Candidates Debate

Candidates Debate

Kenneth Matinale ...
ViewSaturday, October 13, 2007 7:11:10 PM
To:wptimes@wptimes.com

White Plains Times, October 12, 2007 - page 7"

"So what are the three most important issues facing White Plains residents, according to the email poll? Improving communication ... quality of life ... city owned property at Railside Avenue".

Listing Railside Avenue as a top three issue illustrates the structural problem with White Plains government: Common Council members are elected at large, not by geographic district. The Common Council members have come almost exclusively from among those who own houses, not from those who live in apartments, the mayor and member Bernstein not withstanding. Common Council members represent the interests of the house owners. Any pretense that they represent and understand the issues of all residents is political spin.

What percentage of White Plains residents live in apartments? I am guessing that it is well over 50%. Yet issues are consistently addressed by the Common Council members from the perspective of those who live in the suburbs of White Plains. That is why downtown White Plains has evolved into something conceived by people who do not live there. It looks like the decision makers may have heard about it but do not have to live with the consequences of their decisions. Other than asking for votes when is the last time you have seen Common Council members on the streets of downtown? Do they ever walk or take public transportation to Common Council meetings at city hall? Have they ever used the transportation center near the train station?

This issue of representation was raised and dismissed in the mid 1990s. With so many more residents living in apartments in White Plains it is time to consider it again and this time make sure that all residents are made fully aware of the matter.

Kenneth Matinale