Voter registration by Board of Elections Oct. 10 at City Hall
The Board of Elections is required by NYS Election Law to conduct local registration in each municipality on Presidential Election years. The second session of this year’s local registration will be held Thursday, Oct. 10 from noon to 9 p.m. The Peekskill location is the first floor conference room at City Hall.
Voters can fill out Voter Registration forms, Absentee Ballot applications, and Early Vote by Mail applications. Visit the register to vote page to view the locations by date.
Statement from the Peekskill Democratic City Committee
The Peekskill Democratic City Committee (PDCC) strives to nominate and elect leaders for our city who take their oath of office with utmost seriousness and follow the laws and ethics codes applicable to municipal Public Officers. We hold that no one who is proven to have violated an oath of office should continue to hold that office.
Two of our duly elected Common Council members have come under scrutiny for alleged violations. One has testified to having used his influence to affect a judicial decision and the other continues to declare his innocence of felony charges related to election law. It is up to the Mayor and Common Council to determine what will happen next. The PDCC does not have jurisdiction to un-elect these officials. Shortly, a new local election cycle will begin.
Be assured that the PDCC Nominating Committee will be vigilant in questioning and vetting potential candidates, especially with regard to their promise to uphold their oath of office and act ethically under the law.
Gilleo gets 30 years to life in murder on North James Street
Shane Gilleo, 32, of Peekskill was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for second-degree murder, to run consecutively with an indeterminate term of five to 15 years for third-degree arson. Following a two-week trial, a jury on Aug. 7 found the defendant guilty of both felony charges.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. Sept. 14, 2022, the defendant stabbed his 48-year-old stepfather Edward Reeves seven times in the arm, abdomen, thigh and chest with a knife in a parking lot outside his grandmother’s Peekskill apartment on North James Street. The defendant then fled the scene.
The victim was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla where he died from his injuries.
Gilleo was on federal supervised release from prison and subject to home confinement with an ankle monitor.
Eleven hours later, at approximately 11:30 a.m., he barricaded himself inside his mother’s Peekskill apartment on Grant Avenue as Peekskill police surrounded the two-family residence in an attempt to get him to surrender.
Gilleo set three separate fires inside the apartment before punching out the windows and jumping out of a second-story window. The apartment was rendered uninhabitable.
Following their investigation with assistance from the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Peekskill Police Department arrested him.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ehrhardt read a victim impact statement of Mary Randolph, the sister of Edward Reeves, at sentencing of Reeves’ killer, her step-nephew Shane Gilleo.
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Update on code enforcement, parking tickets, pickleball
In City Manager Matt Alexander’s report to the Common Council on Sept. 23, he noted that the city has been addressing two key quality of life issues: overcrowding and illegal parking.
The Building Department and Code Enforcement have been performing inspections, “resulting in three certificate of occupancy violations thus far,” said Alexander. He added that the Building Department has been speaking with business owners in the downtown area regarding the city’s noise and neon sign laws.
Regarding parking, Alexander noted the city has issued 13,450 parking tickets year-to-date, which is nearly two thousand more tickets than the city issued by September last year.
Alexander indicated that Passport, the city’s parking partner, will outline how to provide improved parking services throughout the city. “We think that we can replicate what some other cities are doing with their parking and reduce the amount of broken meters that we have throughout the city, which have been a terrible problem for us,” said Alexander.
Alexander said the Depew Park pickleball courts are in the last stage of completion. “We are going over a punch list of items,” said Alexander. According to the contract, the site cannot come back to the city until all remaining tasks are completed by the contractor. “That’s the process we’re going through right now. We believe that it will be very soon, but it’s not ready yet.”
Finally, Alexander also noted the vacant fire inspector position has been filled; the inspector started working in the city on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
A public hearing will be held at the Oct. 15 Common Council meeting to announce further proposed text amendment changes to the Peekskill city code regarding restaurant business hours and to gather public input.
-By Jeff Merchan
Sale of 901 Main St. to new owner offers hope to residents
Talks to complete the sale of 901 Main St. to a new buyer who will spend “several million dollars” to upgrade the senior affordable housing complex are continuing, according to Peekskill officials.
A meeting with the potential new owner is being arranged with City Manager Matt Alexander and an official with the Peekskill Industrial Agency to discuss needed repairs, upgrades and tightened security measures at the troubled building. Residents came forward at a Common Council meeting on May 13 to detail the ongoing crime and dangerous conditions in the building. [see story here].
City Manager Alexander and other Peekskill officials have met with the current owner several times in a continuing effort to improve conditions for the residents at 901 Main St.
At the Sept. 23 Common Council meeting, Alexander said the Department of Public Works and Peekskill Police Department recently met with the management company of Peekskill Plaza, Marathon Development Group, to discuss improvements in infrastructure. Alexander also spoke to the management company about security measures, the security company hired by the management company, safety and elevator improvements.
Residents were informed last week that a new security company with more coverage has been hired.
– By Jim Roberts and Jeff Merchan
Towns need to promote housing development policies
Speakers for the “Welcome Home Westchester” campaign challenged all city, town, and village elected officials throughout Westchester to not wait for state action but instead to commit to taking specific actions to address the housing shortage and a housing affordability crisis, which threatens the vibrancy of Westchester County’s communities. State Assmeblywoman Dana Levenberg made a keynote address.
The campaign also unveiled its “5 in 2025” Agenda, highlighting five actions municipalities can take to remove barriers to building the housing needed. Each policy is already making a difference in suburban communities around the country, including those that have been productive partners in building more housing right here in Westchester, according to the group.
“In the world of housing, the buck stops at the local level,” said Tim Foley, CEO of the Building & Realty Institute (BRI). “Mayors, Supervisors, Trustees, Councilmembers and the dedicated volunteers who make up local land use boards have the ultimate authority on what gets built where, and whether their neighborhoods remain mired in the outdated and inefficient processes that led to the housing shortage crunch or will be welcoming to all who want to live and work here.
“With our ‘Five in 2025’ we’re highlighting the policies that we know work because they are already working in one of Westchester’s diverse communities without upsetting quality of life or overtaxing our infrastructure. The time to act is now.”
The Welcome Home Westchester campaign is a multi-stakeholder advocacy effort consisting of business and nonprofit leaders, academics, think tanks, faith leaders and community advocates working together to drive a new public conversation around fixing the housing shortage in Westchester County.
Candidates for state assembly, U.S. House debate this month
The two candidates running to represent Peekskill and surrounding communities in the New York State Assembly from the 95th District will hold a debate on the issues on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Ossining Public Library.
The candidates are incumbent Assemblyperson Dana Levenberg (D) and challenger Michael Capalbo (R). The debate will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Northwest Westchester County. Voters can submit questions to the League via this form.
Questions must be suitable for all candidates to answer. To maintain the nonpartisanship of League Candidate Forums, questions must not be submitted by any candidate nor by any member of a candidate’s staff. The deadline for questions is Wednesday, Oct. 2.
In the Congressional race for the seat representing the NY 17th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, three televised debates are scheduled between incumbent Mike Lawler (R) and challenger Mondaire Jones (D).
The three televised debates are Wednesday, Oct. 16 on News12, Wednesday, Oct. 23 on WCBS-TV Channel 2 and Friday, Nov. 1 on Pix11.
Train Station-Downtown free shuttle runs through October
The Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) and City of Peekskill launched a free shuttle service between the Peekskill Train Station and the Downtown that started Friday, Sept. 27.
The shuttle will run Fridays from 4 to 10:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 to 8 p.m. through the end of October.
“We are focused on transporting visitors and residents from the riverfront and train station into downtown Peekskill to discover all that Peekskill has to offer. With so many fall events in our region, we want to capture some of that foot traffic. These fall excursions will help us to establish a plan to expand the service next year,” said Peekskill BID Executive Director Bill Powers.
The shuttle is a repurposed city bus that holds 27 passengers with new lettering, declaring it the Discover Peekskill Shuttle. The initiative was approved by the Common Council and the BID Board of Directors earlier in the year. The initiative is funded by the BID and sponsors, while the city is providing in-kind services.
The shuttle will be positioned prominently across the street from the Peekskill Train Station and then stop near the corner of One South Division Street, near the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce. Eating and drinking are prohibited on the bus.
Kitchen Incubator project, Climate Change plan win awards
The Peekskill Commercial Kitchen Food Incubator Project, after several years of planning and arranging financing, is looking to break ground at its new home on Washington Street early in 2025, with a goal of opening for operations in the late summer next year.
The project was recognized with an award from the Hudson Valley Regional Council (HVRC) on Sept. 26 at the Peekskill Firehouse for its “…renovation of a former fire station for adaptive re-use, enabling small food-related business to access shared facilities, training opportunities, equipment and technical assistance.”
“This is really a home run in the world of economic development and this is why the federal government funds these incubators,” said Matthew Rudikoff, executive director the Peekskill Industrial Development Agency. “They are major job producers. Small companies can start in an incubator, including the Peekskill Kitchen Incubator, and many of them grow and add more jobs, and more small companies grow. Our five-year projection predicts that 582 jobs could be created.
“Westchester County and Bridget Gibbons, the county’s Director of Economic Development, have been incredible supporters to the City of Peekskill and the Peekskill Facilities Development Corp.,” Rudikoff said.
Peekskill’s Planning Department was also recognized by the HVRC for development of the city’s Climate Action Plan to help address the challenges cities face as increasing severe weather patterns impact public services. At the August 5 Common Council meeting, Jannelle Koszarek, Interim Executive Director for the Center for Economic and Environmental Partnership, Inc. (CEEP), and Emma Kaminiski, the city’s Sustainability Coordinator, presented Peekskill’s Climate Action Plan on Emission Reduction to the council. The plan was produced by the City of Peekskill with assistance from CEEP, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA, and the Hudson Valley Regional Council.
-By Jim Roberts
‘Fabulous Gardens of Westchester’ at Peekskill Yacht Club
Join the Garden Club of Peekskill for its “Fabulous Gardens of Westchester” event on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Peekskill Yacht Club.
Barbara Davis, director of the Westchester Historical Society, will weave stories of the development of many of the lavish estate gardens in our area.
Her richly illustrated presentation will include images, both past and present, of the restored colonial gardens of the Jay family properties the Gilded Age property of Lyndhurst the serenity of the Japanese Stroll Gardens in North Salem and the impeccable Persian designs of Untermyer Park and more.
Caregiver support groups meets at Neighborhood Center
A support group for caregivers of a loved one with dementia meets every first and third Thursday of the month at the Neighborhood Center located at 4 Nelson Avenue. The support group is free and open to all in the community, with an opportunity to share and learn.
Facilitated by Rev. George Coniglio and Sudha Ramaswami. The group provides a support system of people who understand. Meetings are held from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Alzheimer’s Association support groups are conducted by trained facilitators and are a place to exchange practical information on challenges and possible solutions, talk through issues and ways of coping, share feelings, needs and concerns and learn about community resources.
Blue Mountain Shopping Plaza on Welcher Avenue for sale
Royal Properties, Inc. is the exclusive agent for the sale of the CVS-anchored, Blue Mountain Plaza, a 67,493-square-foot neighborhood shopping center comprised of four buildings. Tenants include CVS, Apple Farm, McDonald’s, Trustco Bank and more.
The shopping center at the bottom of Welcher Avenue was built in 1959 and extensively renovated in 1996. The property is fully leased and covers six acres. There are 125 parking spaces (5.24 spaces per 1,000 square feet leased).
The well-established neighborhood shopping center includes long-term tenancies. Lease expires in 2043 with 10 percent increases every five years. It’s the only shopping center serving southern Peekskill, Buchanan, Montrose, Verplanck and Crugers, located one mile from Metro-North Train Station.
The property is owned by Kurtsam Realty Corp. based in Croton and Joanne Landau is the president and Chief Investment Officer of Kurtsam.
The regional, private, family-held real estate investment business, founded in 1953, holds core properties consisting of grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers and small commercial warehouse space valued near $100 million. Kurtsam and related companies focus on the affluent tri-state area outside of Manhattan. The company is 100 percent woman-owned.
See the listing at here.
Westchester County Latino Community Survey closes Oct. 7
The Hispanic Advisory Board, under the leadership of Westchester County Executive George Latimer, has extended the deadline to respond to the Latino Community Survey to Oct. 7.
The comprehensive survey targeting the Latino community is being conducted in collaboration with Pace University, and marks the first needs assessment of its kind in over two decades.
The survey aims to gather insights and data from the Latino community within Westchester County, addressing various aspects such as education, healthcare, employment, housing and social services. The last assessment, conducted more than 20 years ago, highlighted the necessity for updated information to better understand and address the evolving needs and challenges faced by the Latino population.
The survey is available here.
For more information, contact Martha Lopez-Hanratty, Director of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development and Immigrant Affairs, at [email protected] or 914.995.2947.
Obituaries
Viviana Gisel Blanchard-Ramos
Viviana Gisel Blanchard-Ramos, born on Sept. 30, 1974, in Cortlandt, New York, peacefully passed away on Sept.18, 2024 at the age of 49 just shy of her 50th birthday, in Richmond, Virginia.
She was a resident of Peekskill from 1974 until she moved to Puerto Rico in 1978 returning to Peekskill in 1989 before moving to Richmond, Virginia in 2014.
Viviana was a proud graduate of Peekskill High School, where she first developed many of her artistic skills and interests that went on to lead a fulfilling career at Hudson Valley Health Center as a phlebotomist before advancing to a regional supervisor for Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings.
She was a spirited and creative soul, known for her passion for word puzzles, painting, beaded jewelry, gardening, cooking, and weaving. Music was a significant part of her life, providing a soundtrack to her creative endeavors. Viviana is affectionately known as “Mah Nah” to her three grandchildren, Israel, Dakota, and Mataeo.
Viviana is preceded in death by her mother Carmen Ramos and surviving father Jose Guillermo. She leaves behind a legacy of love and cherished memories for her surviving family and friends. Survivors include her husband Ronald L. Blanchard, stepdaughter Marina Blanchard, daughter Shannik Pinnix-Samuels and son-in-law Anthony. Additionally, she is survived by her maternal brother Rolando Elizondo, sister-in-law “ShaDawn” nephew, Julius, and niece Makaela Elizondo. She is survived by her maternal sister Michelle Elizondo, and nieces Gisel Stallings and Carmalise Pollard. She is survived by her paternal brothers Darren, Gustavo, Victor Rojas, and Sister Georgianeilla Bounyavong-Rojas, as well as numerous friends who were touched by her kindness and generosity.
Michael Mangan
Michael Mangan, beloved father, brother, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on Sept. 23, 2024 at the age of 87.
Originally from County Clare, Ireland, Michael lived a life filled with warmth, humor, and dedication to his family. Michael came to New York as a young man in 1957, eager to build his life as a skilled tradesman. Known for his dependability, he was the person everyone relied on when help, or wise advice, was needed.
Universally described as a true gentleman, he had a quick, dry wit. He always led by example, holding himself to the highest standards in everything he did, and inspiring those lucky enough to know him to do the same.
Michael is survived by Ellen, his wife of 61 years, his sisters Mary, Margaret, Tina, and Kitty, his sons Thomas, James, and Michael Jr., daughters-in-law Katie and Audrey, and grandchildren Natasha, Eileen, Ameleii, Kyle, John and Jonah. He was preceded in death by his brothers Martin and Thomas.
