The County’s
legislative committee for Community Services had a meeting in White Plains that
produced some unexpected behavior as well as a public dress-down for The Paul. It
must not have been a pleasant event for him, even touchy at times, as his insistant
disregard for the county contract he signed on behalf of the Town, the law in
general and the need for affordable housing in the county, placed his antics
and desires in an extremely poor light. ABG is not really surprised.
The Paul has been
promoting to level the former WestHelp housing facility on the Westchester
Community College campus in Valhalla, from an existing low-income housing
facility to full-time, live-in school for disabled children. We are not against helping the disabled or the school where they would reside. More importantly,
the federal housing settlement has certainly left a bad taste in almost everyone’s
mouth, although the County has made laudable progress toward fulfilling the
mandate to create affordable housing per the settlement throughout the County.
Greenburgh, specifically the Fairview and north Elmsford Unincorporated areas,
has an abundant amount of low-income housing, exempting Greenburgh from participating
in creating more. So, while it’s not necessary to create any more, The Paul
virtually gave WestHab the “keys to the farm” in Fulton Park anyway. Then in Valhalla, after losing
another $1.2 lawsuit, The Paul is finding votes from that area more and
more difficult to acquire.
The Westchester Board of
Legislators’ Community Services Committee is comprised of several legislators,
including Greenburgh’s Alfreda Williams and MaryJane Shimsky. They told The
Paul that the board would not amend a lease for the 108-unit former WestHELP property
and to produce a plan that complies with the lease agreement between the County
and the Town. The lease The Paul signed with them mandates usage for low and moderate income housing and
does not allow for changes.
The Paul’s contention
was that a school would generate more income for the Town if it were repurposed
from housing to a school. Nice try. The contract does not allow a change of venue.
ABG believes it would invariably cast an unfavorable light on the County to
take an existing housing facility that could fulfill half of Greenburgh’s
housing requests in one fell swoop and convert it to a school. Why wouldn’t The
Paul want low income housing? Doesn’t he constantly bemoan the need for it?
Truth be told, Feiner had
the audacity to tell the legislators that the Ferncliff proposal would generate
drastically more revenue for the town than adding more units to the town’s
plentiful affordable housing stock. Whoa! Did he say that out loud? Then why
did he allow Westhab to defecate on Fulton Park? When The Paul said the County
should seek to sell the property and split the proceeds in half with
Greenburgh, his suggestion was met with laughter!
When the meeting ended,
Feiner yelled at Legislator Shimsky, ranting for the abolition of county
government, saying the county won’t help local governments. Shimsky responded, “You
were planning this behind our back, something in clear violation of your lease.
To now try to put a gun to the head of the county legislature is... unfair.”
Indeed. But the rule of law doesn’t apply to The Paul in Greenburgh – that’s
where he made his big mistake. He left the sanctity of his little fiefdom.
We’re not sure why, but the
committee agreed to meet with The Paul again on May 15. While this is a victory
for housing proponents, it’s a moral victory to those Greenburgh residents
who’ve said all along this plan should be abandoned and the County and the Town
should continue to use the facility for housing. It reminds us as to why it’s a
good reason to not let your crazy uncle out of the closet. You never know what he
might do. ABG believes the County did the right thing. If only our Town Board
would do the right thing and keep The Paul more in check, Greenburgh might be
better off. We can only hope.
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