It's That Time Again: “I Have The Answer”

Whenever our supervisor appears to be losing visibility, he will pen another op-ed article about a topic over which he has no control, purview, responsibility or involvement. The latest one is his thoughts of how to end the great recession we are experiencing, noting that all levels of government are laying off employees and cutting back services. Much to our ceased-to-be-amazed chagrin, the Journal News published his rant. Feiner criticized the NYS legislature for approving a property tax cap, stating it will cause more layoffs in coming years. ABG is not in favor of caps, unless it’s for spending. Our reasoning is too many of our politicians will simply write another bill seeking to raise the amount when the publicity about the last cap wanes and they want to satiate their thirsty constituents begging for another drink from the same well they control the water from. The Journal News also wrote about the unpaid traffic tickets that have been languishing in boxes in an undisclosed basement vault. As expected, he avoids writing about that hot potato. The Journal News has reworked and published this same parking ticket article three times so far. Is there nothing else going on in Greenburgh?


We feel the need to comment on most of what he has to say because it is so amazingly inaccurate Feiner-speak, ABG finds it unfathomable that these media “leaders” continue to promote this blather. Our comments are in blue.


The Paul stated, “Every layoff has a ripple effect, creating more unemployment.” This sounds like a Yogi Berra-ism if ever there was one. Layoffs do create unemployment, but it also helps business adjust with outdated operations, positions, and non-performing workers. Sometimes layoffs are good for a business. 
“One approach the federal government should take to address our unemployment problem is to provide assistance to local governments to fix our infrastructure.” Incredible as this sounds, the two are unrelated. The infrastructure should be addressed with local budgets and bonds if and when needed. The Paul has no problem urinating away our money for everything else but our infrastructure. 
“Century-old water mains at the local level are breaking, underground drainage pipes are collapsing all over the nation and many of our bridges are structurally unsafe.” He's correct that some of the piping is centuries old. Some fall under the state to maintain but most fall under the local government. He should have been addressing these issues for the last 20 years he's been in office - plenty of time to repair and replace most if not all of the aging components. BTW, our primary concerns are what’s happening in Greenburgh. “Local, county and state governments are not allocating adequate resources to correct this national problem. In addition, state, county and local governments are not appropriating the necessary funds needed to repave our pothole and decaying roads, or to maintain older government buildings.” He’s shirking his responsibility while it clearly falls in his lap. His delinquency with infrastructure maintenance is part of his lack of management ability and skills. ONE example is the Town pools, which each year he claims need to be replaced. ABG doesn't know much about pool maintenance, but his solution this year after ignoring the pools for now five years in a row, is to patch them. Either replace them or stop using this as an escape topic when residents are holding your feet to the fire about something else. 


I got my start in politics in the 1980s. The commuter trains from Westchester to NYC kept breaking down at the tunnel near Grand Central Station. They still do. Members of our office use the trains daily and have “routinely” encountered failed equipment. Commuters were packed like sardines in trains (windows did not even open). The Paul should take a train during regular rush hour periods. Not only are the passengers still packed like sardines and suffering often from no air conditioning, two of our staffers now carry collapsible camp seats with them for the commute to ensure a seat. Westchester residents could not rely on public transportation. The public transportation in Westchester wasn’t as critical back then as Westchester was more rural than suburban and most who lived here drove personal cars. I started a commuter bus system that provided commuters with a choice: bus or rail service. And, also filed numerous small claims actions against the railroad --which helped push our officials to provide funding for new equipment, new commuter trains and better infrastructure. The ABG offices can find no record of this. But, as The Paul knows, we don't have to. He’ll say anything, whether fact of fiction, to fit his opportunistic ego, without being called to task my the ‘lame-stream’ media. Service dramatically improved and we have a dependable train system. The dependability is still an issue. Passengers say they’re used to hearing about equipment issues during the cold weather. Now those same equipment failures in the winter are now happening during the summer weather. Changes have been happening not because of him, but more a result of changes from within NYC, the MTA and a customer base that demanded it. I'm afraid that the budget problems everyone is now experiencing will result in our rail service going backwards-to the days when service was not reliable. Show us proof of this outrageous statement. This is pandering that won’t be refuted by anyone - because it a cleverly stated ploy to elicit fear without fact.


Our Congressional representatives could help create jobs, reduce the unemployment problem and address important infrastructure needs by setting aside significant dollars to local, county and state governments, school districts for our infrastructure. The Supervisor has again lumped several issues into one sentence. First, government cannot create jobs, except for more government jobs that we probably don’t need. Second, government can reduce unemployment by lessening the taxes and fees that are crippling New York business, forcing them to leave New York. Third, setting aside significant dollars for infrastructure is not the job of the state, rather, it’s the responsibility of local government. The ripple impact of a national infrastructure-maintenance program would be enormous on job creation We doubt it. Architects, engineers, secretaries, lawyers, contractors would be hired. While government cannot create jobs, the mandates, requirements and archaic rules they must then follow, will be busy. Notice he hasn’t mentioned anything about labor. The Architects, engineers, secretaries, lawyers, contractors won’t be busy building anything, just filling out and filing paperwork about it. This is not what is needed during this “great” recession. What’s needed is not found anywhere in his statement: a leader with experience in the real world of business. Our Supervisor has never had a job in the private sector and as a career politician is a big part of the problem. Maybe this November will help him experience the private sector?