PS 24 parents call for principal's ouster

By Kate Pastor
kpastor@riverdalepress.com

Principal Philip Scharper confronted by reporters outside PS 24 on Thursday afternoon after parents at the primary school called for his resignation.

Parent leaders at PS 24 are calling for Principal Philip Scharper to be removed from his position or resign. This demand follows weeks of rumors that he crossed the line between church and state with Buddhist prayer meetings in his office and attempts to recruit school staff for a “prayer circle.”

Mr. Scharper has refused to comment on the allegations despite numerous opportunities, and some parents say that a lack of communication is the underlying problem with his leadership.

Tracy Shelton, parent association co-president, Unjoo Trebach, PA vice president, and two other members of the school executive board met with reporters at Ms. Shelton’s home today.

PA members Joanne Jurcic, left, and Unjoo Trebach address the media from Tracy Shelton's dining area.

They said the principal’s unwillingness to address the issue proves that he’s unfit to lead.

They said he has refused to communicate with parents about the ongoing investigation by the Department of Education’s Office of Equal Opportunity into the matter. In addition to being accused of proselytizing in the school building, Mr. Scharper is alleged to have a “hate list,” which he and fellow Buddhists “chant over,” as well as handing out prayer cards.

Not everyone at the school gives much credence to the accusations, including some people who work closely with the principal every day. They say they have never been offered a card nor have they been approached to join him for prayers.

“We only know what we read about in the papers,” said Ms. Trebach, maintaining that she could not confirm or deny allegations of proselytizing or a hate list.

One of Mr. Scharper's fellow Buddhists is skeptical about the rumors surrounding PS 24's embattled principal.

“There are plenty of Buddhist compassion chants," said Bill Aiken, director of public affairs for the Buddhist organization to which Mr. Scharper belongs, Soka Gakkai International-USA. "There are no Buddhist hate chants that I’m aware of,” he said, adding, “I think that allegation as a Buddhist strikes me as a bit suspect.”

Ms. Shelton and Ms. Trebach have not polled the school’s parents or parents’ association members, but have the support of the other association leaders and believe they will have support of many at the school.

One staff member, who did not want to be named, said it was a small group of teachers and parents who wanted Mr. Scharper removed because they are now unable to exert as much influence as under the previous administration.

Rumors that speak against Mr. Scharper are matched by others that say the allegations are part of a vendetta started by a disgruntled staffer at the school.

But dissatisfaction with Mr. Scharper’s leadership style is nothing new at PS 24, according to a number of parents, teachers and staff members.

One supporting indicator is the Department of Education’s Learning Environment Survey Report. The school community rated the school lower in every category (safety and respect, academic expectations, communication and engagement) the year Mr. Scharper took over the helm.

“It all comes down to his lack of competence as a leader,” said Ms. Trebach.

Update on 'Doomsday' transit scenario

By N. Clark Judd

njudd@riverdalepress.com

 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted this morning to institute a series of fare hikes and service cuts throughout the subway, bus, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road systems, which will be phased in between May and July.

The vote delivered on a promise MTA officials made earlier this month to institute a so-called “doomsday” budget if the state Legislature and Gov. David Paterson could not agree on a program that would increase revenue for the public benefit corporation. In the wake of the vote, lawmakers and MTA executives continued to do what they have been doing since December, when plans began to circulate that would generate more revenue for the public benefit corporation — they pointed fingers.

As a result of the vote, two bus lines in the Northwest Bronx will likely be eliminated, another line through Riverdale will cease to run at night, and the base subway and Access-a-Ride fare will increase to $2.50, among other service cuts and fare increases.

In remarks delivered this morning, MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger laid blame for the changes at the feet of three state lawmakers — two of whom represent the Bronx — who refused to go along with earlier plans because of tolls on the East and Harlem River bridges. The three state senators, Pedro Espada Jr., Ruben Diaz and Carl Kruger, later backed an alternate plan that did not include bridge tolls and called for greater oversight by the state comptroller over the MTA.

“For years some of our most vocal critics have made careers out of calling for more transparency at the MTA,” Mr. Hemmerdinger said, according to an e-mailed press release.

“At the core of our structural deficits is a starvation diet from some of the very same folks who have abandoned us now,” he later added. “It includes most, but probably not all, of the internal, external, formal and informal oversight entities and processes we’re subject to. It’s remarkable we can get anything done with all the folks we have looking over our shoulders. But we do.”

The first plan to give the MTA more revenue-generation options, produced by a commission led by former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch, included tolls on the East and Harlem River bridges, a one-third-of-one-percent payroll tax, and fare increases.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver proposed a compromise plan that would tie all the tolls to the cost of a subway fare; the Ravitch plan would have done that for Harlem River bridges only, and set the other bridge tolls equal to those at other major MTA bridges.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith gained the support of Mr. Espada and Mr. Diaz with his counter-proposal, which also lowered the payroll tax and fare increases, but deferred addressing costs of capital projects. The MTA will deliver its next capital plan in October.

Mr. Paterson, Mr. Ravitch and MTA officials publicly rejected that plan.

In an e-mailed statement released this morning, Mr. Espada, who represents parts of Fieldston, Riverdale and Kingsbridge, showed no signs of budging from his position.

“I believe there is ample time for Albany to step in and prevent these massive fare hikes and service cuts,” he said. “I remain optimistic that we will have a plan in short order to deal with the MTA’s operating subsidies and the capital plan. But I remain steadfast that the MTA must present an actual capital plan to the state Legislature before the Senate will approve any revenue stream for such a plan.”

While Mr. Hemmerdinger accused the lawmakers holding out against the Ravitch plan and Mr. Silver’s compromise proposal of holding the rest of the state’s leaders hostage, Mr. Diaz accused Mr. Hemmerdinger of doing much the same thing.

“They are holding the community hostage,” he said.

“They say no, you give me now, you give us now the money for the operational problems that we’re facing and you give us money for the capital plan that nobody knows what it is,” Mr. Diaz said. “Otherwise we’re going to shut out the services … and we’re going to blame you.”

'Doomsday' comes to MTA

By N. Clark Judd

Public transit riders in downstate New York are in for a shock this summer.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted this morning to institute a series of fare hikes and service cuts throughout the subway, bus, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road systems, which will be phased in between May and July.

Effective May 31, the base MetroCard fare will increase to $2.50 from $2, an MTA spokesman confirmed today. A 30-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard will cost $103 as of that date.

Access-a-Ride fares will remain tied to the subway fare. A one-way Access-a-Ride trip will cost $2.50, said the spokesman, Aaron Donovan.

The Bx20 bus, which runs from West 246th Street in Riverdale to West 204th Street in Inwood, will cease running altogether; the Bx10 bus, which runs from the city line in Riverdale to Norwood, will cease running overnight; and the Bx34, which serves Norwood and Bedford Park, will also cease running. Mr. Donovan said the bus service cuts will go into effect this summer.

Express bus fares will increase to $6.25 from $5. Effective June 1, Metro-North fares will go up as much as 29 percent for all ticket types to and from Manhattan.

Hudson Rail Link prices could increase by as much as $1.

Effective July 11, The Henry Hudson Bridge toll will become $3.50 cash or $2.41 for E-ZPass holders.

The MTA board voted this morning to approve those changes,12-, with one absence. Norman Seabrook voted against the changes and Andrew Saul was absent.

The vote is the climax of a series of theatrical public hearings, one in each borough. At those hearings, MTA board members and Eliot Sander, its executive director, listened to the grievances of transit riders and workers who would be affected by the hikes.

After each hearing, Mr. Sander punted the issue of service cuts and fare hikes to the state Legislature, saying that the MTA could not avoid the severe reductions in service without the state’s help.

A plan backed by Gov. David Paterson, originated by former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch and a commission Mr. Paterson appointed, would have seen the establishment of a one-third-of-one-percent payroll tax and tolls on the East and Harlem River bridges. All the revenue would go to the MTA, bolstering its coffers.

In the Legislature, a compromise forwarded by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver largely based on the Ravitch plan was stalled by the objections of several state Senators, including Pedro Espada Jr., who represents parts of Fieldston, Riverdale and Kingsbridge, and Rev. Ruben Diaz, who represents the West Bronx. Those lawmakers objected to tolls on the East and Harlem River bridges, as does Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith floated a counter-proposal backed by the Democratic conference, which did not include bridge tolls, but that plan did not address the MTA’s long-term capital needs. Mr. Paterson and MTA leadership voiced aggressive dissent to that plan.

Mr. Smith has since been unable to drum up the votes for another viable counter-proposal.

MTA leadership said earlier this month that they would institute this so-called “doomsday” budget today if the Legislature and governor did not put together a means for the public benefit corporation to generate more revenue.

Mr. Espada and Mr. Diaz were not immediately available for comment.

Klein on CNN

State Sen. Jeff Klein, whose district includes parts of Fieldston and Riverdale, appeared on CNN yesterday discussing tenants' rights:



Mr. Klein has previously pushed legislation through to require banks who foreclose on homes to keep them in a state of good repair, and is now working on legislation ensuring that tenants of landlords who are in foreclosure are notified about the status of their home.

'Law & Order' returns to Riverdale

Director David Manson and the rest of the cast and crew of the USA television series, Law and Order Criminal Intent, could be spotted on Liebig Ave. in North Riverdale on Wednesday evening, where they were filming a segment for the 8th season of the show, which will air on April 19th.

Rob Lopez, a production assistant on the show, said they gets a kick out of shooting here.

Press coverage cited in New Yorker

Kevin Deutsch, who has led our coverage of the arrow shooting that took place in front of the Schervier Nursing Care Center, was quoted as an authority on the case by The New Yorker Magazine. You can read the full story here.

Man charged in arrow shooting

By Kevin Deutsch

Police think they have their bowman.

Investigators arrested 27-year-old Eric Collins for allegedly accidentally firing an arrow into a woman’s belly outside Schervier Nursing Care Center Sunday afternoon, police said.

THE HOUSE the alleged bowman lives in is separated from Schervier by a wooden fence.

Eric Collins, a plumber from Yonkers, was arrested after police discovered new evidence and got a witness statement that implicated him, police said. Mr. Collins was charged with second-degree assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

Police said Mr. Collins was unpacking after moving into a home owned by his
grandparents at 3001 Independence Ave., right next door to the care center, when he allegedly uncovered his bow. Police say he then went outside and fired a 30-inch fiberglass arrow at the fence that separates his home from Schervier.

The arrow had a dull, rounded tip, but enough velocity to rip a silver-dollar sized hole in the bottom of the fence, change trajectory, and strike Denise Delgado-Brown, 51, of Yonkers, in her stomach, police said. Ms. Delgado was dropping off friends at the care center when she was struck, investigators said.

Ms. Delgado’s cries of pain were probably audible, but even as police launched a neighborhood manhunt, Mr. Collins failed to come forward, police said.

Detectives originally thought the arrow might have been fired from a rooftop as far as 300 yards away. In fact, the space between the fence and the front of Schervier appeared to be just a stone’s throw.

Police said they talked with Mr. Collins about 2 p.m. Sunday, shortly after they arrived at the crime scene. Though he lived next door, he said he hadn’t heard anything in the aftermath of the arrow shooting, police said.

Over the next five days investigators took measurements, combed area parks, and bounced theories off each other about the arrow’s trajectory.

Finally, on Thursday, an astute 50th Precinct detective spotted the tiny hole at the bottom of the fence; a detail police hadn’t noticed until then.

Mr. Collins was re-interviewed.

“It seemed to jive,” said Sgt. Jim Foley, the 50th Precinct squad commander. “He seemed evasive and nervous.”

Foley conferred with his detectives and they brought Mr. Collins in to the station house to give a statement.

Mr. Collins then invoked his right to an attorney, and has not admitted any wrongdoing. He did, however, point police to a witness who implicated him, Foley said.

Mr. Collins was arrested at the station.

Police have since found more arrows while executing a search warrant at Mr. Collins’ grandparent’s home.

Mr. Collins had no intention of hitting anyone, investigators believe.

The bizarre scene that led to Mr. Collins’ arrest unfolded in a driveway outside the Schervier Nursing Care Center on Independence Avenue between 227th and 231st streets about 1:40 p.m. Sunday.

Ms. Delgado had just left services at the Christian Assembly Church in Yonkers, and was about to drop off two friends when she parked in front of the care center and stepped out of her red Kia Sorrento. Ms. Delgado was walking to the back of the vehicle to remove a platter of food when the arrow ripped into her.

Because of the angle at which the arrow appeared to strike Ms. Delgado, investigators had initially theorized it had been fired from a rooftop or other elevated area.
Now, they believe the arrow struck her at a different angle, and that it shifted position when she clutched at it.

She was released from St. Barnabas Hospital Thursday.

Police in the 50th said this was probably the most high-profile case they’ve worked.
“It was good, old-fashioned detective work,” Foley said.

Police detain suspect in arrow attack

Police think they have their bowman.

Investigators have taken a 27-year-old Riverdale man into custody for allegedly firing an arrow into a woman’s belly outside Schervier Nursing Care Center Sunday afternoon, a police source said.

Eric Collins was interviewed at the 50th precinct shortly after 10 p.m. and is expected to be charged in the attack. Mr. Collins had recently moved into a small home at 3001 Independence Ave., right next door to the care center. The house is owned by his grandparents. Investigators believe he fired the arrow through the fence that separates his home from Schervier.

The bolt pierced a hole in the fence before striking Denise Delgado-Brown. She was hit in the stomach by the fiberglass, professional-grade, 30-inch arrow, which had a rounded practice tip.

Detectives originally thought the arrow might have been fired from a rooftop as far as 300 yards away. In fact, the space between the fence and the front of Schervier appeared to be just a stone’s throw.

Ms. Delgado-Brown suffered serious injuries but has been released from St. Barnabas Hospital.

— By Kevin Deutsch and Kate Pastor

Helicopter makes emergency landing

A commercial helicopter made an emergency landing at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale this morning around 8 a.m.
Poor visibility due to snow forced the pilot for Liberty Helicopters to land on the home’s Great Lawn. The pilot was apparently taking a passenger from Kingston, N.Y. to a location on Wall Street.
Residents gathered inside the Jacob Reingold Building where they could see the helicopter through large windows, according to Lisa Dimeo-Luna, the home’s director of logistics.
“We thought they were delivering a big shot,” said Bertha Bobry, a resident who walked out onto the field to get a closer look.
Aviation police arrived on the scene and the helicopter took off again shortly after 11 a.m.
According to Ms. Dimeo-Luna the landing was “safe, smooth, soft.”
-Kate Pastor
Photo by Claudio Papapietro

Woman struck by an arrow in front of Schervier nursing home

A 51-year-old Yonkers woman was struck in the abdomen by an arrow outside the Schervier Nursing Care Center on Independence Avenue between 227th and 231st streets on Sunday afternoon, police said. The victim, Denise Brown-Delgado, was dropping off a resident of the home, and had just stepped out of her red Kia Sorrento when the rounded point of the arrow struck her.

She was rushed to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, with the arrow still in her upper abdomen as she was lifted into the ambulance. Ms. Brown-Delgado underwent surgery, and was in stable condition, authorities said.

It is unlikely the woman was intentionally targeted, police said, though the bowman had not yet been identified after hours of canvassing.

Olga Rivera, the woman who was being dropped off, described what happened.

"She stepped out, turned and got hit in the stomach. She said 'Olga they shot me with an arrow,'" Ms. Rivera said.

An ambulance was called, and Ms. Rivera stayed with her friend, who she described as being in a lot of pain, though reasonably calm. "She asked me, 'Why did they shoot me?'" said Ms. Rivera, who has lived at Schervier for three years.

The group was coming back from Sunday services at the Yonkers Christian Assembly church.

Investigators believe the arrow may have been launched from a park on Palisade Avenue, which is in the direction Ms. Brown-Delgado was facing when the bolt struck her. There are a number of video cameras on the Schervier's grounds that may offer evidence of what took place.

Area residents were frightened in the wake of the shooting.

"It could have been any of us. I don't go out alone at night, but this happened in the light of day," said Doris Glickstein, who has lived across the street from Schervier for 39 years. "Who would do such a thing?"

City Councilman Oliver Koppell was on the scene not long after the incident took place.

"It could be someone just fired an arrow into the air and this is where it landed. Or it could be a deranged person who wanted to inflict violence," he said. Either way, it's very strange."

"I'm really afraid now, the person is still out there," Ms. Rivera said.

Woman struck by an arrow

A Yonkers woman was shot with an arrow as she dropped a friends off at the Schervier nursing home located on Independence Avenue, between 227th and 231st streets in Riverdale.

It is unclear under what circumstances the arrow was launched.

More on Medicaid

Someone called in today concerning our three part series on the state's Byzantine rules concerning health care for seniors and low-income folks.

Her parents are 89 and 94 and just moved to Riverdale from Brooklyn. Elder law is quite complex, and she's trying to put together a trust for her folks to better manage their assets. Power of attorney, medical proxy — it takes thousands of dollars paid to elder law attorneys to sort all of this out.

The long and short of it is that it can be very hard to pass on assets to your kids. Samuel Rousso, 77, also a local resident, called last week in response to our Medicaid series to make that point, too.

He gets a tax credit from the state for the premiums he pays for long-term care insurance — he's one of about 300,000 New Yorkers who holds such a policy — but his fixed income isn't high enough for him to get the full credit. He figures the difference between how high the credit can go and how much he receives is about $5,000.

He said he had hoped to pay his own way, and takes pride in not relying on taxpayer money to support himself. But combined with the high cost of health care and how the stock market has hurt his retirement savings, he's uncertain he'll be able to continue doing that.

A surprise to no one

The Working Families Party today announced their endorsement of Democrat Ruben Diaz Jr. in the special election for Bronx borough president.

"Ruben Diaz Jr. has always been there for the people of the Bronx when they needed him, and we know we can count on him to continue that work as borough president," said Dan Cantor, Working Families Party Executive Director, in a press release. "We need to protect and expand affordable housing, improve access to quality health care, and make sure schools receive their fair share of funding. Working with Ruben, we know we can make the change we need."

There's more in this week's edition of The Riverdale Press, but the long and short of it is that the field of candidates compatible with the WFP's party line has narrowed to just one man — Mr. Diaz — in the course of the last couple of weeks.

Decide, already!

Okay, this is getting absurd.

The borough president's race made sense when it was going to be Ruben Diaz Jr. and Joel Rivera, the favorite sons of two longtime Bronx political dynasties, in the fight. It was easy to wrap the brain around those two wrestling over the post, a combination of borough economic development czar, booster and Jewish grandmother. It's a stepping stone for higher office and both men are young and ambitious.

It also sounded like it would be fun to cover: Mr. Diaz and his father, state Senator Ruben Sr., were on their way in the door as part of the coalition that had just taken party power from Mr. Rivera's clan, led by father Jose, the assemblyman.

Then Israel Ruiz Jr. started visiting every newsroom in the borough, resume in hand, to announce his run for ... something. Either beep or City Councilman. The former state senator said he'd run wherever he had a political base strong enough to give him a shot.

Then Mr. Rivera's father reportedly hinted that HE would run, which sounded like a prank at the expense of the reporters who carried that rumor. Then both Mr. Riveras, reportedly, dropped out entirely.

Now nobody seems to know if Councilman Larry Seabrook is really in the race, too.

Not even his staff.

Rather than go crosseyed keeping track of who's saying what and when, we're going to wait until March 16 — when petitioning ends — to give a definitive list of who's in and who's out.

Preliminarily, it looks like Mr. Diaz is going to be lonely on the ballot with the Republican candidate, Anthony Ribustello. We haven't spoken with GOP boss Jay Savino, but county Young Republicans are pow-wowing about carrying petitions for him. So he's likely to make the ballot.

The caveat is that City Councilman Jimmy Vacca tells us the last Republican borough president to be elected in the Bronx was Joseph F. Periconi in 1961. So you figure out for yourself what Mr. Ribustello's odds are of being the guy when the votes are tallied.

Mr. Seabrook's media director said he was definitely running, but she couldn't immediately confirm that he was circulating petitions or say who was carrying them. We're waiting on a call back. Observers have told is it wouldn't be unheard of for Mr. Seabrook to be playing this game just to keep his name in the news.

Petitioning ends March 16, putting Mr. Seabrook at a bit of a disadvantage. He's got to get 4,000 people to sign on to his campaign in order to get on the ballot.

Then again, Mr. Diaz — who's been preparing for this for easily a year — just cranked out 16,000 of them in four days.

Over the last three months, Mr. Rivera's opponents have conjured up all kinds of salacious rumors about why he might drop out: He didn't want his campaign finances that closely inspected; he didn't have the organization to win; the cost of a loss, the latest in a series for his family's political dynasty that includes his sister Naomi's failed attempt to regain control of the political club in her Assembly district, was too high. There's no evidence behind any of them.

In January, he elected to freeze his campaign finances for citywide office, postponing a run at borough president until 2012; the theory in political circles was that Adolfo Carrión Jr.'s departure would make the Campaign Finance Board amenable to allowing him to un-freeze that war chest for this April special election.

An e-mail sent to Mr. Rivera's spokesman, asking if Mr. Rivera would have been able to un-freeze that money to run again in November — which he'd have had to do anyway to keep the post if he won in April — has not yet been returned.

Eric in '09?

Now that Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau — a former Riverdale resident — has scrapped his "90 in '09" campaign for re-election, a line is forming to replace him.

Riverdale and Upper West Side lawmaker Eric Schneiderman might get in it.

"He has to decide very soon," his spokesman, Mike Meade, told me just now.

As City Hall notes, he's coming off the end of a decade-long campaign to get a Democratic majority in the state Senate, and he just got the job he's been gunning for since he was first elected in 1999. Still, he wouldn't have to give up his current job to run.

His competitors have the jump on him, fund-raising-wise, but he's the only one of them to have successfully campaigned for elected office.

Here's the best bit of Edward Isaac Dovere's woolgathering on Mr. Schneiderman:

More than that, though, is the chance that the very same political background which some might see as making Schneiderman strong, may wind up working against him. Local voters, editorial boards and groups like the bar association have often looked to see the office as separate from politics as usual. The result is that while district attorneys elsewhere around the country are often politicians, in New York City, they have tended not to be: Queens District Attorney Richard Brown was a judge in several courts, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes spent most of his pre-DA career as a prosecutor, Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan was a deputy borough president and prosecutor and Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson was a judge and prosecutor. Of the five current city district attorneys, Morgenthau had the most political background, with his run for governor in 1962 and firing as United States attorney by Richard Nixon.