End of Month Campaign

Each month promises several things from The Paul. His usual deflection, under the guise of “open government” aside, is only effectual through the lamestream media that awaits his buzzword heavy regurgitation with poised pen. Beyond his bi-weekly media-machine press releases, typically discussing a topic of no involvement or interest to the Town, are his Town financed individual mailings. This time, the mailing is so he can provide our US Senators and Congressional representatives with feedback as to the experiences residents and businesses experienced just over a year ago after Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. His letter is below:

In our May 2 post, entitled, $2,000 Mailings or AAA Rating?, ($2,000 Mailings or AAA Rating?) we discuss how The Paul uses Town resources, within marginally legal acceptability, to do monthly and bi-monthly mailings for campaign purposes. Oh sure, they’re not official campaign literature as that would require an expenditure of his own money and a filing with the Board of Elections. However, they are at our expense for his benefit. Another mailing saw the announcement of his contacting these same legislators and urging them to do something about flooding in the Town. Not him, them!

In January, five months after the flooding and destruction on both sides of the Town along the Bronx and the Saw Mill Rivers, the only two waterways in which water is exited from the Town, there were countless interviews by The Paul on TV and “advertorials” in The Paul-friendly papers. The big news was when the Town hired/contracted Jonathan Raser, a Hazard Mitigation Program Manager from Tetra Tech, for possible future actions regarding flooding in Greenburgh. His company had been previously hired by the Town to study the flooding problem in the Town and draft a Hazard Mitigation plan with the police chief and then act on the Towns behalf to try to acquire flood relief funds. At least Raser is seeing an increase in his bank account from the Town’s flooding.

The Town now has a Hazards Mitigation Plan. Apparently, its sole purpose is to allow the Town to apply for flood related funds. It doesn’t address the dire issues our residents experience each time we experience a heavy rain. It also doesn’t guarantee the Town or it’s residents (homeowners and businesses) will receive any help or assistance. In a letter from Jonathan Raser, shown to us from one homeowner, he stated that he and the Town have exhausted all the avenues and we will be unable to secure funds for purchasing homes (by FEMA), raising homes or making repairs nearby to homes and businesses in the flood prone areas. This was the extent of The Paul’s assistance and for a fee!

This mailing, pictured above, highlights that The Paul hasn’t done much, if anything, to help the residents in the Town with flooding. ABG believes the residents are certainly capable, perhaps more so than The Paul, with providing feedback to our representatives. As everyone with flood insurance knows, FEMA, which underwrites the policies, is like every private insurance company and not interested in paying out money if they can avoid it. He also asks for suggestions to improve the process for the next storm. Multiple posts here, multiple speakers at Town Board meetings, and letters to The Paul and his Stepford Board have detailed much of what’s needed, which would only be a rehashing of those suggestions submitted. 

ABG has repeatedly witnessed The Paul and his Stepford Board’s ignoring of information and assistance provided by residents. This mailing is simply his public strategy to seem to care. He doesn’t. Greenburgh got a break this year with a mild winter and lack of snow, reducing seasonal flooding from the usual winter thaw. We’ve also had an unreasonably dry summer. Now would be the time to address many of the flooding issues throughout the Town. Public Works Commissioner Victor Carosi has been trying, in spite of The Paul. We suggest everyone having received his letter answer it. It will remove his next mailing where he tells us he didn’t get enough of a response to formulate a plan. The Paul has got to go. We can only hope.