Campaigning To Empty Stores

Dated September 18th, The Paul’s pre-end-of-the-month campaign advertisement holds little substance. As usual, we could have lived without this mailing as his media compatriots have already published this press release “article” and will probably run it again anyway. In it, he bemoans the Crossroads Shopping Center on Rt 119 and the possibility of a new supermarket and how many of you have decried the need for a supermarket. Thanks to The Paul, it’s gotten so supermarket barren in Greenburgh, we’ve taken up learning Korean just so we can shop knowledgeably at HMart, the replacement Korean market at the former Pathmark site on Central Avenue.

While The Paul claims to have no hand in the demise of the A&P at Crossroads Shopping Center, most residents in the neighborhood have been reduced to shopping for staple goods at the $1 Store and K-Mart. The Paul claims he had nothing to do with the A&P’s disappearance in Crossroads. The Paul claims he wasn’t responsible for the double-digit tax increases for driving away the A&P, as well as the other stores. The Paul claims he wasn’t was responsible for the 102% water bill increases driving away the A&P. Have you noticed how much water is used cleaning meat, fish, deli, produce and dairy departments each day? It’s no wonder these seemingly innocuous taxes would promote the demise of many businesses – and residents – in our Town!

Let’s not forget about other contributing factors when doing business in Greenburgh. Factors such as required insurances, rent, salaries, OSHA requirements, local taxes, county taxes, state taxes and federal taxes, estimated tax, the union contracts and theft to mention a few things before a tenant even puts a key in the door. The increasingly widespread low income of area residents are struggling to hold onto their homes while financially challenged, don’t own transportation and must walk or take a bus to go to a supermarket for what they need. How much can they purchase and easily return home?

Soon however, residents will be able to get all their party needs at the new Party City, even though they must go to a different location for everything else for their party. The Paul’s campaign piece states that, “Party City is under construction in the former Barnes & Noble space and has targeted early December 2012 for a grand opening.” This is good news for that space and the shopping center. Let’s just hope the ever-billing, always-requiring Town Building Department, along with his ever-taxing Stepford Board, doesn’t hold up the grand opening because a $200 permit fee wasn’t paid and they miss the holiday party season, only to open to an empty store.

The Paul’s campaign piece touches on the struggling economy and tenants filing for bankruptcy, such as A&P, Marty Shoes, Jembro (still in business, just not in Greenburgh), T-Mobile, Barnes & Noble Bookseller and Avenue. He doesn’t go too far back as he tries to paint the picture, again ignoring the aforementioned contributing factors to these businesses’ demise. He doesn’t mention Pergament, Caldor, or the previous Party Store that left the current Home Goods site. And, as if Crossroads doesn’t need more competition, he doesn’t mention the new Sports Authority that will be going into the site of the former Sym’s store across from the Greenburgh Library. We still like and shop at Modell’s Sports store, but how long can they last with competition right around their proverbial corner?

The Paul claims the leasing staff at Heyman Properties, and Arcadia REIT are working hard to find interested tenants. Why he has failed to advertise for a supermarket on his blog, which has had apparent success finding a tenant for the formerly uninhabitable  Frank’s Nursery site? Partnered with the environmental knowledge Town Attorney Tim Lewis seems to have for environmental cleanup and related costs, perhaps Attorney Lewis can assist The Paul in adjusting for the square footage issues we’re told is the reason the former A&P space is not rentable to supermarkets.

There are reasons that brick and mortar businesses fail. Sometimes it’s the business model, the products offered, outside factors, poor management (our Town?), as well as other factors. With the County and State offering concessions to so many businesses to (re)locate or just stay in our area, perhaps it’s time for The Paul to do the same. Here’s a few ideas that may make tenancy more viable in Greenburgh. First, make the certiorari adjustments before the business opens and keep it in place for at least five years. As an aside, the new Stop and Shop on Rt 119 applied for their certiorari grievance the first day they opened their door and got it. Second, waive the permit fees required for any business trying to open in the Town. If not waiving them, at least combine all of them into one more manageable one. Third, have the building department assign an inspector to work closely with the prospective tenant to facilitate renovation work and not delay work, ensuring opening the store for business as projected. Fourth, work with the owners of the property to facilitate the opening as well as a long-term, economically viable relationship for both. Frankly, we don’t think The Paul is capable here and should utilize Tim “The Magic Attorney” Lewis for this.

There are other ideas ABG has but realizes good ideas are rarely embraced by the Town administration. The Fairview area residents and businesses are being crippled by The Paul and his Stepford Board. It’s time for The Paul and his Stepford Board to go. It’s time for The Paul’s campaign mailings ($2,000 Mailings or AAA Rating?) to stop. We can only hope.

Can You Smell A Rat?

Whenever things get uncomfortable in Town Hall, The Paul switches to deflection mode and changes the subject. The media, sycophants all, play right along as if his blather reflects their personal “skin in the game.” When the buzz was that the President cleared away hurdles for a new Tappan Zee bridge, it gave The Paul a plethora of topics to expound upon. We imagine him saying “Wow! Judith, do you realize the publicity they just handed me?” to his vociferous, yet irrelevant, Town Clerk. We also can imagine the clerks office staff, the real brains of that department, rolling their eyes in disbelief,  mumbling, “Oh crap! Here we go again.”

The next phase of the deflection was to offer something so unrealistic and undoable that it would guarantee media coverage. But what could provide an unending source of coverage, and how absurd would it need to be? The Paul wrestled with this and then, realizing he was giving away untold tracts of land to developers, it hit him. Land use. A park. No, wait! Not just a park, a high-line park - whatever that is. “Judith, find me a park anywhere that was made from a bridge.” Then he found out that NYC had a high-line park and he was off! “Why not turn the old Tappan Zee bridge into a high-line park, just like NYC did several years ago?

The media jumped on this like a NYC dog walker works a pooper-scooper. His spew started and the media was all over it, buying into it without reservation. Then it spread from the local opinion and press release papers like the Westchester Guardian, the White Plains Examiner and of course The Paul’s personal media machine, the Journal News. Ultimately, it would almost go viral, but didn’t. They touted his ramblings as visionary and the stench of “Paul Poo” spread to the major media outlets in NYC. He was in pooper-scooper media heaven. Finally, when one of the major media pundits asked our presidential candidate/governor what he thought about the park idea. “Huh, high-line park? What’s that?” He originally poo-pooed (pun intended) the idea. Ever the politician, as he saw the idea gain the approval of the environmental and others fringe groups that our politicos are so used to pandering to, he did an immediate about-face! Suddenly, the idea merited consideration. Fortunately, with a record heat-wave this summer, The “Paul Poo” began to reek and the governor reversed course and abandoned the idea. What now for The Paul?

Some time around June, The Paul found himself needing another deflection as his transgressions within the Town were catching up to him and getting increased media coverage - just not the kind he was used to. Sure, the Journal News would report on some of it but it buried it on the inside squeezed between a Sleepy’s and Atlantic City casino ad, and never on the front page. After all, that just wouldn’t do. The Paul and his Town Boards were found guilty on seven counts in the Fortress Bible Church decision, he was found guilty of the WestHelp payoff to the Valhalla school districts, which is costing the Town a minimum loss of $100k per month which should have been a guaranteed income. Now that other politicians had co-opted his high-line park idea, he was no longer in the favored limelight.

He decided to to revisit the Tappan Zee bridge, an old stand-by for him, but with a different twist. His ability to generate media buzz is his greatest talent. “This time I’ll be against the bridge!” he thought, “but what can my reason be? Hmmm...it has to involve mass transit so I’ll appear green! They’re such suckers!” With the new twist determined, he landed on the all-or-nothing side of a mass transit component for the new bridge. He went public touting he was now against the Tappan Zee bridge and began writing letters to editors, knowing they would all be published, aired or talked about. He was right. Because the talk had been about building the new bridge without a mass transit component, The Paul announced he was against building the bridge if there would not be a mass transit portion built into it, and like that, he was back in the news. Governor Cuomo already said the bridge would not be able to have the mass transit portion included as it was a) too costly and would b) slow the progress he felt we were making. He never mentioned that we’re coming up to an election year and they need these bridge jobs as a key campaign issue for all the politicians to be a part of and to use.

Once The Paul started to get traction with his “Don’t Build The Bridge” campaign, and the media coverage he wantonly craves, he got another visit, although this one unwelcome. It was from a rat! The union rat, to be specific. The unions that would be involved in building the new Tappan Zee bridge wanted the project to move forward. The Paul was spearheading it’s demise. Now that he infuriated the parent union bosses, and is already extremely disliked by the Town’s CSEA members, it was time for payback. During July, the union planted their inflatable rat outside of Greenburgh Town Hall, aimed at The Paul, who by default with his new position is against the union and in this case union jobs! We’re sure you didn’t see this in the Journal News or the other papers.

About a week and a half ago, the same rat showed up outside of The Paul’s expensive Boulder Ridge housing development. In fact, we were informed the residents were instructed to stay indoors for their safety. Ironic that The Paul would have a significant police presence at the open forum he held at the former Frank’s Nursery for GameOn 365, but not offer Boulder Ridge residents the same protection. We know the union members at Boulder Ridge were not a threat to anybody’s safety. It was a “cheap shot” to tell the residents there to stay inside for their safety, as well as unnecessary. We tried to get a flyer they were handing out but were unable. Our union contacts inform us they have a plan for the rat and to continue protesting The Paul and his anti-bridge position.

While ABG wonders if the rat will accomplish much for the union’s cause, we do support the union and the jobs that will be created for everyone with this project. Stay tuned, as we learn more, you’ll learn more.

As always, we hope our readers will forward information they may learn or receive regarding this and any other news within Greenburgh’s borders to us at ABetterGreenburgh@gmail.com.