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The Port Chester Blog Of Record

The Port Chester Blog Of Record - Brain Harrod Editor / Publisher

Monday, February 28, 2011

02/28/11 Port Chester School District Prepares For Layoffs As Village Gives The Rye Town Supervisor's Brother A $750 / Hour Job

The Port Chester School District is bracing for some tough choices as taxpayers are told that long time Republican Michael Carvin will get a $200,000 patronage job from the village.


Board of Education meeting, parents, teachers and board members listened as Maura McAward, assistant superintendent, warned of drastic personnel cuts. The district has already shaved costs by limiting hall monitors and computer aids.


Port Chester parents won't have to wait long for the details. They'll get their first look at the board's proposed budget on March 10; after public input, the board will present a revised budget on March 30. On May 17, voters will head to the polls to approve or deny the budget.


However, Port Chester parents need to understand that taxpayers can't afford Bart Didden and Sam Terenz's desire to fight another futile battle with the United States Justice Department and teachers.


The $200,000 that Didden and Terenzi voted to give the Rye Town Supervisor's brother is just a down payment on another million dollar plus failed lawsuit.


This senseless lawsuit is easily going to eventually raise Port Chester Village taxes by 5%.


Maybe after Bart Didden, Sam Terenzi and Michael Carvin lose in Federal Court the taxpayers might be able to afford some money for school teachers.


Parents We Are So Sorry , But ....


Right Now Port Chester Taxpayers Must Suffer The Consquences Of Bart "The Bigot" Diddens Vote To Give The Rye Town Supervisors Brother A $750 / Hour Patronage Job.

Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla Is Still Trying to Stop Sam Terenzi And Bart Didden From Giving Micheal Carvin That $750 / Hour Republican Patronage Job, But He Needs The Help Of The Many Concerned Port Chester Parents.


It's Time For These Port Chester Parents To Protect Their Children's Futures And Stand Up To Extremist TEA Party Lunatic Bart "The Bigot" Didden


Port Chester's Children Should Not Have To Suffer, Because Of Bart "The Bigot" Didden

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02/28/10 The Raw Port Chester News Feed

News Reports About Port Chester, NY
Port Chester voting rights appeal to get lots of scrutiny
The Journal News | LoHud.com
Inspectors Jeffery Bonds, left, and Dan Sussman, center, explain voting procedure to Luis Catalan of Port Chester in the trustees election June 15 at the Don Basco Center. The village plans to appeal a ruling that deemed its system in violation of the ...
School Calendar Highlights: Vocal Concert, Chorus Rehearsal and PTA Meetings ...
Patch.com
Whip out your day planners for this week's goings-on in the Port Chester School District. The Port Chester High School Marching Band performs during Sunday's show in Huntington. ...
Sound shore: How to sell your house in any market
The Journal News | LoHud.com
Call Zamora Landscaping, 139 S. Regent St., Port Chester, 914-937-3038, www.zamorainc.com. This is one of the easiest and most overlooked ways that people can make their properties look so much better, says Jon Feldman of G. Biloba Gardens in Nyack. ...
Taylor, Eifert capture skimeister crowns
The Journal News | LoHud.com
HILLSDALE — When Port Chester skier Zach Taylor returned to Section 1 skiing for his senior season, he had one goal in mind: Place in the top three for skimeister at sectionals and make it to states. With his first-place finish at Catamount Ski Area ...
Recently Updated Web Pages About Port Chester, NY
Port Chester refuses to heal | The Journal News | lohud.com
It is disappointing but not surprising that the conservative-minded majority that controls the Port Chester government would vote to reopen an old and ...
www.lohud.com/article/20110224/.../Port-Chester-refuses-heal
Port Chester N.Y,. to Appeal Voting-Rights Ruling Aimed at Helping ...
by Kirk Semple, The New York Times: It seemed as if Port Chester, N.Y., was finally about to end a bitter chapter in its history — after four years of ...

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to PortChesterRoundup@gmail.com

02/28/11 Let's Put An End To Bart "The Bigot" Didden's Obnoxious Robo Calls In Port Chester

Click To Enlarge Image:
Are you getting sick and tired of Bart Didden’s
Repetitious Robo Phone Calls


that occur while you are trying to have a nice
little dinner with your family.

Then call Bart Didden's’s Do Not Call List Registry at

937 – 2602

Operators Are Standing By To Accept Your Complaints Between The Hours Of

12 AM And 4 AM

Eastern Time

02/28/11 Republican Party Patronage Returns To Port Chester - Republicans Once Again Looking To Get Rich Off Of Port Chester Taxpayers

Hiring Rye Supervisor Brother Get's $750.00 / Hour To Let Port Chester Once Again Lose To The United States Department Of Justice


Long-time Republican and the brother of Rye Town Supervisor Joe "Didden Is A Race Baiter" Carvin has been hired by Port Chester's Republican trustees at a cost of $225,000 to start another futile lawsuit against the Department of Justice last week

More than a few Port Chester Taxpayers and local leaders are crying foul.

Despite the public outcry over the cost and prospects of an appeal, the village board voted 4-2 last week to hire Michael Carvin for a fee of up to $225,000.

Port Chester's initial legal battle with the justice department cost the village $1.2 million. Opponents of the decision to appeal say the new $225,000 legal bill could balloon and eventually rival what Port Chester has already spent.

"That's the brother of the Rye Town supervisor," resident Gene Ceccarelli said during Tuesday night's board meeting. "I don't know how they can justify that as they're going through their ethics review."

Greg Adams, a former Port Chester trustee and member of the local NAACP chapter, agreed. "How was this law firm picked? I don't know," he said. "But the relationship, to me, is a little bit uneasy."

"This is a black eye on Port Chester," resident Gary Sullivan said of the Justice Department's successful challenge, under the Voting Rights Act, to the village's system for electing trustees. "It is healed. So now you're going to pay to walk into another punch in the eye?"

"I wouldn't vote for 10 more cents" to be spent on the case, former Republican Trustee Domenick Cicatelli

Silvio Buccieri, a retiree who was born and raised in Port Chester said, "I wished he had more information about the legal aspects. I've watched so many up-and-downs. I'm very sorry to see what's happening. I was hoping people would get together, and let's work together and not against each other.

Randolph McLaughlin, a Pace Law professor said. "Well, by opening up this can of worms, the Second Circuit's going to have to ask the question: What's going on in the Village of Port Chester? Why don't they want to give Hispanics a fair opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice?"

Jon Greenbaum, a former DOJ litigator and chief counsel at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights under Law, called the republican decision to hire the Rye Town Supervisors brother to lead an expensive and futile appeal the "most bizarre thing that's happened in the case so far."

“Those who do notlearn from history are doomed to repeat it”

"This case is about our system looking closed," Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla said. "It doesn't look closed when we bring in the Republican chairman and the Republican supervisor's brother to be the lawyers?"

Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla noted that another Republican patronage inside representing Port Chester in the case, Anthony Piscionere, he is the former chairman of the Rye Republican Party.

The Fiscally Responsible Port Chester Mayor correctly points out that the $225,000 was only for the “first leg” of an appeal. If Port Chester succeeds and an appellate panel orders a retrial, he said, that could cost another $700,000. And every $200,000 translates to about a 1 percent tax increase.

“This is like a spigot,” Mayor Pilla said of the vote. “This is like a big, 5 percent tax increase.”


FLASHBACK:

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CONSERVATIVE REVIEW

Port Chester's most intluential newspaper.

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Keeping you current with what is going on in and around Port Chester,and how it might impact your lives. We are dedicated to bringing you the whole in depth story, not just part of it.

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Board Of Trustee Meeting Notes 03/22/07

The Things You Don't See On Cable TV Meeting Telecasts #1

Loud Meltdown In Executive Session Is Overheard In The Hallways As
Real Estate Lawyer And Republican Chairman Anthony
Pissonere Goes Nuts Over Port Chester Board Of Trustee's Desire
To Get Advise From An Independent Expert

Date Line (Port Chester) --- A public board meeting was opened at 5:30 pm and then an
closed executive session was immediately called to discuss litigation.

Members of the public and press were then required to wait in the hallway at 350 Main Street.
Goldie Soloman even took a chair to the hallway to sit comfortably in the hallway.

As usual the public slowly started to talk and gather out in the hallways, when all of a
sudden a loud voice started to boom out in the hallway. Soon persons were saying that
the loud voice belonged to Rye City Republican Chairman Anthony Pisionere.

No One In The Executive Session Could Be Heard Except For Pisinere.

It sounded like Rye City Republican Chairman Pisonere was calling the Board, "Stupid".

Yes our Half A Million Dollar Patronage Lawyer, Anthony Pisionere was yelling at the
Port Chester Board Of Trustees and saying they were, "Stupid".

No wonder Port Chester lost on Pisonere's Half A Million Dollar Hearing,

We had a lawyer with no professional decorum or self-control.

Rye City Republican Chairman Anthony Pisionere's melt down continued with
complaints that his legal performance was discussed during the election.

This real estate lawyer from Rye goes to court and gets outclassed and costs the village
half a million dollars for losing one hearing and then he thinks that the taxpayers of Port
Chester should not discuss his courtroom failures.

Port Chester taxpayers in the hallway were laughing and joking about Pisionere' s
meltdown. People were calling Pisonere a "Legal Loser' and a "Patronage Pig."

The most insightful comment was that, "It's not pretty when a political insider starts
to have his patronage pork cut off."

Then Rye City Republican Chairman Anthony Pisionere went nuts when the board
appeared to suggest that they needed the help of an independent expert to advise them
about his performance, the Department Of Justice and other issues about the lawsuit.

No one could hear any board members, just the angry and nasty hollering of the out of
control Pisionere.

Pisionere just doesn't seem to perform well while under pressure. Why did The Republican's choose this Rye Real Estate lawyer for this high stakes Federal voting rights lawsuit.

Mayor Logan must have been too afraid of the Rye City Republican Chairman, because
he made no effort to control his unprofessional and embarrassing outbursts.

Finally after 7 pm Goldie Solomon interrupted the meeting and said that it was time to
wrap up the meeting with Pisconere, because the people of Port Chester were getting
tired of waiting and some citizens were leaving in disgust.

They made Goldie leave the meeting room and then locked the door as Rye City
Republican Chairman Anthony Pisionere went on and on for another 30 or 40 minutes.

It looks like the Rye City Republican Chairman Anthony Piscionere scared the hell out of
Mayor Logan and the other Republicans, because they quickly came out of executive session and voted 5 to 2 to table any talk of hiring an independent expert to advise the Port Chester Board Of Trustees.

Only Trustees Dennis Pilla And Daniel Brakewood voted to hire an indepent expert.

Why Are The Republican's Afraid Of Advice From An Independent Expert?

Could It Be That Independent Experts Get In The Way Of Patronage?

MORe Port Chester News RePorts

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02/28/11Port Chester Topix News Group: Port Chester voting rights appeal to get lots of scrutiny

Topix Port Chester

Port Chester - News February 28, 2011

Port Chester voting rights appeal to get lots of scrutiny
Port Chester voting rights appeal to get lots of scrutiny (The Journal News)
Inspectors Jeffery Bonds, left, and Dan Sussman, center, explain voting procedure to Luis Catalan of Port Chester in the trustees election June 15 at the Don Basco Center.
Legal Scholar Speaks Out: No need to refight a lost battle (portchesterroundup.blogspot)
On Monday, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Port Chester will consider a resolution to hire a Washington, D.C., law firm to represent the village in an appeal of the decision of United States District Court Judge Stephen Robinson that the village's at-large election system violated the federal Voting Rights Act.

While the village has every right to pursue whatever legal avenues are available to it,

I strongly urge the village to close this chapter in its history and move on. As the vote will be taken at a public hearing, it is critical that the voices of the community in Port Chester be heard before the board commits to a fool's errand. The chances of a successful appeal of Judge Robinson's opinion are slim to none — and slim left town a long time ago. As in most voting rights cases, the trial was contentious, divisive and exposed the underbelly of an ugly, racially tinged politics in the village.

The district court found that in 10 trustee contests between 2001-05, the choice of the Hispanic community was defeated nine times. In fact, prior to the election of June 2010, only one Hispanic had been nominated to run for the position of village trustee by any political party in the history of Port Chester.

The court found that during the 2007 mayoral election, a blatant racial appeal was made in an anonymous flier — subsequently learned to have been authored by Bart Didden, now a trustee and Republican candidate for mayor — distributed to more than 1,000 homes in the village.

In the flier, former trustee and current Mayor Dennis Pilla was called a sellout because of his apparent support of issues of concern to the Hispanic community. In fact, the flier charged that "The Hispanics are running the show already."

The court found that the political process leading to nomination was essentially a closed club that allowed limited access to outsiders or upstart candidates.

At the time of the trial, no Hispanic had ever been elected to any public office in the village. The court also considered a videotape of two public hearings regarding a proposal by the Justice Department to establish districts.

At one public hearing, attorney Aldo Vitigliano, who was later appointed to serve as special counsel to the newly formed Voting Rights Commission in the village, suggested that the village's congressional delegation should introduce legislation to exempt the village from the Voting Rights Act.....
Rethink support for Bart Didden (LoHud)
Rye Town Supervisor Joseph Carvin and Port Chester Trustee Joseph Kenner have both endorsed Republican candidate Bart Didden for mayor of Port Chester.

02/28/11 Upcoming Editorial Journal News Video Spotlight Interviews

Candidates for Port Chester mayor, 1 p.m. Thursday.

Portchester Mayor Dennis Pilla faces Bart "The Bigot" Didden

To watch, go to lohud.com/editorialspotlight.

You can submit a question by engaging the "CoverItLive" blogging device.

Here is a great question for Bart "The Bigot" Didden ....

Mr. Didden can you tell us the names of the two former elected Port Chester officials, that you say helped you create the infamous racist flyer that caused the village to lose the voting rights case?


From Rye Brook Roundup:



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02/28/11 Port Chester Patch: School Calendar Highlights: Vocal Concert, Chorus Rehearsal and PTA Meetings Slated for This Week" and more


02/28/10 Today In History: The Persian Gulf War Ends

Feb. 28

The Persian Gulf War ended today in 1991. The war was heavily televised: for the first time, the military broadcasted live pictures of missiles hitting targets.

Learn More:
Gulf War

http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Gulf_War
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to PortChesterRoundup@gmail.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

02/27/11 Legal Scholar Speaks Out:: No need to refight a lost battle

On Monday, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Port Chester will consider a resolution to hire a Washington, D.C., law firm to represent the village in an appeal of the decision of United States District Court Judge Stephen Robinson that the village's at-large election system violated the federal Voting Rights Act. While the village has every right to pursue whatever legal avenues are available to it, I strongly urge the village to close this chapter in its history and move on. As the vote will be taken at a public hearing, it is critical that the voices of the community in Port Chester be heard before the board commits to a fool's errand. The chances of a successful appeal of Judge Robinson's opinion are slim to none — and slim left town a long time ago.

As in most voting rights cases, the trial was contentious, divisive and exposed the underbelly of an ugly, racially tinged politics in the village. The district court found that in 10 trustee contests between 2001-05, the choice of the Hispanic community was defeated nine times. In fact, prior to the election of June 2010, only one Hispanic had been nominated to run for the position of village trustee by any political party in the history of Port Chester. The court found that during the 2007 mayoral election, a blatant racial appeal was made in an anonymous flier — subsequently learned to have been authored by Bart Didden, now a trustee and Republican candidate for mayor — distributed to more than 1,000 homes in the village.

In the flier, former trustee and current Mayor Dennis Pilla was called a sellout because of his apparent support of issues of concern to the Hispanic community. In fact, the flier charged that "The Hispanics are running the show already." The court found that the political process leading to nomination was essentially a closed club that allowed limited access to outsiders or upstart candidates. At the time of the trial, no Hispanic had ever been elected to any public office in the village. The court also considered a videotape of two public hearings regarding a proposal by the Justice Department to establish districts. At one public hearing, attorney Aldo Vitigliano, who was later appointed to serve as special counsel to the newly formed Voting Rights Commission in the village, suggested that the village's congressional delegation should introduce legislation to exempt the village from the Voting Rights Act.

After 11 days of trial on both the liability and remedy phases, the court issued its opinion declaring that the at-large system violated the Voting Rights Act. The suit was filed by the Justice Department; Port Chester resident Cesar Ruiz, the first Hispanic to run for trustee, was permitted by the court to intervene as a plaintiff. Both sides presented plans to remedy the violation found. The plaintiffs offered a traditional district plan, wherein the village would be divided into separate districts with each district electing one candidate. The village proposed a cumulative voting remedy, wherein the elections would be held on an at-large basis. Under the cumulative voting method, each voter could cast all their votes for one candidate or spread the votes among the candidates. After the court approved the cumulative voting system, all parties worked to create an educational program to explain the new system to the voters. Education forums were to be held throughout the village in English and Spanish where the voters would have an opportunity to use sample ballots.

On June 15, the first election under the cumulative voting method was held. As a result of the election, a Hispanic, an African-American and an independent candidate were elected to the board. Throughout the day, the attorneys, and village officials, toured the village to observe the process, and whatever problems were found, were quickly addressed. An exit poll conducted during the election found that the voters understood the process and used their votes to support the candidates of their choice. The board that was elected reflected the political, racial and ethnic diversity of the village.

It is unfortunate that despite the outcome, there has been support among the trustees elected under the cumulative-voting system to have the judge's decision overturned. It had been hoped that a new day was dawning in the village, that perhaps the tensions that had come to the surface during the trial had abated after the June election. However, with the pending resolution those hopes may soon be dashed. Rather than focus on the serious issues facing the village in these challenging economic times, some may prefer to refight battles lost. Nevertheless, the quest of the Hispanic community for inclusion in the politics of the village will continue unabated, and, eventually, their voices will be heard and they will win.

Randolph M. McLaughlin

The author is a professor of law at Pace University School of Law

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