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FIREWORKS-- DOBBS FERRY, TARRYTOWN-----JULY 4th
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Another Paul Feiner initiative to make Greenburgh the most open government in the United States!
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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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146 comments:
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Town Board, are you ever going to enforce the town code on where prople store thier garbag? 52 Prospect ave. stores it right at the curb 7 days a week! How about getting the police to stop the people from stealing the shopping carts in broad daylight.It's the LAW!! oh I forgot in Greenburgh,we don't have to follow the laws if we
don't like them.
oops! Garbage
Is the Town going to provide an accounting of the Westhelp money -- how much was received and how much and to whom were amounts paid?
the job of providing a full accounting of all WestHelp monies belongs to the Chief Financial Officer Paul Feiner. One would hope that Feiner will stop his constant issuing of self promoting press releases and lay out chapter and verse, month by month, year by year, every single dollar received, where it was deposited and how it was spent. if as Feiner seeming admits, he unilaterally spent $75,000 on "neighborhood purposes" taxpayers should also expect a detailed discussion as to what neighborhoods, what purposes, the criteria for selection and who authorized these expedenditures. Feiner inability so far to do so only indicates the results of his report (or one performed by a truly independent auditor) will demolish is ability to claim he is in favor of open goverment. in fact, Feiner's speech at last week's town board meeting was eerily nixonian - the whole town has been left wondering - did feiner steal from the the town's treasury to reward his political friends and to curry favor with voters in his type of neighborhoods?
1. What makes you think it is "only" $75,000?
2. What happened to interest on the Westhelp monies? We know the funds were not disbursed immediately after receipt.
3. Even if spent on legitimate town expenses such as paving, police, sidewalks, etc., and even if no one seems to know criterion for expenditures, were they accounted for as such?
4. When was this $75,000 or whatever spent -- was it AFTER Feiner knew that it couldn't be given to civic associations? Was it given to third parties at the behest of civic associations?
Pretty serious charges being tossed loosely around.
It must be an election year.
And by the way, don't we have a Town Comptroller? Everyone likes him and no one believes him.
I think he's bought himself a ticket to ride.
Feiner says he spent the money -- how much he doesn't say -- and the town comptroller's got no record of it. So much for accountability.
No funds could be spent by the town unless authorized by 3 members of the Town Board. The authorization must take place at a public Town Board meeting. Some of the lies, innuendo's, slander against Feiner would never be made publicly if people have to identify themselves. They are not true. It's sad that some people feel that if they lie frequently that people will believe it.
loose charges in an election year.
if thats the best feiner defender and consigliere hal samis can say about the sorry mess feiner has created, the charges must be well founded.
The problem with keeping the money off-the-books is that there's no accountability. If Feiner wanted to spend the money unilaterally, he could do so, and no one would be the wiser.
To his credit, Heslop said he'd never permit Feiner to spend the money unless he could produce a town board resolution, which he never did.
But what happened before Heslop was hired in June 2004? We know there was chaos, with two town comptrollers, Ann Marie Berg and Norah McAvoy, resigning within months of each other, complaining about Feiner and interference in the performance of their jobs.
If Feiner spent money without approval of the other board members, that's when he most likely would have done it -- before Heslop came on aboard.
Rest assured the false accusations will go on and on because the anti-Feiner cabal loves to use these kinds of tactics, even though they know that they are lying. If you don't believe me just watch the meeting on TV, as I did.
The $75,000 was a mistake. Feiner thought it was spent because the civic association money was $500,000 and the Comptroller said that there was $425,000 in the bank. The Comptroller then corrected it by explaining how he got to $425,000 and saying that nothing was spent. He also said that every cent of Westhelp money that was disbursed was approved by the Board.
There is no confusion. But hey, it is election time, and this cabal will continue saying this because they think that they can make Feiner look bad on this. Good luck guys, you are doomed to fail. Many people, like me, who first thought that Feiner should go now realize that he is much better than the power hungry cabal that wants to take over the town government.
Hal Samis is right. It is the Comptroller who needs to issue a written explanation of the bookkeeping and the disbursements. But the cabal will ignore it and continue to talk about the $75,000 that was never spent.
There is no "cabal" here.
Feiner said he spent money for "neighborhood purposes." He didn't use the $75,000 figure. Why would Feiner admit on TV in a prepared statement to spending money he never spent? It just doesn't add up.
And if Feiner had made a mistake that night, why didn't he say so? He certainly had plenty of opportunity. Again, it just doesn't add up.
I just assume there must be people out there who got the "neighborhood purpose" money who might speak out if Feiner ever denied doling it out.
Otherwise, what Feiner said at that meeting last week just doesn't add up.
Keeo going Anon 2:39. It is as I said it would be. You will just keep on and on. it won't change a thing.
Once again Richard Garfunkel, Feiner's campaign manager, has surfaced - we know because Garfunkel consistently uses the ugly term cabal whenever he emerges from the cage Feiner tries to keep him in.
Garfunkel's use of that word to denigrate Feiner's critics (who to his chagrin are growing) is unfortunate.
The term has a long and unpleasant association with anti-semitism as for example:
In an explosive telephone argument that led to her firing, publisher Judith Regan allegedly complained of a "Jewish cabal" against her in the book industry.... (Regan was the publisher of OJ's If I Did It).
Rumor has it that Feiner himself has penned a book with the same title.
Memo to Garfunkel - TINC (which for those not in the usenet community stands for- There is no Cabal).
Could someone explain what Anon at 3:15 means when he or she says, "it is what I said it would be"?
The questions being raised sound reasonable and legit -- and assuming Feiner's got nothing to hide -- could be answered quite easily. Why won't he do that?
TINC - instead there is lots of WestHelp money unaccounted for. If Feiner will not come clean about it , the Town Council must force him to do so.
If the naysayers are so concerned about the budget why don't they speak to the members of the town council who have to approve the budget?
Steve Bass, Francis Sheehan, Diana Juettner, Eddie Mae Barnes approved the budget--a budget that includes the WESTHELP funds. They are just as responsible as Feiner.
If the naysayers are so concerned about the budget why don't they speak to the members of the town council who have to approve the budget?
Steve Bass, Francis Sheehan, Diana Juettner, Eddie Mae Barnes approved the budget--a budget that includes the WESTHELP funds. They are just as responsible as Feiner.
I am the blogger who said "it is what I said it would be." The explanation is that no matter that it has been confirmed by the Comptroller that nothing was spent, the bloggers, including the last one, would keep asking the Supervisor to give details about $75,000 which the Comptroller said wasn't spent.
Saying that "assuming Feiner's got nothing to hide -- could be answered quite easily" is the sort of dishonest satement that has made me decide that I will never vote for anyone that these bloggers support with their dishonesty. A fairer question to the blogger is if you have been told the truth by the Comptroller why do you keep spreading misinformation.
An accounting will tell the sources and uses of the Westhelp Funds. An audit tells if the accounting is done properly. The same people who cry that the Comptroller is not an authority on the legality of the deal, are now relying on his limited audit, which had a very narrow scope and did not trace the funds through the Town accounts to declare that there has been an accounting. There has been no accounting and we obviously can not trust the "independent" auditors who did not even pick up the illegalities over several years. We need an accounting of the funds all the way through the Valhalla School District, to say that we have it is misinformation for sure.
Please show us where in the budget the WestHelp Funds are mentioned as income starting in 2001.
Still waiting.....
Waiting..............
Clock keeps ticking .........
Times up.......................
Anon at 3:50 doesn't seem to get what a number of commenters are saying here.
The town comptroller says he's got no record of any money having been spent on "neighborhood purposes." So he's told us arithmetically how much money the Town should have, assuming that, from Day 1, none of that money's ever been touched.
But the problem is that the town comptroller wasn't hired until June 2004, Feiner said at last week's meeting that WestHELP money WAS spent for "neighborhood purposes," and Feiner never said that night or since that he misspoke or was mistaken about anything.
Since NONE of this unaccounted for WestHELP money found its way into the budget, and there's no separate line item for it in the town's financial statements, Feiner might well have spent some of that money -- but before the current town comptroller was hired.
Whether he did or not is therefore anybody's guess.
For goodness sake, Anon at 3:50, if you don't think Feiner did anything wrong, why doesn't Feiner just admit he made a mistake when he spoke last week?
If no mistake was made, why doesn't he just show us the canceled checks or wire transfer confirmations showing who was paid the so-called "neighborhood purpose" money?
Forget about the money already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Use the left over money to have the police patrol the streets for shopping cart thieves.
SAVE PRESSER PARK!!!!
Are there any fireworks displays this week in Greenburgh (unincorporated)?
" ... and assuming Feiner's got nothing to hide -- could be answered quite easily. Why won't he do that?"
Not just with this topic, but with most blog topics, it's so odd that he chooses not to participate or even respond to the simplest of questions.
If someone can't produce a simple statement of income (plus interest) and expenses, then I think the DA should be contacted. Of course this is a professional ethics matter, but it's also starting to sound potentially criminal.
DA's office of public integrity. There are complaint forms downloadable on her website. There are certainly enough public documents and public statements on the record to warrant an investigation and of course no accounting. But you can't be anonymous.
I think the council should demand an accounting from the controller. If he doesnt have the records from before he started, he can request duplicates from the bank.
TINC but Feiner's silence looks increasingly suspicious.
anonymous reminds me of joe mccarthy...
you don't have the facts.
You are making up lies.
You are trying to destroy reputations.
The WESTHELP funds were all deposited in a bank account. The only way the funds could be spent is if 3 members of the Town Council vote to spend the funds for specific use. Otherwise, the funds stay in the town's bank account. Supervisor Feiner does not have the legal ability to spend the funds as he sees fit.
I'm sick and tired of witch hunts.
To 11:02 ... You might be right, and I hope you are, but no one knows for sure because the town will not provide a simple balance sheet.
to 11:26, have you seen an accounting? Five years, $6,000,000, $1.8 million to the VSD. Is $4,200,000 simply in a bank account. Has it been building in the same account for five years? Is it invested, that is a lot of money to sit in a bank account? Has any of it been spent? It really does not matter what the board approved, they do not make laws that supercede the state constitution. A Town committee approved the VSD expenditures and clearly many were illegal and improper. That is why we have a town Comptroller, independent auditors and if all else fails, and it has, state oversight. The town must produce an accounting, then be audited by the state. At this point that is what is needed to restore any sense of accountability.
The accusers are anonymous - there is no accountability. They lie. They misrepresent. They distort. It's sad.
They also misuse this blog.
I'm not accusing anything (yet). Simply disclose the balance sheet.
This might help move things along:
http://www.da.westchester.ny.us/Complaint%20Form.pdf
7:51, the Valhallavoice website has asked this same question for some time. The lease has run five years, the VSD grant three. He is not anonymous. So where is the accounting?
Sheehan/Bernstein/cronies are doing to Feiner what Gingrich did to Clinton.
WITCH HUNT
TRYING TO STOP GOVERNMENT FROM FUNCTIONING
You tried McCarthy, now Gingrich, what next? Is there an accounting? No. Let's have one. Why do you object to a separate accounting for these funds? The harder you protest, the worse it looks.
Mr. 11:06, there wil be an accounting I am sure. Will you then shut up and quit making accusations? I don't think so.
11:11 If we had only known you were sure there would be an accounting. The funny thing about an accounting is that there is supposed to be one every year. After five years, there has been none, not from the town and not from the VSD. But you're sure there will be. I am relieved. Asking for an accounting is not making an accusation, unless the accusation is that there has been no accounting. But you agree there has not been but you are sure there will be.
Feiner is hiding something. Otherwise, why would mr open government fail to post a simple accounting of all the WestHelp rents received from the county beginning in 2001. Often the coverup is worse than the crime.
I am sure there will be an accounting because I watched the Town Board meeting on TV, and there is no way that there cannot be an accounting. The Comptroller has much to answer for, and so does the Town Board for not asking for an accounting after they were told by SCOBA twoyears ago that there was bad accounting.
But you are right. An accounting is long overdue.
Delay and protest only heighten speculation. Looking at what Valhalla used the money for, when we were told it was to educate homeless children, why is anyone surprised we expect the worst?
So Feiner's now saying it's all the town comptroller's fault?
Sounds like Feiner's looking blame everyone but himself.
Feiner claims that the entire town board made the decision to keep the civic association money "off-the-books." But no one on the town council says they discussed much less decided any such thing and Feiner can't point to any town board resolutions or meeting minutes to prove that they did.
Once Feiner had that civic association money set aside, was it placed in a separate bank account?
If so, who had signing privileges on the account? Did the account earn interest?
Has the town comptroller been able to verify that no withdrawals were ever made by anyone for any purpose at any time -- including the time before he was hired in June 2004?
Excuse me, anon at 12:22
The town council asked for the state to step in. The state has helped some. We need more help. The council is doing there best with a recalcantrant supervisor.
Comptroller(s)? have quit amidst this mess. One has sent a veiled threat to sue if Feiner blames her.
Any time inhouse legal or comptrollers complain about Feiners courses of action, they are out of here.
To Anon 12:22. Your blog proves that you and your friends make things up. Either that or you write stuff that isn't true out of ignorance or malice.
It isn't the town council that asked the state to step in. It was the president of a civic association who asked the state to look at this and audit the Westhelp rents.
The town council did nothing until they learned that the state comptroller was going to give an audit report. Then, to cover their backsides, they suddenly acted high and mighty and started pointing their fingers at Feiner.
That is not to excuse Feiner. What it means is that they all don't know how to handle finances, or they don't care until they are caught.
Or they trusted Feiner for too long. And they have learned now.
The state comptroller's examination of the town's $6.5 million gift of town revenues to the Valhalla schools -- which found the gift to be illegal -- was not triggered by a complaint from the president of a civic association (although he likes to take credit for it).
It was triggered instead by a former town employee whistleblower.
The town council was well aware of the state comptroller's investigation last fall when Valhalla was insisting on getting as much cash out of the agreement as possible.
Were it not for the town council, a lot more than $1.8 million in town revenues would have been transferred illegally to Valhalla.
Feiner insisted last fall that the town release another $650,000; the council refused.
If Feiner and his running mates are elected, you can kiss these town revenues goodbye.
In fact, Valhalla has already submitted a new request for the $650,000 for the 2007-2008 school year and, confident that he'll have the votes to approve it, Feiner's given the latest giveaway proposal his unqualified support.
If you keep writing statements that cannot be backed up don't be surprised if nobody believes you. Give your name and the name of the whistleblower - if there is such a whistle blower.
Provide names? Are you kidding?
The problem with signing your name to this blog is that Feiner is so venal that he'd personally attack you, impugning your integrity.
He's done it so many times before, he's sure to do it again.
That's his MO, and its also the MO of Samis, Garfunkel, Rosenberg and the other Feiner supporters who, in signing their names, feel it gives them each a license to smear anyone who disagrees with their point of view.
I guess it's time to file legal complaints:
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/complaints/pdfs/piu001_complaint_form.pdf
why can't all of you wait till the state comptroller's office finish their investigations,and give us the full report.Is there a posibility that you know more than anyone who is working to audit the books,to see if any wrongs were committed.Maybe after the report is completed and a notice has been sent to all on the town board,apoligies should be in order.You all seem to have forgotten that Feiner does not work alone , what ever he does needs the ok of the town board ,Feiner does not sign checks.
What is so hard about providing to the public as to:
1. How much money was received?
2. What was spent? Where did it go?
3. What is left?
This is common courtesy to the taxpayers and residents of Greenburgh. If the Town wont provide it, it is a slap in the face to all of us.
Former town comptroller clarifies facts on WestHELP agreement
By NORAH McAVOY
(Original Publication: December 8, 2006)
I was appalled to hear my name mentioned repeatedly in a derogatory manner at a recent Greenburgh Town Board meeting. There have also been references to my tenure recently in Journal News articles and editorials (referencing bookkeeping of money received by the Town of Greenburgh as rent from the WestHELP homeless shelter). I would like to set the record straight regarding my involvement with the recording of the initial receipt of funds pertaining to the WestHELP agreement.
On Aug. 12, 2003, the town received a check for $1,950,948 from WestHELP. Since I had not received the executed contract pertaining to this receipt, I was unable to determine if any of these funds were to be used for any purpose other than rental income, such as capital improvements or as a security deposit. The money was immediately deposited into the town's bank account and credited to the deferred revenue account, pending receipt of the executed contract.
At the time I left my position as town comptroller on Sept. 12, 2003, I had not received the executed contract and the funds remained in the deferred revenue account. It is my understanding that the documents were received by the comptroller's office after my departure, and the entries were made prior to year's end to allocate the funds per the approved agreements.
I would like to note that the budget process was still open for revision at the time I left my employment and I am not aware if the contracts were received prior to the December 2003 adoption of the 2004 town budget. I am curious as to how two additional budgets were prepared after my departure (2005 and 2006) for which it appears no questions arose regarding the receipt of a significant amount of additional funds from WestHELP in each of those years.
I am sure that the town's auditors reviewed the contract as well as the documents pertaining to these transactions when they performed their audit of the town's financial statements. The auditors should have been consulted by the Town Board to explain why they had no major concern over how the receipt of this sizeable amount of money was recorded on the town's accounting records.
When funds are received by the town, the procedure I established several years ago was to create an easily followed audit trail of funds received. The current town comptroller should be able to produce the documents pertaining to the Aug. 12, 2003 receipt for the town board's review indicating when the funds were received and how they were credited.
I would hope that this issue pertaining to my reputation as a dedicated public servant, who always operated with the highest level of honesty and integrity during my nearly 20 years of employment with the town, will be resolved without additional litigation.
The writer is a former Greenburgh town comptroller.
The above was a letter to the editor n the Journal News.
Possibly Ms. Mcovys recollection was not correct, but I am perplexed why the Town was recieving a check from "Westhelp". The amount is also curious.
8:45- The Comptroller would have not come here and to Valhalla without the work of whomever contacted them and presented information showing the situation warranted investigation. These were not random audits, we already know there were illegalities. Whether those people were whistleblowers, private citizens or civic association presidents or all of the above. The town Comptroller has the separate obligation to provide an accounting to the residents of the town. It is a pretty simple process and long overdue.
On Aug. 12, 2003, the town received a check for $1,950,948 from WestHELP. Given the fact that the Westhelp sublease was dated September 18, 2001, isn't is curious that the town's Comptroller didn't have the lease almost two years later? And she still did not have it a month later when she left. How often do payments of nearly $2.o million appear with no explanation?
To amonymous at 4:34,
I'd like the everything bagel that goes with your smear.
It is ok to smear if you write as anonymous. It is not ok to smear if you use your own name.
There may a kind of logic to this if you were having tea with Alice at the time. But Greenburgh is not Wonderland and Greenburgh does pay for the full-time services of a Town Comptroller.
Why don't you or the Town Council enlist his services for the definitive answers to all your questions? No one has yet suggested that Feiner actually keeps the books. Mostly Feiner has been accused of directing Comptrollers to do naughty things. However, the one person who should be able to account for every penny, certainly those since 2004, is Jim Heslop. If this is the case, then Heslop should level with his employers, according to my most recent trip to local laws, the Town Comptroller is appointed by the Town Board, not the Supervisor as I had thought.
Why hasn't anyone asked by now for a deposit and check reconciliation?
There weren't that many items.
Checks received minus Checks made out = Balance.
After all this time, Heslop can't do this one simple little thing and put everyone out of their collective misery. I can't tell anymore if Feiner's opposition really wants the answer or do they prefer the wallowing?
All everyone has to do is, instead of hanging out here and doing nothing constructive, is email Heslop at jheslop@greenburghny.com and cc. townboard@greenburghny.com.
Let's get an answer already.
If Bass, Barnes, Sheehan, Juettner voted for a budget, shouldn't they have some responsibilities too?
I think one of the first steps will have to be to look at that $1,950,948 deposit on August 12, 2003, and see what account it came from and get the details on that account.
Could the DPW get a loan from those funds to buy a pushbroom and a weedwacker? Central Ave looks disgusting between Ardsley Road and the Yonkers line!
give the money to the cops for a incentive to stop the crime of shopping cart stealing. The cop with the most tickets for stealing a shopping cart will get a $1,000 reward.
TO ANONYMOUS @ 11:42 P.M. 7/3/07
THE RESPONSIBILTY FOR THE "ISLANDS: BELONGS TO THE RECREATION DEPT.
PLEASE CALL COMMISSIONER GERARD BYRNE OR PARKS SUPT. MIKE NESTLER
HIS # IS 914/693-8985, X115
AS SOON AS HE IS THROUGH PLANTING HIS FLOWERS & BULBS I AM SURE HE WILL ACCOMODATE YOUR REQUEST!!!
OH get real -- is the town pushing this on parks and recs so it can be charged to the unincorporated part of the town.
Go away.
TO "GO AWAY" @ 1:08
MAYBE YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR FACTS & PROCEDURES-- THIS HAS BEEN THE PROCEDURE & AGREEMENT FOR OVER 20 YEARS -- LONG BEFORE PAUL FEINER WAS ELECTED--
JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DISLIKE FOR DPW, GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!
I don't have a dislike for DPW, I just want Central Avenue and 119 to look nicer. Common sense that maintenance of medians is DPW responsibility.
Suzanne Berger has a website.
friendsofsuzanneberger.com
She has a family picture posted however under "Issues" there are none. These are prsumably "coming soon".
Please help her out because after all these years of diligent public service in many capacities, she still is unaware of any.
But hey, she's not Feiner so why does she need a point of view.
If Berger needs input to come up with some views of governmental affairs,she had better stay home . We don't need anyone who has to be told as what has to be done.Maybe she's a lawyer working out of a big law firm but my suggestion to her stick to what she has been doing.Politics is not for her,being the head of the Democratic Party means didleysquat. Stay with what you have, cause any advice given to you will not help the entire town.
My god, the Democratic party is endorsing Berger who has to be told in what direction she must go. Come on give me a break.You say that she was in public office, does this make her qualified to run a town. Many people have been in public office in one capacity or another, does this help them to go for top jobs.
Yeah, has she ever stuck millions in a bank account and refused to tell the residents what was done with it?
I have no dislike for Feiner nor for the DPW. But northbound Central Park Avenue between Yonkers and Ardsley Road (shoulder and median) is a shameful gateway to our town that has neglected for years. It doesn't have to meet Yonkers' standards, but a broom, a blower, a weedwacker, weedkiller, and sealant would take care of the median issue very simply.
BASS, BARNES, JUETTNER, SHEEHAN AND FEINER ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUDGET, ONCE THEY APPROVE IT. THE WESTHELP PARTNERSHIP FUNDS AND BUDGETS WERE APPROVED BY THE ENTIRE TWN BD
To Anonymous at 6:05 who said "Yeah, has she ever stuck millions in a bank account and refused to tell the residents what was done with it?
I don't know. But Feiner hasn't done it either. We know that the truth won't get into the way of your libeling, but let's have the truth anyway. No amount of Sheehan-propaganda will obscure the truth.
more lies..more innuendo's..more untruths..
we expect this slander to take place nationally. It shouldn't take place locally.
It would be very simple to settle this. An accounting must be provided of all Weslthelp funds. To say, oh just look at the budget, is clearly insufficient. Unfortuntately, the only ones who knows where all the money trails is Feiner and he isnt willing to help.
Instead of Feiner and his group complaining about partisan treatment, they could solve this by providing the numbers.
Feiner's inability to post a financial statement accounting for all WestHelp funds received before 2004 (ie - pre Heslop) can only mean one thing - he can't
Berger is right - we cannot afford Feiner - he needs to account or resign
the council should resign for being against the people
From the Town's website under Town Code.
Chapter 510: Comptroller Department
510-1. Legislative intent.
It is the legislative intent of the Town Board to clarify, by this chapter, the structure, functions and duties of the Department and the Comptroller so as to permit and foster the orderly operation of the financial and administrative functions and responsibilities of the government of the Town of Greenburgh.
my accent "SO AS TO PERMIT AND FOSTER THE ORDERLY OPERATION OF THE FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS...
510-3. Appointment of Comptroller.
The principal executive officer and administrative head of the Department shall be the Comptroller, who shall be appointed by the Town Board for a term of two years and at such salary as....
"THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT SHALL BE THE COMPTROLLER...
"WHO SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE TOWN BOARD...
510-6. General powers and duties.
A. The powers and duties of the divisions of the Department shall be under the administrative direction and control of the Comptroller.
B. The Comptroller shall be empowered to perform such other duties and functions that are prescribed to be performed by him by statute or by any law, ordinances or resolution of the Town Board or lawful direction of the Supervisor.
"PRESCRIBED TO BE PERFORMED BY HIM BY STATUTE OR BY ANY LAW, ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN BOARD OR LAWFUL (THAT'S SPELLED L-A-W-F-U-L) DIRECTION OF THE SUPERVISOR...
Just like the Ethics Board has a device that can read minds and know where any appearance of impropriety will lead, let's ask to borrow it and try it on the Town Comptroller.
'Ok, I'm qualified, the Town Board said so and poof I'm now the Town Comptroller, a new career high. Wonder why Ann Marie left so suddenly? Ok, maybe I'm not a CPA but I can ride a calculator with the best of them and I've still got Nora's and Ann Marie's phone numbers. Why not give it a shot?
Uh oh, what is he asking me to do? I guess it can be done that way? How should I know, I just started. Maybe I should just do it the way Nora and Ann Marie did. But what does he mean I'm, supposed to follow his lawful direction? How am I supposed to know the law; I don't even live here; I'm really just a glorified bookkeeper. Maybe I'm in over my head. Wait don't lose your cool, it's the most money I've ever earned. I can't afford to piss him off or just walk. He's my boss and he should know how to handle it, besides he's the CFO and I'm just the Comptroller. And the Town Board voted so it must be alright. Why am I making such a big deal, nobody is asking any questions. Hey I've got an idea, there's lots of lawyers in the building, why don't I just ask the Town Attorney what is lawful? Hey Tim, can I come down and ask you a few questions regarding some legal/accounting matters? Oh you say you're busy and you're going to be busy for the next three years. What's that you say? You've got to speak up. Oh I see, I should ask the Town Board...'
with thanks to Bob Newhart, not a former Greenburgh resident.
"It shouldn't take place locally."
It absolutely SHOULD take place locally. If the town won't produce a balance sheet, then clearly something is shady. File county and state complaint forms, talk to the newspapers, make innuendos, etc. The town is CHOOSING not to produce a simple accounting document, so it's the citizens' right to pester.
I have to agree with 10:46 PM, blustering at Albany is not the answer. Self government begins here. If local government were held accountable, Albany might get the message. These people are asking for a very simple accounting. The receipts are very few, monthly or annual rent checks. The first $1.9 million looks like back rent. Then there are the expenditures, some $1.8 million the the VSD. Those checks are on the valhallavoice.com website. Easy enough? Then the checks, to Fairview. Any other checks? For what? Then you have the balance left. Where is it? It is simple, not to provide it makes everyone wonder, what is going on here? Of course what Valhalla spent $1.8 million on is another story and we will have to wait for the Comptroller's office to complete that audit.
To Anonymous at 2:34PM on July 4th -
Congratulations! You have correctly identified one of the core issues in Town governance. "It has been this way for 20 years..." is an inadequate answer. Twenty years ago Greenburgh was a much smaller community with a significantly different demographic. The times have changed, the Town has changed - the way we do things needs to change. One of the hallmarks of the current administration is the unwillingness/inability to change his approach to a problem once he believes he's "solved" it. The issues facing Greenburgh 2007 are not subject to a single, forever, solution. The world is moving too fast and changing to rapidly to allow us the luxury of the Supervisor's 1990's approach. Learning to recognize the answer you've given no longer applies, and to apologize when you make a mistake are skills the Supervisor has failed to develop. While a crash course in responsiveness and responsibility might save him, it may just be too late.
Jim,
You are right, but you haven’t gone far enough. Feiner and his running mates last time around kept saying, oh parks and recreation have always been charged to the unincorporated area of Town, and not the Villages. That’s the way its always been done. What was not said was that Feiner vastly increased the costs of the parks, ignoring the complaints of the unincorporated area about unfair charges.
This is comparable to when my daughter helps my clean the living room, and I let her keep the loose change under the sofa cushions. Even she would know if she found a 20 dollar bill she should fork it over.
Jim Lasser may be right that we ned a new Supervisor. That assumes, however, that a new Supervisor will be a solution. I don't think so.
We have a totally dysfunctional Town Council. The two men are consumed with political ambition and the two women are consumed with the desire to hold their seats forever. Their method is to cave in to the loudest voices and to blame everything on the Supervisor. Spending the bulk of time on such diversions as ethics charges about contributions, charges about a Westhelp cover-up that isn't a cover-up, cross-examining and belittling the Supervisor at each meeting, and similar acts by the Town Council is nasty destructive politics, not governance. In the meantime important issues have been ignored. Real governance has disappeared. It won't reappear by electing a candidate of the loudest voices (that is, Berger) who has little or no management experience and who has the Town Council mentality.
The problem is a large one, but I don't think that blaming the Supervisor gets us closer to a solution. A larger housecleaning is necessary.
The Town Council has become very political. Reminds me of Yonkers politics. Thank you, Francis & Steve.
Greenburgh does not need all this park area. Some of this land should be sold to a developer. If laws have to be passed to do this let it be. Taxter road property would make a great golf course, together with some condos. This will help with the taxes, and at the same time save taxpayers money. .
"Reminds me of Yonkers politics," should say *former* Yonkers politics. As a Yonkers native, I have been impressed with Yonkers' ability to clean up old messes and adapt to changing times. I wish that Greenburgh (politics, DPW, general management) would function as well. Once my kids are out of school, I'm looking forward to moving out of this antiquated silliness called Unincorporated Greenburgh.
We need a big changing of the guard,meaning BASS,BARNES JUETTNER AND SHEEHAN.The many problems that have come foward are because of Sheehan. One can see how things never get done since sheehan came We will have an election this November we can start by getting rid of Bass,and Barnes,and mabe with some luck the other two will resign,.
please wait till all the auditing of the town and Valhalla schools are completed,then and only then can we see who is telling the truth. Right now all the blame is falling on the supervisor,If the state finds something wrong we we all be told who,is at fault, ,but by accusing the Supervisor of mismanaging the funds,is totaly wrong . He does not handle the money, nor does he write the checks.
The Supervisor may not handle the checks or prepare the budget himself, but he remains the Town's Chief Fiscal Officer. As the Town Board's sole full-time member of the administration he should be, and always was, the lead person in the selection and appointment of the Controller. If there is a problem with the Controller it is the Supervisor's responsibility to deal with it until the Supervisor reports the issue to the other members of the Town Board and the whole Board can take action.
As it is a personnel matter, it is properly the subject of an executive session.
The continued discomfort displayed by members of the public with the actions (or inactions) of the Controller should have occaisoned at least some comment from the Supervisor - unless he unreservedly supports the Controller's actions.
One can fairly draw the conclusion that either the Supervisor supports the Controllers actions by virtue of his silence. That leaves it to the other members of the Town Board to do the right thing - perhaps suspending the Controller until the audits are completed.
The external auditors must also shoulder significant responsibility for failing to uncover questionable practices through the intelligent questioning of the Controller and the Supervisor in his role as Chief Fiscal Officer. Both gentlemen must have signed an affidavit attesting to the completeness of the information given the outside auditors. Clearly the information was incomplete so we members of the public can either assume the auditors failed us, the Town officials failed us, or both groups failed us. In any case, we are owed the truth and we should demand sanctions against all those who deceived us.l
I can tell you who is not and has not told the truth: Paul Feiner. Enclosed is a link to the transcript of a Jan. 2003 meeting of the County Board of Legislators, at which they read my letter complaining the the WestHelp situation.
http://www.watpa.org/wcbol/comm/ba/2003/ba030127.htm
In it, I advised the board that Mr. Feiner’s intent to give money to the Mayfair-Knollwood Civic Association was illegal. In his response, Mr. Feiner claims to have contacted the state comptroller's office, and by extension, was advised that no laws were being broken.
Given the comptroller’s report, it is now doubtful that Mr. Feiner approached the state comptroller, as I recommended to him.
You should also note that, in addition to all of the current board members and Timmie Weinberg voting for the illegal transfer, Lois Bronz, Andrea Stewart Cousins, Tom Abinanti and Sue Swanson also approved the transfer, even though they had full knowledge of Mr. Feiner’s and the board’s intent. Sam Wilkins, Robert Renninger and I attended a public hearing on the transfer later in 2003 and spoke in opposition, citing many of the statutes that the comptroller cited in his report.
4:23 PM There is no reason to wait for the completion of an audit before we get an accounting. Are we to expect the state comptroller to account for the town and school district funds every year?
I generally think that Jim Lasser speaks sensibly and I think that he is right in his critical comments about the Town Comptroller. But I think he is off base in saying that it is the Supervisor's job to have told the other members of the Town Board about the public's discomfort with the Comptroller.
The proof of that pudding is that, even with what the Town Board members know, they are touting the Comptroller as the most hard-working and honest person, saying that because he came on board in 2004 he has no responsibility for this financial reporting screw-up, and absolving him of any blame whatsoever. These Towen Board members are so dead-set against the Supervisor that it is obvious that whatever he tells them they will go against it. Put another way, these Board members are going to extreme lengths to protect the Comptroller and making it seem that he is a victim when he really is the person who should have called all this to the attention of the Supervisor and the Town Board the moment he saw the accounting, and for sure when it was called to his attention a couple of years ago.
There is plenty of blame for everybody, but most of all for the Comptroller, who is the town's financial professional, and the town's auditors who sanctioned this funny accounting. The Supervisor and ths Town Board were entitled to rely on what they did, at least until they were warned about it a couple of years ago as appears to be the case. But the Comptroller and the town's auditors were not entitled to rely on incorrect past practices.
The Town Board's politically motivated excusing the Town Comptroller should be seen for what it is, an effort to shift the blame for accounting matters from the Comptroller, who is the accountant, to the Supervisor, who is not. If the Town Board members could forget their war against the Supervisor for a few minutes we might have some improvements that are badly needed.
Getting rid of Bass (especially) and Barnes would be nice start. They're non-productive, and Bass's obsession with Feiner is getting embarassing. He had his shot at running against him, and ceded it TWICE: first to Bill Greenawalt and then to Suzanne. He's a sinle-minded bore hiding behind a nice-guy smile.
What it seems to me that we have:
1. Two former employees (one Mcavoy, the othe Williams) who complained to Mr. Feiner about the Westhelp accounting.
2. After Mcavoy leaves or is forced out (and what did happen to Williams?), Heslop comes in. Clearly he has no knowledge of what has gone before him.
3. Feiner, who is an attorney, tells the council that he has a legal opinion saying the arrangement is OK. We now know this so called opinion is bare bones, doesnt address key issues, and comes from a Feiner partisan.
4. Even if one did accept the so-called opinion, it doesnt address what if the payments were made as everyone had been told.
5. As to the state auditing this, my understanding is that the state is currently auditing Valhalla SD payments, not Town of Greenburgh. I dont know anyone auditing the Greenburgh payments right now. And PS, as Mr. Kolesar would confirm, an audit is someone verifying accounting or records. If there is an audit, then the Town should provide residents with the records being audited, including a simple reconciliation of the amounts received and paid out.
So I ask, if we dont blame Feiner who should we blame? He is at the epicenter. And if he wants to avoid blame, why wont he provide this reconciliation.
It's a shame that anon at 5:45, who sounds an awful lot like Feiner campaign head Don Siegel, continues to shift blame from Feiner to Heslop.
In fact, the facts all point to Feiner -- not Heslop.
Heslop was not hired until June 2004.
According to Norah McAvoy, who was town comptroller at the time, the first $1.9 million of WestHELP money did not arrive until August 2003. No one furnished Ms. McAvoy with the WestHELP lease; she therefore was not told how the money should be handled on the town's books. That's fishy.
She placed the funds in the town's bank account (where presumably it earned interest) and recorded the amount as "deferred revenue." That's appropriate.
McAvoy resigned as of September 15, 2003. At the time, the money had still not been accounted for. That's fishy.
The budget for 2004 was released by Feiner on October 30, 2003. That budget estimated receiving $372,000 for WestHELP rent in 2004, but made no mention of the other WestHELP money that had come in. That's fishy.
And therein lies the problem. Ann Marie Berg had just been hired and quit seven months later. We don't know what, if anything, she was ever told about the WestHELP money.
We don't know how that money was accounted for when it came in; we also don't know what controls there were on how that money could have been spent. That's fishy.
We do know, however, that Ms. Berg quit because, as she told The New York Times, Feiner was irresponsible and not someone that she could in good conscience work under any longer.
Heslop thus inherited a mess. He says he'd never allow Feiner to spend any of the WestHELP money without first producing a town board resolution authorizing the disbursement.
But what about before Heslop arrived.
It is shameful that Feiner's people believe the best defense here is to attack town staff, in this case Heslop.
They must know that the accounting that Heslop will produce will not address the underlying problem -- and they'd obviously prefer in such circumstances to discredit Heslop even before his report comes out.
That's an awfully sick and cynical way for an elected public official to behave on something as important as accounting for town revenues.
"And if he (Feiner) wants to avoid blame, why wont he provide this reconciliation."
This is the key issue that makes me think something crooked has occurred with the money. Hopefully everything is dandy, but if so, why does Mr. Feiner choose not to provide a balance sheet?
I'd think this matter would be his highest priority right now, especially with an upcoming election, but instead Mr. Feiner is posting about windmills and leaf blowers. Again, maybe everything is fine with the money, but no balance sheet + windmills + leaf blowers makes me suspect otherwise.
The person to produce the balance sheets and bank deposits is the comptroller, Feiner should demand that he show the public these nacessary papers to cear his name and put the blame on whomever made the original mistake,
No, it's Feiner's responsibility to produce an accounting based on the information provided to him by the town comptroller.
If all the town comptroller can offer is a mathematical calculation of what should have been collected and disbursed, then the town has some major problems that Feiner himself will have to answer for.
It's no different than when Feiner produces a budget every year. He takes full credit for that; why all of a sudden is Feiner portraying himself here as so impotent?
Why all the pre-emptive smears on the town comptroller?
The supervisor proposes the budget. The Town Council modifies the budget and all 5 members of the Town Board vote for a budget. In recent years the budget was approved unanimously by Feiner, Sheehan, Bass, Barnes, Juettner (weinberg before that).
Once the budget is approved all 5 members are equally responsible for what was approved.
And add to the last blog that the Cokptroller prepares the budget before the Supervisor sees it.
Here's an Idea!! What do you think?
why don't we do what the Town of Cortlandt did? Disban the Police Dept. and have the State Police patrol Greenburgh ? Our taxes will certainly go down and they will actually patrol the neighborhoods. Maybe they will even stop the crime of shopping cart stealing.
Wasn't the Westhelp money all "off budget". Isn't that what the problem was all along? The money was not shown as coming in and therefore not shown as going out? On the one hand, that is illegal, on the other, it should make accounting for it much easier as it never got lost in the budget. Can anyone in business imagine a scenario where $6.0 million in receipts goes unreported for 5 years, two controllers leave and everyone else gets to keep their job and refuse to produce an accounting for the $6.0 million. I can't.
Why is someone like Bunting even being considered for the ethics board? Bunting received numerous violations for doing illegal work on his home. As a matter of fact, he had to appear before Sheehan and the zoning board to clear up all the violations. This is someone whose own ethics need to be questioned. If Sheehan & Co. appoint Bunting it will be indicative of their own lack of ethics.
House # 55 on Stonewall Circle, NY 10607 Greenbugh is the worst garbage site in the entire town. They have dumped garbage right in front of their garden and it is stacked there for months. Such actions are having serious consequences on the neighborhood. It is hard to sell a house, those who are selling are getting much lower prices and that is depleting the house values in the entire neighborhood. Is there not some law or code that asks people to keep their yards tidy. What ever happened to that Intern who was supposed to look into these matters?
Will someone place take a picture and post it on the Interns website, house 55, the garbage dump of Greenburgh.
Can you all stop calling each other anonymous as we do not know the different people who are writing. Better pick other and give yourself a psuedo name, call youself KitKat, Tarzan, Jane of Tarzan, Superman or Superwoman if you wish and stick with one name which is not your correct name.
Background checks should be made by the board of all the candidates of the ethics board. If this is not done then we know that something smelly is going on with some of the council members. Honesty is the best policy. Let's see who will be the first to endorse the policy of a background check.
Please, someone help Suzanne Berger out and let her know that there are issues in Greenburgh.
Perhaps it was too humiliating when punked but now Berger has shut her website down. Wasn't a good idea after all to have a campaign site without taking the time to plan what you need to say to voters. Hint: they need to know how you expect to overcome your lack of knowledge of the job.
Ok, Berntein is busy, what with summer, vacation and Edgemont playgrounds. But don't worry Suzanne, first chance he gets I'm sure he'll get your positions to you.
Then you, too, can act like a candidate.
Berger give up. You know that you cannot take over the job of supervisor. You will not be the one running the show. Your friends but you can believe that they are your worse enemies,will not let you succeed. The only reason that they will help you is out of hatred for Feiner, and you will be next.You cannot step on their toes,and you must do what they tellyou. Think about it. They are more of a hinderence to you than anything else.
When the ethics laws are approved I hope that the board will review the sweetheart deal the council gave to Suzanne Berger's law firm. Tammany Hall should not be welcome in Greenburgh
If berger campaigned for Sheehan, Barnes, Juettner- should they have recused themselves and not voted to give the Berger law firm a six figure contract? Should they have disclosed the payoff before the vote?
Wait a moment I'm quite sure the head of the Democratic party did campaign for Sheehan,Barnes and Juettner. This should be studied further since Berger is running for supervisor and her firm received a mega dollar contract.Bas and Feiner voted against her firm.If it proves that this did happen it should be investigated by the ethics board asap.
Wow, thats news -- the Chairwoman for the Town Democratic Party might campaign for democratic party candidates. Quick -- stop the presses.
The disgrace is that Feiner has taken fundraising to unheard of levels for a Town posititon -- and why -- so he could stockpile funds and use for tries for other offices. Like his failed bid for Congress. The Feiner supporters keep accusing Berger, Sheehan etc of using Town office as a stepping stone. Feiner is the one with no career other than his town position.
Feiner voted agasint the contract with the law firm that Berger is associated with? ARE you certain. Ididnt think so.
The biggest fundraiser in Greenburgh is not Feiner. It's Richard Brodsky. He has taken contributions from many of the same contributors Feiner has received contributions from. Interesting, Steve Bass and Francis Sheehan don't care.
It is no longer a surprise that Steve Bass and Francis Sheehan are hypocrits.
Brodsky is not a town official. He is a state legislator, whose district includes outside Greenburgh also.
Is there a different ethical standard for state officials than toen officials?
Ot is it that things that are OK for everybody else are not OK for Feiner because a group in Greenburgh will use anything to attack Feiner?
Dear 8:45,
"Wow that's news..."
Guess what, there were other Democrats running that Suzanne Berger did NOT support as "head" of the Party's local outpost.
However, choose she did. And the rest, as they say, is history.
HAL SAMIS I'm glad to see you have come back to us. Now set some of these bloggers straight.Did Feiner vote yes to give the contract to Berger's firm. I say that he did not vote for it and neither did Bass,am i correct.
I'm a resident who follows these things. I believe that Feiner opposed the contract with Berger's law firm becasuse of a conflict of interest. Bass opposed it because he is against the Avalon project and therefore would have opposed any law firm.
This Holiday Sanitation Calander really stinks!!! I have my household garbage piled up and smelling in this hot weater. We need at least 2 pick ups a week or a centralized drop off center!
Pails that are left curbside which are supposed to contain recyclables and yard waste,also contain household garbage. the pails are emptied four times a week.Let's put our pails curbside and all our garbage will be picked up. Who needs a calander.
A law should be passed that no one should put garbage pails curbside,this way everyone has the same garbage pickups. It's not fair to the other residents on the street.The commissioner should write up this law asap.and present it to the board.
Please Mr. Feiner we need a better sanitation schedule.
Feiner wanted a better sanitation schedule. Council members Barnes, Bass, Juettner & Sheehan did not.
We should dump all our garbage at Bass,Barnes,Juettner and Sheehan's yard.
Al Regula check the pails at curbside during the week and you will see plenty of household garbage mixed in with whaterver for that day. The practice of pails at curbside should stop,and whomever does not abide with the rules should receive a citation.Your men should be allerted to this practice,and they should leave the pails behind.
The lack of concern about sanitation pick up is that our counsel lives in either a gated community or in a village with its own sanitation service.
Paul see if you could overide the four dummies decision not to change garbage pickup days. I pity the poor sanitation men that have to pick up all this garbage on monday.Imagine the stink for those that have a pickup there after.
I can't think of two more important responsibilities of any municipality than sanitation and roadway maintenance. Yet these are among the most neglected functions in Unincorporated Greenburgh.
I understand that sanitation and roadway maintenance are not fun or creative like wind turbines and concerts, but come on, get the priorities in order. Does the DPW need a new manager perhaps, or does the supervisor need to supervise better?
I don't know, but something's got to change with this town's operations and priorities in regards to simple baseline services and expectations of taxpayers. Much of Greenburgh looks pretty trashy, especially over the past few years.
If we follow the ways of the city,the cutie pies that put their garbage with the other waste would have to think twice. The city has all the cans ,glass, and newspaper in plastic bags of different colors.No pails allowed,because what is being done here in Greenburgh was happening in the city.The pails are for garbage alone. Hey Regula think about putting this plan in action.Changes have to made arround the whole garbage situation.
Citations? When was the last time anyone got a citation in Unincorporated Greenburgh? Lots of procedures and laws, but rarely enforced, even when reported.
Heck, the Town can't even enforce its own departments to do their routine responsibilities properly. (Isn't "supervise" the base word of "Supervisor?") I'd be pretty angry if Greenburgh DPW ever had the nerve to issue me a citation for anything. In fact, off the top of my head, I could list a few dozen citations that the Town deserves.
Do we have enough Supervisors to do inspections of curbside pails, I think the DPW should start right away with changes . We all pay taxes ,we should all receive equal services. Plastic bags are the way to go.,for recycles.Think about it Regula
The Town Council should listen to the public --instead of just saying no to good ideas.
Paul's everywhere. Saw him several times this weekend, most recently on Saturday evening in the Villages. The guy CAMPAIGNS. You can approach him and ask him questions and disagree with him. Meanwhile, Suzanne? Other than a ridiculous mailing from her that, among other things, complains about Paul willing to run as an independent if he gets shut out of the Democratic Primary, well, GOOD FOR HIM. Berger has nothing but platitudes about what she intends to do. She has NEVER managed a budget or a real staff. Paul may not be perfect, but he's done that. Suzanne's net experience is being in charge of the deeply politicized Greeburgh Democratic Committee? Wow. Big deal. Some management skills picked up there!
You can dally with Suzanne, but come back to experience. Paul knows the score, and counterbalances Sheehan (who may indeed be certifiable) and Bass (who is useless).
Here's what is happening now and what is likely ahead.
The anti-Feiner team has peaked with neither the WESTHELP tale providing long term health care and no Bernstein decision forthcoming to muddy the waters before the Primary.
Of course these are issues which interest perhaps 200-300 people townwide. What concerns most taxpayers, these the few that vote, is town services; are they or are they not being performed adequately?
With no interest by Berger in anything, the Edgemont "defeat Feiner" team is getting antsy. So what we are going to see is the new criticism on how the Town provides basic services. This is the real battleground for the election. However, the other team's General Berger is still away at summer camp taking a cram course in local affairs. So you'll wait for late August, the traditional outbreak of color war.
In the meanwhile, like television, the blog will continue being home to re-runs.
Although I may not be a huge Feiner Fan, he is the best choice for Greenburgh. I dont thin Berger is truley in tune with the entire town other than Dobbs Ferry.
I think Berger is in touch. I think she understands that we need an answer to the A/B budget problems with Parks and Rec. I think she understand that people in both the villages and town are upset about large amounts of money being paid for parks, and then the parks not being maintained or usable. I think she would have provided a simple accounting of the Westhelp money by now.
No one has ever heard of Berger,up until her law firm received a large contract from the town. This is not a way to choose a candidate to run for any office. There's always a payback and the contract was just that, Whatever she said at the last town meeting was stuped, since it was said maybe 3 or 4 times before she decided to speak. THat's a candidate?
Wasnt Berger a trustee of Dobbs Ferry? I think she has municipal experience. And she is willing to listen to others.
Lots of "I think" re Berger versus
"he did" or "he didn't" re Feiner.
I think that no one cares about what bloggers "think" are Berger's positions.
What counts is what Berger herself offers as solutions to the problems.
I think that voters are entitled to know this much.
Is their going to be a public debate?
Berger has already won! Her law firm received a contract from the town council without having to go through a bidding process that included interviews.
Six figures, no interviews. And--her firm charges more than the others.
TAMMANY HALL--here we come!
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