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Love the way Mayor Otis dodged my question last night….TYPICAL!

I’m confused, Mayor Otis repeatedly talks about the changes he is responsible for that he made around the “schools” in regards to the subject of Pedestrian SAFETY. Now since he is using the word school in a plural terminology one could only assume he is including the elementary “schools”.
Since the City does not make changes on School grounds we can also assume when he refers to “around” as City Property ie; sidewalks,curbs,streets,etc. surrounding the “schools”.

Now, I could have sworn I just heard Councilman Pratt boasting how for the last 12 Years they HAVE NOT been able to come up with a solution to fix the DANGERS surrounding Osborn School ie; Sonn Dr. intersection.

As you all know I am very in the know on what goes on on Midland Ave. and I can tell you there are no changes around Midland School.

THE only changes around any school is the one on Parsons St. ie;RHS/RMS, one school, not schools!

So Mayor Otis, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???

Please explain to all of us WHAT changes are you responsible for and around what “schools” other than RHS/RMS???
“After all you are all about pedestrian safety and always have been”…your words last night!

Jim,
Interesting that Mayor Otis didn’t answer my question either. His self-serving answer, that I had some sort of personal agenda and I was fishing for a lawsuit, was just more rhetoric to defend his position of inaction. He must be listening to the Hen Islanders that say I am going to partner up with Trump and build a high rise. Did you notice that he now wants people to believe that there are campsites on Hen Island and not cottages? I think you are doing a great Job Mayor Otis. Maybe Hen Island should avoid the laws for another 50 years???

Mayor Otis also linked many that have sued the city recently. What the mayor fails to state is the common dominator involved. That dominator is the Mayor that has failed his duties, leaving the resident no alternative but to appeal to the courts for relief. Many of these cases never entered negotiations to avoid litigation. Negotiations are the first step, any responsible attorney or official would request before litigation. Can Mayor Otis tell us how much has been spent in legal fees that could have been avoided? How much did we spend on the Osborn case? I understand this has been the largest and most expensive Certiorari case in the state.

But also interesting was Doug French, who was willing to acknowledge the sewage issue on Hen Island and come up with a solution. The sewage issue is as simple as that “Composting systems” But nothing will happen until the Island is forced to test the systems and repair or replace defective ones that were put in illegally to begin with.

I wonder what Bob & Elizabeth Zahm think of Mayor Otis’s self proclaimed changes around the “schools”?
Bob we all know you read myrye and have an opinion on this, how about it, care to share?

What changes have you and your wife witnessed around Osborn School?
What is your opinion on the last 12 years Concilman Pratt has boasted about? Remember this also includes Mayor Otis.
I was shocked you walked out of there without a response when he said that to you. Surely you don’t think this is something to boast about?
In comparison, you can build the World Trade Center quicker than 12 years!!!

Ray…….I guess Mayor Otis has your number…He sees through your charade…He sees what you’re attempting to do….He knows you have an agenda, which is far from being an enviornmentalist. A true enviornmentalist would have a composting toilet replace the system you have…Long before any of your neighbors put them in…Do you know how many composting toilets there are on Hen Island?…Lots, from what I understand…Where’s your’s Ray?…to which enviornmental organizations do you belong?…And, did you join them before or after you were removed from the Board of Directors of Kuder island?..Did you begin your HealtheHarbor campaign before or after you were removed from the position of president of the same board?..What other enviornmental issues have you addressed, either in Rye or in your home town of Purchase, NY?..Are you pursuing any enviornmental issues in White Plains, where your business is located?….Are you a true enviornmentalist or simply a poor soul, who’s efforts to disrupt the simple way of life of a few older citizens of Hen Island are being disguised as a concerned citizen?…I notice you are unhappy with answers given to you when you ask them of city representatives or answers given to you by county representatives..How about answering some of the many questions folks have asked you?..And, please answer them honestly, as those who have answered you have done…High and Dry in Rye….Cheers for Mayor Otis !!

High and Dry,
Let’s say Mayor Otis has my number, let’s say he sees through my charade, let’s say he also sees what I am attempting to do, and let’s say he knows I have an agenda. Let’s say the entire aforementioned are true according to you and the Mayor. We all know Mayor Otis would never tell a lie especially if his reputation was on the line.

Does that mean that you should be allowed to pollute and risk the health and safety of residents? Does that mean that they should not have written two pages of violations? Does that mean that Hen Island does not have to comply with the law?

I can tell you again that my only intentions are to protect the health and safety of my family, friends and residents as well as the waters of the Long Island Sound. Maybe you and Otis don’t think the law should be applicable on Hen Island but the rest of us do.
http://healtheharbor.com/gallery/pages/sewage/sewage12.html
Ray Tartaglione

High and Dry,
Maybe you and the Mayor can circulate this for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEVYeKIvxuA

Hush Flush..
You had your last flush Ray and that was at the last council meeting.
Tell us about your extended septic tank that was illegally done..or did you lie about it?
Your whole credibility is in the toilet.
Ugh..Flush

Jim – I’m speaking only for myself here, not my wife and no other group.

To answer your question directly, I thought that the comment about the pedestrian safety issues being worked for 12 years without resolution was disappointing. It was also not new news. But it’s not surprising because to expect that the problems would all be solved – even in 12 years – is absurd. That said, the mere fact that I spoke (and will continue to do so) says that I think that more can and must be done. We can’t wait another 12 years to get one or two major projects completed. Put in another form, we can’t wait until another pedestrian or cyclist is hit by a car before solving the city’s “kill zones”.

I also realize that there are multiple, significant issues competing for the Council’s attention. In addition to pedestrian safety (#1 for me), I’d add #2 infrastructure repair from flood damage and #3 flood control / prevention. The City (independent of who the mayor is / will be) can simply not act on all the priorities at once. There is not enough money to do so. There also appears to be insufficient management capacity. (Mack, the city is going to be a lot poorer for your absence.)

So, if there’s not enough money or enough management capacity to address all the priorities at once, prioritization is needed. Short term, the easiest and cheapest step to take is to step up enforcement of existing traffic ordinances – on Midland, on BPR, on Purchase (think about all those pedestrians nearly hit by cars ignoring the cross walks while gabbing on their cellphones), on Forest. It’s all over the city. And please, telling me about shift changes creating problems of capacity doesn’t explain why enforcement is down consistently around the clock. Maybe we should get a report on the number of citations for moving violations in each of the past 5 years. Of course, we should also ask for jay walking citations. I wonder if any have ever been written at Sonn/BPR.

Bob,
Thank You for answering and being honest. Most of the myrye regulars on here ask me for answers and don’t show the same respect when I ask.
It’s amazing to me that something as important as a pedestrian/ child’s safety takes a back seat to other things that in my opinion are a lesser priority. 12 years might be the norm for some projects but to not even come up with a temporary solution is a COMPLETE JOKE!

I understand your points and don’t think that everything can be solved at once, even if there were enough funding that would be a difficult task.

As your wife pointed out, and I as well, there should be more emphasis on the younger children and for obvious reasons. Seems to me that the only school getting attention and changes is the one on Parsons.

I for one am tired of Mayor Otis telling us how “HE” is responsible for the changes around all the “schools”!
BS, there are NO CHANGES around any school other than the RHS/RMS.
I am not saying the changes were not needed and warranted,they were.

For Instance, let’s take the Orchard St./Theodore Fremd intersection. How long before some poor soul gets creamed trying to make a left turn off of Orchard onto Theo? They are well aware of this danger and do absolutely nothing about it. This is a simple no brainer quick correction.

I have been asking them to make the block between Ellis/Goldwin on Midland a NO PARKING ZONE bc it is impossible to get out of the driveways there without putting yourself at risk. They have now asked me to present a petition.
Why do they need a petition to keep residents safe? Another simple no brainer quick correction.

And I would love for Mayor Otis to tell all of us WHY there is no representation from the RPD on “HIS” TTC????

And with respect I will repeat once again what I have always believed…. the RPD is as big a part to the solution as they are to the problem!
Pedestrian & Public Safety is part of the job, not just for the Patrolman/Woman but for “ALL” members of the RPD!

There are plenty of smaller things that can be accomplished why we wait for the “12 YEAR” ones to finally come do!!!

Ray…….will you EVER answer questions posed to you?…The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind…the answer my friend, is NO….To claim you’re doing what you’re doing to “protect family and friends” laughable….To claim people on Hen Island (you have a campsite there as well, lest we forget) are brushing their teeth with “bird feces infected water” is simply not the truth…who would do such a thing?…YOU?…Where does YOUR water come from?…Do you bring bottled water to the island for drinking or do you drink the water you gather from your roof ??…And, if your answer is, “I bring bottled water to the island for drinking”….what makes you think you are brighter than all of the other campsite owners??…Do you have photos or video of people on the island drinking feces-water?….No, you don’t..Ya know why?…’cause you’re lying about it…pure and simple….So, continue the Lie..I’ll remain, High and Dry in Rye….and rooting for Mayor Otis !!