Round 2 at Pocantico Lake, plus tax reform and climate change in D.C.

I love the Westchester Parks system – from the North and South County Trailways to Ward Pound Ridge, the Bronx River Reservation, and, of course, Playland.

Who doesn’t love to whoop and holler as the Dragon Coaster makes its final descent?

So it was of great interest to me when I learned about the county Parks board’s recommendation that Westchester consider the purchase of 37 acres on the eastern shores of Pocantico Lake on Sleepy Hollow Road. The board wants the county to buy the land to stop the construction of 29 single family homes on half-acre lots at the former estate of the late Philip Morris CEO Joseph Cullman.

My latest Tax Watch column explores the issues at stake – and the less-than-enthusiastic response by county officials to the proposal.

The parks have drawn me in for hiking and biking through some of the region’s most beautiful terrain. They’ve also provided ample fodder for stories about public recreation, land use, and privatization of park management.

I remember the last time Westchester County added a significant chunk of land to its extensive park holdings in 1998, when it plucked up 170 acres from IBM for $3.5 million to create the Hudson Hills golf course in Yorktown.

Since then, the parks action has focused on the development of parkland, be it at Playland, throughout the county’s extensive trailway system and at its six public golf courses.

County Executive George Latimer has focused on fixing up the parks that went into decline during the two terms of his predecessor, Rob Astorino, whose capital budget for parks paled in relationship to what Latimer has spent. He has committed hundreds of millions to county park projects, including the gem of a trail the county created from Scarsdale to Hartsdale along the Bronx River.

Latimer’s biggest move on the size of the park system came in 2018, when he proposed selling 14 acres of the Bronx River Reservation in White Plains to a local development company, with the purchase necessary to balance the county budget. After parks advocates spoke out, Latimer dropped the proposed sale after the county won state approval to increase its sales tax.

Inflation Reduction Act

As mid-term elections draw near, Congressional Democrats are hungry for a win. My latest column looks at the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, a slimmed-down version of President Joe Biden's massive Build Back Better plan that failed to gain the support of enough Senate Democrats to pass.

The new plan provides a way to pay for investments in initiatives to combat climate change by setting a minimum tax of 15% on corporations with profits that exceed $1 billion as well as closing the carried interest loophole enjoyed by hedge fund managers.

One tax issue that fell by the wayside was the $10,000-cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi staked his run for the Democratic nomination for governor on the issue. But Suozzi came in last in the primary.

Cuomo in Westchester

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo finds Westchester a great place to reside – when it comes to casting a ballot in the political realm that he’s operated in for so many years.

In late May, Cuomo registered to vote on the home of his sister, Maria, and her husband, fashion designer Kenneth Cole, at their palatial compound on 11 acres in Purchase. The former governor dumped his stuff off there a year ago after his resignation - and his abrupt departure from the Executive Mansion, which at the time was his only residence. Now he “resides” in Purchase, but his spokesman told me for a recent column that he’s spending more time out on Long Island this summer, where his brother, Chris, lives.

While Chris has announced his new cable TV show on NewsNation, we’re still awaiting Andrew Cuomo’s announcement about his next act.

Stillbirths in New York

My colleague, Diana Dombrowski published an important story on the issue of stillbirths in New York. She explores the grief experienced by mothers and fathers who live with the loss. And she delves into the anger they feel that the state’s parental leave law excludes them from paid-time off at work after the experience.

It was great to listen in to the Twitter Spaces on the issue on Wednesday as looked to break the stigma of stillbirths by talking with parents about how they dealt with the aftermath.

Thanks for reading,

David McKay Wilson, columnist

Email: dwilson3@lohud.com

Twitter: @davidmckay415

Mobile: 914-217-5600

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Pocantico Lake, Inflation Reduction Act and Andrew Cuomo moves back