Plainsong by Kent Haruf
A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver.
In a small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl - her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house - is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work the family homestead... the only world they've ever known. From these unsettled lives emerges a vision of life, and of the small town and landscape that binds them
BROWN BAG LUNCH GROUP: PLAINSONG BY KENT HARUF
Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manor See map
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W Obermeyer May 21, 2013 at 01:13 pm
It would be funny were it not so sad. I recall seeing and hearing quite a lot of mud being slung…Read More recently, in an unseemly manner, but by whom I wonder?
McKey Rivers May 21, 2013 at 12:51 pm
Mike, please try to keep it together later and don't be acting out again. The last thing the…Read More community needs is another schools related criminal harassment case.
McKey Rivers May 21, 2013 at 12:56 pm
OMG!!! Is someone referring to Stacy Agona's experience on the School Board as a basis in deciding…Read More how to vote today? Oh wait, that's her husband. One of my favorite Stacy moments on the school board was when, after having been a trustee for a year, a reference was made during a public meeting to the "reserve fund" and she blurted out, "What's that?"
Jay Borrel May 21, 2013 at 12:42 pm
There is nothing respectful about Mr. Valenti. While telling us that everyone else uses ugly and…Read More negative campaigning, he forces his message down our throats with his constant badgering and pushing. And, while I do disagree with Mr. Agona at least he is a voice less heard, however a home buyer will definitely think twice when seeing that our schools are not ranked at the top, but our spending is. A home buyer would definitely think twice when seeing that our board went against the levy and asked for more. A home buyer will think twice when seeing that our board underhandedly appointed a superintendent with out any notice to the community of a vacancy. These are trustees, but how can we trust them. With regards to understanding the budget or not, a home buyer only sees the surface and there will be NO TRUST in this community if we do the wrong thing.
Rod Agona May 21, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Empty Nesters and everyone else:
I respectfully disagree with Mr. Borrel on his post.
There are…Read More many reasons behind why the budget proposal by the BOE and the administrators exceeds the tax cap guideline. I ask that you check my wife’s posting in the Patch for more insight but I will not repeat here.
From personal experience, my perspective is that young parents looking to buy a home will research many things including the community support for the schools. It is fairly common to look into school board budget voting as an impartial indicator of the community's support. Imagine you are deciding between towns X and Y and then you hear that town X voted down the budget. You won’t research any further if this is important to you. You will move on to another place where there is more support. Please consider this into your decision when voting today. A vote for the budget approval will do a great service to the protection of our real estate values, not to mention preserve educational excellence in the eyes of the experts we are currently paying to make those recommendations.
I believe most Briarcliff residents will agree with me as evidenced by the fact that there has not been a budget rejection by the public in decades.
I would also like to personally congratulate the current Briarcliff BOE trustees for being the only school district in Westchester County to propose a lower budget than they did the prior year.
Vote YES to the proposed Briarcliff budget.
Vote JON SATRAN and SAL MAGLIETTA for BOE trustees.
Mike Valenti May 21, 2013 at 03:36 pm
It is Election Day in Briarcliff. There are TWO school board seats up for grabs and a budget to be…Read More voted on.
Please join me in voting for JON SATRAN and SAL MAGLIETTA to continue their terms as school board trustees.
Please also join me in voting YES on the proposed school budget.
Your vote for JON and SAL is a vote FOR continued TRANSPARENCY, RESPECT, COMMUNITY VOICE, COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIP, CIVILITY, FISCAL PRUDENCE and MUCH MORE.
Moreover, your vote for JON and SAL is a vote AGAINST the type of UGLY, NEGATIVE, MUDSLINGING campaigning you are witnessing (especially in these final, desperate hours) from the Linder/Wasserman camp. If we are ever to see this type of campaigning cease we must SPEAK LOUD AND CLEAR and SEND A MESSAGE that it does NOT appeal to us here in Briarcliff and we will NOT support the candidates forwarded or supported by those who conduct themselves in this unseemly manner.
Please VOTE YES for JON and SAL.
Please VOTE NO for SLEAZY SMALL-TOWN POLITICS.
Respectfully,
Mike Valenti
Jay Borrel May 21, 2013 at 09:31 am
Hey Mike, the only thing worse than a tax hike and a secret appointment of a superintendent with out…Read More looking at other candidates is your wasting our time with endless BS
Jay Borrel May 21, 2013 at 08:25 pm
Wow Eric, how can I be hiding? I live here, you can look me up. I doesn't take much research or…Read More rocket science. See you on the other side.
Kevin Zawacki (Editor) May 21, 2013 at 03:00 pm
Hi all -- lively discussion is fantastic and encouraged, but any personal and/or ad hominem attacks…Read More will be deleted. Thanks for your cooperation.
Eric Nadler May 21, 2013 at 02:39 pm
As I write this I know that it is a mistake but I can't let it go. Mr. Rivers and Mr. Borrel please…Read More unmask yourselves. At least Ms. Agona and Mr Valenti (and myself) have the decency to make our views know publicly. By all means you have the right to voice your opinions but to do so under the guise of anonymity is what I would call cowardly. How can the voting public take your comments seriously if you don't have the gumption to stand behind them in public for the community to see. With that said - Mr Rivers, Mr Borrell take off your masks! Let's have a dialog face to face.
W Obermeyer May 20, 2013 at 03:07 pm
I wonder why the voice of reason is suddenly so vocal? Reminds me of some earlier exchanges, if you…Read More have read one you have read them all.
The Real Herman Sexton May 20, 2013 at 02:57 pm
oh wow, let's relive the attempted election of Mike Valenti several years ago. We went through…Read More this, proved I was a resident, etc. Anyway, does anyone know anyone in Briarcliff more annoying than Mike Valenti
Gargamel May 21, 2013 at 07:36 am
the key to understanding a failed candidacy of Mike Valenti's is having to suffer through endless…Read More repetition of his failed logic. Really folks, the only one imploding here is Mike. For Sal and Jon: please tell us that you do not encourage him? I hope not because it has to hurt.
W Obermeyer May 20, 2013 at 03:13 pm
One can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. And by…Read More repeating something ad nauseum it does not become true or a fact ...
McKey Rivers May 20, 2013 at 02:51 pm
I just felt nauseous realizing that the source of the campaign nonsense published earlier today by…Read More the Briarcliff PTA is Mike Valenti! Who other than Valenti and the BPTA Board, where Mrs. Maglietta sits as Vice President, actually believes that a vote to get the School Board to formulate a tax levy compliant budget, just like almost every other school board in the region and State, will send a message that Briarcliff does not support it's public schools? How can anyone possibly buy into this nonsense when data provided by the NYS Comptroller shows that the the current effective school tax rate is substantially higher in Briarcliff than almost every school district in the County, including 46.18% higher than Bronxville? Briarcliff PTA, if you are going to violate NYS PTA policy and guidance on lobbying and campaigning in the budget vote, and possibly risk IRS action because of potential contradiction of restrictions on lobbying by an educational organization, pick someone more stable and intelligent than Mike Valenti to rely on.
David Venditti May 21, 2013 at 10:55 am
I think the executive board should post its actual vote and minutes and explain why, on such an…Read More important issue, a select few deign to speak for the masses that comprise the PTA, rather than seek a consensus of the members at large.
Lisa Jenner May 20, 2013 at 01:53 pm
There goes Mike again, with his crystal ball and his ability to read minds - the voice of the…Read More Briarcliff community. He knows that the Linder/Wasserman camp is desperate and that their campaign is imploding.
I, too, have been wondering about the mailings from the school district regarding the budget. While I realize that the current BOE needs to present and explain the budget to the public, some of the material comes dangerously close to campaign materials.
McKey Rivers May 20, 2013 at 11:33 am
Is Mrs. Maglietta incapable of speaking for herself? Or is Sal showing off his new found knowledge…Read More about when it is appropriate to recuse yourself from voting on a matter when you have an actual self interest or a perceived self interest? And will the Magliettas reimburse the school district for the campaign materials they have been sending at public expense and on School District letter head?
McKey Rivers May 20, 2013 at 04:47 pm
Does anyone other than crackpots like Mike Valenti and sycophants aligned with current School Board…Read More members think that it is healthy for the current effective school taxes in Briarcliff to be in excess of 2% of market values (2.0106%) while the school taxes on a home with equal value in communities like Chappaqua (1.8611%), Tuckahoe (1.8600%) Eastchester (1.7360%), Scarsdale (1.5471%) and Bronxville (1.3791%) are significantly lower? Real estate professionals will tell you that tax rates in excess of 2% of market value present substantial obstacles to entry to market for many potential buyers. This factor is a big part of the reason for declining enrollment in Briarcliff where families with school age children are deterred by tax affordability from even looking, never mind buying a home, when other area communities with excellent school districts have taxes that are much more affordable for an equal value home. The negative market impact of tax unaffordability can result in a downward spiraling effect when home prices are pushed lower to attract market interest. To worsen the tax unaffordability situation in Briarcliff by passing a tax cap excessive budget is in nobody’s interest especially when there are reasonable tax levy compliant alternatives that have been demonstrated to have no negative impact on educational programs, sports, clubs, music or staff. If Briarcliff voters want to preserve their lovely community, the school district and home values, they must defeat the proposed budget and vote for Paul Wasserman and Sonny Linder for school board.
W Obermeyer May 20, 2013 at 02:51 pm
Well written post, with a realistic analysis of the property market. Very few young people will…Read More consider Briarcliff Manor a viable option for purchasing a home, particularly if one can get similar education while paying much less in taxes. The decline in enrollment testifies to this unfortunate situation. And to increase the tax rate at this juncture is not only unnecessary but the poorest possible timing for slowly recovering real estate values.
McKey Rivers May 20, 2013 at 12:41 pm
According to data on file with the NYS Comptroller’s office, the current effective school tax…Read More rate in Briarcliff Manor is 8.32% higher than the effective school tax rate in Chappaqua, 8.39% higher than the effective school tax rate in Tuckahoe, 16.13% higher than effective school tax rate in Eastchester, and 46.18% higher than effective school tax rate in Bronxville. Last time I checked (on Friday), none of those communities are suffering from plummeting home values or perceived to be engaged in educational suicide. What distinguishes Briarcliff from those school districts? All the other school districts have adopted tax levy cap compliant budgets. None of the other school districts have proposed to increase public relations expenses by 45%, expenses related to the superintendent of schools by 42.45%, nor expenses for the board of education by approximately 65%. None of the school boards in Chappaqua, Tuckahoe, Eastchester, and Bronxville have campaigned for voter approval of their proposed budgets by using school district resources to scare voters into believing bogus claims that a No vote will require draconian cuts in educational programs and staff. Obviously, if Briarcliff voters adopt the tax excessive proposed budget, the disparity in effective tax rates between Briarcliff and these other school districts will be even greater than it is now. Are potential homebuyers likely to disregard the wide differences in school taxes among these and almost every other community in Westchester County as compared with the school tax rates in Briarcliff? As a proponent of giving the Briarcliff Board of Education a second opportunity to get the school budget right and not overburden Briarcliff property owners with higher than necessary property taxes, I can only hope that voters will decide how to vote based on the reputation of David Venditti versus Mike Valenti.
Gargamel May 20, 2013 at 09:07 pm
the key to understanding a failed candidacy of Mike Valenti's is having to suffer through endless…Read More repetition of his failed logic. Really folks, the only one imploding here is Mike. For Sal and Jon: please tell us that you do not encourage him? I hope not because I has to hurt.
The Real Herman Sexton May 20, 2013 at 10:39 am
First off, I am the real Herman Sexton. I am not the fraud who wrote his stupid comments earlier in…Read More this blog. I am the man who destroyed Mr. Valenti's campaign several years ago. OK so let's start by laughing at the request by Mr. Valenti for transparency. He backs Mr. Satran who was a part of the team that secretly imposed a tax hike and appointed a new superintendent. How could you listen to Mr. Valenti. He asks for transparency? LETS FIX THIS NOW!
robin May 20, 2013 at 06:44 am
If I may also point out that the "3 minute rule" was instituted by the previous board.…Read More This same board also moved public comment to the beginning of the meeting. And while this may have worked well if you were a mind reader and knew what was going to be discussed, it makes far more sense to have public comment after presentations and board discussions. The current board, under the leadership of Sal Maglietta, has allowed for public comment multiple times in the same meeting. They are most certainly listening to what the community has to say. Please join me and my family in re-electing Jon Satran and Sal Maglietta. Please also join us in voting YES on the school budget.