Week in Review: A Triumphant Win, a Heartbreaking Loss, and Politics as Usual

From a last-minute goal on the soccer field to a triumphant romp in the endzone, local sports heated up this week for Port Chester's Rams.

In girls soccer, an energetic Port Chester squad battled Sleepy Hollow at Washington Irving School on Thursday, matching the home team with a 1-1 score for most of the game.

As the game clock ticked, Sleepy Hollow's Jamie Bucci made sure the contest didn't go to overtime, knocking in a goal with less than two minutes left.

At home, the girls volleyball team put in two solid games against Harrison's Huskies on Thursday before relenting. They'll try to rebound tomorrow against Groton after a performance Rams Coach Kathy Federici called "flat."

But the week ended on a high note Saturday, when the boys varsity football team cruised to a comfortable victory over Beacon's Bulldogs en route to their best start in a decade. With a trio of touchdowns, the Rams put themselves comfortably ahead by halftime and never looked back. They'll take their unblemished record to the field against Pearl River next Saturday.

Politics as Usual

As the first primary results began rolling in Tuesday night, it became official – we're in prime campaign season, and voters have a lot of decisions to make as politics dominate the headlines over the next seven weeks.

Most local voters used electronic voting machines for the first time. There were a handful of minor glitches, and a small number of people found the machines confusing, but the primaries came and went without any major problems.

Incumbent Nita Lowey and challenger Jim Russell are vying for New York's 18th congressional district, which includes Port Chester. Lowey, whose time in congress spans more than two decades and 11 terms, easily defeated Russell in 2008. And despite the tide of anti-incumbent sentiment across the country, there's been no talk of any vulnerabilities on Lowey's part in this election.

But Lowey raised a few eyebrows when she canceled an appearance at a candidate forum Monday, leaving Russell taking questions from voters by himself. A spokeswoman for Lowey said "an urgent matter" prevented the congresswoman from attending the debate and a Sept. 11 memorial earlier in the day, but didn't elaborate.

Primary day itself was uneventful – Democrats and Republicans rallied behind their respective candidates in Port Chester's state senate and assembly districts, and all four candidates ran unopposed in their primaries. The only surprise came at the statewide level, when Tea Party personality Carl Paladino shocked former Congressman Rick Lazio.

...and in Port Chester

In local politics, five of Port Chester's trustees issued a press release saying they're not responsible for the resignation of Village Manager Christopher Russo.

Russo, who told the board he's leaving his job and moving to Florida in two months, has been on the receiving end of anger from some trustees this summer as Port Chester dealt with widescale theft from its parking meters, a crumbling – and dangerous – sea wall on the waterfront, and a growing list of large bills without the money to pay them.

Russo's departure was hinted at in early August, when several residents scolded the board for combative meetings, and one woman warned that professional staff would leave if trustees verbally abused them. Trustee Sam Terenzi said of Russo: "At $190,000 a year, he's not going anywhere."

When Russo gave his notice three weeks later, Mayor Dennis Pilla called it "a warning sign to the new board," which was sworn in early this summer amid promises of cooperation and transparency instead of politics.

But five board members – Bart Didden, Sam Terenzi, John Branca, Joseph Kenner and Luis Marino – issued a joint statement saying it was unfair for the mayor to suggest the board's actions caused Russo to quit.

They say they want an apology from the mayor, and argue he's to blame for Russo's departure. They're also not happy with Russo – Didden said Russo was looking for a new job "clandestinely, on our time."

"Dennis has come to the realization that the new board is not a bunch of bobbleheads, and the fact that he is the mayor doesn't give him any additional powers other than to call the meeting to order," Terenzi said.

Kenner attributed Russo's departure to Pilla's "management style," while several paragraphs later, Terenzi is quoted saying Russo "felt it would better to cut and run than withstand the constant scrutiny of the new board."

Pilla said the departure of Russo is another headache among bigger problems – like the collapsing sea wall and the parking meter investigation – and said he was bewildered that "with all the problems Port Chester has, this is what they're worried about."

Pilla suggested a few trustees are looking ahead to the mayoral election next year.
 
"We're getting an early start on March in Port Chester," he said. "We're doing it at the expense of talented professional staff, and at the expense of the village."