Harrison Review 9-4-2015

September 4, 2015 | Vol. 3, Number 34 | www.harrisonreview.com

Harrison REVIEWTHE

mid-1990s, and, according to the town board, cannot be changed unless the town receives state approval.

According to the law, the resi-dential streets identified have been inundated with non-res-ident vehicles. Town officials claim the influx of vehicles have led to an increase in traffic, con-gestion and noise. The law was designed to prevent non-resi-dents from parking in the bound-ary or from obtaining a permit themselves.

Harrison Police Chief Antho-ny Marraccini said he still be-lieves the law will be beneficial to residents and will make their lives “easier.” Now, homeown-ers will no longer be tasked with moving their vehicles every two-to-four hours, Marraccini said, to avoid the restrictions already in place to deter commuters from trying to catch the train.

“All residents in this district are well informed of the law, and really it’s important to know the spirit of the law, too,” the chief said. “We’re going to try and reach out to homeowners and if they have a permit, they have nothing to worry about.”

The chief said enforcement will be conducted by both a parking enforcement officer—who is already “out there five days a week” patrolling down-town Harrison and areas in Sil-ver Lake—and by police officers as well. Ticketing will operate similarly to the way people are currently cited within the two-to-four hour parking zones and under the continuous 24-hour

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parking continued on page 9

vanced placement, according to Principal Steven Siciliano.

“Our students availed them-selves to AP/IB academies over the summer to get off to a great start in 2015,” he said.

With its faculty matching that effort, according to Sicilia-no they are taking advantage of many professional development courses to better prepare for a curriculum that isn’t even three years old. Although the district only has approximately 340 teachers, the number of those who registered for these types of courses over the summer was in excess of about 500, with some enrolling in duplicate courses, according to numbers released by the school district.

However, the challenges re-main with Common Core and changes made to the curricu-lum introduced to students in September 2012 as part of the national Race to the Top Initia-tive, results of which are tied to teacher evaluations, also known as Annual Professional Perfor-mance Reviews.

To gauge if Common Core is working and to figure out how well teachers are conveying the material to their students, test taking has also increased. Ac-cording to recently-released data from the New York State Educa-tion Department, students scor-ing in the top percentile, either a 3 or 4, in Harrison have jumped, but it is not without complica-

tions. Nearly 20 percent of stu-dents were absent on test day when their parents chose for them to “opt out.”

Harrison Schools Superin-tendent Louis Wool previously told the Review that there is still room for improvement for test-ing students’ aptitude, though any substantive changes would have to come from Albany.

“They are currently of limited value in determining whether or not students are making appro-priate academic progress,” Wool said. “Perhaps someday in the not-too-distant future, New York state will invest the appropriate time, energy and resources to

Harrison schools prepare for changes amid concerns

SCHOOLS continued on page 9

By JOHn BranDiStaff Writer

School administrators have begun to share their hopes and what parents can expect for the upcoming academic year, as stu-dents begin to flood the halls of Harrison’s six school campuses.

School officially began on Wednesday, Sept. 2, after press time, for those entering kinder-garten through twelfth grade, where once again students will encounter test taking, navigating the social scene and learning the skills they will need to advance academically. At Harrison High School, a new group of Huskies are already prepared to handle the academic pressures of ad-

Parking restrictions to go into effectBy JOHn BranDi

Staff Writer

As a new parking law goes into effect, certain residents are expected to obtain a permit from town hall or risk getting ticketed.

A residential parking permit system, approved by the Har-rison Town Council back in March, is about to go into effect post-Labor Day for a certain area of the town. Town Clerk Jacque-line Greer, who is running for a second term in November, said that the response from the com-munity has been positive and the filing rate at the municipal build-ing for one of the permits has been busy “as expected.”

The positive forecast of the community is a break from months ago when the law was hotly contested during a series of public hearings. The law, known formally as Chapter 193, was met with heavy criticism from residents for fee language word-ed in an initial draft, though the draft has been revised and the permits are now free of charge, as of press time. Once that was stricken, residents still took is-sue that there was no concern for visitors of the community in the set boundary. In response, the Town Council told the commu-nity that it was their responsibil-ity to alert the police that addi-tional cars would be in front of their property to avoid a ticket.

The law asks residents to obtain parking permits for resi-dential streets that bisect both sides of Harrison’s Metro-North train station. The streets within the boundary were previously determined by the state in the

MISSED CHANCEThe Huskies soccer team lost a close contest to rival Eastchester in their season opener. However, head coach Jon-Erik Zappala remains optimistic and confident in his team. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith

2 • THe HarriSOn review • September 4, 2015

September 4, 2015 • THe HarriSOn review • 3

State takes step towards extinguishing tobacco By JameS perO

Staff Writer

With the passing of a state-wide bill that prohibits smok-ing near after-school programs, New York state is one step closer to kicking smoking to the curb once and for all.

The bill, which was passed unanimously by the New York state Senate in June and signed into action by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, on August, is a concerted step toward curb-ing the harmful public effects of secondhand smoke.

“Secondhand smoke is dan-gerous, and extremely danger-ous to young children,” said state Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Democrat, adding that until the passage of the bill, no law spe-cifically prohibited smoking near after-school programs.

New York’s statewide ban is a part of a string of legislative ac-tions taken by the state over the past five years to curb smoking in public places, specifically in shared spaces like hotel and mo-tel rooms, workplaces, schools and even some more publically-shared areas like Times Square in New York City.

According to data from the New York State Department of Health and the Bureau of To-bacco Control, smoking amongst New York state youth has fallen considerably over the past four years, dropping by 74 percent between 2010 and 2014. This decline, according to Cuomo’s office, is due in no small part to legislation like the bill recently passed.

“This commonsense measure will help protect children from the dangerous effects of second-hand smoke and complements ongoing efforts that have resulted in smoking in New York hitting an all-time low,” said Cuomo in a prepared statement.

Over the course of the past five years, statewide rates of smoking have declined substantially. In June 2015, Cuomo announced that statewide smoking levels have been reduced to the lowest level that New York has seen in recorded history. This drop has been attributed to what the gov-ernor’s office calls its continued “tobacco cessation efforts.”

According to data from the New York State Department of Health, as of June, New York’s adult smoking rate is at 14.5 per-cent, which is three percent be-low the national average.

Not everyone, however, is as pleased about New York’s suc-cess in the battle to curb smok-ing as the governor and the De-partment of Health. Some of the state’s avid smokers are expect-edly in opposition.

Groups like Citizen Lobby-ing Against Smoker Harassment, CLASH, have continually railed against anti-smoking laws that they claim infringe upon their personal freedom. In 2013, the

group was responsible for over-turning a push by New York state parks to ban smoking on all of their premises—a ruling that was later overturned by an appellate judge.

“None of these bans are en-forceable,” said CLASH founder Audrey Silk. “There are no cops patrolling to catch anybody and neither should there be.”

CLASH’s battle for a smok-er-friendly New York, however, could turn out to be a losing one. With the number of smokers in New York dropping annually and increased taxation on tobacco products, smokers’ flames may be flickering.

In a statement recognizing the state’s historically low rate of smoking in June, New York State’s Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, “We must stay vigi-lant and continue strengthening our efforts until we can rid New York of tobacco once and for all.”

COnTaCT: [email protected]

New York state’s smoking rate has fallen drastically over the past five years, especially amongst high school ages, whose smoking rate has declined by 74 percent between 2010 and 2014. Photo/Raul Lieberwirth via flickr.com

Official Newspaper

Harrison Central School District’s


What’s going on...Harrison library events by mail. Ten winners and three alternates will be

selected to participate. Choice of month will be on a first come, first served basis. February and March are not available.

For more details, visit harrisonpl.org and click on the “Events and Programs/Juried Art Program” tab or contact Dan Briem at [email protected] or 835-0324 or Connie Perrotta at [email protected] or 315-1922.

West Harrison library events

Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; closed on Sundays. The West Harrison branch will be closed on Labor Day, which falls on Monday, Sept. 7.

Citizenship and English classesFree citizenship and English classes for adults

18 and older. Registration ends on Friday, Sept. 4. Class begins on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Space is limited. Please call 524-9214 for more information.

Train TimeChoo-choo! Come and play with Thomas and

friends. We have sets of toy trains for everyone to enjoy. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon.

Open Play TimeCome into the library and meet other parents,

grandparents, caregivers and children. Open for

children ages 1 to 5. Make new friends, play, read and have fun with some special toys. Meets Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Crochet and knitting classWant to learn how to knit or crochet a simple

scarf? Join the class. Come anytime between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. Bring hooks, needles and yarn or practice with materials provid-ed. Walk-ins are welcome. No registration needed. Call 948-2092 for more information.

Book club discussionJoin us to discuss “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective

Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith. One of the best, most charming, honest, hilarious and life-af-firming books, it tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Re-motswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with the problems in their lives.” All are welcome. Meeting Thursday, Sept. 10 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Harrison Recreation

Download brochures and applications for all recreation programs, unless stated otherwise, at harrison-ny.gov/recreation. For more information, questions, suggestions and/or comments, email [email protected].

Softball clinicProgram to run on Sunday mornings with a

The Harrison Public Library will be closed for renovations and will reopen on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. Visit harrisonpl.org for updates and more in-formation.

Art exhibition Artists who are interested in exhibiting at the

Harrison Public Library for approximately one month during 2016 are invited to submit samples of their artwork for review by a juried art commit-tee sponsored by the Harrison Council for the Arts.

The samples and related items may be submit-ted in person at the library on Friday, Oct. 2 after 9:30 a.m. and must be picked up the next day, Sat-urday, Oct. 3 after 12 p.m. No registration or ap-pointment is required.

Art eligible for exhibition must be two-dimen-sional. Samples must include two different pieces of the actual art, preferably framed, the artist’s resume and 12 copies, all different, of the artist’s work in the form of 35 mm slides, photos or prints.

All entrants will be notified by Monday, Nov. 16

possibility of one weekday. More information to follow and application will be coming soon to the Harrison recreation website.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s

Did you know that every 67 seconds an Ameri-can is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? Or that the price tag for this disease, which has no cure, no effective treatment or way in which its course can be slowed, will total $226 billion in the U.S. in 2015 alone? Al-zheimer’s affects more people in the U.S. than any of the other top 10 diseases, yet it receives the least financial support.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the single greatest source of funding for research, education and treat-ment. Please join us and bring your spirit and energy to a walk near you. To locate a walk, for information on how to form a team, join a team, contribute time or make a donation, visit alz.org/hudsonvalley.

The 2015 walk for Westchester County is taking place on Sunday, Oct. 4, meeting at the White Plains High School, 550 North St., near the Bryant Avenue entrance. Check-in is at 9 a.m., with a welcome and the walk starting at 10 a.m. To sign up, visit alz.org/walk or call 800-272-3900. For more information, contact Terry Kean at 253-6860 or [email protected].

Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accom-

modate your listing. Please send all items to [email protected]


Letters to the Editor

Voters should reconsider Judge Lust’s re-election bidTo the Editor,Buried in the news just after Christmas last year were a slew of reports about the Manhattan DWI arrest

of Harrison Town Judge Lust. Just Google “Marc Lust” and you will see more than a page of links to news coverage on the matter with headlines like the New York Post’s “Judge Tries to Weasel out of DWI after Boozy Christmas Party.”

I was saddened to read the reports and assumed that he would resign as town justice to deal with his crimi-nal proceedings. I was then surprised to read that Judge Lust continued to serve as one of two part-time town court justices—in Harrison, the same court that hears DWI cases. Surprisingly, there is no judicial or govern-mental body regulation that requires a town justice facing DWI charges to step down pending adjudication of such a matter. According to published reports, Harrison’s other town justice, Nelson Canter, has agreed to handle Judge Lust’s caseload of DWI cases until the criminal proceedings against Lust are resolved.

But what if he’s not acquitted?Astoundingly, since his DWI arrest, Judge Lust had been nominated for re-election for town justice by the

Harrison Democratic and Independence parties. And Judge Lust has petitioned to appear on the Republican primary ballot for September hoping to garner four party lines for re-election in November. According to news reports, when asked about the circumstances surrounding his DWI arrest, Judge Lust refuses to com-ment because the matter is still pending in court. His case has apparently been postponed a number of times; now slated to occur Sept. 24, two weeks after the Sept. 10 GOP primary.

Anyone can make a mistake, and this may have been the first and only time in his life that Judge Lust allegedly drove and crashed into a car while under the influence, trying to flee the scene of the accident, or trying to use his position as a judge to avoid arrest, as reported by various news outlets.

Yet a real lapse in sound judgment and common sense is evident when Judge Lust tells the Journal News that he never had any second thoughts about running for re-election, and that once his case is resolved, he will resume hearing DWI cases.

Harrison residents are being asked to consider a judicial candidate under a cloud of criminal charges for DWI, and DWI cases comprise a large percentage of cases that come before the town court. Innocent until proven guilty is the correct standard in a court of law, but it is not the appropriate standard for elective office.

It’s bizarre that Judge Lust is not required to step down from the bench pending resolution of his DWI case. It’s perplexing that the leaders of Harrison’s Democratic and Independence parties had no issue nomi-

nating him for re-election. And it’s truly an exhibition of poor judgment on the part of Mr. Lust to not step down and resolve the criminal charges against him. If he is fully acquitted, he can run for judge again in four years. There are other qualified candidates on the ballot in September and November, and Harrison would do well to select one of them instead.

David Singer, Harrison

Reader: I’ll take Belmont over MarracciniTo The Editor,Primary day is almost upon us and for me, the clear choice in the mayor’s race is Ron Belmont. Since

taking office, Mayor Belmont has done some great things for this town. For starters, he restored an air of calmness and civility to the mayor’s office and to town governance. The mayor was the only one to get Verizon FIOS to agree to a cable franchise agreement with Harrison. The MTA development is now in the final planning/pre-development phase, which will be a huge boost to downtown revitalization. Mayor Belmont has budgeted within the 2 percent tax cap each year while building up the fund balance. He was also the only mayor to get New York state to pass the local hotel occupancy tax.

His opponent Phil Marraccini has been mayor before, in the mid-90s for a few years. To say he’s ruled the town with an iron fist is an understatement. One merely has to Google “Mayor Phil Marraccini” and read the three New York Times articles that chronicle his dictatorial tenure as our mayor. The fact that he could not get one person to be a runningmate with him for a seat on the town board speaks volumes about his credibility as a candidate. The fact that he threw his name in the ring at the last minute to run for judge and then switched to mayor when he did not get the judge nomination undermines his sincer-ity. The fact that his brother is our chief of police should make every resident pause when considering whether to vote for Phil. The conflicts of interest and the concentration of power in one family that will arise if Phil wins the election is a huge concern for me and should be for every resident.

Dave Haines,Harrison


Q: It is extremely unusual for a sitting judge to face a primary challenge on the local level. How surprising was it to hear that you were passed over for the Repub-lican ticket and that there’d be this type of challenge? A: I want to address my initial statement regarding “back-room, party politics” playing a role. I’ve known Bob Amelio and he’s treated me with digni-ty and respect and I don’t think he did anything underhanded to subvert the process. The com-mittee members are doing a valuable public service and I respect them for their time and commitment. I felt their minds were made up before I walked into the room. I was surprised and deeply dis-appointed, given the hard work I put in four years ago with the team and making history and beating the incumbent for the first time in 26 years, and hav-ing the slate win. The primary is [forcing] me to reaffirm my commitment to the committee

and the community that I am committed to work hard again.

Q: What is the most unusual case you have ever presided over? A: I think the first day that I took the bench, I presided over a sex-ual abuse case, and it involved a 24-year-old nanny and a 12-year-old victim. [The nanny] was convicted, and the victim was in court for sentencing and it was absolutely heart breaking to see that poor girl suffer.

Q: Why are you interested in being re-elected to the town justice position? A: I’ve devoted a large part of my life to public service, first as a prosecutor from 1987 to 1993 and in the fire department since I was 16. I truly treasure the opportunity to positively impact people’s lives and make a difference, and that’s the reason I’m running again.

Q: What is the most difficult part of the job?

A: The most difficult part is mak-ing sure I get it right, and making sure that justice is done and I’m fair and impartial every single time.

Q: What is the most important piece of advice you have for attorneys concerning how they can improve their performance at oral argument?

A: To have a full understanding of every fact in the case because oftentimes if one or two facts are omitted, it changes the dynamics of the argument. Have a com-prehensive understanding of the factual chronology of the events and understand applicable case law and statutes that apply. To not embellish or [overstate] facts be-cause that strains their credibility.

Q: Should the town justice role expand to a full-time position?

A: The tremendous case load could justify having a full-time position

Q: It is extremely unusual for a town judge race to have a primary. How surpris-ing was it to hear that you would have to face this type of challenge in September?

A: I’m a great believer in the con-stitution and it is a free country. Though we have a primary this cycle, I think it speaks to the strength of the system, really anyone that would like to can seek public office. In that regard, though surprising, I think it’s a good thing.

Q: How can your current professional standing help you if elected to the town justice position?

A: I currently service as an ad-ministrative law judge with the taxi and limousine commis-sion, so I’m hearing matters of the safety of the motoring pub-lic, the licensure of our driv-ers, that experience certainly is going to be very important be-cause a good number of the cas-es are in the local courts which is where I practice pretty much exclusively. The local courts are where you can help real people

with real problems. I’ve served as administrative law judge with the Westchester County Human Rights Commission, so I think all of that combined experience will help.

Q: Why are you interested in being elected to the town justice position?

A: I believe that public service is a privilege; I believe we hold the public trust. That goes to the core of why I’m running. I enjoy serving the people; I’ve served the people of Harrison in numerous capacities over the years. I believe in volunteerism and I believe in giving back to the community. I’ve grown up in this community my whole life which makes it all the more im-portant to me to serve now in this capacity.

Q: What is the most important piece of advice you have for attorneys concerning how they can improve their performance at oral argument?

A: It’s the old adage: practice, practice, practice. There are

certain small few that have an innate ability, but then there is the greater majority of us all which—in whatever vocation or life course that we take—if we stay committed to it, with prac-tice and going over it again and again, we get better. Practice is my advice.

Q: Should the town justice role expand to a full-time position? What should those judges be paid, or perhaps less controver-sially, how would one determine what the proper salary should be?

A: That discussion is out of my purview. I think in a town situ-ation, part-time justices seem to work well. I’m seeking the posi-tion as it is.

Q: Town justices are allowed to keep other employment unlike full-time justices. Why is that?

A: It’s the nature of the part-time justice. Obviously as long as there are no conflicts of interest where you’re not representing

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Nelson Canter

AgE: 53FAmily: Wife, two childrenSTATuS: Incumbent PoliTiCAl AFFiliATioN: Registered Republican PoliTiCAl ExPERiENCE: Appointed by Gov. George Pataki in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Office of Inspector General CommuNiTy AFFiliATioNS: Purchase Fire Department, life member, served as lieutenant, captain, assistant chief and sat on the Board of Directors; sat on Executive Board of Westchester County Arson Task Force yEARS iN HARRiSoN: Lifelong resident oNE THiNg THE AvERAgE voTER doESN’T kNoW AbouT you: Been doing karate for 32 years, third degree and instructor

Pasquale gizzo

AgE: 59FAmily: Wife Kathleen and daughter GennaSTATuS: Challenger PoliTiCAl AFFiliATioN: Registered Republican PoliTiCAl ExPERiENCE: Former president and vice president, Harrison Board of Education; assistant county attorneyCommuNiTy AFFiliATioNS: Knights of Columbus; Harrison Historical Society; Sons of Italy yEARS iN HARRiSoN: Lifelong resident oNE THiNg THE AvERAgE voTER doESN’T kNoW AbouT you: Loves gar-dening and singing

File photo

File photo

CanTer continued on page 8

gizzO continued on page 8

Republican judicial primary candidates

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Staff WritersChris Eberhart, Jackson Chen,

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ColumnistsRon Belmont, Tonia Tagliaferro,

Lenore Skenazy

HarrisonTHE

REVIEW


Irving Harper dies, sculptures to be auctionedBy CHriS eBerHarT

Staff Writer

Legendary artist and designer Irving Harper died from renal failure in the obscurity of his Greenhaven home in the City of Rye on Aug. 4. He was 99.

He is survived today by his daughter, Elizabeth Harper Wil-liams, who characterized her fa-ther as “a good, kind, creative,

lovely man.”She paused for a moment, and

added, “I’ll miss him a lot.” Since the 1960s, Harper, a

quiet and reserved man by na-ture, created hundreds of paper sculptures of different shapes, sizes and colors in his off-the-beaten-path home—hidden be-hind trees and shrubbery in a corner of Brevoort Lane—as a way to relieve the everyday

chair and watched visitors mar-vel at his paper sculptures. In January 2015, Harper saw one of his sculptures, a coiled snake comprised of light blue and dark pink paper, auctioned off for the first time ever. Rye residents Paul and Kate Conn presented the highest bid: $21,000.

Harper told the Review after

the opening, “I didn’t want the attention, so I was reluctant [to showcase] the sculpture in an ex-hibit. But I eventually welcomed it, and it was a great feeling to be discovered.”

Harper Williams said her father’s works will be auc-tioned off by Richard Wright in Chicago.

Meg Rodriguez, executive director of the Rye Arts Center said, “No matter who has Harp-er’s [paper sculptures], it would be wonderful if Irving Harper could live on through his work being publicly shared with future generations.”


stress of working as a designer in the renowned New York City of-fice of George Nelson in the late 1940s to the early 1960s.

During his time as a designer, Harper created some of the Nel-son office’s most iconic contri-butions including the 1949 Ball Clock, the Herman Miller logo and the 1965 Marshmallow Sofa.

But in his spare time over the past 55 years, Harper created pa-per sculptures that never left his home. He never wanted them to.

To Harper, these sculptures were like his friends.

Last September, the Review interviewed Harper in his home, where he was surrounded by his works. At one point, he took a break from answering questions, scanned the room and finally said, “I’m here looking at [the sculptures], and they’ve just add-ed so much to my life.”

Earlier that month, on Sept. 14, 2014, Harper’s works were showcased for the first time ever in the Rye Arts Center on Milton Road.

During the opening of the ex-hibit, Harper sat in his wheel-

Irving Harper, legendary artist and Rye resident, died of renal failure earlier this month. He was 99.

This was one of hundreds of sculptures created by Irving Harper that were scattered all over his secluded Rye home. File photos


because of our geographic loca-tion. Harrison sits in the funnel of traffic flow through [Manhat-tan] and Long Island. There’s tremendous amount of crimi-nal charges and vehicle traffic crimes, as well as the robust na-ture of the building enforcement that takes place in Harrison.

Q: What should those judges be paid or, perhaps less controversially, how would one determine what the proper salary should be?

A: It would have to compare to neighboring jurisdictions to get a better understanding of what the full-time justices are getting paid.

Q: Town justices’ are allowed to keep oth-er employment unlike full-time justices. Why is that?

A: That is more a question that is

someone in the town’s situation, there are certain ethical rules and standards that you need to abide by.

Q: Given that incumbent Town Justice Marc Lust is now recusing himself of some of the case load until his own DWI mat-ter is resolved, how would you feel about covering more case matters dealing with DWI and license suspensions, if he were re-elected? Currently, there is an agree-ment in place proposed by incumbent Town Justice Nelson Canter, that has Lust covering more cases dealing with building

gizzO from page 6

CanTer from page 6

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code violations and all Thursday case loads. Would you work out your own agreement or keep this one in place to make sure the calendar is split evenly?

A: I don’t want to comment on what may take place with the next term. I will, if elected, hear the cases that come before the courts on those days when I’m scheduled to sit as judge. It’s presumptuous right now to an-swer that question.

Q: What qualifications or background make for an effective justice in your opinion?

A: A local justice—because peo-ple are seeking justice in their court—needs to be a good lis-tener. A justice needs to under-stand the person, realize that people are not perfect, that peo-ple do make mistakes and that all of that should be taken into account. There are those times when people act with malice or poor thought, and they too have rights that need to be protected and the justice needs to always protect the constitutional rights of the person appearing before him or her.-Reporting by James Pero

directed to legislators who make the law rather than me.

Q: What qualifications or background make for an effective justice, in your opinion?

A: I think having criminal and civil litigation experience is crit-ical to being an effective town justice. The criminal case load is heavy and it would be difficult to preside over a heavy crimi-nal calendar without any under-standing of criminal procedure law, penal law, vehicle and traf-fic law, corrections law as well as a wide array of applicable civ-il codes, rules and regulations, including town ordinances. Very often the first contact any-one has with the civil and crimi-nal justice system is through town court, and if the town jus-tice understands what it’s like to be a prosecutor and defense at-torney, and being in the trenches of civil litigation, then they are

more able to understand each of those perspectives in rendering an objective and fair ruling on each case. Additionally, it’s very impor-tant for town justices to have extensive trial experience be-cause there are many bench trial felony hearings and adversarial proceedings because it’s an ac-tive court. Having a litigation background really helps in that regard and I respectfully sub-mit my experience as a prosecu-tor, presiding over thousands of cases over those five years, and subsequently as a defense attor-ney, where I defended hundreds of cases, coupled with my civil litigation background, that my experiences are truly tailored toward local court justice. I give it 100 percent of my effort, but that’s what the job requires and [what I’m] willing to do if I’m re-elected. -Reporting by John Brandi

A hometown hero and some reminders

I would like to bring your attention to a former Harrison resident and highly decorated member of the armed forces. Lt. Col. Daniel Bidetti was born and raised in Harrison, where he attended Harrison schools and Archbishop Stepinac High School. He graduated from Nor-wich University and was com-missioned as a second lieutenant in May, 1999. In 2004, Daniel, as the company commander for the 173rd Support Battalion and Air-borne Brigade, was deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 2006 he was pro-moted to major and was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009. In July 2015 he was se-lected to be lieutenant colonel. In addition to the Bronze Star Med-al, Daniel has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He also has his Airborne Wings and a Combat Action Badge. It is my honor to recog-nize the outstanding commitment and sacrifice Daniel has made. As you can see, we have a lot to be proud of in this hometown hero.

For your viewing information, please make note of the follow-ing FiOS options: Channel 1960

will be featuring Town/Village of Harrison news and channel 1961 will be featuring Harrison Central School District news.

It’s never too early to think about fall. The Harrison Rec-reation Department’s goal is to create a fun environment where youngsters can learn and play. Kindergarten Kickers and First Grade Strikers offer a six-week, Saturday program for soccer skill building. There will be demon-strations and practices and each session will end with a scrim-mage. The program starts on Sept. 19 and ends with a soc-cer picnic in the beginning of November.

The Harrison Swim Team, en-tering its 30th season, is currently accepting applications. The team will be returning to the Westches-ter/Fairfield Swim League, which consists of teams in the West-chester and Southern Connecticut area. Students from kindergarten through twelfth grade are eli-gible. Registration is rolling and evaluations are on Oct. 15 at the LMK pool at 6 p.m.

Please be advised of the fol-lowing sanitation schedule change. The schedule change, during the week of Sept. 7, is as follows: Garbage and recycling normally collected on Monday, Sept. 7 will be collected on Tues-day, Sept. 8. Tuesday’s collec-tion will be made on Wednesday,

Sept. 9. There will be no bulk trash collection on Sept. 9.

In closing, as election sea-son approaches, my regularly-featured mayor’s column in the Harrison Review will be on hia-tus during the election campaign season from mid-September through mid-November. Primary Election Day is Thursday, Sept. 10 and I encourage all residents to get out and vote. While there is a contested race in progress, the paper cannot give one candi-date an advantage over the other to promote their campaign plat-form through a weekly column. If you are interested in receiving the column during this interval, please email [email protected] and indicate that you would like to receive it. I look forward to sharing my views on significant issues and important events. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.

My next “Lunch with the Mayor” will be on Friday, Sept. 4 and I will be at Trevi Ristoran-te, located at 11 Taylor Square in West Harrison. On Friday, Sept. 11, I will be at NY Pizza Station, located at 370 Halstead Ave. I will be at both locations from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and look forward to meeting with residents and talking about issues facing our community.

HARRISON HAPPENINGSMayor Ron Belmont

Follow us on Twitter @harrisonreview


develop tests that are carefully constructed and based on mean-ingful and data-valid research.”

In the meantime, the superin-tendent said the district will use the exams to determine students’ growth.

Helping with that growth, students can expect to see some new faces around campus, in-cluding two new principals for both the Samuel J. Preston and Purchase schools. In addition, 50 new teachers have been hired across the board to advance the district’s mission.

Along with new faculty, Wool said the school district has also moved forward with new infra-structure upgrades to promote security, health and safety.

Three elementary schools had their playgrounds replaced to “make them safe and to support vigorous physical activity during play,” according to the superin-tendent. Meanwhile, classroom upgrades and renovations oc-curred at all six campuses and

parking ban that is already in place.

Though moving forward, the chief said there would be some leeway in enforcement as the

permit law gains standing. Meanwhile, Marraccini said

it is the town’s job to enact the law; the police department is just there to enforce it.

parking from page 1 SCHOOLS from page 1

The Town/Village of Harrison is about to enact its residential parking permit system, passed in March, to residents living in a certain boundary of the town, an area that bisects both sides of the train station. The parking boundary is outlined in red. Photos courtesy harrison-ny.gov

The parking permit can be affixed to a resident’s car and must be displayed at all times for those living within the set boundary to avoid being ticketed.

Councilman Stephen Mal-fitano, a Republican running for re-election this year, said the cost to make the permits are minimal and come from the town clerk’s operating budget, as with all mass-produced com-muter parking permits. How-ever, the exact costs of manu-facturing the permits have not been disclosed.

The Town Council previously said that the law would be moni-tored closely to gauge whether residents were receptive to the idea, and Malfitano said that this still holds true.

“The hope is this turns into something that is a benefit to the residents who live in the bound-ary, and this will be under con-tinuous review until such time as we’re satisfied with the out-come,” he said.

There would be a number of ways residents could express dissatisfaction with the law, in-cluding town board meetings, letters to the council or com-plaints through the clerk’s office, according to the councilman.

“Residents should un-derstand that there’s no set time frame that we will shut down any thought that this should be altered in any way,” Malfitano said.


external bathrooms were in-stalled at McGillicuddy Stadium at the high school.

Still, the high school princi-pal hopes that the 2015-2016 academic year is a chance to im-prove upon the district’s mission statement.

“We’re excited to begin a new school year and [continue] to

practice our district’s core val-ues of rigor, equity, access and adaptability for all students,” Si-ciliano said.

Members of the Harrison PTA could not be reached for com-ment as of press time.


have a news tip? ContaCt john brandi [email protected]

The school year has begun for students in Harrison, with administrators such as Superintendent of Schools Louis Wool sharing their hopes and concerns for the 2015-2016 academic year. File photo


miCHeLLe JaCOBYContributor

In 1925, a trailblazer named Virginia Katharine McMath won a Charleston contest in Fort Worth at the age of 15. Three years later, “Virginia” made her Broadway debut as Ginger Rogers, quickly danc-ing her way to Hollywood and into America’s hearts with her famous partner, Fred Astaire.

“Backwards in High Heels,” playing this month at West-chester Broadway Theatre, showcases the star’s life from her toe-tapping days to her glam Hollywood life.

The show was conceived and developed by Lynette Bar-kley and Christopher McGov-ern. McGovern is the creator of the book, musical arrange-ments and original songs.

Rogers’ “never fail” atti-tude took her on an interesting road to stardom. She contin-ued to work beside her biggest fan, her mother, Lela Owens. Owens, relying on her expe-

‘Backwards in High Heels’: A reviewrience as a former performer, had different ideas about Hol-lywood than her daughter. This made for a close, yet strained relationship. The dy-namic duo is captured onstage with Darien Crago as Rogers and Erika Amato as Owens.

Crago expresses the true vitality of Rogers. Her high-spirited personality combined with her song and dance rou-tines bring the audience back to old Hollywood glam. Ama-to commands respect onstage, a natural talent with a voice to match. Their turbulent re-lationship leads them to some great song and dance num-bers, including “Fascinating Rhythm/The Orpheum Cir-cuit,” “Baby Face” and “All My Eggs in One Basket.”

Fred Astaire, played ef-fortlessly by Jeremy Benton, is brilliant onstage. His natu-ral, calm demeanor balances Rogers’ strong personality. Despite their turbulent off-screen relationship, they be-came a box office hit with 10

movies together from the mid ‘30s to late ‘40s. Benton’s talent goes beyond his sing-ing and dancing skills; he directed and choreographed this production as well. Fans will love the infamous dance scene with the black coattails and Roger’s long, feathery white gown.

There are some fun sur-prises in the show. We are re-visited by some of Hollywood greats: Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn and Ethel Merman. The talented Avital Asuleen plays all three icons, complete with attitude, mink coats and long cigarette holders.

Jacob Ben Widmar also plays several comedic roles in the number “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”

Matt Gibson plays Jack Culpepper, one of the first of Rogers’ many husbands. He is a young, romantic bud-ding star turning into a slop-py drunk and bad husband in “Domesticity.”

This small but powerfully talented cast also includes Se-bastian Goldberg, Ryan Steer and Amy Van Norstrand.

The show shares intimate details of Rogers’ extraordi-nary life. The icon eventual-ly walked away from Astaire and went on to win an Acad-emy Award in 1940 for her title role in “Kitty Foyle,” making a total of 73 movies and directing her first stage musical, “Babes in Arms” at the age of 74 at the Tarrytown Music Hall.

“Backwards in High Heels” takes its title quote from a 1982 Frank and Ernest car-toon: “Sure he [Astaire] was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did—backwards and in high heels.”

The show’s backstage tal-ent is music director Jose C. Simbulan, scenic designer by Steven Loftus, costume de-sign by Heidi Giarlo, light-ing design by Andrew Gmos-er and associate produced by Lisa Tiso.

This Bill Stutler and Bob Funking production of “Back-wards in High Heels” is play-ing at the Westchester Broad-way Theatre now through Sept. 20. For more informa-tion call 555-2222 or visit broadwaytheatre.com. Avital Asuleen, center, as Ethel Merman, and ensemble. Photos/John Vecchiolla

Darien Crago, as Ginger Rogers, and Jeremy Benton, as Fred Astaire.

Darien Crago, as Ginger Rogers, and Erika Amato, as her mother Lela Owens.


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Leaving kids in the car is not always a crime

Sure it pains me to say it, but New Jersey is suddenly a light unto us all. Last week, the N.J. Supreme Court ruled that it is not automatically considered child abuse to let your kid wait in the car for a little while.

Hallelujah!We’ve been warned these past

10 years or so that kids are in danger anytime we leave them in the car. Public service announce-ments say things like, “Never leave your child in the car—not even for a minute.” Onlookers who spot a child or dog in a car go crazy with rage. One mom I know had just buckled her child into the carseat and went to return her shopping cart. When she got back maybe 30 seconds later, a woman was screaming at her, “I can’t be-lieve you left your child in the car! She could have died!”

But this is bunk. Most of us spent at least part of our child-hood waiting in the car while our moms ran errands and no one thought this constituted abuse, hardly. I had one friend who ac-tually looked forward to the car waits with her sister because they’d tilt the passenger seat all the way back and take turns play-ing dentist.

Lately, we refuse to admit that there’s a difference between wait-ing in the car for 10 minutes on a mild afternoon and waiting in the car for 10 hours in the Mojave Desert. This obtuseness explains why, back in 2009, a mom who let her 19-month-old wait in the car during a five-to-10-minute er-rand at the Dollar Tree in South

Plainfield, N.J., was found guilty of child abuse by the state’s De-partment of Children and Fami-lies. The law there states parents cannot “recklessly create a risk of severe injury.” In New York, there is no law that specifies what age a child can legally be left in a car.

But somehow it didn’t matter that it was 55 degrees that day, or that the child slept peacefully through this whole “ordeal.” It didn’t even matter that the de-partment sent an inspector to the mom’s home and found zero evi-dence of abuse or neglect, or any-thing other than a loving house-hold with four happy, healthy children.

The mere fact that this moth-er let her kid wait in the car was enough for the department to place the mom on New Jersey’s Child Abuse and Neglect Regis-try. Every state has one—it’s like the Sex Offender Registry, just not public. Once you’re officially a “child abuser,” good luck get-ting a job in teaching, day care or nursing.

This mom, known in court only as E.D.-O., asked the child protection agency for a hearing where she could try to defend her-self and get off the registry. When this was denied, she appealed, but New Jersey’s appellate court denied her, too. The three-judge panel said there was no way she deserved a hearing because what was there to hear? She’d left her kid in the car, which automati-cally made her a child abuser be-cause something bad could have happened.

That’s true, but also highly un-likely. Of the 30 to 40 kids who die in hot cars every year, 80 percent were forgotten there for

hours, or climbed in when no one was looking and couldn’t get out. They were not waiting in the car during a short errand while mom ran into a store or picked up a pizza.

What’s more, law profes-sor David Pimentel points out, “Alarmists will argue that, ‘Any-thing could happen!’ and that’s true.” But anything could also happen when the child was be-ing walked through the parking lot, he adds. In fact, more kids die in parking lots and driveways than waiting in cars.

And if you want to talk about an even bigger risk to children, it’s not waiting in the car, it’s rid-ing in one. The No. 1 way chil-dren die in America is as car pas-sengers. So if we really want to crack down on parents who put their kids in danger, we’d have to scream things like, “How dare you drive that child to her piano lesson! She could die!”

We don’t do that because we are able to keep the unlikelihood of a fatal car crash in perspective because we are not constantly warned, “Never let a child ride in a car, not even for a minute!”

So last week, the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed with the mom’s lawyer, Sean Marotta, that we cannot expect parents to ensure a zero-risk childhood. No option is ever completely, ut-terly safe. And no parent is every completely, utterly perfect.

Being imperfect is not the same as being abusive, so ruled the court by a vote of 7-0, which is why New Jersey is now a beacon of sanity in our parent-shaming and blaming country.


Being proud of one’s body and choosing colors

Dear Tonia:I am attractive with large

breasts, which I keep contained. I often see people looking at me, at times even doing a dou-ble take. Are they looking at my breasts or me?

S.F., Scarsdale

Dear S.F.:Since the average breast size

has grown from a 34B to a 36C since the 1970s and clothing styles are smaller and snugger, it’s no wonder the line between an appropriate glance and “Look at those!” has blurred. Sex sells. And like it or not, breasts are the dynamic duo that gets beer sold and burgers bought. So it’s not such a stretch to realize that your “girls” are more likely to get checked out than, say, your knees or collarbones. As such, it makes a case for doing a double take.

Women seem to understand the power of breasts in general, but they don’t understand the power of their own. Balance them with a proper-fitting bra and the styles that flatter them rather than draw more attention to them. Wear them with confi-dence and smile when you are noticed. Enjoy the attention. We don’t know what we have until it’s gone.

Dear Tonia:I have always been very thin

and never really put weight on. My doctor says there’s nothing wrong and that it’s just my body type. I hate when people ask me why I’m so skinny or tell me that I should put on weight. Can you tell your readers how inappro-priate that is? I never ask over-weight people why they are fat or tell them to lose weight. Thanks.

C.J., Rye

Dear C.J.:Unfortunately, we live in a

society that promotes obesity and being very thin is not “in” like it was when English model Twiggy became popular in the ‘60s. There’s trouble with both extremes in the message that is sent. People tend to equate be-ing extremely thin to bulimia and anorexia, both deadly epi-demics. They may also assume one is battling an illness or has a vanity issue. Many don’t real-ize that being very thin can be just as challenging, if not more, as being overweight. Either way, everyone should keep their com-ments to themselves and treat each other with respect and dig-nity. If you don’t have something nice to say to someone, then you shouldn’t say anything at all.

Dear Tonia:Some people think that I

look good in red. I think I used to when I was younger, but not

now, especially because my shape has changed. How do I choose the right colors to wear?

T.B., Harrison

Dear T.B.:Regardless of your body type,

choose the right color to flatter your skin tone. Take photos of yourself in basic tees to see what looks best. Hues that compliment most complexions are pink, blue and white; you’ll just need to change the intensity of these col-ors to suit your coloring, e.g. hot pink for darker skins, carnation for fairer skins, ivory for olive tones, etc. Remember that your skin tone may change with the seasons. Also, be sure to look at your skin tone in natural daylight and inside light, as the colors will look different. Go to a paint store and get the large sample paint chips of the colors you like in all different hues. For example, if you want to find the right shade of blue for you, pick a few dif-ferent blues, hold them to your face in a mirror and see what each tint does for you. Once you find the colors in the hues that flatter your skin tone, staple them together and use them as your color guide.

Tonia Tagliaferro is a fashion stylist. For questions and advice, you can contact

her at tonias [email protected]. And for more information,

visit artofdesign.net.

RHyMES WItH cRAZy

Lenore Skenazy

tONIA SAySTonia Tagliaferro

INSIDE WESTCHESTER COUNTYINSI

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www.hometwn.com | 200 William St., Port Chester, N.Y. | (914) 653-1000

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14 • THe HarriSOn review • September 4, 2015 SPORTSDuring the final inning of

Pennsylvania’s loss to Japan, the Red Lands team was forced to bring in catcher Kaden Peifer after it ran out of pitchers. Pre-dictably, Peifer struggled, plat-ing a run on a wild pitch. When the Pennsylvania coach came out to speak with him, Peifer was in tears—understandably—as he felt his team’s chances slipping away. He kept turning, but ESPN cameras kept turning with him, making sure to highlight the emo-tion of the moment. Despite the scene playing out between the lines, the entire thing struck me as intrusive. ESPN knows what their viewers expect from LLWS cov-erage, and they weren’t going to miss their money shot.

I understand that it’s a tricky dance to cover games with young athletes—I’ve taken some heat for including reac-tion photos in some of my high school sports coverage—but for me, including photos of teams commiserating after losses was something that added flavor to my piece, not the main focus of a worldwide multimedia con-glomerate.

So, will I watch the Little League World Series next year,

I hope you will forgive me for the dated, early-2000s ref-erence, but I have to say it: the Little League World Series has jumped the shark.

For years, I’ve been an ardent supporter of the entire tourna-ment, including the ESPN-tele-vised portion of it, but this year certainly highlighted some of the problems the LLWS needs to address if it wants to grab my interest going forward.

First things first, they need to move the fences back at Lamade Stadium. Again.

Now, I don’t have the statis-tics in front of me, but in the 20 or so games played at La-made Stadium from Aug. 20 to Aug. 30, I’d estimate that teams hit roughly a bajillion homers. And that’s a pretty conservative guess.

They’ve moved the fences

World Series needs changeback before. In 2006, field di-mensions went from 205 feet to 225 feet all around. It’s a start, but it hasn’t nearly been enough. I understand that it’s tough to come up with appropri-ate distances for growing kids. Especially at this age-range, 11 to 13, there’s a huge discrep-ancy in the physical maturity of all the athletes. But in a tour-nament that regularly features players like Pennsylvania slug-ger Cole Wagner, a 5-foot-11, 160-pounder who could easily have piloted Red Land’s team van to Williamsport without any state troopers taking notice, maybe it’s time to think about another park expansion.

It’s not entirely my curmud-geonly anti-homer sentiment driving this argument either. I like dingers as much as the next guy. But the proliferation of round-trippers in this tour-nament brings with it a dearth of outfield play. Because most balls that cleared the infield in Williamsport have yet to return

to earth, fans were robbed of the chance to watch some of the world’s best young outfield-ers chase down liners in the gap. There’s a lot of excitement in baseball, but with the fences so far in, we only get to see half of it.

But even the home run co-nundrum pales into compari-son to what I’ve begun to think of as the biggest problem in the LLWS: the coverage. In the past, I’ve written about how the raw, unbridled emotion of these World Series games was one of my favorite parts of the event. The wild celebrations, sure, but also those unscripted moments of sorrow from the kids on the losing teams. Scenes like Sean Burroughs laying face down in the outfield back in 1992 or last year’s Providence team crying as they listened to a rousing post-game speech from their coach come to mind. But this year, for some reason, I felt that the con-stant need to find the emotional shots bordered on voyeuristic.

An Eastchester player throws a pitch during the District 20 Little League tournament in June. Sports Editor Mike Smith finds the Little League World Series to be compelling, but he does have a few issues with the final rounds. Photo/Mike Smith

even if neither of these issues is addressed? Probably. When I become a parent, would I want my son to take part in this tour-nament? Of course I would. But

there’s always room to make things better. Especially for our kids.


lIvE MIKEMike Smith

Follow Mike Smith @LiveMike_Sports stats • recaps • commentary

Follow Mike Smith @harrisonreview for Mike’s live, in-game action updates

To CoVER loCal spoRTs, you nEEd a

LIVE MIKE!

September 4, 2015 • THe HarriSOn review • 15SPORTS

Huskies fall in openerBy mike SmiTHSports Editor

One early miscue was all it took to bury Harrison on Sept. 1, as the Huskies fell to league ri-val Eastchester during their first game of the season.

Despite the loss, however, Harrison coach Jon-Erik Zap-pala is confident that his veteran squad has the talent and disci-pline to make waves in Section I this year.

Just three minutes into the season opener, Eastchester had its first lead of the season as a foul in the box led to a penalty kick by Emme DiPasquale. Di-Pasquale converted and the goal held up, as the Eagles held on to top the Huskies 1-0.

Although Eastchester took an early lead, much of the match was dominated by Harrison, as the Huskies were able to con-trol the time of possession and rack up 10 shots-on-goal against Eagles keeper Brianna Williams.

“I think we played with confi-dence, we played well together, and hands down, I don’t think we should have lost the game,” Zappala said. “We had a lot of good opportunities; we just had some unfortunate misses when we had chances.”

Zappala chalked his team’s inability to finish up to early sea-son jitters, and believes that once his team finds its footing, the Huskies should be a formidable opponent.

“It was very unusual to have a league game like that so ear-ly in the season,” Zappala said. “We’ve got some new players [we’re] working in and I think that we’re going to have to work on our communication going forward.”

Still, Harrison comes into the year with a number of pieces al-ready in place.

The Huskies have 11 girls returning from last year’s team, eight of whom played significant minutes in 2014. The Huskies are particularly strong in back, with stalwarts Emma Smolev and Maddy Specht anchoring the defensive unit. Zappala was also pleased with the team’s effort on the offensive end on Tuesday, and was impressed with the te-nacity shown by several players, including Jess Scazzero.

“A lot of coaches will say stuff like ‘you have to have that internal desires but it’s not something you can teach,” Zap-pala said. “That’s something that comes from the girls.”

Harrison will play another

league game against Pelham on Sept. 3, after press time, be-fore playing its home opener on Sept. 8 against Nyack. As the season wears on, Zappala is hoping to see his team learn from its mistakes.

“From a bonding standpoint, a communication standpoint, things are going well,” he said. “I’d just like to see a little more two and three-touch soccer out there.”


Emma Smolev shoots a pass upfield against Eastchester. Smolev is one of the veterans anchoring Harrison’s defense this year.

Serina Guilianti fights for a ball at midfield on Sept. 1. Harrison fell in its season opener to league rival Eastchester.

Gia Mancini dribbles down the wing. Harrison had several chances against the Eagles but couldn’t find the net on Sept. 1.

Emma Hochman challenges an Eagles player for the ball at Eastchester High School. Photos/Mike Smith

16 • THe HarriSOn review • September 4, 2015 SPORTS

Harrison Review 9-4-2015

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Transcript of Harrison Review 9-4-2015