by Bill Batson
Jen Laird-White is only the third woman to be mayor of the Village of Nyack. In recognition of Women’s History Month, Nyack Sketch Log talks with our Mayor about the State of The Village, the backlash officials received after passing a resolution supporting Governor Cuomo’s Gun Control legislation, the high and low points so far and her future plans.
by Dave Zonow
Nyack, Jan 6 — It was a very long week — especially considering that it was only three days long. We fell off the Fiscal Cliff as New Years came and went only to be rescued at the last minute. New York and New Jersey were abandoned by Congress in their request to get Sandy relief funds, only to be resuscitated, partially, on Friday. And the Journal News’ unhealthy obsession with guns just won’t seem to go away.
This is something upon which both gun control advocates and defenders of the first amendement can agree: if you play with guns and shoot without taking careful aim, someone is going to get hurt. Which is pretty much what has been happening to Gannett’s Journal News, the dominant newspaper in Rockland and Westchester Counties. On the weekend before Christmas, in an effort to promote the conversation about gun control vs. gun rights after the Newtown Sandy Hook School schooting three weeks ago, the Journal News published a Google Map with the location of all of the pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester.
To help ease the pain of post-Sandy recovery, the Village of Nyack has suspended all permitting fees for work related to damages caused by the superstorm that struck Southeast New York and New Jersey on Oct 29. Nyack’s residents and businesses were severely impacted by flooding, wind-blown debris, downed trees and loss of electricity in addition to lost business for merchants and lost wages for residents.
by Arthur H. Gunther III
Billions are being sought for Hurricane Sandy reconstruction by the governors of New York and New Jersey and New York City’s mayor. The full dollars may not come given the federal budget deficit, the ‘€œfiscal cliff’€ stalemate and traditional congressional reluctance to assist the Northeast, but whatever funds do arrive, the worry is that the greedy already see cash in their big eyes.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York State needs $42 million, Gotham’s mayor wants $15 billion and Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thinks $37 billion will do.
by Bill Batson
If you saw this sentence a month ago: “college students take weekend trip to the Jersey Shore,” images of Snooki would dance in your head. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the ‘€œsituation’€ has changed. On Saturday, November 10, a group of eight students and staff from Dominican College in Orangeburg travelled to the Jersey Shore to participate in recovery efforts.
by Jen McCann
Superstorm Sandy knocked out electrical power to most of Nyack for five days last week. For two of those days, Nyack’s Village Board banned the bars from serving alcohol for all or part of the day while street lights and traffic signals were dark. Bar owners vehemently objected and pressured elected officials to rescind the ban. Earlier this week, a bar owner opined why the temporary prohibition was bad for the village. Today, Nyack resident Jen McCann gives a different perspective.
I can appreciate the fact they are business owners and this is their livelihood, but I was disheartened by their loss of perspective. Preventing people from driving on roads at night that are without traffic lights on roads with down power lines, let alone after drinking seemed like an prudent decision to me.
I agree completely with our officials’ decision to temporarily impose the safety measures that they did.
Superstorm Sandy knocked out electrical power to most of Nyack for five days last week. For two of those days, Nyack’s Village Board banned the bars from serving alcohol for all or part of the day while street lights and traffic signals were dark. Bar owners vehemently objected and pressured elected officials to rescind the ban. Restaurant owner Marianne Olives explains:
There has never been a safety problem during any power outage over the past 38 years in Nyack. A few dozen times we lost power even several days in a row and the citizens of Nyack have come together as a community. All of the restaurants and bars have always remained opened to serve our local residents. People from the outside don’t come when there is a power outage. Nyack is quiet and lovely and fun.
Arts · News · Nyack Sketch Log
by Bill Batson
On a recent phone call with President Barack Obama, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo observed that we seem to have a one hundred year storm every year now. Fortunately for us, the senior levels of government are providing more than gallows humor in the aftermath of the super storm Sandy. As a resident of a county declared a disaster area, I feel well represented by the federal, state, regional and local governments that are overseeing this natural catastrophe. But are we ready for the next storm, like the one that is coming literally and figuratively tomorrow?
On the steps of Nyack’s Village Hall each morning since Sandy struck, there has been a public demonstration in civics, where elected officials inform the community of the latest post storm news. On Friday afternoon, there was a different kind of event outside of Village Hall: a demonstration of love.
by Bill Batson
Over the vocal opposition of several owners of local bars and restaurants Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty and the Village Board announced a modified temporary ban on serving alcohol in Nyack at the Friday’s public meeting on the steps of Village Hall. The original ban was implemented on Halloween.
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