There is a blog comment about my views re: the villages. The blogger said that I said "residents should only pay for services they use."
The following is an accurate reflection of what I believe:
The villages should not be asked to pay for services provided just for the town if the law says they should not, like Finneran. Our current laws need to be looked at. I want fairness.
For example: village residents pay for sidewalks in their own villages. Residents of unincorporated Greenburgh pay for sidewalks in unincorporated Greenburgh. That's fair. It's not fair for village residents to have to pay for sidewalks in Edgemont when Edgemont residents don't pay for sidewalks in the villages.
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What if all parks within the villages and incorporated were just made townwide? Let all taxpayers pay for all the parks and have access to all of them?
oops I mean the villages and unincorporated...
Paul, thanks for the clarification. Someone should look at the crazy laws we have in NY. I saw it in the SCOBA report and I couldn't believe what our laws are like.
If Edgemont wants sidewalks let Edgemont pay.
And if Dobbs Ferry or Ardsley or Irvington or Hastings or Elmsford or Tarrytown want ambulance or emergency medical services they should pay for them.
Or protection from outsize school district enrollment growth ike in Irvington if the Town hadn't bought Taxter Ridge!
I have to say something off topic. Well, that happens a lot on this blog anyway. On election night when Suzanne Berger gave her concession speech she said something I find interesting.
She said she hoped that the people listened and would listen in the future (i'm paraphrasing) that someone should not be allowed to be in office forever.
Well, what about Richard Brodsky? He's been in office for quite some time as well. Does she mean he should leave office too?
Lastly, it really was an ungracious speech Suzanne even Ernie Davis gave a better concession speech in Mount Vernon.
Anon at 8:40 says that "if Dobbs Ferry or Ardsley or Irvington or Hastings or Elmsford or Tarrytown want ambulance or emergency medical services they should pay for them."
THEY DO!!!! THE COST IS ALLOCATED IN THE A BUDGET.
I believe the issue of who is a “real” Democrat has been answered by the Democratic voters in Tuesday’s primary in the Town of Greenburgh!! The Suzanne Berger team liked to constantly claim in their numerous mailings that they all were “real” Democrats, because they had the party endorsement, and they had the endorsement of many elected officials. Well, surprise, surprise, the Democratic voters in the town told the party bosses and hacks that it is the people who determine who should lead the town and who should lead the party. In the supervisor’s race and the clerk’s race, the people spoke loud and clear. Paul Feiner and Judith Beville can declare that their victories are mathematical landslides. While the town board races are closer, Kevin Morgan and Sonja Brown are still clear victors. Paul Feiner proved that not only is he a good town supervisor, but he also listen to his constituents, and they obviously love him for that he has done for them and for the town. The Feiner team ran on issues, while the so-called “real” Democrats only ran a negative campaign. I never heard about all the things that they were going to do come January 1, 2008! It seems that all they wanted to do was to get rid of the town supervisor. Well, we have gotten rid of Ms. Berger, Mr. Bass and Ms. Barnes, and hopefully, they will see what an up hill and expensive campaign it would be for them to run on a third party line in November.
Just as a passing comment, how many “I’m with Paul” signs were torn down from poles and pulled up out of the ground in the last few weeks? It is interesting to see the two competing signs next to each other one day, and the Feiner team sign gone the next day. Doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me! “Real” Democrats don’t appreciate or condone malicious behavior. I thought that went out of style with Watergate.
So come November, I hope that Republicans and Independents will join the Democrats in electing the Feiner team so that Greenburgh can get on the move again, and slander, pander, name calling, and disrespect can be ended in town hall, and the government can do its job of representing all the people of the town.
Linda R. Garfunkel
It has to be said:
Democrats need to be weary of WCLA and it's president. Don't be held hostage by them any longer. You should feel free to not even answer their questions or seek their endorsement. Gone are the days of Polly Rothstein when that organization meant something. Now it is only used as a political tool to bludgeon the president's enemies with. Right now under its current leadership it is doing a disservice to those who are pro-choice within the county of Westchester and in the town of Greenburgh.
Wielding the weapon of "not pro-choice enough" is rather sad. If you believe in a woman's right to choose with no restrictions something that Kevin Morgan said for two consecutive Greenburgh town election cycles then that should be good enough for the voters. Also, how do you get off painting a newcomer in Sonja Brown with that brush? That was purely political and baseless. Shame on the president.
The majority of New Yorkers and Americans are actually pro-choice. You'll find people of all political parties who believe that a woman has a right to choose up to a certain point. For example after the first trimester many feel that the mature fetus' right comes into play because it's viable and closer to being a baby. Before that it's a non-viable fetus and the mother's right to choose. But that actually still means their for choice!
As far as late term abortions go you can still be pro-choice but not for late term abortions except when the mother's health is in danger. Lastly, as far as parental notification goes you can still be pro-choice but for parental notification except in special circumstances which can be determined by a judge or by a legislature when drafting a law. An example would be in cases where a child was a victim of their parents.
It really was a dirty trick and I'm glad the Feiner camp responded quickly and overcame it. People were turned off by this for the most part. I would not be surprised if this was one of the factors of why the incumbents lost.
Who is this Polly Rothstein.
Greenburgh is not affiliated with abortions.
Abortions have no place for our town government.
She must be another phony friend of Sheehans and Bernstein.
feiner's clarification is far from clear and only illustrates his muddled thinking on the issue.
i can use federally funded parks in hawaii - but i dont need them but i still have to pay for them.
i cannot use federal or state nutrition programs because i do not qualify - but i still have to pay for them.
if i dont have kids in the schools, i still have to pay school taxes. if i have 10 kids in the school district i still pay the same school taxes as my neighbor with only one.
on taxter ridge, i have to pay for it as a state and county taxpayer - but if i live in the villages i dont have to pay the greenburgh portion. now who is more likely to use taxter ridge - someone in irvington (near where its located) or someone in fairview or edgemont (nowhere near it). but the town only charges the taxpayers of edgemont and fairview for the greenburgh portion of taxter ridge.
finneran says nothing about parks that are open to all residents - it speaks of parks that are restricted in use. it would seem fair only to charge those folks who use the facilty on a restricted basis. (on the other hand, most people do not use facilities like veteran park but they still have to pay for it (it runs a deficit of $250,000 which is borne by all of unincorported greenburgh) so that further illustrates the silliness of the "you only pay for what you use" mentality advocated by feiner.
feiner's campaign literature said villages should only pay for town services they use. im sure many villagers use hart's brook but they are not charged for it.
are we now clear? i think not.
I was wondering when Bernstein would reappear, and now he has at 10:24 A.M. He thinks that by using only lower case letters he will disguise his persona. It doesn't work.
Paul Feiner clarified his offhand remark by pointing out the Finneran Law, which is a law that Bernstein keeps on distorting. If Bernstein thinks Finneran is unfair, then let him petition for a change in the law. It will get him as far as his support of Bass and Barnes.
The other examples he gives are perfectly fair, but Feiner didn't refer to those.
As usual Bernstein sets up phony straw men and then beats them non-stop. Nobody listens to him anymore.
Anon: 8:05am
Clarification: Polly Rothstein founded WCLA and is no friend of Sheehan, as far as I can discern. But I cannot and will not put words in her mouth. The current head, is a Ms. Catherine Plaskett, who has used this WCLA endorsement as a political and discriminatory cudgel.
When the Feiner slate was attacked as anti-choice, in 2005 and 2007, by Plaskett, it was Polly Rothstein that graciously countered that unfounded and slanderlous charge with her pen and voice.
Ms. Plaskett has abused her privelege and disserves her membership. Her Board and the organizations supporters have to deal with her negative and unfair attitudes and perspectives.
I believe that she is also a member of the Greenburgh Town Democratic Committee, and she directed her organization to endorse Nick Spano over Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and she has endorsed other Republicans over Democrats. Therefore she should be asked to resign. Any District Leader that openly supports a candidate from an opposing party must step down or be removed. I am sure that is in the State Party bylaws. Many instances like hers have happened in the past with the resulting removal or resignation of the District Leader.
I also suggest the resignation of Suzanne Berger. She authored this flawed nomination process, funded it unethically, and is threatening to run on a minor line. How can any District Leader tolerate this obvious violation of her oath as Chairperson?
The only way to build a strong and meaningful Democratic Party is to toss out old leadership that is not interested in cooperation and unity. We need a leader who is unbiased, fair and interested in building the party and not catering to bossism.
Richard J. Garfunkel
Garfunkel makes some good points. In NYC, if a democratic club's party leader runs for office, they must resign their leadership position.
But with Greenburgh a one party town, term limits are essential. Yonkers has them. NYC has them.
Another key reform is to perhaps make the town supervisor position a four year term and the council position a two to three year term.
A two year term for supervisor is unfair to the candidates, wasteful and only leads to constant campaigning.
These are some things a new democratic party should focus on as it rebuilds.
Garfunkel, don't be too hard on Catherine Plaskett. By her disgusting and false charges and her abuse of her position, she angered enough voters to give Kevin Morgan the victory that he might otherwise not have had.
You have heard the maxim that virtue is its own reward. Here is another, scumminess is its own punishment.
Catherine Lederer Plaskett's contribution to the pro choice movement is that people will donate their funds to Planned Parenthood which advocates for choice and doesn't make up lies about candidates for office.
This Plaskett dame is the hitler of murder incorporated here in the
US
Abortion is not part of the town of Greenburg's every day function.
Our representatives have expressed their personal feelings in this matter and now it should be a closed issue.
No one stops anyone from donating to any cause,but when it comes to out right murder we should really stop and think.
Try to keep this murderous cause out of local politics.
How much money goes to the parks dept.and highway.
These two dept.have a lot of waste
Too many men lurking arround when a few are doing the work.
If I don't have a drivers license why should I have to pay for the Town's minimalist efforts to maintain the roads?
If I work so hard to pay my taxes that I don't use the Town's recreationalo facilities can I pretend I live in a village and not pay for them too?
And, if I don't break the law and do exercise my second amendment rights, why should I have to pay for a police department?
The debate of who is a "real" Democrat (see the extensive writings of R. Garfunkel, et alia) is beginning to sound like an Orwellian prelude to a debate about who is a "real" American.
Apparently anyone with whom the writer disagrees is not "real" - and her/his rights should be abrogated to best serve the interests of the "real" people. That's pretty frightening.
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