Feiner’s Bid-Rigging Finale Prevails

In a surprising announcement late on Friday afternoon when most residents are leaving work, thinking of their weekend plans, our Town Supervisor quietly slipped the announcement out through his blog that he and his Town Board awarded the sale of 715 Dobbs Ferry Road, the former Frank’s Nursery property to the “paper” corporation, GameOn 365, for $3M! No details of the contract were available as of this posting. Not-so-stunning was the amount of time Mr Feiner had to keep the opponents at bay while GameOn 365 struggled to find financing through outside investors. He has been stalling the sale of the property for over two years now, assisting with GameOn 365’s search for investors by contriving an illegal referendum to justify his illegal actions.

ABG has predicted all along that Mr. Feiner and his Board would disregard the more lucrative offer from the established and profitable House of Sports’ parent company, Elm Street Sports, or any others for that matter, and pretend to show interest in all offers and ultimately, painstakingly, and hesitantly accept the “best offer for the Town in his estimation” from GameOn 365. We cannot prove collusion but can certainly acknowledge facts about this transaction don’t sit well with most people. ABG believes this warrants an A.G. investigation but knows that probably won’t happen.

Months before the Town acquired the former Frank’s Nursery property through foreclosure, representatives from GameOn 365 met with Mr. Feiner regarding the property. Unbeknownst to most residents and Town employees, Mr. Feiner and crew continued to craft a deal with them. Having apparently promised the property to GameOn 365, Mr Feiner struggled to find a way to make this deal happen quickly and without much resistance. He offered to lease the property to GameOn 365 in what can only be described as a major sweetheart deal.

The original offer from GameOn 365 was a promised $5M to the Town over 15 years. Thinking residents are clueless, Mr. Feiner issued press release after press release touting the deal. The press was negligent in doing their duty and didn’t scrutinize the legality of what Mr. Feiner was proposing. But a community backed lawsuit put a stop to the lease. What to do? GameOn 365 was nervous – their too-good-to-be-true deal with Mr. Feiner was vaporizing before them. Mr Feiner, a shrewd and clever non-practicing lawyer finally got the answer from the lawsuit itself. The Town is required to sell any property acquired through foreclosure and it could be a private sale without an RFP. He would do just that.

Yet, Elm Street Sports still wanted in. They had the cash in hand and could make the purchase immediately as they are already operating a successful sports facility in Ardsley. GameOn 365 is a couple of stockbrokers with little or no cash at all. To consummate this sale quickly, Mr Feiner would need to step up his game (no pun intended) to keep them out. Elm Street Sports offered $3.5M and full coverage for remediation of the site. There were no strings attached with their offer. They only asked what would be required of them? Mr Feiner never responded to their queries knowing he never had any intention of selling to them. The deal with GameOn 365, found them offering to put up a percentage of the down payment and claimed to pay for some remediation with a total sale price of $1.2M that included rent reimbursements from the Town as well as the option to terminate the deal at any time. After residents hounded Mr Feiner that he was giving the highly valued property away for “a song”, Mr Feiner had an assessor come and look at the property for a valuation. The assessor returned an estimated value at, wait for it, $1.2M! Then, the Town put that same assessor on retainer for the Town!

Mr. Feiner’s latest accusations toward concerned residents at the last Town Board meeting were that they were bid-rigging. Now, Mr. Feiner announced a lease for the property between the Town and GameOn 365 without ever doing any real “due diligence” because he knew he was always going to give GameOn 365 the property. In the interim, Elm Street Sports doubled the original GameOn 365 sale price offer to $3.5M. Everyone spoke clearly and with conviction and said take the highest offer. Mr Sheehan insisted he didn’t believe the Elm Street Sports offer was sincere. One of the Elm Street Sports representatives said at a Town Board meeting, “When it comes to money, especially millions of dollars, I am always sincere.” Too bad our Town Board isn’t.

The Town Board has the ability to make this sale whether the public endorses it or not. The public asked for an RFP but was ignored. The public asked for answers and got none. The devil is always in the details and while no details were exposed for this new deal with GameOn 365, we’ll keep you posted as this story promises more dark roads ahead.

He's Lying Again!

Most projects in Greenburgh take years before a shovel even touches the ground, but Supervisor Feiner wisked Westhab’s publicly funded, 4-story apartment building, squeezed onto a .7-acre piece of land, through the process in months! When it's a pet project of Feiner, all rules and regulations are summarily waived. When, not if, someone objects, he finds a way to either remove them from the equation or will deflect attention from himself to something else, such as a bridge or two percent tax cap.

This Westhab project will overwhelm the transitional space from light commercial to residential into the small residential neighborhood of Fulton Park. Supervisor Feiner promised them a senior assisted living facility if the homeless were ever to leave. Lie! Then he promised workforce housing for Greenburgh employees. Lie! The neighborhood favored workforce housing for Greenburgh employees but wanted it scaled to fit the property. The Paul said no, siding with Westhab, saying that it had to be big for it to be cost effective. One resident at one of the hearings, which are only a nuisance to Feiner and his projects, asked to see the final offering from Westhab so the community wouldn’t have to repeatedly waste their time coming to different meetings and hearings to see the newest plans. 

The neighborhood learned that Feiner repeatedly and routinely lied every step of the way! It turns out that this project wasn't for Greenburgh Municipal employees. In fact, it was not for anyone from Greenburgh, employees or not! All lies! He stated the project was needed there because it would be a convenient location for the residents to go to Central Avenue restaurants, the train station, bus stops. Originally, he had a different tune, one where these residents would walk to nearby supermarkets. Well, those are closed and now he’s touting workforce residents dining at Central Avenue restaurants, not about closed supermarkets or people needing food at home. How much spendable money do these residents have to use on recreational dining? 

In a recent press conference held by Feiner, he now states, “Something is going to be built here and I think this is the best option.” What? Are there new plans – or did he re-re-rezone the space for them yet again? He and the Town Board have routinely changed zoning and requirements most people could only dream of or read in a fictional novel about government deceit, greed and corruption.

Unable to rent these tiny apartments at market rates, Westhab will approach DSS and rent them to Section 8 recipients. When the public refuses to rent these overpriced, postage stamp sized apartments, they’ll be used to house parolees, addicts and worse. It’s a well paying business model for Westhab. It a sham for us and a shame for this neighborhood to be punished like this after tolerating the homeless there for over 25 years.

Fulton Park is still reeling from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee with no relief from Feiner and crew. They’ll see a permanent increase in flooding, traffic, noise, crime and gangs to a once beautiful little neighborhood. Crime and Section 8 housing go hand-in-hand. Think, North Memphis, TN.

More of Feiner’s lies equals more pain for another already neglected and suffering neighborhood! I wish them luck!

Guest Commentary submitted by Whitney P. 

“Drowning” in Taxes

We’ve previously posted* about the proposed and now voted upon water rate increase for the Unincorporated Town residents. At Tuesday’s work session, The Paul’s newest tax sailed right through, pretending the process is painful but necessary. The Paul has the chutzpah to actually say, “We have to bite the bullet and be responsible”. Responsible? Really, Paul? The audacity exhibited by The Paul never ceases to amaze the entire staff at ABG. We’d like to see The Paul follow the law so we don’t have a dozen or so lawsuits pending against the Town? We’d like him to not lie under oath or destroy evidence (Fortress Bible). The list seems endless.

While claims to increase the water bills for the average Greenburgh residents by 24% is a significant one, it must be said that his false statement of achieving the NYS 2% tax cap simply doesn’t hold water. Yes, it’s a bad play on words but ABG staffer Christina insisted on using it. At the end of the day, between last years 72% increase and now this 24% increase, it’s impossible for The Paul to say he adhered to the tax cap! ABG understands there are numerous ways to “achieve” compliance and still have a significant tax increase. He’s come up with another.

The Paul has been making the residents “bite” many bullets repeatedly during his twenty-plus years in office. Seniors who supported him when he first ran for Town Supervisor are finding they are unable to continue living in their homes within the Town under his administrations. One widow told an ABG staffer that her social security benefits check totalled $14k a year. Having raised her family in the house she was born in, she was forced to finally sell her home once her taxes reached the same amount. Eventually, she wound up in a (DSS) subsidized apartment on Manhattan Avenue. She used to enjoy sitting outside on summer evenings but can no longer do that as she fears for her safety and feels alone with no family nearby. What a far cry from how she had planned to spend her final years.

“Rising expenses, repayment of past obligations and future projects demand the board act immediately, Feiner said. “If we don’t raise rates today the water district will see its debt increase and it’s going to be worse,” Worse? Again, really? We sincerely wonder what new projects there are that warrant this high an increase? It cannot be to repair or increase the infrastructure as that hasn’t happened since he’s taken office. The flooding caused by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee proved throughout the Town that we are inadequately served, in disrepair or frankly, in an almost hopeless condition. In typical form, he fired off letters to every legislator he could find requesting something be done by everyone but himself. Former Elmsford Trustee William Zimkin proffered a marginal solution for the Saw Mill River flooding along the 9A corridor. The Paul latched onto this stopgap as if it were his own panacea. Ideas abound, just not the The Paul or his administration.

The Paul promises another increase of at least 10% in 2013. The undeniable issue is that he doesn’t have a clue as to what he’s doing at the helm of this rudderless ship. The Stepford Board just goes along with what he instructs them to do, occasionally offering a rebuke when there’s the unwritten guarantee of passage or he’s prearranged their objections with them. They stay in line to ensure being reelected, lest they suffer the fate of the last casualty, Sonya Brown. While we had high hopes for Ken Jones, he’s fallen in lockstep with the Board faster than water floods into Babbitt Court. Greenburgh needs a change. We can only hope.

*http://abettergreenburgh.blogspot.com/2012/02/Unconscionable-102-Rate-Increase.html

DeCicco vs Shimsky: Is This The Best We Can Do?

The Westchester County 12^th Legislative District seat, formerly held by attorney Thomas Abinanti, is being sought by two challengers. The two are Democrat MaryJane Shimsky of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and Republican Nick DeCicco (pronounced de-cheeko) of Hartsdale, NY.

Shimsky, a former attorney, has served as community relations director for former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. Brodsky retired from this position this year after 28 years. The seat was recently won in the election by Thomas Abinanti, defeating Republican Thomas Bock. Shimsky's a vice chairwoman of the county Democratic Committee.

DeCicco is a prosecutor in the county Attorney's Office assigned to Family Court in Yonkers. He is a member of the Greenburgh Zoning Board of Appeals, where he currently has an Ethics Violation lodged against him from Town of Greenburgh Democratic District Leader Robert Bernstein. Bernstein had sought to have DeCicco recuse himself from voting on the numerous zoning variances requested by Deli Delicious, located at Rt 119 and Old Kensico Road. The Town Code of Ethics for board membership is pretty straightforward as to what a member can and cannot do. But in Greenburgh, and in particular with our supervisor and his board, it's just another set of rules to be ignored.

The neighborhood, besieged with heavy traffic, conspiratorial actions by Supervisor Feiner and his rubber-stamp Board, is upset, and against this expansion on top of the blatant “lead agency” hijinks, anti-neighborhood and pro-developer giveways of the Town Board toward WestHab. Feiner has gone out of his way to post blogs, write letters to various newspapers, use his radio show on WVOX endorsing Deli Delicious' requests. It must pain Feiner to have the Zoning Board do the right thing.

Deli Delicious wants permission from the zoning board to put in a drive-through window, pave on NYS property and create additional parking spaces in hopes of reviving his expiring business. DeCicco voted in support for the plan at a Zoning Board meeting last month. Then the planning consultant/contractor and the deli's lawyer, alleged to also be the planning consultant's lawyer, organized a political fundraiser for his county board bid at his home in Irvington. Did the deli also contribute to DeCicco? It's been alleged that Deli Delicious may also contribute to Paul Feiner’s campaign fund. We wouldn't be surprised.

The zoning board is scheduled to vote on the deli's requests this Thursday. Last Friday DeCicco said he planned to abstain from any votes on the deli's application. Isn't that a little late in the game Mr. DeCicco? In a Lohud.com interview with his opponent, DeCicco repeatedly stated, "If you want more of the same... vote for MaryJane. If you want something different, a real change, vote for Nick DeCicco." How is a political payoff through fund raising and contributions different? How is voting on an issue that directly involves your campaign financing different? How is ignoring the wishes of an entire community and siding with a developer different? How is siding with a business owner whose bad business acumen is leading to his demise any different? How is any of this different? It's not. What's next, a political appointment to the Board of Elections for a phantom position?

Watch the Journal News debate between the two candidates and see how uninspired they'll make you feel. Neither has a positive presence on screen and both leave us wanting. Shimsky repeatedly appears to refer to her notes off to the side and incapable of having an opinion without cheat sheets. DeCicco, while working without notes, appears equally inept as he struggles to make his case. Who are coaching these two?

If we look past DeCicco's clumsy and perhaps bumbling camera presence, he does seem to make a few points prompting Shimsky's standard retort of, "I have two comments about that..." Poorly executed, neither candidate inspired confidence during this excruciating exchange. Both prove all too well that neither will be a leader, simply another vote in an already dysfunctional legislature.

DeCicco rightfully attacked the Democrat Shimsky for operating her campaign out of the CSEA headquarters. She countered that Republican DeCicco is being bankrolled by the Republican Party. Touché. Regrettably, this was as good as it got and appears to be the level to which Westchester politics has deteriorated. It’s disappointing. The Democrats lost their way several years ago and lost a good and righteous leader with the recent passing of Lorrin Brown. The Republicans had a great candidate with Thomas Bock in the last two elections but the Republican Party chose to abandon him as Doug Colety typically writes off the Town of Greenburgh each election as insignificant to the Republicans. Again, it’s disappointing. Are there any stewards left out there?

The Republican residents of Greenburgh have been discarded by the Westchester and NY GOP because the democrats have a 3 to 1 ratio over the republicans in the district. Any viable or good candidates, such as Bock, are ignored or dismissed, almost mandating the election of “empty suits” such as Thomas “Proclamation4U” Abinanti. Following "suit" is newly elected Alfreda Williams. The democrats are simply offering bodies and frankly, it’s not good enough. The republicans aren't any better. Even Astorino, who lamely follows the advise of his incompetent advisors, jumped into the waters by offering political payoffs and paybacks. Will it ever end? Apparently, no, especially with the thinking we have from the supposed leaders in these parties. It’s so disappointing.

Our prediction is a simple one. DeCicco, with the power of the feckless Republican Party, with Colety at the helm, will lose this special election to Shimsky; not because she’s better, rather, because of the “D” after her name. It’s simply numbers.