and New Croton Aqueduct led to a population boom which saw the installation of electric lighting and improved roads. Due to the presence of an earlier Ashford Post Office in New York state, the town took the name “Ardsley” after the name of a local baron’s estate, and the first village postmaster was appointed in 1883.

The renaming of Ardsley is attributed to Cyrus West Field, who owned 780 acres (3.2 km2) of land lying between Broadway (Dobbs Ferry) and Sprain Brook (Greenburgh) named Ardsley Park. He had named Ardsley Park after the English birthplace of his immigrant ancestor, Zechariah Field (East Ardsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England), who immigrated to the U.S. in 1629. The story told growing up in Ardsley by elderly neighbors is that Cyrus W. Field agreed to use his influence to get the post office established, and in return the village would be renamed Ardsley. The information about Zechariah Field and Ardsley Park came from Diane Druin Gravlee, great-great-granddaughter of Cyrus W. Field.

Incorporated in 1896, Ardsley would continue to grow at a steady pace, until a fire destroyed the village center in 1914. This led to the reconstruction of several buildings, and the establishment of a fire department in the former schoolhouse. Two more population booms would follow, the first spanning the time between the end of the first World War and the beginning of the Depression, and the second following World War II. A public high school was established in 1912, with an addition in 1925. The school did not suit the needs of the growing population, so the current high school was established in 1957, with its first graduating class in 1958. The old high school was converted into a middle school, until in 1971 the 5.5 million dollar middle school was built. The Concord Road School was built in 1953 with an addition in 1966.

This second boom led to the eventual construction of several village schools, including Concord Road Elementary School (1952),Ardsley High School (1958), and Ardsley Middle School (1967). The village was greatly changed by the construction of the New York State Thruway in the late 1950s, which resulted in both the loss of the Ardsley station on the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad and the loss of much of the downtown business district.

On October 19, 1985, an earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale shook Ardsley and was felt over much of the New York City area.

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardsley,_New_York

Area: 1.313 mi²

Zip code: 10502

Population: 4,540 (2013)

 

Village of Briarcliff Manor – Christine Dennett – 5 Stars

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Christine Dennett

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

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This clerk’s office has earned five stars for providing a very positive experience with on of the quickest response times of any village clerk in Westchester County.

An exceptionally professional public records management office that serves the residents of Briarcliff Manor well.

Ms.Christine Dennett is a real assert to the community she serves.

If we could we would give Ms. Dennett a sixth star, but our scale only goes up to five stars.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

Clerksoffice@briarcliffmanor.org

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
1111 Pleasantville Road
Briarcliff Manor, NY  10510

4. Experience:

From the internet we learned that Ms. Dennett’s work history appears to be as follows:

Village Clerk – Village of Briarcliff Manor
– Present
(Her current term ends 04/01/17)
2011 Salary – $80,849
2013 Salary – $81,580

Town Clerk/Registrar of Vital Statistics
Village of Mount Kisco

Intermediate Account Clerk
Mount Kisco Recreation Department

Ms.Dennett attended SUNY Oneonta

Ms. Dennett is the president of the Westchester County Municipal Clerks and Finance Officers Association.

5. From The Village Website:

Image = briarcliff manor NY_website header74

Role And Responsibilities of the Briarcliff Manor Village Clerk

The Village Clerk is responsible for maintaining custody of the Village seal, books, records and papers.

The Clerk is the official clerk of the Board of Trustees, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and is responsible for preparing agendas and maintaining an indexed compilation of minutes from the three Boards.

The Office of the Village Clerk is the primary point of contact when telephoning or visiting the Village of Briarcliff Manor’s Administrative Office. The Office provides a variety of permitting and licensing services including: station parking permits, dog licenses, birth and death certificates, cabaret licenses, and carting licenses.

The Clerk’s Office also maintains a record of all local laws.

The Village Clerk is responsible for responding to requests for access to public records. Pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law, the Village charges $0.25 per page for copying of public records.

The Village Clerk is also responsible for operating and maintaining the Village government’s cable television channel (Briarcliff Manor Channel 78), for maintaining the Village website and for publishing the Village of Briarcliff Manor’s newsletter (The Manor Monthly) which is sent to all residents of the Village on a monthly basis.

The Village Clerk is charged with a variety of personnel-related functions for Briarcliff Manor Village government.

The Clerk’s Office is the primary interface between the Village and the Westchester County Personnel Department for Civil Service issues.

Additionally, the Village Clerk coordinates the Village’s employee benefits programs, including a self-administered dental program and vision program and all Workers Compensation claims.

One of the most important responsibilities of the Village Clerk is administering the Village Election. The Clerk is charged with administering the Annual General Village Election each March as well as any special referenda. For more information on the election process in the Village, please contact the Village Clerk at 914/941-4801.

6. Media Reports / Related Webpages

Image = News = Village of Briarcliff Manor - Christine Dennett 01

Taxpayer Funded Public Distribution Email Lists Not Private, Says Westchester County Municipal Clerks President

Anyone with a computer can get email blasts from the the privilege political class of their town or village trumpeting what a wonderful job they are doing. These often come in the form of “Village Newsletters” that amount to year around taxpayer funded puff pieces for incumbent politicians.

The privileged political class uses taxpayer funded equipment, resources and email addresses year around to inform voters what a great job their incumbent politicians are doing.

But many grassroots community organizations are learning that these town and village email lists are public records under terms of recent decisions on state regulations, and they may be released to those outside of a communities privilege political class.

In the Village of Briarcliff Manor, some local citizens critical of proposed school tax increases and the budgeting process behind them, shocking the privilege political class, who thought they had a monopoly on the public signup list.

Westchester County Municipal Clerks and Finance Officers Association President And Briarcliff Manor Village Clerk Christine Dennett now states,“It’s public information.”

Dennett said the list was turned over after a Freedom of Information request was filed, under the state law that promotes public access to government records.

“It was a FOIA request for our email list. We had to release them,” she said……

Please Read More Here:

http://foilwestchester.blogspot.com/2016/07/taxpayer-funded-public-distribution.html

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About The Village Of Briarcliff, New York

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Briarcliff Manor /ˈbraɪərklɪf/ is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, around 30 miles north of New York City.

It is on 5.9 square miles (15 km2) of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by thetowns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor includes the communities of Scarborough and Chilmark, and is served by the Scarborough station of the Metro-North Railroad‘s Hudson Line. A section of the village, including buildings and homes covering 376 acres (152 ha), is part of the Scarborough Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The village motto is “A Village between Two Rivers”, reflecting Briarcliff Manor’s location between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers. Although the Pocantico is the primary boundary between Mount Pleasant and Ossining, since its incorporation the village has spread into Mount Pleasant.

In the precolonial era, the village’s area was inhabited by a band of the Wappinger tribes of Native Americans. In the early 19th century, the area was known as Whitson’s Corners. Walter William Law moved to the area and purchased lands during the 1890s. Law developed the village, establishing schools, churches, parks, and the Briarcliff Lodge. Briarcliff Manor was incorporated as a village in 1902, and celebrated its centennial on November 21, 2002. The village has grown from 331 people when established to 7,867 in the 2010 census.

Briarcliff Manor was historically known for its wealthy estate-owning families, including the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Rockefellers. It still remains primarily residential and its population is still considered affluent by U.S. standards. It has about 180 acres (70 ha) of recreational facilities and parks, all accessible to the public. The village has seven Christian churches for various denominations and two synagogues. The oldest church is Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church, built in 1851. Briarcliff Manor has an elected local government, with departments including police, fire, recreation, and public works. It has a low crime rate: a 2012 study found it had the second-lowest in the state. In the New York State Legislature it is split between the New York State Assembly‘s 95th and 92nd districts, and the New York Senate‘s 38th and 40th districts. In Congress the village is in New York’s 17th District.

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briarcliff_Manor,_New_York

Zip code: 10510

Population: 8,017 (2013)

Municipalities: Mount Pleasant, Ossining

 

Village of Bronxville – James M. Palmer – Under Review – Delayed

Image = j_palmer clerk village of Bronxville

James M. Palmer

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Image = Village of Bronxville - James M. Palmer - Under Review - Delayed 75

Under Review – James Palmer has responded to our Bronxville Freedom of Information requests with….

“We are unable to respond to your request at this time. If the information you request is available, we will contact you within 20 business days.”

One of the Freedom of Information requests asked how much was the compensation for his taxpayer funded job.

Really?

LOL – Maybe James Palmer makes so much money off of the taxpayers that it takes him 20 days just to count it up.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

JPalmer@vobny.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Village Clerk
200 Pondfield Rd
Bronxville, NY 10708

4. Experience:

A graduate of St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, with a degree in business administration and a minor in political science, Palmer earned his master’s degree at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY Albany.

While still in graduate school, Mr. Palmer entered professional local government management when he accepted a position with Schenectady County Manager Robert McEvoy, former manager for the Town of Rye and assistant city manager of Yonkers.

From Schenectady County, Palmer moved to the Village/Town of Mount Kisco, where he began his 20-year tenure working for the village manager, eventually assuming that position.

With Mount Kisco being one of only five coterminous village/towns in the State of New York, and the only one with separate assessing units, Mr. Palmer served as both village assessor and town assessor.

Mount Kisco, along with Scarsdale and Harrison, are the only three coterminous municipalities in Westchester.

In Bronxville, beyond the administrative aspects of the village administrator’s position, Palmer is involved in the many village projects currently in progress and soon to be initiated. His duties also include serving as the village clerk and the records management officer.

Mr. Palmer got the job after a lengthy search process that com-menced in February. At the end of the previous year, former Village Administrator Harold Porr announced his retirement after 10 years on the job.

The salary for this position is $170,000

Interim Bronxville Village Administrator Donald Marra, who is filling in, was also hired in March to lead the search for Mr. Porr’s replacement.

Soon after completing the administrative search in Bronxville, Mr. Marra was hired away to help the Village of Tuckahoe with its own search for a village administrator, a new position the village is creating.

Rye Brook’s assistant village administrator, David Burke, was eventually hired for the Tuckahoe position.

Mr. Palmer, who is a board member of the state’s City/County Management Association.

Mr. Palmer will remain a resident of Mount Kisco, where he lives with his wife Xann and five-year-old twin daughters Zoe and Siena.

Bronxville is a small village with many wealthy residents.

5. From The Village Website:

Image = Village of Bronxville Website - Full Header 74

Duties & Responsibilities

The Village Clerk is located on the main floor of Village Hall and is open Monday through Friday from 9AM to 4PM.

The Village Clerk is a public officer and custodian of all public records maintained by the Village. The primary responsibilities of the Village Clerk involve records management, coordination and supervision of Village Elections, and attendance at all official meetings of the Board of Trustees for recording official minutes of the meeting. The Village Clerk is appointed by the Village Board and serves a term of two (2) years. Clerks are not subject to term limits and may be reappointed at the expiration of a term.

The Vital Statistics office is also part of the Village Clerk’s office. The Registrar of Vital Records maintains and issues certified copies of birth and death records of the Village. These records are limited and pertain only to persons who were born in the Village of Bronxville or who actually died within the Village of Bronxville.

The Village Clerk is also the Freedom of Information Officer and processes all requests for records under the Freedom of Information Law.

Through the Village Clerk, Bronxville residents may obtain permanent or temporary handicapped parking permits. The clerk also issues local permits and licenses.

Email the Village Clerk/Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
James M. Palmer JPalmer@vobny.com Administrator/Village Clerk 914-337-6500
Mary Ann Magliato mmagliato@vobny.com Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics 914-337-6500, x109
Margaret Parr mparr@vobny.com Registrar of Vital Statistics 914-337-6500, Ext 100

6. Media Reports / Related Pages

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MY HOMETOWN BRONXVILLE: James M. Palmer, Mt. Kisco Village Manager, Appointed Bronxville Village Administrator as of June 23

May 14, 2014:  The Bronxville Board of Trustees, in a unanimous vote at its May 12 meeting, affirmed the appointment of James M. Palmer, the current Mount Kisco village manager, as Bronxville village administrator effective June 23. Palmer will succeed Harold Porr, who retired from the position in March, and will assume responsibilities from Donald Marra, who has served as interim village administrator since Porr’s retirement.

Palmer comes to Bronxville with over 20 years of experience in Mount Kisco. Prior to becoming village manager, a position he has held for six years, Palmer served as assistant village manager and tax assessor. He also worked for the village as a building inspector and as human resources manager.

During Palmer’s tenure as village manager, he administered construction of a new village library and directed the conversion of village street lighting from incandescent to LED fixtures…..

Please Read More Here:

http://myhometownbronxville.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7007:james-m-palmer-mt-kisco-village-manager-appointed-bronxville-village-administrator-as-of-june-23&catid=5:bronxville-govt-hist&Itemid=5

YONKERS TRIBUNE: Park Avenue Construction Begins in Bronxville 

By Village Administrator JAMES M. PALMER

BRONXVILLE, NY — October 4, 2015 — As you may be aware, the Village has awarded a contract to have a portion of the Park Avenue brick road, between Wellington Circle and Tanglewylde Avenue, restored and to also add additional drainage down Tanglewylde Avenue, where it approaches Midland Avenue. The two month project will commence Monday, October 5, 2015, with the construction of the drainage work on Tanglewylde Avenue to be followed by the reconstruction of Park Avenue. As a result of this work, it will be necessary to have a limited amount of material and equipment stored along Tanglewylde Avenue and Park Avenue. It may also be necessary to have limited through traffic on Tanglewylde Avenue and Park Avenue during certain periods.

Please know that the Village will ensure that the Contractor, Tony Casale Inc., maintains the area in a neat and safe manner throughout the project and fully restores the area upon its completion.

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly should you have any additional questions regarding the project. I can be reached directly at 793-0721.

http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2015/10/park-avenue-construction-begins-in-bronxville-monday-october-5-2015-by-village-administrator-james-m-palmer

PATCH: Palmer Leaving Mount Kisco for Bronxville

Bronxville has hired James Palmer, currently the Village Manager of Mount Kisco, as its new Village Administrator, according to Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin.

Here’s part of what Marvin wrote about him:

After a very deliberate process, we have chosen James (Jim) M. Palmer as our new Administrator.   Jim has been the Village Manager of Mount Kisco since 2006.  Prior to being elevated to Manager, Jim wore almost every hat in municipal government including the titles of Town and Village Clerk, Assessor, Building Inspector and Human Resources Manager.   In essence, Jim has sat in every seat of those he will be supervising.   

Jim dealt successfully with many of the issues that have also presented themselves here in Bronxville in recent years.  He guided the demolition and then construction of a new library…..

Please Read More Here:

http://patch.com/new-york/chappaqua/palmer-leaving-mount-kisco-for-bronxville

EXAMINER NEWS: Palmer To Leave Mount Kisco Village Manager’s Post

A chapter in Mount Kisco government will come to a close in June, when James Palmer, who has served as village manager for the past six years and has worked for the municipality for nearly two decades, will leave to become village administrator in Bronxville.

Palmer said it was a difficult decision to leave Mount Kisco, where he also lives. Bronxville is one of “a very few communities in Westchester that I would consider leaving for,” he said.

“First and foremost, I think of it always as an honor and a privilege to serve the community,” said Palmer, who starts his new job June 16.

Palmer said he did not actively seek a new job, but the Bronxville opening was “a unique opportunity that came up.” Bronxville is similar in many respects to Mount Kisco, with a vibrant downtown but with some challenges, such as empty storefronts that need to be filled.

He said he planned to continue living locally and take part in community activities after he moves on to his new job. Palmer currently earns a $159,500 salary in Mount Kisco.

Please Read More Here:

http://www.theexaminernews.com/palmer-to-leave-mount-kisco-village-managers-post/

DAILY VOICE: Mount Kisco Village Manager to Leave for Bronxville Post

Mount Kisco Village Manager James Palmer will leave his current post to become the village administrator in Bronxville, according to theexaminernews.com.

Palmer said he didn’t seek out the Bronxville position, but was was drawn to it because of the unique challenges it presents…..

Please Read More Here:

http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/news/mount-kisco-village-manager-to-leave-for-bronxville-post/447175/

Bronxville superintendent ‘search’ wastes money: Letter

Re “Bronxville school superintendent search begins,”

I know the school board President Denise Tormey to be a woman of great integrity and surely she means well by hiring an expensive firm to do a national search for a new superintendent.

Having taught in Bronxville for 22 years, however, I can say with 100 percent certainty that the money for the search firm would be much better spent on programs, staff or infrastructure.

This is because the new superintendent will most certainly be the current assistant superintendent, and every person who works in Bronxville knows this. The Bronxville community deserves more and can do better than a preordained successor, so please use the search wisely.

Jeff Zuckerman

Tuckahoe

http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/07/05/bronxville-superintendent-search-wastes-money-letter/86548020/

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/1124024424306257/photos/a.1124034174305282.1073741828.1124024424306257/1141507312557968/?type=3&theater

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Bronxville, New York

Image = Bronxville_highlighted.svg

Bronxville is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, located about 15 miles north of midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises 1 square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, approximately 20% of the town of Eastchester. As of the 2010 U.S. census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323. As of 2014, it was ranked 18th in the state in median income.

Millionaire real-estate and pharmaceutical mogul William Van Duzer Lawrence sparked the development of Bronxville as an affluent suburb of New York City with magnificent homes in a country-like setting. The area, once known as “Underhill’s Crossing”, became “Bronxville” when the village was formally established. The population grew in the second half of the 19th century when railroads allowed commuters from Westchester County to work in New York City. Lawrence’s influence can be seen throughout the community, including the historicLawrence Park neighborhood, the Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate Corporation, and Lawrence Hospital. John F Kennedy, the president of the United States, also resided here for a time.

The village was home to an arts colony in the early 20th century during which time many noteworthy houses by prominent and casual architects were built. After the Bronx River Parkway was completed in 1925, the Village expanded rapidly with the construction of several apartment buildings and townhouses much of it built by the Lawrence family. As of 1959, they continued to own or manage 97% of the rental market. In both rentals and ownership, the village discouraged and effectively prohibited Jewish residency, earning the name “The Holy Square Mile.”

The Gramatan Hotel on Sunset Hill was a residence hotel in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Gramatan was the name of the chief of the local Siwanoy Indian tribe that was centered in the Gramatan Rock area above Bronxville Station. Chief Gramatan sold the land to the settlers. The hotel was demolished in 1970, and a complex of townhouses was built on the site in 1980. 

Elizabeth Clift Bacon, General George Armstrong Custer‘s widow, lived in Bronxville, and her house still stands to this day.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, located in the downtown area, was attended by the Kennedys when they were residents from 1929 to about 1936. In 1958 future-senator Ted Kennedy married Joan Bennett in St. Joseph’s Church. In 1960, the Village voted 5:1 for Nixon over Kennedy.

The US Post Office–Bronxville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Other sites on the National Register are the Bronxville Women’s Club,Lawrence Park Historic District, and Masterton-Dusenberry House..

Bronxville’s 10708 ZIP code covers the village of Bronxville proper, plus Chester Heights and other sections of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe, and Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa, and other sections of Yonkers. This brings the ZIP code’s population to 22,411 (2000 census), covering an area more than twice as large as the municipality of Bronxville itself and encompassing several notable institutions, such as Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers. In fact, there are more residents of Yonkers using a Bronxville mailing address than living in the village itself. The Bronxville Post Office serves residents of the village…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronxville,_New_York

Zip code: 10708

Population: 6,403 (2013)

Colleges and Universities: Sarah Lawrence College, Concordia College

Bronxville Trivia

  • Bronxville has 2,300 addresses in the Village but over 10,000 people use Bronxville as their postal address.
  • In 1898, at the time of its incorporation as a Village, Bronxville had 300 citizens.
  • Sixty percent of our residents live in single-family homes and townhouses while 40 percent reside in apartments, co-ops and condominiums.
  • In the most recent census, ethnicity in the Village was 20 percent Irish, 11 percent Italian, 11 percent German and 10 percent English, with all other nationalities below double digits.
  • Per the same census, the Village has 3,358 female residents vs 3,060 male.
  • Twenty percent of the land in the Village is tax exempt.
  • The Bronx River was actually re-routed and the Village border changed to accommodate the construction of the Bronx River Parkway.
  • There are 1,356 parking meters in our Village and they all work. (Most days!)
  • The Village has over 70 acres of parkland.
  • The original soil at the Alfredo Fields, near Siwanoy Country Club, was sold and trucked to Queens for the World’s Fair in 1939.
  • Scout Field, both upper and lower, are Westchester County parkland with over 95 percent of the actual field areas in the cities of Yonkers and Mount Vernon.
  • Bronxville residents pay more in property taxes to Westchester County (approximately $8 million per year) than they do to run Village government.
  • With the exception of the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel in Orange County, Bronxville is the only other community that is co-terminous with their school district and has the municipality issues both School and Village tax bills.
  • When United Water or Con Edison needs to do repairs underground, it is their responsibility to repave and repair the disrupted surfaces. Of late, repairs seem to take much longer because the work is now subcontracted out to different entities.
  • Homeowners are responsible for the care, maintenance and replacement of sidewalks abutting their property. The Village is responsible for road maintenance.
  • According to a Con Edison study, the cost to relocate the overhead electrical lines in Bronxville would be approximately $62 million. In addition, there would be a charge to connect individual homes which would average between $18,000–$25,000 per dwelling. If the overhead lines from the feeder substations that run through adjoining communities are not buried as well, Bronxville would still lose power if the lines are hit.
  • Crews from the Village Department of Public Works cannot remove tree branches or debris near a wire until Con Edison has determined the wire is not live and poses no danger.
  • Our police department offers many ancillary services to residents including:
    • security survey of homes or businesses to assess vulnerabilities and suggest ways to increase security
    • a vacant house check for residents on vacation
    • a key file service allowing homeowners to keep a key at the police department for emergencies
    • the assistance of officers who are certified infant seat technicians to inspect or install car seats

All of these services can be requested by calling the police desk at 914-337-0500.

  • As part of their duties, police officers report all non-working street lights. If a light remains out for several days, it means there is an electrical issue requiring assistance from Con Edison.
  • Kevlar police vests last only five years. Then the fibers start to decompose.
  • A 14-year-old providing alcohol to a 20-year-old can still be charged with the crime of providing alcohol to a minor.
  • The New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law sets the minimum speed of 30 mph for villages. It can be lowered only with evidence of exceptional circumstances such as a designated school zone or proof that an area has a history of multiple serious accidents caused by conditions particular to that stretch of road.
  • In 1960, villagers voted 5:1 for Richard Nixon over former resident John F. Kennedy
  • The Village has no County-owned roads and only one State road, Route 22. It is only Route 22 that cannot be repaved or upgraded by the Village’s capital plan. If you notice, the state built Route 22 in Bronxville with no catch basins adding to our flooding issues.
  • In 1934, 301 babies were born at Lawrence Hospital. Last year, the total reached over 2,500. Village government is responsible for the production of their birth certificates.
  • Palumbo Place is named for Joe Palumbo the long time Village Public Works Director. Leonard Morange Park, on the west side, is named after the first Village resident to die in service of our country in World War I.
  • Famous people who called the Village home included John F. Kennedy, Eddie Rickenbacker, Beat writer Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick, Elizabeth Custer, Jack Paar and Marvin Bower.

Village of Buchanan – Kevin Hay – 5 Stars

Image = Buchanan Village Administrator Kevin Hay 630

Kevin Hay

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Village of Buchanan Clerk Kevin Hay runs an exceptionally fast public records management office that is professionally run and customer focused. Mr. Hay goes out of his way to respond quickly to Freedom of Information Requests for public documents.

Accountability and transparancy are a high priority with Mr. Hay and for that reason we give him and his office a Five Star rating.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

VillageClerk@villageofbuchanan.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Village Clerk
236 Tate Avenue
Buchanan, NY 10511

 

4. From The Village Website:

Image = Village of Buchanan = welcome Sign 74

The Village Of Buchanan doesn’t have a village clerk or other department webpages. There is no FOI request info on the Buchanan website. There basically only a contact page of village officials

Contact The Village

Elected Officials:

Mayor: Theresa Knickerbocker (914) 737-1033
TheresaK@villageofbuchanan.com

Deputy Mayor: Richard A. Funchion (914) 737-1033
RichardF@villageofbuchanan.com

Trustee: Duane Jackson (914) 737-1033
DJackson@villageofbuchanan.com

Trustee: Cesare Pasquale (914) 737-1033
cpasquale@villageofbuchanan.com

Trustee: Nicolas Zachary (914) 737-1033
NZachary@villageofbuchanan.com

Village Justice: Jennifer E. Daly (914) 737-1033

Village Clerk:
VillageClerk@villageofbuchanan.com

Emergency Numbers:

Police/Ambulance/Fire: 911
Police (non-emergency): (914) 739-6776
Buchanan Engine Co #1: (914) 737-3481

Appointed Positions:

Village Administrator: Kevin Hay (914) 737-1033
Administrator@villageofbuchanan.com

Village Attorney: Stephanie Porteus (914) 271-2828
VOBAttorney@villageofbuchanan.com

Building Inspector: Anthony Conti (914) 737-1033
BuildingInspector@villageofbuchanan.com

Village Engineer: Hahn Engineering (845) 279-2220

Fire Inspector: Joseph Chapyak (914) 737-1033

Highway Department: (914) 737-6858
Highway@villageofbuchanan.com

Planning Consultant: (914) 737-1033

Recreation Supervisor: Nancy Bayer (914) 737-1033
RecreationDept@villageofbuchanan.com

Senior Citizens Director: Gabe DiRubbo (914) 737-1033

Wastewater Treatment Plant:
WWTP@villageofbuchanan.com

Water Department:
WaterDept@villageofbuchanan.com

Planning Board:

Chairman: Michele O’Neill
Planning@villageofbuchanan.com

Member: Sean Murray
Member: Michael Scott
Member: Michael Wenz
Member: Donald F. Zern
Secretary: Rosemary Martin

Zoning Board:

Chairman: Gary Bell
Zoning@villageofbuchanan.com

Member:Salvatore Bottiglieri
Member: Michael Chirico
Member: Edward R. Mevec
Member: Marco Pinque
Secretary: Rosemary Martin

5. Media Reports / Related Pages

Image = news = Village of Buchanan - Kevin Hay 74

LOHUD Article Reveals That Buchanan’s Administrator Is Under Paid

DAILY VOICE: Three Cortlandt Employees Earn More Than Supervisor

…When Puglisi was initially elected Town Supervisor in 1992 she rolled back the supervisor’s salary by $9,000, from $72,000 to $63,000 and for five years did not accept a salary increase. In 2010 and 2011, she also did not take salary increases.

The three highest paid employees in the Town of Cortlandt in terms of salary are Glenn Cestaro, Town Comptroller, at $147,333, Edward Vergano, Town Engineer, at $145,391 and Director of the Department of Environmental Services Jeffrey Coleman at $147,175.

Supervisor Linda Puglisi will earn $120,766 in salary in 2012. As a point of comparison, the supervisor for the Town of Yorktown, Michael Grace, will earn $112,095 in 2012, Croton Village Manager Abraham Zambrano will earn $160,000 in 2012, and Buchanan Village Administrator Kevin Hay will earn $79,202 in 2012. Hay also serves as village treasurer and clerk in Buchanan.

http://cortlandt.dailyvoice.com/news/three-cortlandt-employees-earn-more-than-supervisor/464383/

JOURNAL NEWS: Is Cortlandt next for Spectra pipeline windfall?

At the epicenter of the lower Hudson Valley’s energy wars, Cortlandt town Supervisor Linda Puglisi has railed for years against expansion of the Algonquin natural-gas pipeline, which will be built along the southern edge of Indian Point.

But now the town is poised to buy 99 acres along the Hudson River near the Indian Point nuclear complex that includes land where the wider high-pressure pipeline will be buried at least 3 feet deep. It also wants to make some money from the energy deal…..

….The tiny village of Buchanan, which lies within the town of Cortlandt, includes Indian Point, and has a long history of negotiating with the utilities. Spectra’s new southern route follows a strip of land, less than a half-acre, that winds by a ball field behind the village Highway Department’s salt shed off Westchester Avenue. I hiked back there on Tuesday with Village Administrator Kevin Hay, who pointed out the route, where stakes with white flags stood among the scrub brush.

Spectra will pay Buchanan $700,000 for an easement. The pipeline company has pledged an additional $25,000 for an extension of First Avenue, where the village is contemplating creating a compost facility…..

http://www.lohud.com/story/money/personal-finance/taxes/david-mckay-wilson/2015/08/20/cortlandt-next-spectra-pipeline-windfall/31948839/

PATCH: It’s Not Sheet Rock – It’s Drywall

Director of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, Deb Milone, describes her tour of LaFarge Gypsum plant in Buchanan and speed course on Gypsum manufacturing that she received while there.

It's Not Sheet Rock - It's Drywall

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking a site tour of the Lafarge Gypsum Plant in Buchanan along with Trustee Theresa Knickerbocker and Administrator Kevin Hay of Buchanan, Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi and Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster.  Thank you to Plant Manager Criss Fraley, EHS Manager, Steven Steelsmith and Operations Manager Larry Connors for their hospitality and speed course on Gypsum manufacturing…..

Please read more here….

http://patch.com/new-york/peekskill/bp–its-not-sheet-rock-its-drywall

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Buchanan, New York

Image = Buchanan_highlighted.svg

Buchanan is a village located in the town of Cortlandt in Westchester County, New York. The population was 2,230 as of the 2010 census. The Indian Point nuclear power facility is located in Buchanan.

As of the census] of 2000, there were 2,189 people, 814 households, and 609 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,579.3 people per square mile (608.0/km²). There were 912 housing units at an average density of 658.0 per square mile (253.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.21% White, 0.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.78% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.47% of the population..

There were 814 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.12….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchanan,_New_York

Zip code: 10511

Population: 2,260 (2013)

Village of Dobbs Ferry – Liz Dreaper – Under Review

Image = Village of Dobbs Ferry - Liz Dreaper 74

Liz Dreaper

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Under Review – No response to date – FOI acknowledgements are past due.

Image = Head-In-The-Sand
Unresponsive Village Clerk Liz Dreaper
Can’t Hear Taxpayers Seeking Public
Information In Dobbs Ferry

Now in his second term Mayor Hartley Connett has repeatedly failed to bring accountability and transparency to the village clerk’s office

The single family home owners of Dobbs Ferry are constantly being frustrated in seeking seek public records as, the village assessment rolls are declining more and more each year as employee retirement and health contributions increase.

Small businesses frustrated with the lack of accountability and fairness are leaving downtown areas—yet Dobbs Ferry residents can’t get the public documents they need to come up with solutions to lower taxes.

Sadly only the taxpayer funded privileged political class in Dobb Ferry seems to be the only ones benefiting from lack of accountability and transparency in the village clerks office. All three candidates for Dobbs Ferry village trustee ran unopposed: Republican Victor Golio Jr. and Democrats Vincent Rossillo and Anna Lisa Corrales.

Dobbs Ferry employs about 113 people and its annual operating budget is approximate $17 million, but it is difficult to get Village of Dobbs Ferry Clerk Liz Dreaper to release total employee compensation figures for elected and public figures.

Liz Dreaper failed to respond to our freedom of information request seeking public documents about her salery, benefits and penson cost to taxpayers.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

ldreaper@dobbsferry.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Village Clerk
112 Main St.
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

4. Experience:

Ms. Dreaper did not respond to a request for a short biographical paragraph, but we found the following on the internet.

Village Clerk
Village of Dobbs Ferry
– Present

Unknown
1992 – 2003

Security Guard
Coastal Carolina Community College


Unknown
1983 – 1991

Radio Operator
Marine Corps

5. From The Village Website:

image = Dobbs-Ferry-seal-blue-74

The Clerk’s Office, located in Village Hall, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Village Clerk is appointed to a two-year term. The Clerk has custody of all Village records, papers, books and communications, as well as the reports and communications of the Board of Trustees.

At meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Village Clerk serves as Clerk of the Board and keeps records of the meetings. The Clerk is responsible for preparing and preserving the minutes of their meetings. In addition, the Clerk compiles a record of all Village resolutions and local laws.

The Clerk’s Office issues various licenses and permits including: annual parking permits for the business district, handicapped permits, peddler’s permits, sidewalk café permits, film permits and taxi licenses/permits.

The Vital Statistics office is also part of the Clerk’s office. The Registrar of Vital Records maintains and issues certified copies of birth and death records of the Village.

The Village Clerk is the Public Access Information Officer and processes all requests for records under the Freedom of Information Law.

The Village Clerk also provides tax records, collection of taxes and is a Notary Public.

Village Election Information

Village Elections are held every year on the first Tuesday in November, (Election Day). Elected positions include Mayor (1), (2-year term), Trustee (6), (2-year terms), and Village Justice (1), 4-year term.

Voter Registration forms and absentee ballots are available from the Village Clerk, but must be sent to the Westchester County Board of Elections for processing. Completed forms may not be sent to Village Hall. Forms are also available online at the Board of Elections website. Polling Places are open 6:00am – 9:00pm on Election Day. To confirm your polling place, call the Board of Elections at: 914-995-5700.

6. Media Reports / Related Pages

DAILY VOICE: Dobbs Ferry – How Does Your Village Work?

….As reported , a recent Dobbs Ferry Board of Trustees meeting involved heated debate over Mercy College’s future development plans. Dobbs Ferry resident Sue Sussman made a statement, which was followed by Mercy College representative William S. Null, who rattled off traffic statistics. Sussman stood up and directly challenged the legitimacy of Null’s statistics.

“It does get out of control sometimes,” said Village Clerk Liz Dreaper. “It’s more of the chairman’s [decision] to put a limitation on it.”….

Please Read More Here:

http://rivertowns.dailyvoice.com/news/dobbs-ferry-how-does-your-village-work/429319/

JOURNAL NEWS: Dobbs Ferry approves police contract after 3 years

Village police who have been working without a contract for more than three years now have an agreement that was approved Tuesday and goes into effect immediately.

The agreement calls for police to receive an 11.75 percent pay increase over five years. It also lowers initial starting pay of new officers and calls for newly hired police to pay more for health insurance.

“It took a long time because we were looking as a village to offer a competitive compensation program for our officers and at the same time we recognized the need for an agreement that is affordable for taxpayers,” said Mayor Hartley Connett.

The contract runs from retroactively from June 2012 until May 2017. The village has 25 police officers. The police budget is $4.2 million of Dobbs Ferry’s $16 million total budget……

Please Read More Here:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2015/11/25/dobbs-ferry-approves-police-contract/76313086/

PATCH: Dobbs Ferry Seeks Village Administrator

Dobbs Ferry is advertising for a Village Administrator to replace Marcus Serrano, who resigned in June.

The position is currently posted on the village website, and calls for candidates who have “at least seven years of experience in public administration.” Additionally, the village considers it a plus if the candidate have “experience in strategic and financial planning, performance measurements, and union negotiations.”

Currently, the position is being filled on an interim basis by Police Chief Betsy Gelardi, who is also a member of a search committee the village has established to help find a permanent replacement…..

http://patch.com/new-york/rivertowns/dobbs-ferry-seeks-village-administrator-0

PATCH: What You Need To Know What Is the Dobbs Ferry Party?

Mayor Hartley Connett describes the local political party he represents.

…Despite a common perception that the Dobbs Ferry party is inherently more conservative than the Dobbs Ferry Democrats, Connett said that isn’t the case. …

Please Read More Here:

http://patch.com/new-york/rivertowns/what-is-the-dobbs-ferry-party

DAILY VOICE: Dobbs Ferry Residents Voice Rivertowns Square Concerns

Dobbs Ferry Mayor Hartley Connett and the Board of Trustees fielded public opinions on the pending Rivertowns Square project Thursday night in the Embassy Community Center.

Though some residents offered a positive outlook on the project’s likely impact, the majority of those in attendance voiced concern for what some felt was a large development in a small space.

“The biggest problem is the traffic it would warrant,” said Dobbs Ferry resident Hubert Herring. “Whatever else you want to say about the project is irrelevant, because the traffic would be a disaster.”

Apprehension about more traffic in Dobbs Ferry was the most frequent complaint. The project, located between the Saw Mill River Parkway and Lawrence Street, would include an apartment building with 202 units, a gourmet supermarket, retail and restaurant businesses, and a Sundance Cinemas complex with eight theaters…..

Please Read More Here:

http://rivertowns.dailyvoice.com/news/dobbs-ferry-residents-voice-rivertowns-square-concerns/549633/

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Dobbs Ferry,, New York

Image = Dobbs_Ferry_highlighted.svg

Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census. The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh. The village ZIP code is 10522.

Most of the Village falls into the boundaries of the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District.

Dobbs Ferry was ranked seventh in the list of the top 10 places to live in New York State for 2014 according to the national online real estate brokerage Movoto. Dobbs Ferry is also the first village in New York State certified as a Climate Smart Community, honored in 2014 with the highest level given out in the state.

Dobbs Ferry was named after Jeremiah Dobbs, a descendent of William Dobbs, of Swedish and Dutch ancestry whose family ran a ferry service that traversed the Hudson River at this location. Jeremiah [Dobbs] was a fisherman and settled near the southern part of what is now Dobbs Ferry, and he “‘added to his meager income by ferriage of occasional travelers across the Hudson. He used a style of boat know at that day as a periauger, a canoe hollowed out of a solid log. . . From this primitive ferry the village took its name.'”

Dobbs Ferry played a vital role in the American Revolutionary War. The position of the village opposite the northernmost end of The Palisades gave it importance during the war. The region was repeatedly raided by camp followers of each army; earthworks and a fort, commanding the Hudson ferry and the ferry to Paramus, New Jersey, were built; the British army made Dobbs Ferry a rendezvous, after the Battle of White Plains in November 1776, and the continental division under General Benjamin Lincoln was here at the end of January 1777…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobbs_Ferry,_New_York

Population: 11,059 (2013)

University: Mercy College

Village of Hastings-on-Hudson – Susan Maggiotto – Under Review

 

Image = No Documents 711
To Date We Have Received No Documents From Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Clerk Susan Maggiotto. Update: Ms. Maggiotto provided us with a document showing her annual salary at $104,470.08, but the document supposedly listing her annual benefit and pension costs to taxpayers is unreadable. We are still waiting on the other public documents we requested.

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Image = Major Delays 711

Under Review: Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Clerk Susan Maggiotto says she can’t respond to a June Freedom of Information requst for public documents until sometime in August. Most other of Westchester’s city, town and village clerks were able to fill these requests in les than a week.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests 

smaggiotto@hastingsgov.org

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
7 Maple Avenue
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

4. Experience:

Internet reports indicate;

Previous Address:

24 Horner Ave, Hastings on Hudson, NY 10706

Susan Maggiotto Phone # 478-1909

Cell# 329-0377

Age:
Susan A Maggiotto is in her 70’s
Susan Has Lived In:
Hastings On Hudson, NY
Miami, FL

New York, NY

Susan’s Relatives

Mark Maggiotto

This Information has a quality score 51 out of 100

Please note, this contact’s quality score is below our quality threshold. This data could be outdated and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

5. From The Village Website:

Image = Hatings On Hudson Banner 74

The Village Clerk is appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to a two-year term which coincides with the term of office of the Mayor. The Clerk has custody of all village records, papers, books and communications, as well as the reports and communications of the Board of Trustees. At meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Village Clerk also serves as Clerk of the Board and keeps a record of the meetings.

The Village Clerk issues permits for parking at the railroad station.

The tentative assessment roll is filed with the Village Clerk by February 1 and is open for inspection during regular business hours. It is available online. Taxpayers may appeal an assessment to the Board of Assessment Review on “Grievance Day”, the third Tuesday in February. Taxpayers may appeal the Board’s decision in Small Claims Court.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Susan Maggiotto Deputy Manager/Village Clerk (914) 478-3400, ext. 611
Linda Loeb Deputy Village Clerk/Secretary to Village Manager (914) 478-3400, ext. 616
Ann Scholl Village Hall Assistant (914) 478-3400, ext. 629

6. Media Reports / Related Pages:

image = news = Village of Hastings-on-Hudson - Susan Maggiotto 11

FIND THE DATA: Susan Maggiotto Salaries

2011 $95,597

2013 $96,927

Please Read More Here:

http://state-employees.findthedata.com/d/a/Susan-Maggiotto

The Retrofit: Hastings-on-Hudson – Citizen Involvement

….There are a few improvements the village could undertake on its website to promote civic involvement. The “About the Village” section has six sub-sections: history; businesses; leisure activity; demographics; schools and attractions. As of October 25, only the first two subsections had working links. Given that both the Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Society have dedicated websites, it’s a little mystifying that those sites aren’t connected to the businesses and history categories, respectfully. Those sites have their own issues, too: the Chamber’s website (hohchamber.com) still advertises an event scheduled for March 31, 2011 and has a bafflingly mapping function, and the “History of Hastings-On-Hudson” section of the historical society’s website is currently under construction. It’s not clear where one would currently go to learn about the town’s attractions or leisure activities. For both residents and potential visitors, this is a major shortcoming to be addressed.

Please Read More Here:

https://sites.google.com/site/theretrofithastingsonhudson/governance/civic-engagement

YONKERS TRIBUNE: Hastings-on-Hudson Appoints Downtown Advocate

The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson is pleased to announce its appointment of Barbara Prisament to the position of Hastings Downtown Advocate.  She will start Monday, October 20th.  Ms. Prisament will report directly to Hastings Village Manager Fran Frobel and work with the Hastings Board of Trustees to review strategies, policies, and programs that affect the downtown community.  The goal of this newly created, part-time, position is to create a more vibrant, beautiful and economically successful downtown. Towards that end, Ms. Prisament will collaborate with Hastings government departments, boards, commissions, and committees as well as residents, business and property owners to ensure that the downtown serves the needs of residents and visitors as both a commercial marketplace and a community gathering place.

Ms. Prisament was selected by a committee comprised of Village Manager Fran Frobel, Deputy Manager/Village Clerk Susan Maggiotto,  Mayor Peter Swiderski and the Hastings Board of Trustees after an extensive process that included reviewing thirty-nine applications and interviewing 5 candidates…..

Please read more Here:

http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2014/10/hastings-on-hudson-appoints-downtown-advocate-by-hon-fran-frobel

Democratic Incumbents Win Hastings-on-Hudson Election

Mayor Peter Swiderski and Trustees Bruce Jennings and Meg Walker are the winning candidates in the Hastings-on-Hudson Village election. The incumbents were running uncontested, since no independent or additional party candidates filed to run in the election.

Out of 132 total voters—Swiderski received 98 votes; Jennings got 92, while Walker received 89 votes.

“It was a very quiet election,” said Susan Maggiotto, deputy village manager and village clerk.

Magiotto believes it may have been the lowest voter turnout in recent memory, however she wasn’t able to confirm this for sure offhand Tuesday night. According to Maggiotto, two years ago there was an uncontested election with three candidates that received a total 184 voters…..

Please Read More Here:

http://patch.com/new-york/rivertowns/democratic-incumbents-win-hastings-on-hudson-election

NEW YORK TIMES: Making Films, Making Waves

….Hastings-on-Hudson commands one of the highest fees for filming: $1,500 a day and other requirements, including paying for off-duty police officers, posting a bond and signing contracts with merchants, who also receive a fee when filming takes place downtown. ”We require any production company to jump through a lot of hoops to be able to film here,” Neil Hess, the Village Manager, said.

When H.B.O. went to Hastings last month to film ”Earthly Possessions,” starring Susan Sarandon, which was also filmed in New Rochelle and Yonkers, they paid the village $20,000 altogether. Susan Maggiotto, Deputy Manager for Hastings, said the feature that makes Hastings attractive to movie producers — the quaint, old-time look of the village — also makes production difficult to manage.

”Our little downtown is very concentrated and bordered on one side by the river,” Ms. Maggiotto said. ”There are very few choices of egress. In New York City, if you’re blocked, fine, you go another way. In Hastings, there’s just one way to get where you’re going, and if you can’t go that way, you’re stuck.”

Ms. Maggiotto said that some merchants did not see the benefit of film production. ”They say that the crews come in with their own food trucks, so they’re not in the local delis,” she said. ”All they see is that their own customers can’t get to their stores.”

The manager of Hastings Video disagreed, saying she greatly enjoyed seeing her small town transformed for the filming of ”Earthly Possessions.” Stores were dressed up with new fronts, and a rain machine produced drizzle in front of her store.

”It was fun,” Dorothy Honovich-Kavanah, the video store manager, said. ”Our store became Get Away Travel. The architect firm next door became a bank. The bank was made into a funeral home. And Susan Sarandon was lovely and gracious. It was really a nice thing to happen here.”

A Hastings resident, Linda Atkinson, was trying to run errands on the day ”Earthly Possessions” was being filmed. ”You’re trying to go about your daily business and some young kid comes up and says, ‘Excuse me, you’re not allowed on this side of the street,’ ” she said. ”And you want to say, ‘Excuse me, but I live here and I need to go to the video store and the bank.’ ”

Ms. Atkinson, an actress and a documentary film producer, said she knew the industry all too well. One recent morning she found a young woman in her front yard. The woman said she represented a film producer who was interested in using the house next door for a location.

”Being in the industry, I know my neighbor is excited because she’s going to make a couple of thousand bucks, but I know we’re talking about 20 trucks maybe, miles of cables, and you’re talking about people that don’t mind walking in your yard or stepping on your lilac bush,” Ms. Atkinson said.

Ms. Stevens, of the county film office, said that film crews are now taking a much more respectful attitude toward private property. ”I’ve monitored most of the productions that have gone on here,” she said. ”Part of my job is to protect Westchester County. I have seen a real change. There’s a softer, gentler production community, which is much more mannerly.”….

Please Read More Here:

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/10/nyregion/making-films-making-waves.html?pagewanted=all

DAILY VOICE: Hastings to Hold Lottery for Parking Permits

…Residents who wish to apply must include theirapplication , a copy of their registration and a check for $440 to the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson. You can also apply for a quarterly permit for $139. All applicants must be Hastings residents to be eligible.

The lottery isn’t done every year, only when it is deemed necessary by the village.

“We don’t know until 5 o’clock on Dec. 1 how many we have,” said village clerk Susan Maggiotto about how many applications they’ve received. “If we can give them to everybody we will, if not, then well do the lottery.”

The village has 164 permits to give out, which is more than the total number of parking spots in the lot.

“We give out maybe 20 percent more because if we only gave as many as we have places, the lot would be empty the majority of the day,” Maggiotto said. “We try to give out as many as we can without having anyone shut out.”….

http://rivertowns.dailyvoice.com/news/hastings-to-hold-lottery-for-parking-permits/456096/

Hastings Board of Trustees Names New Village Manager

The former town manager of Coventry, R.I., a suburb of Providence and that state’s largest town, has been picked by Hastings’ board of trustees to be the village’s new manager, effective Monday, July 18.

Francis A. Frobel, 53, replaces Neil P. Hess, who has been on a leave of absence, battling cancer, and who retires July 31. Frobel, who has been described as “typically stone-faced” by the Providence Journal, served as Town Manager of Coventry, which has an area of 64.8 square miles and a population of over 33,000, for 19 years through late April.

Before that, he was assistant town manager of Killingly, Ct., in eastern Connecticut, for eight years.

He received a B.A. degree in political science and public administration from Central Connecticut State University and a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Hartford.

Frobel’s appointment does not also include the position of village treasurer, an additional post that Hess held. The new village manager will make recommendations to the board of trustees about filling that spot, Mayor Wm. Lee Kinnally Jr. told Hastings News.

“He will be looking at the way we are structured in general; I would expect that from our new manager,” Kinnally said.

Frobel will be paid $140,000 plus benefits that include retirement, health, three weeks vacation, a moving allowance and a housing allowance, Kinnally also said.

As Coventry town manager, he received $104,275, according to another Providence Journal report. Frobel was the board’s top choice, Kinnally noted in response to a question.

The mayor said that Frobel will replace Susan Maggiotto as Acting Village Manager for the rest of the month, until Hess’s retirement becomes effective.

Maggiotto will continue as Acting Treasurer, he said. The board of trustees expects to approve Frobel’s employment contract at a special meeting called for Monday at 8 p.m.

http://www.bogart.cc/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/hastings_news–extracts.pdf

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in the southwest part of the town of Greenburgh. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 7,849. It lies on U.S. Route 9, “Broadway” in Hastings.

The area that is now Hastings-on-Hudson was once the home of the Weckquaesgeek Native Americans, one of theAlgonquian tribes. In summer, the Weckquaesgeeks camped at the mouth of the ravine running under the present Warburton Avenue Bridge. There they fished, swam and collected oyster and clamshells used to make wampum. On the level plain nearby (which is now Maple Avenue), they planted corn and possibly tobacco.

Around 1650 a Dutch carpenter named Frederick Philipse arrived in New Amsterdam. In 1682 Philipse traded with the Native Americans for the area that is now Dobbs Ferry and Hastings. In 1693 the English crown granted Philipse the Manor of Philipsburg, which included what is now Hastings-on-Hudson. After dividing the area into four nearly equal-sized farms, the Philipses leased them to Dutch, English and French Huguenot settlers.

During the American Revolution, what is now Hastings lay between the lines of the warring forces and was declared neutral territory. In reality, the area became a no-man’s land and was raided repeatedly by both sides. Following the Revolution, the Philipses, who had been loyal to George III, saw their vast lands confiscated and sold by the newly established American state. In 1785 the four farms comprising today’s Hastings were bought by James DeClark, Jacobus Dyckman, George Fisher, and tavern keeper Peter Post.

Around the same time, Westchester County, which had been established as one of the 10 original counties in New York, was divided into towns, and the area that is now Hastings became part of the town of Greenburgh. The village was incorporated in 1879 and its name changed from Hastings-Upon-Hudson to Hastings-on-Hudson.

Stone quarrying was the earliest industry in Hastings. From 1865 to 1871, hundreds of Scottish and Irish laborers blasted huge quantities ofdolomite marble from a white Westchester marble quarry. An inclined railroad carried the marble down to the quarry wharf where it was dressed by skilled stonecutters and loaded onto ships bound for cities like New York and Charleston, South Carolina.

By the 1880s, Hastings Pavement was producing hexagonal paving blocks which were used extensively in Central Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Between 1895 and 1900, Hastings Pavement produced 10 million such blocks and shipped them throughout the United States and to cities in Canada, Brazil and England. By 1891 the National Conduit and Cable Company had established an operation on the waterfront producing cables for utility companies here and abroad. Labor strife between striking workers of the National Cable and Conduit Company in 1912 left four people dead. Two were striking workers; the remaining two were bystanders. Similar labor unrest occurred in 1916, whereby the village was put under house arrest.

During World War I, 200 National Guardsmen were stationed in Hastings because of the security interests of the National Conduit plant and a chemical plant opened byFrederick G. Zinsser that produced a wood alcohol called Hastings Spirits…..

Please Read More Here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings-on-Hudson,_New_York

Area: 2.896 mi²

Zip code: 10706

Population: 7,947 (2013)

Area code: 914