New City Court Judge Appointed in White Plains
The White Plains Common Council voted unanimously on March 2 to appoint Lynette Spaulding as city court judge.
Spaulding’s 10-year term will begin on March 19.
“She has decades of experience with the Legal Aid Society,” Council President Nadine Hunt-Robinson said last week as she put forth Spaulding’s nomination. Spaulding is also active in the community, including formerly serving as president of the Black Bar Association in Westchester County, Hunt-Robinson said.
The judge’s seat has been vacant since Sept. 2019, Mayor Tom Roach noted last week. A judicial review board worked to recommend a candidate for the judge position, he said.
Since there were no other nominations for the judge position, the Common Council voted unanimously to appoint Spalding to the Position.
A ceremonial swearing for Spaulding will be held at the April 6 Common Council meeting.
Paper Bag Fee
The Common Council also voted unanimously last week to charge five cents for paper bags provided by stores.
Roach had said previously that paper bags have a bigger carbon footprint than plastic bags and the goal of the legislation is to have shoppers use reusable bags.
Hunt-Robinson recalled last week that at the Council’s February work session the fee “could serve as a tax on the poor and the middle class.” However, Hunt-Robinson said she supported the legislation because 40 percent of the fees collected will be used to buy reusable bags for low and fixed income residents.
LED Lights
Also at last week’s meeting, the Common Council voted unanimously to place LED lighting fixtures at several city owned properties.
The seven-year lease with Brightcore Energy LLC/Graybar Electric Company is expected to save the city save $614,000 over 10 years. The new fixtures are expected by the city to last between 10 and 15 years as opposed to two years for regular light fixtures.
The LED fixtures will be installed at the Delfino Park ballfields, the sanitation department garage, the city vehicle maintenance facility, the Ebersole Ice Rink and fire stations one, two, three, four, six and seven.
Brightcore Energy will replace the lights and the city will pay the bill through savings from the program. There will be no initial cash outlay by the city.
“It’s going to save us a lot of money,” Councilman Justin Brasch said, “It’s another example of our city leading on the environment.”
Roach said the LED fixtures will produce better light and are more reliable than regular lights.
