Bowman Avenue Sluice Gate to Get County Cash
(PHOTO: Flooding on Rye's Coolidge Avenue on April 15, 2007) Rye is expected to get a piece of Westchester County's $50 million flood remediation fund for the Bowman Avenue sluice gate, MyRye.com has learned from Mayor Steve Otis. Details of the plan will be unveiled this morning at an 11am press conference in Mamaroneck.
Last September, Rye city council approved $150,000 from contingency to fund the Bowman Avenue sluice gate design. Rye, along with other Westchester communities, was declared a FEMA disaster area after the flood of April 2007.
County Exec Spano, Rep Nita Lowey, State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer and Rye Mayor Steve Otis will be among those on hand for the announcement in Mamaroneck Village's Columbus park. From the announcement:
"Spano is expected to submit legislation asking the Board of Legislators to use $6.65 million from a flood mitigation fund to help pay for a project being undertaken with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. A second piece of legislation will be submitted shortly thereafter requesting another $4.5 million to partner with four municipalities (Mamaroneck Town, Scarsdale, Tarrytown and Rye City/Rye Brook) who requested county funds for major flood mitigation projects. Funding for these projects is from the County's $50 million flood mitigation program announced by Spano in 2007."
Coolidge Avenue? Doesn’t that run parallel with Beaver Swamp which has become a flood zone since Otis willingly signed off on Harrison’s project to fill in the swamp?
Unbelievably, Otis still touts the Beaver Swamp disaster and flood zone that he helped create as one of his crowning achievements.
Otis is out of touch and only cares about his own political agenda.
I find myself remembering back to Bush when thousands of people lay dying or dead in New Orleans because of Bush’s own malfeasance, and he said “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
Well Otis, you’re doing a heck of a job too.
Brownie –
Be careful with the facts. The 1,577 dead in Louisiana were the fault of an incompetent local mayor, not Bush. Thousands and thousands of people could easily have been taken out of harm’s way if Nagin had comandeered the hundreds of school buses available to him. He could easily have done so, was urged to do it by advisors, but instead told the public to prepare for voluntary evacuation. With only a few hours before the arrival of the storm, he finally made it mandatory. Unfortunately, the busses at that time were under water. Lots of people could not get out in time.
Then, once the storm hit, he didn’t ask for help for 4 days, and only after the media’s coverage started to expose his stupidity. Governor Blanco, herself not exactly a role model for emergency management, described Nagin as “falling apart” and a “total void”.
Back to it being Bush’s fault – Federal law dictates that the local and state governments must ask the Federal government for help before the Federal government can respond. Therefore, Bush literally had his hands tied until Nagin got off his ass and asked for help. And please don’t tell me Bush should have just marched in. For obvious reasons, southern states get a little uncomfortable when Federal troops show up uninvited. Look under “Civil War” and “Little Rock” to see why.
When the Federal government finally got asked, the infrastructure had been demolished and relief efforts were hampered by absentee local police and firefighters. Rumors and wild stories about rapes and widespread killing in the superdome also distracted everyone from focusing on establishing order.
Nagin then ordered his cops to confiscate legally owned weapons from people protecting their property from looters. How’s that for effective government – after completely abandoning his responsibility, the mayor then decides to take away constitutional rights of his constituents, rights that allowed them to protect themselves.
A personal note – I went down to help in the relief efforts, and was totally disgusted by the incompetent and useless government – I left after sitting in a motel for six days and not being allowed to do anything. New Orleans was, and still is, a city with a corrupt and incompetent government. Yes, Katrina was a tragedy, but it could have been avoided if the people hadn’t been so stupid as to elect a racist and incompetent mayor. I call them stupid, because they re-elected him. I call him racist based on his “chocolate city” remarks. And I call him incompetent because he’s directly responsible for 1,577 deaths.
Hey Sick and Tired,
You are dead on about Mayor Nagin and his complicit Governor enjoying the media blame shift over onto the Feds. Nagin literally has blood on his hands and while Brownie was a pathetic patronage stooge you have correctly assigned the blame on the truly guilty.
Here in lower Westchester we have a similarly sharply defined media bias – this one against reporting anything bad about elected democrats. Specifically in our case its News 12 – the Cablevision owned 24hr news channel. Cablevision corporate believes it to be in their best interests to lightly pander to County Executive Andy Spano and all elected party members who fly under his protection. This pandering includes missing coverage about our own Rye administration officials who’ve done such a bang up job with Beaver Swamp, the Central Avenue “bridge to nowhere” and the Schubert Wetland disgrace, among others. These are neither “republican” nor “democratic” type issues – they are simply serious local issues.
For example, Channel 12 had a full live ENG truck and crew across from my driveway when my neighbor’s house burned a few weeks ago. That put them only 300 feet from Bob Schubert’s former pond now mud hole. Do you think they even knew it was there? Do you think they could have walked over and shot some b-roll to create a “free” update video package for use refreshing the story given that The Journal News, MyRye, Rye Record and Sound Shore News are moving front page stories every week for over a month now on this situation?
News suppression always backfires – that’s a media business certainty.
A agree with Ted C and Sick and Tired as far as Nagin having blood on his hands.
As far as Ted C’s comments on News 12, it appears to me that there has to be a political reason News 12 Westchester is avoiding this Schubert mess and the Shew coverup like the plague.
Could Otis, Shew or Plunkett have a connection to News 12 Westchester or a connection to someone else who does?
Ted C,
I would like believe that we at HEALtheHARBOR.com brought the News 12 issue to everyone’s attention. It really doesn’t make a difference if we did or didn’t, what is important is that people are taking noticing. FYI News 12 is not covering the story because they were told to stay away from Rye and the Hen Island cover-up. Officials fear the tremendous amount of exposure will create way to much public outcry. The small story News 12 original covered about Hen Island
https://healtheharbor.com/video/news12.html
was only covered because we were running the below paid commercial on news 12.
https://healtheharbor.com/video/tv.html
We have posted it before and here it is again for the reading pleasure of those of you that haven’t read it previously. Thanks again to Jay Sears and MYRYE.com for not censoring the online media.
When Is a News Channel Not a News Channel?
A TV news channel is no longer a bona fide reporter of NEWS once it ceases to cover matters that are news. A news channel would also be considered as less than credible if it abstained from covering newsworthy events on the say-so of local government officials.
A news channel’s primary responsibility is to report on newsworthy events — regardless of who’s involved in those events and regardless of who might, or might not, prefer that those particular events be covered.
Several months ago, for example, local channel News 12 expressed interest in extending its coverage of health, building and environmental code violations on Rye’s Hen Island. This added coverage never took place and attempts by environmental watchdog Heal The Harbor to find out why have led, in part, to this conclusion: Coverage of this issue may have been “discouraged” by either Rye City Mayor Steven Otis or Westchester County or both. Why?
Another newsworthy item, and troubling topic for the Rye City Council is the case of 86-year old Mr. Robert Schubert and his wetlands garden. For three years Mr. Schubert has been valiantly trying to get the Rye City Council to address and correct the wetlands errors made by the city. The Rye city manager Paul Shew recently asked the Crisis team from the psychiatric division of the Westchester County Medical Center to evaluate Mr. Schubert allegedly in a effort to stop his complaints. After reading about the City managers actions in the Newspaper Rye City Naturalist Chantal Detlefs came forward to state with regard to Bob Schubert’s wetland garden, City Manager Paul Shew had things “swept under the carpet”
Support for Mr. Schubert, a retired IBM engineer and World War II veteran is becoming widespread. Outspoken citizens of Rye crowd the city council meetings to speak on his behalf. His front page plight is covered regularly by The Journal News, and all over the Internet — especially by those concerned about the environment. And yet News 12 has not covered this issue at all.
Does News 12 think its viewers aren’t interested in local environmental issues?
Why? Whose editorial guidelines are News 12 following with respect to these stories? To what extent might they be influenced by local or county governments? (Westchester County is News 12’s largest advertising account).
As for the city of Rye and the Westchester County Health Department are they afraid their poor decisions with regard to the Hen Island and Schubert issues will bring unwanted public attention?
News 12 Networks is part of Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation. Call Cablevision’s corporate headquarters and ask them about their editorial policies. Call News 12 and ask them about their editorial policies. Call Westchester County and ask them to comment on health, environment and safety code violations on Hen Island. Then call the Rye City Mayor’s office and ask why they fear simple investigative reporting about conditions on Hen Island, and Bob Schubert’s wetlands garden.
There is an old adage: Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel.
Despite its implicit warning to avoid antagonizing the media, there are times
when certain questions must be raised and answered. This is one of those
times.
News is news! Selective reporting is infotainment. And the viewers of Westchester County deserve better. Everyone benefits from impartial reporting from a free press.
Dear Heal the Harbor:
News 12 Westchester is doing a Heal the Rye Mayor story this afternoon about Rye getting money for flooding.
“The small story News 12 original covered about Hen Island was only covered because we were running the below paid commercial on news 12.”
Mr. Floatie
That is because Hen Island is a non issue. The only reason News 12 did a story is because Mr. Floatie likes to waste money to harass his shantytown neighbors.
Quincy
It has occured to me that MR> Floatie is a non Issue and is not worth the time to harass a JACKASS.
By god I would like to buy you a pitcher of beer at Rosie’s.
CITY OF RYE
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
The City Council has called a Special Meeting for
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council room of City Hall.
AGENDA
1. Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Roll Call.
3. Consideration of a possible resolution pursuant to Article 8, Section C8-4 of the City Charter entitled Removal regarding the City Manager.
4. Adjournment.
*
QD and Linus,
Was the Schubert scandal also a non issue? Is that why News 12 didn’t cover Schubert? Are you girls that naive or just stupid asses like me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUDT-VsHDN4&NR=1
Jack A. (Mr. Floatie’s ass-istant)
WOW! Look at that sewer purging it’s guts. The water is running clean due to the total expulsion of sewage into the streets. It’s having an orgasmic explosion of riparian rights.
Can’t wait for the long list of other cover-ups Chantal must know of. Because if she can’t name another covered up mistake perpetrated when she was actually not on vacation her credibility will be destroyed.
HEY EVRYONE IM BACK FROM A MUCH NEEDED VACATION AFTER DEALING WITH THE INSANE PEOPLE ON HERE WHO ARE DEFENDING THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL. IT’S FUNNY HOW THINGS TURNED OUT. RAY TARTAGLIONE AND MR. SHUBERT HAVE BEEN CALLED CRAZY AND NOW MAYOR OTIS AND SHEW LOOK LIKE THEY SHOULD BE HANGING OUT WITH JACK A. NOT TO MENTION, QD AND LINUS. THE MAYOR OF RYE, ALONG WITH MOST OF THE CITY COUNCIL ARE NOW AT HOME SWEATING BECAUSE OF ALL THE COVER UPS AND WHO WAS CRAZY? MR. SHUBERT? AND RAY TARTAGLIONE? HEN ISLAND IS A PIECE OF RYE. THE CITY OD RYE IGNORED THE PROBLEMS ON HEN ISLAND AND NOW WITH THE SHUBERT COVERUP, THE HEN ISLAND COVERUP IS UNFOLDING. RAY DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG FOR FIGHTING FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT. ANYONE WHO THINKS SO SHOULD POSSIBLY HAVE A MEDICAL TEAM ASSIGNED TO YOU BY MR. SHEW TO HAVE YOU EVALUATED. JACK A AND MR. FLOATIE SIT THROUGH COUNCIL MEETINGS WELL BEHAVED AND SHOW MAYOR OTIS AND SHEW WHAT A JOKE RYE HAS BECOME. MR. SHEW, I HOPE YOU GET WHATS COMING TO YOU TOMORROW. I WOULD LOVE TO THROW YOU A GOING AWAY PARTY AT RYE BAR AND GRILL. AND, DONT WORRY, THE ICE IS ON ME.
I would think Nita Lowey, Andy Spano and the rest of the high power dems are being embarrassed by Otis and his handpicked crew of mis-managers. If I was one of the big boys on the block, I wouldn’t invite him to any future parties with my bat and ball.
Did anyone besides Otis think that Nita Lowey was going to back Otis when it came to what Otis, Shew and Plunkett did to Mr. Schubert?
Did Otis really believe that the other 6 Rye City Council members were going to let Otis ruin their reputations even more than he already has with a coverup of his and Shew’s coverup?
I believe that Otis and Plunkett have to hope that Shew takes his $100,000 severance pay, goes home to Massachusetts and keeps his mouth shut.
Here is the section of the very lucrative contract that Otis gave to Shew governing how to get rid of Shew:
Section 2: Term
The term of this agreement shall commence on August 25, 2003.
A. Employee agrees to remain in the exclusive employ of Employer, and neither to accept other employment nor to become employed by any other employer.
B. Nothing in this agreement shall prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with the right of the Council to terminate the services of Employee at any time, subject only to the provisions set forth in Section 3, paragraphs A and B, of this agreement.
C. Nothing in this agreement shall prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with the right of the Employee to resign at any time from his position with Employer, subject only to the provision set forth in Section 3, paragraph B of this agreement.
Section 3:
Termination and Severance Pay
A. In the event Employee is terminated for any reason, other than conviction of a crime, Employer agrees to pay Employee six months compensation as severance pay. For the purposes of this section, compensation shall include amounts set forth in this agreement, or amendments thereto.
B. In the event Employee voluntarily resigns his position with Employer during the period of bis employment, then Employee shall give Employer three months notice in advance, unless the parties otherwise agree in writing.
Here is the section of the City of Rye Charter governing getting rid of Shew:
C8-4. Removal.
The Council may remove the City Manager at any time as provided in this
section. At least thirty (30) days before such removal shall become effective, the
Council shall by a vote of at least four (4) members of the Council adopt a
preliminary resolution stating the reasons for his removal and may suspend the
Manager from duty for a period not to exceed forty-five (45) days.
The Manager may
reply in writing and may request a public hearing, which shall be held not earlier
than twenty (20) days nor later than thirty (30) days after the filing of such request.
After such public hearing, if one be requested, and after full consideration, the
Council may, by a vote of at least four (4) members thereof, adopt a final resolution
of removal.
The Manager shall continue to receive his salary for at least three (3)
months after the adoption of the preliminary resolution, except that where the
removal is for misconduct, his salary need not be paid during suspension and the
payment of his salary may terminate at any time after the adoption of the
preliminary resolution.
Good Riddance Shew. Hopefully Connors and Plunkett are warming up in the it’s time to get fired bullpen.
I just can’t imagine how the contract for City Manager,which is public record, was set up so that you can do a real crappy job and get 6 months severance pay if you get fired! This is a sad pathetic case, when we have a City Manager, and an assistant City Manager and we still keep a former city manager on the payroll for $800.00 per day. THe former City Manager serves several days per week because the current managers don’t have enough knowledge to run this city. The City Manager was also granted 80 something paid days off starting right from the beginning of his employment, when it takes other civil servants 5 years or more to be able to accrue that much time off. He is also allowed to use the city paid vehicle to travel back and forth to his “REAL” residence in MASS Gas for the vehicle is also paid for by the city. He just recently purchased a condo here in Rye and the mortgage is being paid for by the City. Now we all know that corruption is probably in all forms of government but here in Rye in such a small city,it is appalling when people are struggling to pay their bills, and that this kind of corruption is going on. Basically Shew will probably be relieved of his duties, but he will be paid for 6 months, so who is being punished here? We as a city need to stand up and be counted, what kind of “sweet deal” of a contract will the next City Manager receive?
I HAVE BEEN SCREAMING FOR UNITY FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS. MAYBE IF “ALL” THE RYE RESIDENTS STAND UP “TOGETHER” WE MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE.I HAVE HAD RESIDENTS REQUEST TO BE REMOVED FROM EMAIL LISTS BECAUSE THEY CAN’T BE BOTHERED.WE WILL NEVER GET ANYWHERE WITH THAT KIND OF ATTITUDE. A HANDFUL OF RESIDENTS WILL NOT GET MANY RESULTS. LET’S SEE THE SIZE OF EVERY ONES KAHONYAS IN NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!
“POWER IN NUMBERS”! MAYBE WE SHOULD CALL A “RESIDENT MEETING ONLY” NO COUNCIL MEMBERS ALLOWED & FORM A PLAN OF ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!
Viva La Revolution! I’ll bring the squirtguns!
Oh my woid
rye city
run by a turd
“FYI News 12 is not covering the story because they were told to stay away from Rye and the Hen Island cover-up. Officials fear the tremendous amount of exposure will create way to much public outcry. The small story News 12 original covered about Hen Island
https://healtheharbor.com/video/news12.html
was only covered because we were running the below paid commercial on news 12.”
So Channel 12 News is corrupt when they’re NOT taking money to fabricate news but when they ARE taking money to fabricate news they’re totally legit. ROFLMAO! Hey Jay Sears, since you seem to be on their good side, what does that say about you?
So let’s see, here’s the list of all the people who supposedly are covering up something or are corrupt.
Rye’s City Council
Rye’s Building Dept
Westchester Board of Health
NY State Gov’t
Nita Lowey
Paul Shew
One person who sems to escape the cover-up corruption tag is Judge Bellantoni from State Supreme Court in White Plains. No mention of his involvement even thou he handed Mr. Flotie a defeat in his lawsuit against Hen Island. Wonder why Bellantoni has been spared?
Is Jay Sears, Joe Sack and Mr. Flotie Rye’s Axiz of Evil?
SCOOTER,LINUS
OR IS IT…. IT & SHIT.
YOU TWO CLOWNS ARE PATHETIC.
THE ONLY GIANT TURDS IN RYE ARE THE ONES RUNNING IT INTO THE GROUND. ALL YOU TWO BONEHEADS ARE INTERESTED IN DOING IS PUTTING A SPIN ON THE TRUTH & CONTRADICTING THE FACTS…WHICH ARE RIGHT THERE FOR YOUR PLEASURE OF READING. YOU CLAIM THAT THE THREE AMIGOS WOULD BE WORSE OFF THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE. REALLY? WHAT …..YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK! IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN A REAL RYE COMMUNITY THEN YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF DODGE & LET THE PEOPLE WHO CARE SHOW THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!