Phil Reisman | Westchester, Rockland, Putnam | lohud.com

Columnist Phil Reisman

Comparing apples to oranges on Westchester budget: 'Nice try'

Sue Tolchin, the loyal factotum and chief mouthpiece for Westchester County Executive Andy Spano, "earned" her generous pay and benefits yesterday by essentially calling me a liar in a nasty little...
(Original publication: 12/04/08)

Spano's budget doesn't cut it

Columnist Phil Reisman takes a hard look at the shallow cuts in Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano's budget proposal.
(Original publication: 12/02/08)

Remembering 1957, a time when there was no meltdown

Were we ever truly happy as a nation? Author Bill Bryson said that "according to the Gallup Organization, 1957 was the happiest year ever recorded in the United States of America."
(Original publication: 11/27/08)

County execs simply don't get trimmer times

When Andy Spano came before The Journal News Editorial Board last week, he was accompanied by an entourage of subalterns who gave him moral support as he defended the 2009 Westchester County budget.
(Original publication: 11/25/08)

Spano's pay hikes are double talk despite the spin

It's not like it's an outright lie. Not exactly. Double talk is more like it. Andy Spano's new pay raises for managers: It's the old forked-tongue routine.
(Original publication: 11/23/08)

Westchester executive perfects jive-talking routine

Columnist Phil Reisman says Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano has a simple mantra: Don't blame him, praise him.
(Original publication: 11/20/08)

Westchester Boss Ryan needs to budget like the rest of us

You're a taxpayer- and you're worried about the economy.
(Original publication: 11/18/08)

Westchester legislators need to reorder their priorities

Columnist Phil Reisman says to never underestimate the Westchester County Board of Legislators' ability to come up with zany ways to protect us from ourselves.
(Original publication: 11/16/08)

Reisman: Yonkers mayor gives grim analysis of city's fiscal woes

Westchester's largest town has spoken. Yonkers is deep in red ink.
(Original publication: 11/13/08)

Story of B.T. Collins - leader and Vietnam vet - a lesson in service

There is such a thing as a dumb question. Reporters ask them all the time.
(Original publication: 11/11/08)

Westchester County executive may face tough run in 2009

Columnist Phil Reisman speculates how Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano will fare in an era of political change.
(Original publication: 11/09/08)

After hitting new bottom, GOP gets some 'tough love'

Losses suffered by the Republican Party Tuesday inspired county Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, to sit down and write a tough-love message to his party, which he said "took it on the chin big...
(Original publication: 11/06/08)

Candidate of change was the only one who stayed the same

An Election Day dream: At the stroke of midnight, Keith Olbermann's head finally explodes.
(Original publication: 11/04/08)

Yonkers' idea for funding pool is all wet

Yonkers wants to build an Olympic-sized indoor pool with the pie-in-the-sky idea that Westchester County will pay for it.
(Original publication: 11/02/08)

Voters face 'perfect storm' on Election Day

I don't think that the "fabric of democracy" is about to be shredded as John McCain declared, but it's obvious that the American voting system is a mess.
(Original publication: 10/30/08)

'Drill, baby, drill' for oil in Long Island Sound

Columnist Phil Reisman examines Assembly candidate Jim Faulkner's claims of oil riches in Long Island Sound.
(Original publication: 10/28/08)

'Joe the Correction Officer' a wealthy man

John McCain has Joe the Plumber, but Westchester has "Joe, the Correction Officer."
(Original publication: 10/26/08)

It's dirty politics as usual in 99th Assembly District race

Sometimes an election can turn on the oddest of things.
(Original publication: 10/23/08)

Palin needs to see how ‘pro-American’ N.Y.’s suburbs are

I'm with Sarah Palin on this "pro-American" thing. Like her, I'd rather not visit places in the United States that might be anti-American.
(Original publication: 10/21/08)

Dobbs Ferry police idea prompts opposing letters

Columnist Phil Reisman details the flap over possible merger of services between the Dobbs Ferry and Greenburgh police departments.
(Original publication: 10/19/08)

This slice of life has family taking cover

Columnist Phil Reisman tells of a Westchester family under siege from errant golf balls.
(Original publication: 10/16/08)

Presidential trivia buff has his eye on country's 44th

Three weeks from Election Day, William Reynolds already can tell you a couple of miscellaneous facts about the next president of the United States: He is left-handed and celebrates his birthday in...
(Original publication: 10/14/08)

In these grim times, Groucho could be the change we need

Columnist Phil Reisman wonders what Groucho Marx would have to say about the economy's tailspin.
(Original publication: 10/12/08)

Obama, McCain fail to inspire hope for economy

Events are happening at such a whirlwind pace and with such staggering complexity that I fear they are overtaking the problem-solving abilities of the two men running for president.
(Original publication: 10/09/08)

After reunion, feeling protective of classmates and memories

I had a hard time starting this column and I couldn't figure out why.
(Original publication: 10/07/08)

We do need another hero to lead us through hard times

Columnist Phil Reisman finds a dispiriting lack of national leadership in a time of crisis.
(Original publication: 10/05/08)

Taxpayers' watchdog needed to oversee spending, fraud

Two related stories recently made front-page news on the same day.
(Original publication: 10/02/08)

Yet another chapter in the evolution of a local bank

Well, another bank bites the dust in the brutal zero-sum game of economic survival.
(Original publication: 09/30/08)

Vigilante neighbors saving New York from dog poop

Michael Brandow's new book "New York's Poop Scoop Law: Dogs, the Dirt and Due Process" has arrived in time for the 30th anniversary of the passage of the landmark state health law requiring that...
(Original publication: 09/16/08)

The selling of Sarah Palin: From Wasilla to Teddy Roosevelt

The best thing about Sarah Palin is that she gives the audacity of hope to every mayor in every podunk town in America.
(Original publication: 09/09/08)

Love, politics and journalism: How would Tim Russert fare now?

In the August issue of Harper's Magazine, editor-essayist Lewis H. Lapham let loose with a tart observation about the fourth estate that would be a worthy entry for any complete book of quotations.
(Original publication: 08/26/08)

Idea of Pataki museum sounds like weak joke

The notion of a Peekskill museum devoted to the political career of George Elmer Pataki sounds like a joke in search of a punch line, but as a fan of offbeat museums I think it presents a worthy...
(Original publication: 08/07/08)

Unclaimed funds add up for state

Think of this as a public service announcement. There's about $9 billion at stake - and some of it might be yours.
(Original publication: 08/05/08)

Politics underlie county's pending building purchase in Ardsley

There's a fault line running through Ardsley - and it has nothing to do with earthquakes.
(Original publication: 07/08/08)

For some, family tragedies reveal a chance to help others

Some people are destroyed by pain, crushed under the heavy crosses they are forced to bear.
(Original publication: 06/24/08)

Stimulus checks are too little, too late

Columnist Phil Reisman says the government is pretending to be handing out bonus checks when what it's really doing is distributing welfare to almost everyone.
(Original publication: 06/17/08)

Anti-waste movement expands to include county lawmakers

The idea of abolishing Westchester County government may be pie in the sky.
(Original publication: 06/10/08)

Spending lands Kriss in hot water

The candid photo of a bespectacled Gary Kriss wearing a fedora and a funny tie in Sunday's Journal News reminds me of a character in the first Indiana Jones movie - the guy who opens the lost ark and...
(Original publication: 06/03/08)

Despite setbacks, would-be tunnel developer remains optimistic

Columnist Phil Reisman notes that big problems have failed to dim a developer's optimism about building a tunnel connecting Long Island and Westchester County.
(Original publication: 05/22/08)

Slanted rent board ready to rumble again

There is no greater snake pit in local politics than the Westchester County Rent Guidelines Board.
(Original publication: 05/20/08)

This taxi driver's 'amazing,' no doubt about it

Dee Caridi, the 79-year-old founder and owner of Dee's Private Car Service, drove his first customer in White Plains on May 1, 1948, when gasoline was pumped at 26 cents a gallon, Main Street was...
(Original publication: 05/15/08)

Bid to end Westchester government may at least identify waste

Short of a scientific poll, I'd guess that better than half of Westchester's tax-weary residents would do away with county government if they had a magic wand.
(Original publication: 05/13/08)

Boss Ryan ignored realities, pays price

Boss Ryan found out the hard way: It's the economy, stupid.
(Original publication: 05/08/08)

Westchester legislators savor deluxe life at taxpayers' expense

Columnist Phil Reisman says the Westchester County legislators don't want the taxpayers to discover that they're flying to resort hotels all over the world.
(Original publication: 05/06/08)

In Westchester government, quid pro quo is the norm

Columnist Phil Reisman details how how millions of taxpayer dollars are used in Westchester County government's quid pro quo system.
(Original publication: 04/29/08)

To some, a tragic loss of life was just a brief distraction

The Hudson River was as calm as a mountain lake.
(Original publication: 04/22/08)

Have a heart, help an animal

Not long ago at the Coveleigh Club in Rye, I attended the annual Wags & Whiskers dinner, which raises awareness, not to mention money, for the cause of lost, abused and abandoned dogs and cats.
(Original publication: 04/15/08)

Ryan can't fathom political poison of pay-raise request

In a sick sort of way, you almost have to hand it to Bill "Boss" Ryan. The man is nothing if not an exquisite piece of work.
(Original publication: 04/10/08)

One lawmaker's hubris spurs backlash for county government

Phil Reisman, Journal News columnist, looks at the need for county government in light of one lawmaker's hubris.
(Original publication: 04/03/08)

We were warned about county government's growth a generation ago

In 1969, when we put a man on the moon and a wet-behind-the-ears Bill Ryan was just a couple of years out of high school, a highly respected public servant by the name of Anthony J.
(Original publication: 04/01/08)

Culinary article offers insights to Westchester executive

Columnist Phil Reisman finds a rich subtext in a magazine article about Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano's culinary skills.
(Original publication: 03/27/08)

Westchester has shoo-ins for mayor's Hall of Shame

It was one of those awkward moments, unintentionally fraught with double meaning.
(Original publication: 03/25/08)

Wrong time for lawmakers to seek raise

Westchester County's lawmakers have mounted a legislative campaign that is testing their powers of persuasion so severely that I fear they may faint from the effort.
(Original publication: 03/20/08)

County lawmakers want a raise - guess they haven't heard the economy stinks

Timing is everything in politics. So let's review some painfully well-known facts about the here and now.
(Original publication: 03/18/08)

Reisman: Spitzer brought on his own demise

I called ex-State Sen. Joe Pisani yesterday to see if he had any advice for New York's soon-to-be ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
(Original publication: 03/13/08)

Plan for new Westchester elections building rife with problems - such as illegality

Well, what do you know.
(Original publication: 03/11/08)

Let's hope D.C. has room for Westchester's big head

Break out the whoopee cushions. Two thousand county officials are meeting for a convention in Washington, D.C., this week.
(Original publication: 03/04/08)

Political success means minding your tongue

In politics, words do matter - and so does the context in which they're used.
(Original publication: 02/28/08)

Footnote in Churchill's life has direct link to Yonkers

Columnist Phil Reisman writes of a 1931 traffic accident involving Winston Churchill and a Yonkers man.
(Original publication: 02/21/08)

Westchester should find less costly site for elections board

Phil Reisman finds it hard to believe that the best possible site for the relocation of the Westchester County Board of Elections is an out-of-the-way building in Ardsley.
(Original publication: 02/14/08)

Reisman ponders the meaning of the Super Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. - It's over. They finally played the damn game.
(Original publication: 02/04/08)

Runnin' down a (1966 Corvair) dream

After answering many 'awesome' questions, Tom Petty settles a Reisman Family mystery.
(Original publication: 02/01/08)

Grammar matters, even on New Year's

When your grammar is independently corrected by not one, not two, but three retired English teachers, well, I am afraid that prompt attention must be paid.
(Original publication: 01/03/08)

Give thanks to Lincoln for this holiday

When you sit down today with friends and family to enjoy Thanksgiving, three people you might single out for thanks are Abraham Lincoln, the man who purchased Alaska, and a woman who wrote a famous...
(Original publication: 11/22/07)

Amicone's re-election has a lot of history behind it

Columnist Phil Reisman notes that Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone's re-election shows how quickly political fortunes can change.
(Original publication: 11/08/07)

Video: Welcome to the suburbs

The Journal News’ Phil Reisman sheds light on the misconception of New York City being the "cool" place to live, as up-and-coming Westchester towns become the new hip place to reside.
(Original publication: 10/23/07)

Westchester legislators pool rule lacks depth

Columnist Phil Reisman takes the Westchester Board of Legislators to task for its new regulation on inflatable pools.
(Original publication: 10/11/07)

Harping on presidential candidates' experience may be red herring

Columnist Phil Reisman wonders how much a candidate's experience matters in predicting who would be a good president.
(Original publication: 10/04/07)

Con Ed bill dispute sounds like 'Twilight Zone' episode

Bills are a headache to everyone, but Scott Berman's bill from Con Edison is tantamount to a major migraine.
(Original publication: 09/20/07)

Winning wonder of Westchester/Putnam region

Columnist Phil Reisman chooses the seventh wonder of the Westchester/Putnam region.
(Original publication: 08/26/07)

Power struggle over water may cost average consumers

Here's a simple definition of politics: It's the hardball struggle that goes into getting somebody else to pay for things.
(Original publication: 08/23/07)

Paranoid Amicone ignores First Amendment to stifle critics

The other day I picked up a free weekly newspaper called The Westchester Guardian.
(Original publication: 08/21/07)

Colorful character enlivens Westchester broadcasting

Columnist Phil Reisman takes stock of the irrepressible owner of two New Rochelle radio stations.
(Original publication: 08/19/07)

High school outcast became rock royalty

A Roosevelt High School graduate tells of a 1965 concert by a band formed by a student who went on to rock stardom.
(Original publication: 08/16/07)

Cappelli executive has the nerve to accuse United Water of greed

Every now and then, the right message gets delivered by the strangest of messengers.
(Original publication: 08/14/07)

Comic, unplanned brush with eventual rock star

Columnist Phil Reisman relates his brother's dealings with someone who would go on to become a rock star of the first order.
(Original publication: 08/12/07)

New Rochelle senior citizen has historical perspective on life

Columnist Phil Reisman finds a New Rochelle resident who proves the truism that a life well spent is a life spent in the quest for knowledge.
(Original publication: 08/09/07)

Reisman: Many in Yonkers steamed over erratic water bills

Judging from the mail and phone calls I've received, anyone running for Yonkers mayor this year might consider the city's chronically haphazard water-billing system as a campaign issue.
(Original publication: 08/07/07)

Zombie Castle ride's frightful luster has faded

Zombie Castle and another so-called "dark ride," Flying Witch, are to be removed from Westchester County-owned Playland in the very near future, which doesn't sit well with amusement park enthusiasts.
(Original publication: 08/05/07)

Cappelli may get away without paying water bill

Like developer Lou Cappelli, columnist Phil Reisman doesn't want to pay a high water bill.
(Original publication: 08/02/07)

Yonkers mayoral candidate puts alcoholic past on the table

A wise man once said, "Show me a politician and I'll show you somebody who had an unhappy childhood."
(Original publication: 07/31/07)

3 make final list for readers' 7th wonder

Arriving at a "seventh wonder" is not an easy task. There is simply too much weirdness out there.
(Original publication: 07/29/07)

Sad realities underscored in Playland death

The Mind Scrambler wasn't designed by NASA engineers, nor was it operated by anybody close to being termed a "licensed professional."
(Original publication: 07/26/07)

Assemblyman's crossover to Democrats was not unexpected

In the final analysis, it no longer made sense for Assemblyman Mike Spano to remain a Republican.
(Original publication: 07/12/07)

World wonders can't compare to weirdness of Westchester, Putnam

The recent ballyhoo over the new Seven Wonders of the World got me thinking about our little wondrous world here in Westchester and Putnam counties.
(Original publication: 07/10/07)

'Sicko' tells only part of health story

Columnist Phil Reisman believes "Sicko" is a documentary that overlooks important factors in maintaining good health.
(Original publication: 07/08/07)

Tidal wave of development raises flood risks

Columnist Phil Reisman sees a paradigm
(Original publication: 07/05/07)

In the Deskovic case, justice suffered from tunnel vision

Justice is supposed to be blind.
(Original publication: 07/03/07)

Ex-candidate sees big potential in Bloomberg bid

Former third-party presidential candidate John Anderson believes "the stars are in alignment for what could be a real shakeup in the traditional political constellation."
(Original publication: 06/21/07)

Mount Kisco immigrants have their own guardian angel

The real heroes of Mount Kisco are volunteers under an umbrella organization called the Latino Providers, which meets in the village every month.
(Original publication: 05/17/07)

Mamaroneck flood's toll hits close to home

Clara Tavarez is a hardworking agent for Casa Abierta Realty and she has an unoccupied, two-family house she'd like to sell in Mamaroneck. Asking price: $775,000.
(Original publication: 04/26/07)

Yonkers' School 23 pushes for excellence

School 23 in Yonkers is a scrappy little elementary school that is worth watching.
(Original publication: 03/04/07)

About this columnist...

Phil Reisman is a veteran journalist and native of Westchester County. He began his career in 1977 as the head copy boy of a startup New York City newspaper that quickly went belly up. Reisman was not to blame for the newspaper's failure, or so he claims.

Sponsored by:

Columnist Phil Reisman

About this columnist...

High Noon Podcast

Blogs

Opinions

Read More

Contribute