A lot of people probably don’t know this, or care. In any case, it wasn’t mentioned in any of the obituaries about Sy Syms, the savvy clothier who died this week.

But hear this all you local trivia fans. Syms had political aspirations. That’s right—he  actually ran for Yonkers City Council in 1963.

This little fact was pulled from the moldy radio archives of WVOX president and all-purpose gadabout, Bill O’Shaughnessy, who interviewed the Cheap-suit King in 1990.

According to a transcript of the interview, Syms said he “lost the election by 2 to 1” to the incumbent, Eddie O’Neil. Apparently he never ran for office again after that debacle.

Syms said he dabbled in politics for 10 years. Maybe that’s how he came up with the winning slogan, “An educated consumer is our best customer.” The same thing could be said about voters.

You have to hand it to O’Shaughnessy, an interviewer who knows how to break chops without crossing the line.

He asked Syms: “Do you buy your clothes at Syms?”
“Of course!” Syms replied. “Well, I shouldn’t say that arrogantly, but yes, I do. And I’m very satisfied with everything I buy.”

Earlier today, Rob Astorino had a meeting with  Bill “Boss” Ryan, the powerful chairman of the Board of Legislators. I know it happened because I’ve seen the pictures, which resemble those strained diplomatic photo-ops you normally associate with chats with figures like Karzai and the little kook from North Korea.

Ryan and the county executive-elect held a summit to discuss the 2010 budget that was proposed by Andy Spano which calls for a 4.89 percent tax increase. Spano called the spending plan an “austerity” budget, but don’t tell that to the fiscal hawks who think that $1.8 billion and change is hardly austere. A zero tax increase or less is more to their liking.

Ryan did the right thing by meeting with Astorino, but it’s anybody’s guess whether he’s going to really follow any of his suggestions. The pressure is on the board, however, to answer the voters call for tax relief.

Meanwhile, the Boss seems to have given the boot to the Westchester County Association’s team of independent accountants—a band of green eye-shade wearing specialist—who were poised to go after the budget like hungry wolverines on a slab of raw meat.

Ryan said he didn’t think the WCA accountants were capable of looking at the budget with the proper “qualitative thinking.”

WCA president Bill Mooney fired off a statement today, saying that “once again Chairman Ryan is totally missing the mark and making erroneous assumptions with respect to our review of the budget and overall county government spending. That statement alone clearly shows how far removed he is from the realities of the business world.”

Mooney said Ryan should be asking the question why county government is so large. He said the Boss refuses to listen to the voters.

“Rather , he is choosing to play the intimidation game by stating that the WCA’s approach will be to cut services to the public, especially the poor.,” Mooney said. “Again, that could not be further from the truth.”

Keep in mind that Ryan and Mooney have a history. When Ryan was caught trying to sneak a substantial pay raise for himself, he reacted to the public outcry by appointing a volunteer compensation advisory commission, which Mooney chaired.

The idea backfired on Ryan because in the end Mooney, in effect, scolded the chairman and other board leaders for engineering a pay grab when so many county residents were suffering economic hardships caused by the recession.

Just when I think—hey, maybe I’ve been too hard on Bill Ryan,  the self-styled “boss” of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, he goes ahead and proves that I was right all along.

Get a load of this. Through his aide, Tara Martin, he’s trying to control communications between the press and the other 12 Democratic members of the board. A memo was sent out today on this very subject. Of course, he can’t muzzle the Republicans, who can just tell him to take a leap off the eighth floor of the County Office Building.

Dubbed “Internal Media Protocol,” the first part of the memo states as follows:

The Press Secretary  will act as the liaison between Legislators and the media. The primary role of  the Press Secretary will be to:
-         Field and thoroughly vet all media inquiries;
-         Be responsible for coordinating and overseeing all interviews (phone or in-person);
-         Will be responsible for providing reporters with requested background on topics in advance of a scheduled interview;
-         Serves as the key spokesperson and media contact for Board.

That press secretary is Martin, who mainly serves the Boss. The most outrageous part of Ryan’s fear-and-loathing move is that ALL MEDIA CONTACTS MUST BE REPORTED to Martin (my caps) before any information is given out. Among other things, nobody can even set up a video camera on the eighth floor without Ryan’s knowledge and permission.

The way I interpret it, the message from Ryan is loud and clear: The legislators don’t answer to their constituents. They answer to him because he’s in charge.

The Boss is losing it.

For guy who barely won his last eleciton by 100 votes and change, he’s certainly on a bizarre power trip.

Bud Adams, the octogenarian owner of the Tennesee Titans football team, found out that flipping the bird in public can cost a lot more than any bail set for repeat felons.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fined Adams $250,000 for making the crude middle-finger gesture at Buffalo fans following a 41-17 Titan victory last Sunday. Over the years, players have been fined for the same offense but suffered far less expensive consequences.

For making half a peace symbol, Adams joins a special Hall of Shame. Check him out in full-fingered madness.

My favorite *%#&- you! of all time was engineered by the late Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. He was pretty darn pissed off.

And then there was pitcher Jack McDowell, the New York “Yankee Flipper,” whose fit of pique was displayed on the back pages of the city’s tabloid newspapers.

There are so many others. In fact, it’s not  suprising that somebody collected them and put them on a Web site.  Click on rage for the gallery.

The “Boss” Ryan gang can’t take a joke.

But I guess humor is in short supply when you are an incumbent and barely win re-election in a district in which your party holds a 2-1 enrollment advantage.

Ryan’s little pal, Alan Goldston, complained about me  in a letter to the editor today because in a recent column  I referred to the “mystery” of the vote count and that maybe some extra votes came from the local cemetery.

Poor Alan didn’t think that was funny. No, not in the least.

Indeed, he was insulted!

Goldston loudly cried about the “innuendo.” My God, I had dared to challenge the integrity of such a fine campaign—the same campaign I hasten to add, that released a cowardly, last-minute flier that flat-out libeled  the Republican challenger in the race, Bob Hyland.

The last I checked, Hyland is still waiting for an apology from the Ryan camp. Not too likely to happen, is it Alan?

But Alan, he’s so upset with me. He’s the one who is insulted. Innuendo!

I was trying to think what this peculiar brand of pomposity reminded me of—and then I got it.  It’s Groucho Marx. In of one of his classic film scenes Groucho takes umbrage when he’s called an “upstart.”

But Alan goes beyond Groucho. He  so mad, he has to resort to the hackneyed. Reisman, he complains,  isn’t a “real journalist.”

Ooooooh!!!! Real enough to make you wail, fella.

Look, if I really wanted to insult you, Alan, I’d say that you’re not  a real ambulance chaser. How would you  like that…hmm?

In the mean time, congratulations on your very, very slim victory. Feel proud.

County Executive-elect Rob Astorino had to know that  Andy Spano wouldn’t make it easy for him. But it’s really up to the Democratic majority on the Board of Legislators to hash out this $1.8 billion budget proposal. They can ill afford to appear as obstructionists to Astorino, who primarily ran and won as an anti-tax candidate.

Now that his days in office are numbered, Spano can thumb his nose. Going out of his way to emphasize the elimination of  the county executive security detail, for example, was a churlish gesture.   If he knew it was a luxury item and out of synch with  tough economic times, why didn’t he get rid of it a long time ago?

Word is that Spano has sent his body guards away and will sell the town car he enjoyed, ruining an opportunity for the new regime to ceremoniously sell the car at auction. What a a kill joy!

Here’s the full Astorino statement about the budget.

Reaction to the budget continues to pour in.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, a longtime proponent of abolishing county government, has come out with demand that a full inventory of county buildings be taken to see which ones can be sold off. Not a bad idea. The county owns thousands and thousands of office space.

That is to say taxes will go up that much if the 2010 budget goes through as proposed by County Executive-Unelect Andy Spano. The first salvo, or spin, in the budget battle was fired off just minutes ago with a press statement from Spano’s office, saying that a continuing fall in revenues and “unrelenting” increases in mandated costs will require the 4.88 percent increase if basic services are to be maintained.

Westchester County has the highest property taxes in America so this will not go down easy in a protracted recession. It will be interesting to see how County Executive-elect Rob Astorino reacts to this.

The recession, of course, caused a $50.9 million shortfall in revenue—mainly sales tax. That  and an $70.2 million increase  in expenses—more than half of which is mre expensive mandated costs, means the county has a $121 million gap. Those mandates include $7.2 million growth in Medicaid and a $13.6 million increase in pension costs.

The proposed $1.819 billion budget calls for the elimination of 37 county jobs, 34 of which are already vacant, saving $24 million. Originally, it looked as if Spano wanted the union workers to accept a week-long, unpaid furlough, but that seems now to be some kind of deferred salary idea. Hardly seems like a great sacrifice.

Not insignificant, however, is that Spano wants to cut off subsidies to the Westchester County Medical Center.

But get this—now that Spano is leaving office, he’s cutting out the imperial security detail that drove him around every where and protected him from terrorist gadflies. Way to go.

Here’s a list of items.

SOME OF THE SPECIFICS IN SPANO’S PROPOSED BUDGET:
•    The abolishment of 37  positions (34 of which are vacant), with an estimated savings of $2.4 million.
•    One-month funding for 9 positions in the county executive’s office and 5 deputy commissioners, saving $1.5 million.
•    In addition, for all remaining employees with the exception of elected officials, the Board of Legislators staff and public safety, correction and criminal investigators, a five-day unpaid furlough, which saves $5.5 million.  (Spano called on the legislators to impose the furlough on its own staff as well.)
•    Elimination of the county executive’s security detail.
•    No tax levy dollars for Playland
•    For the third consecutive year, no pay increases for commissioners, directors and non represented management
•    A savings of $1.5 million in overtime reduction.
•    $5 million in savings from locking in decreased fuel costs for buses and $250,000 in savings from a new Paratransit contract.
•    No cuts to contract agencies.
•    Increase revenues of $4.7 million to the Department of Labs and Research by maximizing the fee structure.
•    End to the county’s subsidy of the Westchester Medical Center, saving $12.5 million.
•    Initial steps to merge the departments of Health and Community Mental Health, with funding for one commissioner.
•    The budget continues cost-savings measures previously implemented ranging from the use of network printers, decreasing the number of duplicative electronic devices, to the reduction of light bulbs to the adjustment of thermostats.

Even if Bill “Boss” Ryan ekes out a victory in Westchester County’s Fifth Legislative District where it still too close to call, it is far from a sure thing that he will hold onto his $89,200 a year job as chairman of the Board of Legislators.

Ryan has had the chairmanship for six years, and seems to have worn out his welcome with the Democratic majority which holds 13 of the 17 legislative seats. Blood is in the water.

Said to be jockeying for position are Martin Rogowsky of Harrison, Tom Abiananti of Greenburgh, John Nonna of Mount Pleasant and Ken Jenkins of Yonkers.

Some insiders think that Jenkins is the front runner.

Maybe he is. Then again, maybe he isn’t.

Either way, he’s definitely trying to jump out ahead of the wannabe pack by showing that he’s a kindred spirit with angry voters who showed just how fed up they were with high county property taxes when they booted County Executive Andy Spano out of office last week.

The 2010 county budget is set for release tomorrow, and Jenkins seems determined to harness taxpayer unrest for his own gain. He’s done this by drafting a resolution that calls for a business advisory committee to look at ways to streamline and consolidate county government.

“We do not need more studies, we need action to control spending, provide tax relief and save money,” Jenkins said in a prepard statement.

Hmm, somebody’s getting the message from that last election. You know  the Democrats are scared when they start sounding  like Republicans.

The other day, I got a call from a Westchester County office worker who is facing the prospect of being on the outside looking in, now that Rob Astorino has been elected as county executive. She wanted to know how to apply for a job with the new administration.

I felt bad because I couldn’t help her. These are scary times to be out of a job.

But today, Astorino announced a new Web site that gives news updates about the transition. Most important to the woman who contacted me, it also tells prospective employees how to apply for a job. I wish her all the luck in the world.

Click on site.

Anybody who is a fan of rock ‘n roll and grew up in Westchester County, especially Yonkers, should tune into “High Noon” tomorrow (Thursday) on WVOX.

My phone guest will be Chip Taylor, the musician who first gained fame by writing the classic, “Wild Thing.” It was first made into a hit in 1966 by the British band, the Troggs.

The kid brother of actor John Voight, Taylor has a new album out called “Yonkers NY,” a two-disc ode to the old “City of Hills”  where Taylor grew up in 1950s and 60s. Songs  include “Saw Mill River Road,” “Yonkers Girls” and the title track.

These and the other eight songs are filled with nostalgic references to people and places that are familiar to older residents. The old Yonkers Herald Statesman newspaper even figures in one number.

A unique feature of the album is that both CDs contain the same songs, but one disc has Taylor telling explanatory stories in between the music. It’s a great production, and I recommend it. You can get it on Amazon.com.

We’ll play some of the tracks on the air during the interview.

So tune in tomrrow at 1460 AM or log onto wvox.com. That’s 12 noon, Thursday, Nov. 12.