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'I Guess the Chickens Have Come Home to Roost'

Town cuts, voting laws, and goose meat are just some of the hot topics that got Patch users talking on our comments board last week.

"The public employee unions in Bedford have always had the opportunity to take less for the benefit of the whole. The purpose of a municipality or school district is not to provide employment for employment's sake. Government's job is to provide for the best services at the least possible cost. For too many years politicians have used the public payroll as their own personal rewards system. I guess the chickens have come home to roost." -- Ross Revira

Rock 'n' Roll Reunion: The Rascals to Perform at Capitol Theatre

"Corrected..... No offense but it's better than The Roots! The Rascals are musical icons and were a major staple in this area during the late 1960's. They were inducted to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and Felix was born in Pelham Manor, NY. WELCOME HOME GUYS!" -- JJ

Gaffes: Enough to Impact an Election? [POLL]

"I was leaning toward 'Yes--they offer insight into a candidate's character', but with a qualification. I feel that the quotes mentioned and others of this type aren't really gaffes, as such, when heard in their entire context. (A gaffe is Joe Biden exhorting a man in a wheelchair to stand up and take a bow.) When one listens to (or reads) these phrases within the context of the speech or point being made, the inference of the phrases can change. The entire narrative is necessary to make a reasoned judgment." -- Jane E. Schneider

Should You Have to Show ID to Vote? [POLL]

"No. Absolutely not. The right to vote in a democracy is a basic one, and should not be limited in this way, New York State has a signature check at the polls and the ability to cast affidavit votes in case there is a question. Those votes are then verified centrally at the Board of Elections and then counted last, together with absentee ballots. That is sufficient to prevent voter fraud, a red herring that has been raised in states that passed voter i.d. laws whose real purpose is to limit the right to vote for certain groups of people." -- Betsy Shaw Weiner

Eastchester Town Board Meets Tonight

"Having such a moratorium seems crazy to me...Let the consumer make that decision. White Plains Rd now has three restaurants side by side...if the demand is there, they will survive if not , well at least one of them will go away...And within reason, that is how it should be..." -- Peter Thorp

Three Geese Management Firms Will Be Hired (VIDEO)

"Geese could be a ready source of local sustainable meat. What's wrong with that? The amount of Canadian Geese in the area is a serious problem, caused by the unnatural proliferation of giant lawns and grassy fields. The geese are displacing (or have already displaced) indigenous waterfowl on our lakes and rivers. And their feces are a health problem. Our children are literally playing in s@*t. This is not just an inconvenience. Another good source of local meat is the deer herd in Upper Nyack which seems to be swelling in size..." -- John Gromada

"Out of over 3,000 counties in the US, we are number 4 in property taxes. My brother lives in Fairfax County VA, and owns a $600,000 house, with annual taxes less than $3,000. His school district is in the top 5 in the nation, while ours are no where near that. Just pumping money into unrealistic salaries, benefits, and perks, does not improve education, or services for the general population. This is why the governor instituted the property tax cap of 2%. This was not done on a whim. I will be at the public hearing on this budget on Oct. 7th, to strongly demand that the town stay within this cap. They need to propose pay and benefit cuts, or start laying off. Free town cars, wasteful golf courses, brand new trucks, etc.......need to be seriously evaluated as well." -- Elizabeth

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
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 slungRead 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 theRead More community needs is another schools related criminal harassment case.
Jay Borrel May 21, 2013 at 12:42 pm
WRONG!
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 decidingRead 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 andRead 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 areRead 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 beRead 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 01:04 pm
Wouldn't it be great if Mike Valenti moved out of Briarcliff?
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 outRead More looking at other candidates is your wasting our time with endless BS
Jay Borrel May 21, 2013 at 01:05 pm
Wouldn't it be great if Mike Valenti moved out of Briarcliff?
Gargamel May 21, 2013 at 07:26 am
Jay: more like Poooofff! Time to back to the North State Spa
Jay Borrel May 20, 2013 at 09:57 pm
Mr. Valenti your small mind is imploding
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 orRead 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 attacksRead 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 pleaseRead 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.
Jay Borrel May 21, 2013 at 01:06 pm
Wouldn't it be great if Mike Valenti moved out of Briarcliff?
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 youRead 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 throughRead More this, proved I was a resident, etc. Anyway, does anyone know anyone in Briarcliff more annoying than Mike Valenti
Mike Valenti May 21, 2013 at 04:15 pm
It is Election Day in Briarcliff. There are TWO school board seats up for grabs and a budget to beRead 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
Gargamel May 21, 2013 at 07:36 am
the key to understanding a failed candidacy of Mike Valenti's is having to suffer through endlessRead 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 byRead More repeating something ad nauseum it does not become true or a fact ...
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 anRead 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 theRead 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 knowledgeRead 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?