Opinion Exchange

Good afternoon. Here’s a look at opinion content published in The Journal News on Wednesday, March 9 and today, Thursday, March 10:

Wednesday, March 9
Indian Point: Editorial
We comment on a Sunday report from environment reporter Greg Clary that examined the consequences of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant going offline. We argue that opponents of the plant are obliged to present legitimate alternatives to its continued operation. We write:

… While Indian Point in recent years methodically and significantly cleaned up its act, at least based upon the reviews of federal regulators, key political leaders continue to object to its presence along the Hudson River in Buchanan. Both Andrew Cuomo and Eric Schneiderman, the state’s new governor and attorney general, respectively, ran on platforms that called for closing Indian Point, which seeks to extend its operating licenses beyond a 2015 expiration date. What none of Indian Point’s political foes, including ex-Govs. Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson, has yet articulated is a plan for replacing the power generated by the plants, notwithstanding the many studies commissioned for exploring that necessity.


That could prove to be an expensive problem — in a region already renowned for high costs, backward government and a long list of reasons for business and industry to set up shop elsewhere. The plants produce an estimated 25 percent of the electricity used in New York City and Westchester and 12 percent of the power generated statewide. Even those who have called for retiring the plants appreciate that a strategy for replacing the power is an imperative. …

Public safety: Commentary
James Brady, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association in Yonkers, comments on the dramatic rescue of two workers whose scaffold collapsed 13 stories above Nepperhan Avenue on Friday. Firefighter Mike Giroux rappelled down the side of the building to make the rescue. Brady argues that training for such rescues is essential and that should public funding for public safety continue to erode, the outcome of future rescue efforts could be far different.

Thursday, March 10
Port Chester mayor: Endorsement
We encourage Port Chester voters to return incumbent Democrat Dennis Pilla to the village’s mayoralty when they take to the polls in Tuesday’s election. We write:

… The race for mayor in Port Chester, one of Westchester’s most closely watched villages, should be no contest at all — Mayor Dennis Pilla has done that outstanding a job the last four years, and as a trustee earlier. That it is, indeed, a race may say more about the resiliency of bigotry, mainly of the thinly concealed variety, than about his stewardship. Village voters should make a plain statement Tuesday that they support smart, fiscally responsible and progressive leadership, and vote to return Pilla for a third term. The alternative, Trustee Bart Didden, really is no option at all.


Democrat Pilla, who has worked in information management for major corporations, has spent the last years improving the financial picture for Port Chester, in the annual budget, reserves and capital plan; those efforts have been recognized by the ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service with three upgrades — no small achievement amid economic recession. Even while serving in the political minority, Pilla has succeeded in pushing through an agenda that has promoted smarter development and planning; improved quality of life through vastly stepped-up code enforcement, a major issue in neighborhoods struggling with density and illegal apartments; and helped bolster professionalism in a village administration tainted by corruption. …

Donald Trump: Reisman
In today’s column, Phil Reisman contemplates the circus that could be a Donald Trump candidacy for the American presidency.

Energy conservation: Commentary
Larry Tabor, a Palisades resident, encourages his neighbors to consider better ways to conserve energy costs in a Community View.

More opinion
Cuomo, the GOP and redistricting: Editorial, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Political theater? On with the show: Editorial, Albany Times Union
Steady recovery needs the private sector: Editorial, Poughkeepsie Journal
Bag plan to revive millionaire’s tax: Editorial, Daily News