For Rent: Another One Bites The Dust!

We recently deleted a comment from The Paul because everyone in the ABG office felt it was nothing more than blatant posturing by the supervisor and it didn’t relate to that post. ABG doesn’t mind The Paul submitting a comment, but believe all contributors should comment on the specific article they are submitting the comment for. This article is one that he might feel the need to comment on.

Standard & Poor has assigned the town it’s highest bond rating –AAA on April 20th. This was the gist of his comment early that we removed posted under our story about the Finneran Law. While it is always good to have an AAA rating, ABG thinks there are other issues more important to the Town that need be discussed.

One such issue is the Feiner-centric symptomatic closing of another retail giant. This time it is Barnes and Noble bookstore on Rt 119 in the Crossroads Shopping Center. At the other end of this shopping center sits the idled Waldbaums supermarket. When the supermarket was operational, former Town Councilwoman Sonya Brown held a meeting at the church across the street to discuss the impact it’s closing would have on the neighborhood. The Paul was not there as this was during his silent treatment period of Brown as he and his Stepford Board stopped all communications of any substance with her. Simply, he had had enough of Sonya’s independent thinking. We found her sincerity refreshing once she ceased drinking the Feiner kool-aid. However, since the damage was done, it was too late for her to rebound.

If you drive through this particular shopping center, there are many For Rent signs displayed. Drive through the Town and they can be found in abundance. The Paul will tout “his” latest success with the new H-Mart specialty market that recently replaced the abandoned Pathmark location, as though he had something to do with its arrival. Ironically, H-Mart is about to petition the Town for increased seating for their interior restaurants and ask for a variance relieving them of the legal requirement of providing a certain amount of parking per seats. They have overwhelmed the existing parking lot for their size establishment, spilling into other businesses allotted spaces, causing the existing businesses to suffer. It would be a grave disservice to these other businesses if the Board were to approve this request. And yet, we’re sure the request will be granted.

The Paul and the Stepfords have conspicuously remained silent over the scheduled closing of Morton Williams. The former Turco’s specialty market had become a mainstay in the area until Morton Williams purchased it. Regardless, it is still a viable store and location. Everyone knows that Morton Williams is really just another version of Shoprite. Shoprite, you’ll recall, recently opened on Central Avenue in Scarsdale amid the ballyhoo of The Paul, its new (low paying) jobs and is the answer to Greenburgh’s need for supermarkets. Forget that the Fairview section of the Town has been abandoned by both the supermarket industry, the Supervisor and his feckless Board.

How does this affect our bond rating? If you continue to hemorrhage businesses, which translate into rateables, or more commonly, taxable entities, your rating will eventually suffer. The Unincorporated residents of the Town receive their annual double-digit tax increases while The Paul enjoys his annual mismanagement of the Town by increasing taxes with the help of his Stepford Board. As he continues to overdevelop the Unincorporated areas of the Town into unneeded business offices and buildings or low/no income housing, the tax base throughout the Town steadily erodes.  Knowing this, it’s why The Paul is desperate to tout this one achievement at every possible opportunity.

Many of us desire a Greenburgh that maintains a balance, an even keel if you will. We desire a Greenburgh that appreciates green space throughout, not just in specific places. We desire a Greenburgh that applies the rules evenly and fairly to everyone, not allowing developers to build whatever they want, wherever they want. In fact, we desire a Greenburgh with fair representation for all. We can only hope.