There have been two debates (links below) this past week between 28-year Democrat Town Supervisor Paul Feiner and Independent challenger Lucas Cioffi. The first debate, while cordial, was held at the Greenburgh Library in the large conference room. There were about 50 or so people in attendance for the League of Women Voters (LOWV) led evening. As an aside, this is not the first event run by the LOWV but it sure seemed like it. While their moderators claim to not live in the Town, they still allowed Mr Feiner more time to speak than Mr Cioffi, a clear bias that has be seen at other events in our Town run by the LOWV.
All questions were forced to be censored by having attendees write their questions on 3" x 5" index cards. This control of questions, limits the information flow to voters and is counter-productive, ensuring a safety net for incumbents. Since Mr Feiner boasted of his 28-year tenure as valuable job experience, he cut off those critics who either believe he has been in office too long or favor term-limits. Mr Cioffi favors a three-term limit as a maximum.
Ironically, at the Town Board debate several months ago between the two annointed Democratic candidates running against Democratic Hartsdale resident Eric Zinger (we believe a better choice), Councilman Jones stated that a candidate needs 12 years to get anything done if elected. His neatly-crafted and yet absurd explanation was that it takes 4 years to settle in and get past the previous position-holder's issues. The next four years to introduce his issues while working on other Board member issues and the final four to get his issues addressed. If that were truly the case, when will he seek to change the term for Greenburgh Council persons to 12-years? It seems very convoluted to us.
So with Mr Jones into his third term, he should be leaving us soon. As an aside, Mr Jones also has two pending ethics complaints brought against him during the summer months that have languished. Why have they languished? As you know, Mr Feiner, vis-a-vis’ his Town Board, chooses and appoints all members to all of the Boards he creates or sustains.This Board is no different. They had been operating for over a year with one less member than “required”. That member, supposedly a Republican for balance on the otherwise Democratic Board, had been AWOL for about a year after being appointed. Since then, two members resigned and one is out on sick leave. This is known within the Town’s various Boards as falling on the “Feiner sword” whenever necessary. By doing so, Mr Jones gets to seek re-election unencumbered by the “Ethics Complaint Albatross” overshadowing his candidacy. After Mr Jones is re-elected to his Council seat, Mr Feiner will appoint new members to revitalize his Ethics Board.
The first evening’s debate had no real drama or fireworks. Mr Cioffi mentioned early on that he had told Mr Feiner that he would keep the campaign civil and courteous. He also said that after 28-years, it was certainly time for a change. Mr Feiner said that his 28-year experience, contacts in state and federal governments have helped him get things done for Greenburgh.
One thing that he didn’t mention was his ability to get laws changed that benefit him, such as the one he asked his cohort Assemblyman Tom Abinanti to introduce in Albany to change the incorporation laws to slow, stop or thwart the Edgemont incorporation effort. Or, like the one he asked Mr Abinanti to introduce to alter the Finneran Law. Why is this significant? Payback. Mr Feiner did Mr Abinanti a favor by blocking the Fortress Bible Church from building on property that was behind Mr Abinanti's home and neighborhood. Mr Feiner would subsequently be found guilty of lying under oath and destroying evidence by a Federal Court and fined $6.5 million dollars. That was one helluva a price for Mr Feiner to pay, but in reality, we are the ones paying! By the way, Mr Abinanti has since moved out of Unincorporated Greenburgh!
The second debate, hosted by the Hartsdale Neighborhood Association, would find an equally stifling environment of 3" x 5" index cards and a lack of community engagement. This one would offer a slightly different environment. The opening statements would be five minutes instead of two and answers would be restricted to two minutes instead of one and a half. Mr Feiner was allowed to go first, reading his accomplishments from prepared text in a loose-leaf binder with topic tabs. So there was literally no change in content this evening from him with the exception of going longer. Interestingly, he kept touting the Towns AAA Bond rating, which does little for us since the Town floats few bonds. It really only highlights the taxpayers ability to dig deeper into their wallets every time he raises taxes. He also claimed that the Town has stayed under the 2% tax cap. But if you take away the allowable exceptions when calculating the actual tax increase according to Mr Cioffi, we have seen an average 4% yearly tax increase over the last 20 years!
Mr Cioffi stated that Mr Feiner has a reputation for answering phone calls and emails at all times of the day or night. He has billed himself as the problem solver. He also said that Mr Feiner claims the Town is running well and our various departments are doing a fantastic job. That may be, at least according to what Mr Feiner says, but since Mr Feiner is the only one person receiving and responding to emails, we’ll never really know. In fact, Mr Cioffi said that this is a failed model because there is only one point of contact for 90,000 people, which is inefficient, provides little to no accountability and no open or accessible records that could be studied and quantified by residents.
Another interesting proposal by newcomer/fresh voice/outside thinker Lucas Cioffi is a two-year tax moratorium once he takes office. This idea, which has several reasons behind it was copied by Mr Feiner who has recently started saying that the Town will have a 1-year tax moratorium this coming year. This exemplifies why we need to have term limits and why it’s time for a change: different ideas, different thinking, different solutions.
Want another idea that highlights different thinking? When his opening 5-minutes started, Mr Cioffi said that he would address all questions from where he was seated but would go in front of the crowd for this one part. “This one part” turned out to be him saying to everyone, “Think about what it is that brought you here tonight?” The second question is, “What does Greenburgh need right now and going forward?” Then he asked everyone to introduce themselves to the person next to them and tell them why they were here. This was a powerful and creative gesture, the likes of which we promise will be copied and reused by Mr Feiner.
After this unique opening, Mr Feiner and Mr Cioffi danced around the issues. Mr Feiner read most of his answers from his playbook and Mr Cioffi comfortably responded to the questions without a prepared set of answers. Now, we don’t believe for a minute that Mr Cioffi wasn’t prepared, but he seemed thoroughly knowledgable with the information he was putting forth. He also said that this election was about building bridges across our neighborhoods.
The first debate spent a lot of time, questions and answers about the Edgemont Incorporation issue gnawing at the Town. The second debate did not. Mr Feiner spoke often about the unsanctioned Hartsdale 4-Corners revitalization. He has already spent an unauthorized $400,000 dollars on purchasing two properties behind the old DairyDel corner store. He also mentioned that there are many priorities throughout the Town, including storm water and traffic issues including at the four corner area. What he didn’t mention was that he has ignored those problems especially in that area during his 28-year tenure and only got interested in them when rumors of a Hartsdale Incorporation began circulating.
Mr Feiner also mentioned a food scrap recycling program. He didn't discuss getting our taxes under control. Mr Cioffi did. Mr Cioffi said the budget is 220 pages with only three charts. He pointed out that Mr Feiner said Mr Cioffi’s two-year tax freeze wasn’t a good idea, and then a week later copied the Cioffi campaign’s idea with a one-year freeze. Feiner supporters will justify this as smart - taking a good idea and running with it. Realists, however, will be critical and wonder why he never did this before? 28-years of complacency.
We can go on but won’t. As Mr Cioffi said in his summary remarks at the second event, “Mr Feiner talks about how he can get Albany to listen but he can’t get Edgemont to listen.” This election is not about who is the best candidate, but to quote Mr Cioffi, “It’s about what is the best system to run Greenburgh?” Mr Cioffi has a lot of good ideas, something we have not had in years. This might just be the change we need to make for A Better Greenburgh.
Learn more by watching the debates for yourself (links below). Or, come to the next debate to be held on Monday, October 28 at the Theodore D. Young Community Center (32 Manhattan Ave, White Plains) @ 7pm.
Debate Links:
https://youtu.be/1qW4O4tdXnE
https://youtu.be/6h0_skPh7Tc
Showing posts with label Greenburgh Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greenburgh Library. Show all posts
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Cancelled Community Meeting To Be Rescheduled
Important Message
The weather model has not provided us with a steady nor definitive track of potential snow and ice for this evening. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, the Greenburgh Central School District will cancel all after-school programs and evening activities for today, January 29. The community meeting scheduled for 7 pm at the Greenburgh Public Library will be rescheduled to a date in the very near future. Please visit our website, social media platforms and television station for a new community meeting date at the Greenburgh Public Library. Please be safe!
Sunday, June 26, 2016
It Needn't Take Eight Years
Whether you call it a Comprehensive Plan, a Master Plan or something else, it’s an idea whose time is long overdue for our Town. In Greenburgh, a Comprehensive Plan already exists that was created numerous years ago by many forward thinking leaders. Most residents don’t know of it because Mr Feiner and his Board have allowed pretty much any design or proposal to be built, regardless of whether it blended with the surrounding area or not. However, eight years ago an effort was undertaken to create a new Comprehensive Plan for the Town, citing a need for a plan for the Town’s future.
Many residents, including ABG and the G10 favored this idea. But we favored it for more selfish reasons. We wanted a Comprehensive Plan in place to slow Mr Feiner and his Board’s spot-zoning explosions throughout Unincorporated Greenburgh. You see, when there is a Comprehensive Plan for a Town or Village, it makes rezoning more difficult to do according to NYS law and sets some ground rules in place that must be followed. The ground rules in Greenburgh are pretty much “anything goes” and it shows.
In Fulton Park, for example, Mr Feiner championed the Westhab low-income apartment building that has been referred to by most who see it as The Gulag, a hideously designed building mostly of exterior grey slabs that add no warmth, feeling of neighborhood or community to it and stands out like a sore thumb. It reminds many of the drab Russian buildings seen in the 1960’s and 1970’s, hence the name, The Gulag. In fact, residents were ignored when they asked for a more attractive and conducive structure to be built, being told it was patterned after area buildings, specifically the old Nynex phone company building across the street. Even it, designed and built in the 1950’s shows more character. Now that it is being leased to the County for DSS services, it will never be given a fresh look.
Another example is the Greenburgh Library, often referred to as “The Ski Slope”, an apparently award-winning design. But that matters little after the lead agency approved it and then tried to cut corners. Who was the lead agency? Mr Feiner and his Board, of course. And, they approved the design even after Mr Feiner said he didn’t like it – he was hedging his bets and was “playing” the public by doing his typical rope-a-dope, “I like it, I don’t like it.” While the old library offered more space and utilization even though it may not have won any awards, there were immediate issues with the new addition, overseen by Mr Feiner and his Town Board sans planning, building or construction experience.
Many residents, including ABG and the G10 favored this idea. But we favored it for more selfish reasons. We wanted a Comprehensive Plan in place to slow Mr Feiner and his Board’s spot-zoning explosions throughout Unincorporated Greenburgh. You see, when there is a Comprehensive Plan for a Town or Village, it makes rezoning more difficult to do according to NYS law and sets some ground rules in place that must be followed. The ground rules in Greenburgh are pretty much “anything goes” and it shows.
In Fulton Park, for example, Mr Feiner championed the Westhab low-income apartment building that has been referred to by most who see it as The Gulag, a hideously designed building mostly of exterior grey slabs that add no warmth, feeling of neighborhood or community to it and stands out like a sore thumb. It reminds many of the drab Russian buildings seen in the 1960’s and 1970’s, hence the name, The Gulag. In fact, residents were ignored when they asked for a more attractive and conducive structure to be built, being told it was patterned after area buildings, specifically the old Nynex phone company building across the street. Even it, designed and built in the 1950’s shows more character. Now that it is being leased to the County for DSS services, it will never be given a fresh look.
Another example is the Greenburgh Library, often referred to as “The Ski Slope”, an apparently award-winning design. But that matters little after the lead agency approved it and then tried to cut corners. Who was the lead agency? Mr Feiner and his Board, of course. And, they approved the design even after Mr Feiner said he didn’t like it – he was hedging his bets and was “playing” the public by doing his typical rope-a-dope, “I like it, I don’t like it.” While the old library offered more space and utilization even though it may not have won any awards, there were immediate issues with the new addition, overseen by Mr Feiner and his Town Board sans planning, building or construction experience.
The thermal heat pump HVAC system that was supposed to be put on the south side of the building where the drive and employee parking is, was not put there because the lead agency didn’t do their due diligence, their homework, or ask the correct questions of the plans. Had they correctly followed the process they often brag about, they might have learned that moving it to the other side of the building – which they authorized – and only going half as deep as they needed, would prove ineffective and be a waste of time, money and resources. Other issues continue to plague this facility: leaks in the roof, failed boilers for heat, inadequate and failed air conditioning units, lack of community room space, frozen sprinklers and leaks every year and more. Is it any wonder the Library was unable to stay open on weekends several years ago?
At the last Town Board meeting, another hearing for the proposed Comprehensive Plan was on the agenda. The watered-down and almost ineffectual newly proposed Comprehensive Plan was more proof that this has been shaped into a political agenda and wreaked of a lack of open government from 177 Hillside Avenue. Town Councilman Francis Sheehan and then Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden were leading this project. Members from different Boards were also members of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. You must keep in mind that all Board members for Building, Zoning, Planning and others are appointed positions by Mr Feiner and ratified by his Board. All of those Board members know they must tow the Feiner-line or risk being “Sonya’d”. So the shapes of these Boards along with their decisions are easily influenced and results had by Mr Feiner. His Board just knows to go along or be jettisoned in the next election.
Speaker after speaker as well as community leaders all bemoaned the changing of so many sections and how the document no longer reflected the will of the people who were given several opportunities to not only provide initial creation input, but to review various iterations of it at 5 road-show meetings. The people were clear. They wanted more green space, less traffic, smaller buildings, bike and walking paths and cohesive designs so buildings create a beautiful community, not a disjointed, ad hoc corridor of competing designs. Why did the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee summarily dismiss the will of the people? ABG staffers believe Mr Feiner told those he controls that it was what he wanted. Why do we think this? Because almost every time Mr Sheehan would report at a Town Board meeting that the committee was wrapping up its proposal for public consumption, Mr Feiner would throw another task at them that would delay them, sometimes for more than a year! He does not want a Comprehensive Plan because it will stunt his ability to help his developer friends.
Eight years is a long time for any committee to exist and not provide any substantive and positive conclusions. In fact, in Pleasantville, they are undertaking the updating of their Master Plan for themselves. Smartly, they have hired BFJ Planning to assist them with this undertaking and are already making headway. Their existing plan dates back to 1995 and they thought it time to refresh it as they have so little developable space left. One resident said he favored seeing more retail space in the center of the Village and a green gathering space instead of parking spaces. Obviously, he doesn’t get it. If you have retail, a) you must accommodate parking as to attract shoppers; b) short of restaurants, nail salons, pizza parlors and such, how much “downtown” shopping would be generated?; c) with current taxes, vis-à-vis rents, what kind of retail operation can afford to maintain their business especially if there is limited parking? Sadly, the retail they will get is limited mostly to large retail chains that small Towns and Villages seem to resist.
Having a plan for almost anything is a good idea. Undertaking such an intensive project is not for the faint of heart. The Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee took on a big task. They got sidetracked with city development planning terms like “charrettes” and “nodes” thanks to Thomas Madden and perhaps others. They wasted time on Climate Change when they could have used one line to say, “they would strive to have developers and the Town participate in the most ecologically sound practices to preserve our resources and environments.” In fact, the Town Board adopted LEEDS certification requirements that they never enforce that could work toward that end. The committee watered down other areas, which would allow extremely loose interpretation on zoning change requests by developers, giving Mr Feiner the carte blanche he currently has with spot-zoning changes he wishes to make.
The Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee needs to ask for a “time-out” and go back to the drawing board and construct a plan that is actually forward-thinking for the future and does not just explain what we currently have. This golden opportunity missed can still be salvaged. If the pressure from the corner office is too great, perhaps it’s time for a change in the committee and especially at Town Hall. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.
At the last Town Board meeting, another hearing for the proposed Comprehensive Plan was on the agenda. The watered-down and almost ineffectual newly proposed Comprehensive Plan was more proof that this has been shaped into a political agenda and wreaked of a lack of open government from 177 Hillside Avenue. Town Councilman Francis Sheehan and then Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden were leading this project. Members from different Boards were also members of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. You must keep in mind that all Board members for Building, Zoning, Planning and others are appointed positions by Mr Feiner and ratified by his Board. All of those Board members know they must tow the Feiner-line or risk being “Sonya’d”. So the shapes of these Boards along with their decisions are easily influenced and results had by Mr Feiner. His Board just knows to go along or be jettisoned in the next election.
Speaker after speaker as well as community leaders all bemoaned the changing of so many sections and how the document no longer reflected the will of the people who were given several opportunities to not only provide initial creation input, but to review various iterations of it at 5 road-show meetings. The people were clear. They wanted more green space, less traffic, smaller buildings, bike and walking paths and cohesive designs so buildings create a beautiful community, not a disjointed, ad hoc corridor of competing designs. Why did the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee summarily dismiss the will of the people? ABG staffers believe Mr Feiner told those he controls that it was what he wanted. Why do we think this? Because almost every time Mr Sheehan would report at a Town Board meeting that the committee was wrapping up its proposal for public consumption, Mr Feiner would throw another task at them that would delay them, sometimes for more than a year! He does not want a Comprehensive Plan because it will stunt his ability to help his developer friends.
Eight years is a long time for any committee to exist and not provide any substantive and positive conclusions. In fact, in Pleasantville, they are undertaking the updating of their Master Plan for themselves. Smartly, they have hired BFJ Planning to assist them with this undertaking and are already making headway. Their existing plan dates back to 1995 and they thought it time to refresh it as they have so little developable space left. One resident said he favored seeing more retail space in the center of the Village and a green gathering space instead of parking spaces. Obviously, he doesn’t get it. If you have retail, a) you must accommodate parking as to attract shoppers; b) short of restaurants, nail salons, pizza parlors and such, how much “downtown” shopping would be generated?; c) with current taxes, vis-à-vis rents, what kind of retail operation can afford to maintain their business especially if there is limited parking? Sadly, the retail they will get is limited mostly to large retail chains that small Towns and Villages seem to resist.
Having a plan for almost anything is a good idea. Undertaking such an intensive project is not for the faint of heart. The Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee took on a big task. They got sidetracked with city development planning terms like “charrettes” and “nodes” thanks to Thomas Madden and perhaps others. They wasted time on Climate Change when they could have used one line to say, “they would strive to have developers and the Town participate in the most ecologically sound practices to preserve our resources and environments.” In fact, the Town Board adopted LEEDS certification requirements that they never enforce that could work toward that end. The committee watered down other areas, which would allow extremely loose interpretation on zoning change requests by developers, giving Mr Feiner the carte blanche he currently has with spot-zoning changes he wishes to make.
The Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee needs to ask for a “time-out” and go back to the drawing board and construct a plan that is actually forward-thinking for the future and does not just explain what we currently have. This golden opportunity missed can still be salvaged. If the pressure from the corner office is too great, perhaps it’s time for a change in the committee and especially at Town Hall. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Jazzy Weekend At The Library
The Greenburgh Public Library has a number of terrific events always happening at the library. Once a month, Frank DeLigio leads a group of jazz fans through a marvelous journey of jazz discussions about jazz musicians, discussing the musician's life, music, contributions and participation in the industry. This weekend hold even more in store as Mr DeLigio and his participants - open to everyone - discuss the life and times of jazz pianist Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell. Below is the information for the event. Take a bit of time to kick back and have a listen and talk about what you hear. It always promises to be a fun afternoon!
On Sunday, there will be a live performance by the Art Lillard group, the On Time Trio in the large meeting room off of the main lobby. This also promises to be an enjoyable afternoon.
See you at the library!
GPL’s Jazz Discussion Group led by Frank DeLigio
Saturday, April 16, 3:00 p.m.
This month the group will discuss the life and work of the legendary Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell
(September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966. He was a jazz pianist, born and raised in Harlem, New York City. Though Thelonious Monk was a close friend, his greatest piano influence was Art Tatum. Guest artist, Rocco Dapice, will demonstrate at the piano what made Bud so special. Free and open to the public!
Event Location: Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY 10523
Join us for a concert by: Art Lillard's On Time Trio
Tradition and Invention
Sunday, April 17, 2:00 p.m.
Art Lillard, drums
Ted Kooshian, piano
Ratzo Harris, bass
An exploration into the American Songbook and its use and re-use in our country's development of jazz. The performance will also include some of Art Lillard's original compositions.
Event Location: Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY 10523
On Sunday, there will be a live performance by the Art Lillard group, the On Time Trio in the large meeting room off of the main lobby. This also promises to be an enjoyable afternoon.
See you at the library!
GPL’s Jazz Discussion Group led by Frank DeLigio
Saturday, April 16, 3:00 p.m.
This month the group will discuss the life and work of the legendary Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell
(September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966. He was a jazz pianist, born and raised in Harlem, New York City. Though Thelonious Monk was a close friend, his greatest piano influence was Art Tatum. Guest artist, Rocco Dapice, will demonstrate at the piano what made Bud so special. Free and open to the public!
Event Location: Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY 10523
Join us for a concert by: Art Lillard's On Time Trio
Tradition and Invention
Sunday, April 17, 2:00 p.m.
Art Lillard, drums
Ted Kooshian, piano
Ratzo Harris, bass
An exploration into the American Songbook and its use and re-use in our country's development of jazz. The performance will also include some of Art Lillard's original compositions.
Event Location: Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY 10523
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Update To Preventing Public Access to Conference Rooms
ABG posted an article on January 23rd, about the Town enacting a new policy when the public was not present, severely restricting the use of Town Hall’s assorted conference rooms for neighborhood meetings. We believe this is nothing more than another ploy by the Town politicos to hinder public interaction with Town Hall. Seemingly operating covertly and under the cover of darkness, this move is exacerbated by an already untrustworthy administration.
We posted:
“In an unexplained move that we’re told originated from the Town Clerk’s office, the public is no longer allowed to utilize Town Hall conference rooms for meetings!” We were told that this originated where we said. However, in the comments section of that previous article, Town Clerk Judith Beville posted this statement:
“Dear All;
Please be informed that changes in the use of meeting rooms at Greenburgh Town Hall absolutely and unequivocably did not originate with the Office of the Town Clerk. The official resolution on this matter was approved on December 22, 2015 and is posted on the Town's website. Once again, these changes did not "originate" from the Town Clerk's office nor is the Town Clerk authorized to make such changes. Thank you for this opportunity to share a comment and thank you, too, for your attention to my note of clarification regarding this misconception.
Best regards to all,
Judith A. Beville
Greenburgh Town Clerk”
We will not refute the statement and in the interest of fairness, accept Ms Beville’s comments as correct.
Another comment we made in that same article was regarding a question we had posed to the Police Chief, Chris McNerney. We had said:
“The Board has supplied a nicely written list of “Whereas’s” to cover themselves, it “states” and uses the Police Chief as a scapegoat, saying this is being done upon his recommendations. We reached out to the Police Chief for information but did not receive a response.”
We have finally received a response from the Police Chief and share it below:
“ I hope all is well with you. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
We posted:
“In an unexplained move that we’re told originated from the Town Clerk’s office, the public is no longer allowed to utilize Town Hall conference rooms for meetings!” We were told that this originated where we said. However, in the comments section of that previous article, Town Clerk Judith Beville posted this statement:
“Dear All;
Please be informed that changes in the use of meeting rooms at Greenburgh Town Hall absolutely and unequivocably did not originate with the Office of the Town Clerk. The official resolution on this matter was approved on December 22, 2015 and is posted on the Town's website. Once again, these changes did not "originate" from the Town Clerk's office nor is the Town Clerk authorized to make such changes. Thank you for this opportunity to share a comment and thank you, too, for your attention to my note of clarification regarding this misconception.
Best regards to all,
Judith A. Beville
Greenburgh Town Clerk”
We will not refute the statement and in the interest of fairness, accept Ms Beville’s comments as correct.
Another comment we made in that same article was regarding a question we had posed to the Police Chief, Chris McNerney. We had said:
“The Board has supplied a nicely written list of “Whereas’s” to cover themselves, it “states” and uses the Police Chief as a scapegoat, saying this is being done upon his recommendations. We reached out to the Police Chief for information but did not receive a response.”
We have finally received a response from the Police Chief and share it below:
“ I hope all is well with you. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
The lack of security and porousness of Town Hall have been concerns of mine for a long time. Town Hall is considered critical infrastructure and must be protected as such. This includes limiting after hour use by non-essential individuals. In doing research on public use of municipal City, Town and Village Halls, I only found public use of a “Meeting Room" when the specific room was designated as a "Community Room". We have a Community Center. I was unable to find a City, Town or Village Hall in Westchester that permitted open public use of their government headquarters during non-business hours. If you know of one please let me know. Common sense dictates, it’s a bad practice.
All Town Boards, Commissions, Committees and Councils will still be using Town Hall.
Other municipal buildings in the Town are staffed during non-business hours and have designated public meeting rooms. The Library is converting some space to add an additional public meeting room.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks,
Chief McNerney”
While we can appreciate the Chief’s concern, we also realize that there needs to be some give and take from Town Hall. Once Mr Feiner invited the Hamas members to use Town Hall for an anti-Israeli meeting, he opened the door for numerous problems ethically, financially and security-wise. Yet, the most upsetting part of this is the disruption it causes to the numerous legitimate organizations that utilize Town Hall for their meetings, such as support groups, civic associations, etc.
Town Hall belongs to the taxpayers - period. Access to meeting rooms, and reasonable restrictions to certain areas is what is needed here, not an entire cordoning off to all residents. Surely there can be a happy medium. Mr Feiner and his Town Board suggest that residents and taxpayer groups use meetings rooms at the Theodore Young Community Center, Veteran Park and the Greenburgh Library instead of Town Hall.
ABG went to the Greenburgh Library, identified why we were asking about availability for meeting rooms. We were told that all of the Library’s meeting rooms were booked through April, with one exception being the large community room for March 17th. ABG was asked if we'd like to look into future months but was assured the result would be similar. The representative we spoke with mentioned it was a bit unfair to residents to take away the use of Town Hall and then dump these people onto the Library who would be forced to refuse their requests. No fee schedule was available at the time, however, there is a charge for the use of rooms if and when they are available.
We then went to the Theodore Young Community Center (TYCC) and asked about availability there, both daytime and night. We were basically told the same thing. The representative we spoke with also agreed that Town Hall belongs to the taxpayers and people should be allowed to access its meeting rooms if they are available. This representative stated that the facility has some rooms open during the day, “But is usually booked up way in advance, so if you have a specific date and time you need a room, get your request in right away.” Then it was explained how the XPosure program also impacts the center's availability. Both locations stated they will not pre-book regular events such as monthly meetings.
We haven’t contacted Veteran Park representatives but are pretty sure we’ll run into the same issue. Apparently, Mr Feiner's decision to surreptitiously shut the public out of Town Hall and shun them to unavailable venues is another example of circling the wagons against growing criticism and failures. Instead of closing off all of Town Hall to the people who pay the bills and pay the judgements for his illegal behavior, they can simple close and lock doors to offices, cordon off areas they don’t want the public entering, and make other simple adjustments that allow the reasonable use of the building by resident taxpayers. After all, we now have security guards in the building after the fiasco he created with the anti-Israeli meeting. His bad behavior must end. Only then will we see A Better Greenburgh.
Town Hall belongs to the taxpayers - period. Access to meeting rooms, and reasonable restrictions to certain areas is what is needed here, not an entire cordoning off to all residents. Surely there can be a happy medium. Mr Feiner and his Town Board suggest that residents and taxpayer groups use meetings rooms at the Theodore Young Community Center, Veteran Park and the Greenburgh Library instead of Town Hall.
ABG went to the Greenburgh Library, identified why we were asking about availability for meeting rooms. We were told that all of the Library’s meeting rooms were booked through April, with one exception being the large community room for March 17th. ABG was asked if we'd like to look into future months but was assured the result would be similar. The representative we spoke with mentioned it was a bit unfair to residents to take away the use of Town Hall and then dump these people onto the Library who would be forced to refuse their requests. No fee schedule was available at the time, however, there is a charge for the use of rooms if and when they are available.
We then went to the Theodore Young Community Center (TYCC) and asked about availability there, both daytime and night. We were basically told the same thing. The representative we spoke with also agreed that Town Hall belongs to the taxpayers and people should be allowed to access its meeting rooms if they are available. This representative stated that the facility has some rooms open during the day, “But is usually booked up way in advance, so if you have a specific date and time you need a room, get your request in right away.” Then it was explained how the XPosure program also impacts the center's availability. Both locations stated they will not pre-book regular events such as monthly meetings.
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| Rental fee schedule for the Theodore Young Community Center |
We haven’t contacted Veteran Park representatives but are pretty sure we’ll run into the same issue. Apparently, Mr Feiner's decision to surreptitiously shut the public out of Town Hall and shun them to unavailable venues is another example of circling the wagons against growing criticism and failures. Instead of closing off all of Town Hall to the people who pay the bills and pay the judgements for his illegal behavior, they can simple close and lock doors to offices, cordon off areas they don’t want the public entering, and make other simple adjustments that allow the reasonable use of the building by resident taxpayers. After all, we now have security guards in the building after the fiasco he created with the anti-Israeli meeting. His bad behavior must end. Only then will we see A Better Greenburgh.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Town Prohibits Residents From Using Conference Rooms
In an unexplained move that we’re told originated from the Town Clerk’s office, the public is no longer allowed to utilize Town Hall conference rooms for meetings! We’ve heard the decree even forbids all Town Civic Associations as well as Town appointed Boards, such as the Historic Preservation Board, from using the conference rooms. We hope this is not the case. Previously, local groups, neighborhood groups and civic associations had always had access to conference rooms for meetings, discussions, etc, in their Town Hall. Why the sudden change?
One reason that comes to mind is simply censorship and control from the corner office. You may recall we wrote about censorship originating from Mr Feiner in our article found here in our article from Tuesday, January 12, 2016 Censoring The Public, when we discussed Mr Feiner’s blatant censoring of the public – unless of course having a dialog with any individual was something he wanted to do – at the “Scoping Session” for the Jefferson at Saw Mill project. Then he said he would be following Twitter-type rules of only allowing residents to speak for one minute.
Another school of thought refers back to the demonstration that Mr Feiner organized inviting Hamas supporters to utilize Town Hall for an anti-Israel demonstration. It bordered on some ugly behavior with some terrible things said. One older gentleman (using the term loosely) threatened a resident with death threats. We wrote more in depth about this in another article on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 Anti-Semitic Board Offers Hamas Town Hall.
ABG believes this newest elimination of the taxpayer’s rights to use their own, taxpayer-funded building for their groups and organizations meetings is nothing more than retribution against those same taxpayers trying to slow and stop Mr Feiner and his Town Board’s agenda(s). ABG also believes this is the culmination from backlash the corner office received for handing over the keys to the anti-Israel haters. They should not use their own bad behavior to create edicts against the public! At that time, Ms Beville was the one who controlled use of the Town Hall facility and no doubt followed orders from Mr Feiner. But now they are forcing residents to go to different Commissioners for usage of even fewer conference rooms!
This Board seems bent on limiting our resident’s participation and voice, usually because the residents are looking for their leadership to do the right thing and then call them on it when they don’t. Don’t believe us? They have routinely “run the clock out” to adjourn before “allowing” residents to have their 5-minutes at the podium. They have also delayed the official start of meetings with poetry readings, presentations, musical performances and such and then abjectly eliminated the public comment session claiming there “was not enough time” to allow the public a chance to speak.
The resolution, not requiring a hearing and most importantly, public comments, allows this Town Board to run rampant over the people who not only pay their salaries, but who own the building! The Board has supplied a nicely written list of “Whereas’s” to cover themselves, it “states” and uses the Police Chief as a scapegoat, saying this is being done upon his recommendations. We reached out to the Police Chief for information but did not receive a response. It also says that in addition to not being able to use Town Hall for meetings, groups can use the conference rooms in the Library and Veteran Park. Factually impossible because these rooms are booked almost throughout the year already, they also suggest the Theodore D. Young Community Center as another alternative. Again, rooms in the TDYCC, like the other locations, are only available for a small window during the day and many are already booked as well. This is nothing more than Mr Feiner boasting another way he can control and manipulate the public.
Clearly, this move is wrong for the Town, it’s residents, and most importantly the taxpayers. Town Hall belongs to the public. It is everyone’s building and while Mr Feiner has been there for 24-years, he remains a guest there and should always remember that. That’s when we’ll see A Better Greenburgh.
One reason that comes to mind is simply censorship and control from the corner office. You may recall we wrote about censorship originating from Mr Feiner in our article found here in our article from Tuesday, January 12, 2016 Censoring The Public, when we discussed Mr Feiner’s blatant censoring of the public – unless of course having a dialog with any individual was something he wanted to do – at the “Scoping Session” for the Jefferson at Saw Mill project. Then he said he would be following Twitter-type rules of only allowing residents to speak for one minute.
Another school of thought refers back to the demonstration that Mr Feiner organized inviting Hamas supporters to utilize Town Hall for an anti-Israel demonstration. It bordered on some ugly behavior with some terrible things said. One older gentleman (using the term loosely) threatened a resident with death threats. We wrote more in depth about this in another article on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 Anti-Semitic Board Offers Hamas Town Hall.
ABG believes this newest elimination of the taxpayer’s rights to use their own, taxpayer-funded building for their groups and organizations meetings is nothing more than retribution against those same taxpayers trying to slow and stop Mr Feiner and his Town Board’s agenda(s). ABG also believes this is the culmination from backlash the corner office received for handing over the keys to the anti-Israel haters. They should not use their own bad behavior to create edicts against the public! At that time, Ms Beville was the one who controlled use of the Town Hall facility and no doubt followed orders from Mr Feiner. But now they are forcing residents to go to different Commissioners for usage of even fewer conference rooms!
This Board seems bent on limiting our resident’s participation and voice, usually because the residents are looking for their leadership to do the right thing and then call them on it when they don’t. Don’t believe us? They have routinely “run the clock out” to adjourn before “allowing” residents to have their 5-minutes at the podium. They have also delayed the official start of meetings with poetry readings, presentations, musical performances and such and then abjectly eliminated the public comment session claiming there “was not enough time” to allow the public a chance to speak.
The resolution, not requiring a hearing and most importantly, public comments, allows this Town Board to run rampant over the people who not only pay their salaries, but who own the building! The Board has supplied a nicely written list of “Whereas’s” to cover themselves, it “states” and uses the Police Chief as a scapegoat, saying this is being done upon his recommendations. We reached out to the Police Chief for information but did not receive a response. It also says that in addition to not being able to use Town Hall for meetings, groups can use the conference rooms in the Library and Veteran Park. Factually impossible because these rooms are booked almost throughout the year already, they also suggest the Theodore D. Young Community Center as another alternative. Again, rooms in the TDYCC, like the other locations, are only available for a small window during the day and many are already booked as well. This is nothing more than Mr Feiner boasting another way he can control and manipulate the public.
Clearly, this move is wrong for the Town, it’s residents, and most importantly the taxpayers. Town Hall belongs to the public. It is everyone’s building and while Mr Feiner has been there for 24-years, he remains a guest there and should always remember that. That’s when we’ll see A Better Greenburgh.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Baby It’s Cold INside
Now that we’re finally being treated to real January weather, the usual suspects have reared their ugly heads. Accidents due to freezing water on our streets have begun to happen again. Notices to seniors and children to bundle up are part of every news broadcast. And of course, our old nemesis at the Greenburgh Town Library is back. We’ve learned once again that there is little if any heat on the second floor, making it unusable. This, after we had been told by Mr Feiner that a new supplemental furnace had been installed this past year.
An email was sent out by one of the administrators regarding meetings that are to be held on the second floor:
“...wanted to let you know that there is no/little heat on the second floor of the library. There was an issue last week, and it is still not fixed. It will only get colder as the day goes on, so I am CANCELING tonight's ... meeting.”
Mr Feiner has bragged numerous times about purchasing a new auxiliary boiler for the library. You may recall the under-powered and inadequate HVAC system for the library installed during the library’s renovation was overseen by Mr Feiner and his Board as the lead agency. They touted a new energy saving geothermal heating system for the library that would reduce heating costs. However, it was incorrectly installed as well as installed on the wrong side of the building and failed as a cost savings energy solution.
Last year found the Fairview Fire Department responding numerous times to the library as the uninsulated sprinkler pipes in the uninsulated area above the drop ceiling on the second floor burst. While damage was minimal to library resources, this issue should have been addressed years ago! But since there is rarely monies budgeted for maintenance and infrastructure replacements, the library continues to languish as Mr Feiner’s personal political football. It needs to stop. The library should be made whole again with working systems, hours that accommodate the public and more books, videos and meeting rooms. While we will probably have to be content with the lack of promised meetings rooms, these changes must be made. Only then will we have A Better Greenburgh.
An email was sent out by one of the administrators regarding meetings that are to be held on the second floor:
“...wanted to let you know that there is no/little heat on the second floor of the library. There was an issue last week, and it is still not fixed. It will only get colder as the day goes on, so I am CANCELING tonight's ... meeting.”
Mr Feiner has bragged numerous times about purchasing a new auxiliary boiler for the library. You may recall the under-powered and inadequate HVAC system for the library installed during the library’s renovation was overseen by Mr Feiner and his Board as the lead agency. They touted a new energy saving geothermal heating system for the library that would reduce heating costs. However, it was incorrectly installed as well as installed on the wrong side of the building and failed as a cost savings energy solution.
Last year found the Fairview Fire Department responding numerous times to the library as the uninsulated sprinkler pipes in the uninsulated area above the drop ceiling on the second floor burst. While damage was minimal to library resources, this issue should have been addressed years ago! But since there is rarely monies budgeted for maintenance and infrastructure replacements, the library continues to languish as Mr Feiner’s personal political football. It needs to stop. The library should be made whole again with working systems, hours that accommodate the public and more books, videos and meeting rooms. While we will probably have to be content with the lack of promised meetings rooms, these changes must be made. Only then will we have A Better Greenburgh.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The Scam Continues...
Once the inflated and oft-failed 2014 report from Mr Feiner was distributed (see our previous post), it was time for him to circulate his phony agenda for "improvement and change" for 2015. Year after year finds Mr Feiner regurgitating the same propaganda as part of his “good news only” campaign from Greenburgh Town Hall. The sad part is that a) it’s more of the same in the guise of campaigning; b) most of it will never come to fruition, giving him more opportunities to campaign; and c) it is not improving Greenburgh and d) we pay for it all in more ways than one. We remember when Mr Feiner would return some of his salary if he failed to fulfill his initiatives. That ship has long since sunk.
Here’s his “new” 2015 list. As is our policy, we have not edited Mr Feiner’s text, but have provided our commentary to his bold and numbered points are in italics below each:
The following is our Agenda for Improvement and Change 2015
Here’s his “new” 2015 list. As is our policy, we have not edited Mr Feiner’s text, but have provided our commentary to his bold and numbered points are in italics below each:
The following is our Agenda for Improvement and Change 2015
MAJOR MATTERS TO BE BROUGHT TO CONCLUSION IN 2015
1. Complete environmental review of Frank’s Nursery which could ease concerns of potential purchasers.
ABG: Residents requested the property have testing done to find out what contaminants were on the property. Playing games with semantics, a popular pasttime of Mr Feiner, he instructed a testing company to focus on a limited area of the site for testing, ignoring the rest of the property’s space that was used as a dump by the City of White Plains Urban Renewal. The debris from these old buildings classically used what we now know are carcinogenic materials such as asbestos, lead and more. Mr Feiner ignored everyone’s pleas to clean up the site before trying to do anything with it. ABG believes his ultimate goal is to gift the property to his friends and their “paper” company, GameOn 365.
ABG: Residents requested the property have testing done to find out what contaminants were on the property. Playing games with semantics, a popular pasttime of Mr Feiner, he instructed a testing company to focus on a limited area of the site for testing, ignoring the rest of the property’s space that was used as a dump by the City of White Plains Urban Renewal. The debris from these old buildings classically used what we now know are carcinogenic materials such as asbestos, lead and more. Mr Feiner ignored everyone’s pleas to clean up the site before trying to do anything with it. ABG believes his ultimate goal is to gift the property to his friends and their “paper” company, GameOn 365.
2. Schedule, hold auction and sell Frank’s Nursery.
ABG: The scheduling and auctioning of the property has been postponed numerous times by Mr Feiner while we believe he tried to finagle a way to gift the property to GameOn 365. Once the town hired GA Keen Realty Advisors as an auctioneer for the property, they informed the Town that without remediation per additional environmental reviews, potential purchasers would not bid on the property for the amounts being suggested. They mandated knowing how much environmental cleanup work and costs will be required before building on the property. Sadly, the property could have been sold with full remediation performed by House of Sports in Ardsley. It was Mr Feiner who said no to their offer of $3.5 million plus remediation.
ABG: The scheduling and auctioning of the property has been postponed numerous times by Mr Feiner while we believe he tried to finagle a way to gift the property to GameOn 365. Once the town hired GA Keen Realty Advisors as an auctioneer for the property, they informed the Town that without remediation per additional environmental reviews, potential purchasers would not bid on the property for the amounts being suggested. They mandated knowing how much environmental cleanup work and costs will be required before building on the property. Sadly, the property could have been sold with full remediation performed by House of Sports in Ardsley. It was Mr Feiner who said no to their offer of $3.5 million plus remediation.
3. Obtain county approvals for rental of
WestHELP complex and convert abandoned units into affordable senior
citizen housing.
ABG: It was Mr Feiner who decided the Town would break the lease with then County Executive Andrew Spano and now Rob Astorino. It was Mr Feiner who insisted on leaving the building open to be ravaged by pilfering, animals and mold and more to cause its intended decline and ultimately its condemnation. This was done to seek more votes from the Valhalla community. In the meantime, roughly 250 residents were awaiting housing through the Greenburgh Housing Authority that might have been halved had the property been converted as originally intended. This was and still is solely Mr Feiner and his Town Board’s fault. Currently, the County is working toward reclaiming the property.
ABG: It was Mr Feiner who decided the Town would break the lease with then County Executive Andrew Spano and now Rob Astorino. It was Mr Feiner who insisted on leaving the building open to be ravaged by pilfering, animals and mold and more to cause its intended decline and ultimately its condemnation. This was done to seek more votes from the Valhalla community. In the meantime, roughly 250 residents were awaiting housing through the Greenburgh Housing Authority that might have been halved had the property been converted as originally intended. This was and still is solely Mr Feiner and his Town Board’s fault. Currently, the County is working toward reclaiming the property.
4. Schedule community outreach meetings and then
a public hearing on Draft Comprehensive Plan after it is released.
Adopt a Comprehensive Plan for the unincorporated area of the town.
ABG: There were numerous sessions held at Town Hall. Mr Feiner insisted the committee travel about the Town and have the discussions. One issue the committee had with this is the lack of ability to record the proceedings. Now that Mr Feiner’s “go to” guy, former Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden, has left, Mr Feiner appears bent on subverting the committee for his own means.
ABG: There were numerous sessions held at Town Hall. Mr Feiner insisted the committee travel about the Town and have the discussions. One issue the committee had with this is the lack of ability to record the proceedings. Now that Mr Feiner’s “go to” guy, former Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden, has left, Mr Feiner appears bent on subverting the committee for his own means.
5. Install new boiler at indoor pool at Theodore Young Community Center.
ABG: For years Mr Feiner has been saying the Town will sue the vendor for repairs and/or replacement for both the TYCC and the Library. This year the Town has adopted the new slogan, "Why fix it when we can talk about it." That's what has transpired here. After too many years of inaction, this will become a capital expense for the taxpayers when it might have simply been a maintenance expense earlier on.
ABG: For years Mr Feiner has been saying the Town will sue the vendor for repairs and/or replacement for both the TYCC and the Library. This year the Town has adopted the new slogan, "Why fix it when we can talk about it." That's what has transpired here. After too many years of inaction, this will become a capital expense for the taxpayers when it might have simply been a maintenance expense earlier on.
6. Install supplemental boiler at Library. (Library closed several days over a year ago due to lack of heat.)
ABG: One of the problems of the Town Board being the Lead Agency on any project is their lack of knowledge at so many levels and general disinterest in most projects. In fact, an ABG staffer overheard two different Board members on two different occasions say they still hadn't reviewed plans because they have too much to do. Yet, instead of abstaining from voting on the project in question, the Councilmen voted in favor of approval without having reviewed the plans! Finally, with regards to the library, it was Mr Feiner and his Board who moved the location of the geothermal heat pump system from its original location to the other side of the property. And, it was they who compromised it by only drilling down half of the required depth necessary for it to work. Without the proper depth, geothermal heat will not work. BTW, frozen sprinkler pipes just burst again in the children's section of the library.
ABG: One of the problems of the Town Board being the Lead Agency on any project is their lack of knowledge at so many levels and general disinterest in most projects. In fact, an ABG staffer overheard two different Board members on two different occasions say they still hadn't reviewed plans because they have too much to do. Yet, instead of abstaining from voting on the project in question, the Councilmen voted in favor of approval without having reviewed the plans! Finally, with regards to the library, it was Mr Feiner and his Board who moved the location of the geothermal heat pump system from its original location to the other side of the property. And, it was they who compromised it by only drilling down half of the required depth necessary for it to work. Without the proper depth, geothermal heat will not work. BTW, frozen sprinkler pipes just burst again in the children's section of the library.
7. Expand one arm garbage sanitation truck to other neighborhoods.
ABG: They anticipate savings but refuse to provide any figures. This is one of Mr Feiner’s well-developed scams. Now he is saying they will expand this program even before any conclusive performance metrics can be provided to substantiate its value.
ABG: They anticipate savings but refuse to provide any figures. This is one of Mr Feiner’s well-developed scams. Now he is saying they will expand this program even before any conclusive performance metrics can be provided to substantiate its value.
8. Make traffic safety improvements in Ardsley
and on Jackson Avenue using funds from a settlement regarding the Ridge
Hill development.
ABG: This money has existed for years and had it not been pushed by residents, ABG is convinced Mr Feiner would be content to continue to ignore this issue.
ABG: This money has existed for years and had it not been pushed by residents, ABG is convinced Mr Feiner would be content to continue to ignore this issue.
IMPORTANT INITIATIVES ALREADY UNDER WAY
1. Comply with tax cap when adopting 2016 budget
and continue to look for new sources of revenue and efficiencies as
well as new shared service opportunities. (For residents to receive a
check from the state, NYS is requiring communities
to comply with the tax cap and initiate sharing/consolidation
efficiencies.
ABG: Receive a check? Is that why Mr Feiner touts staying below the NYS Tax Cap? Hardly! This is nothing more than a campaign initiative by Mr Feiner to be able to brag about staying under the cap. What he should be saying, and what the mainstream media ignores is that he he raided $4 MILLION (a 40% decrease) from the Reserve Funds, putting us in jeopardy of defaulting on certiorari challenge refunds.
ABG: Receive a check? Is that why Mr Feiner touts staying below the NYS Tax Cap? Hardly! This is nothing more than a campaign initiative by Mr Feiner to be able to brag about staying under the cap. What he should be saying, and what the mainstream media ignores is that he he raided $4 MILLION (a 40% decrease) from the Reserve Funds, putting us in jeopardy of defaulting on certiorari challenge refunds.
2. Hire firm to conduct a comprehensive review
of the Town of Greenburgh Department of Public Works. (This is part of
the Town’s ongoing initiative of having town departments examined by
external reviewers. We recently had an external
review conducted of Town Court operations.)
ABG: First, having the review is fine except that the reviewers are impotent to make any changes. This responsibility falls back to, you guessed it, the Town Board. The problems in the Court still exist so the logical conclusion is a similar fate after the study is done. Mr Feiner hired a new Court Clerk from Port Chester to run the Town Court Department. She was there only briefly when Mr Feiner announced to the Town Board he needed to almost double her salary. ABG believes he told the Board to vote in favor of her salary increase or be “Sonya’d”. After increasing her salary as instructed the newly appointed and extremely well-paid Court Clerk bolted back to Port Chester, able to parlay her higher Greenburgh salary to a comparable one in Port Chester. Once gone, we learned she provided the Greenburgh Courts with little or no relief other than a higher Greenburgh Court Clerk salary for the next person and we still don't know how many tickets remain unpaid!
ABG: First, having the review is fine except that the reviewers are impotent to make any changes. This responsibility falls back to, you guessed it, the Town Board. The problems in the Court still exist so the logical conclusion is a similar fate after the study is done. Mr Feiner hired a new Court Clerk from Port Chester to run the Town Court Department. She was there only briefly when Mr Feiner announced to the Town Board he needed to almost double her salary. ABG believes he told the Board to vote in favor of her salary increase or be “Sonya’d”. After increasing her salary as instructed the newly appointed and extremely well-paid Court Clerk bolted back to Port Chester, able to parlay her higher Greenburgh salary to a comparable one in Port Chester. Once gone, we learned she provided the Greenburgh Courts with little or no relief other than a higher Greenburgh Court Clerk salary for the next person and we still don't know how many tickets remain unpaid!
3. Continue oversight of reassessment process and hold information meetings around town as needed.
ABG: This is another one of Mr Feiner's empty sound-byte campaign promise with no substance. Reassessment hasn’t been done since 1956. This should have been a priority when he took office in 1978 and every year since. Even the Town Assessor has stated publicly the reason the cost of reassessment is so high (over $3 million) is because it hasn’t been performed for so long.
ABG: This is another one of Mr Feiner's empty sound-byte campaign promise with no substance. Reassessment hasn’t been done since 1956. This should have been a priority when he took office in 1978 and every year since. Even the Town Assessor has stated publicly the reason the cost of reassessment is so high (over $3 million) is because it hasn’t been performed for so long.
4. Apply for federal and/or state funds for sidewalk construction, especially near schools, to address pedestrian safety concerns.
ABG: Unfortunately, we've heard this promise every year and repeatedly at Town Board meetings as promises to various neighborhood groups begging for sidewalks and improved safety for pedestrians.
5. Finalize plans and funding for Veterans
Memorial at DeSanti Plaza, East Hartsdale Ave. Encourage parkland funds
(non-tax dollars) be used to reduce costs.
ABG: Any outside funds can be applied for but has no guarantee of fulfillment. Consequently, we may never see a Veterans memorial. Another empty promise.
ABG: Any outside funds can be applied for but has no guarantee of fulfillment. Consequently, we may never see a Veterans memorial. Another empty promise.
6. Initiate mentoring program for architects/engineers in cooperation with Greenburgh Central School District.
ABG: We want to encourage all students, not just engineering students, to find mentors and for all of our schools, not just Greenburgh Central 7. If we did that, even kids in Mr Feiner's neighborhood might get mentoring.
ABG: We want to encourage all students, not just engineering students, to find mentors and for all of our schools, not just Greenburgh Central 7. If we did that, even kids in Mr Feiner's neighborhood might get mentoring.
7. Resolve heating/air-conditioning issues at Town Hall.
ABG: See #5 under Major Matters. It's obvious there is a costly theme here.
ABG: See #5 under Major Matters. It's obvious there is a costly theme here.
8. Use electric car for the Department of Public Works.
ABG: Ironically, Mr Feiner couldn't wait to install an electric car charger at the library, eating up one or more precious parking spaces from an under-sized parking lot. That was another empty promise made in the heat of a campaign. All Town cars should be replaced through attrition with electric cars except emergency response vehicles.
ABG: Ironically, Mr Feiner couldn't wait to install an electric car charger at the library, eating up one or more precious parking spaces from an under-sized parking lot. That was another empty promise made in the heat of a campaign. All Town cars should be replaced through attrition with electric cars except emergency response vehicles.
9. Secure funding for building a new playground
at the Lee F. Jackson Elementary School on surplus school property,
advocating for use of parkland funds (non-tax payers’ dollars).
ABG: See #5 above.
ABG: See #5 above.
10. Demolish the old kiddy pool at Massaro and
replace it with a new spray pad. (Funding was secured using parkland
funds - non-tax dollars last year.)
ABG: Non-tax dollars? Really? All of the money, regardless of how it is acquired is ultimately taxpayer dollars.
ABG: Non-tax dollars? Really? All of the money, regardless of how it is acquired is ultimately taxpayer dollars.
11. Work with the Greenburgh Nature Center on our
town-wide initiative, working with schools and businesses to introduce
and develop conservation/sustainable practices, including food waste
management.
ABG: Funny, we thought this was already happening according to Mr Feiner.
ABG: Funny, we thought this was already happening according to Mr Feiner.
12. Lobby NYS to approve a 9A bypass. (The town
has been working with the business community, neighboring villages and
the county on a plan to reduce traffic congestion on 9A in the vicinity
of 119 and north of 119.)
ABG: Lobby? Really? When Mr Feiner really wants something, such as the Finneran Law to be changed for his friend's benefit, he simply calls his best-buds Tom Abinanti and Andrea Stewart Cousins, snap his fingers and they do it for him. Since he hasn't addressed traffic congestion, and in fact added to it through over-development, it’s obvious this is just more rhetoric.
ABG: Lobby? Really? When Mr Feiner really wants something, such as the Finneran Law to be changed for his friend's benefit, he simply calls his best-buds Tom Abinanti and Andrea Stewart Cousins, snap his fingers and they do it for him. Since he hasn't addressed traffic congestion, and in fact added to it through over-development, it’s obvious this is just more rhetoric.
13. Finalize and approve a plan for and begin
implementation of infrastructure improvements for the Greenburgh
Consolidated Water District. (Significant costly infrastructure
improvements have been identified as needed in capital budgets/plans
for 2014 to 2016, as explained in a report prepared by the town’s Water
Advisory Board (WAB), and submitted for discussion with the Town Board
mid-2014.
ABG: Mr Feiner has ignored Town infrastructure for his entire career in Greenburgh. Most politicians know they can kick the can down the road because they won't be around to have to deal with it. Mr Feiner screwed up by ignoring and staying longer than he should have.
ABG: Mr Feiner has ignored Town infrastructure for his entire career in Greenburgh. Most politicians know they can kick the can down the road because they won't be around to have to deal with it. Mr Feiner screwed up by ignoring and staying longer than he should have.
14. Create an index of names of the more than 125
veterans who have been interviewed as part of the veterans living
history initiative and submit updated tapes and listings to United
States Library of Congress for archiving.
ABG: We have no issue with this as long as convicted felon and Deputy Town Supervisor Alan Hochberg stays out of it.
ABG: We have no issue with this as long as convicted felon and Deputy Town Supervisor Alan Hochberg stays out of it.
15. Lobby the State to do maintenance on the Saw
Mill River and demonstrate that an ongoing river maintenance program is
in place. (If that doesn’t happen, the Town and the Villages, probably
at our cost, will need to perform crisis management
remediation of the river flooding problems.)
ABG: This is the job of local politicians. And while they are at it, why won't he do the same for the Bronx River? Mr Feiner has done nothing to help the residents along the Bronx River corridor.
ABG: This is the job of local politicians. And while they are at it, why won't he do the same for the Bronx River? Mr Feiner has done nothing to help the residents along the Bronx River corridor.
16. Increase diversity of programs (Educational,
Cultural, Social, and Recreational) within the Department of Community
Resources (TDYCC), strengthen existing programs and create partnerships
with faith based, volunteer, and corporate entities
to maximize community outreach.
ABG: Mr Carter is doing a fine job administering the TYCC and will do even better if Mr Feiner refrains from interfering with his operation.
ABG: Mr Carter is doing a fine job administering the TYCC and will do even better if Mr Feiner refrains from interfering with his operation.
17. Address Cable Access TV audio issues.
ABG: We're told at each Town Board meeting by Ms Beville who is in charge of the video department, that they are working with the vendor on this problem. Apparently, nothing is being done and it seems to be another ploy from Town Hall to keep all information from being heard and disseminated by the public.
ABG: We're told at each Town Board meeting by Ms Beville who is in charge of the video department, that they are working with the vendor on this problem. Apparently, nothing is being done and it seems to be another ploy from Town Hall to keep all information from being heard and disseminated by the public.
18. Formalize Board Oversight of Town Courts.
ABG: They've had 22 years to do this. Why wasn't it done already?
ABG: They've had 22 years to do this. Why wasn't it done already?
19. Conduct quarterly reviews of Budget vs. Actual Expenditures.
ABG: Isn't this why we have department heads and commissioners? The public should be able to ask on any day what the ratio of Budget vs. Expenditures are and receive an answer. This is pure politics.
ABG: Isn't this why we have department heads and commissioners? The public should be able to ask on any day what the ratio of Budget vs. Expenditures are and receive an answer. This is pure politics.
20. Continue cooperative relationships with villages to reduce paving costs and repave more roads.
ABG: The Villages within the Town have maintained a purchasing consortium for about the last ten years. Mr Feiner made the decision to not participate and pay higher prices than they did for all materials.
ABG: The Villages within the Town have maintained a purchasing consortium for about the last ten years. Mr Feiner made the decision to not participate and pay higher prices than they did for all materials.
NEW INITIATIVES
1. Implement online payment of Greenburgh Consolidated Water District water bills.
ABG: Amazingly, this requires so little to do and yet it is made out to be a major project.
ABG: Amazingly, this requires so little to do and yet it is made out to be a major project.
2. Allow Greenburgh Consolidated Water District
customers to track their own water usage online, enabling users to
quickly spot any irregularities, leakage, etc.
ABG: Mr Feiner has been promising this for years and never delivers.
ABG: Mr Feiner has been promising this for years and never delivers.
3. Exploring feasibility of installing solar panels on town buildings/facilities.
ABG: While the Return on Investment (ROI) may or may not support doing this, and there are a number of different plans to choose from, we're confident that Mr Feiner will soon just announce we're getting solar panels, like it or not.
ABG: While the Return on Investment (ROI) may or may not support doing this, and there are a number of different plans to choose from, we're confident that Mr Feiner will soon just announce we're getting solar panels, like it or not.
4. Continue oversight of reassessment process and hold information meetings around town as needed.
ABG: See # 3 earlier.
ABG: See # 3 earlier.
5. Work with Friends of Library and Library to open up a free book exchange on East Hartsdale Avenue.
ABG: I don't think the Friends of the Greenburgh Library really need Mr Feiner.
ABG: I don't think the Friends of the Greenburgh Library really need Mr Feiner.
6. Develop a plan to address the outdated and
inadequate Police Headquarters and Courthouse site. Discuss a plan for
constructing a new Police Headquarters and Courthouse. (The town will
study rezoning and selling the current site on
119 to determine how much that would offset the cost. Are there grant
opportunities?
ABG: Again, more hot air. This has been discussed for years and years now. They were originally going to use the former Frank's Nursery property for the Police station and also the library. But it's too contaminated.
ABG: Again, more hot air. This has been discussed for years and years now. They were originally going to use the former Frank's Nursery property for the Police station and also the library. But it's too contaminated.
7. Launch a new recreation and facility software
program for the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department
of Community Resources (TDYCC) that includes online registration, a
feature not previously available.
ABG: Adding a feature into the software is something the Recreation Department should have been addressing for a long time now.
ABG: Adding a feature into the software is something the Recreation Department should have been addressing for a long time now.
8. Secure capital funding to dredge Crane Pond
in Edgemont as a means of alleviating the algae problem and to repoint
the spillway wall that is presently leaking.
ABG: Again?
ABG: Again?
9. Work with the Greenburgh Nature Center to
create a Children's Wing and a site plan for our building and grounds to
reflect our growing needs and continued community outreach.
ABG: As a business leasing space from the Town, what does this mean for taxpayers? Almost all of what the GNC does is geared mostly to children. Is building on this space environmentally healthy? After all, many in the area are clamoring against building on Dromore Road.
ABG: As a business leasing space from the Town, what does this mean for taxpayers? Almost all of what the GNC does is geared mostly to children. Is building on this space environmentally healthy? After all, many in the area are clamoring against building on Dromore Road.
10. Pursue plans to establish an organic recycling location in Greenburgh.
ABG: Isn't this already on the list elsewhere?
ABG: Isn't this already on the list elsewhere?
11. Promote yearlong recognition and celebration
during 2015 of the Greenburgh Nature Center’s 40th Anniversary, and our
role as community ambassadors.
ABG: Again, a private company should be responsible for their own recognition and celebration issues. Focus on running the Town.
ABG: Again, a private company should be responsible for their own recognition and celebration issues. Focus on running the Town.
12. Create a New Residents’ Club.
ABG: Will they pay for membership or will their tax increases cover membership? This doesn't mean anything. After the newness of being a member wears off, they'll be able to join the rest of us in the Beleagured Taxpayer Club.
ABG: Will they pay for membership or will their tax increases cover membership? This doesn't mean anything. After the newness of being a member wears off, they'll be able to join the rest of us in the Beleagured Taxpayer Club.
13. Support a commercial vehicle enforcement detail
by the Greenburgh Police Department using non-taxpayer funds to
purchase the vehicle scales. (This enforcement will help protect and
preserve the town’s roadway infrastructure and the
significant fines for serious infractions serve as a deterrent.)
ABG: It will never happen.
ABG: It will never happen.
14. Encourage and promote the Police Department’s
use of social media with the goal of getting timely information to
residents quickly.
ABG: If this isn't already happening, it should be.
ABG: If this isn't already happening, it should be.
15. Develop a policy for water rate increases to be
implemented in 2015 to address infrastructure issues, a need
highlighted by the town’s Water Advisory Board (WAB) in mid-2014.
ABG: Will the water policy be administered by Mr Feiner and the Board or an independent agency? Mr Feiner is the one wreaking havoc with our water bills and related increases.
ABG: Will the water policy be administered by Mr Feiner and the Board or an independent agency? Mr Feiner is the one wreaking havoc with our water bills and related increases.
16. Form a citizen’s advocacy group to help lobby
state and federal lawmakers for funds and legislation that will benefit
the town.
ABG: We wonder who will be included in this group? Mr Feiner's friends, convicted or otherwise?
ABG: We wonder who will be included in this group? Mr Feiner's friends, convicted or otherwise?
17. Explore with state representatives the
feasibility of affordable assisted living facilities or of requiring a
certain number of units in yet to be approved assisted living facilities
to be affordable for the less rich.
ABG: This is rich! It was Mr Feiner who canceled the contract with the County to shutter the WestHelp facility in Valhalla seeking votes from that constituency. The taxpayers are losing $1.2 Million per year and about 100 or so families don't have a place to live.
ABG: This is rich! It was Mr Feiner who canceled the contract with the County to shutter the WestHelp facility in Valhalla seeking votes from that constituency. The taxpayers are losing $1.2 Million per year and about 100 or so families don't have a place to live.
18. The Office of the Town Clerk and the Cable
Access Television Department intend to explore the feasibility of
upgrading the television studio to create greater potential for
generating revenue.
ABG: They just did an upgrade and its terrible! Again, why fix it when we can talk about it?
ABG: They just did an upgrade and its terrible! Again, why fix it when we can talk about it?
19. Formalize Board Oversight of Town Courts.
ABG: See #18 in previous list of Important Initiatives Already Underway.
ABG: See #18 in previous list of Important Initiatives Already Underway.
20. Conduct quarterly reviews of Budget vs. Actual Expenditures.
ABG: See #19 in previous list of Important Initiatives Already Underway.
ABG: See #19 in previous list of Important Initiatives Already Underway.
21. In 2015, we anticipate reviewing the water rate
development process. We need to develop a procedure to calculate water
rate changes and implement this process in 2015. This issue was also
highlighted to the Town Board in mid-2014.
ABG: See #15. Shouldn't all of this happen together as a concerted effort?
22. Seeking hotel tax for town and villages from state legislation.ABG: See #15. Shouldn't all of this happen together as a concerted effort?
ABG: Like his friend Mr Abinanti who believes raising the tolls on the New Tappan Zee Bridge will not create a hardship, Mr Feiner incorrectly believes taxing visitors to our area who stay at our hotels is not a hardship. Here's a fact from the real world: most hotels rely on business travelers for the bulk of their income. Some have restaurants and some don't. If corporations see the costs are too high in one area they will either stop coming to the area or tell their employees to stay somewhere else nearby and drive to where they have to go a little more than they may have wanted. It happens all the time. And to Mr Abinanti, who has two well-paying jobs, ten dollars a week more in tolls on top of the twenty five is a tank of gas, groceries or maybe pizza for a struggling family. Get off your high horse and represent the people, not your own interests.
The electorate must start paying more attention to what they are being fed from the elected officials. They must insist on being heard by our elected officials. Its time to think differently. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Double Jeopardy in Greenburgh, Taxing Residents Twice
An interesting occurrence transpired Thursday night at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at Town Hall. The docket saw some nine cases scheduled for review by the Board. Pockets of people were in attendance, probably sitting in groups of support for or against each case. The Fulton Park Civic Association and others were there for their neighborhood’s cause, specifically, the expansion plans for Deli Delicious and the major changes sought to the property. But that’s not what this post is really about.
It’s believed by most that the deli has already received Mr Feiner’s blessing, and is trying to officially “make their case” to have the zoning codes changed so he can get a variance(s) to add a drive-through window and “flip” the building. Selling the building will become more attractive to a fast food chain by installing the window which would then be grandfathered to the next owner. The deli has been closed for over two years now. The owner, Ernest Tartaglione says being closed is a hardship on his business. There is no business. Tartaglione, a commercial real estate landlord for numerous properties, is just counting this as just another property in his stable.
The interesting occurrence we mentioned above is that Tartaglione, et al, had petitioned the Zoning Board of Appeals for a postponement of his deli’s zoning appeal case. Their reason is unknown but suspected to be related to the traffic report, only just released two days earlier on Monday. The Fulton Park Civic Association also petitioned for a postponement as two days was not enough time for them to review and analyze the information in the traffic report. But, the Fulton Park Civic Association, as with anyone filing a petition for postponement, including the petitioner, was forced to pay a $25 fee (tax) to the Town! When we were discussing this, an ABG staffer jumped in saying, “Wait! I know why. The Town employee will say it’s a lot of work to do, or it takes away from their regular duties, or there are costs associated with doing this. Or, all of those – am I right?” In a word, yes, she was right. The staffer was told the filing fee was because of the amount of work that was entailed to request the postponement. How preposterous!
Greenburgh taxpayers are repeatedly hammered by ill-conceived policies of the Town, created by our own representatives, that punish residents at almost every imaginable turn. Case in point? The request for a postponement and the related application fee of $25. This “fee” is a second tax applied under the guise of a fee. We are inundated with these fees in Greenburgh. When a resident/taxpayer goes to Town Hall to request anything for their primary property, there should not be a fee attached to it if it is a simple or small request, such as this postponement. Under the Feiner Administration of the past 22-years, we’ve seen fee after fee created to possibly pay off his guilty verdict fines. So, when the Fulton Park Civic Association applied for a postponement, it is ABG’s position that there should not have been a filing fee charged. This is simply a letter handed to a clerk who marks it received and passes it along to the appropriate individual(s) either manually or by email. This actually falls under the auspices of the clerk’s job. There should be no charge – that’s their job!
At a recent Town Board work session, there was a lengthy discussion about waiving the application fee for installation of a permanently installed generator, as opposed to a temporary or portable one. There are so many fees involved with the installation of just a generator, you might need a travel companion, a priest or rabbi and concierge if you go to Town Hall to do this. First, there is the application fee of $100 to review the application. Next, assuming your application review has been approved, you will pay a Building Department fee (installation), followed by the Electrical fee (power) and finally (?) the Plumbing (gas) fee. ABG is not saying to forego the safety inspections our inspectors are required to make during the installation process. We endorse that part of the process. Just don’t forget that they are very well-paid with benefits to do those inspections. That’s their job.
Realistically, there should not be any fee for projects that are small, single family homeowner-sized projects. It’s one of the reasons why we have a Building Department, financed by residents’ taxes. Unfortunately, we’ve allowed our elected officials to get ahead of us and tax us twice.
As was highlighted with the postponement fee, another travesty for the taxpayer/resident/community members/stakeholders must endure is the ridiculous fees for copies from Town Hall. If one goes into Town Hall and requests a copy of anything, they are charged 25¢ per page. That’s preposterous. The Town will supply a PDF of a document at no charge but we’re sure an Executive session can soon end this once they figure out the wording required. The taxes, paid by the taxpayers/residents/community members/stakeholders already cover this expense. The copier that is leased, the toner and paper used, the electricity, the service agreements, etc., are already paid for by the taxpayer! It’s their copier and supplies! Why are they taxed again? The administration’s argument is if everybody came in and requested copies it would be too expensive for the Town. This is a lame excuse.
First, “everybody” is not going to suddenly be coming in requesting copies. Second, most other communities are operating in a budget conscience fashion and provide the residents with copies upon request at no additional cost. The difference? Other, better managed communities, also haven’t been found guilty in Federal court of violating the rights of a church and paying $6.5 million in fines and penalties, forcing this administration to figuratively stand on the street corner begging for nickels and dimes! Would you like another example?
Several years ago, Mr Feiner and his Town tried to raise the “fee” for the Village of Elmsford residents to use the Town library, which is part of the larger Westchester Library System. It was a hefty increase that Mr Feiner assumed (we know) he would get because he is used to getting his way. Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams, apparently more concerned for his constituents than Mr Feiner, reached out to the Village of Ardsley for an alternative library arrangement that was less money for his Village and gave his residents a more cost-effective solution to Mr Feiner’s greedy proposal. Mr Williams completely and successfully bypassed Mr Feiner piggishness.
As a side note, it had often been discussed that the Village of Elmsford, which sold the library property to the Town for a dollar, be given access to the library directly as a gesture of good faith. A former librarian at the Greenburgh library was insistent this not be allowed. Her rationale was that it would, at the time, add 3,000 new Elmsford users to the library, overwhelming it. One would think more users would be a good thing for any library as it would give cause to an increased budget, increased purchasing power, more books, videos, programs and more employees. Besides, the 3,000 Elmsford residents were not going to show up all at once! It would also promote expansion. Oh, wait, they did expand with the award winning ski jump, a mostly inefficient use of space riddled with HVAC system issues, leaks, burst pipes and more. Ardsley’s library is looking like a pretty good deal.
Back to being forced to pay for what we already paid for through our taxes. The right thing (again, we know) would be to allow residents to come in and request one copy of a file or document they need. There should be no charge as long as they prove residency or occupancy of the address. If the taxpayer is requesting multiple copies of a document, that’s a bit different. The first copy would be free and a minimal fee of say 5¢/page or a blanket amount for the entire document of say, $2/additional copy can be charged. This would hold true for business residents as well. Now, if outside agencies come in requesting a copy, ABG believes it is fair to charge them for any copies they request. Obviously, if it’s only a page or two, the Town employees can use their discretion to waive the fee or collect it. Taking care of the Town’s residents is a concept that Mr Feiner has slowly let slip away – unless he can get publicity from it. Sure, he’ll respond to your phone call by fugaciously pawning your issue to one of his commissioners and be done with you. Then he’ll go back to his back room deals, overdevelopment, spot-zoning, variance request blessings and dismissing traffic studies to raise a few more bucks to pay for the fines he’s had levied against the Town’s taxpayers. It has to change. Only then will we see A Better Greenburgh.
It’s believed by most that the deli has already received Mr Feiner’s blessing, and is trying to officially “make their case” to have the zoning codes changed so he can get a variance(s) to add a drive-through window and “flip” the building. Selling the building will become more attractive to a fast food chain by installing the window which would then be grandfathered to the next owner. The deli has been closed for over two years now. The owner, Ernest Tartaglione says being closed is a hardship on his business. There is no business. Tartaglione, a commercial real estate landlord for numerous properties, is just counting this as just another property in his stable.
The interesting occurrence we mentioned above is that Tartaglione, et al, had petitioned the Zoning Board of Appeals for a postponement of his deli’s zoning appeal case. Their reason is unknown but suspected to be related to the traffic report, only just released two days earlier on Monday. The Fulton Park Civic Association also petitioned for a postponement as two days was not enough time for them to review and analyze the information in the traffic report. But, the Fulton Park Civic Association, as with anyone filing a petition for postponement, including the petitioner, was forced to pay a $25 fee (tax) to the Town! When we were discussing this, an ABG staffer jumped in saying, “Wait! I know why. The Town employee will say it’s a lot of work to do, or it takes away from their regular duties, or there are costs associated with doing this. Or, all of those – am I right?” In a word, yes, she was right. The staffer was told the filing fee was because of the amount of work that was entailed to request the postponement. How preposterous!
Greenburgh taxpayers are repeatedly hammered by ill-conceived policies of the Town, created by our own representatives, that punish residents at almost every imaginable turn. Case in point? The request for a postponement and the related application fee of $25. This “fee” is a second tax applied under the guise of a fee. We are inundated with these fees in Greenburgh. When a resident/taxpayer goes to Town Hall to request anything for their primary property, there should not be a fee attached to it if it is a simple or small request, such as this postponement. Under the Feiner Administration of the past 22-years, we’ve seen fee after fee created to possibly pay off his guilty verdict fines. So, when the Fulton Park Civic Association applied for a postponement, it is ABG’s position that there should not have been a filing fee charged. This is simply a letter handed to a clerk who marks it received and passes it along to the appropriate individual(s) either manually or by email. This actually falls under the auspices of the clerk’s job. There should be no charge – that’s their job!
At a recent Town Board work session, there was a lengthy discussion about waiving the application fee for installation of a permanently installed generator, as opposed to a temporary or portable one. There are so many fees involved with the installation of just a generator, you might need a travel companion, a priest or rabbi and concierge if you go to Town Hall to do this. First, there is the application fee of $100 to review the application. Next, assuming your application review has been approved, you will pay a Building Department fee (installation), followed by the Electrical fee (power) and finally (?) the Plumbing (gas) fee. ABG is not saying to forego the safety inspections our inspectors are required to make during the installation process. We endorse that part of the process. Just don’t forget that they are very well-paid with benefits to do those inspections. That’s their job.
Realistically, there should not be any fee for projects that are small, single family homeowner-sized projects. It’s one of the reasons why we have a Building Department, financed by residents’ taxes. Unfortunately, we’ve allowed our elected officials to get ahead of us and tax us twice.
As was highlighted with the postponement fee, another travesty for the taxpayer/resident/community members/stakeholders must endure is the ridiculous fees for copies from Town Hall. If one goes into Town Hall and requests a copy of anything, they are charged 25¢ per page. That’s preposterous. The Town will supply a PDF of a document at no charge but we’re sure an Executive session can soon end this once they figure out the wording required. The taxes, paid by the taxpayers/residents/community members/stakeholders already cover this expense. The copier that is leased, the toner and paper used, the electricity, the service agreements, etc., are already paid for by the taxpayer! It’s their copier and supplies! Why are they taxed again? The administration’s argument is if everybody came in and requested copies it would be too expensive for the Town. This is a lame excuse.
First, “everybody” is not going to suddenly be coming in requesting copies. Second, most other communities are operating in a budget conscience fashion and provide the residents with copies upon request at no additional cost. The difference? Other, better managed communities, also haven’t been found guilty in Federal court of violating the rights of a church and paying $6.5 million in fines and penalties, forcing this administration to figuratively stand on the street corner begging for nickels and dimes! Would you like another example?
Several years ago, Mr Feiner and his Town tried to raise the “fee” for the Village of Elmsford residents to use the Town library, which is part of the larger Westchester Library System. It was a hefty increase that Mr Feiner assumed (we know) he would get because he is used to getting his way. Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams, apparently more concerned for his constituents than Mr Feiner, reached out to the Village of Ardsley for an alternative library arrangement that was less money for his Village and gave his residents a more cost-effective solution to Mr Feiner’s greedy proposal. Mr Williams completely and successfully bypassed Mr Feiner piggishness.
As a side note, it had often been discussed that the Village of Elmsford, which sold the library property to the Town for a dollar, be given access to the library directly as a gesture of good faith. A former librarian at the Greenburgh library was insistent this not be allowed. Her rationale was that it would, at the time, add 3,000 new Elmsford users to the library, overwhelming it. One would think more users would be a good thing for any library as it would give cause to an increased budget, increased purchasing power, more books, videos, programs and more employees. Besides, the 3,000 Elmsford residents were not going to show up all at once! It would also promote expansion. Oh, wait, they did expand with the award winning ski jump, a mostly inefficient use of space riddled with HVAC system issues, leaks, burst pipes and more. Ardsley’s library is looking like a pretty good deal.
Back to being forced to pay for what we already paid for through our taxes. The right thing (again, we know) would be to allow residents to come in and request one copy of a file or document they need. There should be no charge as long as they prove residency or occupancy of the address. If the taxpayer is requesting multiple copies of a document, that’s a bit different. The first copy would be free and a minimal fee of say 5¢/page or a blanket amount for the entire document of say, $2/additional copy can be charged. This would hold true for business residents as well. Now, if outside agencies come in requesting a copy, ABG believes it is fair to charge them for any copies they request. Obviously, if it’s only a page or two, the Town employees can use their discretion to waive the fee or collect it. Taking care of the Town’s residents is a concept that Mr Feiner has slowly let slip away – unless he can get publicity from it. Sure, he’ll respond to your phone call by fugaciously pawning your issue to one of his commissioners and be done with you. Then he’ll go back to his back room deals, overdevelopment, spot-zoning, variance request blessings and dismissing traffic studies to raise a few more bucks to pay for the fines he’s had levied against the Town’s taxpayers. It has to change. Only then will we see A Better Greenburgh.
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