In For A World of Hurt

Almost everyone now knows what the results of this election were. For Greenburgh, with a Town Supervisor that brags about recycling, we’ve simply gotten more recycling with a return of the same old politicians, disappointing policies and tax increases. Some claim voters get what they deserve. There’s some truth to that claim. To another degree, many voters are pleasantly and willfully ignorant, returning the goresome foursome of the Town Board to their underperforming seats: Feiner and Juettner, both found guilty of discrimination against the Fortress Bible Church; Sheehan, thrown under the bus by his own Brutus, Mr Feiner, during the Democratic Primary challenge against Edgemont’s Bob Bernstein; Beville, who suffers from verberhea when sitting at the dais, oft times struggling as the official time keeper for speakers. Not visible was another winner, Anne Povella, our Receiver of Taxes. Sadly, one of the real assets, Janet Malone lost her bid for court justice.

Slogan-run campaigns, individual accommodations by Mr Feiner, party-line voting, willful ignorance by the majority, mob-like mentality and party politics are only a small number of the poorest of reasons to return the same players to office. Spot-zoning, an illegal activity, is routinely practiced by Mr Feiner and his Board to accommodate his developer friends. It has a negative, far-reaching affect throughout the Town. Openly practicing discrimination, destroying evidence, lying under oath have become the hallmarks of Mr Feiner and Ms Juettner’s behavior, germinating its way through our feckless Board. We’d like someone to explain why Mr Feiner and Ms Juettner have not been removed from office for dereliction of duty and violating the oath they swore to uphold. Their ability to remain in office merely highlights the “anything goes” mentality by these politicians. And, the ten thousand or so voters who actually came out and voted for them even though they ran unopposed is even more telling!

It’s difficult to try to think beyond the election as so much still remains amiss in Greenburgh. Mr Feiner has continually bragged about our AAA Bond rating and staying within the NYS 2% Tax Cap. And yet the bond rating rings hollow given our lack of bond use. The 2% Tax Cap is not really a 2% cap, proven again this year by Mr Feiner as he proposes increasing Town taxes 3.4% in 2014 for Unincorporated Greenburgh, and increases his and Ms Beville’s salaries by 10%. If approved, and there is no doubt it will be, Mr. Feiner’s salary will increase from $127,618 per year to more than $140,174. Do you remember his publicity stunt when he used to return part of his salary? Town clerk Judith Beville will also have a hefty salary increase from $73,686 to $80,936. And the best part-time job in the Town, the Town board members, will also get 10% raises, allowing them to make more than some of our full-time employees! Our concerns with this blatant abuse of power, an almost unstoppable train wreck barreling down the tracks, means at some point, the residents may never gain back control from the overlords.

Increased expenditures throughout the budget will be mostly due to salary increases for our employees, commissioners and their assistants. When Mr Madden began, he said he was a one-man band and didn’t need other people. Now, however, he and Mr Feiner are seeking to add a deputy planning commissioner who would be paid a salary of $90,000 per year, which is more likely to be about $130,000 with benefits and then retirement costs. As Mr Feiner creates new top-tier positions such as this, he quietly intends to pummel our reserve funds to balance his under-the-tax-cap-budget. If he did not, the tax increase is estimated to be around 10% or higher!

There is no money budgeted from the “gifting sale” he intends to finagle to GameOn 365 for the former Frank’s Nursery property at 715 Dobbs Ferry Road. He has discussed leases, RFP’s, auctions, sealed bids, but still hasn’t figured out a way to “get one over” on the G10 and give the property to his chosen beneficiary, GameOn 365. There are no revenues mentioned from this property’s sale and a small amount from the rental of the WestHelp property. The Town was given WestHelp’s rental facility from the County years ago. It sits languishing because Mr Feiner has chosen to play politics with it, costing the Town a minimum of $1.2 million per year as well as 100+ people in need of housing, a home.

Finally, for now, there is no money budgeted for the impending Fortress Bible Church’s guilty verdict judgement against Greenburgh taxpayers thanks to the actions and poor decisions of Mr Feiner and Ms Juettner. ABG has been saying all along that this could cost the Town about $8 million and new estimates seem to be bearing out our prediction. Add to this the Town-wide revaluation costs, infrastructure repairs that keep getting “kicked down the road” along with other expenses, and it appears the Town is in for a world of hurt. ABG is not sure if fund balance money can be used to pay the Fortress Bible judgement and wouldn’t be surprised if Mr Feiner secretly tries to find a way to do so. Even if he could, there won’t be enough left to pay off the Fortress Bible judgement. Mr Feiner has continually raised our taxes and will need to keep doing so just to keep his head above water. We need a change.

The Town will have a minimum of two hearings on the proposed budget. By law, the budget must be adopted by the Town Board by December 20, 2013. Please review the budget, come to the hearings and hold this Town Board’s feet to the fire. It may be the only way to get A Better Greenburgh.