Abusing Tax Role Resources

Our Town Board, led by our Supervisor, is again skirting legal boundaries with mailings utilizing the Town’s Tax Roles for their political benefit. An industrious reader sent us a copy of an envelope and a letter she and her husband received as an “update” from our Supervisor. The real issue is that Mr Feiner believes because he is the Town Supervisor, he is provided “carte blanche” to use the resources of our Town as he sees fit. Once again, our non-practicing attorney is abusing his authority to access Town information for his benefit. While he may be able to rationalize it legally, it most certainly is an ethical abuse of power that cannot and should not be justified, allowed or tolerated.

At issue is exactly how and what the Supervisor is doing with our information? It’s easy for ABG to distinguish this is his most cost-effective way of campaigning. Under the guise of an informational update he continues to tout selective acts that he and his Board have done. The “updates” also mysteriously leave out specific and sometimes critical facts that are less than complimentary to he and his Board. So while these mailings go to resident taxpayers via the tax roles, they also save him thousands of dollars with each mailing; dollars he would otherwise be spending from his rather large campaign war chest.

One example of the information skew from these mailings proved very similar to his deficient press releases when he was trying to secure Valhalla votes for this upcoming election. His actions to funnel money to the Valhalla School Board were proven illegal in a court of law by former Town Justice Herb Rosenberg and Supervisor candidate/challenger Robert Bernstein, a practicing attorney. Mr Feiner released various statements trumpeting the change of venue from affordable apartments to a school for the WestHelp property on the Westchester Community College campus. He tried to implement this by foregoing renewal of the WestHelp lease, telling the public that then County Executive Andy Spano never sent the contract. It was proven he lied about this after email communications between both were produced. His decision to allow the affordable housing apartments to degrade was initially made by Mr Feiner alone and then condoned by his Board. Several County-level, anti-affordable housing politicians, as well as the predictable Valhalla residents from the area endorsed Mr Feiner’s scheme-for-votes. The unfortunate casualty perpetrated by Mr Feiner’s illegal actions was the school and its children. 

The move of the Ferncliff School for the Developmentally Disabled from their current location was just one in a long list of ill-fated actions that our Supervisor took with illegal and costly results for the Town. He utilizes the tax roles for his own campaigning under the guise of “updates” to the public and then he sends the same information to the media, which dutifully reprints his pabulum unchallenged. He said he was trying to help the Ferncliff School to find a new location and WestHelp would be the perfect choice – if only the state could be convinced to tear it down. ABG cannot ignore that this is a Yonkers-based school and while they can certainly accept anyone’s help, Greenburgh residents need Mr Feiner to focus on Greenburgh. ABG cannot ignore that he had no authority to make any changes to the County contract regarding the purpose of the facility. ABG cannot ignore that this loss of revenue would specifically and negatively impact the Unincorporated portion of the Town. ABG cannot ignore the manipulation of information by not renewing the WestHelp lease for personal gain (votes), costing us the largest portion of non-tax generated income for the Town! ABG cannot ignore this was all unethically done for votes.

Telling the residents that his mailings are legal is our non-practicing attorney/Supervisor simply continuing to not do the right thing. And while utilizing the property tax roles for his personal gain may certainly be legal, ABG cannot ignore that it is an ethical vacuum that the Supervisor and his Board operate within. What needs to change? Frankly, the entire administration needs to change. They, specifically led by Mr Feiner, have been in office for so long, have massaged their words for so long, twisted the truth for so long and utilized every resource at their fingertips for so long for personal gain, it will be a Herculean undertaking to make things right.

The democrats will again win the election for Supervisor for several reasons, just as Greenburgh Democratic Leader Suzanne Berger stated at their nominations meeting. The Westchester Republican Party under Doug Colety, as well as the Greenburgh Republicans under Timothy Hays, have openly abandoned the Town of Greenburgh. The Independence Party is busy selling their endorsements to the highest bidder and the Conservative and other (minor) Parties are busy crafting their individual power plays between Yonkers and Yorktown. ABG has often said we need to have differing points of view on our Board, not because we simply wish to see another party represented, but for more variety, ideas, points of view and creativity. Our current Town Board is not acting in our best interests. They have stagnated in thought, are bereft of conscience, and acting in the interests of outside developers and themselves over our best and well-deserved interests.

This Election cycle provides a choice for the Greenburgh residents. There will be a primary vote this September between Democrats seeking the same position and endorsement from the Democratic Party. The main choice is between two candidates. You can choose to have more of the same by voting again for 22-year incumbent Mr Feiner; or you can vote for a community activist and leader, his challenger Mr Bernstein. Voting for Mr Feiner assures us of a continuing decision making process that has recently cost the Town upwards of $20 million! Voting for Mr Bernstein assures us of a moral and ethical compass that has been untouched in years and a business acumen this Town hasn’t seen in at least 22 years! Primaries don’t usually attract a huge turnout of voters. We hope this year will be different. At the least, maybe we can give the Town’s Tax Roles a rest.