Unnecessary Law Averted... For Now

Appeasement is a difficult game to play, although Mr Feiner always seems eager to jump into that fray. His apparent knee-jerk reaction typically belies levelheaded thought and evaluation. And once again he has not failed to disappoint. Recently, a number of ecologically minded extremists approached him about all the noise caused by leaf blowers specifically being used by landscapers and other horticultural professionals. They even went so far as to complain that residential usage was a problem!

In the course of a normal fair weather week, we can hear leaf blowers being used, sometimes right next door and other times a block or so away. While the sound inconvenience is not too disturbing, we prefer it over the music and partying that takes place until 3am and that ever-present boom-boom-boom bass. But it must all somehow relate to perspective. We’ve also complained to Mr Feiner about speeding on our street as have others only to be ignored. And yet, here’s a problem that the self-proclaimed “problem solver” can actually do something about by picking up the phone and calling Police Chief McNerney and asking him to commit a few cops to traffic control to address speeding. Done. But, as a lame-duck who just won another primary, he’s content to write off the residents who complain about speeding on Town roadways for yet another unproductive term in office.

While we agreed with the apathetic few who voted in the Democrat primary, Tasha Young was not the right choice. Then again, many said they had to hold their nose to even consider voting for Mr Feiner, ultimately voting for the devil you know or the one you don’t. What a sad state of affairs when the only choices we have, given roughly 90,000 residents, are Paul Feiner and Tasha Young! And, where are the Republicans or Independents or any others and why aren’t they stepping up? According to Westchester County Republican Chair Douglas Colety, the Republican Party has written off the Town of Greenburgh. From their viewpoint, a Republican can’t win and they don’t want to expend Republican resources for an unwinnable race. Tim Hays, the Greenburgh Republican Chairman, who has admitted he likes the Democrat Supervisor, even accepted a position on the Town’s feckless Board of Ethics, ensuring at least one favorable vote should Mr Feiner or his Board members require it. It’s not that Mr Hays can’t know right from wrong. Rather, this Board, prior to Mr Hays involvement, has a history of non-decisions and ethically challenged decisions between right and wrong – always favoring the administration. And should they actually want to render a decision, it’s only a recommendation to the Town Board for them to ultimately impose judgement. Can you say fox in the hen house?

Lest anyone believe that all is well in Greenburgh, you only need to see our last two articles regarding the School District’s School Board fiasco. No, all is not well in Mudville in almost any direction you chose to cast a stone. But with his sense of pandering aside, Mr Feiner suggested a proposal that would allow leaf blower use for four days during certain hours, with an education component for landscapers and residents. He said it could be a one-year trial program. What this really translates to is that this is another unnecessary law being pushed by a group who have nothing else to complain about and creating a problem in search of a solution.
“I feel if we start with a compromise, it’s not going to be perfect, but we can work off that every year,” Feiner said at the May 25 Work Session. “Right now, I’m suggesting we have a draft that would be subject to a public hearing but I’m trying to figure out what could we do that where we might be able to at least make some progress where it’s better than now.”

So, the real issue is what’s wrong now that we need to improve it? Are all neighbors using leaf blowers at all hours of the day and night that would warrant this? Of course not. Are cars and trucks speeding down our streets? Of course they are. Are any laws being written to address that? Of course not. There are already existing speeding laws but the police choose not to enforce them. Just like there are sound and noise laws that they will not enforce. If a street has a sign that says No Commercial Vehicles Except Local Delivery, does that keep tractor trailers from driving through our neighborhoods? Of course not. Are we writing laws to stop them? You guessed it, the simple answer is no. Why? Because they already exist but are not enforced.

Mr Feiner has openly developed a sanctuary Town for just about anything someone may want to do. It’s okay to dump refuse wherever construction crews, landscapers or residents (even non-residents) want to because they know they will not be caught and prosecuted and the Town will eventually pick it up and dispose of it at our cost. No policing and no confidence. We have single family residential homes being routinely used as multi-family, costing us more in resources at every level. No policing and no enforcement. We have unchecked trucks driving through our residential neighborhoods and all kinds of unchecked motorcycle and automotive speeding in those same neighborhoods. No policing and no enforcement. We have developers purchasing every piece of available and/or buildable land throughout the Town and promise Workforce, Affordable, Senior and Assisted Living housing until it comes time for them to challenge the Zoning code requirements to achieve their goals, discarding our residents’ concerns and feelings only to have Mr Feiner side with the developer and ignore the Comprehensive Plan (more a political statement than a plan). You’ll recall that the roadshows that were held all heard different residents state they wanted more open and green space, less impervious space, bike and walking paths and smaller buildings. In effect, they wanted to maintain and preserve the suburban feel for our Town.

Mr Feiner and his failed policies may be enjoyed by some progressives who wish to live in an urban environment. Most do not. Most moved to Greenburgh because they wish to have green space, with or without leaf blowers, bike paths, walking paths, green and open space and be able to ride a bicycle without fear of being struck by a car or truck. Our Town needs to change. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Town Screws Up Again – Costs Us Millions – Again!

After Paul Feiner was found guilty of discrimination, destroying evidence and five other counts against him in the Fortress Bible Church of Mt Vernon, NY case, “he” had to pay a fine of $6.5 million dollars. In reality, he paid nothing and got off “Scott free.” Although he aways insisted the insurance company would pay the fine prior to the verdict, we soon learned that the insurance company did not have to pay the full amount, contrary to what non-practicing attorney Feiner insisted. Why? Because there was a clause in the policy (loosely interpreted) that relieved the insurance company from that entire obligation because Mr Feiner had been found guilty in Federal Court of the charges, negating that contract. So, the insurance company paid only $1 million dollars and Greenburgh taxpayers, not Mr Feiner, are paying the $5.5 million dollars difference!

It seems that even though the discrimination book is not yet closed on this despicable act by Mr Feiner and his Town Board at the time, another costly settlement has been underway for approximately 5 or so years. Now a settlement has finally been reached and resulted in another multi-million dollar payout by the Town. S&R Development Estates, which acquired the 2.3-acre property at 1 Dromore Road to build a 45-unit apartment complex in 2006, based upon a mapping error by the Town, filed suit against the Town and won, resulting in another massive payout by the Town for $9.5 Million dollars.

The Town Board was advised numerous years ago that there was a discrepancy with the Zoning maps for Dromore Road and that they should be corrected before a developer seeks to purchase the property and build something in the neighborhood, vis é vis the Town, that the surrounding area residents might not want. Well, as sure as Mr Feiner is proof of why we need term limits, S&R Development Estates purchased the property to develop as multi-family housing. And while Mr Feiner has consistently failed to stand up for most neighborhoods and always sides with the developer du jour, here’s yet another example of how he failed the other property owners on Dromore Road, specifically the Green­burgh Na­ture Cen­ter, whose largely wooded 33-acre prop­erty abuts the lot in question, the Sis­ters of the Blessed Sacra­ment, a Catholic or­der whose sanc­tu­ary also bor­ders the prop­erty, and res­i­dents of the un­in­cor­po­rated com­mu­nity of Edge­mont, and the Town residents in general. 

S&R later sold the prop­erty to Wilder and Bal­ter Prop­er­ties of Chap­paqua. They are a de­vel­oper spe­cial­iz­ing in af­ford­able and work­force hous­ing, which is probably what they plan to build on this site. Unfortunately, affordable and workforce housing is just a moniker for low income and/or subsidized housing and the issues that follow it. But those issues will soon belong to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the Greenburgh Nature Center and the Edgemont residents whether they incorporate or not.

So whose at fault with all of this? Mostly Mr Feiner and his current and former Town Board members, Francis Sheehan, Diana Juettner, Eddie Mae Barnes and Steve Bass, as they were made aware of the inaccuracies in zoning and chose to do nothing to correct it. And, once they eventually did try to take action, it was simply too late – and ultimately too costly. The Town Board de­cided to limit the li­a­bil­ity to res­i­dents of un­in­cor­po­rated Green­burgh and not the six vil­lages, in­clud­ing the River­towns (as always). “Since this is a land use mat­ter and the vil­lages have their own land use boards,” said Mr Feiner, “I don’t think it would be fair to have the vil­lages con­tribute.” What Mr Feiner really means is that the Village voters are the people who have kept him in office this long and he doesn’t want to take a chance of alienating them - especially now that he has a challenger for this election! He also failed to mention that the Village’s Mayors and Trustees actually do an infinitely better job of protecting their residents from developers than he has ever done. It must be nice…

If incompetence were ever to go mainstream, its model would be right here in the Town of Greenburgh with any of the career politician Feiner’s administrations. Would a Town run by his challenger, who worked in the failed NYC DiBlasio administration, be any better? Highly doubtful. The Republicans ceded the Town to the Democrats long ago and now they are bearing those fruits at an incredible cost to us all. Electing “more of the same” from the Democrat pork barrel puts at fault those same people, an established one-party, poorly ruled Town. This must change. It’s the only way we’ll get A Better Greenburgh.

2020 Year In Review Review

Each year Mr Feiner likes to tell you the things he’s worked on and brag a bit. We recognize that as a convicted lier he has difficulty sharing all of the information. As such, we take it upon ourselves to set the record straight. His comments are in black and ours are in blue. Black and blue – kind of like how Greenburgh taxpayers feel. Enjoy.

NO TAX HIKE OR LEVY INCREASE FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Recognizing the financial hardship experienced by so many of our residents, the Town Board was able to adopt a budget with no tax increase and no increase in the levy for the second consecutive year. We tried hard to cut spending, and we deferred capital expenses and will be refinancing bonds at lower rates and longer terms to reduce operating costs. No salary increases for elected officials will occur during 2021.  

No tax hike and rightfully so. Since Town Hall was virtually closed during the pandemic, there was much there that was not being used, needed cleaning or replenishment. And, despite Mr Feiner’s desire to float an almost $50 million bond for a new police station and court, now is not the time.                                       

 

MAKING EARLY VOTING EASIER

We tried hard and succeeded in making early voting easier for residents. There were long lines, over three hours in some instances at early voting locations. We provided residents with live streaming of the polling place so they could arrange their voting when the lines were shorter. Councilman Sheehan updated the wait times in real time on our YouTube stream. We established special lines for Senior Citizens to reduce waiting time, and provided the frail elderly and disabled with the ability to avoid waiting on line to vote. We extend an enormous thanks for the efforts of the Greenburgh Neighborhood Health Center offering flu shots outside of the polling location at Town Hall and we arranged for food trucks to be at the parking lot and outdoor musical entertainment to make the wait more enjoyable.

They may have tried hard but did not succeed in making early voting easier. Long lines snaking through the Town Hall parking lot, no seating, understaffing, which is really the Board of Elections fault, did nothing to help the election process but ensure that few checks and balances could be utilized to combat voter fraud.

 

For the 2020 elections the Board of Elections reduced the number of voting locations, creating significant lines. Members of the Town Council (Councilmembers Diana Juettner, Francis Sheehan, Ken Jones and Gina Jackson) assisted voters during early voting hours, making the process run smoother.  Town Hall was likely the safest place to be during early voting because of the precautions in place.

See above.

 

EARLY COVID-19 WARNING, GLENN EISEN'S CRUISE TO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

 In February Glenn Eisen, a former member of the Greenburgh Ethics Board and a Tai Chi Balance instructor in our Parks and Recreation Department, celebrated his 80th birthday with a cruise on the vessel Westerdam on the South China Sea. Most of us had not yet heard of COVID-19 or the Coronavirus, but Glenn introduced me (via his numerous emails) to the depth of the crisis. Although Glenn did not contract the illness, his ship was unable to dock in the Phillipines, Taiwan, Korea or Japan. As he approached each country, he and his wife (and fellow passengers) were told that access was barred and they were legally required to remain on the ship. I was in touch with Glenn via email and reached out to Congressional representatives, attempting to be of help. Eventually, his ship was allowed to dock and Glenn came home.

While unfortunate, the precautions taken by these ports/countries may have helped him and his wife not contract the virus.

 

TOWN BOARD AND OTHER TOWN MEETINGS GO REMOTE

Greenburgh was the first community to ask NYS to authorize members of the Town Board to hold meetings remotely. Before we even heard of Zoom, we asked the state to allow our Town Government to vote via “Skype.” By March our meetings were conducted via “Zoom.” Although some communities in NYS have restricted public participation, the Greenburgh Town Board encouraged citizen involvement. Residents have the right and the ability to speak at public hearings and are encouraged to comment at Town meetings. Our Zoom meetings are televised and streamed live on the town website and are archived.  Councilman Francis Sheehan mastered the Zoom technology very early on, helping the Town to quickly transition from in person meetings to Zoom meetings with public participation.

Mastered Zoom? It really isn’t that difficult to use. However, while we believe this could be a violation of the law, utilizing Zoom precludes a portion of the electorate from participating in these meetings, commenting or having their concerns addressed. There were also continuing sound and Closed Captioning problems on the telecasts.

 

TAXPAYERS FACING HARDSHIPS WERE ENABLED TO PAY TAXES LATE, IN APRIL

In the spring I actively lobbied the NYS Governor and Westchester County to pass legislation that would enable the town to offer residents facing hardships, the opportunity to pay their Town, County and School taxes late. The Governor issued an Executive Order and Westchester County approved legislation authorizing the hardship late payments and the Town Board approved a resolution authorizing County, Town and Fire District taxes to be paid without penalty by mid-July.

As it should be. Interesting that Mr Feiner would look to extend tax payment periods when it took him 7 years to go after any tax foreclosures/liens throughout the Town.

 

NEWLY FORMED TOWN MEDICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE PUSHED FOR REGULATIONS TO MAKE SUPERMARKET SHOPPING SAFER

The Town of Greenburgh is extremely fortunate to be a community replete with highly qualified, active and caring individuals. A recently formed Medical Advisory Committee, comprised of local medical professionals, “pressed” NYS to establish regulations to address guidelines for safe supermarket shopping and to help residents who have no option but to enter stores, avoid having to stand shoulder to shoulder on lines.  The committee recommended limiting the number of people who might shop inside stores, advocated having supermarkets provide hand sanitizers and provide for “6 ft distance” limitations. The NYS Health department issued guidelines endorsing these recommendations.

More regulations mean more costs, which invariably will be passed along to the consumer. Plus, they are apparently recommendations, not mandates.

 

DIFFICULTY GETTING MASKS --BUT RESIDENTS DONATED!

At the beginning of the pandemic there was a serious shortage of masks for first responders. We organized an effort to obtain donations and were successful in obtaining significant donations from Greenburgh residents. Again, this was another example of our neighbors “being there” for the community.

This once again highlights the lack of preparedness for a pandemic or major event. When the avian flu happened several years ago, the Village of Elmsford, under Mayor Robert Williams' insistence, creating an Emergency Operations Center in the basement of Village Hall and a pandemic plan that proved to be the correct pre-planning and steps to take before it was needed. Forward thinking.

 

UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE, HELPING RESIDENTS OBTAIN THEIR CHECKS

Because so many residents were out of work, NYS was inundated with requests for unemployment benefits. I received numerous requests for assistance from many of our residents who were unable to effectively navigate the NYS UI system as so many of the residents were unable to connect with the NYS Department of Labor. Phones were busy and calls unanswered. NYS responded to the concerns by creating a special form for elected officials to utilize. I was gratified to be able to intervene and help most of the residents who called seeking assistance.

As the elected representative for the Town, it is your job to assist residents any time they need it.

 

OUR EMPLOYEES’ HEALTH AND WELL BEING

  Thankfully, none of our staff lost their lives due to COVID-19. Sadly, some residents did. Many of our employees were directed to work remotely from their homes during the pandemic. The police department was hit hard with COVID-19 (our current Police Chief and former Police Chief recovered from the illness) and other essential workers in different departments also had the virus. To keep those employees safe who continue to work in our municipal buildings the Town implemented an action plan that includes:

 

1- Plexiglas partitions have been installed in workplace areas less than six feet apart.  These Plexiglas shields have been installed between office cubicles and at public reception areas.

2- Air filters in the ventilation systems have been upgraded to MERV 13 standards, or better, depending on the ability of the individual system to accept the higher rated filtration.

3- Signage has been installed as reminders to wash hands, maintain separation, and inform about COVID-19 symptoms, in a format as published by the CDC.

4- Disinfecting agents have been made available at all office work stations and public lobby areas.

5- We have purchased advanced fogger disinfectant equipment used by our Building Maintenance Department as appropriate along with outer disinfection techniques.

6- In Town Hall, public access beyond the Lobby area has been restricted.

7- High-touch surfaces are wiped by Building Maintenance staff at greater frequency.

8- The Town Hall Cafeteria and other meeting areas now have reduced seating and greater separation.

Special thanks to Building Maintenance Supervisor Michael Broder for overseeing these initiatives.

All of the initiatives are in line with mandates from all governmental agencies involved with the pandemic and should have been followed anyway. It would be helpful to have costs associated with each of these steps taken as Mr Feiner has no problem wasting taxpayer money.

 

SUPPORTING OUR RESTAURANTS

In partnership with the local community and our store owners, we were able to create outdoor seating opportunities at some area restaurants. The Parking Authority created additional outdoor space for restaurants on East Hartsdale Avenue as well.

Ah, East Hartsdale Avenue got this perk – and we’re happy for it as the Feiner administration is anti-business (except for developers) and doing little to help small and independent businesses

 

OUR PARKS PROVIDED A NEEDED ESCAPE

This pandemic has demonstrated how our parks are essential for our residents and the people who work in our communities. Record crowds have visited our parks this year to walk, jog, hike, meditate or exercise, using our tennis courts, ball fields, swimming pools or playgrounds.  Our parks became a refuge for so many people who have been unemployed or needed to get outdoors for their mental and physical wellness.

Good.

 

NUTRITION PROGRAM CONTINUED

Throughout the crisis the drivers and staff of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program continued to deliver meals (over 5000 each month) to at risk seniors who could not get out and were sheltering in place. Volunteers helped deliver food to seniors afraid to shop inside a supermarket.

Good.

 

THEODORE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER CONTINUED SERVING COMMUNITY

Even in the midst of a pandemic, the Department of Community Resources’ team was able to provide quality programming, in-person and virtual, to town residents, ensuring health and safety was a priority.  Committed staff members remained on the front lines to ensure the needs of senior residents were addressed, provided a safe space for remote learning, assisted with the increased 2020 Census responses, engaged and supported social justice demonstrations, and brought awareness to the importance of civic engagement during an intense campaign and election season. In addition, due to the proactive approach of the implementation of CDC protocols and Westchester County Department of Health, with appropriate approvals, the Theodore D. Young Community Center’s indoor pool facility was one of just a few that remained open throughout the entire county during the ongoing public health crisis.

1) We have always found interesting the fact the TYCC is considered a place for learning. We endorse learning, but believe the schools should be doing this since everyone pays dearly for school taxes. If learning is supposed to be remote, why are they at the TYCC? 

2) We’re also not sure why the TYCC was utilized for voter registration when the Census takers were canvassing the neighborhoods? 

3) And the pool remaining open smacks of violating all mandates about social distancing and/or spreading the virus.

 

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS

Between late 2019 and early 2020 there were nine pedestrian accidents, some involving fatalities.  We created a Traffic Safety Committee which made several recommendations to the Town Board. We were able to finally install a new traffic signal at the intersection of Sprain and Ardsley Roads. The Commissioner of Public Works and the Commissioner of Planning and Community Development issued a report prioritizing sidewalks that need to be built in the Town. We worked with the NYS Department of Transportation to address safety issues on Central Avenue, near Sacred Heart Church, were a child was very seriously injured. NYS will allow the Town to construct a “Hawk Traffic Control Device” designed to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely at the crosswalk. Councilman Francis Sheehan helped with a petition process to initiate this effort. We are currently designing two sidewalks, on Hillside Avenue and North Washington Avenue. We are also taking steps to build a sidewalk on Fort Hill Road from Ardsley Road to Longview. A permanent resident Traffic Safety Committee will be appointed by the Town Board with representation from different neighborhoods. A new sidewalk is also currently under construction on Old Tarrytown Road.

1) The traffic light at the intersection of Sprain and Ardsley Roads was not the result of pedestrian accidents as Mr Feiner would like you to believe. 

 2) Prioritizing where we need sidewalks is like kissing your sister – it doesn’t mean much without a master plan for sidewalks and other necessities throughout the Town. We just want to know why, after thirty years as Supervisor, that Mr Feiner finally wants sidewalks? His modus operandi has been that any developer who is building or developing in the Town must include a new sidewalk (often to nowhere) in front of the property.

 

TOWN BOARD AUTHORIZES FORFEITURE OF CARS OF THOSE CONVICTED OF DRAG RACING

Regrettably, Drag Racing has increased locally, including on streets within our community. Police have worked diligently to identify locations and times when such activities were occurring, but ticketing appeared to be inadequate disincentive for those involved in this extremely dangerous and disruptive activity. The Town Board has been able to pass guidelines which now will allow those convicted of Drag Racing, on our streets, to potentially forfeit their vehicles. We believe this law will adequately discourage Drag Racing.

Remarkably, many neighborhoods have continually bemoaned the fact that there is no police presence nor enforcement in the neighborhoods. You can have all of the laws and forfeiture laws on the books. Without enforcement of current vehicle and traffic laws, in addition to going after the drag racing, it won’t make a bit of difference and will continue.

 

NYS REPAVES ROADS THEY OWN FOR FIRST TIME IN OVER FIVE YEARS

For first time in more than five years, NYS has repaved roads they control which are located in Greenburgh. Dobbs Ferry Road, Hillside Avenue and Saw Mill River Road in Ardsley have all seen excellent upgraded paving. In 2018 student interns lobbied NYS to address road conditions and we thank them for their effective work.

Again, Mr Feiner should represent his constituents and constantly push the state for better road maintenance and care. That's his job.

 

MARIO CUOMO BRIDGE BIKE PATH

A long-awaited bike/pedestrian path has been opened across the Mario Cuomo Bridge, enabling cyclists and pedestrians to bike/walk from Tarrytown to Nyack. I had pressed for this for many years and expressed concern about the narrow width of the shared walkway. I am also pushing for a bike lane to be built from the South/North County trail on Route 119 to the Cuomo Bridge. Such a path would make it safer for cyclists to bike from the Yonkers/Bronx border and from Putnam to the bridge without having to worry about street traffic.

What a nightmare having one pathway on the new Tappan Zee Bridge which is extremely congested during good weather and fraught with numerous accidents daily. While the pathway’s too small for the volume of walkers, runners, bikers, romantics gazing at the sunsets, etc., there should have been two paths, one for bikers on one side and a second for pedestrians on the other.

 

ODELL HOUSE NOW IS OWNED BY THE TOWN, ITS HISTORY WILL BE PRESERVED

Odell house was finally turned over to the Town by the “Sons of the American Revolution.” It was a long process.  A private foundation, “Friends of the Odell House Rochambeau” was formed to work with the Town to provide assistance and direction, as we proceed with efforts to restore this important national landmark and to make it a museum.

What also needs to happen is constant maintenance or this will wind up like the Miller House in Valhalla. Our Town has a poor track record of maintenance and usually reacts when it’s too late.

 

CON ED ISSUES REFUNDS FOR FIRST TIME FOR POWER OUTAGES

After far too many power outages, we were able to lobby Con Ed to issue refunds to customers who experienced losses due to outages and partial refunds were issued for the first time. Con Ed was fined by NYS for being unprepared to address power outages during this summer. It's my hope that Con Ed has learned from the experiences. On Christmas day there were outages around the town and Con Ed responded quickly and efficiently to these issues. We are pressing Con Ed to create a joint plan with Verizon and Optimum to coordinate initiatives to avoid such service disruptions.

This bragging borders on the obscene. While we believe it’s about time that consumers get some relief when they are without power beyond a few hours, we find it utterly ridiculous that the government fines a public utility that they govern who then passes those costs along to the consumer.

 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Site Approvals: Shoprite will replace the movie theater in North Elmsford. Brightview Assisted Living has been approved at Metropolis Golf Club. Amazon to open a last mile distribution facility in Elmsford. Proposed assisted living at Maplewood has been abandoned. The Town has committed to hiring an Economic Development Coordinator. A new Self Storage Facility opens on White Plains Road. Chelsea Assisted Living opens in Greenburgh at the former Franks Nursery. Carlsons to remain a nursery at 625 Dobbs Ferry Road. Westchester Broadway Theater closes. Tesla Dealership construction almost completed on Route 119.

While economic development is good, there has been too much of late and too many deals proffered by Mr Feiner and his Board. While we can certainly use the supermarket, it shouldn’t be at the expense of the neighborhood's concerns and quality of life near the ShopRite site. Mr Feiner has a long history of ignoring the neighborhood's input and concerns in favor of all developers. 

 

GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW PUSHED BY TOWN REQUIRING LARGE SUPERMARKETS TO MAKE EXCESS EDIBLE FOOD AVAILABLE TO THE NEEDY

     The Governor signed a law that was developed by the Greenburgh Conservation Advisory Board and Councilman Ken Jones providing that large supermarkets should make available excess edible food, that is otherwise being carted away for disposal, to religious or other non profit organization which provide food for free to the needy.   The Town Board passed a resolution supporting this initiative.    The bill was overwhelming passed by the Senate and Assembly, and the Town Board urged the Governor to sign into law. It becomes effective in June 2021.

Here’s another piece of feel-good legislation that will do little if anything to feed the hungry. One of the problems with this is many organizations have a policy about taking in prepared food and typically refuse it.

 

KNOLLWOOD/RUMBROOK INTERCONNECTION PIPELINE INSTALLATION UNDERWAY

Construction of the critically important Knollwood Rumbrook interconnection pipeline project began in 2020. The interconnection is needed from the Rumbrook Pump station to the Knollwood Pump station to provide the town with a second (redundant) water source in the event that the NYC Delaware aqueduct system is shut down or one of our pump stations is out of service.

After all of the years of neglect, it’s good to finally see some infrastructure work being done.

 

SUMMER INTERNSHIP STUDENTS MET WITH NATIONALLY KNOWN LEADERS

During a Town sponsored Virtual Internship, comprised of 42 Greenburgh student interns, Hillary Clinton, Ed and Randi Zuckerberg, (father and sister of Mark of Facebook fame) former White House correspondent for TIME Magazine, Barrett Seaman, Newsweek columnist David Kaplan and others were interviewed. PSAs were produced by these bright and remarkable students. The internship program was overseen by Town Clerk Judith Beville with assistance from Commissioner of Planning Garrett Duquesne, Town Attorney Tim Lewis and me.

Funny, we don’t see these people as leaders, rather they are mere politicians elected to do our bidding. But I guess once you’ve been in office as long as Mr Feiner has, it’s difficult to distinguish between a lot of things, especially who a real leader is.

 

ZUCKERBERG INSTITUTE AND GREENBURGH CREATE PARTNERSHIP TO HELP SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES

After hearing Randi Zuckerberg, former marketing director for Facebook speak to Greenburgh student interns about the Zuckerberg Institute, the Town became one of only two communities in the nation to partner with the Institute to assist local retail businesses. Students will have access to Silicon Valley business leaders and work with them to develop creative ideas to assist local businesses. We anticipate that the program will be launched in March. Over 60 brilliant students from all over Greenburgh have already expressed interest in participating.

It’s interesting how the “small business” moniker has become in vogue by Mr Feiner and his ilk. There are many things Mr Feiner, his Board and the Town could do If they really wanted to help small business. First, cut property taxes. Whether a property owner or renter, the cost of property taxes is included in the rent. Second, offer free parking everywhere to encourage shoppers to stay local and boost small businesses. Third, reduce fees and registrations on permits so it isn’t prohibitive for the small business owners to expand or do work on their property. There’s more but you get the idea. 

 

EDGEMONT

The Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court is reviewing an appeal to determine the sufficiency of an incorporation petition filed by Edgemont residents. Two years ago the Appellate Division overturned a lower court ruling and determined that the first petition filed was insufficient. A second petition was subsequently filed and the same Judge who issued the first ruling issued a similar decision which is the subject of the new appeal.

Whether you like the idea of Edgemont incorporating and becoming a Village or not, they met the criteria of the law and should be allowed to vote on this.

 

SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER

Our Town joins 27 communities in participating in an ESCO (Energy Service Company), with Sustainable Westchester, to provide residents with “Green Energy.” Residents who wish to opt out of the ESCO may opt out without penalty. The Town Board will provide residents with comparisons of Con Ed rates and the rates the ESCO are charging. The Sustainable Westchester rates can’t go up or down for the life of the contract. Con Ed rates can.

The Town Board should have been providing residents with comparisons of the rates for the past 2 years. Here’s a scam that has been proven to be more costly by signing up with them and proven out repeatedly by the Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations and others. Plus opting out, while everyone was told was easy, takes months. This was another bad deal brokered by Mr Feiner and his Board. 

 

USING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE GOVERNMENT MORE EFFICIENT

The Town provided residents with the ability to request bulk trash pickups online utilizing a new system. In 2021 residents who have complaints about Town service-related matters will be able to utilize a new automated system to memorialize their complaints online.

Another way to cut down on personnel is through automation. While this may not be bad, why did it take so long to implement?

 

MORE CRICKET

Greenburgh was the first community in Westchester County to create a cricket field, which is now at Richard Presser Park in Hartsdale. An extremely popular sport with many of our new residents, this year the Westchester Board of Legislators approved a one million dollar capital expenditure to create a cricket field in Yonkers. As is often the case, Greenburgh led by example. County Executive Latimer and Legislator Shimsky were instrumental in obtaining the funding.

Another “feel good” directive of a very small portion of the Town.

 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

The Town Board appointed a committee headed by Councilwoman Gina Jackson to identify systemic racism (housing, health, police, employment, etc.). The committee members have been meeting and will issue a report with recommendations early in 2021. The Governor had directed (after the horrific murder of George Floyd) all local governments in NYS to create committees and provide recommendations for change.  The Town Board continues to promote more diversity in our Police Department and recently elevated the Sergeant of Community Affairs to Lieutenant as well as promoted the first Hispanic officer to the position of Lieutenant.

We’ll reserve comment to see what they come up with.

 

 

TRANSITIONS

Chris McNerney replaced Acting Chief Brian Ryan, who retired, as Greenburgh Police Chief. Chief McNerney had previously been our Chief, prior to accepting a position with the Westchester District Attorney. Welcome back Chief! Richard Fon replaced Victor Carosi as Commissioner of Public Works, who retired. Richard was the “Number Two” person in the Department under Victor. Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman were elected to the US Congress representing Greenburgh, replacing long term elected officials, Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel. Councilwoman Gina Jackson joined the Town Board last January, replacing interim Councilwoman Ellen Hendrickx.

Ms Jackson was elected, replacing appointee Ellen Hendrickx who is a Democratic leader. Since Ms Hendrickx agreed to step aside for Ms Jackson, Diana Juettner’s seat has been promised to her pre-election.

 

COUNCILWOMAN DIANA JUETTNER TO RETIRE AT END OF 2021

Greenburgh Councilwoman Diana Juettner has devoted the past 29 years to the Town, serving as a member of the Town Board. She has worked hard advocating for seniors and for our parks programming, among other causes. Ms. Juettner helped the Town achieve its excellent Triple A bond rating during her tenure. She will be missed though we still will benefit from her service in 2021.

Goodbye. She was also very costly for the taxpayers as one of the defendants who were found guilty in the Fortress Bible Church Discrimination lawsuit along with Mr Feiner and the rest of the Board (at that time).

 

FUN FACT! BLACK BEARS SITED IN GREENBURGH

This summer, NYS DEC provided the Town Board with a presentation from which we created a You Tube infomercial advising residents what to do if they see bears.

Having black bears in our Town is not a fun fact. It is a dangerous fact and people could be injured and even killed and this should be treated as a serious issue.

 

NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEING BUILT

Former WestHELP Affordable Housing site under construction in the Mayfair-Knollwood section of Town for 74 apartments for seniors which will replace 108 homeless shelter units. The Greenburgh Housing Authority is demolishing 30 Senior Housing units on Manhattan Ave to build 70 new units of Affordable Housing for seniors. The Town Board approved both agreements.

Actually, Mr Feiner and his Town Board were negligent with the Westhelp property while he made it a political football that caused the facility to run down and wind up costing everyone a lot of unnecessary expense and set the project to convert it to Senior Housing back years. This negligence also cost the Town millions of dollars in lost revenue from Westchester County.

 

NEW AMBULANCE TO HELP ARDSLEY SECOR AMBULANCE CORP

A new ambulance arrived in Ardsley, thanks to a NYS grant secured by Senator Andrea Steward Cousins, to help the Ardsley Secor Ambulance Corp continue to provide high level ambulance services to residents.

So a NYS grant, paid for by all of us,goes to help the Village of Ardsley residents. Hmm, wholives in Ardsley, again? Of course, Diana Juettner!

 

 

THANK YOU, SNOW ANGELS

Over 50 Senior Citizens and disabled residents were helped by Greenburgh Snow Angels this December. The Snow Angel program is headed by Miles Cooperman, a senior at Ardsley High School.

This is a good thing.

 

CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT OF OPERATIONS-- NEW BULK PICKUP OF ELECTRONICS BEING TESTED

Despite the pandemic, we have continued our focus on improving efficiency and effectiveness in delivering services to our community. With many staff working from home, and limited direct contact with others, we nevertheless were able to come up with initiatives that will help make your lives better.  For example, during the week of January 11th the DPW will, for the first time, pick up from homes old TVs, computers, printers and e-waste. Because of the demand for bulk pickup, we placed temporary bins at key locations around Town last December so our residents don't have to wait for pickups: they could drop off the bulk items themselves.

Again, a good idea but why did it take so long to implement? Does it really have to take Mr Feiner 30 years to come up with a program?

 

RENEWAL OF EXEMPTIONS FOR SENIORS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES MADE EASIER

The Town Board also voted to waive the renewal requirements for seniors and persons with disabilities who previously received STAR exemptions.

Work to lower the taxes and STAR exemptions will not be necessary. Yes, we know the Town only collects the school taxes but a reduction, especially with no in-class learning going on shouldn’t be a difficult thing to achieve. It’s the same with monies saved by Town Hall and other venues being closed due to the pandemic.

 

TOWN TESTS WINTER SNOW PARKING REGULATION HARDSHIP WAIVERS

The Greenburgh Town Board approved legislation authorizing the Police department to issue hardship exemption permits this year to residents who have hardship due to the winter snow parking regulations. We have a snow ordinance which bans parking on town streets during winter months.

While we were told several years ago that parking exemptions or permits were illegal if used for a limited neighborhood group, the real question is why is there a hardship for parking? Maybe because all of the BS we’ve been fed about millennials not owning automobiles or even driving for that matter are false! Studies have proven it! So, the next time a housing project is proposed, they need to make sure it includes adequate parking.

  

Edgemont Victorious Against Town For Referendum

The New York Supreme Court has ruled that the Edgemont Incorporation petition is legally valid and overruled Supervisor Feiner's decision to deny the petition. This is the second time that the Edgemont group has been forced to sue Mr Feiner, a Democrat, because he allowed his own prejudice to get in the way of making a simple decision: did their petition meet the rule of law standards? We believe it did.

The court ordered an election to be held within 40 days. However, this is the same thing that occurred over a year ago when Edgemont prevailed in the courts initially to subsequently lose on appeal by the Town. We are not alone believing that the Town will appeal the decision again. This is a strategy that worked for them before so we're sure, sadly, it will be done again.

While we wish to see the law upheld and support Edgemont's right of self-destiny, we are also concerned should the incorporation pass for several reasons. First, everyone against the incorporation has said that the canyon this will leave in the Town budget could be as much as $17 million dollars. Second, the Edgemont leadership has stated that they wish to contract services such as police, sanitation and highway maintenance with the Town. This would provide needed revenue and avoid the laying off of Town employees. Mr Feiner, Mr Jones, a Democrat, and possibly the rest of Mr Feiner's Board, all Democrats, have vehemently and repeatedly claimed that they have no desire to contract these services with them. This is an obvious and egregious display of a lack of concern for the rest of the Greenburgh Unincorporated residents!

Time will tell how this will all play out. We're unsure of what was different between the first and this latest petition submission and the court cases. All we know is that when Mr Feiner and his Board, all Democrats, try to restrict the public's exercising of law, it's time for them to go. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

ESCO Probably Costing You Money Instead Of Saving It

From Ella Preiser,  Communications Administrator, Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations

A Message to All:

At this time when so many people are out of work and small business owners are concerned about their survival, some Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations (CGCA) representatives are deeply troubled that the Greenburgh Town Board has not taken the opportunity to inform people about a possible way to save some money.

The CGCA urges you to check your monthly Con Edison bill.  If the bill indicates your electricity supplier is Constellation and your supply cost is 7.709¢ per kWh, you were probably enrolled in this ESCO (starting January 2019) by the Greenburgh Town Board.  If enrolled, you have been paying considerably more than those of us who “opted out” of this ESCO.  Please review the attached table which provides information on the kWh costs per billing cycle for seven different property owners who did “opt out.”  These figures were taken from actual Con Edison bills.  The first five properties are residences. Properties #6 and #7 are small businesses.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the “history” of the Town’s involvement with this ESCO, attached is information you may find helpful.  At the very least, skip to the last lines of the document below which illustrates the cost savings ($37.15 and $115.53) for a single month for two different properties.  Paying the higher price could be very costly over the two-year contract.

The Greenburgh Town Board is not alone.  Twenty-six other Westchester municipalities participate in this CCA.   The concept was good but it is not working to the advantage of electricity users.  The ESCO named Constellation is raking in millions of dollars from residents and small business owners.

If you are paying too much, contact the Town Board for an explanation of why they did not keep you informed.  Feel free to pass this message on to your neighbors.

Stay safe and well.

Ella Preiser, CGCA Secretary

First Document:

First CCA Contract – How it began – Modest Savings

In 2015, the Town Board discussed with residents the possibility of participating in a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program.  The concept was simple and good – if a large number of users joined together to purchase huge numbers of kilowatt hours of electricity, they could negotiate a cheaper price. Supervisor Paul Feiner issued an email blast 9/29/15 claiming that participation in a CCA could reduce our Con Edison bills by “hundreds of dollars.”  

In January of 2016, the Town Board passed a local law granting Westchester Power authority through a CCA program to procure electric supply from an ESCO (Energy Supply Company) for a two-year contract for all unincorporated Greenburgh residential and small business users who did not “Opt Out.”  The program began with June 2016 meter read dates at a fixed cost of $0.0738 per kWh for the “Basic Supply Option” or $0.0768 for the “Green Option.”  The cost was subsequently increased for residential users to $0.0770 per kWh for the “Basic Supply Option” and $ 0.0800 for the “Green Option.”  There was no penalty to “Opt Out.”

In April 2018, residents received notice from Westchester Power that the rate of the soon-to-expire contract would “remain in place until your January 2019 meter read date.”  No approval for this extension was given by the Town Board. Once again residents were made aware they could “Opt Out” of the program without penalty.

Resident Ken Stahn had opted out of the program. Despite his repeated requests to the Town over the two-year period, no information was provided to the thousands of residents and small business owners the Town Board had enrolled in this ESCO. Thus, unincorporated Greenburgh electricity users had no way of knowing whether they were actually saving money and/or whether they should take advantage of the “Opt Out” provision.   The Council of Greenburgh Civic Association (CGCA) was asked to get involved.  Following a unanimous vote at the June 19, 2018 CGCA meeting, a letter was sent to Supervisor Feiner seeking information.  

The CGCA received a response.  In an email blast on July 24, 2018, Mr. Feiner reported that over the 25-month period from June 2016 through June 2018, residents in the “Basic Supply Option” had saved an average $7.78/month, residents in the “Green Option” saved $6.00/month, small business owners in the “Basic Supply Option” saved $2.01/month, but it actually cost small business owners in the “Green Option” 22 cents a month.  

However, for the very first time the public learned that only 52.67% of the savings actually came from the supply cost per kWh that had been negotiated.  Much of the total savings (47.33%) came from a $1.20/month billing and processing payment charge to each customer and sales tax avoidance (3% for residential and 7.375% for small businesses) on the delivery portion of the monthly bill. Savings from avoiding these two charges had never been mentioned earlier.  And, these two savings were not unique to the ESCO in which the Town enrolled users, but rather were available to any customer enrolled in any ESCO.  

Second CCA Contract – Huge Loses

Although the savings had been modest, the Town Board nevertheless voted to continue participation in the CCA for another two-year contract.  Beginning with the January 2019 meter read date, all residential and small business owners were enrolled for electric supply in the “Standard Option” at a cost of $0.07709 per kWh with the ESCO Constellation unless they “Opted Out.” 

Resident Ken Stahn, who had opted out again, noted each month his Con Edison per kWh costs were lower than the 7.709¢ per kWh costs charged by the  ESCO in which the Town had enrolled residential and small business owners. Mr. Stahn’s continued requests to the Town to provide information to the public were ignored.

Finally, on October 15, 2019, Westchester Power was invited to make a presentation at a Town Board work session.  At that meeting it was revealed that the Town had enrolled a total of 11,777 unincorporated Greenburgh residential and small business owners in the ESCO Constellation.  At the meeting, there was brief acknowledgement that the default Con Edison price for electric supply was at a historic low, but more time was spent blaming higher bills on Con Edison delivery charges.  Praise was given for the metric tons of carbon saved – although Greenburgh deserved little credit since few were enrolled in the “Green” option. It was stated electric supply costs would probably increase next year and reference was made to saving money regarding a Community Solar Project.  The need for a public update was mentioned, but there was no follow through. 

Some CGCA representatives who had opted out of the CCA contract felt the Town Board should inform the public about the higher costs to them.   Data was collected from the actual Con Edison bills of eight properties – five residential and three small businesses – from different areas.  Seven of those properties had opted out of the CCA contract but one business was enrolled.  The data revealed that the seven properties that had opted out had saved between $50 and $700 over the 12 billing periods starting in January 2019.  The one business property enrolled by the Town in the ESCO actually paid more than $1,000 in additional costs over the 12-month period.  Rest assured, that business promptly opted out when presented with this information!

At Mr. Stahn’s request, the Town Board invited Westchester Power to make another presentation at its March 10, 2020 work session.  The representatives again acknowledged that Con Edison default rates were at historic lows. The presentation included a slide showing that those enrolled in the ESCO paid $1,133,210 more for supply, with the additional monthly costs being between $5.71 and $6.92 for residents and between $4.46 and $10.07 for businesses.  However, it was emphasized that those enrolled still had savings over the past three years.  Also emphasized was the amount of carbon saved, likely Con Edison cost increases later in the year, the community solar project and how helpful Westchester Power could be to utility users.  

Ella Preiser, Dorrine Livson and Ken Stahn attended the meeting.  Two tables were presented showing the data collected for the eight properties. Westchester Power representatives were dismissive of the data provided because it contained actual (four-decimal place) per kWh supply costs and did not include a small “Merchant function charge.” They emphasized Con Edison’s rates were unpredictable and the bill was difficult to read.   The Town mentioned the need to provide information to the public.  The next day (3/11/20) at the regular Town Board meeting, Mrs. Livson mentioned the more than one million dollar cost to Greenburgh users and tens of millions to other Westchester County electric users. She asked the Town to release such information.  The Town once again remained silent.

At the April 22, 2020 meeting, held via Zoom, Mrs. Livson again asked the Town Board to inform the public about the electric costs.  The Board agreed to invite Westchester Power to the first work session in May.

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH?

See the attached table which has been revised and lists the one-decimal place costs Con Edison recommends to compare ESCO charges. To determine if you are paying too much, examine the electric supply page on your Con Edison bill and compare the cost per kWh with those shown on the table for the seven properties.  

Contrary to the information presented on March 10, it may be costing you far more than the $6 to $10 per month Westchester Power mentioned.  Just as an example, following is computation illustrating the cost differences of recent bills for Property #5 (residential) and Property #6 (business).  As you can see Property #5 saved $37.15 in just one month and Property #6 saved $115.53 in one month.

1374 kWh @ 7.709¢/kWh = $105.92 + 4.24 (4% sales tax) = $110.02           

1374 kWh @ 5.100¢/kWh = $  70.07 + 2.80 (4% sales tax) = $  72.87

4086 kWh @ 7.709¢/kWh = $314.99 + 26.38 (8.375% sales tax) = $341.37

4086 kWh @ 5.100¢/kWh = $208.39 + 17.45 (8.375% sales tax) = $225.84

                                                                                               

Also note:  Westchester Power cannot rely on 47% savings from other sources on this contract.  The $1.20 per month billing and processing fee remained at $1.20 for businesses but was reduced to 60¢ per month for residents in 2019 and is now 64¢ per month.   Since last spring, the monthly bills no longer mention sales tax avoidance (now 4% for residential and 8.375% for small businesses) on the delivery portion of the bill.