Legislators Pass New Law Protecting Campers from Sexual Predators
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Assemblymember Paulin, Senator Reichlin-Melnick, Assemblymember Zebrowski, Deerkill Camp Director Todd Rothman, Deerkill Camp StaffAssemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) and Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-Rockland/Westchester) visited Deerkill Day Camp in Suffern to discuss a new law they authored to help protect campers across New York State. Members of the New York State Camp Directors Association who advocated for the bill joined the legislators for the announcement about the bill (S3966B/A8136B) being signed into law.
The new law that Paulin and Reichlin-Melnick championed in their respective chambers requires all children’s camps in New York State, including unregistered camps which are often single-purpose camps like a soccer clinic or a band camp, to check whether employees are listed on state and national sex offender registries.
Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “When parents send their children to summer camp, they want their children to have a fun and healthy experience, but foremost they need to know that they are in a safe environment. With this new legislation, all camps are now required to check their employees’ and volunteers’ backgrounds on both the state and national sex offender registries. I’ll continue to fight for common-sense laws such as this to protect children and give families peace-of-mind when sending their children to camp in New York State.”
Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick said, “This is a common-sense law. For too many years, parents would send their kids to camp assuming that the counselors had been required to go through a background check to make sure that they were not on the sex-offender registry. And yet until now, for thousands of kids in New York attending unregistered camps, that was not the case. I’m proud to have introduced and passed this bill in the Senate, and I will continue to fight for laws to protect the children of New York State.”
Assemblymember Ken Zebrowski said, “Parents must have confidence that every camp in NY state is conducting proper background checks for their employees. This bill closes a loophole that put countless kids at risk and I was proud to support Senator Reichlin-Melnick and Assemblywoman Paulin as they got this legislation passed and signed into law.”
Todd Rothman, Deerkill Day Camp Director & New York State Camp Directors Association Board Membersaid, "Summer camp holds a special place in the development of children. It provides them a unique opportunity outside of the traditional classroom setting to build self-esteem while gaining confidence and skills in a safe and supportive environment. But every long-standing director knows a camp is only as good as its staff. This important legislation is a critical step in ensuring that staff at all camps, registered and unregistered, are subject to background checks that will further provide parents with the confidence that their child will be in good hands each summer. We cannot thank Senator Reichlin-Melnick, Assemblymember Paulin and Governor Hochul enough for their efforts in ensuring that all campers in New York State are supported by qualified and capable staff."
"Camps are formative, happy experiences for children, but above all they need to be safe,” said Jamie Sirkin, President, New York State Camp Directors Association. "We thank Assemblymember Amy Paulin and NYS Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick for their work in authoring and passing legislation which requires all camps in New York State to screen potential employees on the national and state sex offender registries - safeguarding the welfare of children. We applaud Governor Hochul for signing this critical piece of legislation into law, helping to further ensure that children at summer camps will be in a safe environment.”
Kyle A. Stewart, Executive Director, Alliance of New York State YMCAs remarked, “The health and safety of children is the number one priority of YMCAs across the Empire State. Summer camp experiences are an integral part of positive childhood development, which is the Y's mission. We strive to promote and support all efforts that strengthen child protection provisions at both state and federal level. To that end, background clearances such as these are an important tool that encourages programs to achieve due diligence when hiring staff and choosing volunteers.”
Bowman Calls Out Gashi's Campaign Tactics
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(Updated August 11, 2022) You only need to look at your mailbox to see that the race for the Democratic nomination for the redrawn Congressional District 16 is heating up. Incumbent Jamaal Bowman is sparring with two members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators for the nomination. Vedat Gashi, a refugee from Kosovo who is Muslim, has been on the Board of Legislators for two terms, and Catherine Parker, a fourth generation resident of Westchester who has served on the County Board of Legislators for nine terms are both posing significant challenges to Bowman’s re-election.
Gashi does not currently live in the district but says he will move here if he wins. Parker lives in Rye, and the entire County Legislative District, which she has represented since 2014, is in the newly-drawn NY-16.
With the primary vote just two weeks away on August 23, Gashi is using the mail to position himself against Bowman, highlighting Bowman’s record in Congress where he voted against President Biden’s infrastructure bill, against military aid for Ukraine and has failed to support Israel.
But Gashi’s most recent mailer, received in home on August 8, 2022, has evoked claims of racism from Bowman. Why? Bowman, who is black, alleges that the mailer pictures a darkened photo of him, making it difficult to see his features, while showing a well-lit picture of Gashi with his white wife and two children.
In an article about the mailer on the website City&State New York dated August 8, 2002, Bowman says, “To be Black in America is to deal with multiple forms of racism on a consistent basis. This is one of them. There is an ugly history behind facial distortion to spread hate and disdain for political purposes. This is why voters were angered.”
The Gashi Family pictured on the reverse side of the mailer.
Gashi’s campaign said that the photo was not altered. Campaign Manager Dan Johnson said, ""Of course, we did not alter the photo. We simply took the photo from the incumbent's Facebook page which his campaign has since removed. This is just another example of how he refuses to be held accountable for his failed record. Our campaign is focused on protecting our democratic values and helping families in Westchester and the Bronx thrive.”
Commenting on the Gashi mailer, Scarsdale resident Diane Greenwald said, "What really struck me — and immediately upset me — was the flier’s visual juxtaposition that seems to send an intentional message. Vedat shows himself bright, smiling and surrounded by a beautiful, loving family. In contrast, Bowman is depicted a lone Black man, in sinister shadow. It is a not-so-subtle use of a familiar racist trope of fear and loathing— and its not ok. I am disappointed in Bowman’s job performance as a Congressman, but do admire his strong voice calling for an end to systemic racism. Bowman deserves greater personal respect. I really question any candidate's judgement who pursues this messaging. We are not the party of Willy Horton and I want better than this.”
The situation got even more complicated on August 11, 2022 when a mailer from Catherine Parker was received in Scarsdale homes comparing her positions on Israel to those of Bowman. This mailer pictured Parker with a family that appears to be at a bar mitzvah. In the center of the photo is a young man wearing a yalmulke and a tallit, surrounded by Parker and others who appear to be family. There is no photo caption and it looks as if Parker is jewish and celebrating her son's bar mitzvah.
Asked about the picture her Campaign Manager Carolyn Riggs explained, "Catherine is not Jewish, nor has ever claimed to be. She is pictured with her family and her nephew at his bar mitzvah."
See the mailer below:
Voter Information for August 23 Primary
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In Scarsdale, there is an upcoming Democratic Primary Election for the U.S. Congress, District 16. (Please note, there is no Republican primary).
• Now: Residents should check their voter registration status at: https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/
• July 29: Last day for your voter registration form to be postmarked. Last day to register to vote in person at the Westchester County Board of Elections’ Office (25 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY 10601).
Please note the following deadlines regarding ABSENTEE BALLOTS:
• August 8: Last day for the Westchester County Board of Elections to RECEIVE an application for an absentee ballot by mail, email, fax letter, or web portal. The Board of Elections website details the variety of ways to apply for an absentee ballot. Note: Voters may still apply to vote by absentee ballot using the temporary illness clause, which includes being unable to appear due to risk of contracting or spreading a communicable disease like COVID-19.
• August 22: Last day to apply in person for an absentee ballot.
• August 23: Election Day. Last day to postmark a completed absentee ballot (must be received by August 30) or submit a completed absentee ballot in person.
The County Board of Elections website provides instructions for completing an absentee ballot.
EARLY VOTING for the August Democratic Primary Election is AUGUST 13-21, 2022:
• You may vote early at any of the designated Early Voting polling locations throughout the County. The Board of Elections website lists all polling locations and hours.
PRIMARY ELECTION DAY is TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2022:
You may vote only at your assigned polling location which you can look up here:
For information about the candidates, see Vote411.org, the website the U.S. League maintains with comprehensive information on elections nationwide.
On Monday, July 25, the League of Women Voters of Westchester is holding a Virtual Democratic Candidate Forum for U.S. Congressional District 16. Please register at this link:
Questions regarding voting in the Primary Election should be directed to our LWVS Voter Service Chairs at [email protected].
Get Rid of Your Gun: The Person It's Most Likely to Harm is You
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(This is the opinion of Scarsdale10583 site founder Joanne Wallenstein) After a report two weeks ago that a mother in my neighborhood discovered semi-automatic weapons under her son’s bed, I got a crash course in the laws surrounding assault weapons. What’s the difference between a semi-automatic weapon and an assault rifle and which ones are New Yorkers permitted to own? What is a magazine?
I knew that New York State had some of the toughest gun laws in the country but was surprised to learn that it is legal for adults over the age of 21 to purchase and own semi-automatic rifles and semi-automatic pistols with 10 round magazines. New York State law only allows magazines to hold 10 rounds and you can only have a maximum of 7 rounds loaded into the magazine unless you are at a gun range, when you can fill the entire 10 rounds into the magazine.
There are exceptions however.
If a person has a criminal conviction, they cannot purchase such a weapon.
Those who are “dangerously mentally ill” cannot purchase these weapons
Certain weapons, even though they have the capacity to fire 10 rounds or fewer, are illegal in New York State. The Safe Act, passed in 2013, prohibits weapons that have a detachable magazine AND at least one of several different features that make the weapon identifiable as an “assault weapon.”
So the long and short of it is that the vast majority of New Yorkers can legally purchase powerful weapons, that pose a risk to themselves, their families and their neighbors. According to Brady, in 2019, more than 60% of gun deaths, for a total of 23,941 fatalities, were due to suicide. And Everytown for Gun Safety says, “Access to a firearm significantly increases the risk of death by suicide, domestic dispute, homicide, and unintentional gunshot.”
The numbers show that owning guns and storing them at home poses the greatest risk to the gun owner themselves and their families. Though people claim to need guns to protect themselves, in fact owning the gun only increases the chance that they will themselves be the victim when the gun is fired.
So, it seems pretty clear to me that owning and storing guns of any kind in your house is a bad idea. If you know that a loved one is storing a gun in your home, urge them to turn it over to the police. And if you don’t know what’s being stored in your house, get nosey and find out. Look under the bed, inspect your attic and basement and make sure that you’re not harboring weapons that could ultimately harm you, your family or others in our community.
If the guns were purchased legally, you can surrender them to the police. If a relative dies and had a gun you can turn those guns over as well. However, according to the police, “illegally possessed items could still cause for an investigation into the matter of how, why and when they were acquired/possessed.”
Do all your friends in Scarsdale a favor – get rid of your guns.
Register Now for the Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League
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(The following was submitted by Bob Harrison)
The 38th season of the Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League continues on Monday July 18th for boys and girls ages 6 to 18 through early August on weekday evenings from 6 to 8 PM at the Middle School Tennis Courts .
The program is the best buy in Scarsdale youth sports with more than 28 hours of tennis play for $60 per player.
All players will play round robin matches with players of similar tennis ability and the program concludes with tournaments in each skill level with champion and runner-up trophies and a pizza and ice cream party. All players receive participation trophies.
Players can register by getting an application at the Recreation Department, 244 Heathcote Road or by calling 914 722-1160 and getting an application by e-mail.
For more information, call Bob Harrison, 38 year volunteer , founder and director of the program , at 914 646-4054 or by email at [email protected] . Applications and checks can be made out to the Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League and delivered or mailed to Harrison at 65 Fox Meadow Road, Scarsdale , NY 10583.
