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WUKtMD EDITION] Serving Upper Westchester and Putnam County VOL. LVI — NO. 62 This Issue In two sections Published Twice Weekly MT. KISCO, N. Y., SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 1969 Entered at second class matter at Ml . Klsce. N T . 17 per Tear I ft CENTS IUA COPY Yorktown board plans civil suit against former town tax receiver By GEORGIA DULLEA YORKTOWN — The town of Yorktown plans to in stitute a civil suit against former tax receiver James F. Moseman, indicted almost one year ago on 11 counts ranging from grand larceny to official misconduct, Patent Trader learned Thursday. Sources cjose to the investigation estimate that the figure named in the suit will be about $131,000. ~ ~ DAILY DOUBLE: Two sets of twins born Tuesday at Northern Westchester Hospi tal, the first time more than one set was born in the same 24 hours at the hospital since July 9, 1961, when there were three. Mrs. John Delventhal of Greenwich, left, —Stall Photo by Kaplan holds Melanie, born at 10:18 p.m. and Phillip, born at 10:20. Nurse Alice Byrne hands Roanne, or maybe it's Karen Anne, to Mrs. Edward Feinberg of .Bed ford Hills. The Feinberg children were born at 1:12 and 1:19 p.m. Zoning controversy Fines levied, not collected By JAMES TRANSUE POUND RIDGE — What happens after a judge fines a man $25 for violating a zoning ordinance? In Pound Ridge, there seems to be no clear answer yet. Joseph Peloso has been fined $25 three separate times within a year on charges connected with the appearance of his property off Westchester Avenue near Scotts Corners. As a result he has a furious neighbor, Alfred Kelleber of Pine Drive, who cannot understand how judges can levy fines and no one can collect them \Perhaps he suggested this week, \the town board and the town attorney, who are so handy at passing ordinances should come up with one providing penalities for passing ordinances it is not intended to enforce — or at least not on an impartial basis.\ ADDS MR. KELLEHER: \For years I have been trying to get relief from a situation that is destroying the value of my property, on which I pay taxes, and with regard to which I feel I am entitled to have the privilege of protection of the law. When the town's officers airily brush off my complaints as reflection of a 'personal grudge' they know they are not being honest. My feud is with the town.\ Mr. Kelleher had a kind word for Building Inspector Milton Long, who, he said, \has been as anxious as I to get the situation corrected \ Mr. Long said that Mr. Peloso has done some of the things the court required of him, but not others, and he agreed with Mr. Kelleher that the Peloso property and the town's ordinances are not in complete accord at the moment But he said he can do nothinc in the absence of court directives. Mr. Kelleher contends it is the duty of town officers, particularly that of the town's attorney, John F. Minicus to carry out the judgement of the court. Said Mr Kelleher- \The town attorney has stated that if Jud-»e English is going to fine people, it is up to the judge to collect the fine \ Mr Minicus said, \I was quoted correctly I do not want to get into a public controversy with this man (Kelleher) or with Judge English, The judge and I get along well, but we do disagree at times \ Added Mr. Minicus, himself a town judge in Lewisboro, \It (Continued on page four) Official action will probably come Tuesday night, during the .u\\n board's meeting At that time, the board is expected to vote on authorizing the town legal department — Town Attorney Roger Gofton and Special Counsel Ray Margies — to prepare the papers. After that, a summons would be served on the 59-year-old former official Criminal action against Mr Moseman who held the elective post for 26 years, is still pend ing. Indicted by a grand jury last September, Mr Moseman pleaded innocent to charges stemming from the alleged misappropriation of $4,000 in tax receipts, mostly water bills, during 1966 and 1967 He also entered innocent pleas t o charges of grand larceny, forgery, tampering with public records and official misconduct Maximum penalty for first degree grand larceny is 10 years, a forgery conviction would carry the same penalty SO FAR, no trial date has been set According to the district attorney's office, disposition of the criminal case will probably await outcome of the civil action If the town board recovers a judgement in the Moseman suit, a lien on all of his assets would automatically result This w^uJd-rJLPesuinaWy ^include pro'pefty h'e~ntiW owns fa a' prime commercial area. The land is said to be worth about $200,000.' Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Martin, who heads the investigation on the case, confirmed the fact Thursday that \a conference has been held on this case and action is expected from the town board within the next week in the nature of a civil suit \ News of the Town Hall tax scandal first broke in January 1968 when \discrepancies\ were discovered by the State Department of Audit and Control during the routine biennial audit The scope of the audit was then broadened and the time limit on the normal six-week job was extended AFTER AN 18-month probe ol the ledgers, the state released a 20-page report this March which indicated that about $194,000 in water and sewer rents and taxes had actually been paid but were recorded as unpaid on the books. In addtion, another $85,000 charged against the taxpayers was said to have been paid, but the state auditors found that the taxpayers could not produce positive proof of payment The report spanned the period from January 1, 1965 through January 18, 1968 On this date, Supervisor Dante Spadaccia made the surprise an nouncement that the veteran tax official had resigned and \claimed full and sole responsibility for any discrepancies or irregularities\ which might result from the audit At the time that the grand jury's finding was announced, a release from the D.A's office stated that Mr. Moseman had given the supervisor a $500 check as \partial restitution\. Since then, Mr Spadaccia has declined to comment on this aspects of the >rcase except, to. note that there was such a check made payable to the town He said that the check, along with others not entered on the books and found in Mr. Moseman's desk at the time of his resignation, had been deposited in a special escrow account The total in this account was $3 400, he said Mr Spadaccia has also noted throughout the inquiry that the town would suffer no financial loss as a result of the (Continued on page four) —Staff Photos by Meyer TELEPHONE LINEUP of a different sort — at \recruitment buffet\ instead of the big boards — includes, from the center left to right, Diana Heinchon of Brewster, captain of the current tele phone company recruitment drive; Jan ice Prigge, 19, of Carmel, and Joanne Covais, 19, of Shenorock, two of Diana's student operators. Telephone Co. holds 'eat-in Hospital adds more guards to solve congestion problem What's Inside Firemen in Bedford Crew cuts for women page Blueberry bounty page 6 8 Plus: Amusements _ Classified Editorials Letters _ . Service news Sports 14-15 21-23 10 _ 10-11 6 12, 16-18 Strident mailbag .._ Weekend gardener Women's news Bedford ffills Chappaqna — Thornwopd _ 6 . 8 6-7 . 9 3 _ 9 By PHYLLIS COBBS MT. KISCO — The population explosion has hit Northern Westchester Hospital's parking lot and strenuous measures are being taken — including rerouting traffic, posting towaway signs and the addition of extra security officers to the number of as many as four at hours of peak congestion. There are 247 parking spaces in the hospital's lot—not enougn to take care of staff members, volunteers and visitors, to make no mention of residents who park there while they shop or visit offices in the neighborhood. Housewives who pool their cars or take the train for matinee and shopping expeditions to New York have even been using the hospital lot as a convenient meeting and parking place. Northern Westchester officials say THE CONGESTION is not limited to the parking lot. I' has spilled over into the hospital lobby where — on busy days — it is sometimes a case of standing room only. What irks the hospital staff is that the lobby's population is not confined to legitimate visitors, friends and relatives of patients. Mothers frequently leave young children in the lobby while they shop at the supermarket or other stores in the neighborhood. One day recently there were more than 50 children in the lobby at one time — by no means all of them waiting for parents who were visiting patients. Large numbers of unattended children obviously spell trouble, and a chronic problem for volunteers who staff the information and telephone service in the lobby. When the going gets too rough, volunteers call on the hospital's security officers for help. How often is j such help needed? \Seven days a week,\ according to Albert Williams, chief security guard. Area teenagers sometimes use the hospital's Hospitality Shop as a convenient rendezvous for a sandwich or a soda and may even bring their books and do their homework in the lobby. Casual visitors to the area often drop by the^Jiospital to use such facilities as public telephones and lavatories Even when visitors are in the hospital legitimately to visit friends and family, they (Continued on Page Four) By FAYE LILLY MT. KISCO — There was an \eat-in\ at the New York Telephone Co Thursday The company provided the buffet and its employees provided the guests Guests who, hopefully, will become employees Thursday's \recruiting buffet\ — from 10 am. to 2 p m. and from 6 30 to 9 30 p m. at the telephone company building at 45 Main Street — was part of the firm's Summertime Recruiting Regatta, said William J O'Leary Jr , traffic superintendent for the Mt. Kisco telephone, company office,,, m Bates, to relieve a \desperate\ need for enough operators \to give the kind of service we want to give.\ THE RECRUITING campaign offers present employees credits toward prizes for recruiting a prospective employee, more points if this person applies, still more credit if he is hired. Prizes have been doubled for the summertime 'regatta \ There is a full house of operators now on the third floor of the telephone company build ing, where the boards are located. There are 56 board positions and its operators handle calls for upper Westchester and Putnam Coun ties But 35 of the present operators are sum mer staffers, students who in September will return to school. Some 40 \recruiting buffet\ guests were expected by Thursday evening The menu in cluded roast beef, ham and swiss cheese, rolls for those preferring a sandwich, homemade potato and tossed salads and festively-decorated cakes baked by telephone company girls When possible, each invited guest's host was freed from duly so they could have lunch or supper together And talk telephone The Thursday effort by definition had to en joy greater success than the last \recruiting buffet\ held by the telephone company. That one was scheduled the day of a massive snowstorm Election question reply set By VIRGINIA FRANKLIN THORNWOOD — The Mt. Pleasant school board will file an answer to the taxpayer's petition seeking to invalidate the June 11 school board election, president Charles Heath said Thursday. The decision, reached at an executive session after Wednesday s third budget vote (see other story) followed more than a week of- deliberation as to whether the board had, in the legal sense, been notified of the proceeding Service was made three weeks ago on the two board members elected in the challenged voting, Salvatore Ruvo and Alexander Simonetti (who ran unopposed) and on the district business manager, Joseph Christi. The board was uncertain that legal requirements had been fulfilled, since service had not been made on the district clerk. Mr. Heath has been acting clerk, pending the new clerk's assumption of office. THE BOARD president told Patent Trader Thursday that the district would in all likeli hood waive legal service and request an oral hearing before the commissioner of education, who will decide the controversy. Mr. Heath said the board had been given to understand by a member of the State Educa tion Department's legal staff that formal notification of the petition's receipt was on the way. Should the request for an oral hearing be granted, Mr Heath said, it will also be necessary for the petitioner, Mrs Thomas Walsh of Hawthorne, to appear personally in Albany. The school board will attempt to show, Mr. Heath said, that .Mrs.^W*dsh.;dJd''notva;egister tm. purpose, and that she had ample opportunity to register. The kind of evidence to be presented, including district registration books, does not lend itself to written communication, he said The hearing will probably be held sometime after August 18, Mr. Heath said, if the commis sioner does not dismiss the petition in the meantime Boy injured in pool fall CHAPPAQUA — A seven- year-old Mt Kisco boy was re ported in fair condition Friday at Northern Westchester Hospi tal after falling from the high dive ladder at Willowbrook Pool here Thursday afternoon. Admitted to the hospital with head injuries was Eric Pfaff, son of Robert J Pfaff of Brandon Drive, Mt. Kisco. The boy reportedly fell, hitting his head on the cement deck, while climbing the pool's high dive ladder Quarry Acres group plans school tax study LAKELAND - A group of local development dwellers, who banded together to maintain their own roads and water lines, is now reorganizing to study the question of school taxes A committee of officers in the 130 - member Quarry Homeowners Association want to meet with other neighborhood groups and Lakeland taxpayers \for the express purpose of trying to do something about our schools and our taxes. We're not too happy about that right now,\ according to Travis A Langford, chairman of the committee Mr Langford said residents of the 70-home development, which fronts on Old Crompond near the Yorktown-Cortlandt border, are \just about out of the maintenance business. We turned the roads and the water lines over to the Town of Cortlandt and so we're in the process of converting to a social other homeowners groups and individual taxpayers, said Mr Langford. Representatives will be invited to a planning meeting along with members of STAY-L (School Taxpayers Association of Yorktown-Lakeland). Other committee members are • Joseph Vetere Jr., president of the QAHA; Charles Munbelein, treasurer; and Harry Heine, Charles Eckman and John Lee, all members of the QAHA board of directors. Rail rates to be heard NEW YORK — The State Public Service Commission will hold a hearing on the proposed new rates and the service on the Penn Central's New Haven organization But we also want_ ™™ too,at New RocheUe City to provide some sort of raBtf Hall, ^f\ 8 . 1 ' at 7 P m - to express the desires of The decision was made • Thursday afternoon alter Mayor ALBE&T WILLIAMS, chief security officer at Northern Westchester Hospital, uses a walkie talkie to communicate with other guards in the hospital's parking lot. Congestion in the parking area — some of it caused by shoppers who use the lot as a casual convenience—reached the point this week where the hospital had to establish new traffic routes and post warning signs such as this. —Stall I'hotos by Meyer homeowners in our area \ HE ADDED that results of this year's budget vote indicate that many voters are concerned \about our taxes and how our tax dollars are being spent.\ So far the committee has received queries from several Alvin R. Ruskin extended the invitation to the commission;to-- n use the city hall and-faffer^ several officials and pri^ate.^'% citizens had a s k e d ^Rt ^tutfftf commission to hold a:'fcearing f ; 5,^ at a place and time conyenl^Sf:^ to commuters. V^&i*^
