Defecation Hits Ventilation: Town Board to Hold Emergency CYA Meeting Tonight. Protesters To Attend?

ABG recently wrote several stories that highlight the lies coming from Town Hall and specifically the corner office. We also informed our readers of a secret meeting Mr Feiner held and his Town Board condoned on Friday afternoon as weekend plans were made, workdays were wrapping up and most people weren’t paying attention to the shenanigans at Town Hall. Unknown by most, a special meeting took place for all of one minute and thirty-one seconds to thwart the constitutional rights of only Greenburgh residents by Mr Feiner, his Town Board, NYS Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti and NYS Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins!

As we have mentioned in our previous articles of the lack of truthfulness coming from 177 Hillside Avenue, whenever we expose another wrong-doing, Mr Feiner circles the proverbial wagons to fight back, usually compounding his screw-up. Well, he’s doing it again. He sent out an email blast trying to cover his illegal actions on Friday by describing the special meeting and then saying:

“Some blog posts on Edgemont sites claim that improper notice was given of the meeting yesterday.  Even though work was still being done on the resolution, I personally walked over to the Town Clerk's office on Thursday and advised that I wanted to give at least 24 hours’ notice before Friday’s meeting.  We scheduled the special meeting at 2:45 PM on Friday, 24 hours after I spoke to the Clerk’s Office.  Nevertheless, for the avoidance of any doubt and to ensure we are following the letter and spirit of the law, the Town Board has decided to re-notice the meeting and reaffirm their votes tomorrow (Sunday) evening, at 8:30 PM, at Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh NY 10607.  No other business will be entertained at tomorrow’s special meeting.”

While he says he personally walked and talked to those in the Clerk’s office, it’s our belief that this is a lie. Why? Mr Feiner was found guilty in Federal Court of discrimination, LYING UNDER OATH, and destroying evidence and more. We also don’t believe anyone else from this administration will say anything to the contrary as they know they’ll be “Sonya’d” if they do. Or, they just won’t comment at all and let Mr Feiner take all of the heat.

We hope that many of you can change your Father’s Day plans, which we’re sure Mr Feiner is hoping you cannot, and attend this impromptu protest at Town Hall tonight. Due to the serious nature of this event, be advised that Mr Feiner will have a police presence and all protests should be peaceful. They will also not allow public comment and exit in haste after they perform their CYA vote.

Other organizations are planning to have their members attend this meeting in protest. Here’s what was on an Edgemont Facebook page:

Dear Edgemont Neighbor,

We need you tonight!  At the last minute, Supervisor Paul Feiner has scheduled a public meeting this evening, Sunday, June 18, at which he will make a second request to change State laws in a manner that only affect Greenburgh.

His actions, if successful, would have the effect of establishing specific standards for village incorporation that would only apply to Greenburgh communities such as Edgemont, Hartsdale, and Fairview, but not to any other New York hamlets that may wish to consider villagization in the future.

The meeting will be held tonight at 8:30 pm at Greenburgh Town Hall, and the Town. Paul Feiner says that the meeting “should only last a few minutes.” Therefore we are asking everyone to arrive at 8:15pm.

It is important for us to show up early and be heard.

8:15pm
TONIGHT, Sunday, June 18
Town Hall - 177 Hillside Ave

Here’s what the Hartsdale Neighborhood Association has posted:

Hartsdale Neighbors Association

10 hrs · 

Please read carefully the following statement released tonight (Saturday) by Supervisor Paul Feiner in advance of a Town Board vote scheduled for Sunday evening (6/18) to consider a resolution authorizing a home rule bill submitted in the state legislature by Senator Stewart-Cousins and Assemblyman Abinanti to change the rules that apply to village incorporation exclusively within the Town of Greenburgh. As Supervisor Feiner states below, this proposed bill, which dramatically raises incorporation petition requirements and grants Greenburgh's Town Board sweeping and discretionary powers to defeat potential village incorporations, targets not just Edgemont, but is also intended to make it impossible for Hartsdale and Fairview to ever incorporate. Such potential incorporations are on nobody's radar currently, but circumstances could change in the future in unpredictable ways. Here in Hartsdale, we all object to Edgemont incorporating (after all, we will pay the price), but are we willing to surrender our own rights of self-determination as well?
Moreover, should Greenburgh unincorporated residents be held to impassable standards for village incorporation that apply nowhere else in New York? What do you think?

Hope to see you tonight at about 8PM.

The Fix Is In – Again, So Edgemont Can’t Win

Without any fanfare, advertisement, advance notice, public disclosure or consideration, the phony open-government touted by Mr Feiner and his Town Board once again secretly opted to hold a special meeting this past Friday afternoon. Assembling for all of one minute and thirty-one seconds, they voted to change the law to deny residents their constitutional right to self-government. Specifically, the Board members present voted 4 to 0, to change the current NYS Village Law to require petitioners for Village incorporation to prepare and file community impact statements before they can circulate a petition. Councilman Ken Jones was absent for this event; although he apparently voted, “Yes,” by phone. Clearly, Mr Feiner is using this strategy as he realizes he will be defeated with his next court visit. The Edgemont Incorporation Committee, challenging his decision not to allow the referendum to go forward, filed an Article 78 lawsuit. 

This is not a unique circumstance in the Town. No, not Mr Feiner going to court, being found guilty or having the taxpayers forced to foot the bill. Rather, it’s about Mr Feiner manipulating the system to control an outcome favorable to him. This is all about Paul Feiner needing to win, especially against his Edgemont rivals! But this proposal can’t easily just “get changed” in Albany without help. Ahh, something is up and it is now obvious that it was in play for some time now. While our first thought was to ask who was concocting this change, Tom Abinanti came to mind. But it seemed too complicated for him to do alone. We’ve just learned that his other fellow Albany buddy, Andrea Stewart-Cousins (office at 518-455-2585), has crafted the proposal in Albany, bill #S.6728. Or did she? Our other guess is that part of the $50,000 worth of taxpayer money to Robert Spolzino, the retired judge Mr Feiner hired to trick residents into invalidating Edgemont residents’ petition signatures, contracted the former judge to write this type of legislation.

Mr Feiner and his Board voted it on it late in the day this past Friday in preparation of having her introduce the bill before midnight on June 21st! Why before midnight and on June 21st? That’s when the summer recess kicks in for our overworked and underpaid Albany representatives. This is the same shenanigans he asked the two of them to do with regards to changing the Finneran Law to benefit his friends at Sport Time several years ago when he was trying to virtually give away the Town owned tennis courts at Anthony Veteran Park.

It’s well known that much legislation that can’t be publicized is proposed before vacations and sessions end. This underhanded move ensures sketchy legislation, legislation with an agenda or simply just bad legislation would be passed that would otherwise be killed before making it to the floor of the congress. Passing a bill in three days, with no publicity, public comment or discussion is what we expect to encounter in third world nations with despots running the government. Sounds somewhat familiar as we witness more and more of this in our Town.

In what can almost be recognized as an act of war against the Edgemont community, Mr Feiner will no doubt offer a different take on this move. But his plan must seem sound whether the bill in Albany passes or not (it will). This will allow him to placate all of the Greenburgh residents concerned about the Edgemont incorporation, specifically the Hartsdale neighborhood residents, as they have been intensely critical of Mr Feiner and the Town for not having any contingency plans at the ready should the incorporation proceed to referendum. Then there are his individual insiders who have been his vocal opposition to incorporation: Don Cannon, Lloyd Cort, Walter Simon, Mona Fraitag, Hugh Schwartz, to name a few. Mr Feiner will begin his official campaign blitz on the 22nd, already having sent out press releases for publication earlier. He’ll then say, “Look, I even got our State Legislators to help to stop the incorporation.” It will not matter if it gets passed, in his mind, he still wins.

This is less about losing than about winning, but not so much for Mr Feiner. He will bastardize the laws to his advantage. This is about making sure that the Edgemont incorporation and certain of the Edgemont residents don’t win. So if Mr Feiner doesn’t win, but if he stops the Edgemont incorporation from going through to referendum, Edgemont loses more than Mr Feiner wins. Hence, he wins.  It also does not matter what the cost will be for the town - lawsuits, reputation, etc., because Mr Feiner is never held personally culpable. So, under the cover of secrecy, not open or collaborative government, Mr Feiner will have stopped the Edgemont incorporation movement as well as the Hartsdale neighborhood that had also begun discussing incorporation based on what they were learning as more and more information, actions and agendas of Mr Feiner and his Board became exposed.

Whether or not incorporation is good for Edgemont, the Town, Hartsdale or anywhere else is not the point. What is the point is that Greenburgh citizens are having their rights attacked by Mr Feiner and his Board for whatever misguided reason and not being allowed to exercise those rights. Greenburgh residents have only a few short days to do something about it. Contact your representatives in Albany and just say no. Watch Mr Feiner contradict himself about incorporation at: http://bit.ly/2tx9k1F. Then contact Mr Feiner and tell him, “Enough, stop trampling our rights!” Finally, come again and again to Town Board meetings – after the presentations and and time killing and speak during the mere 3 minutes of the Public Comment section and let them know their despicable and deplorable behavior has gone on long enough and will no longer be tolerated! Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.