Politics and Policy

From left, Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick, Westchester County Clerk Timothy Idoni, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore and Arc of Westchester Executive Director Ric Swierat at Arc of Westchester”™s “employer recognition” breakfast.

Arc honors businesses, civic groups

Arc of Westchester held an “employer recognition” breakfast April 28, honoring more than 20 businesses and civic groups for their efforts to hire and provide resources for individuals with developmental disabilities. Honorees ranged from ShopRite and Whole Foods to the Westchester County Business Journal. Laurence Gottlieb, director of economic development for Westchester County, was the keynote speaker.

 

AG addresses pain at the pump

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman his office will conduct a thorough review of gasoline prices in the New York metropolitan region, including Westchester and Rockland counties, the five boroughs and Long Island, following a number of consumer complaints.

This comes on the heels of a drop in oil prices with a price-per-gallon that hovers around $4.28 in the region ”“ nearly $1 more than the average $3.14-per-gallon reported last year by the American Automobile Association.

“While we cannot guarantee there is wrongdoing behind the high prices, we can assure New Yorkers that we are thoroughly reviewing the matter,” Schneiderman said, in a statement.

 

High-speed rail projects get federal funds

New York state has been awarded $354.4 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for high-speed rail plans, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

Of that total, $295 million will go toward Northeast corridor congestion relief, specifically the Metropolitan Transportation Authority”™s Harold Interlocking plan, which allows Amtrak trains moving in and out of Manhattan to bypass clogged passenger rail junctions. Another $58 million will be used to improve rail operations along the Empire Corridor, which includes the replacement of the Schenectady station and allows for construction of a fourth track at the Albany-Rensselaer station. Some $1.4 million will be allotted for an engineering and environmental review of a Rochester intermodal station.

 

Astorino urges board to OK infrastructure projects

County Executive Robert Astorino is asking the Westchester County Board of Legislators to approve the issuing of $3.5 million in bonds that would fund capital infrastructure projects and create jobs in the county.

The projects include repair work on a Bronx River Parkway bridge in Scarsdale, a major overhaul of the Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill/Cortlandt and the rehabilitation of the Broad Street Viaduct in Mount Vernon and Yonkers.

About a month ago, Astorino also called on the board of legislators to approve $3.1 million in bond financing for improvements to the Peekskill Wastewater Treatment Center and improvements along North Division Street in Peekskill.