Bedlam Erupts As Town Petition Meeting Implodes

ABG staffers arrived early to ensure a parking space as well as seats in the room where the hearing was to be held regarding the Edgemont incorporation petitions. Unbeknownst to the hundreds of residents that were present, Mr Feiner decided to once again play games and limit those who spoke and keep those who wanted to speak from doing so. New rules were announced at the start of the meeting that would only allow those people who wanted to object to the incorporation to speak. The crowd was angry.

It’s no secret that Mr Feiner is against the Edgemont Incorporation effort and has gone out of his way to sabotage their efforts. And, he has repeatedly said he might not contract Town services with the new Village of Edgemont should incorporation be successful. Why he would not do what is best for the Town and it’s residents is difficult for us to comprehend. If he did contract services with Edgemont as a Village, the Town budget would remain close if not exactly as it is now. 

After Mr Feiner read a prepared statement, he had Robert Spolzino, a retired former appellate court judge, whom some said Mr Feiner “bought”, but we’ll say he hired for $50,000 to advise of the petition's sufficiency, read the law that they were following for this event. Then Town Clerk Judith Beville said they would be timing each speaker allowing them 3-minutes to speak. It was also mentioned that anyone who believed they were tricked by the private investigators that Mr Feiner is responsible for hiring, also would not be allowed to speak. Audience members could only speak if they were against the incorporation petition.

The owner of the private investigation firm Stanton Private Investigators, which was used to get the carefully crafted affidavits from every person who signed the original incorporation petition to invalidate as many as possible by signing this newer affidavit, said that he had many signature affidavits objecting to incorporation and would be delivering them to the Town Clerk’s office shortly. 

It was said just before the meeting started that someone was outside distributing petitions out in the lobby that could be used to speak against the incorporation petition. While we were unable to verify this, we did see Town Attorney Tim Lewis in the lobby with a handful of papers and appearing to be looking for someone. We noticed that speaker after speaker would read the same or similar statement as the speaker before them. Many were not from the Edgemont area which is surprising as only Edgemont residents can vote for incorporation; some were from Fairview, some from Elmsford and other areas of the Town.

A good number of the people protesting the incorporation petition were also many of the same people that have served Mr Feiner in numerous capacities and at his demand when needed. For instance, Ms Mona Freitag spoke against the incorporation petition, citing Craig Bernstein’s signature didn’t match his Board of Elections signature card. By the way, she was Mr Feiner’s hand-picked and personally backed candidate who he had helped run for the Hartsdale Fire District Commissioner position in the last fire district election. She lost that election.

After listening to about a dozen speakers lip-sync why they were against the incorporation petition, Mr Mark Rosenblatt went to the podium. He stated that he wanted to object to several of the objections. The retired judge interrupted him and said that only speakers objecting to the incorporation petition could speak. Taken aback, he stated that he had a right to rule against objecting to the objections. At this point the crowd, seemingly more pro-Edgemont incorporation began yelling, “Let him speak!” One retired judge sitting behind us yelled out, “Shame! Shame!” Then Bob Bernstein, Edgemont Community Council President shouted to the judge, “With all due respect, read part 3 of the statute!” The judge read part 3 which said written and verbal objections were allowed at the hearing. He then said it was his ruling that objections to the objections were not allowed. Like many Town Board meetings that Mr Feiner runs (into the ground) and makes up as he goes along, so too was this judge’s kangaroo court antics. At this point the crowd was on their feet yelling, This is bulls$#@!” and “Facist!”

Knowing their incompetent leader needed to be rescued, Mr Morgan went and whispered in Mr Feiner’s ear. He quickly announced,“We’re adjourned.” At which point almost everyone stood up chanting numerous slogans along with many people who were laughing at the ridiculousness of how this sham of a hearing was being run. Mr Feiner obviously paid this judge with our money and will probably be spending more unauthorized money to keep pushing his agenda to stop the incorporation. We can only imagine what it must be like to live in a Town or Village where everything is on the up and up and done the right way, trying to make life for its residents better. Oh wait, that’s what Edgemont is trying to do. They may be on the right track. If all neighborhoods could do this, we might get A Better Greenburgh.

Town's Trickery Goes Mainstream

It’s been about a week since we broke the story about the Town using private investigators to get sworn affidavits signed by Edgemont pro-incorporation residents negating their incorporation ballot petition signatures. Now, CBS News has aired a brief story on this latest Town debacle.  

Watch it here: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/3645626-incorporate-edgemont/
  
In their story, and our original story, the interviewees stated that Edgemont residents were being tricked by the Feiner Administration’s private investigation firm into signing the affidavits by using carefully crafted wording, showing a video we exposed first from an Edgemont homeowner.

You can see that resident video here:

https://youtu.be/MBR3L16s3_s.

One resident said on-air that he felt tricked and embarrassed but still could not believe the Town would do something like this. Sadly, we’re not surprised.

During the CBS News piece, Brian Conybeare, interviewing Mr Feiner, asked if the Town was trying to trick the pro-incorporation residents into signing the affidavit. He said nobody was being tricked into signing and the Town would not use those affidavits of people who thought they were. In a signature move, he also said it was the Town Attorney who hired the private investigative firm they are using to do this. Was it Tim Lewis or an underling instructed to do so? We were unable to confirm this, but had maintained all along that Mr Feiner would deny culpability for this egregious move. This is not the first time Mr Feiner has thrown an employee “under the bus”. It’s also not the first time Mr Lewis has “jumped on the sword” for his boss.

Behavior such as this has become a hallmark of the Feiner Administration. While re-election will not impact any of these employees or elected officials, they should, as lawyers, be disbarred. These actions certainly would be cause for dismissal anywhere else. But, in “Bizarro-Greenburgh”, this kind of bad behavior will probably be rewarded. This is also personifying the exact logic and reasoning behind Edgemont’s drive to incorporate and get out from under the Feiner administration’s bad decisions, costly and illegal missteps. We again think the proper actions by this administration is the resignations of Mr Feiner, Mr Lewis and the Town Board for condoning these actions. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Reprehensible Trickery Used To Thwart Incorporation

We learned yesterday of a video that was made by an astute (and security aware) Edgemont resident. The woman, seen answering her front door with her two children, let a woman into her home who claimed, “I’m just here to verify some information in regards to the incorporation petition.” She never mentioned that she would try to have the voter sign an affidavit objecting to the incorporation petition. They proceed into the kitchen to sit down and when the Edgemont resident asks who she works for, and what her job is, she’s given a vague answer, “I’m here to verify some information.”

It is critical that you watch the entire visit:

https://youtu.be/MBR3L16s3_s

Every time the Edgemont homeowner asked the private investigator a question, the investigator continued to evade providing an answer. Mr Feiner hired a firm to do his job of verifying the incorporation petition signatures. Yet, the private investigator is requesting the pro-incorporation resident who signed the petition now sign an objection – not a verification – to the incorporation petition!

MR FEINER KNOWS THE ONLY WAY HE CAN STOP THE INCORPORATION FROM MOVING FORWARD IS TO INVALIDATE THE SIGNATURES!

What should be happening is the private investigator should be asking the resident if they indeed signed the petition, possibly showing a copy of it for verification and leaving. Instead, each time the homeowner asks a question, she’s still given a vague answer. Although, when the private investigator asks any questions, they are leading questions to elicit specific answers and move the conversation toward signing the objection form. However, in this one case, the homeowner is smart, informed and not duped by Mr Feiner’s private investigator.

One of Mr Feiner’s main tactics in a primary or regular election is to invalidate petition signatures. To remain hands-off and maintain deniability, he's even used his Board's family members to do this. This is not foreign territory to him or his Board. In fact, before we learned of this damning video but learned that Mr Feiner had employed private investigators, ABG staffers discussed who actually hired the private investigators, knowing Mr Feiner would have someone else do it to keep his hands-off approach. We discussed that he would deny culpability by saying he didn’t write, know of, or saw the questions the private investigators were asking. Thriving on total deniability, non-practicing attorney Mr Feiner is always careful enough to stay just beyond the reach of the law. Otherwise, when caught, he simply lies as he did under oath and was found guilty of doing in the Fortress Bible Discrimination case.

Below the video is an unedited exchange between a resident and Mr Feiner. Please note: there are always Feiner-buzzwords to watch out for that he will employ during any rough patches or challenges to his bad or illegal behavior. This time it’s “due diligence”, a term he enlisted and subsequently exhausted with his Board during the former Frank’s Nursery and GameOn 365 debacle. This kind of trickery and despicable behavior will not cost Mr Feiner and his Board reelection, but it embodies the reason Edgemont is seeking to incorporate. This needs to change. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Video link:

https://youtu.be/MBR3L16s3_s

Exchange between Edgemont Resident and Mr Feiner:

Published on Apr 1, 2017

I've received several reports in the last 24 hours from Edgemont residents who have had visitors at their doors, asking about incorporation petitions. This post is not about incorporation, but it is about our Town, and its interest in suppressing our 1st amendment rights to have a vote on how we wish to be governed. Our elected supervisor is responsible for certifying a petition and ensuring our rights as citizens, and is instead spending our tax dollars subverting the effort.

You can also read below for exchanges between another resident and Paul Feiner, and at the very bottom, an email from Paul Feiner to a 3rd resident.
________________________________________
From: EDGEMONT RESIDENT
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2017 9:05 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Misrepresenting

I am appalled and disgusted by your tactics to undermine signatures for the incorporation of Edgemont. You are a criminal and should be put in jail.

Sent from my iPhone

________________________________________
On Apr 1, 2017, at 10:06 AM, Paul Feiner pfeiner@greenburghny.com wrote:

We are not trying to undermine the petition process. There is a New York State statute that requires me to do my due diligence in reviewing the petitions before ruling whether the petitions complied with state law. A public hearing is being held on Thursday evening at 7:30 PM at Veteran park to hear testimony (if people have any objections). After the hearing is closed I will review with a former Appellate division Justice of the NYS Supreme Court the testimony and will issue a decision (which could be appealed by either side in court) on whether the requirements of the law were met.
I encourage you to read the NYS law regarding the incorporation process. PAUL FEINER

________________________________________
On Apr 1, 2017, at 11:13 AM, EDGEMONT RESIDENT wrote:

The law also says that people should not misrepresent themselves. She came in my home pretending to b working for incorporating not to undermine the process.
You are a criminal and I will be at the meeting to remind the people of that. Using my tax money to hire people to misrepresent themselves to fill your agenda
It's disgusting what you are doing.


Sent from my iPhone
________________________________________
From: Paul Feiner pfeiner@greenburghny.com
Date: April 1, 2017 at 11:46:08 AM EDT
To: EDGEMONT RESIDENT
Subject: Re: Misrepresenting

Meeting is Wednesday the 5th not thursday

Sent from my iPhone
________________________________________

See below for an email to yet another resident from Paul Feiner, where he blames his lawyer (a tactic he tried with the Dromore road case, which the court did not accept):

From: Paul Feiner pfeiner@greenburghny.com
Date: April 1, 2017 at 6:33:27 PM EDT
To: EDGEMONT RESIDENT
Subject: Re: Validation of signatures

As Town Supervisor I have the responsibility to do my due diligence in reviewing the petitions to make sure that the petitions comply with the law. The review has not been completed. The Town Board has retained the services of a former Appellate Division Justice of the New York State Supreme Court to assist in reviewing the petitions. I have not met the person who knocked on your door. I have not been privy to what she was asked to say when knocking on doors. Have no idea how many doors the Judge wants her to reach. I have not seen the form that you were asked to sign and have not been advised whose doors she is knocking on. My understanding is that anyone who is assisting him will be reporting to him.
I want to reassure you that I have a legal responsibility to review the petitions. And, by NYS statute have the responsibility of determining whether the petitions comply with the law (my decision can be appealed). I have told the Town Board, Town Attorney and Judge that I will base my decision on the law. That's why I requested the assistance of a well respected former Judge who was appointed by Republican Governor Pataki to the Appellate Division and redesignated by a Democratic Governor. If the petition complies with the law a referendum will be held quickly.
PAUL FEINER

Supervisor Hires Madison Avenue Private Investigators

Mr Feiner is not happy. Both of his anti-incorporation meetings found his representatives floundering and unable to make the case of why incorporation would not be good for the Town of Greenburgh. He knows he needs to step up his game and can certainly make more opportunities for phony forums, but he desperately needs a win. He may have found a way without getting his hands dirty...

Mr Feiner has hired the private investigative firm named Stanton Private Investigators, of 275 Madison Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York, to investigate the validity of the ballot signatures the Edgemont Incorporation Committee turned into Mr Feiner. You may recall we previously wrote that Jeff Sherwin of the Edgemont Incorporation Committee arrived at Town Hall bearing 1400 signature petitions and a $6,000 filing fee to initiate the incorporation process. The legal department would not allow Mr Sherwin his right of filing his petitions or pay the required fee until Mr Feiner returned from vacation. 

Residents in Edgemont are now being blanketed in a door-to-door canvas by Stanton associates who are seeking every person who signed the petition to invalidate as many as possible. We assume they are following Mr Feiner’s orders by asking each of the people who have signed the incorporation petition to sign another document (pictured below). BY SIGNING THIS CAREFULLY CRAFTED NEW DOCUMENT, THE PETITION SIGNERS ARE CANCELLING THEIR ORIGINAL PETITION SIGNATURE! IF YOU FAVOR INCORPORATION, DO NOT SIGN THIS NEW DOCUMENT!

Here's the trick portion of the letter that most unassuming residents will be fooled by. The Edgemont Incorporation boundaries are the same as the Greenville Fire District boundaries. By signing this document, the resident is agreeing to items numbered 3 and 4, which states you were told the proposed territory would be the same as the Edgemont School district. Our sources tell us this was never the case. Number 4 states you were never shown the proposed map or voter registration list. Again, our sources assured us that maps were shown and always available.

In the end, Mr Feiner has gone out of his way to flout his anti-Edgemont incorporation campaign. It is incumbent by law for the Supervisor to validate the petition signatures. To do this, he could have utilized volunteers, interns or he himself could go out and knock on doors asking residents if they signed the petitions. He could have also made phone calls or sent emails. Rather, he has chosen to hire a Madison Avenue Private investigation firm to, we believe, deceive Edgemont residents into invalidating their own signatures! Who is paying for this and how much will this latest folly cost taxpayers? This disgraceful behavior needs to stop. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

A Failed Last Chance

Thursday night’s meeting at the Seely School saw about 150 people in attendance. The crowd appeared to be split for and against incorporation. Last night's meeting may have been Mr Feiner's last chance to derail Edgemont’s incorporation. He had requested the NAACP to host a meeting, advertising how Edgemont’s Incorporation would affect the entire Town of Greenburgh. Then he invited Wespac, a social activist and anti-Israel group that we believed would be used to disrupt the meeting if all else failed. By pointing this out in a previous article, we believe we helped to derail that strategy. 

The event was moderated by NAACP President Lena Anderson who was seated at the mid-point of the dais, separating the Edgemont Incorporation Council (EIC) and the Town and anti-Edgemont Incorporation group. At 7 o'clock Ms Anderson laid out the ground rules, including once again the absurd use of 3x5 index cards for questions. We've already witnessed their failure at the "informational meeting" held at the Theodore Young Community Center on Tuesday night. She said this was not a “political” night and there should be no shouting or applause from the audience. That didn’t work out very well as some occasionally shouted from the audience and applause also took place. 

She then asked everyone to join her in song before introducing the participants at the dais. While we know Ms Anderson to be a nice and congenial person, her commentary throughout the evening frustrated many who were there to hear and discuss issues. Like the beginning of Town Board meetings crafted with presentations, poetry, awards and such designed to wear down the public’s participation, so too do we believe that this second forum meeting, with the promise by Ms Anderson of more, was another attempt by Mr Feiner to have others obfuscate and shield the Town’s lack of preparedness should Edgemont incorporate.

The EIC presenters typically quoted facts when questions about how they arrived at their conclusions were raised. They usually followed by saying that they have posted this information on their website (http://edgemont2017.org) and urged everyone to go there for even more information or meet with them directly. There is no web presence for the anti-incorporation contingency. When the anti-incorporation representatives spoke, they cited few tangible numbers and insisted that should the incorporation happen, things were going to be bad and many people would suffer. But they were unable to substantiate their rhetoric with facts. Michael Schwartz occasionally mentioned numbers but was so disjointed that following any rationale from him was difficult. Don Cannon, who moderated the event on Tuesday night at the Theodore Young Community Center, was almost incoherent at times. Hugh Schwartz, a member of the Greenburgh Planning Board, appointed by Mr Feiner, is against the incorporation. He stated numerous times why he felt incorporation would cost Edgemont residents more than remaining part of the Town. He also countered that Edgemont would not be able to create any affordable housing compared to the Town, which has much more developable space compared to Edgemont’s minimal available space, if any. He seemed the most lucid, also citing the EIC’s contradictory statements about housing. What he failed to mention was that he was a proponent of “Corner Modules” during the Comprehensive Plan’s Steering Committee developmental process, an idea originally proposed by former Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden. However, most residents that spoke at the assorted “Comp Plan” hearings vehemently protested them – specifically on Central Avenue – and throughout the entire Town, not just Edgemont. The idea, favored so much by Mr Schwartz, was eventually scrapped and removed from the Comp Plan because it was an idea most people did not support.

Ms Anderson has promised more forums to inform the public as to the pros and cons of incorporation. The EIC has put all of their cards on the table and been forthcoming with information. The Town and the anti-incorporation proponents have not. While we are disappointed that the Town has taken this route, sadly, we expect it. Why tell the truth when you will be reelected regardless of what you say?

We wish the anti-incorporation supporters would come to the next forum with specific information and not innuendo and fear mongering. We believe the next forum should truly seek voter enlightenment and allow each side to present their case with facts and figures and explain how those figures were secured. Next, there should be a podium set up that residents can utilize to ask direct questions. If something is unclear or not explained properly, the speaker should have an opportunity for clarification. It should be held at Town Hall so that it could be broadcast on the public access channel and truly inform everyone interested. The fact that it is not proves this roadshow is disingenuous. There should be a moderator who listens more and speaks less; let the event cover as much of the time as possible.

The theatrics surrounding these forums are nothing more than just that, theatrics. As we exited the meeting, we asked several people if they were for or against incorporation. They said they didn’t know and that’s why they attended, but that they were disappointed because no real information was given, no cogent arguments made and it seemed like a waste of time. The informational process can work for both sides. Currently, however, it’s extremely lopsided and unlikely to get better any time soon. It could be an excellent opportunity for the anti-side to make their case. They should make a concerted effort to keep focused and present real information. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Bernstein Press Conference Scheduled

Town of Greenburgh Supervisor candidate Bob Bernstein will hold a press conference Thursday, August 15, 2013 at Noon (12 p.m.) at the former WestHELP affordable housing facility (1 WestHELP Drive, White Plains, NY 10603). The press conference will address the town’s continued mismanagement of the site and the proceedings begun by Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) and Legislator Alfreda Williams (D-Greenburgh) to take back control of the land from Greenburgh. Mr. Bernstein expects to be joined at the press conference by Lena Anderson, President of the Greenburgh/White Plains chapter of the NAACP.

Contact: Gil Kaminer
Email: gkaminer1426@gmail.com
Phone: (914) 776-3379