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Another Paul Feiner initiative to make Greenburgh the most open government in the United States!
Be part of the Dialogue...participate...tell us what's on your mind...!
The views expressed in this blog are the personal views of the participants who post comments on the blog and are not those of the town, town employees or town government. The Supervisors views are his alone.
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2006
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December
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- December: Miscellaneous
- HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2007 GOALS WANTED!
- LEAK OF DRAFT REPORT VIOLATES COMPTROLLERS REQUEST...
- dobbs ferry hospital files lawsuit so they won't c...
- Empire Blue Cross/Blude Shield Cutting Back Service
- Tappan Zee bridge study approved...
- Fire in Edgemont..Board approves budget
- A possible E Hartsdale Ave goal: Summer jazz conce...
- TOWN BD TO VOTE ON BUDGET TUESDAY AT 4
- proposed amendment to Town Board rules--meetings m...
- Westchester Disabled on Move expresses concern abo...
- RESPONSE TO BLOGGERS- EDGEMONT MAY GET MORE OPEN S...
- 444 UNITS OF HOUSING TO BE BUILT IN E IRVINGTON
- RETURNING $1,029.41 TO TAXPAYERS- PERFORMANCE BASE...
- leaf collection overtime to be increased
- STARBUCKS WANTS TO OPEN UP ON 9A NEAR MOVIE THEATE...
- Police presence might happen in Mayfair Knollwood
- WANTED: GOALS 2007
- F.A.C.T. SPONSORED A TERRIFIC BREAKFAST THIS MORNI...
- SHOULD THE TOWN MANDATE ENERGY CONSERVATION IN NEW...
- Chase Bank to replace gas station on Central Ave
- Westchester May purchase 450 Saw Mill River Rd for...
- SHOULD PROPERTY OWNERS BE REQUIRED TO FINISH THEIR...
- library update
- SUMMER POLICE CAMP GRAD HIRED AS POLICE OFFICER-- ...
- DAILY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS GREENBURGH VILLAGE OF HASTIN...
- IDEA: USE LIBRARIES IN SCHOOLS AS SATELLITE LIBRARIES
- GREAT NEWS: POLICE ARREST SUSPECT WHO TOLD VICTIMS...
- WANTED: SNOW ANGELS
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December
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18 comments:
Here are my goals for the Supervisor for 2007:
1. Be more concerned with public safety and other priority issues.
2. Sidewalks for West Hartsdale Ave. and other dangerous pedestrian areas in the town. This includes studying dangerous pedestrian areas in the town and lobbying the state who is responsible for some of these roadways for funds.
3. Add an additional, fully staffed ambulance for the town to the Police Department 24/7/365
4. Let Edgemont seceeed. They are only conccerned about themselves anyways, not the good of this whole town.
5. Attract new and fun businesses to the town. Did you know the movie theater that went out is going to be another furniture store, and that Walgreens may be moving into where Central Square Cafe is????
Is this what the town needs more of? Are you going to do something to help develop Central Ave. into an exciting destination, or keep it spiraling into a pass through town, with only furniture, cell phone stores, and banks?
6. Have the leaves picked up well before the first snowfall. This means giving the highway department more staffing.
7. FOCUS ON THE INCORPORATED TOWN. Stop worrying about the villages so much...that's why they have mayors and councils too.
8. Don't do whats good for you....do whats good for the town.
9. Stop making all these laws and wasting taxpayer money with "studies" that makes it even harder and more expensive to live in this town.
10. Revamp the Town Board meetings, or add additional meetings.
Dear X635:
In response to your suggestions--
1) crime continues to be at a historic low in Greenburgh - the lowest in recorded history. We have increased police personnel over the years and have implemented innovative initiatives.
2) Earlier this year I was asked by the Town Board to propose a sidewalk policy for the town. The Board approved a resolution "directing" me to propose a policy. I proposed a sidewalk policy for the town - am still waiting for the Town Board to take action on the suggestions -or to modify the suggestions.
3) I will ask the police chief if we should add an additional fully staffed ambulance for the town police dept.
4) I do not believe that most people in Edgemont want Edgemont to secede. I believe that the majority of Edgemont residents recognize that they are getting value for their tax dollar, excellent services, responsive government and that secession will result in additional taxes and additional problems.
5) I intend to give attention to Central Ave --just like I gave attention a number of years ago to East Hartsdale Ave which experienced a decline and many empty stores. E Hartsdale Ave seems to be coming back - the town implemented many initiatives to help that avenue.
6)I have proposed some suggestions that could improve leaf collection. Among them: additional overtime, paying contractors to dump leaves at our dump (like Scarsdale does), hiring seasonal employees to help pick up leaves. If that doesn't work - issuing an RFP to private landscapers and contractors asking them for assistance with leaf collection.
7)I focus on both the unincorporated section of town and the villages. Most of my time is spent on unincorporated Greenburgh issues because most of the services we provide deal with the police, public works and recreation. I am proud that the daily services people receive are high quality.
8)I have always put the interests of the people first -ahead of what is politically good for me. Sometimes I get in trouble with the political establishment because I don't do what they want.
9)Unlike other levels of government - town taxes have been stable or have declined. Last year there was a very slight decline in the tax rate. The budget the Town Board will approve on Wednesday also has a slight decrease in taxes. I try to keep controls on spending - and when I think the Bd is spending too much I express myself (as I did with the library expansion last year, the possible purchase of the building across from the existing town hall--where Dannon is now located, the hiring of some extra staffer's that I have objected to).
10)I think the Town Board should meet 3 times a month, not two times a month.We hold work sessions every Tuesday anyway so this would not inconvenience Town Board members. Meetings that last after midnight are not good for anyone. It's not good government when people are asked to make decisions when they are sleepy.
Approve tennis bubble at AF Veteran Town Park. This will generate annual revenue for the town and reduce our taxes.
a dead raccoon (sp?) has been sitting in the middle of ridge road all weekend. no one from the town government saw it? where is the great town service you are always crowing about (in this case it might be animal control)? the important stop sign at hillcrest and west hartsdale is bent - again - and it appears no one from the town seems to care? town personnel need an attitude adjustment but leadership starts at the top. many signs in greenburgh are faded and need replacing. dont you see this when you drive around in your feinermobile?
No one in Edgemont has expressed any intention to "secede" from Greenburgh. That's a politically-charged term that the supervisor and his supporters like to throw around in order to scare people.
What many Edgemont residents are interested in, however, is incorporating Edgemont as Greenburgh's seventh village, which would make it about the same size as Hastings.
Some Edgemont residents are bothered by what they see as a steady decline in the quality of town services (e.g., garbage, recycling and leaf pickups); some think issues of public safety have been ignored (e.g., lack of sidewalks, unsafe crosswalks, inadequate police presence); some don't like the way the town allocates town taxes between the villages and the unincorporated area; some think villages in Greenburgh just get a better deal because they have the majority of the town's population and the most votes; some are worried that important decisions with respect to zoning and planning for Edgemont's future are being left in the hands of town politicos and developers with no real ties to Edgemont; and some are worried that unless Edgemont assumes responsibility for its own destiny, by electing a mayor and trustees committed to Edgemont's interests exclusively, its school district, fire district and, most important, its property values are all threatened.
Right now, because of litigation, there is uncertainty over what the cost of incorporation might be. There is also uncertainty over what types of village services Edgemont might want to offer, and whether, with a less belligerent supervisor and a more cooperative town government in place, there might be opportunities for both Edgemont and the remaining unincorporated areas to work cooperatively to share certain services and keep everyone's municipal taxes low and affordable.
No one wants to add an unnecessary new layer of government and no one wants municipal taxes to increase either. But incorporating Edgemont, if it's done correctly, and with due regard not just for the interests of those who reside in Edgemont, but also for the interests of those who live in the town at large, may turn out to be in the best interests of both Edgemont and Greenburgh.
I think a very important goal for 2007 needs to be regarding the DPW's day-to-day operations. Perhaps a professional operations manager is needed for the department.
I just can't fathom any reason that the median strips along Central Park Avenue are not maintained. It's such an embarrassing sight.
Also, there are dozens of places in town - such as the land along the east side of Central Park Avenue between the Yonkers line and Ardsley Road - that look like dumping grounds. This area, in particular, is a sad welcome to our town, and I'm glad there's no sign indicating that people are entering Greenburgh. (Luckily in this regard, most people from the outside the area think that they're entering Scarsdale.)
Any goal having to do with the operations management of the DPW's basic everyday responsibilities would be beneficial to us all.
"I am proud that the daily services people receive are high quality."
In an overall sense, maybe this is true. But in regards to the highway department's responsibilities, their results are of significantly lower quality than every one of out neighboring municipalities, without exception. I'm not talking beautification; I mean basic roadway services like raking, mowing, sweeping, street cleaning, etc.
There are many nice reasons to live in Greenburgh, but maintenance of roadways is certainly not one of those reasons, so hopefully something along these lines can be part of the 2007 goals.
I agree with x635 - The villages are very capable on their own. Focus the goals on unincorporated Greenburgh - period.
A bit of a tangent, and I doubt it would even be considered, but it would be nice if we were a "normal" municipality, i.e. City of Greenburgh. The villages would be so happy to be freed, and it would decrease a lot of town drama to just have one city focus.
yea, the signage is a mess around here ... and some of it doesn't even make sense ... the error on all the 'bicyclist' signs at each town line are sad; my fourth grader noticed it ... and why don't we have 'welcome to greenburgh' signs?
the highway dept does really let us down in so many ways
'city of greenburgh' would be ideal ... freeing the villages, including edgemont, would be an awesome goal
It would indeed by a nicer place to live if the DPW/Highways were headed by a Department head who was more involved with running the Department and not acting as the Public Relations talking head for the Library expansion.
Al Regula needs to go back to his job. Note that a month ago I brought to Town attention that the clock in Hartsdale Center has not been reset since the Fall time change. This is a no cost, simple problem to remedy but it continues to be ignored as are the more serious complaints such as leaf pickup and garbage collection etc.
If Mr. Regula wants to be the big man in the Construction totem, then maybe he can work full time for the Construction Manager. In the meantime address all your complaints directly to him.
Don't spend tax dollars on tennis court renovations if a private company will do the same for free. Approve the tennis bubble.
Town Board meetings should end at a reasonable hour. How can Town Bd members make smart choices when they are falling asleep?
Feiner is responsible for meetings lasting interminably, not the Town Board members. When not engaging in lengthy self-promotion (usually at the start of every meeting), he can be found rounding up residents to speak on whatever issue he's using to promote himself that night. By filling the room with supporters, he can also demand that the meeting come to halt, while town board members go into a back room right then and there and work out whatever problem Feiner wants that night to claim credit for solving. Why the town board members let him get away with these shenanigans is anybody's guess.
Goals for 2007: I hope that anonymous participants in these blogs will recognize that there is more to life than just making personal attacks against Feiner.
Why is it okay for Feiner and his supporters to use this blog to launch personal attacks on private citizens who criticize him publicly, but any time Feiner gets criticized, the critics are told to knock it off with the personal attacks and get a life?
That last blogger criticized the way Feiner runs town meetings. Instead of seeing the criticism as a personal attack, Feiner and his supporters might want to reflect on ways in which meetings could be run without that kind of heavy-handed partisan rancor.
Why can't we have HARTSDALE aqdded to the sign/exit on the Sprain. There is only Ardsley greenburg. I am proud of Hartsdale & I want it on the sign. PR people.
I hate the idea og the city Of greenburgh. Twon of hartsdale more prestigous. Love the ribbons on the Hartsdale sign on West hartsdale. town pride.
Paul Feiner does a great job. He cares about Greenburgh & puts himself out there.
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