Words Will Never Hurt Me

Let’s be honest, everybody has said something they regret, whether they were vocally yelling it or muttering it under their breath and were simply overheard. It reminds us of the episodes we all have either seen or participated in where a teacher would embarrassingly ask a classmate who got caught speaking or passing notes if we wanted to share the comment with everyone in the class? Usually the answer was a timid, “No.”

Could our society be, in general, a little too intent on bullying? Every comment made is not necessarily bullying and everything that’s said is not going to scar everyone on the receiving end of these comments. What ever happened to, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me?” Or, the old teenage retort, “ If I wanted crap I’d squeeze your head.” The list of comebacks goes on. In fact, comedians use this same skill set to deal with hecklers.

Why has Mr Feiner recently taken such a keen interest in the Fairview Fire Department? Because he desperately needs to deflect attention away from him – this is purely a self-serving interest. He needs to deflect attention away from the Fortress Bible Church’s guilty verdict decision against Mr Feiner and his Board for $6.5M. You’ll recall he promised during his campaign the fines would be paid for in full by the insurance company? Remarkably, once Mr Feiner was found guilty in federal court for discrimination, his actions negated the policy payout. He has left the Unincorporated Taxpayer on the hook for $5.5M, only receiving $1M from insurance. Then there’s the deflection from the $1.2M in lost revenue to the Town because Mr Feiner decided to terminate the WestHelp lease with the County. The Town Board condoned this activity and again, the UnIncorporated Taxpayers are on the hook for this. We’re not going to start slinging anti-semitic comments here, but he is certainly not a mensch.

Mr Feiner has initiated a lawsuit, probably a first for him because he’s usually on the receiving end of lawsuits. He claims that Fairview Fire Department Chief Anthony LoGiudice made an anti-semitic remark about him. Perhaps he did, perhaps not. But does it warrant anything more than an apology? More deflection? Is it like the Paula Deen incident that happened years ago and might just have been blown out of proportion? 

For that matter, what of the statement yelled by Councilman Jones who shouted at Town Resident Hal Samis at a Town Board meeting to, “Sit down! Sit the f*%# down!” Whether Mr Samis was right or wrong with his actions, it did not warrant the profanity during a Town Board meeting, nor interrupting the speaker at the podium. At the next meeting, Mr Samis publicly apologized and approached the dais with his outstretched hand asking if Mr Jones would accept his apology and shake on it. He was yelled at again to back away from the dais and Mr Jones has never apologized for his actions and comments. There certainly seems to be a double standard in Greenburgh.

Whether Fairview Fire Department Chief Anthony LoGiudice made an anti-semitic remark about Mr Feiner or not, it appears that this could be resolved with an apology. But Feiner seems intent on seeking more woe-is-me publicity (aka deflection) and focusing on ruining the career of a tremendous Town-wide asset to maintain the focus elsewhere and not on his bad behavior. If he were truly concerned with Fairview Fire District costs, for which he does not pay anything, he would not be bothering with a lawsuit. You may recall that a Federal Judge stated during his trial and found Mr Feiner guilty of lying under oath, not being a credible witness and destroying evidence.

This behavior by Mr Feiner is not new nor is it surprising. We know he will do anything to take the focus off of himself and his illegal or ill-conceived ideas, such as an 83 ft sports bubble in the middle of a residential neighborhood. While he pretends to be concerned with what one person is saying about him, he should be more concerned with what everyone else is saying. It’s time for Mr Feiner to step down and show that actions speak louder than words. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.