Censoring The Public

We’ve often seen Mr Feiner and his Board do whatever they could to shut down residents from speaking at Town Board meetings and other public events. To say open government in Greenburgh is alive and well is heresy, only mocked openly when Mr Feiner purports to espouse it. One meeting saw he and his Town Board adjourn the meeting at 10:15PM without giving residents an opportunity to speak as was promised earlier. And, many who speak at the opening three-minute session often state they’ll come back during the five-minute session. Although in this instance, with sheepish smiles on their faces, the Board hurriedly scampered away for fear of being challenged.

Such is the case with tomorrow night’s meeting to discuss the the Jefferson Project proposal to be constructed on property at Lawrence and Saw Mill River Roads. Only this time, the Board is making no pretense of curtailing the public’s right to speak. This time Mr Feiner is sending out an email (we wonder if there is also a snail mail version?) stating the rules of engagement for tomorrow night. In his email, he states that they are expecting a very large turnout. And, as a way to justify his control of the public, is using the guise of a Twitter Inspired speaking option. Frankly, it’s designed to be cute so he can get away with silencing the public.

If his concern is really that there were a lot of people seeking to speak, he could schedule another time to do this. However, he won’t do that because he really isn’t interested what people want to say. This episode is a fait accompli. If there are not a lot of people in attendance, will he simply allow everyone to speak for the three and five minutes as previously done? Doubtful. If there are a lot of people, and the majority are against the development, he will use that to twist the arm of the Jefferson management to provide beau coup give-backs in return for what will appear to be begrudgingly offered support. Can you say lawsuit?

There are two schools of thought for this development. The first is that the developer purchased this land, put together a proposal designed for the site and is entitled to build it. There must be an acknowledged back and forth between the developer, the Town and the Village’s residents. The second side is from the Village residents perspective. They naturally are afraid of increases in school children and increases in traffic and congestion. There are of course other issues on both sides.

We hope to see many residents come out on Wednesday night to speak on this issue. While no one promises that the process will be easy, we hope that everyone will treat each other with respect and courtesy. Since these will be people not normally attending a Town Board meeting, Mr Feiner, et al, will be on their best behavior. These guests will not be returning after tomorrow’s meeting. They will hear platitudes of open government, that the Board hears their concerns, they will do their due diligence, people need to have faith in the system and a litany of worn out expressions that have served them well in the past amongst virgin crowds. Only if they continue to come back and not allow this Board to censor them will they have a chance of getting their way. This Board has proved that all too many times. It’s why we continually hope the willfully ignorant will get involved and help us to get A Better Greenburgh.

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Gets Blasted

The Town of Greenburgh seems to thrive on limiting the access of its residents and taxpayers, allowing developers and our elected officials to almost do as they please. This has been witnessed time and again throughout the Town. Then there are certain developer/law firm/friends of Paul that have unfettered access to the corner office. Once the meeting/phone call takes place, the yellow brick road is magically transformed into gold for them.

Breaking from Town tradition, the Town's Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (CPSC) offered numerous public opportunities for the residents to raise questions, points, criticisms, and such of the plan. In fact, Mr Feiner wanted the Committee to travel to different areas of the Town doing a dog-and-pony show. The Committee resisted so as to be able to hold the meetings at Town Hall and be both recorded and televised. We applaud the Committee's decision to do this.

Under the guidance of former Town Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden, who has since left our Town to do something in Stamford, CT., and the Chairmanship of Francis Sheehan, Town Councilman, there were many ideas incorporated into this plan that were unwelcome. One such idea of major concern was that of incorporating the use of "nodes"* in the future. During the first round of public sessions, the CPSC heard from many concerned citizens. But did they listen?

Apparently not. Resident after resident, especially from the Edgemont area, which will see beau coup nodes in their area, took to the podium to bemoan that after a year of waiting, little has changed with the unveiling of the revised Comprehensive Plan. Many stated they heard but didn't listen to what was being said. Noticeably absent were two very engaged citizens from the Committee, Madelon O'Shea and Ella Preiser. Could they have been boycotting this meeting? ABG doesn't know for sure. However, we do know that neither favored the "node" conception. That idea was the brainchild of former Town Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden. Many believe he is responsible for many of the negative changes taking place in the Town including the idea of nodes and are glad he is gone.

Town Councilman Francis Sheehan, Chairman for the CPSC, sent out this email following a morning and evening public session to get feedback from the public on the latest offering:

"The Town's Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (CPSC) heard more than six hours of comments and questions Tuesday (4/28/15) 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. on the Second Draft of the Comprehensive Plan. The turnout at both sessions was terrific. Everyone who wanted to speak was given unlimited time to do so, even after the end time had passed.

Rather than continue the Public Hearing on May 14, 2015, as previously scheduled, the hearing will be postponed to a date to be determined and later published. The Committee wants to consider the six hours of comments in the coming weeks and edit the document to address issues raised. The edits will be made available before the Public Hearing is continued so we may receive comments at that hearing on the Plan as edited.

The CPSC appreciates everyone who took the time to attend the meeting yesterday. The Public Hearing worked as it should: we heard from the public and we will be acting on what we heard.   

Francis Sheehan, Councilman

Chair, Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee"

Mr Sheehan's email is correct about the turnout, although the evening session had more people than the earlier session. To their credit, they let everyone speak for an unlimited amount of time and there was an occasional back-and-forth with speakers and Committee members. Mr Sheehan's email closes with, "we heard from the public and we will be acting on what we heard." We certainly hope so. There is some good information in the Town's proposed Comprehensive Plan. Yet, it might all be for naught if the Committee only heard what was being said but didn't really listen. If they did, this plan may help us curtail Mr Feiner's wholesale gifting of Unincorporated Greenburgh to developers and friends. Only then will we see A Better Greenburgh.

*The Town would create what's known as overlay zones called  "nodes" to allow for retail/multi‐story, mixed use buildings that would include residential units and flexible parking standards (no or very limited parking). Picture 4-corner intersections along Central Avenue and later the Unincorporated Town as a whole as having these nodes. It is claimed that the overlay zone should also include design guidelines or standards to foster a uniform standard of high quality development throughout the corridor.

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Invites Phone Calls

In addition to the opportunities to speak about the Second Draft of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, 1:00-4:00 p.m. and 7:00-10:00 p.m.at Greenburgh Town Hall, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (CPSC) has arranged for 914-989-1538 to be staffed during the hearing for those interested in calling in questions or comments instead of attending.  

We hope everyone who can attend the April 28 meeting attends either the afternoon or evening session so we may hear the comments and begin considering them.  However, today we were able to relocate a scheduled group and free up the Town Hall auditorium on May 14, 2015, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., at which time the Committee will continue tomorrow's hearing to accommodate those who have scheduling conflicts on April 28.  

Written comments are also welcome up to two weeks after the Public Hearing is closed.  They may be sent to PlanZone@GreenburghNY.com.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Francis Sheehan, Councilman

Chair, Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee

Public Hearing on Draft Comprehensive Plan

A Public Hearing will be held to discuss the Draft Comprehensive Plan at Greenburgh Town Hall on Tuesday, April 28th at 1:00-4:00 PM and 7:00-10:00PM.

One of the guiding principles in the Draft Comprehensive Plan is to “preserve the character of existing residential neighborhoods”.

This is important because the Town's zoning codes must follow the Comprehensive Plan according to New York State law.

Please attend the Public Hearing and ask the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee to protect our residential neighborhoods. This is your opportunity to offer input toward the direction we want our Town to proceed with zoning, development, “flavor”, etc.

If you cannot attend, you can email your opinion to the Steering Committee:
planzone@greenburghny.com 

or call (914) 989-1538 on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 from 1-4PM or 7-10PM.

JPI Proposing 296 Multi-Family Apartments Jefferson at Saw Mill River

Photo from JPI website

Greenburgh, NY, April 13, 2015—JPI is currently proposing Jefferson at Saw Mill River, a new amenity rich, high quality multifamily apartment community located at One Lawrence Street in Greenburgh. Prior to the submission of an application to the Town, JPI will host an informational Community Open House event for area residents to learn more and provide input about the Jefferson at Saw Mill River. Additional information about the apartment community will be posted on Jefferson at Saw Mill River’s website and will arrive in mailboxes this week as a precursor to the Community Open House.

“JPI looks forward to becoming a welcome neighbor in the Greenburgh community,” said Stephen Hutto, JPI’s Vice President of Development. “We understand the importance of working with the community to develop a project that meets a growing need for a wider variety of housing choices and generates significant revenue for the future benefit for the Schools, Town and County residents.”

The Jefferson aims to bring new energy to a corner of Greenburgh by complementing the Town of Greenburgh Draft Comprehensive Plan’s overall vision for a vibrant Southern Research and Development node. To help facilitate this vision, JPI will spend several million dollars cleaning up environmental contamination left on the site as a result of its historical use as a chemical plant by Azko Nobel and others. By bringing this property up to the highest residential standards, the long dormant, contaminated land will provide much needed access to diverse rental housing to those working for target STEM and biotech employers in Southern and Central Westchester County.

“We want the community to know that we are listening,” Hutto remarked. “We invite area residents to attend our Community Open House to learn about the data supporting the fact this apartment community is a win-win for Greenburgh and the surrounding community.”

Jefferson at Saw Mill River’s Community Open House event will be held on Wednesday April 22, 2015 at Life…The Place to Be (2 Lawrence Street, Ardsley). All community members are welcome to stop by anytime during the event hours of 6-8 p.m. to learn more about the traffic improvements, environmental cleanup, new streams of revenue and more that will result from Jefferson at Saw Mill River.

For more information about Jefferson at Saw Mill River, please visit www.jeffersonsawmill.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jeffersonsawmill.

About JPI

JPI is a national developer, builder and investment manager of Class A multifamily assets in select US markets headquartered in Texas with offices in Arizona, New York and California. With over a 20-year history of successful developments throughout the major US markets and an unparalleled depth of industry specific experience, JPI stands among the most active privately held real estate companies in the country. JPI's executive leadership team has an average of 25 years of comprehensive experience in multifamily developments ranging from low density garden apartments, mid to high density wrap and podium projects, student living housing projects and mixed use high rise developments. The firm offers investment management, pre-development, underwriting, marketing and asset management services as well as construction, financial and administrative services. To learn more about JPI, please visit www.jpi.com.


Contact: Greg Belew
Managing Regional Partner-Eastern Region
Phone: 212-660-0250
info@jeffersonsawmill.com

No Confidence In Process After Supervisor Speaks

It is not a surprise to anyone who follows Greenburgh politics that the proverbial “deck” is stacked against the residents by our Town administration. Ironically, while it is technically the “Feiner Administration”, it’s certainly not a “finer” administration – in fact, it’s far from it. The Town Board and in particular Mr Feiner, knowing the media would be present at its previous Wednesday night meeting, began to use words like honest, honestly, honesty, confidence, the process and so on quite often as well as conjunctively! Media-savvy Mr Feiner took the lead and his re-election teammates ran with it. Regardless of what Mr Feiner and half the Town Board says, every resident we spoke to gave a vote of “No Confidence” with this administration. Don’t lose sight of this one simple fact: this is about changing zoning in residential neighborhoods to allow commercial businesses.

Always the behind-the-scenes operative, Mr Feiner sent an email to Dorrine Livson, President of the Worthington Woodlands Civic Association, who felt it should be seen by all and has no problem sharing information. You may recall that Ms Livson asked for the GBList from Mr Feiner and the Town through the Freedom of Information Law and was denied the request. She appealed to the same Town Board denying the request because, well, here is another convoluted process with which the public has no confidence. Not surprisingly her appeal was also denied – by the same people she was requesting the information from!

Sadly, while Mr Feiner has no intention of releasing the GBList to Ms Livson and is comfortable disobeying another court order, he has no compunction about using the coveted GBList for a non-Greenburgh civic association from Yonkers. This association borders Mr Feiner’s gated community and would have affected his home value and quality of life. Do as I say, not as I do? Here’s a copy of that email:

Click on the email to enlarge

With no other recourse, Ms Livson filed an Article 78 with the courts to seek justice for both Town Board refusals of the information requested. She was victorious. However, now as another stall tactic, the Town says they are appealing her court victory. Regardless of that outcome, here is the latest email Mr Feiner sent to Ms Livson:
Dear Dorrine,
I know that you and I have some differences re: the appropriateness of the Board commencing a traffic and environmental study of the Game On application. However- the Board made the decision. It's time to move on and have an honest, unbiased review of the application and the impact the facility will have on the community - if it is approved.
 
We are going to be issuing a request for proposals. And then will interview the possible consultants before making a decision.

I want to work with you and your association members during the review process. And, also want to reassure you that I have not made up my mind how I will vote on this application.

Thanks for your comments and participation.
Paul

Several points we’d like to make with regards to this email. First, while it may seem innocuous enough by itself, there is an underlying message of pomposity and certainly one of non-respect for the community. Second, and possibly most importantly is that he is now claiming “the Board” did this. The vote is split 2 for the proposal and 2 against the proposal with Mr Feiner casting the deciding vote. It is well known in Greenburgh politics that if a Board member seeks re-election, they must tow Mr Feiner’s line or be “Sonya’d”*. Don’t lose sight of this one simple fact: this is about changing zoning in residential neighborhoods to allow commercial businesses.

Mr Feiner has never been objective when it comes to the GameOn 365 application. For almost 5 years now, he has been GameOn 365’s biggest cheerleader. From an illegal lease, ignoring higher offers for the former Frank’s Nursery property, to now wasting time on an application that should not be entertained. His actions, to be honest (his phrase) show his true self. He has mandated by his and his two colleague’s actions by voting to intend to become the lead agency actually initiates this process for this proposal for an approximately 107,000 sq. ft. indoor recreation facility along with an outdoor playing field, while retaining a reduced portion of the existing golf driving range, and provide related features such as landscaping and parking. Again for the uninitiated, he promised his friend the deal and he plans to deliver! The issue is becoming clouded by Mr Feiner’s deflection in making this about the GameOn 365’s proposed sports mega-plex. It’s not! It’s about changing residential zoning to allow commercial enterprises in residential neighborhoods. Don’t lose sight of this as Mr Feiner will continue his deflection technique.

How do we know this is nothing more than a confidence (con) scheme? Simple. Here’s an email we received by accident back in 2012 from Martin Hewitt (GO365 principle) to Mr Feiner cautioning to not send emails as they could be FOILed. Note the portion that says, “...first breach that could be FOIL’d that may tip Donald off...” Donald, by the way, is one of the owners of Elm Street Sports in Ardsley, NY, operating the House of Sports facility. Here’s that email:

Click on the email to enlarge

At this week’s Town Board meeting, two Board members and Mr Feiner agreed to to start the review process of the application for a zone change to allow a recreation facility to be built on Dobbs Ferry Road by declaring their intent to become the Lead Agency (the first step) for this project. So, regardless of Mr Feiner’s posturing (lying?), the process has begun under the guise of a non-committal intent, foisting a traffic study (the second step) upon us – residents be damned! He’s begun his rope-a-dope as he fosters more misinformation to anyone who will listen. Here’s a sampling of it: The Town Board will hire a traffic expert to conduct a traffic study.; we will analyze the traffic impacts and the environmental/quality of life impacts in communities that have similar Sports facilities. Under New York State law the applicant (Game On) pays for the consultant costs. But, the Town Board selects the consultant. So what? Don’t lose sight of this one simple fact: this is about changing zoning in residential neighborhoods to allow commercial businesses.

Mr Feiner is technically correct how he has phrased this next sentence. “The Town Board did not approve any application this week. We just started the review process”. What this really means is they have initiated the first step of the review process which is what would happen if they had sat up there and said they were declaring themselves the Lead Agency. It’s semantics and deflection to keep the average, uninformed residents guessing. What does this mean for the average Greenburgh citizen? Simply, don't stand to close to the tracks, you might get hurt as this train won’t slow down as it approaches the station. This favored method of operation by the Town Board has to change. Only when residents no longer feel as though they are being railroaded will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Confidence in the Process or Confidence Game?

This past Wednesday night's Town Board meeting found the main auditorium unusually packed with standing room only. Obviously, there was something controversial on the agenda. It seems to be the only time people come out, otherwise providing free reign and uncontrolled hubris from the Town Board. Both sides were represented although the neighborhood representation was easily two-to-one against this controversial proposal: a requested Zoning Change on Dobbs Ferry Road at the Golf Driving Range. Nearby, the former Frank's Nursery continues to languish after having had an offer Mr Feiner turned down for twice as much as the offer from his friends.

Tensions as well as emotions ran high and was palpable in the cramped room, where the coveted seats in the back of the room were at a premium for comfort and semi-working ceiling speakers. While some people in attendance may have been there purely for entertainment, the constant of the failed sound system and uncomfortable seating would make tonight's events more a gladiator sport than a standard Town Board session where the political locomotive screams through the agenda at breakneck speed with a constant hum of yay votes. However, most were probably there in hopes of either stopping or advancing this zoning change depending on where they live. 

The affected residents of the area immediately spoke one after another, stating their street address and the amount of years they have resided in the area. Some spoke of being there since they were kids. One man bragged to have lived there since 1960, yet pronounced Mr Feiner's name incorrectly as "Feener". Could he simply be another out-of-town supporter asked to speak in favor of the zoning change? In fact, the opposition, if and when they gave an address, simply stated the Villages they were from - sometimes west of the Hudson! Several people from outside the Town said they hunger for soccer fields and this was the answer they supported. They asked the Town Board to not deny them the opportunity to kick their balls in our neighborhood. Frankly, we're tired of having our balls kicked by people from outside our Town.

Corridor residents said Wednesday night that the proposal should be killed this night. Mr Feiner had continued his ruse of indecision claiming he "honestly wanted the facts" to make an informed decision. This year's buzz term from Town Hall finds several interchangeable phrases: "I honestly haven't made a decision yet"; "We want people to have confidence in the process"; "I am honestly listening to the community"; "we need to become the lead agency so we can have the studies done to make an informed decision"; "We all want to do the right thing". The list is almost endless. By the way, last year's preferred phrase was, "We need to do our due diligence". Predictably, last year's phrase and promises were just another promise not kept. These new phrases already ring hollow. Confidence or confidence game?

Mr Feiner says, "The applicant has proposed a facility – that doesn’t mean that the town will give them permission to do what they want. We may reject the entire application or modify it. If citizens got involved and were willing to have a discussion the size of the building could be discussed." Because the Town Board is split with Messrs. Morgan and Jones siding with Mr Feiner, and the other two against, the first line is not true. They plan to give them exactly what they are asking for. The second line is laughable as this Board never rejects or modifies any developer proposal for any neighborhood - until they are threatened with court actions. Finally, he practically admits this project is going to be approved by saying, "If citizens got involved and were willing to have a discussion the size of the building could be discussed." So the issue is not that he hasn't made a decision, he has. It's not that he is listening to the neighbors, he's not. Now the issue is controlling the size of it. The devil is always in the details.

He continues, "I think it would be horrible for the corridor to replace the golf range –beautiful open space-with development and cement." Huh? Isn't the zoning proposal designed to do just that, put a development with concrete and blacktop aka impervious space, onto open space? Then he wants neighbors to discuss options for the golf driving range as if its viability rests with them. It does not. It rests with no one but the Visioli family - not the neighbors, not Paul Feiner nor the Town Board. Plus, with the newly uncovered lawsuit against the Visioli family and the golf driving range for a different contamination of the property causes ABG to believe this may soon all be moot. However, we're also convinced that Mr Feiner will find a way to skirt the taxpaying residents' objections either legally or illegally. Past performance IS an indicator of future results with this Town Board - hence the lie: "We want people to have confidence in the process". 

And don't be confused or amazed when you hear about the two proposals off of Payne Street and in Ardsley to which the Town Board said , "No." Mr Feiner stated that these proposals should not even be considered as they would strain our already over-burdened infrastructure (the same one he's neglected during these past 22-years). ABG believes those were throwaway proposals concocted to give Mr Feiner et al, the opportunity to seem to care (about his Ardsley voting base) and the north Elmsford area. Not only was there never any plans for them to proceed, but one would be in Mr Morgan's backyard and the other in Ms Juettner's. The proposal on Dobbs Ferry Road estimates 7,000 gallons of liquid waste a day and five thousand cars per weekend. How is that not taxing our over-taxed and under-maintained infrastructure?

Mr Feiner has also said, "During the review process we could discuss aesthetics, every option for the property. I want people to have confidence in the process. If there is unified opposition to the project, the chances of the project being approved are slim. On the other hand – there has been some misinformation spread about the application –and virtually no give and take." The first sentence is a throw-away to placate the uninformed or willfully ignorant residents. The second is a lie as no one except the developers have confidence in the process. The third line is the ultimate slap in the neighborhood's collective faces indicating he plans to proceed. There has only been unified support against the zoning change since it's inception 5-years ago. His comment that, "Chances of the project being approved is slim" is simply a lie. Mr Feiner just hasn't figured out a way to get over on the community for his friends. Finally, the only misinformation that has been spread was by Mr Feiner and Mr Hewitt and his operatives.

Throughout the night Mr Feiner, "We want people to have confidence in the process". No he doesn't. He wants people to leave him alone to do as he pleases. This is more and more shaping up to be a confidence game over confidence in the system. But the mainstream media will feature the above quote and the headline reading public will buy into it. It is better than any con-man could hope for. So as he reshapes Unincorporated Greenburgh into the worst of the Bronx, taxpayers need to be heard now and listened to closely. These same people are seeking re-election and will get 7-9,000 votes by those party faithful who won't decide its time to think differently and just say, "No.". Rather, they'll shrug their shoulders and mandate more of the same, allowing them to act with impunity. We certainly don't have confidence in that system. BTW, ABG believes this will be postponed until after the elections. The proposal will then go through and the public will forget how they got screwed again. We agree with the Greenburgh Council of Civic Associations who always says if its done in one neighborhood, it will happen in another. It's time to stop this madness. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

NextG: Another Guilty Verdict

Lately, going to court seems to have a foregone conclusion for Mr Feiner and our Town Board. Perhaps the courts have finally gotten wise to his behavior or his “woe is me” is wearing thin. The majority of the electorate has not paid enough attention to his bad behavior – yet. The mother of all decisions against Mr Feiner, is that of the Fortress Bible Church guilty verdict. Ironically, we await the total sum of damages from this suit against him and his criminal partner Town Board member Diana Juettner. They continue to run for office as though nothing is amiss in the now evolving “Bizarro Greenburgh.” His previous Town Board’s cumulative illegal behavior points to those now absent from our local government, having passed away or been bestowed with a promotion. It’s more proof that bad politicians don’t get voted out, they get promoted and rewarded.

This Fortress Bible Church decision has many residents outraged over the Town’s behavior and actions toward this African-American Church from Mount Vernon, and rightfully so! You’ll recall the church purchased property in Greenburgh, literally in then-County Legislator Tom Abinanti’s backyard. Mr Feiner, Ms Juettner and other Greenburgh politicians led the rally against the Fortress Bible Church to keep them from building their new house of worship and coterminous school on their newly purchased property. This seems to be a case of not in Mr Abinanti’s backyard. Apparently, its not acceptable for the average resident to protest a development in their backyards but those same standards don’t apply to politicians. It may be why Assemblyman Tom Abinanti moved – to distance himself from this neighborhood’s failing NIMBY-ism and Mr Feiner and Ms Juettner’s impending guilty verdict?

Subsequently, Mr Feiner and Ms Juettner were found guilty as Town Supervisor and Board for violating the rights of a church to the free exercise of religion and not receiving equal protection under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. He was also found liable for destroying documents. The federal judge who hasn’t sat in on any Town Board or Work Session meetings and listened to Mr Feiner testify found him to not be a credible witness. Had the judge sat in on a Town Board meeting, or any other meeting with Mr Feiner, he would have already known this.

So, now we learn another decision handed down against Mr Feiner and the Town, that will again be paid for by the taxpayers. This time the courts found in favor of the plaintiff, Crown Castle NG East, Inc., the “new” parent company of NextG Networks of New York, and against the Town. The original petitioner sought to install cell towers on phone poles throughout the Town. Their lawsuit alleged the protracted process began in 2009 with their cell tower installation applications to Mr Feiner and the Town, and took an unreasonable amount of time to receive a decision, based on The FCC’s “Shot Clock” order.

The “Shot Clock” was a supposed important step enacted by Congress to encourage the expansion of wireless networks throughout the nation. The ruling provides that a local jurisdiction must act on an application for the collocation of additional antennas to existing infrastructure within 90 days and an application for the construction of new infrastructure within 150 days. And, at the same time it claims to allow local control, it really does not seem the “locals” actually maintain control. 

The parameters of what the Town needed to do to address the NextG applications from the very beginning seem to have been misplayed by Mr Feiner and to a complicit degree, the Town Board. Based on past performances from Mr Feiner, we’re not surprised. While past performance does not guarantee future results in the financial world, it’s fairly accurate with Mr Feiner’s world and “Bizzaro Greenburgh”.

From the onset, NextG applied to install cell towers consisting of “a small, low-powered antenna, laser and amplifier equipment for the conversion of RF signals to optical signals that is connected to the antenna, fiber optics lines, and associated equipment such as power supplies” on phone poles in November of 2009. The Town insisted that NextG was not a cell provider and consequently did not qualify for approval. But, whether qualified or not, Mr Feiner received communications of application from NextG which he simply chose to ignore and do nothing about.

The decision for the plaintiff (NextG) against the defendant (Town/Feiner) was issued in the beginning of July. Yet, no one from the Town or the public knew anything of it. Why not? Simple. Mr Feiner received the information of the decision and decided not to share it with either his colleagues or the public! Again, why not? Could it be Mr Feiner trying to minimize the negative impact during his re-election campaign? Or, could it be because he has a formidable Democratic Primary opponent with Mr Robert Berstein? Could all the lawsuits coming to fruition at the same time as this election be his motivation to try to keep this secreted from the public? Regardless of his motivation, it’s another in a long list of examples of the phony open government scam Mr Feiner has perpetrated on the public and endorsed by the lame-stream media.

The same taxpaying public that weighed in on the cell tower proposals and insisted Mr Feiner allow the Antenna Review Board and the Zoning Board address the issue of a proposal were also ignored by Mr Feiner and the Board. Mr Bob Bernstein also suggested that the Town allow the laws we have in place be the determinant with the application and that they would provide us with legal validation for cell towers. Issues of public safety, visual appearance, a lack of safety information and specifically a need to fill a gap for coverage all came up in the numerous conversations. Interestingly, the decision handed down and hidden by Mr Feiner in hopes of who-knows-what-?, was made public by Mr Bernstein! Only after Mr Bernstein published a PDF of the decision did Mr Feiner offer it to anyone who sent him an email. 

ABG requested a copy of the verdict from Mr Feiner. In a very deft move by Mr Feiner, he sent a link to his email message as opposed to sending the file as an email attachment, ensuring the inability of accessing his Microsoft Outlook email account and getting the file. When we responded and told him the link didn’t work, he forwarded our email to Town Attorney Lewis where the request has languished for over a week and remains in the veritable Feiner Black Hole, never to be seen again. Open government? Transparency? The public’s right to know? These are empty platitudes bandied about by Mr Feiner and the Board when it’s convenient for a nearby reporter seeking a sound-byte. The reality in Bizarro Greenburgh is something quite different.

In reading the decision by the courts, there was a pattern of consistent delays over three or so years from Mr Feiner and the Town. The chronological actions taken or not taken are detailed below and summarily highlight the lack of a decision for NextG that was the predominant point of their lawsuit.

1. November 13, 2009; Right of way use agreement letter submitted to Town Supervisor. Unanswered.
2. Follow-up letter sent several months later. Unanswered.
3. March 22, 2010; Attempted to meet with Public Works Staff; Unsuccessful.
4. March 25, 2010; Permit Applications sent to Public Works Commissioner; Unanswered
5. March 30, 2010; Met with Town to discuss above mentioned letter.
6. June 7, 2010; Reminded Town of need to meet for negotiation. Unanswered.
7. June 7, 2010; Plaintiff sent a follow-up letter to Town Public Works & Building Commissioners; Unanswered.
8. June 16, 2010; Antenna Review Board (ARB) announces Public Hearing for June 28, 2010.
9. June 29, 2010; ARB rejects Plaintiff application as incomplete. 
10. July 10, 2010; Plaintiff representatives meet with Thomas Madden regarding materials submitted.
11. September 8, 2010; Plaintiff applies to Building Dept., for permits.
12. September 10, 2010; Building Inspector acknowledges receipt of application; Refused.
13. November 10, 2010; Materials submitted determined to not be valid application.
14. October 5, 2010; ARB Chair states Madden doesn’t have authority regarding application.
15. October 19, 2010; Plaintiff requests sample application from ARB. 
16. November 23, 2010; Plaintiff submits second round of applications.
17. December 14, 2010; Plaintiff complains ARB took no action of their applications.
18. February 8, 2011; Plaintiff sends letter asserting Town’s Antenna Law doesn’t apply to their application.
19. March 15, 2011; Plaintiff submits application “template” to facilitate approval process. ARB issues letter of incompleteness without specifically addressing deficiencies. Months of back and forth take place with no resolve.
20. April 4, 2011; ARB identifies deficiencies in template application.
21. May 17, 2011; 7 applications discussed at ARB public meeting. Determined deficient.
22. June 27, 2011; 2nd set of revisions discussed at public ARB meeting.
23. October 26, 2011; 16 of 20 Plaintiff applications deemed complete by ARB. 
24. November 1, 2011; Letter stating same from ARB Chair to Building Department sent.
25. November 15, 2011; Final 4 applications submitted to ARB.
26. November 15, 2011; Plaintiff submits completed versions of applications to Town Board. 
27. November 25, 2011; Letter stating same from ARB Chair to Building Department sent.
28. November 30, 2011: Town Board holds Public Hearing. No vote taken. Adjourned until December 14, 2011. 
29. December 3, 2011; Receipt of letter confirmed from ARB to Building Inspector.
30. December 14, 2011; 2nd Public Hearing held. Town-hired engineering firm submits Engineering Report concluding gap in service. No vote by Town Board taken.
31. January 17, 2012; Town Board discusses Plaintiff request for a special permit in Work Session. Plaintiff agrees to adjourn from the January 25, 2012 meeting until February 7, 2012.
32. February 7, 2012; 3rd Public Hearing held. Plaintiff attends Work Session. No vote on Plaintiff’s request/application.
33. February 23, 2012; New questions arise as to alternate locations for installation.
34. February 29, 2012; Town Board holds Public Hearing. Indicates they would vote on March 20, 2012.
35. March 20, 2012; Town Board decides to hold over the vote for a date to be determined. Town Attorney Tim Lewis tells Plaintiff he expects a decision at the April 11, 2012 meeting.
36. March 30, 2012; Final Public Hearing held. No vote taken.
37. April 10, 2012; Crown Castle acquires NextG.
38. April 11, 2012; NextG applications not on the Town Board agenda. Town Board decides to turn the request over to the Town’s Conservation Advisory Council (CAC). 
39. April 11, 2012; Plaintiff not invited to CAC meeting.
40. June 7, 2012; Plaintiff threatens lawsuit if no meaningful action was taken with their application.
41. June 20, 2012; Town requests additional information from Plaintiff, promising decision in 30 days proving NextG offers telecommunications service, the installations meet the minimum height and aesthetic intrusion requirements.
42. July 24, 2012; Town denies Plaintiff’s applications stating no service gap was demonstrated or that NextG offered telecommunications service, the installations meet the minimum height and aesthetic intrusion requirements.

Motions to dismiss by the Town (defendant) and motions for summary judgement by the NextG/Crown Castle (plaintiff) were subsequently made. The courts ruled for both parties on partial points of the suit. In the end, however, the victor seems to be NextG/Crown Castle. The decision affecting the residents beyond the financial aspects of the suit mean that primarily Edgemont and Scarsdale will soon be seeing these cell towers on 20 or so phone poles throughout their communities. 

An interesting subtext throughout this entire episode is one that continues to be present but seemingly never referenced. About two years or so ago when Ms Sonya Brown was still a sitting Town Board member, the Town Board discussed cell coverage throughout the Town ad nauseum. In fact, after the poor cell coverage issue was highlighted in one particular meeting, each Board member seemed to try to top the other with their own tales of woe as to the spotty cell coverage users might experience throughout the Town. Mr Feiner even said there are times he is driving on the Knollwood Road area of the Town and unable to get a cell phone signal. Perhaps driving should have been more his focus and not phone use. Beyond that, it would have certainly assisted making the case for NextG/Crown Castle. Opportunity lost? Maybe, but the outcome was the same.

ABG is not in favor of the cell tower installations as originally proposed by NextG. There was a proper vehicle in place to handle their application, but Mr Feiner and his Board knew better. While the outcome might have been different had the Town simply let their laws protect us, Mr Feiner again dictates what he wanted and failed. It seems that Mr Feiner attempted to stall* the applicant the same way so many small developers and residents typically encounter from the Town with their smaller projects. Only residents don’t have a Shot Clock law on their side, only against them. Big brother? You decide.

Had NextG mentioned several buzz-words in the application, things would have certainly progressed more quickly for them. Future applicants should consider incorporating some of these buzz-words to ensure Mr Feiner’s help and even promotion: homeless, affordable housing, workforce, developmentally disabled, tax generating, for the children, revenue to the Town, more votes, transparent, Fairview, create jobs, Section 8 and so on. The list is endless. Apparently, so are the lawsuits and guilty verdicts!

* From the decision’s document. Bold text is made by ABG. “The Town Board held public hearings on the applications on November 30, 2011, December 14, 2011, February 7, 2012, February 29, 2012, and March 20, 2012, and did not issue its written decision denying Plaintiff’s applications until July 24, 2012 – 252 days from the submission of the complete applications. This is well beyond presumptively-reasonable 150-day time period set by the Shot Clock Order, and does not even include time spent during the completeness review, at least some of which should arguably count towards the application processing time given that the Shot Clock Order only excludes time that it takes the applicant to respond to requests for additional information. See Shot Clock Order, 24 F.C.C. Rcd. at 14015. The Town has proffered no real explanation as to why its process took so long that would suffice to rebut the presumption. Indeed, from the close of the public hearings, it took over four months for the Town to render its decision, after conducting public hearings on the matter for close to four months. Further, putting the presumption aside, the bureaucratic hoops through which Plaintiff was put, along with the rest of the record, suggest that the Town would be no more interested in a prompt disposition now than it was beginning in 2009. This is a paradigmatic case where remand would only further and unnecessarily delay the processing of Plaintiff’s siting application. Accordingly, the appropriate remedy in equity is an order requiring the issuance of the special permits sought.” 

Town Approves Assisted Living Zoning Change; Disregards Residents Input – Again!

In an unsurprising and calculated move to assist yet another developer, the Town Board ignored countless amounts of input by residents warning of the numerous pitfalls of adopting the proposed zoning law change written by the developer, to assist them in building the Brightview Assisted Living Center. The developer apparently wrote the zoning amendment and gave it to the Board to vote upon. Can anyone say collusion? Also apparent is that the Town’s Legal, Planning and Building Departments are collectively incapable of working with our Zoning Board or crafting an addition to our Zoning Laws and thus left the “heavy lifting” to the developer’s attorneys. The facility will be a 3-story building off of Tarrytown Road, opposite the Sheraton Hotel at Benedict Ave with a Tarrytown mailing address in the Unincorporated Greenburgh. Now that the Town has approved the law, Brightview will be unimpeded to proceed with their project. Let the variances begin!

By the Town Board approving and amending this local law at the Town Board meeting on February 13, the zoning ordinance for the town was changed by adding a definition of assisted living facilities. It also creates a special permit criteria for such facilities. The problem with allowing the zoning change is that it will carry throughout the Town and allow buildings that would otherwise be inappropriate for residential neighborhoods. While the zoning map has already been amended to reflect the change, the result of this zoning change is that it will allow up to 100 bedrooms to be constructed in an “assisted living facility” on four acre sites within 200 feet of a state or county road. This should not be confused with a Senior Living Center or Senior Assisted Living Center.

Brightview will not accept those on Medicaid needing an assisted living center’s help. To cover that blunder that went unnoticed by Town Board members until residents pointed it out at one of the hearings, the town altered the conditions that will allow them to issue permits for facilities that accept medicaid. This was the Town Board’s appearance of being concerned that they want to help the poor. But those Greenburgh residents who are either poor or on Medicaid will never see the inside of Brightview unless they are going to visit someone there. We’re sure The Paul will have a bus readied at the Theodore Young Community Center for any seniors, poor or Medicaid recipients wishing to tour what they cannot afford.

The Board also factored in their right to deny permits to facilities if they will have an adverse impact upon the town. This is the “scapegoat clause” they put in place to placate everyone who objected to this zoning change that has now became Town-wide. Since we have yet to see The Paul say no to any developer, we doubt there will ever be any activity with this clause. It’s only there so they can say, “Look, we have the right to say no to any project.” Like that’ll ever happen.

Brightview, an assisted living facility, is going to overwhelm the small little neighborhood in the Glenville section of the Town because the zoning law The Paul and the Brightview developer crafted allows it. The Paul doesn’t care. The Town Board had many public discussions/hearings on the proposed zoning change before the new law was adopted. They’ve ignored every point that was made and passed the law the developer needed to proceed.

This was never about protecting a neighborhood for The Paul. It was never about creating a Town-wide assisted living provision in the zoning law for The Paul. It was never about trying to house our aging, less fortunate residents in a facility that can help them for The Paul. It was only about The Paul getting past any restrictions, limitations or laws that would keep one of his developer friends from getting to build what they wanted. They got it! This must change. We can only hope.

Densification

The last several years have proven that The Paul is not interested in preserving the “green” in Greenburgh. He’s not alone. The County has a master plan that incorporates an increased densification of the southern portion of the county as well as the Unincorporated sections of Greenburgh, especially on Rt 119. Regrettably, The Paul and his cohorts, from his Stepford Board to the developers to other politicians, all believe in a master plan that includes blacktopping our green space.

Many projects throughout the Town exemplify this endorsed densification. Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden, knows where his “bread is buttered”. Not only does he go along with The Paul’s plans, he goes beyond them. He pursues every avenue to help create larger and more grandiose plans throughout the Town. Residents will find Madden routinely endorsing plans that will add to his job security and eliminate our suburban Greenburgh into a more urban one. Stop and Shop on Rt 119 and Brightview Assisted Living in Glenville are obvious ones that come to mind.

Changing the zoning in the Town at the whim of a developer’s request has allowed The Paul to give away our green space, congest our neighborhoods, lessen the attractiveness of purchasing a home in the Town, increase traffic, flooding and overwhelm an outdated and beleaguered infrastructure. The latest example of this is the zoning change requested by the Brightview Assisted Living Center in the Glenville Neighborhood. ABG has previously written about this particular issue. In short, Brightview is utilizing a lack of definition in our zoning code for Assisted Living in hopes of getting a “custom made” zoning change that will benefit them.

There are several issues at stake with this. First, the Comprehensive Planning Committee, which was tasked for developing a Town Comprehensive Plan, continually has new requests asked of it, forcing their Comprehensive Plan to be delayed for submission and adoption by the Town. Second, each time another task is requested, the Town Board proceeds with any changes it pleases to keep the developers happy. This thwarts any benefit we might get if our Comprehensive Plan was presented and approved. Third, it’s currently overdue with no visible submission date on the horizon.

Spot-zoning is illegal. Simply, spot-zoning is when the Town Board changes the zoning for a particular project, developer, neighborhood or parcel of land. This is routinely done throughout the Town by The Paul and his Stepford Board. Again, it is illegal. We’ve witnessed spot zoning for numerous projects such as for Stop & Shop in Glenville, Westhab in Fulton Park, Dromore Road and Central Avenue in Edgemont, soon-to-be for sports bubbles in Veteran Park and at 715 Dobbs Ferry Road and Assisted Living Centers in Glenville. If The Paul wants it, it will happen. ABG recognizes the need for some change and the right for property owners to do what they desire with their property. But there needs to be a balance of uniformity and conformity within Town guidelines when this is done to maintain a level of attractiveness and functionality within the Town. That’s what our planning and zoning regulations should do. Yet, with The Paul and the Stepford Board subverting them, the planning and zoning boards are impotent to stop them.

With the Town zoning in place, when an owner/landlord/developer wishes to use the property for a proposal the zoning does not allow, property owners and/or developers are required to go to the Zoning and Planning Boards and request a variance or change. Most often, this is exactly what happens for an owner or landlord. And, depending on the proposal, they may rightly be refused their request until concessions and accommodations are made to conform with the zoning. There are many reasons for refusal by numerous Boards. Sometimes, the refusal is based on size (too large), style (doesn’t blend), traffic (increases/hinderances/flow) and the like.

When it’s for an individual homeowner, or small landlord, they are tasked with redoing their plans and proposals at their own additional expense and re-applying to that particular Board. When it is a developer asking, and they are refused, they simply confer with The Paul behind closed doors. When they emerge with their marching orders, they’ll all dance the dance as required by The Paul and present their proposal to the Board with soft, attractive water color renditions with the lovely landscapes to his “go-along” Board. From there, the developer’s game is in play. The Board will vote to become the lead agency and begin the sham approval process – regardless of what’s wrong with the project.

As was done with the Hebrew Hospital Home of Westchester, at 61 Grasslands Road, The Paul told them they could receive site approval to add buildings to their site if they donated a fire truck to the Fairview Fire Department. Once Rescue 3 was ordered and delivered (since replaced), site approvals sailed through the Town Board like beer flows at an Octoberfest! When The Paul told the Fortress Bible Church to donate a fire truck to the Fairview Fire Department, they said, “No!” Not surprisingly, Fortress Bible Church began receiving no site approvals and the internal departmental run-arounds that residents are so used to. Ultimately, with no additional fire apparatus in the offing, no site approvals took place and nothing could be built. Fortress Bible Church refused to play “FeinerBall” and sued the Town on seven counts AND WON! The Town went to an Appeals Court and again Fortress Bible Church WON! One of the reasons The Paul claimed against the Church was the increased traffic and safety issues it would cause on Dobbs Ferry Road. If this was an issue then, why did he not see it as an issue for the proposed GameOn 365 property across the street which promised more traffic?

The Town’s Zoning and Planning Boards are appointed positions by The Paul. Perhaps this would be okay if The Paul and his Stepford Board were not part of the process. The Zoning and Planning Boards can only make recommendations to the Town Board as the lead agency. Subsequently, when the Zoning or Planning Boards make a recommendation to the Town Board, it is just that, a recommendation and no matter how competent, correct, caring or pellucid either of these Boards are with their information, the Town Board is not bound by it. Whether it involves receiving a piece of fire apparatus or not, the lead agency moves ahead with more developments throughout the Town. The increased densification of the Town needs to stop. Projects that increase our impervious space are not helping the Town’s residents who routinely get flooded in normal rain storms. The aging infrastructure, ignored by The Paul for his entire 20-plus years tenure have left the Town residents hurting. The illegal actions of The Paul and his Board have taken it’s toll. It has to change. We can only hope.

It’s Been Said Before

The G8 has said it before. Other residents have gotten up at Town Board meetings and said it before. Town employees, with and without contracts have said it before. The lamestream media has quietly said it albeit in a muted voice. And of course, ABG has said it before. The King of Greenburgh, aka The Paul, lies and treats those not in his close circle of giving, with distain, deceit, and duplicity. Of course, very simply, he lies to those he doesn’t like or care about: his constituents.

We continually refer to The Paul and his Stepford’s spot zoning debacles in most neighborhoods. There are numerous examples and more awaiting the sweep of his crippling hand. He has routinely spot zoned throughout the Town as lead agency for so many projects, developers recognize it as their “norm”. He made sure that those trains don’t even slow down as it approached the Planning, Zoning, Building and Codes Department stations.

When Westhab purchased the former transitional housing property in Fulton Park from “Z” that had been used by the County to house the homeless, The Paul openly lied to the neighborhood in private meetings, along with his Stepfords, saying they (meaning Westhab) would need to find another location for the proposed seven story apartment building. Did they? No! He rezoned the .7 acre property from M-22 (22 units per acre) to match Hartsdale’s worst zoning nightmare of M-174 (174 units per acre).  He maintained the value of the location because of the “walking distance” of area supermarkets, even though those supermarkets are now gone.

Next, The Paul and his Stepford’s leveled crippling demands of the Fulton Park Garden Apartments, when they applied to the Town to rezone their property from it’s current zoning to match the newly spot-zoned Westhab neighbor next door. They informed the Board that they were requesting the change so they could remove the existing buildings, rebuild in the same footprint, with no ground level apartments or utilities as they currently flood with most rain storms. The utilities would be on the roof, away from flood conditions and the apartments would be up higher. They were looking to increase their buildings by six stories to match the Westhab height. The Paul mandated they develop flood mitigation plans, offer flood control solutions throughout the neighborhood and so on. It was clear that The Paul sought to discourage this project by overburdening them with untenable demands. When Deli Delicious sought to pave almost the entire property for a flawed drive-thru window, no similar demands were made of him. Another lawsuit seems imminent. 

The Paul has tried to systematically fine many of our already beleaguered businesses with more “fees” if they put products for sale on the sidewalk in front of their establishment. One such victim was The Apple Farm on Rt 119. The Board wrestled with wording and dollar amounts continually entertaining more fees and fines for the Town to utilize for financial collections. The temporary situation for the Apple Farm is that they store their produce (and sometimes other) deliveries on their private sidewalk until their staff can bring it inside. We hope the Stepfords see the light and do what they can to help maintain this store without additional taxes through fines - just for doing business. 

Stop and Shop recently closed in Tarrytown at the intersection of Routes 9 an 119, to reincarnate into a CVS. We need more CVS stores like we need Alan Hochberg chairing another useless committee. Having been there as a supermarket for years as First National, Finast and then Stop and Shop, the corporate decision was made to close this branch and relocate to a new space on Rt 119 near several hotels close to Benedict Avenue. This is all part of The Paul’s, Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden and Westchester County’s grand plan to transform the entire Rt 119 corridor into an industrial, mega apartment building and thoroughfare like many of the “Central Avenue”-like corridors in New Jersey.

The Glenville area protested with complaints of increased traffic, flood mitigation and congestion as well as other concerns. These all fell on deaf ears. The Paul had decided along with his Planning Commissioner Thomas “Let Me Help You Build It (for my job security)” Madden, that Stop and Shop’s new megastore would be built, regardless of the objections. But the zoning wasn’t correct for this store to be built. No matter, The Paul waved his hand over the plans, the soft watercolor presentation and it was a done-deal. Interestingly, according to Councilman Kevin “Henchman” Morgan, who recently said when the Dobbs Ferry Road residents (no real count or names provided) protested the police department’s proposed move to 715 Dobbs Ferry Road (the former Frank’s Nursery), The Paul and the Stepford’s acquiesced and withdrew the plans. Given the GameOn 365 debacle currently underway, it now makes more sense than it did then. 

The old Union Carbide property in North Elmsford has continued to quietly be (over)developed in recent years. The Eastview property houses a now expanded corporate park to the west of Old Saw Mill River Road, with several huge new buildings and the requisite parking capability, increasing and adding to the impervious surfaces there. They have gotten approval from The Paul and his Stepford’s to build 400+ condominiums on the property as well. Water that would previously be absorbed into the ground will increase and head south toward the Fairview Park area, which itself has been increasingly developed.

This section of the Town no longer has the previous water absorption capability and forces its runoff south. Sam’s Club, at the sight of the old Drive-In Theatre, knew about the flooding and built their property up five to ten feet to be above the flooding problem. It worked for a while, but the over-development north of them has caused so much water flow to come south, it became the new marker for where flooding begins as water encompasses the businesses and residences south of it, culminating at Babbitt Court lake. The Paul and his Stepford’s authorized all this development with the blessing of  Commissioner Madden. They just won’t say no to any developer.

On the opposite side of the Town, in the Fulton Park lake region along the Bronx River, The Paul searches out the tiniest parcels of land and offers them up to not the highest bidder, but the most connected bidder. And while residents wrestle with the Planning Department employees, rules and high fees for even the simplest fixes, changes and additions to their homes, the developers are hand-held and walked over to the express lane for their projects. Of course, the Westhab seven-story project mentioned above is but one glaring example of this. Right next door the “former” Deli Delicious, which illegally installed signs stating he was closed for business and for lease has not been fined for illegal signage or not paying the sign permits and fees. This move was not only blessed by The Paul, but probably suggested to him by The Paul. The owner continues to work from the basement office.

While no change in taxes is an impossibility in this Town, The Paul has mastered the double-digit tax increases for property, sewer, water, building fees and so on for our residents, all while managing to drive out struggling businesses, seniors and our young couples looking to spend their twilight years and/or start their lives together in something other than the Greenburgh mecca of public housing. His tax and spend policies, along with guilty lawsuit verdicts, have driven out two key and strategically located supermarkets forcing many residents to shop for their staple food items at various dollar stores and occasional farmers markets. This just in: SanMar Laboratories in north Greenburgh, which benefitted with a $750k grant from the Empire State Development, the real Bank of New York, to stay in NY, and then an additional $250k, will be relocating to Pennsylvania. Well played.

The list of issues being pummeled by The Paul continues with other locations and neighborhoods. One project that appeared successfully “discouraged” was that of the Fortress Bible Church. Until Fortress Bible Church went to court for help. The Paul thought he had succeeded in helping out his buddy, Tom “Proclamation” Abinanti, to keep the church out of his neighborhood. When Abinanti realized The Paul would lose the case, he moved to Tarrytown! Then the Federal Courts found The Paul and the Board guilty of discrimination, perjury, willfully destroying evidence and more. The Appellate Division Court upheld the verdict. It will soon cost the Town’s Unincorporated residents millions of dollars because The Paul feels he’s exempt from laws only others must follow. We may finally be able to take advantage of the AAA Bond Rating that The Paul feels obliged to brag about at the most inopportune times. We can borrow the money to pay his fines and try to not be assaulted with his high tax increases while claiming fiscal restraint due to the NYS 2% Tax Cap. That is a sham in itself. We need a change at the top, in the middle and throughout the Town. We can only hope.