FIRST THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY, NOW THEY STEAL YOUR SIGNS!!

It would appear that those loyal to the current School Board and District Administration don't believe that anyone other than themselves have a right to express their opinion.  In what has now become common practice, signs that disagree with the position of the Guiney regime, or which promote the candidacy of individuals running for the Mt. Pleasant School Board, who were not hand-picked by the Superintendent, have been stolen from the streets of the Town.  In some cases the stolen signs were replaced with hand written signs promoting the candidacy of their opponents, the candidates hand-picked by Ms. Guiney.  What happened to Free Speech?  What happened to Freedom of Expression?  Obviously, those who took the signs don't believe in those Constitutionally guaranteed rights, or, in open competition during elections.  If the record of the School Board was that good, there wouldn't be a need to steal signs.  Stealing signs exposes the true desperation of those who see their kingdom crumbling.  They realize the importance of this election.  They realize that if candidates that they consider to be "outsiders" win election to the School Board on Tuesday, not only will the Guiney "gravy train" come to a screeching halt, some of those involved may face criminal charges for their actions while serving on the School Board and in the District Administration.  In some way those involved must feel that stealing signs protects the culture of corruption that is deeply imbedded in the Mt. Pleasant School District.

Multiple campaign signs like the one below were stolen

and replaced with the handmade sign below

 

It is rather obvious who stole the signs - the desperate supporters of the hand picked candidates of the Guiney Regime, who seem to be afraid of open competition and losing their control of the School District.

Another interesting note related to the sign issue - On Sunday, the wife of incumbent candidate Thomas McCabe, who is running for re-election to the School Board, attempted to strong arm a local merchant, who dared to post campaign signs for the opponents of the Guiney crew outside his business.  Mrs. McCabe "encouraged" an employee at the business to take down the signs.  One would think that having the signs taken down would have been enough to satisfy the candidates wife, but, obviously it was not.  Mrs. McCabe later took to Facebook to threaten businesses that "dared" to exercise their right to support the candidate of their choice, not the Guiney hand-picked candidates.  The candidates wife warned that businesses who didn't "toe the line" could face a boycott from Mrs. McCabe and the Guiney cult.  Her actions clearly violate the First Amendment - Freedom of Speech and Expression, and are truly un-American.  What a terrible example this is for the wife of a School Board member to set for the children of the District.  Lenin, Stalin and Marx would be very proud of Mrs. McCabe's tactics.  If they were still alive today, they most likely would elevate her to a higher position in the "party".

If you are a business owner, you should be very concerned that the wife of a School Board member would organize a possible boycott against your business, because you have the audacity to disagree with her politics.  Disgraceful conduct, but, not unexpected from anyone associated with the Guiney group!

ON TUESDAY, MAY 19TH, PLEASE VOTE FOR CATHY TULLY AND PETER PEALE, FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHILDREN AND THE DISTRICT.

NEWSFLASH -

The overwhelming majority of residents/voters in the Mt. Pleasant School District DO NOT have children in the School system, yet they pay most of the bills.  These taxpayers are entitled to have a voice (or voices) on the School Board to represent their concerns.  Currently, there is no such voice on the School Board, as all members of the Board are steadfast in their support of the Guiney regime and vote in lockstep as per her instructions. 

No resident wants to see the children receive an inferior education or be deprived of any opportunity.  What the residents who opposed the two Bond proposals, and also oppose the currently proposed Budget, are saying is that they want their tax dollars spent more judiciously, and want the Board to be more fiscally responsible.  If the School Board practiced proper financial management there could be a dual reward - taxes wouldn't be raised and there would be more funds available to provide for the needs of the children - both sides win. 

Currently, the mismanagement of District funds creates a scenario where taxes continue to rise, but, the children don't benefit from the additional funds generated through the increases.  This is because the School Board and the District Administration waste the money - through their continued practice of issuing no-bid contracts (in violation of the General Municipal Law), the hiring of unqualified friends and relatives to positions that aren't necessary (patronage) and  failing to provide proper supervision and oversight of purchasing and credit card use.

If the Administration and the School Board truly care about the children as they claim, then they will put an end to their reckless and extravagant spending practices.  The residents should not be asked to subsidize the District’s irresponsibility.  It’s time that the wastefulness ends!

BREAKING NEWS - Mt. Pleasant School Budget contains the HIGHEST INCREASE of ANY School District in Westchester County!!!!

Why is the Mount Pleasant School Budget so out of proportion when compared to similar sized School Districts?  Could it be the poor leadership and the wasteful spending policies of the Guiney Administration and the current School Board?? 

 

Below is a comparison of

Proposed School District Budgets

To be voted on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

School District	Budget	Tax Levy	Estimated Tax Rate (per $1,000 of assessed value)
Mount Pleasant	$59,127,000 Up 6.1% **	$49,453,000 2.7% increase	$1,180.46 0.9% increase; North Castle, $801.92, up 0.7%
Pleasantville	$48,926,573 Up 3.2%	35,080,784 1.8% increase	$18.63 1.3% increase
Valhalla	$47,345,709 Up 2.3%	$40,707,171 2.0% increase	Mt. Pleasant $1,300.72, 1.2% increase; Greenburgh, $628.88, 7.4% increase; North Castle, $883.62, 1.4% increase

** - Highest increase of any School District in Westchester County

 

Note:  The above information was obtained from the Sunday, May 17, 2015, edition of the Journal News, page 15A

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TUESDAY’S SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

We at the Blog recommend that anyone who is concerned about the current fiscal mismanagement practiced by the Mount Pleasant School District Administration and the School Board, consider voting NO on the proposed Budget.  It seems that the proposed Budget contains substantial increases, and is being used to obtain funding that the District could not gain through two Bond proposals that were overwhelmingly defeated by the PEOPLE.  The Budget as proposed is not fiscally responsible and does not make the best use of your tax dollars.  We suggest that this Budget be voted down on Tuesday, and that the Budget be revisited once the new Board is in place; hopefully with new, independent, fiscally responsible individuals holding seats on the School Board.  The waste must be cut from the Budget and the current members of the School Board seem reluctant to take that action.

If you don’t want to give the School Board a new supply of blank checks that will be used to further waste your taxpayer dollars, the PEOPLE must vote to DEFEAT THE FISCALLY UNSOUND BUDGET and against Guiney’s hand-picked candidates. Supporting any of Guiney’s candidates will maintain the status quo, and allow the Board to continue its policy of wasting your money without any improvement to the children's educational experience.

If you want fiscal watchdogs on the School Board, who will protect your tax dollars from previous wasteful spending policies; and, if you want individuals on the School Board who have not been corrupted by the Guiney Administration, and would bring integrity to a School Board that sorely needs it - Vote for Cathy Tully and Peter Peale ONLY.  (Note:  While you are allowed to vote for three candidates at the polls, please consider not voting for any of the Guiney candidates.  Send a clear message that you do not support Ms. Guiney or any of her “cronies”.  Please vote for ONLY Tully and Peale – simply cast two votes and the message will be sent.)

The effort that Ms. Guiney and her followers have expended during the campaign in attacking, bullying and harassing the two independent candidates, Tully and Peale, in an effort to scare them off and defeat them, should tell you all that you need to know.  Why would the Guiney Administration fight so hard against the newcomers, if they weren’t extremely credible, well qualified opponents?  The answer is that Guiney and company are afraid of what would happen should the two independent candidates be elected.  Guiney and friends realize that if these two candidates, who have true integrity and the PEOPLE's best interest in mind, were to win, it would be the end of business as usual in the District.  All the dirty laundry would be aired.  That's the reason that Ms. Guiney and her friends are doing all in their power to prevent the election of these two candidates, who the PEOPLE so desperately need on the Board.   

 
Vote NO on the overpriced, bloated and wasteful Budget; Vote YES for Cathy Tully and Peter Peale for the School Board!!

VETERANS OF MOUNT PLEASANT - YOU HAVE AN ENEMY ON THE SCHOOL BOARD!

At the recent League of Women's Voters sponsored, School Board Candidates "Meet and Greet", incumbent School Board member, Thomas McCabe, made a very controversial statement.  Mr. McCabe proudly announced that he had voted against the continuation of the Veterans Tax Exemption and that he did not think that the Veterans should receive the reduction.  To our knowledge, Mr. McCabe never wore the uniform of our Country.  He obviously did not have the courage to stand up and defend our Nation's Freedom, as the Veterans who reside in Mt. Pleasant have done.  Many Veterans have contacted the Blog, and said that they were truly insulted by Mr. McCabe's smug and disrespectful  attitude toward them and the sacrifices that they have made for our Country.   

While citing the need to be frugal as his reason for not supporting the Veterans exemption, Mr. McCabe seems to have no problem voting in favor of no-bid contracts or allowing the unqualified relatives of friends and fellow Board Members to be hired for patronage jobs that cost the District much more than the Veterans exemption would ever amount to.  In a District that has such a poor record of managing taxpayer’s funds, Mr. McCabe has decided to target the Veteran tax exemption as the area where he will look to “balance the District's books”.  

Veterans will have an opportunity to thank Mr. McCabe for voting against the continuation of their tax exemption on Tuesday, May 19^th, at the ballot box.  The Veterans can repay Mr. McCabe for his monumental disrespect and remove him from the School Board by voting him out of office on Tuesday.  Veterans need to unite to vote Mr. McCabe out, and to take away his ability to ever vote against the Veterans tax exemption again!

Support Mt. Pleasant’s Veterans.  Do not support Thomas McCabe.  McCabe must GO!!!

IT'S YOUR MONEY TAXPAYERS - BUT, THE MT. PLEASANT SCHOOL BOARD HAS NO PROBLEM WASTING IT!

The New York State Comptroller's Office periodically audits all School Districts.  Accordingly, the Mount Pleasant Central School District was audited and the Comptroller's Office generated a Report of its findings (2009M-131).  Here are some of the highlights of that report:

• "District management has not provided sufficient oversight to ensure that internal controls were operating effectively.  As a result, we (NYS Comptroller's Office - NYSCO) found weaknesses in the District's internal controls over purchasing, credit cards and information technology." (Found on Page 3 of the Report)
• "The District did not have an adequate purchasing policy.  The policy did not specify when the various forms of competition would be used.  We (NYSCO) found that District officials did not seek competition for services provided by seven vendors, who provided services such as electrical, cleaning, advertising, uniform maintenance, chair rental, public relations and plumbing and were paid a total of $365,143.  As a result, District officials cannot be assured that they are obtaining goods and services of the desired quality at favorable terms." (Found on pages 3 & 4 of the report)
• "District officials did not establish an adequate control environment and did not design or implement internal controls over gasoline credit cards, store credit cards and lines of credit.  The former and current Business Administrators established credit accounts and allowed employees to do the same without Board authorization.  In addition, credit card claims were processed and paid without proper documentation.  As a result, the District paid approximately $253,596 for purchases which may not all have been for legitimate District purposes." (Found on page 4 of the report)
• Re: Purchasing - "Purchasing policies and procedures are an important component of the District's internal control system.  An adequate purchasing policy helps ensure that the District obtains the best services and materials at the lowest possible price, in compliance with all applicable Board and legal requirements; helps guard against favoritism, extravagance, and fraud; and helps foster honest competition.  This process helps ensure that taxpayer dollars are expended in the most prudent manner." (found on page 7 of the report)
• "General Municipal Law (GML) requires school districts to competitively bid purchases over $10,000 and public works contracts over $20,000." (found on page 9 of the report)   The District violates this Law on a regular basis.
• "Five former employees who left the District from three months to 11 years prior to our (NYSCO) audit period were still listed as authorized users on one of the credit card accounts.  ... We (NYSCO) identified two charges ... attributed to one of the five employees after he retired in June, 2008." (found on page 10 of the report)
• Re:  Gas purchases/credit cards - "... one employee purchased gas two or more times a day on 29 occasions.  On many occasions purchases were made within minutes of each other. ... the District did not have a system to monitor and reconcile gas purchases."  "... there is an increased risk that the purchases made by these employees were not for District purposes."(found on page 10 of the report)
• "The claims auditor did not perform a proper review of claims. ... As a result, District officials do not have adequate assurance that the $253,596 paid for credit card and credit line and gas credit purchases were for legitimate District purposes." (found on page 12 of the report) 
• "Inadequate claims review, the lack of proper documentation, and improper record keeping put the District at risk of making payments for purchases that are not authorized, such as credit card purchases, over payments to vendors and payment for items that are not legitimate District purposes." (found on page 12 of the report)

NOTE:  A formal criminal complaint (Case # PI2009-0290) was filed with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office related to the misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars by District officials and staff, as cited above.  The case was closed after about a month because neither Superintendent Guiney, nor the School Board would press charges against those involved.  That is a curious response from the District Administration when so much money was involved.  No one was ever reprimanded and the money was never recovered.  The School Board apparently didn't care enough about this matter to follow through and pursue the complaint and as a result, the taxpayers take a huge loss.  Assistant District Attorney Brian Conway was assigned to this case - if anyone would like to call him and ask why this case was never fully investigated and, why no one was prosecuted, he can be reached at (914) 995-3562.  Also, Sergeant Artie Romaine was the local law enforcement official involved in looking into this matter - call him and ask why more effort was not put in, in trying to recover the PEOPLE's money.  His number is (914) 842-2386, or, (914) 879-1014.

As you can see from the information provided in the NYS Comptroller's Report, the School District and the School Board have been and continue to be extremely careless in spending your hard earned tax dollars.  There appears to be no accountability or oversight and District officials and employees spend your money however they choose.  Considering these facts, it makes the recent Bond requests that were proposed by the Administration and the School Board that much more ludicrous and totally unnecessary.  This District needs to be a better steward of the taxpayer dollar.  However, it does not appear that the current group in power - Superintendent Guiney and the School Board have any interest in better managing District funds.  There is only one way to cure that problem and that is to remove those who have so recklessly spent YOUR money. 

On Tuesday, May 19th, vote out those who have squandered your tax dollars.  Send a clear message to this School Administration that the PEOPLE will no longer accept this mismanagement of public funds.  Vote NO on the Budget, and tell the District "to go back to the drawing board" and come back with a legitimate budget that does not continue to waste residents money.

If we want to stop the careless and irresponsible spending of this School Board, we need new faces, who have not been corrupted by the system.  Vote for the two candidates who will bring fiscal responsibility and integrity to the Mt. Pleasant School Board - Cathy Tully and Peter Peale.

DIGNITY ACT BE DAMNED!!

The Dignity for All Students Act was created to provide students with a safe and supportive school environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying.  District Administrators, Board of Education members, School Staff and the parents of students in the school system are charged with the task of implementation of the Dignity Act, to assure that the School District is free from these damaging forms of conduct.

However, during the lead up to the Mt. Pleasant School Board Election, some parents, members of the Westlake Athletic Club, and other members of the School Community have set a horrible example for the children of the School District by violating all aspects of the Dignity Act in their shameful attacks on two independent candidates, Cathy Tully and Peter Peale, who are running for seats on the Board of Education.

These two candidates have faced physical threats, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, taunting, name calling and cyber bullying at the hands of the supporters of a Machiavellian Guiney Administration and an unethical School Board.

Since none of the other candidates running for the School Board have spoken out against the attacks against Ms. Tully and Mr. Peale, it must be understood that they condone this type of action.

Further, we have not heard Superintendent Guiney condemn these actions, which is not surprising since she has ignored complaints filed with her office, where it was alleged that students faced bullying and mistreatment at the hands of students and some staff members, in direct violation of the Dignity Act.  Some of those complaints were lodged against coaches, who also happen to be officers of the Westlake Athletic Club.  However, none of the accused have faced any type of reprimand.  These matters were brushed aside by the Superintendent.  Obviously, Ms. Guiney protects the accused cited in these complaints, and in turn those individuals protect the “Guiney regime” by attacking the two independent candidates, who if they were to win seats on the Board in Tuesday’s election, would expose the deep seeded corruption that exists in the Mt. Pleasant School District.  

Parents of children in the school system, members of the Westlake Athletic Club and District Staff are well aware of the Dignity Act and its intended purpose.  They are supposed to set an example for the children, of proper conduct in dealing with others, even those that we may disagree with. However, their openly discriminatory behavior in attacking two candidates who have opposing views from theirs, is in direct contradiction to what the Dignity Act was designed to prevent.  Their actions tell the children that it is okay to bully, harass and discriminate against those that you don’t like, or that you disagree with.  How sad!  What a terrible example to set for the children of the Mt. Pleasant School District.  Don’t be surprised if a spike in student bullying and harassment occurs as a result of the actions of these “adults”.       

This issue further highlights the fact that there must be a change to the make-up of the present School Board.  Current Board Members and their handpicked replacements do not seem to support the Dignity Act, since they have not spoken out about the disgusting display of discrimination, harassment and bullying that we have witnessed during this election cycle.  This District needs Board Members who will ensure that the Dignity Act is fully implemented and enforced and that those who violate it are properly held accountable. We need Board Members who will speak out if they witness inappropriate conduct, where parents, staff or others openly violate the parameters of the Dignity Act and remind the violators of the importance of setting a good example for the children of the District.  We need new, independent candidates who will fully support the Dignity Act to protect the children of this District.  We need Cathy Tully and Peter Peale.

Mt. Pleasant Board of Education and its "Cronies" running scared of independent candidates!!

The fear of transparency coming to the Mt. Pleasant School Board, in the form of two truly independent candidates, has resulted in some interesting happenings.  It appears that the two newcomers, who openly disagree with the way the District is currently being run, pose a serious threat to the status quo of the Board and the way that it operates.  If these two candidates were to prevail in Tuesday’s School Board election, it would put an end to the back room "wheeling/dealing" that has become standard operating procedure for the Mt. Pleasant School Board, and would dissipate the cloud of secrecy that shrouds most School Board actions.   

We at the Blog have been made aware of a developing situation and are compelled to expose it.  Sources who attended Monday Nights (5/11), League of Women Voters, Board of Education “Candidates Meet and Greet”, have reported some very troubling news.  It seems that the event was far from fair and balanced, considering the makeup of the audience – which was stacked with members of the Westlake Athletic Club and Board of Education "loyalists", many of whom are beneficiaries of the current School Board’s largesse.  This obviously biased mob came to the meeting with a clear agenda; that being to attack the two independent candidates, who had the courage to stand up to the establishment and run for positions on the School Board.  The majority of those present in the audience were clearly School Board “puppets”, who appeared to read from a script of prepared “talking points” and inappropriate and insulting questions that had nothing to do with educational issues, or matters that would typically come before the Board of Education.  The questions posed by these cowardly pawns of the Guiney Administration were meant to intimidate and harass the two new candidates.  Even though the newcomers were forced to endure a relentless barrage of snide remarks, irrelevant questions and insulting behavior delivered by the minions of a desperate Board, they persevered and stood up to the biased attacks.             

The Board “insiders” seemingly have a lot to lose if "new faces" win the election and become members of the School Board.  These members of the Board's "inner circle" appear ready to stoop to any level, or to do whatever they feel necessary to protect their benefactors on the current School Board and in the District Administration.  They are deathly afraid of having independent eyes and ears on the Board, because that would put an end to the shenanigans that have become standard operating procedure for the School Board.  While the children of the District would benefit from this reformation, the "insiders" would not, and they will do all in their power to prevent any change to the District’s power structure. 

At the “Meet and Greet”, instead of asking the candidates inane questions about insignificant topics, the audience would have been better suited to have asked the candidates, and especially the incumbent who is running for re-election, what happened to the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars that were squandered by the Mt. Pleasant School District on improper use of credit cards and credit lines by District Officials.  For those who aren’t aware, this matter was highlighted in the New York State Comptroller’s Audit of the Mt. Pleasant School District (Report # 2009M-131).  That report provided details of how hundreds of thousands of dollars in School District funds were used to pay for unauthorized and improper expenditures made by District Officials.  As a matter of fact, a complaint was filed in regard to this matter with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office (Case # PI2009-0290), but, unfortunately the case was closed because neither Superintendent Guiney, nor any School Board member would press charges against the perpetrators, even though Ms. Guiney and the Board were “well aware” of this criminal activity and who was involved.  Maybe someone in the audience should have raised this topic and asked the incumbent running for re-election about why nothing was done to punish the guilty or try to recover the funds that were improperly used.  Or, maybe someone should have asked current School Board member James Grieco about the matter, since he was sitting in the front row at the “Meet and Greet” and was a member of the Board at the time the District funds were misused.  Why wasn’t a question raised about this very serious matter?     

Why didn’t anyone in the audience ask why no one was reprimanded, or more appropriately arrested, for misusing public funds in the matter exposed by the NYS Comptrollers Report?  Questions asked at the “Meet and Greet” should have been founded on substance, not based on biased, personal agendas.  Why wasn’t the topic of the unregulated use of District Credit Cards and Lines of Credit raised at this forum?  Did anyone ask if this criminal use of District funds has been curtailed or stopped entirely - if not, why not?  Is this practice still ongoing?  Why didn’t anyone in the audience ask about the District’s policy of no-bid contracts?  Unfortunately, the audience failed to ask any of these questions, and instead spent the entire session attacking the two new candidates.

Following the event, one of the new candidates was confronted while leaving the facility; first by a female, known to be a Hawthorne based real estate attorney; and, secondly by a male, known to be an officer of the Westlake Athletic Club.  Both of these individuals threatened the candidate to the point where the candidate felt it necessary to file a complaint with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department.  Further, the candidate was followed home and further harassed by others who had been in the audience at the “Meet and Greet”.  We will post that complaint on the Blog as soon as we are able to obtain a copy - naming names and exposing those involved.

Why would these individuals feel it necessary to threaten a School Board candidate?  Don't they believe in the right of individuals to run for office?  Don’t they believe in an open election process?  These are the actions of very desperate people who see their "kingdom" and the related “benefits” that it provides them, slipping away.  Their conduct is despicable.

While the School Board “insiders” may preach that the children are their priority, the reality is that it is their “bottom line” (patronage jobs, perks, etc.), and not the children, that is their true concern.  Independent School Board members would bring real transparency to the School Board and that would cause the end of the "business as usual" back room deals, patronage jobs, no-bid contracts and secret executive sessions.  Independent School Board members could demand that an audit be conducted by an impartial outside accounting firm or request the New York State Comptroller’s Office to conduct an audit.  Independent School Board members could demand accountability from the other Board Members, the Superintendent and all District Officials (something that is currently lacking).  Independent School Board members could also call for a criminal investigation of the Westlake Athletic Club and all of its officers.  New, Independent School Board members could turn this School District around and put it on the right track, so that the children get the best education they can possibly receive and the residents are not forced to pay exorbitant taxes to compensate for the wasteful spending practices of self-serving Board members.

We commend the new candidates, Cathy Tully and Peter Peale, for their perseverance and courage in standing up to the attacks of the allies of the current corrupt School Board.  We wish them well during the remainder of the campaign.

If the Mt. Pleasant School District is ever to move forward in a positive way, it cannot continue to be controlled by the small “inner circle” of self-serving individuals who have had a stranglehold on the education system in Mt. Pleasant for far too long.  Residents need to elect candidates to the School Board who possess the integrity and the desire to make the changes necessary to improve the education system in this Town - Cathy Tully and Peter Peale are such candidates.  Their opponents are merely extensions of the current Board and will not look to change anything if they are elected.  Ms. Tully and Mr. Peale are not part of the “inner circle”.  They have not been compromised by the current Board, as their opponents have.  Cathy Tully and Peter Peale are truly independent voices, who look only to improve the educational opportunities for the children of the District, while at the same time looking out for the best interests of the taxpayers.

On Tuesday, May 19^th, we at the Blog encourage our readers to vote for Cathy Tully and Peter Peale, and no others.  It’s time to make a statement to the Administration, that the PEOPLE have had enough and will no longer tolerate the unacceptable manner in which the Mt. Pleasant School District has been operated.  Also, we recommend that the PEOPLE vote down any unsubstantiated and unnecessary Budget increases.  This District needs to make better use of the funds that it has, before asking for additional funds from the taxpayers of Mt. Pleasant.