Based on legal coaching from fellow-attorney and NY State Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti, Mr Feiner sued to stop Mr Bernstein from running as a candidate against him. Abinanti even testified on behalf of Mr Feiner. You may wonder why Abinanti would intercede of behalf of his longtime friend? ABG believes this is payback for Mr Feiner’s effort to halt the Fortress Bible Church from building a new church and school on property literally in Abinanti’s former backyard. Once Mr Feiner lost that case in court, Mr Abinanti moved to Tarrytown. They (Abinanti/Feiner) staked their claim that Mr Bernstein must be removed from the ballot on the grounds of fraud for using the name “Bob” on his ballot petitions. The issue of Mr Feiner contesting Mr Bernstein’s petitions caused many who don’t follow Mr Feiner’s crafty hijinks to scratch their heads wondering why he was doing this? The G10 knew why. The Feiner campaign knew why. Abinanti knew why. Feiner repeatedly said he welcomed the competition and it was democracy at work. The press ignored asking any questions, but especially the tough questions, and simply printed Mr Feiner’s prepared statement that he was seeking to block Mr Bernstein’s petition signatures using the courts based on fraud. Given Mr Feiner’s past court experiences, you would think he might have the common sense to stay away from the courts. He also challenged the petition ballot signatures collected by a group of nuns as fraudulent! Sadly, this pathetic behavior is what Mr Feiner has lowered himself to and even sadder is that this is the best the electorate gets because they don’t pay attention to details and succumb to “headline reading” for information.
Doing a modicum of research, we found this post from Mr Feiner’s blog from March 2013. We expect he won’t respond but if he would, it could be something to the effect of “I didn’t write that.” (nor, would he know who did). Or, “I don’t remember writing that.” Or, “Someone else wrote that for me but that’s not what I said.” Regardless, here’s a statement that he did say and posted (yellow highlight by ABG):
Post
from Paul Feiner’s Blog:
TUESDAY, MARCH 26,
2013
Bob Bernstein's comments on the Edgemont Community
Council page are false, fiction, inaccurate
The ECC page has been used by Bob Bernstein to criticize me. That's
democracy and freedom of speech. I have no objections to that.
However-- in recent months much of what Bernstein says is totally
inaccurate. Fiction. Make believe. I sent the following to Bob and the head of
ECC a short time ago.
A reader emailed us a statement that apparently Mr Feiner made to Mr Geoff Loftus, the Edgemont Community Council’s current President, and was posted on the Town website by Mr Feiner (there are more references if you look):
Clearly, Mr Feiner, a non-practicing attorney, knew of Mr Bernstein as “Bob”. Mr Feiner lost his case in court on a technicality and cost Greenburgh taxpayers money once again that needn’t have been spent (wasted). Apparently the old axiom, practice makes perfect is apropos in this case. Mr Feiner named others besides Mr Bernstein in the action but they were not asked to appear in court for the hearing/trial and were not present. Subsequently, the case was dismissed because of it. We understand Mr Abinanti is a practicing attorney, but apparently just not in election law.
As an aside, State election law allows nicknames like “Bob” and a formal opinion of the state board of elections actually states using the name “Bob” for “Robert” is perfectly acceptable. ABG is fairly sure Mr Feiner and Mr Abinanti knew this. But what is more disturbing is that in every election he is opposed, Mr Feiner sues his opponent to get their signatures disqualified and ultimately thrown off the ballot, giving him a free ride back into power. Mr Feiner never does the dirty work himself, rather he has someone else do it. In the previous election, he had Councilman Morgan’s daughter using her married name, challenge former Councilwoman Sonya Brown’s petition signatures and got her removed from the ballot. No overt or visible link back to Morgan or Feiner.
To tell the public that he welcomes competition, that this is democracy at it’s best and he’s happy that someone is running against him makes for a great quote or sound-byte with the media. The downside is that it’s simply another lie that he gets away with. He knew Mr Bernstein was known as Bob but even if he hadn’t, it is disingenuous to say you think the competition is great and then sue to block an opponent. They say that all is fair in love and war. There is no love in this campaign and it may turn into a war. But hopefully civility, class and decorum will prevail. We deserve the truth from our leaders and better from all of our representatives. We deserve a Better Greenburgh.
From: Paul Feiner
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 11:10 PM
To: Geoff Loftus; Town Board
Cc: Bob Bernstein; (Note: Editor has removed other names)
Subject: more distortions and fiction in last nights ECC post
about me
Bob
Bernstein, in last nights post about WESTHELP, indicated that I put up barbed
wires at the WESTHELP facility.
APPELLATE DIVISION REVERSES TAXTER RIDGE
CASE--FINNERAN LAW UPHELD
Release Date: February 19, 2008
Yesterday the Appellate Division reversed the
Taxter Ridge case which Bob Bernstein brought. The court upheld the Finneran
Law and made it very clear that parks and recreation facilities are the
obligations of the unincorporated area. We are bound by the decision.
I would
have been satisfied with any decision that the court made. I thought that it
was important and fair that everyone have their day in court, and since the
villages weren’t included in the complaint I thought that they had the right to
have an appeal in which they could take part.
We now have some work to do to
repair some of the problems that the case has brought about, and we will have
better communications between the town and the villages to make that happen.
With the new spirit on the Town Board, and the goodwill of our residents, I
know that we can do this.
PAUL FEINER
Clearly, Mr Feiner, a non-practicing attorney, knew of Mr Bernstein as “Bob”. Mr Feiner lost his case in court on a technicality and cost Greenburgh taxpayers money once again that needn’t have been spent (wasted). Apparently the old axiom, practice makes perfect is apropos in this case. Mr Feiner named others besides Mr Bernstein in the action but they were not asked to appear in court for the hearing/trial and were not present. Subsequently, the case was dismissed because of it. We understand Mr Abinanti is a practicing attorney, but apparently just not in election law.
As an aside, State election law allows nicknames like “Bob” and a formal opinion of the state board of elections actually states using the name “Bob” for “Robert” is perfectly acceptable. ABG is fairly sure Mr Feiner and Mr Abinanti knew this. But what is more disturbing is that in every election he is opposed, Mr Feiner sues his opponent to get their signatures disqualified and ultimately thrown off the ballot, giving him a free ride back into power. Mr Feiner never does the dirty work himself, rather he has someone else do it. In the previous election, he had Councilman Morgan’s daughter using her married name, challenge former Councilwoman Sonya Brown’s petition signatures and got her removed from the ballot. No overt or visible link back to Morgan or Feiner.
To tell the public that he welcomes competition, that this is democracy at it’s best and he’s happy that someone is running against him makes for a great quote or sound-byte with the media. The downside is that it’s simply another lie that he gets away with. He knew Mr Bernstein was known as Bob but even if he hadn’t, it is disingenuous to say you think the competition is great and then sue to block an opponent. They say that all is fair in love and war. There is no love in this campaign and it may turn into a war. But hopefully civility, class and decorum will prevail. We deserve the truth from our leaders and better from all of our representatives. We deserve a Better Greenburgh.
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