Failing To Deliver

It should have been a stunning upset at Monday night’s Edgemont petition hearing. Mr Feiner could have simply found the Edgemont Incorporation petition sufficient for a referendum. Instead, he exhibited classic Feiner behavior, making up the rules as he went along to favor those opposed to incorporation. In fact, his bad behavior from the last public hearing held at the Anthony Veteran Park was such a disaster that even his ardent supporters, his own Town Board, were absent this night! He calculated his moves trying to shun responsibility and pawn it off to his hired gun, attorney Robert Spolzino, now a retired judge. After detailing what he felt were sufficient rules, he turned the hearing over to Mr Spolzino. Many objected, shouting once again, that the fix was in.

Scheduled to start at 7:30PM, Mr Feiner did his classic late start at 7:45PM. He couldn’t do any presentations, songs or poetry readings, his usual time-delaying tactics to diminish the amount of time he would have to spend listening to those pesky residents whine for incorporation, so he stacked the deck. First, he had Town Attorney Tim Lewis read the objections from the previous meeting and what had been submitted since. This just ate up valuable time from those who came to speak after abruptly being shut down at the first hearing. Second, he scheduled previous speakers from that first hearing to speak first, further limiting the opportunity for those in favor of incorporation from being heard. 

In fact, when Mr Feiner confidante Mona Freitag approached the podium, the room erupted, people jumped to their feet, vociferously objecting to her being given a second chance to speak even before others had a first opportunity to be heard! He was quickly losing control of the second hearing just as he had with the first. After being embarrassingly called to task by his cavalier dismissal of his own rules, Mr Feiner was convinced to allow her to speak after everyone had spoken. This time he flailed helplessly as there were no Board members able or willing to come to his rescue. 

At one point, Daniel Bernstein spoke to object to an objection filed by Ms Janet Lin at the last hearing regarding his residency. She is the wife of Greenburgh Planning Board appointee Hugh Schwartz. And, while humorously doing so, he received the heartiest round of applause for the evening. As he returned to his seat, Mr Schwartz flipped Mr Bernstein “the bird”. Clearly Mr Schwartz was upset about the comments made about his wife. Many in the audience chastised Mr Schwartz for this less than sophomoric gesture.

The evening progressed with many residents from the Town who stated they would be from within what is now being considered the boundaries of the new Village of Edgemont and that they were registered to vote in Greenburgh elections. We kept thinking, “But did they vote?” If they haven’t, we have a feeling they will this year. At one contentious point, EIC proponent Jeff Sherwin walked up the isle booming, “You are not allowing due process!” It’s a bit ironic because Mr Feiner uses numerous, hollow, buzz-phrases and the Edgemont incorporation has prompted his resurrection of the “due process” catch-phrase. Mr Sherwin was correct.

At another point, former Edgemont Community Council President Michelle McNally said she F.O.I.L.-ed (Freedom of Information Law) the latest submissions at 4 PM prior to this meeting, but was given nothing. Interestingly, Town Attorney Tim Lewis read objections received as late as that same day (Monday). Huh? If he had them, why was Ms McNally denied the information? Separately, Mr Lewis later said the maps submitted were too big and difficult to copy. Could the real reason be because Mr Feiner told him not to release them?

Many objections were read at the beginning of the 2nd hearing, this time held at Town Hall. Mr Feiner also stated the video of the meeting would be posted the following day. Not surprisingly, the video has not been posted by the end of the following business day. In fact, the video and the minutes of the first public hearing on April 5th also have not been posted! But the real trickery still at play here is that Mr Feiner purposely scheduled the second hearing just one day before the 20-day period deadline for public input. Why is this significant? Because it does not give the pro-incorporation people an opportunity to counter any misinformation, bogus statistics or factual shortcomings submitted by anyone from the anti-incorporation side! Mr Feiner knows this full well but will do his best to thwart the pro-incorporation people from achieving their goal: the right to vote to decide if they should incorporate or not.

It is hard, almost impossible to put Mr Feiner’s bad behavior, missteps, unethical practices and trickery aside. The bigger issue is not about incorporation, tax revenue, boundaries, police protection, self-destiny, garbage pickup or any of that. It’s about an elected official not following the law. It’s about the rights of citizens’ being trampled upon. It’s about voters and taxpayers not being allowed to have their due process under the law. It’s about their due process being unnecessarily influenced, coerced and bastardized under the guise of Mr Feiner and his corrupt interpretation to “follow the law”. We know better having witnessed his previous actions. This kind of behavior has gone on for far too many years. This has to change. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.