KEEPING Homeless Shelter Would Prove a Costly Mistake

In the Saturday edition of the Journal News, the Paul Feiner media machine allowed him his monthly rant about something he has no control, jurisdiction or involvement. It was entitled, Closing Homeless Shelter Would Prove a Costly Mistake. This time it was the WestHelp facility in Valhalla, on the Westchester Community College campus. According to this op-ed, Feiner hopes the County Executive and the County Board of Legislators will reconsider their decision to close the unnecessary facility, calling their decision penny-wise and dollar-foolish. Talk about the pot calling the kettle anything. ABG is reasonably sure that the entire County decision-making group didn't just come in to work one day and say, “What can we close today? How about the WestHelp facility?” We're sure this was not a lightly made decision.


He goes on to quote costs for housing the homeless in hotels and motels, as well as housing them in a facility such as WestHelp. He continues to say he was against using hotels in the 1980s when he was a county legislator. But he never tried to change it. It's easy to fault someone else as well as a past you can conveniently recall as needed. He's bludgeoned the Fulton Park neighborhood with a Westhab project even though homelessness is down everywhere and a building of this nature is no longer viable. 


The supervisor continued to quote statistics regarding the amount of applicants and recipients of food stamps in Westchester County. He cites the increase in food pantry requests, saying the requests have increased, but cites no data or numbers. He discusses foreclosures, evictions, unemployment and the ripple effect the closing will have on the community. This statement reminds ABG of the comment he made at a January Town Board meeting that if the Theodore Young Center were to close, crime would increase in the neighborhood. What!? This is a racist thing to say and unfortunately, everyone on the Board condoned the statement as they stared at the table before them. Its sad.


The County pays $1.2 million a year, an amount Feiner withheld one year until he got caught, and is concerned that Greenburgh will lose this source of income if the facility is closed. Poor management will do that to a politician more concerned with his future than his constituents. At the end of his piece, he states, “A loss of $1.2 million in revenue translates into a significant tax hike in our townwide budget.”


It’s interesting the supervisor would automatically think to raise taxes even more. Isn't a 7% increase in overall spending, drawing down on the fund balance and borrowing, along with tax increases of 4.5% for the unincorporated areas of the Town, which includes an almost incredible 87% increase for the entire town a bit much? How about applying these concepts in reverse and offering residents a tax break instead?


The supervisor and his previous board, ousted by him for daring to disagree with his agenda, has failed to put money aside for the guilty verdict in the Fortress Bible judgement, which when rendered, promises to spend more money to the tune of $8 million! The pools at Veteran Park, with repairs postponed yet again, will eventually have to be made. Where is the money?


At each Town Board meeting, we see about $100 thousand in tax certiorari challenges and adjustments. Since the Town hasn't had a revaluation in years, any business that challenges their tax bill must automatically be granted the reduction. Homeowners should be doing the same thing, but those applicants are few and far between. 


In the end, the mismanaged Town of Greenburgh is imploding under the failed leadership of Paul Feiner and all he continues to do is wax eloquent on hot button topics that don't concern him. He should stop his silly comments and articles about things that don't concern him and focus on reducing taxes in Greenburgh while maintaining services and increasing the declining quality of life. We need to see leadership from our leaders and jettison incompetence. It's time.