My Rye

Rye Corporation Counsel Kevin J. Plunkett Lands New Day Job

The Journal News recently reported Rye corporation counsel Kevin J. Plunkett has a new day job. While many of us know Plunkett from viewing city council meetings on channel 75, he recently joined White Plains firm DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr as a partner.

(PHOTO: Rye's Plunkett on right, along with attorney David Boise in middle, famous for representing Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election and the Justice Department against Microsoft. Source: westchesterarc.org) Plunkett works in DelBello's commercial litigation and government relations practice groups. He was previously a partner at Thacher Proffitt and still serves as village attorney for Dobbs Ferry in addition to his work for Rye.

Rye People: The Rye Record's Robin Thrush Jovanovich

Your Name:  Robin Thrush Jovanovich

Your Day Job:  Editor and publisher. I cover the City Council and write both news stories and features. I take many of the photographs that appear, write most of the headlines and edit everything that goes in the paper.

(PHOTO: Robin Jovanovich with her husband Peter) The paper’s focus is Rye, although the paper is also mailed to every household in Purchase. We have a strong arts sections for a community paper — book and film reviews and art reviews of major exhibits in Manhattan, an “Out of Here” column on area concerts and cultural events, especially at SUNY Purchase, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, and the Emelin in Mamaroneck.

Your Company: The Rye Record

Ours is an independent newspaper, which was started in the fall of 1996 by Dolores Eyler. She remains an owner, but I am the majority owner. Allen Clark was our partner until earlier this year, when he retired. The three of us were, for most of the life of the paper, a team.

The Rye Record began as a monthly and is now published 22 times a year. We publish a minimum of four special sections annually: Home, Garden, Schools, Holiday. We plan on doing our second restaurant guide this year.

The circulation is 10,000. Not only is the paper mailed free to every household in Rye and Purchase, but we hand deliver copies to every business and organization in Rye, and many in Harrison and Rye Brook.

MyRye.com: How many people work for your Rye paper?

Our small, but hard-working staff includes Duke Thrush, who handles Advertising & Production and does the Website, and Jim Byrne and April Miller, both associate editors. Jim covers the School Board and Sports; April covers School News and Obituaries. Any of them will do anything needed to get an issue out and work late, along with me, on deadline night. Ken Knowles, who handles our accounting, also sells advertising and is working with Rye merchants to make our website work for them.

A number of regular, mostly longtime contributors, write on everything from gardening to wines to the great outdoors.

How long have you worked for your company and what did you do before?

I started writing for the paper in 1997 and have been editor since 2000. I have worked in magazine and newspaper publishing since the summer of my senior year in high school when I worked for Ladies Home Journal. My first job out of college was with Time Inc. I took the only job they had — working at the first-floor desk, guiding visitors around photography exhibits, handling back issue requests. After nine months of waiting for an editorial job to open up, I left to work for The Westport News in Westport, Conn. My title was Features Editor. From there I went to work as an editor for Family Weekly, Good Housekeeping and Self.

After the birth of our second son, I stopped working full time and we started moving around the country and then overseas, I started working as a freelancer, for Conde Nast, Us magazine, The San Diego Union, The Patent Trader. I am the author of a children’s mystery.

What were the three biggest stories in Rye in 2007?

The Floods, the capture of the “Pillowcase Perp”, and the end of a Republican majority on the City Council were the biggest stories of 2007. The other big story was in sports; both the Rye High School field hockey and football teams were state champs.

1. We gave significant coverage to the March and April floods and their aftermath in print and on our Website, www.ryerecord.com.

2. Residents were pleased to read that the man suspected of 10 burglaries in Rye was arrested, with help from Rye Police, in Mt. Vernon December 5.

3. The ticket of Paula Gamache (D), Catherine Parker (I) and Joe Sack (R) was elected to the City Council November 6. The Rye Republican and Democratic Parties ran a combined ticket.

What are the three most interesting things about Rye that most people don’t know?

1. That a priest at Resurrection Church is responsible for the fact that homes on and around the Westchester Country Club grounds are within the Rye postal address. Reportedly, in 1910 when he heard that St. Gregory’s Church was to be built in Harrison, he asked the Postmaster of Rye to change the mailing address for those homes to Rye. It’s one of those stories that may be apocryphal. The details have never been fully explained or confirmed. We’re still checking into this!

2. The area near the mills, along Blind Brook from Oakland Beach Avenue to Stuyvesant, was never officially called “Milltown” on city maps. A real estate agent started calling the area that and it stuck, until the mills started closing. 

3. Aviatrix Amelia Earhart wrote the first of her best-selling books while living in publisher George Putnam’s house at 355 Locust Avenue (Rye mailing address, but actually in Harrison). Putnam fell in love with Earhart, got a divorce, finally convinced Earhart to marry him and they moved to the house next door (street renamed Amelia Earhart Lane after her death). Part of the house was in Rye, part in Harrison, and Earhart liked to tell local residents that she gardened in Rye and ate dinner in Harrison. 

What kind of stories do you most enjoy writing about?

Luckily, I enjoy writing about just about everything. I have covered City Council meetings for close to a decade; they’re the best way to keep abreast of the news and listen to residents. I haven’t missed many Memorial Day Ceremonies because the members of Rye American Legion Post 128 are among the best men and women I’ve ever known.

I would be content just interviewing writers and people from all walks of life as long as they have a sense of humor.

How does someone subscribe or get a copy of your paper?

Out-of-town subscriptions are available for $30 a year. Send us a check at 17 Elm Place, Rye, NY 10580 or call us at 925-0540 with credit card information.

We always keep extra copies of each issue, going back to November 1996, at our downtown Rye office. The day before an issue arrives in mailboxes we drop off 50 copies at the Rye YMCA, the Rye Free Reading Room, City Hall, and the Post Road Market. Many residents pick up copies at Rye Beach Pharmacy and Playland Market.

Tell us your contact information:

Your phone: 925-0540 (work)
Your email address: ryerecord@aol.com

Thanks, Robin!

Rye People: Rye Sound Shore Review's Christian Falcone

Publisher's Note: Over the next couple of weeks we will profile a couple of the people that report on Rye. Our first profile is of Chris Falcone of The Rye Sound Shore Review. Chris and The Rye Sound Shore Review were recognized this month at the New York Press Association 2007 Better Newspaper Awards. Chris was awarded for In-Depth Reporting, and netted the highest honor in the Spot News Coverage category for his coverage of the 2007 floods. Our congratulations to Chris for the insights he brings to the place we all call home.

Your Name: Christian Falcone

Your Day Job:  I serve as the lead reporter of The Rye Sound Shore Review. I write, on average, five to seven stories weekly, take many of the photographs to accompany those stories and have recently begun designing the layout of the front page of the paper. 

(PHOTO: Chris Falcone consulting with fellow reporter Kelechi Ubozoh.)

Your Company: Howard Sturman, the publisher of Home Town Media Group, produces five local weekly community newspapers: The Rye Sound Shore Review with a circulation of 7,563, The Town Report, consisting of Eastchester, Tuckahoe and Bronxville, The Harrison Report, The New Rochelle Sound Report and The Sound and Town Report, consisting of Mamaroneck and Larchmont.

MyRye.com: How many people work for your Rye paper?

There are several faces that put in an enormous amount of time and effort to produce The Rye Sound Shore Review. Managing Editor Lynda Wissing spearheads the weekly process of putting forth a quality paper along with help from Assistant Editor Dan Gabel. What makes their job so demanding is that they oversee all five papers during production. Bernie Rosenthal is the art director who focuses his entire efforts on Rye. And, unfortunately, he was set to design his last paper with the April 11 edition, prior to retiring after a lifelong career in the industry. Thank you for all your work Bernie.

Photographer Bobby Begun’s work is also quite often visible, from spreads of various sporting events to local school happenings. General Assignment Reporter Paige Rentz, Sports Editor Mike Smith and Contributing Writer Keith Loria also contribute on a weekly basis with several stories pertaining to various facets of Rye. RHS student Maggie Ward contributes weekly with her Garnet Insider, “Athlete of the Week” not to mention the work of Advertising Account Manager Lindsay Sturman.

How long have you worked for your company and what did you do before?

I have just completed my first year working at the paper. I graduated from Hofstra University with a B.A. in print journalism in 2005. While there I found a passion for writing and reporting and after trying to break into the industry for nearly a year I finally landed an opportunity with Home Town. Prior to finishing school and finding my career path I worked for a local moving company, Collins Bros., in Larchmont for several years and learned the true meaning of a hard day’s work. To this day it still serves as a constant reminder and motivation of what life could be like; carrying couches up several flights of stairs is not the easiest way to make a living.

What were the three biggest stories in Rye in 2007?

1. Without a doubt the number one story in Rye was the March 2 and April 15 floods which was readily reflected in our continuous coverage, which continues today, of the disaster which local municipalities were burdened with. Those storms, which would make national headlines, also led to an urgency on numerous fronts that quickly became public knowledge and spotlighted throughout the community. 

2. Although an issue that has really grown, and will continue to do so, with the onset of 2008, traffic and safety took center stage toward the end of last year with the highly anticipated release of the Trailways Report. That has led to a public discussion throughout the community regarding those recommendations for improvements to specified areas. The city has worked to fast track those recommendations as residents grow increasingly wary over the dangers that lurk within the community, particularly around the MS/HS area.

3. Another story which drew headlines even on a countywide scale was the rash of burglaries that occurred mostly within Rye but also other surrounding municipalities toward the end of 2007. From October 30 to November 28, the city was hit with several burglaries that targeted unsuspecting homeowners during daytime periods. A suspect, Jerry Johnson, was arrested in Mount Vernon and has since been link to some of the burglaries throughout this area. His prior rap sheet was enough to fill out a city council agenda, including being convicted of second-degree murder in 1972.

Other stories of significance were the tragic passing of RHS student Ryan Adamson, the ongoing teacher’s contract saga and the State championships of RHS’ football and field hockey teams.

What are the three most interesting things about Rye that most people don’t know?

1. How long ago flooding concerns first materialized for this area; revealed in the 1940’s but largely ignored by Westchester County leading to what is today a major catastrophe.

2. The MS/HS campus was initially designed, in the 1940’s, for the purpose of having students walk or ride bikes to school and therefore is not prepared to handle the influx of cars that it currently experiences on a daily basis.

3. How dangerous Midland Avenue really is. The problem lies in that it’s a county road and therefore the city’s hands are supposedly tied in terms of improving safety. But, in my opinion, something really needs to be done.

4. Rye is one of 43 municipalities within Westchester County and one of 10,000 governments throughout the state of New York. There is talk of consolidating local governments for the benefit of the financial future of the state, which began under former Governor Eliot Spitzer (D) and is now being continued by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D).

What kind of stories do you most enjoy writing about?

To be honest the majority of stories that I report on I enjoy. On occasion an issue might arise that is difficult to write about or I might find boring but that is rare. I’ve enjoyed covering the floods and writing about the rebuilding process from the inside out, evidenced by the nearly 100 stories that I’ve done on that topic. And I tend to learn a little about every issue I cover. One story I grew fond of, personally, was the lemonade stands that the Milton School third-grade students erected to raise money for research of pediatric cancer, supporting a charity known as Alex’s Lemonade Stand. After speaking to the entire third grade class I was touched to find out how much they cared and wanted to help. I believe they raised over $1,000 and donated it to the charity.  Anytime, I cover a cancer-related story it’s memorable after losing my mother to that disease when I was 21; which continues to live with me to this day.

How does someone subscribe or get a copy of your paper?

The Rye Sound Shore Review is published 51 times a year. If you’re interested in subscribing you can contact our Subscription Coordinator Dori La Valle at 914.653.1000 ex. 25 or Dori@hometwn.com. You can also view us online at www.hometwn.com. Otherwise, you can pick up a copy at several locations including City Hall, The Rye YMCA and The Rye Free Reading Room to name a few and most recently at one of our ten red display boxes located throughout the Central Business District. I’m sure you’ve seen them.

Tell us your contact information:

Your phone: 914.653.1000 ex. 20
Your email address: rye@hometwn.com / ctfalcone@hotmail.com

Thanks, Chris.

Rye People: 33 Across: Paula Gamache

Our third and final profile of the Rye city council Freshman Three is Paula Gamache (see our interviews with Catherine Parker and Joe Sack). Paula declined MyRye.com’s request for an interview, but we cobbled together some information on our new council member.

Name: Paula Gamache

Elected Position:  Rye City Council member as of January 1, 2008

Day Job:  A retired investment adviser, Gamache is now a well-known “big shot (crossword) puzzle author”, according to The Washington Post.

(PHOTO) Gamache is pictured here with fellow crossword author Vic Fleming.

Political affiliation?

Democrat.

More About Gamache:

Gamache, 57, holds a B.A. from Wellesley College and a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She is a former managing editor of the Rye Record. Her husband, Serge Nivelle, is a fashion photographer who owns an eponymous photography studio downtown on Hudson Street. He does work on behalf of clients such as Avon, Chico’s and Neiman Marcus.

Where does Gamache live in Rye?

Gamache and her husband, Serge Nivelle, live at 14 Lake Road, in the Greenhaven section of Rye.

How else is Gamache involved in the community?

Gamache serves on the City of Rye Finance Committee until January 1st. Her husband, Serge Nivelle serves on the City’s Board of Appeals (along with new council member Joe Sack). Gamache is also a trustee of Mamaroneck’s Emelin Theater and is active with the Wellesley-in-Westchester club.

In 2003, she was active with the Friends of the Rye Meeting House along with residents Fred Cummings, Lisa Easton, Rhoda Kornreich and Douglas Kreeger. Gamache is also a donor to the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, along with Rye Mayor Steve Otis.

Gamache’s contact information:

Your phone: 381-3010
Your email address: PaulaG6575 (AT) aol.com

Rye People: Catherine Parker

Your Name: Catherine Parker

Your Elected Position:  Rye City Council member as of January 1, 2008

Your Day Job:  I am President and founder of Parkers at 43 Purchase Street. I started Parkers in December of 1996. As a small business owner I “wear a lot of hats” as buyer, marketing and advertising director, office manager, and an assortment of other duties which keeps me busy.

MyRye.com: What is your political affiliation?

Independent. Usually that means I get mail from everyone.

Why did you run for elected office?

I first ran for Rye City Council four years ago when I was also asked by both the Democrats and Republicans. This time was actually the third election cycle when both parties had approached me to run. This year I felt it was especially important for me to run because it seemed a natural extension to the volunteering that I had already been doing for the community as a member of the Rye Flood Action Coalition, the CBD Taskforce, and the Rye Merchants Association, and I felt my sense of community would be a welcome addition to the council. On a more personal note, it is definitely a desire of mine to give my children the best hometown. Moving here to Rye was just the start and I feel good stewardship of our investment is the key to Rye being at its best.   

Rye sustained $80 million in damage from the April 15th flood. The Sells Report was just published with its recommendations on flood mitigation. What are the three most important things Rye needs to do to prepare for the next “100 Year” flood? 

The Sells Report has only addressed the issue of the Upper Pond at the Bowman Avenue Dam to date and the impact that changes to the Upper Pond will make farther downstream. I suspect the Lower Pond is really where we will get more bang for our buck so I would not speculate on the three best actions to take until the complete report from Charles Sells is presented. Will we need to bond? Yes, it seems fairly certain that that will be the best way to pay for mitigation projects that will serve the community for many years to come. 

A few months ago, City Councilman Andy Ball called for Rye to hire a Flood Czar that would oversee future flood mitigation efforts. Do you believe this is necessary?

Have any Czars really worked? In all seriousness, I think our city staff and our elected officials have worked long and hard to get Rye in the best possible position with FEMA/SEMO and what I took away with me from the Flood Summit held by Westchester County was that Rye is way ahead of our Sound Shore neighbors as far as getting the ground work done to be able to receive federal, state, and county money to help defray costs as we repair our infrastructure and protect ourselves from future flooding. The second part to that issue is the cost of another staff person – generally I do not think we are in a position to take on more staff. 

Besides flood mitigation, what are the three most important issues facing Rye over the next five years?

Where’s my crystal ball? I will tell you a couple of the issues that are big ticket items that I know will be a bear. First, there are four contracts with city employees that need to be negotiated. Second, the potential new police and court facility will need a location. Maybe it is the old CVS building and maybe not.  Overall it can be said that as a council we are going to be constantly evaluating needs in terms of affordability and quality of life.

You own and run Parker’s, a well-known travel store on Purchase Street in downtown Rye. What inspired you to start the store? How many countries have you travelled to and what are your favorite destinations?

My mother was a school teacher who told me growing up that the world is the best classroom. She was right, of course. Even on a teachers salary we traveled when I was a child to Europe and she encouraged me to become an exchange student in high school (AFS – Sweden) as well as study in Europe (Italy) during college. After college I traveled even more extensively both in Europe and South America and I had my last hurrah in 1996 when I spent two months traveling in India before I opened Parkers. I would have to say India has been my favorite. One thing I have had to adjust to since opening my travel store is that I get to travel vicariously now through my customers much more frequently than actually getting away.   

You serve on the Rye Central Business Task Force and helped start the Rye Merchants Association. Where we too late in putting a ban on new bank branches downtown? What types of controls are in place and what if any do we still need?

Yes, I have felt the horses were already out of the barn so to speak when it comes to the proliferation of banks in Rye. I don’t blame the city council, though I do think our city planner should have sounded the alarm that this was a trend occurring in other parts of our metropolitan area and others so that the council could have been more proactive instead of reactive.

MyRye.com has been told the Rye Hospital Center on the Boston Post Road may be put up for sale. Nearly three acres running from the Post Road down to the Blind Brook, the property borders an existing .48 acres of property along the brook designated park land according the city maps and is also very close to the Rye High School and Middle School property. Is there an opportunity here for the City?

To date, my understanding is that this is all conjecture.

What will be your three highest priorities during your first 12 months on Rye City Council?

My first priority is to see that flooding continues to be addressed in as expeditious a manner as possible. After that my priorities include making Rye more environmentally sound. Some small things we could do would be putting recycling bins in the Central Business District near the pizza and coffee shops, solar trash compactors in highly trafficked areas, solar lights as we add or replace existing lighting, and getting an energy audit done to name a few.  I would also like to see if there is an opportunity for the city to gain some revenue by generating power whether it is solar, wind, or hydraulic. Lastly, I want to see the fruition of a Boston Post Road diet. It will be terrific when it goes from a dangerous four lane to a safe three lane road with a bike path.

What are the three best reasons to live in Rye?

It doesn’t seem fair to pick only three reasons to live in Rye, but I will say that we are blessed with a beautiful community, full of lovely people, and being on the water is the added bonus. 

What are your three favorite restaurants in Rye that deliver?

Both my husband and I love to cook. He’s the pasta guy and I prepare more meat. Honestly, the only thing we have had delivered is pizza from Piazza Pizza and that is pretty infrequent. 921-4444 (520 Milton Road, Rye)

What is your favorite restaurant in Rye for a family meal?

My daughter, Julia, and I sometimes head to Al Dente on Elm Place after work on Friday. She absolutely loves the homemade soups! I can say they do make wonderful pastas, too. 921-5300 (7 Elm Place, Rye)

Where do you live in Rye?

We live on Milton Road. Our house is called Mill Pond Cottage and we love the view of the wetlands from our backyard. Our daughter goes to Milton School. Before we bought our house, we lived at Blind Brook Lodge for eight years.

How else are you involved in the community?

I have been on the board of the Rye Arts Center for many years. I helped found the Rye Merchants Association and I am currently on the board, I was president of the co-op board at BBL for three years, I teach Sunday school at Rye Presbyterian, I was Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester. As mentioned previously I have served on two city committees focused on the CBD as well as the Beautification Committee. Oh, and last year I was a class mom. Unfortunately, it all cuts into my gym time.

Tell us your contact information.

Your phone: 921-8409
Your email address:parkersinrye (AT) aol.com

Thanks, Catherine.

Rye People: Joe Sack

Your Name: Joe Sack

Your Elected Position: Member of the Rye City Council, beginning in January 2008.

Your Day Job: I run my own law practice, which focuses on securities and criminal litigation.  Prior to that, I was an in-house attorney at Citigroup, a regulator with the NYSE, and an Assistant D.A. in Brooklyn .

MyRye.com: What is your political affiliation?:

Republican.  I registered as a Republican when I moved back to Westchester .

Why did you run for elected office?

The simple answer is, I ran for City Council because I love Rye .  Rye is a special place, and Kerri and I have chosen Rye as the place where we will raise our children.  We haven’t lived here for 30 years, but we will live here for the next 30 years, and I want to make a contribution to the future of our city.  There are so many great ways that people in Rye can and do volunteer their time.  I chose the City Council because I have always been interested in public service (my Jesuit education taught me to be a “man for others”), government (I worked my way thru law school as an assistant to County Executive Andy O’Rourke) and politics (my bookshelf is lined with biographies of famous presidents and statesmen).  Anyway, since I watch all the meetings on cable TV (which my wife teases me about), I figured I might as well be there for them!

Rye sustained $80 million in damage from the April 15th flood. The Sells Report was just published with its recommendations on flood mitigation. What are the three most important things Rye needs to do to prepare for the next “100 Year” flood?

Flooding is a problem in Rye , including flooding along the Blind Brook.  The magnitude of the flood events that took place this past spring have certainly refocused attention on an issue that goes back to the beginning of time.  I think the Sells report was a good step in the right direction, as far as sizing up what our mitigation options are and assigning possible price tags to those options.  It could be that the cost of some projects no matter how marginally worthwhile may be prohibitive, and we need to focus on getting the most bang for our buck.  I am reluctant to rank items as requested in your question at this point, and am interested in looking at both the upper and lower ponds up by Bowman Avenue .  The City is exploring funding sources from the state and federal governments, and Westchester County has also announced a large pot of flood money.  But it seems clear that Rye will have to pony up a share too, and a flood bond seems to be an essential way to do this.

A few months ago, City Councilman Andy Ball called for Rye to hire a Flood Czar that would oversee future flood mitigation efforts. Do you believe this is necessary?

I think the City staff has done a very good job in positioning us to be in line for state and federal money for repair and mitigation projects.  This has been such an intensive undertaking that I am sure it has seemed like a full-time proposition.  We have devoted so much time and energy to this effort this year, perhaps at the expense of other day-to-day business.  In a perfect world, we will regain our equilibrium, and be able push ahead on all fronts without having to fund an added position.  But under the circumstances, I am certainly open to all creative approaches. 

Besides flood mitigation, what are the three most important issues facing Rye over the next five years?

Again I am reluctant to ascribe a ranking, but clearly there are issues that will need to be addressed over the short term that will have impacts much further into the future. For example, the police contract will expire at the end of next year and I’m sure negotiations will pick up soon. The CSEA (Civil Service Employees Union)  contract is also undecided at this point.  A new police and court facility will be on the drawing board, which will involve a discussion of needs, costs and further borrowing. And on the traffic and safety side, we must implement and pay for changes to our roadways at both ends of town, on Boston Post Road near Greenhaven and on Purchase Street near Ridge Street .

You serve on the Rye Downtown Retail Task Force and the Rye Zoning Board. Where we too late in putting a ban on new bank branches downtown? On the zoning side of things, do we have a problem with “McMansions” in Rye ? What type of controls are in place and what if any do we still need?

The City Council wasn’t too late on banks, because I am told there were other banks lining up to come in. Also, prior to my service on the zoning board in 2004, the City Council made some restrictive adjustments to the zoning code. Still, many homes that some view as too large or out of character with the neighborhood do not even need variances. It’s always a balancing test between the rights of the property owner and the welfare of the community. One zoning issue that has been kicked around before that I think needs an up or down vote is the provision that essentially discourages new flag lots.

When interviewed by the Rye Record, you mentioned (money aside), the importance of preserving open space including the Durland Scout Center on Stuyvesant Avenue and the contiguous parcels off Locust Avenue. Is there any chance of recovering the Durland Center property at this point or have we lost that battle? What is the opportunity with Locust Avenue?

It was my understanding that the Durland opportunity came and went, that the cost was deemed too high, and that the private owner has approvals for two homes. On Locust Avenue across from the YMCA, I am told there are some contiguous lots along the Blind Brook with the same owner. Obviously, this is a unique space as it borders our Central Business District.

MyRye.com has been told the Rye Hospital Center on the Boston Post Road may be put up for sale. Nearly three acres running from the Post Road down to the Blind Brook, the property borders an existing .48 acres of property along the brook designated park land according the city maps and is also very close to the Rye High School and Middle School property. Is there an opportunity here for the City?

I hadn’t heard that, and don’t know that much about the property, having only passed by at 30 miles an hour on the Post Road.

What will be your three highest priorities during your first 12 months on Rye City Council?

In no particular order:

1.  Regarding the dynamics of our Council: Ensuring the importance of cooperation and consensus building on the City Council. I am a litigator by profession, so I know all about disputes and dealing with aggressive adversaries. But in local government, my immediate background on the Zoning Board emphasized to me the importance of compromise and of speaking with a unified voice.  While there will always be differences in opinion and instances when a particular member needs to stick to his or her guns, it is possible to maintain convictions without drawing stark battle lines. Chief Justice Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court is a big believer in developing unanimous decisions whenever possible based on this approach.

2.  Regarding the budget: Maintaining our high level of services while also controlling taxes. This dual task is at the crux of our responsibilities on the Council. Of course, the devil is in the details, and will spawn countless hours of careful consideration.

3.  Regarding a specific project:  I would like to see some action taken to address the sidewalk and road conditions in Rye , especially along Oakland Beach Avenue and the questionable stretch from Disbrow Park down to the bridge.

What are the three best reasons to live in Rye ?

1.  Great families and schools.  That definitely comes first.

2.  Great quality of life – from downtown shopping and dining, to parks and recreation, to not-for profits (the Rye Free Reading Room, Rye Nature Center, Rye Arts Center and Rye YMCA are all jewels).

3.  Great location – easy commuting and on the water.

What are your three favorite restaurants in Rye that deliver?

We don’t do delivery, but we do take out.  Our three favorites:

1.  Piazza Pizza on Milton Road. Ross runs a great business. Our garage quickly piles up with old pizza boxes for recycling! 921-4444 (520 Milton Road, Rye)

2. Playland Market on Forest Avenue. It is great to have a place nearby that is open early and late for coffee, a chicken cutlet sandwich or a pint of ice cream! 967-2450 (488 Forest Avenue, Rye)

3. Water Moon on Purchase Street . I love their pan-seared sesame tuna dish. 921-8880 (66 Purchase Street, Rye)

What is your favorite restaurant in Rye for a family meal?

The Dock Deli on Milton Road is our favorite family restaurant, hands down. I am there with the girls most Saturday mornings for breakfast, while Mommy gets to sleep in an extra hour. Scrambled egg sandwiches and French toast are our favorites, and don’t forget the mini cup of OJ with the “set up”.  Neil and Maggie are great, and the girls love seeing their Christmas card hanging on the wall! 967-3344 (615 Milton Road, Rye)

Where do you live in Rye ?

We live on Thorne Place, a cul-de-sac off of Oakland Beach Avenue, next to Disbrow Park – home of the world’s best Halloween parade and party every year!  We are in the Osborn school district, where our oldest daughter attends kindergarten. We previously lived for 5 years on Barlow Lane in Greenhaven.

How else are you involved in the community?

I am a member of the Rye Zoning Board and the Rye Downtown Retail Task Force. We are members of Resurrection Church, Rye Golf Club, and the Rye YMCA.

Tell us your contact information:

Your web site:  www.sacklawfirm.com

Your phone:  (914) 701-0806 (work)

Your email address:  jsack (AT) sacklawfirm.com

Thanks, Joe.

More Thain That: He Could Also be a Blind Brook Trojan

Yes, that's right.

In a follow-up to our story on Saturday on Merrill Lynch's new CEO and local resident John Thain, it turns out mystery deepens. Is Thain a Rye Garnet, Harrison Huskie or a Blind Brook (Rye Brook) Trojan?

That's because Thain's landholdings, while primarily in Rye City and Harrison, also cross over into Rye Brook. All this according to a story published by James Doran in the Evening Standard of London on the 16th:

"The size of his private home in Rye, a country village in New York's Westchester County, is testament to that. It is so big, in fact, that he pays property taxes in excess of $150,000 a year in two different towns - Harrison and the City of Rye. The property is so big that it also sneaks across the boundary of Rye Brook, another village.

The $10 million mansion, in at least 10 acres of grounds, includes a small farm and several beehives, from which Thain used to collect honey with his youngest son each morning. It has 14 bedrooms and two swimming pools. A river runs through his back garden, feeding a lake stocked with fish."

The river referenced in the story is the Blind Brook. The Thain property is downstream from Kip Konigsberg's pending Bowman Avenue development, the Bowman Avenue dam and I-287 which means back in April during the flood Thain saw some serious white water on its way to flood Indian Village, Purchase Street, Mead Place and the rest of Rye.

Maybe the Rye Flood Action Committee should call up Thain and ask if he wants to expand that lake of his to retain more water.

A-Rod Maybe Stay-Rod; Oracle of Omaha Has Two Pals in Rye

Alex Rodriguez may be staying in Rye after all. A-Rod as been renting on Parsonage Point with his wife Cynthia and daughter Natasha Alexander, who turns four years old today. The Rodriguezes are also expecting a second child.

A-Rod may be Rye's own Stay-Rod in part because of the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett. As The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, A-Rod blew off his agent Scott Boras and called the Oracle to ask for help resuscitating talks with the Yankees:

"...a worried Mr. Rodriguez called Mr. Buffett, say people familiar with the matter. The two had become friends a few years ago, after the slugger flew to Omaha to meet with the investing guru and rabid baseball fan. After that, the two met socially several more times, say the people familiar with the matter. Signifying their mutual admiration, an autographed Rodriguez jersey hangs at Berkshire Hathaway's Omaha headquarters."

Word is with Warren's help and some help from Goldman Sachs, A-Rod may walk away with a 10-year, $275 million dollar contract with the Bronx Bombers.

For the Oracle, he now has a second place to stay in Rye. Billionaire and Island Drive resident David Gottesman is a Buffett pal and Berkshire board member. Now just a short drive up Manursing Drive and across Forest Avenue will bring Warren to A-Rod's waterfront pad on Parsonage Point.

Some real estate agent in Rye is going to make a killing selling A-Rod his house on Parsonage or an equivalent. He is currently renting.

John Thain: Rye Garnet or Harrison Huskie? You Decide!

Unless you live under a rock, you know Rye resident John Thain, CEO of the New York Stock Exchange and former president and COO of Goldman Sachs, has taken a new job as CEO of Merrill Lynch. When The New York Times reported the story on Thursday, it said:

"Merrill directors personally wooed Mr. Thain at his home in Rye, N.Y. At 5 p.m. Sunday, Ann N. Reese, a Merrill director who lives nearby, stopped by his house for a cup of English tea."

Reese, the Executive Director of the Center of Adoption Policy, and a 25 year financial industry veteran including time at private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, lives with her husband Stanley and their children on Rye's Kirby Lane.

But what about Thain?

Is John Thain a Rye Garnet or does he only play one in the media? In what will be upsetting to Dino Garr and Rye football fans, Thain may in fact be a Harrison Huskie.

Thain apparently owns one of the largest private land holdings in the area--a sprawling 25 acre compound so expansive the Thain family shuttles around the property on a golf cart.

Besides The York York Times reporting the Rye residency, Thain himself reports a 350 Purchase Street Rye address to the Federal Election Commission and one of his daughters reports Rye as her hometown on a Yale University web site.

But upon further investigation, available property records for at least two separate land holdings totaling 13.6 acres show Thain paying taxes to Harrison, not Rye:

• 350 Purchase Street. Records show 10.06 acres in the municipality of Harrison and the school district of Harrison. The property holds a 5,042 square foot house built in 1910 with 3 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, 6 fireplaces, a 3-car garage and a pool.
• Lakeside Drive. Records show 3.54 acres of "vacant" residential property in the municipality of Harrison and the school district of Harrison.

Other property records were not immediately available. A third address on record, 401 Purchase Street, is described as a tax billing address in Rye, but on Google maps and on the Westchester County GIS map above, all three available Thain addresses show up in Harrison, not Rye.

Is John Thain a Rye Garnet or Harrison Huskie?

You decide!

See our UPDATE to this story.

Rye People: Gary Olivier

Your Name: Gary Olivier

Your Day Job: My current assignment is to the Rye Police Detective Division. Prior to this, I was RPD Marine Unit C/O since 2000.  The unit staff consisted of myself and 5 seasonal Bay Constables. The majority of them are retired or former law enforcement officers.

MyRye.com: A 23 year veteran of the Rye Police, you were recently promoted to the rank of Detective. Congratulations. It sounds as if you like your job.

Yes. Being a detective was something I always wanted to do in a police department. It is a privilege to be assigned to the Detective Division.

You are responsible for patrolling the 14 miles of Rye coastline on the Long Island Sound—responding to emergencies, enforcing New York State conservation and navigation law, as well as City of Rye statutes relating to waterways. What are the three most common enforcement actions you work on?

1. Enforcement of safety rule according to the NY State Navigation law. e.g. equipment violations, operating violations, and moving violations. 

2. Environmental conservation enforcement in which we arrest persons for possessing over the limit/short fish, crustaceans, pollution control, sewage discharge, duck hunting, etc.   

3. Boating while intoxicated. Fortunately in the past several years our marine unit has been effective in educating the public about BWI, so we have not had many problems regarding same.

You manage five seasonal Bay Constables, a job that has its origins in the early 1800s in the eastern towns of Long Island when bay constables were elected to two year terms to protect the shell fish beds on the Great Southbay.

Two years before you joined the department, in 1982, the position of Bay constable was created by the Rye City Council for the purpose of enforcement of the conservation laws related to fish and wild life and water fowl hunting. Who are these guys, what qualities do you look for in a constable and where can you find one in the off season?

What we have found that serves the unit best is to solicit retired or prior law enforcement persons. Of course it’s better if they have prior boating experience, but we will train the right candidate. Our unit consists of a retired Bay Constable LT from Mamaroneck, a retired NYC Detective, a former Yonkers Raceway Police officer, a retired Port Chester Harbor Master and a member of our Auxiliary Police Unit in Rye -- Andrew Landau, Patrick Early, Larry Miano, Bruce Caldwell and Ronald Olivier.

As the one full time marine officer, are you on the water year round?

Our harbor gets ice locked so we remove our primary patrol vessel form the water in late December. We have the ability to respond year round by the use of our inflatable vessel, (Rye PB 3), which is ready 24/7 to go. We patrol in all weather conditions. We place an emphasis on patrolling in bad weather. That’s when people get in trouble and really need you. Not when it’s 72 and sunny.

How do you interact with New York State Econ officers, Coast Guard and other municipal marine officers from the Sound Shore such as Portchester, Greenwich , Mamaroneck and Larchmont?

We have conducted joint training sessions with units from the USCG Aux, Stamford PD, Mamaroneck, USCG, Greenwich and Port Chester. Out there you need joint cooperation because there are not a lot of police out there. We need each other out there.

Some of the training items have been in climate weather navigation, zero visibility navigation, search and rescue, fire fighting etc. 

Do you ever work with community and environmental groups such as Terry Backer’s Soundkeeper group?

Not directly. But we are here to assist whichever entity requests. If of course, it is within our ability and mission statement to do so.

Does the marine unit respond to flooding within Rye ? Did you respond to the April 15th flood with your 12’ Mercury inflatable, one of the three marine crafts under your supervision?

Yes. Myself and two of our full time officers responded with the Mercury. We responded as over town, but primarily in the Indian Village are. Croton Falls Fire Department responded and greatly assisted us with their inflatable. Fire Fighter Mike Outhouse of Croton Falls is a former member of our marine unit and has been trained in flood rescues.

Unfortunately, we do not have the Boston Whaler anymore. It was in dilapidated condition and un seaworthy. It has not been replaced. We are currently down to the Glacier Bay and the Mercury inflatable.

What are your three favorite restaurants in Rye that deliver?

1. Piazza Pizza. 520 Milton Road, Rye 921-4444. Excellent dinners and fast food. Grilled Chicken with Broccoli is my favorite.

2. Sunrise Pizza. 7 Purdy Avenue, Rye 967-8696. His chicken soup is great and gorgonzola salad.

3. Don’t have a third.

Where do you live in Rye?

I don’t live in Rye . I did attend Rye schools, graduated in 1980.

Tell us your contact information:

Your web site: Rye City Police Marine Division

Your phone: 914-967-1234 ext 307

Your email address: golivier (AT) ryepd.ryeny.gov