Arrogance of One Party Rule

The November elections have concluded; all voting challenges are concluded, absentee ballots have been counted and the early voting strategy terminated. When reviewing the outcomes and wondering if anything has changed, the answer is a resounding “No!” What has changed is the arrogance of the newly elected and re-elected candidates. They know that their schemes to distance themselves from the Trump effect can now be pushed even farther left, whether it’s good for us or not.

Locally, we’ve watched Mr Feiner maneuver his self-appointed Ethics Committee members, which in Greenburgh is easily considered a contradiction of terms, to abandon ship prior to the election, allowing Town Councilman Ken Jones to “skate” on the two ethics violations charges that have been brought against him by two Greenburgh residents before his preordained reelection. For the uninitiated, all “citizen committees” are crafted by Mr Feiner with their creation by him and his Town Board rubber-stamping hand-chosen members. The purpose of these committees is to ultimately do Mr Feiner's bidding or to rule in favor of a decision he will be making.

Mr Jones, however, has two ethics violations brought against him that have languished because the Ethics Committee chair has been ill and two of its members have resigned. Without a quorum, and basically without a committee, Mr Jones got the green light to run for reelection unencumbered by pesky facts. Keep in mind, this is Greenburgh, and the taxpaying residents really don't have anyone in government looking out for them like the Village elected officials do.

During the last local election campaigns, Mr Feiner’s challenger for Supervisor posed numerous suggestions and ideas that he would try if elected. None were to raise his salary. But the Democratic stronghold dismissed any new, good or innovative governance either from fear or ignorance by skulking away from change, granting Mr Feiner an unprecedented 29th and 30th year as Supervisor. Some of the voting public have never even known a different Greenburgh supervisor. That also goes for the Council members. We’re confident that this was not what the founders anticipated government to be. In fact, you know these politicians have been in office too long once they insist that they need a raise and vote themselves one.

The current 2019 salary for the Town Supervisor is $156,363 - up 2% from 2018. This year Mr Feiner and his Board will increase his salary for 2020 to $159,803 - up 2.2% from 2019. Town Council salaries are also being bumped up from 2019 to $34,714 - up 2% from 2018. The Board will also increase their salary in 2020 to $35,478 - up 2.2% from 2019. What about the 2% tax cap or doesn’t that apply to these one-percenters? All receive FULL Medical Benefits or can opt out for $10,000 if covered by other job or if covered by a spouse or domestic partner. So while our elected officials didn’t even let the election dust settle, they’re voting themselves raises. You re-elected them and sanctioned this so they won’t even need to use the excuses of how it’s necessary because it’s a cost of living raise or they are underpaid for the work they do or that this is really a full-time amount of work. Frankly, those tired excuses are just plain crap. If they don’t like the salaries, step aside. There are plenty of people willing to do the work for that money and provide an honest days work!

Speaking of raises, we are now being fed the same crap from the County Legislators who are decrying their paltry $49,200 for their part time job and are seeking an increase in their salaries to the tune of a 52% increase to $75,000! The last raise they received was in 2005. The proposed half a million dollars would be coming from the $2 billion dollar budget County Executive Latimer has proposed for 2020. The icing on this untasty crap cake will be the increases in stipends for “serving” on committees – whether they meet or not. Also slated are significant raises for department heads and non-union personnel. Claims have been made by Chairman Boykin to offset some of the nearly half a million dollars in expenses for the Legislators raises but hasn’t given any facts. This certainly does not appear that these Legislators have the best interest of the public at heart, only their wallets – which get stuffed by emptying ours.

We’re not saying that there should never be raises but believe that any raise enacted through legislation for any elected position should become effective after that voting candidate has left office. And, regardless of the song and dance excuses about cost of living and the like, the position pays what it pays. Don’t like the pay? Then don’t take the job. If you do take the job, there should also not be any appointments to committees or appointment as the head of a committee until a certain amount of time has been spent doing the job. We understand that these are done-deals or at least the opening salvo. If the public protests, then the amounts might be reduced. It will help to make A Better Greenburgh.