Paul Feiner: The Creator, Owner and Implementor of NIMBY

Most public servants start out with the best of intentions. They want to help their community, friends and families. Usually, but not always, its not about doing for themselves, but for others. So it was with Paul Feiner in his younger days. Nowadays however, he's drifted for so long with his rudderless ship, he actually believes he can do no wrong! But ABG believes that couldn't be farther from the truth.

We've witnessed Feiner's Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) actions - beyond his inane babling, with the Fortress Bible Church, Westhab, Ridge Hill, Indian Point, Fairview - specifically the Manahattan Avenue community, and his anti-business with the never ending taxes, fees and permits. The list is seemingly endless. Let's touch on a few of the issues in no particular order or cost to the taxpayers of Greenburgh.

He held a “Close Indian Point” (aka NIMBY) rally at Town Hall. ABG acknowledges there are some perks that come with the position of supervisor. So, if electricity, cleaning crews and other "incidentals" were being borne by the supervisor, we'd let it go. But they're not being paid by him, they are being paid by us. He just added 2.5% onto our taxes by a state mandate, and at the last Board meeting, he led the charge to and implemented a raise in our water rates, which his Stepford Board approved. Will it ever end?

ABG will summerize the Fortress Bible (aka NIMBY) decision, where Feiner and his previous Board were found guilty of discrimination. The guilty verdict against the Town of Greenburgh, found Feiner and his Board had violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) when it used the SEQRA process to deny a church the right to construct a new building as proposed by the church. Now there's more to it, but this blog would be too long to get into all over again. We've written about this before. The bottom line for the taxpayers, again on the hook for the Supervisors illegal and immoral behavior, now that the guilty verdict was rendered, will be a minimum of $4 million to up to $8 million! Will it ever end?

The opportunity to purchase the Kings Inn Motel, in it's last iteration as a transitional housing facility for prison inmates in a residential neighborhood, was made with a wink and a nod from The Paul to Westhab. HE decided that more affordable/subsidized housing would be good for Greenburgh. But it would only be good in the Fairview section of the Town (aka NIMBY). Because so much of Fairview has this high concentration of low income housing, Greenburgh was passed over with the Housing Desegregation settlement brought against the County. The Villages love him because he'll keep the “undesirables” out of their neighborhoods and contained in Fairview. He and his board have even deemed certain areas low-income in perpetuity. This has to end.

When the Ridge Hill project came about, ABG was informed that The Paul was against the size and scope of the project and was fighting it. Then we later learned that the development would impact his parents neighborhood. Ah, so it's okay to over-saturate other neighborhoods as long as they aren't yours or your parents (aka NIMBY).

He and his Planning Commissioner Madden have decided to revamp the entire Rt.119 and Central Avenue corridors within the Town boundaries. Countless “outreach” meetings with many communities, under-attended by our standards, brought back similar results from all involved: less impervious space, more sidewalks and bike accessibility, smaller buildings instead of larger ones and the list goes on. So what do these two geniuses look to do? Build a six story building for Westhab, stating it's near the Apple Farm, Pathmark (now closed), bus stops and the train station. And yet, everyone from all the communities stated they want smaller buildings. This has to end.

Speaking of the Apple Farm, these same geniuses at Town Hall wanted to have a permit fee created to charge businesses who want to have a sidewalk sale, stating the Apple Farm puts their produce on the sidewalk (not a sale). The economics of running a successful business in NY, let alone Greenburgh, are staggeringly difficult without having to charge them this fee as the businesses are already paying heavy taxes for their property. And, how many times can we dig into their pockets? The Apple Farm stored some of it's deliveries on the sidewalk. They pay rent and get deliveries often. Sometimes they just can't get it inside immediately. Councilman Sheehan's first question was if they could be fined for that? ABG notices The Paul isn't telling the Hastings Community (aka NIMBY), where he resides, to charge their businesses this fee. So why do it in the unincorporated area?  This has to end.

The list is longer than this post. Paul Feiner embodies Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY). It has to end. It can end this November. Let's keep our fingers crossed.