2008 YEAR IN REVIEW
2008 is now history. The following are highlights of the year in review.
* NEW BOARD/TRANSITIONS - 2 new members of the Town Board (Kevin Morgan & Sonja Brown) were sworn into office. Judith Beville was sworn into office as Town Clerk. Al Regula, Commissioner of Public Works and his deputy, Butch Nanna, announced their retirements at the end of the year. Bill Carter was appointed the new Commissioner at the Theodore Young Community Center. Mike Kolesar is our new Comptroller. Police Chief John Kapica will retire in 2009. Councilman Kevin Morgan, a former Detective, is assisting the Board as we prepare for the interviews with candidates for Police Chief.
* NEW OPEN GOVERNMENT REFORMS - Work sessions are now televised live. Work sessions are now streamed live on the internet. Work session agendas are also archived. Work session agendas are posted 24 hours in advance of work sessions. Town Clerk Judith Beville sponsored a community meeting with Robert Freeman, executive director of the NY Committee on Open Government. He answered community questions about open government. Councilman Francis Sheehan has been posting all resolutions on the town web site in advance of all Town Board meetings.
* MONEY MAGAZINE NAMES GREENBURGH 80th BEST PLACE TO LIVE in the United States.
* S & P INCREASE BOND RATING TO AAA, A DISTINCTION SHARED BY LESS THAN 3% OF ALL LOCALITIES. This is the highest possible bond rating a municipality can receive. We are proud of the upgrade --especially since these are difficult economic times.
* NEW LIBRARY - The $20 million library that was approved by the voters two years ago is now open. It's a beautiful, new building with state of the art features. Councilwoman Diana Juettner worked very cooperatively with the Library Board -- overseeing the transition from the old library to the new. I am hopeful that in 2009 a job club can be organized. The Library Board decided to discontinue the cybermobile. Three new Library Board members will assume office in January--Frank Musantry, Diane Creston & Tom Saez.
* COMMUNITY HOSPITAL AT DOBBS FERRY SAVED - The Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry has been saved.
* DOG PARK OPENS - A new dog park opened at East Rumbrook Park. It's in a beautiful, wooded setting and is very popular.
*XPOSURE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM - The Town received a grant of $167,500 from the Lanza Family Foundation to set up a very creative after school program at the Theodore Young Community Center. Children open up their own bank accounts, invest in the stock market, host radio and TV programs and are exposed to different professions. The Greenburgh Xposure program will be featured in Scholastic Magazine in early 2009. Councilwoman Sonja Brown was instrumental in expanding the indoor skating program at the center, among other initiatives.
* TOWN CLERK INITIATIVES - The Town Clerk has created a "Hot Line" for town residents to call regarding cable TV issues. The number is 831-3031. The Clerk coordinated and sponsored several mentoring initiatives at Town Hall for area high school students including, the WISE program, the newly created Town Hall/Xposure mentoring initiative and opportunities for individual students to experience the work environment. Lee Mouzakitis, Records Management Clerk, upgraded Records Management. A Records Management Advisory Committee was established.
* NEW ENERGY CONSERVATION COORDINATORS - Allegra Dengler and Deann Cartwright replaced Nikki Coddington as Energy Conservation Coordinators/Outreach. A climate action task force was formed.
* GREENBURGH HEALTH CENTER WON'T MOVE. Although the Health Center received approval to build on Knollwood Road. Because of escalating construction costs they decided to stay at 330 Tarrytown Road.
* COMPREHENSIVE PLAN – the Town of Greenburgh started our comprehensive plan review with numerous community meetings in different neighborhoods--soliciting feedback from the community on issues: taxes, traffic and infrastructure, affordable housing, public facilities, services.
* A committee was established to review possible actions the town could ask the NYS Legislature take to amend the Finneran law to allow a tennis bubble to be built by a private company at AF Veteran Park. The town would receive significant rent and infrastructure enhancements. The Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court reversed the Taxter Ridge case (re: who pays/can use the park). The case is being appealed to the NYS Court of Appeals - the highest state court.
* AFFORDABLE HOUSING - at the urging of the Planning Board the Town Board approved a zoning code amendment extending 10% affordable housing requirements to three zones. The Town Board also approved a rezoning request made by Westhab to build 28 units of workforce housing at 22 Tarrytown Road (across from Staples, Verizon, Deli Delicious). 4 units of affordable housing on Warburton Ave. in Hastings opened up. 2 town employees moved into the housing.
* EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE SUMMER CONCERTS - In 2007 the town received a grant to have music concerts at DeSanti Plaza. In 2008 we lost the grant. However, Town Clerk Judith Beville organized over a dozen concerts at no cost to the taxpayers. The musicians donated their talents.
*JOB NETWORKING - I have set up a small program helping unemployed residents find work. Residents who are working are encouraged to contact their personnel office and advise me of job openings. I share the information with people who ask for help finding employment. I am hoping that a more structured job club will be established at the library in 2009.
* REMEMBER MICKEY’S OLD FASHIONED HOT DOG STAND ON JACKSON AVE. The stand had operated for 78 years but was closed down after Mickey's son took over the business from his father. The Zoning Board of Appeals granted the hot dog stand permission to re-open.
* THE TOWN OF GREENBURGH AND VILLAGE OF DOBBS FERRY received a grant from the state to study the feasibility of sharing/consolidation of police services and selected a consultant.
*911 MEMORIAL - We completed the re-landscaping of the 9/11 Memorial at Richard Presser Park on Central Ave. New plantings, benches have enhanced the park.
* WESTCHESTER GOLF RANGE TO STAY IN BUSINESS. In 2002 the Town of Greenburgh considered the possibility of acquiring the Westchester Golf Range (Dobbs Ferry Road). Golfers went crazy and the town withdrew the effort. The owners then tried selling the property to a housing developer but that application fell through. Good news. The golf range was sold and will stay a golf range.
* A STUDENT INTERN, ANDY LAUB, used his internship time to set up a Greenburgh You Tube initiative -- featuring aspects of living in Greenburgh.
* THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS, over the objections of Legislator Tom Abinanti and me, voted to purchase and renovate 450 Saw Mill River Road for $13 million to house voting machines. We objected to the fact that the property will be taken off the tax rolls. The county could have saved millions by placing the voting machines at existing county owned buildings.
* BUDGET - The Town Board worked very hard to keep tax hikes single digit, successfully avoiding a projected tax hike of between 17% and 23%. The tax hike in 2009 is 7.7%. A citizens budget committee headed by Don Cannon worked hard during the year and came up with recommendations. Thanks to their efforts we were able to reduce the size of the tax hike significantly. Council members Sonja Brown, Kevin Morgan, Diana Juettner, Francis Sheehan and I spent many evenings during the spring/summer/fall months making house calls to residents -- seeking their input. We made significant cuts in the budget and have reduced the workforce size.
* ABANDONED PROEPRTY AT 24 JOYCE ROAD FINALLY DEMOLISHED - for at least five years we have been pushing to have an abandoned property demolished. The property was a big eyesore. Finally, in May the property was demolished.
* GIS TRANSPARENCY - A video of all roads, sidewalks, curbs, properties in the town can be accessed on our GIS system. Road conditions are rated by a private company (excellent, good, poor, horrible). In the future, residents will be able to compare their streets to streets that have been resurfaced. It will all be done on merit!
* MORE ROOM FOR THE COURT - the Town will be purchasing a trailer to provide more space for the Town Court.
* PORTABLE WEIGHT SCALES - the Town will purchase portable weight scales to test commercial vehicles for compliance with weight limits on town roads. The weight scales are expected to generate significant additional revenue to the town.
I would like to thank all the members of the Town Board - Sonja Brown, Kevin Morgan, Diana Juettner, Francis Sheehan and Town Clerk Judith Beville for working so hard in 2008. Although we do not always agree on everything - one of the highlights of 2008 was how we all worked together in a cooperative manner. We were able to accomplish a lot this past year. I hope 2009 is also a big success.
126 comments:
Gentlemen: Start your engines.
Feiner is just begging for it.
But first I have some movies to watch...
Francis Sheehan most certainly DID NOT POST all town board resolutions in advance of town board meetings as Feiner states. Sheehan DID NOT POST in advance of any town board meeting the town's definition of "workforce housing" and he DID NOT POST in advance of any town board meeting the town's last minute major revision of that definition --screwing the Fulton Park neighborhood -- which the Town Board sneaked in at the last minute just before the vote at the last Town Board meeting. In fact, this trickery has still not been posted -- even after the fact.
Why does this matter? It shows that Feiner and Sheehan together like to lie to the public. Feiner gave Sheehan the opportunity yesterday to review and approve this post of 2008's "dubious achievements" and even though Sheehan knew full well he had not posted in advance of any Town Board meeting any of the "workforce definitions" -- he allowed Feiner to say he had.
And why does it matter? Because in an effort to sell the Westhab zoning change to the public, Feiner had represented that the housing to be built was to be "workforce housing" which Sheehan said, in writing, meant housing to tenants having incomes of between 60 and 120% of Westchester's average median income.
Instead, Sheehan changed the definition so that "workforce housing" for Westhab means that 100% of its building can be offered to tenants earning only 30% of Westchester's average median income.
What difference does that make? Most of the apartments to be built will only be studios and one-bedrooms. They will likely house single people, not families. The average median income in Westchester County for a single person is around $65,000.
That means that most of the units that Westhab will be building in Fulton Park can how house single residents making around $21,000 a year. That's not workforce housing. That's housing for the poor. And no one in the workforce will want to live there.
So yes, it surely does matter that Feiner said Sheehan had posted all the town board resolutions, when he had not done so, and that Sheehan reviewed and approved of Feiner making this misrepresentation before Feiner posted it.
oy.....
2009 - the year in review
francis sheehanigas and diana the sphinx juettner were trounced in the democratic primary by candidates backed by a coalition of fulton park, the villages and parts of edgemont
the court of appeals held finneran unconstiutional causing the tdycc to be closed
more to follow - enjoying some films
based on the court of appeals ruling, taxter ridge was declared surplus property and sold.
kevin morgan's double dipping on his health benefits was placed under investigation by the state attorney general, who based on its activity in greenburgh, decided to open up satellite office in the town hall
we dont always agree?
huh?
juettner and sheehan vote with feiner in lockstep.
in a one party town, we need a loyal opposition to feinernomics.
they must be retired in 2009.
The Supreme Court finds The Town of Greenburgh and the Greenburgh Central School District guilty of discrimination as both boards continue to support using tax payers money to fund programs and services that were skewed towards the black community. Shockingly, both boards knew of the practice and ignored any attempt to change its policies.
An investigation was launched to look into complaints that the majority of the population residing within the town & school District borders, were blocked, discouraged, and treated in a discriminatory fashion when non-blacks questioned why their tax dollars do not allow for them to participate in programs and activities offered.
Citing one instance; when a group of children from a predominantly white neighborhood of Greenburgh wanted to be bused to a Obama inauguration event the town was sponsoring at a well known community center in a black neighborhood in Greenburgh, the Town supervisor said " it would be too complicated and costly to arrange for transportation for these children"
While black children in the community and the Greenburgh Central School District were invited to participate in the festivities and transportation was provided for them at tax payers expense, those outside of the Fairview community or those who do not attend the Greenburg schools, where left out.
Practices at the community center have come into question as the Town of Greenburgh spends almost 4 million dollars each year providing programs and duplicating services, that some complain are only geared towards the black community, while the town offers only a few programs to all others, where fees to participate are substantially higher than those charged at the Center. The Center is wholly funded through the taxes of Unincorporated Greengurgh along with a few grants for additional support. Demographics and analysis of the surrounding neighborhood show a majority of blacks well above the poverty line. While the center was created 30 years ago to help support the low income neighborhood things have changed since and the neighborhood resides within Westchester Country NY, one of the wealthiest in the country.
Although the Town Supervisor, Paul Feiner, adamantly defends the center is open to all, it became clear when looking into how grants were secured that information provided on grant applications only included the demographics of the Fairview community thus making it impossible for those grants and matching funds supplied by the tax payers, to allow those programs to be open to all.
Upon hearing of this and similar activities in Greenburgh, the Honorable Clarence Thomas said " My God! It's 2009! We have a black President! What were these people thinking?”
2009 sounds like Bernstein and (like him) makes no sense. Only Bob has "called into question" the "practices" a the TDYCC, which, in and of itself, is funny because he probably never set foot there. Who are the "some" that complain that programs are "geared" to the black community? These ignoramuses, if they went to the TDYCC would be surprised to see that whites, hispanics and asian-americans, among others, use the Center.
from the blog to the supreme court!
close this racist relic!!!
just three votes.
Dear Not all resolutions.
First of all you are mixing apples and oranges.The workforce housing definition was part of a local law, not a resolution so your complaint is false.
More importantly, one can think of numerous occasions when Bernnstein, Preiser, O'Shea, etc. have suggested language changes during public hearings and then crowed about their accomplishments. Same thing happened here. In fact, though Bernstein denies it, he and others complained about the earlier language that was proposed. When the Town Board AT THE MEETING IN RESPONSE TO THOSE COMPLAINTS modified the language to THAT WHICH BERNSTEIN AND OTHERS FAVORED, Bernestein went nuts and cried "foul."
Bernstein will deny it, but if you listen to what Bernstein advocated at the public hearing and compare it to what the Town Board did you will see that the change was what Bernstein and the others wanted.
Dear Anon at 4:46:
Let me get this straight. Sheehan only posts "resolutions" that the Town Board migh adopt and not "local laws?" What friggin difference does that make? Isn't the public just as much entitled to know in advance of a town board meeting what's in a proposed local law as in a proposed resolution? Of course we are. And who would draw such a distinction? Sheehan and Feiner. That kind of distinction turns open government on its head! So, we're talking apples and apples here.
And I watched the hearing pretty carefully on TV and just checked the tape that's online. Bernstein said that the proposed definition of "workforce" housing was not satisfactory to either Westhab or Fulton Park. He then said at the hearing, on the record, for all to hear, that if the town intended to change the definition to satisfy either Westhab or Fulton Park, it would have to notify the public and hold a new hearing. And he never endorsed Westhab's proposed to define "workforce" as anytning between 30% and 80% of Westchester's median income.
The town board might as well have flipped Bernstein and Fulton Park the bird. Which it did at the next town board meeting.
And what's all this nonsense about Bernstein and others suggesting language changes during hearings and crowing about their accomplishments. The law has always been that if the substance of the proposed law has changed, then it must be re-noticed and made the subject of a new hearing. That has always applied to any changes suggested either by a town board member or by the public.
Bernstein objected, as did the residents of Fulton Park, because Sheehan violated the law by proposing a substantive change to the proposed definition of "workforce" housing which no one except Westhab and other town board members had known about ahead of time.
He had every right to cry foul. And I hope he and Fulton Park residents remind Greenburgh of what Sheehan and the rest of the town board did. If Sheehan and the Town Board cannot be trusted to comply with the law on a zoning change as important as this, then he and the Town Board cannot be trusted to comply with matters pertaining to the comprehensive plan.
As a result of the Town Board's disregard of the law here, 2009 may well see civic associations withdraw their support for the comprehensive plan -- just as they did in 2002 when it became clear that the Town Board couldn't be trusted then either.
"MONEY MAGAZINE NAMES GREENBURGH 80th BEST PLACE TO LIVE in the United States."
Retracted months ago.
Anon at 5:28 is exactly right. Anyone who heard Bernstein's comments at the hearing on December 10 had to know the "fix" was in. Bernstein described what occurred the day before, at a work session, when, instead of waiting for the Dec 10 hearing to show up and give his comments, Westhab's Sanborn showed up then and there, unannounced, to say he couldn't go along with Sheehan's "workforce" definition.
Sheehan recognized that the "workforce" definition that Sanborn wanted was nothing more than the town's existing "affordable housing" definition with a 30% income floor that would not satisfy the definition of "workforce" at all. But Feiner shut him down, saying "you're either going to vote for affordable housing or you're not."
So, as far as Feiner was concerned, it didn't matter what the definition said, as long as Westhab got what it wanted, and anyone on the town board who didn't go along, was "against affordable housing" -- regardless of what the people in Fulton Park had been told.
But rather than change the definition, so that the public would know what was happening, Sheehan and Feiner engaged in deceit and trickery to sneak in the change hoping no one would notice. And they got caught.
These are NOT the people that residents of unincorporated Greenburgh would want overseeing the town's comprehensive plan.
Let's celebrate the holiday season by knocking others.
MONEY MAGAZINE NEVER RETRACTED THE DISTINCTION THEY GAVE GREENBURGH OF BEING ONE OF THE BEST PLACES IN THE USA TO LIVE IN.
THE DISTINCTION IS STILL LISTED ON THEIR WEB SITE.
Can't believe how nasty some people are on Christmas eve!
Feiner and Sheehan were pretty nasty to the public at the last town board meeting, sneaking that change in the definition of "workforce housing" the way they did, and then refusing to let the public speak out about it. No, they weren't kind at all to those residents, and to think, they screwed the residents of Fulton Park right before Christmas too. I don't think the residents of Fulton Park will soon forget what was done to them, and I'm betting that residents of the town who saw what happened won't soon forget it either.
The Town Board did the right thing unanimously approving the workforce housing.
There are many people who need a place to live. The lucky tenants will have smiles on their faces.
the sex offenders westhab wants to rent to dont put their tendencies away on christmas or any other day - nor does the pain the inflicted on their victims go away either.
westhab must be defeated.
they are imho evil.
I don't get it. Fulton Park supports staples, copying machine stores but won't support a place people can live in at the same location.
Doesn't Staples create more traffic congrestion than housing? Why aren't they picketing STAPLES?
Francis Sheehan is working hard to post resolutions on the agenda in advance of meetings.
This isn't workforce housing at Fulton Park at all. This is housing for the poor. Minimum income to move in is $21,000. No one from Greenburgh's workforce would dare move into a project like this. Besides most of the apartments are small studios and one bedrooms. No families. Westhab is creating a blight on the neighborhood with this ill-conceived project, and the Town Board is to blame for allowing it.
Fulton Park was all for allowing construction of low income housing that fits within the existing zoning. After all, they tolerated a homeless shelter there for more than a dozen years. But this is high density, low income housing that will destroy the character of the neighborhood.
It's pretty disgusting that Feiner, Sheehan and others on the town board are insulting the residents of Fulton Park by suggesting they are against low income housing.
I'd love to hear Sheehan explain that the reason he didn't post the "workforce housing" definitions was that it was part of a local law instead of a resolution. That would show everyone how little Sheehan understands what open government is about and how far he'd go to support Feiner's attempt to fool the town into thinking what he did was somehow right.
7:27 is probably the same person as 5:28 as both are make numerous false statements. Sorry, you are wrong Bernstein supported the changed language, along with the people of Fulton Park. He and you can say what you want, it;s simply not true.
As for sex offenders. it is pretty pathetic to suggest westhab "wants" to rent to them. This is pure scare tactics. While it may be unlawful to deny residence to someone who is a registered sex offender it would be idiotic to suggest that westhab is going to recruit to the sex offender community. Like it or not sex offenders still have constitutional rights. Whether westhab is built or not offenders can live in Fulton Park and elsewhere.o
Sorry Anon at 8:01, it is ludicrous to suggest that Bernstein and the residents of Fulton Park supported the changed definition of "workforce housing" that the town board snuck in at the last minute. If they were in favor, why did they object so much when the town board's ruse was discovered?
I saw Bernstein on tv on Dec. 10 and I doublechecked the tape. No way in the world did he support that changed language and besides, the changed language wasn't even on the table on December 10. Bernstein even asked on the revord if the town had changed the definition -- Bernstein said he thought that the town might have changed the language after the town had its unannounced meeting with Sanborn the day before -- and was told on the record that the language had not been changed. The only way to know whether Bernstein and the residents of Fulton Park were in favor of the changed definition would have been to let them see the language and hold a hearing so that they could be heard. That's what the town board decided they would NOT do.
What the town did to Fulton Park was shameful and it will have repercussions. Civic associations will likely withdrawn their support for the comprehensive plan as a result of what Feiner and Sheehan did. This was how the Comprehensive Plan was destroyed back in 2002. How can residents support a comprehensive plan when it can't trust the town board to comply with the law? The answer is that they can't.
Bernstein said at the December 10 hearing that the town would be making a mistake if it went ahead and passed the proposed definition of workforce housing because neither Westhab nor Fulton Park wanted it. He asked that the town wait for the results of the comprehensive plan before pushing this change through. Bernstein was right. The town should have listened to him instead of sneaking through a definition that will have profoundly negative effects on Fulton Park.
Why is Bob (anon) always referring to Sheehan and Feiner? WESTHAB was approved unanimously by all five Board members. Every Board member supported the rezone.
Even some homeowners from Fulton Park have privately commented that they do not object to the workforce housing at this site.
I don't know who if it's Bob (anon) or someone else who's posting but the reason Sheehan and Feiner are being singled out is pretty obvious. Feiner wrote that Sheehan saw to it that all resolutions this year were posted in advance of town board meetings which wasn't true in the case of the Westhab rezone, and Sheehan had a chance to review what Feiner wrote before it was posted. The other reason I suppose is that Feiner could be expected to violate the law, but Sheehan of all the town board members was thought to know better. No more.
2008 - A year in which all non-elected employees received a raise except for my fellow CSEA workers. I guess that was your year ending Happy Holiday greeting to our hard working Union members.
A hot line was put into action by the town clerk Is Bs.
We called her many times concerning cable either she was away from her desk or she said she would take care of the situation.
PS we had to take care of the situation ourselves.
Matbe if she stuck to the business of the office of town clerk instead of town matters she could do her job much better.
The is a saying that chilren should be seen and not heard this should be her role at work sessions and town meeting.
A good way to end 2008 if not start 2009.
Mr. Feiner has posted in the heading following this topic (homeless and hungry)a lengthy list of places to contribute so that the homeless and hungry can be attended to over this "holiday" (probably holiday had a different meaning in other years but in Greenburgh we have a state of financial emergency this year says Mr. Sheehan). Nevertheless, homeless and hungry do not abide by calendar or fiscal years. Accordingly (see my separate posts under the homeless and hungry topic for further details) an "at present anonymous" resident has made the following offer to Mr. Feiner. He'll give $1000 of his (he, that's a small hint) PRIVATE funds if Mr. Feiner donates $25,000of his well over $100,000 RE-ELECTION campaigns-collected funds.
Mr. Feiner is one concerned individual and even though on vacation (away from the homeless ane hungry), I'm sure that his genuine concern for the homeless and hungry would extend (if he had thought of it) beyond listing destinations for others to contribute, and that he would want to make a meaningful contribution himself to alleviate the problem and start the ball rolling.
And, it need come out his personal pocket either; his bulging campaign war chests were filled by residents et al and just waiting to be put to a good use.
I'm sure the Supervisor would reasonably allow such a contribution to be noticed, so while scoffers might mock the reason, even a political motivation would still produce some tangible benefit to those homeless and hungry.
Maybe for once the blog will produce something of benefit.
So, choose from among your list, Paul and $25,000 will immediately become $26,000 and this will be a basis for me to make some further effort to find more private pockets. I've already requested the Town Council and Town Clerk to match Mr. Feiner; who would ask less from the five Feiner team members?
Paul, you know how to contact me so thanking you in advance for your generous campaign-collected contribution.
I'll notify the blog world here and on lohud.com upon proof that you really cared enough to send the very best.
Your hesitancy I'm sure is not just the outcome of "out of sight, out of mind". And who knows, your contribution may house a homeless person today, not two years from now, when and if, WESTHAB opens its doors.
The 2008 Year in Review, another prospective- TRUTH
Open Gov't reforms:
Sheehan posting ALMOST all resolutions on the Town website in advance of the Town Board meetings, i.e., Westhab resolution NEVER appeared.
Money Magazine miscategorized Greenburgh. When they find a proper category, we'll know the true position. This mistake should be amplified on, not widely disseminated as gospel when the Disseminator-in-chief-Feiner, knows it's not.
S&P "Ephemeral" Bond Rating (now you see it, then it's gone). Based on an already broken Fund Balance Policy and other financial shananigans, wait til next year.
This "state of the energy wasting, space wasting, non-oversight mismanagement, under furnished, degradated materials, overpriced, false resolution abetted, WHITE ELEPHANT, library" was "worked on very cooperatively by Juettner and the library board, overseeing the aforementioed, is SIGNIFICANTLY more accurate.
When the real truth comes out, no one will voluntarily put his/her name to it...except the GC and the Architect who reaped, untold, ill gotten gain.
The Community Hospital in Dobbs Ferry was SAVED by NYS. The Town Board, and Feiner in particular, had ZERO say in this matter...except to falsely take credit for it.
A second Dog Park in Greenburgh, while residents are being taxed to the limit is unconscionable, and emphasizes this Town is going to the dogs.
It takes "Feiner-Only" chutzpah to post anything about the Xposure superfluity.
The one, and critical thing, omitted from the "Town Clerk Report," is she hasn't had the sound system fixed! I understand it. With all the non-clerk undertakings she's involved with, it leaves her precious little time to do the job she was elected to do.
Another non-essential expense-cum-climate-action-task-force. A singular hand clap for the so called "energy conservation coordinators." Another "above the pay grade" position...and there are two of them.
The Comprehensive Plan, abandoned for the zoning vote on 22 Tarrytown Rd., is a testiment to another "Feiner Verite-,use the law, plan or policy, when it suits your goal." Otherwise, forget "waving the flag," and most won't even know you did it.
Drats, yet another toothless, waste-of-their-time committee.See how we can reverse the Finneran Law...but not entirely. Selectivly, only for the tennis bubble at Town Park. Is that something like, "spot legislaton?"
Affordable Housing-TOWN ILLEGALLY APPROVED REZONING 22TARRYTOWN ROAD, screwing the Fulton Park neighborhood...and offers the mendacious rationales by Senor Laptop.
Like the ill-thoughtout Greenburgh Singles "Club"a few years ago, another Feiner First- the Greenburgh Employment Agency...with no fees. (Is Feiner thinking AHEAD?)
After seeing the 9/11 Memorial, Richard Presser must be rolling over in his grave (a great guy for this town, who gave feely of himself, who deserved better) and his estate is rumored to be petitioning to take his name off the Park, UNTIL that hideous wall- like the Berlin Wall, comes down.
Maybe, if Feiner had let Tom Abinanti object to the purchase of the 450 Saw Mill River Rd. building, alone, something good could have come of it.
It is rumored, sorry to be the bearer of badnews, FEINER is a FOUR LETTER WORD, in the legislature and the county.Well earned, may I add.
Thanks to the May 5,2008 warning from the Town Comptroller, Mike Kolesar, the Budjet Committee, AND DIPPING INTO
$5,000,000 from the Fund Baance, the tax increase "MAY' be 7.7%.However, that number is "off the boards" in Las Vegas, knowing the players involved and their frequent positions on the "DISABLED LIST."
Now that the Town has the state-of-the-art GIS System, where, pray tell,is the money coming from to fix up the places the GIS, state-of-the-art-device, points out? Is it like buying a 7-figure house, and not having anything left to furnish it?
Wouldn't it be refreshing if one of Feiner's New Years resolutions was, I won't ask for much, TELLING THE WHOLE TRUTH OCCASIONALLY, and Francis tring to recreate the facade he had BEFORE BEING ELECTED? As far as Diana is concerned, WHAT YOU SEE, AND DON"T HEAR, IS WHAT YOU GET.
Happy holiday.
ed - please post where we can get in touch with presser's relatives
the wall is a hideous mistake that was yet another feiner - juettner giveaway to the rotary.
happy and a healthy new year to your family - we are going to need you in 2009 to purge the town of diana do nothing juettner and francis sheehanigans
I leave it to Hal to vouch for my bona fides. I am the person who offered the $1,000 match. To be completely fair I want to make it clear that there is a condition attached to my pledge - but only one - the funds must go to an IRS-recognized charity with a 501(c)3 designation
2008 - citizen of the year award - maria gomez of fulton park!
in a few appearances before the town board she showed how divisive, incompetent and corrupt the feiner led town board is.
as a recent article in the wall street journal put it- we have too many politicians and no statesmen.
runner up - hal samis. he before many others saw how dangerous letting non-sense like the arts council position exist. this only furthered other pet projects like xposure and bigger scams. he was wisely against the comprehensive plan and was a lone voice in the wilderness on the wasteful library project which, as he predicted, is an architectural disaster.
Will 1/5/2009 be the start of only curbside garbage collections?
not if you pay your sanitation man (cash only)
2:12, pls advise, yes I did tip at Xmas. What is going rate for at front of house collection? Who do you pay?
Kolesar/Kraus/Samis: We need you as a team to take this administration down. Keep up the good work!!
This is payback by Regula before he retires in shame.
Just look back at all his blunders that cost all the taxpayers mega bucks.
How much money will this latest venure of only curbside garbage pickup save the taxpayers???????
He already purchased the new small trucks to what with them.
wHAT WAS HIS KICK BACK????????
I hope everyone realizes that if a Town employee takes a tip of any kind, that individual can be terminated of his or hers employment from the Town.
Ohhh bah humbug there is nothing wrong with tipping for the holidays.
6:03 -
Termination is the punishment only if he/she fails to share her/his tip money up the line....
we can take up to 75.00 read the town handbook
do hartsdale firemen share the money they make on the side when they bring construction debris to the firehouse and put it in the town dumpster for all to pay the fee to dump it
6:03-
your one of the new ones
7:44
How would you know the Hartsdale firefighters put construction debris in the dumpster?
3:22
go look in the dumpster now or did you remove the construction debris
next time you will be on film !!
And do you think anyone in the Town of Greenburgh would care? Take any film to Westchester County DA.
7:17
GET A LIFE!
Wacko!
Why are you so frustrated ?
a memorable moment -
hal samis at the 12/18 board meeting pointing to juettner , feiner and sheehan and saying you three out in 2009 and pointing to morgan and bronw - you two out in 2011
may it be so!
another feiner low point -
telling bob bernstein, who had discovered the "bait and switch" resolution that secretly changed the income levels for the ill-conceived westhab project that he was interrupting the meeting "like he always does."
paul - unless you can give any examples of this charge, you should apologize to mr bernstein for this slander.
The 2008 year in review is a complete disaster.
How can you say that this board accomplished good things.
Whatever they say was good has cost the taxpayers too much money.
They keep the center open for tax dollars amounting to three million plus dollars.
This money could be saved if the center was closed or turned over to the Y.
The day dare center should not be supported by the taxpayers also.
Bronze said at the county meeting that the county should go into chapter 11 to save money why does she not say the same about her center
You have not saved us money you just shuffled figures arround waiting for next years problems to come up as to what damage you all did to remove services.
.
i heard bill carter at a work session say non-residents should not be subsidizing unincorporated greenburgh.
well bill - i guess the same is true for village residents - we should not be subsidizing you at the library or at veteran park.
dear voc - please prepare a bill for the library parking lot.
dear anon
bernstein and samis said it best - this is the election year budget.
feiner juettner and sheehanigans are up for re-election in 2009
dont be fooled
dear anon
bernstein and samis said it best - this is the election year budget.
feiner juettner and sheehanigans are up for re-election in 2009
dont be fooled
Paul, you have no reason to ever apologize to Mr. Bernstein, or Mr. Samis for that matter.
the best apology is retirement of feiner, juettner and sheehanigans
feiner falsely stated that bernstein interrupted the meeting "like he always does."
well the town board meetings are online. bernstein is a pretty cool calm and collected speaker.
thats the kind of person we need on the town board - not a spinx like juettner - a phony like sheehan and a peter principled feiner.
Calling the most recent budget an election year budget is the dumbest comment I have heard. Feiner released the suggested 2008 budget before his last election (in October, 2007). He was re-elected over a week later). That was the election year budget.
The Supervisor runs for office every two years. He is required by law to release his budget in October, before election day. Last years budget was the election year budget.
Some of Feiner's critics were hoping that the predictions of another double digit tax hike would come true. Feiner and his Town Board worked very hard to keep the tax hikes to a more manageable level. There were some service cuts. The tax increase is less than some surrounding Westchester communities.
This will be the last budget before the all important Democratic Primary next year -- which as you know -- effectively decides our next Supervisor.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY THE FIRE DISTRICT ELECTIONS ARE HELD IN DECEMBER? OUR FIRE DISTRICT TAXES ARE HIGH. PRACTICALLY NO ONE VOTES. VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE ELECTIONS.
Anon at 11:18 has a selective memory. When Feiner announced a 23%tax hike for 2008 in late October 2007 -- one week before the general election -- the Journal News called it an "October surprise." Why? Because the election for town supervisor was effectively decided in Greenburgh in September 2007 during the Democratic primary, when Feiner breathed not a hint of a substantial tax hike in the offing. Instead, he ran on a platform of having successfully brought two years without any tax hikes. Little did we know -- and of course Feiner had to know -- that a whopping tax increase was about to be announced.
So when critics call Feiner's budget for 2009 an "election year budget" they mean that Feiner and town board members will be running for re-election in the September 2009 Democratic primary based on that budget and that tax hike. When Feiner uses $5.1 million of the fund balance to cover operating expenses -- which he promised a year ago he would not do -- it means he's using the town's budget surplus from prior years in an effort to avoid a second year of double digit tax hikes. Had Feiner been required to comply with his own policy, had he put forward a balanced budget, the tax hike next year would have been more than 13%.
What does this mean? It means that next year, after the Democratic primary, when there may not be any fund balance to draw down, the tax hike will likely be double digits again. Who says? None other than Mike Kolesar, the town comptroller, who put out a little noticed paper on the day the budget was passed a few weeks ago, saying that even with a 3% hike in expenses next year, the hike in unincorporated Greenburgh would be 11.2%.
So that's what's meant by an election year budget for next year. Unfortunately, because of Feiner's gimmickry, we'll pay dearly for it in 2010.
The Supervisor and Town Council members promised that there will not be a double digit tax hike in 2009. I believe that they will keep their word.
In 2008 we were led to believe that there would be a double digit tax hike in 2009. We were preparing ourselves for a whopping 23% tax increase or a 17% tax hike (depending on who was making the projections). These predictions never materialized.
The Town Supervisor and Town Council worked hard, worked together, made some difficult cuts. Our tax hike was reasonable: in the 7% range.
2009 will be a difficult year for the world economy. We have to prepare ourselves for more rounds of budget cuts to avoid a big tax hike.
The Town Board and Supervisor are not playing politics with the budget. We avoided a double digit whammy in 2009. We will avoid a double digit whammy tax hike in 2010.
Anon @ 8:45am, when do you come forward with facts about Feiner's "involvement" with JFK's assassination? Or are you wating for the other geniuses on this blog to come forward?
Gentlemen:
The rabbit has died. The one that the Town Board pulled out of the hat in the 2009 Budget. The Fund Balance aka the rabbit is scraping the bottom of the barrel; what remains is needed to meet obligations and requirements. And, in a state of financial "emergency", the Fund Balance is lacking the the magic elixir of past days: the means to replenish. It just ain't gonna happen in 2009 or in 2010. Meanwhile, we will be that much further away from an expanded Court and sidewalks.
And I'm sure that what the Town Board learned from all their travels through the Greenburgh hinterlands was:
Residents didn't want more police protection and they didn't want decreased garbage collection AND they wanted to forgive the WESTHELP debt.
What they all must have directed the Town Board to maintain was the Xposure program, an arts council and sculpture curator, $5500 worth of stipend to the Town Clerk, private tennis lessons, a food program serving other communities, a SWAT and Navy and all the other goodies that the Town Board preserved.
Because our Town Board............ listens.......................to?
On another matter, The Scarsdale Inquirer's article last Friday on the dysfunctional Ethics Board, I wrote too late this letter to the editor.
"Since I hold the distinction of having one of the few complaints before the Ethics Board and it dates back to Spring 2008, I feel eminently qualified to explain the disaster known as the EB. Let me be clear from the beginning, my displeasure is not directed at the members of the Board but at the sorry state of affairs they inherited.
The current version of the Ethics code was a premature delivery, rushed by Council members Francis Sheehan and Steve Bass as part of that season's trendy movement to get Supervisor Feiner. The drafting of the new Ethics laws was of singular purpose: to punish Feiner for fundraising activities. Eventually after passage, the new laws were found to be ineffective and inoperable. However, at the time, Mr. Sheehan fell all over himself in promoting these as the "toughest ethics laws in the State". That this was another of his advertisements for himself is not meant as a mild rebuke. Indeed, it is Mr. Sheehan's leitmotif; one which follows him around from campfire to campfire.
Among the items slipped in during the drafting was protection to allow elected officials to hold party positions. Guess who among the Town Board held party positions (think District Leaders as a starting point)? Guess who benefitted from allowing Town Board members to hold full time jobs with other governments? If you answered Mr. Bass, you would be right because Mr. Bass, employed by the County, might have conflicts serving two parties whose interests do not always coincide. Not unlike the Town Clerk, Judith Beville, an elected official of both the Town and the Valhalla School District. And whereas Mr. Feiner was targeted because of soliciting contributions from real estate developers who had business before the Town, no such effort is being undertaken with regard to my complaint. More on this follows. If you attended the inteviews for selecting EB members, you would be witness to a Town Board in such a rush to fill the newly created slots that they appointed Ken Bunting to the Board despite his warning that he would not have time to attend meetings. That he has kept his word and still not resigned is probably his mocking the system that selected him. And, in such a rush to fill this last vacant seat, I heard then Council member Barnes and continuing member Juettner allow that they would have preferred to have at least one female on the EB. You get what you deserve -- in many Town slots.
But that brings bring to mind that the Town Board has not rushed to reappoint Mike Sigal (the EB Chair) either. His appointment expired in July 2008 and whereas he did have some "business" in opposition to the Town, that matter has long been resolved while his reappointment has not. Then too, the Town Board has failed to remove Mr. Bunting for cause either. What the effect of this has been is to make it difficult to obtain a quorum, particulary if members need to recuse themselves. And the quorum can be challenged by having an absentee member who fills the place on the Board counting toward its quorum but not freeing the seat for another. The Town Board might very well be seeking to avoid constituting an effective EB and thus leaving Ethics judgement in a void.
And it was with the purpose of shining a light upon this hamstrung Eb (ultimately no powers other than to forward their examination to the Town Board, i.e. Francis Sheehan) that I launched my complaint. What troubled me was, ala Michael Moore, how do the judges judge themselves? The judges are the Town Board which holds the stick, the sanctions. The complaint was the result of the observation that the Lexus dealer, the BMW dealer (expansion underway) and the East Irvington Civic Association (lobbying against proposed nearby developments) had contributed "refreshments" at three outreach meetings (one sponsor per meeting) of the Comprehensive Plan steering committee, headed by...Francis Sheehan. Lest you think that "refreshments" was just potato chips and soda, you would be wrong. A moveable feast was more the case. Thus, two of these contributors had business before the Town within an Ethics defined time frame and the third was rumored to be heading that way. Given that the nature of most of the potential Ethics violation conflicts concern land development and given that those representatives of the Town, who interface with developers or those with land use concerns, should be most familiar with the potential of redress for even the oft cited "appearance of impropriety. Therefore, I decided to include in my complaint Thomas Madden, the Town's Planning Commissioner; members of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (Francis Sheehan, Town Council; Fran McLaughlin, Planning Board; Steve Belasco, Zoning Board; et al): an inclusive list which followed the Ethics laws own refinement of affected parties; elected officials, town employees, agency officials, appointed officials. This, in turn, caused Jack McLaughlin of the EB to recuse himself because his wife was mentioned in the complaint.
So my complaint was the logical outcome of a "tough" Ethics code which forbade the solicitation and acceptance of gifts from those doing business with the Town. However, the "tough" Ethics code wants citizens to comply with its rules to submit two original copies of the complaint, each notarized ("verified" which includes the acknowledgement that the complainant can be prosecuted for filing false information -- a threat?) and delivered to the Town Clerk. However, any secretary at Town Hall who has ready access to the Town Clerk need not follow these cumbersome and ominous rules for his or her own complaint. Now, the idea of deterring residents from filing frivolous complaints may seem of concern to an EB which has met to discuss just three complaints since it was born, but what prevented them from going forward with my complaint, aside from the quorum issue? First, I find it difficult to get a notary to sign off and I didn't want to incur the trouble and expense of sending it by Certified mail as my occasions to visit Town Hall are not always certain. So, I asked the Town Supervisor to forward my complaint to the EB figuring that the stature of his office would overcome the "frivolousness" worries. The EB never ruled out my complaint and included it on their Agendas for "discussion", something that seldom happened due to a lack of a quorum.
But, what were the elements of my complaint that a "reasonable man" might conclude as frivolous and therefore not subject to an independent decision of the EB to take up the claim on its own merits. The facts were already known to the EB.
I submitted an email response to my FOIL request: this being an email from Mr. Madden identifying the named parties as being the providers of the refreshments. Mr. Sigal attended the outreach meeting in Edgemont, saw and sampled the refreshments.
Evidence of construction at the BMW property is observable. Town records will establish their presence before the various Boards, Town Engineer and Building Inspector. The point is that no one is denying any of the facts and the facts are all public domain. Why was it necessary for me to submit a "verified" complaint as to what everyone already knew and was not denying? The only issue for the EB to take up was whether it considered the facts to be in violation of the Ethics laws. That the EB got hung up for months over verified vs. forwarded vs. unverified is due to my belief that people in high places pressured the EB to string things out until they died of old age. Put another way, if the EB witnessed a violation firsthand, would they be unable to act upon their knowledge for lack of a verified complaint from a citizen?
As Heather Murray has pointed out, there are a number of issues which seem to have a common lack of attention d'ethics disorder (ADD): the Town Board, which had time to meet with the Hartsdale sculpture curator three times since the Spring, had no time to meet with the Ethics Board or even to resolve its staffing issues because of...their concern for the budget. That all of the time they spent seeking out the public's off camera input and the on camera meetings with Town departments were made to disappear by the simple decision to raid the Fund Balances and not by layoffs or trimming fluff. Similar to the handle that the Town Board has on the budget, they also have found it good business to avoid dealing with the realities of the puerile Ethics laws and a non-functionary EB membership. Mr. Sheehan may be content to have announced that Greenburgh's Ethics laws are the toughest; however if the Town Board was a network reality show, the five denizens of the dais would be seen with noses growing larger as if on cue -- make that four, Juettner knows enough not to answer questions: Ethics related or otherwise. Mr. Sheehan, in particular, having sought public identification as being the father of the Ethics laws, the Verizon contract, the Comprehensive Plan and the Fund Balance policy is still very much around to witness them and himself crumble in the Town Board's relentless pursuit of what is best for the Town Board."
Unfortunately, Denmark has been exporting "rotten" to its biggest overseas customer, the Greenburgh Town Board.
fairview
hal - one really has to wonder how francis sheehanigans sleeps at night knowing that he has been exposed as a total fraud.
i hope feiner runs a slate against him (and juettner) in 2009.
you have earned your citizen of the year runnerup award.
it would be sweet to see you in that faker's chair on the town board.
7:54
Most people who care, know that fire district elections are held on the second Tuesday in December every year because , it is NY State Law!
Every year I become more and more embarrassed to live in Unincorporated Greenburgh. I hope that a strong candidate can be found to run against Mr. Feiner in the next election. (Nothing against Ms. Berger, but she really had little chance.)
12/26 7:29P.M. - Where did you get that information from? Read the Code of Ethics that all employees have received. Nowhere does it say that employees may take money or gifts for services rendered. I hope you are right but I know you're not.
the run has to be made against feiner's enablers - juettner and sheehan.
this is a 4 year process of establishing a credible alternative to 20 years of feinernomics and race based politics.
it really comes down to whether edgemont can get its act together and either leave unincorporated greenburgh or make alliances with other non-fairview parts of the town or even a village and throw the lifers like juettner out of office.
assuming you can do that, then a coalition can be formed to rid the town of farces like brown and morgan.
then feiner will be neutered.
Anon at 2:26 is remarkably naive about Greenburgh politics, which is understandable (but not excusable) for someone coming from a village.
No, the election of two independent town council members in 2009 will not "neuter" Feiner. It will embolden him. The election in 2005 of Sheehan and Juettner, who ran as "independents" who would provide a check on Feiner's abuse of power, demonstrated how futile having two "independents" on the board would be.
It allowed Feiner to spend his time running against the opposition on the town board, claiming all the calamities were the fault not of him (even though they were) but of a town board that couldn't work together. That's a very effective message for people who don't pay much attention to town matters and don't really know what a terrible public official Feiner really is.
Town residents want a town government that works together to solve the town's problems. Unfortunately, with Feiner and his "team", the end result is a town government that works together but, because of their ignorance, occasional stupidity, and complete lack of responsible leadership, only creates more and more problems that will only get worse and worse until someone, someday comes along and replaces Feiner and everyone else on the board "with Paul."
what cupidity.
edgemont backed juettner - a hack who screwed bill greenawalt - the only candidate in recent years to almost defeat feiner.
edgemont also believed in francis sheehan - another phony who was so desperate to get on the board he once begged to be on feiner's team.
once there he was a quick unstudy and fell into lots of trouble. his record so far - one of shame. edgemont leaders have finally woken up and called for his replacement.
these two clowns were never independents and their record of voting with feiner over the past two years is not surprising.
edgemont continues its go alone strategy - all resulting in it being more marginalized than ever in town government.
fairview gets what it wants. edgemont gets what?
oh yes - very high taxes and decreased services.
edgemont should listen more and preach less.
you need three votes to control the board.
that means three candidates.
no one really wants the job except for the marginal types we have on the board now.
term limits are a possible answer.
a town manager is another.
till then - enjoy the divisive corrupt and incompetent musketeers named juettner, feiner and sheehan and the other two elfs.
Hey Anon at 4:44, where exactly is Edgemont "preaching" and to whom? Get real Anon at 4:44, "Edgemont" isn't preaching to anyone. It doesn't have to.
Anon at 4:44 should also realize that Diana Juettner and Francis Sheehan won their biggest percentage margins in 2005 in the Village of Ardsley. So why isn't Ardsley being also condemned? Is perhaps anon at 4:44 a resident of the Village of Ardsley with his or her own very selective memory and a thin skin to match?
The fact is that Juettner and Sheehan offered themselves as independent alternatives to Feiner's slate of Dengler and Morgan and, truth be told, as bad as Juettner and Sheehan now seem to be, they were still better than Dengler and Morgan, which of course today isn't saying much.
Anon at 4:44 would be better served if, instead of always looking in the rearview mirror, where objects may not always be in focus, he or she would focus on the future. And the future is not about some illusory "alliances" being formed between Edgemont and the villages and against Fairview.
My Edgemont friends happen to be very supportive of Fairview. They may disagree about how the town taxes only the unincorporated area for certain services and programs that primarily benefit poorer residents of Fairview, but they don't in any way believe that those truly less fortunate should not be given the assistance they need. They just believe the villages, like Ardsley, should contribute their fair share instead of trying to drive a wedge between Greenburgh's various communities.
That's what Feiner does. The rest of us should be better than that.
I was at a party at a friends house on Christmas and was surprised. 6 Greenburgh couples were at the party. One man got Bernstein confused with Samis. He knew who both were but thought Hamis is active in Edgemont and that Bernstein insults everyone at Board meetings. The others did not know who either was. They didn't care who they were. The guests at my friends party seemed content with Greenburgh government. They are happy with the town government and pleased that the Supervisor responds to their telephone calls.
I urged them to read the blog. They never heard of this blog site.
I enjoy reading these comments. I don't take the bashing very seriously since I assume that the comments are written by the same few.
I think Greenburgh services are excellent. I believe that we get good value for our tax dollars. I don't watch Town Board meetings on TV, although I suspect I should.
6:26 - sounds like we have the same neighbors. outside of this overheated hothouse inhabited by about 8 people, nobody has any clue: like everywhere in our nation, 90%+ of citizens are too involved in their own lives to care or inform themselves about politics, especially local politics.
7:04 - you believe we have excellent services and good value for our tax dollar - do you live in TOV or a village? Maybe you are right, but could you give some examples to back up this "belief"? Did you previously live in some town with poorer services and less value for your taxes? Or is this belief - like religious faith - unverifiable?
edgemont incorporation would probably lead to the demise of most of this ill conceived social programming that has lasted decades with marginal impact in fairview.
in the interim, who cares about programs for hartsdale's kids?
seems edgemont has its own set of blinders on.
memo to edgemont - liberal guilt is so old school.
besides, the people who paid the taxes for all this do goodism have lost their jobs and their life savings or are facing bigger taxes as the mta debt implodes and state government is in chapter 11.
you dont spread the misery - you shut non essential services like the tdycc down.
how are you going to sell you homes paying for junk like exposure and no show jobs?
one keeps looking for the success of edgemont's go it alone stand -
if success is being more marginal than ever, thats no success at all. (credit to bob dylan)
Snow removal services are excellent.
Police do a damn good job.
I love the pool.
Reported potholes get fixed almost immediately.
My calls get returned.
I am happy.
I love Greenburgh.
...salaries of our public officials are low, compared to other communities. We are very lucky.
To 6:26 and ALL the "contented" Greenburgh bloggers:
Ignorance is bliss, and either you're the Ultimate Bliss Society charter members, or Feiner and Sheehan's fingers have been working overtime writing the fairy tales I've been reading.
Sadly, the "negatives" on this blog, about this Town-in-Distress, are the only epitome of the truth. We are in deep feces and sinking fast.
Feiner is not the only problem. He is the major problem, but he needs help. And he has an abundance of willing "I vaz just following orders," bureaucrats-in-waiting, flanking him.
The ficticious Christmas party gimmick,6:26 described (to make his/her BS point) is graded "F" in creative writing.Nevertheless, since the vast majoity of posters to this blog are anonymous, the "feel gooders" may be 2-5 of the same people. However, a newcomer to the blog possibly buys into the phony comments and thinks they are gospel.
A few of us who use our names, and are critical, though honest, about the Town, are labeled as "negativeists," "contrarians," and Feiner, Sheehan, Juettner haters.
I agree with one of the previous bloggers who said Juettner and Sheehan screwed the best chance this town had in many moons to defeat Feiner, Bill Greenawalt. That however is only a mirror into their lack of moral fiber (do anything to get elected) and one charge of many they are guilty of. Their greatest guilt- Sheehan in particular-is continuously voting with Feiner and against the town.
Futon Park is the latest example. Sheehan was a member of the Zoning board for a long time. So,he knows, that a substantive change in wording needs a new noticed, public hearing. But that's not what his "master' wanted, so he quickly flushed what little is left of his self respect down the toilet, and gladly did the bidding of his "master."He even authored the perfidious document.
Juettner, of course, long ago gave up her self resepct.After all, you have to pay back the person who picks up your tab, and she did for many of her years on the board. A few exceptions, were: screwing Sheehan by signing a rogue petition substituting Timmie Weinberg's name in place of Sheehan (her "current soulmate") thus guaranteeing he would lose; screwing fellow Democratic Party supervisor designee, Bill Greenawalt by giving the impression that she and Sheehan, wanted no part of him, thus guaranteeing his loss; screwing her "meal ticket," Feiner by voting with the other four Democratic members of the Board (lead by Sheehan) AGAINST Feiner( although 4 against one was not enough to beat Feiner...maybe it was the compostion of the four); and, finally, screwing the entire town by jumping back on the Feiner bandwagon.
This "lady" gets an "A" in survival, an "F" in integrity.
The way this town is run, and the elected officials who run it,I am proud to be labled a negativeist, contrarian, or Feiner hater. BECAUSE, the truth has to be spoken, written and YES, shouted out at gerryrigged town board meeting, where the "rules" change minute to minute.
I wish us all a better '09 than '08and an epiphany to all the hard working people in this town who are too bogged down with making a living to spent enough time to see what's going on with their tax dollars.
To those, of the "positive" comments-all 5 of you, may your fingers do the walking right out of office.
Stay sober, the Captain of the Titanic is in charge.
Mr. Krauss, you are the epitome of negativity. I wonder if you have ever seen the glass half full. I pity those who live within your orbit.
no one can rebut krauss because he is right.
so all the anons can do is call him negative.
watch the 12/18 town board meeting. divisive corrupt and inept thy names are feiner, sheehan and juettner.
all must go in 2009.
9:55AM, yes I saw the glass not only half full, but filled to the top.
It was the "Golden Age of Greenburgh," pre-1991.
We had a supervisor, Tony Veteran, who actually knew what he was doing. We had an intelligent, dedicated Town Board. People like Tom Abinanti-our current County Legislator, Les Adler, our current County Judge of the Supreme Court- both lawyers; we had Pat Pilla a CPA. We had town attorneys-who knew the law, and Town Clerks, who knew their responsibilities- like Susan Tolchin, currently the number three person in the County government.
Before that notable group, we had other professionals as elected officials...not a puppet in the group. We also had people who did not try to make a career out of the council seat. They left for greener pastures, because the greener pastures beckoned to them. Unlike our current mob of five+two.
If Feiner loses, who would hire him and for what? After all these wasted (for us, not her) years, Diana's best bet is to retire. Tim Lewis may be so proud of his time "legalizing the illegal" for Feiner, he would most likely leave Greenburgh Town BOARD Attorney off his resume.
Yes 9:55AM, there was a time in this town where I and many others were proud and optomistic,but that's no longer the case.
And if you ask why I'm still here if I feel this way, I would tell you I live in Edgemont, and harbor the hope of incorporation on the one hand and the hope that Feiner retires or is retired and the board will once again be represented by intlligent, dedicated people who want to do right by their community, and not for the paycheck.
(Even that paycheck is tainted. The council seats are clasified as "PART TIME" positions, yet, the town board VOTED to classify their positions as FULL TIME which means they are entitled to a FULL TIMER'S PENSION, and HEALTHCARE for LIFE.Wouldn't you like to be in a position to vote yourself these kind of benefits?)
As far as you "pity those within MY orbit," astronomically, you and I are in the same orbit...only you live on the NAIVE side of the "planet." The one where people delude themselves or think as ANONs they can trash those who tell the truth about them, and think people don't know the web of deceipt they spin.
Ed: During the golden age of Greenburgh, when Tony Veteran was Supervisor, you did some of the printing work for the town and got paid by the town. No wonder you considered this the "golden age". If I made $ off of the town, I would also consider it golden.
It was the golden age. I didn't do any printing or anything else that resulted in payment. So what if Krauss did some printing. The truth is the truth, and Krauss states it.
During the Tony Veteran years Ed Krauss was a Democratic Party chair. He also made money off of the town. Nothing illegal. He got a town contract.
the golden age. Party chairs get the contracts. Make money. Patronage heaven!
Tony was the best supervisor. His meetings were opened and closed before you can blink
Yes his board knew what they were doing not like this present board.
One can see what smart people they were as to the positions they still hold today.
Do you think we can say the same for this board.
Tony was behind purchase of Veterans. People are fighting over who gets to join. Paul pushed through Taxter Ridge.
Ed Krauss is no Hal Samis! Hal goes against authority. No matter who is in control. Ed received financial benefits from former Supervisors administration, thanks to a contract he was awarded.
Maybe the glass was filled to the top because your pockets were,too.
Not sure you could make $$$ off the Greenburth taxpayers under the new Code of Ethics. Perhaps that's the reason for your bitterness. Tolchin & Abinanti? Are you serious? Those are your leading lights? Ask Tom about "tipping" sanitation workers. As for Sue, all you need to do is read the newspapers as to what is happening at the County. No complaints about Mr. Pilla. He was always a stand-up guy.
Why is it that whenever Ed Krauss criticizes Feiner for the problems he's created of today, Feiner always blogs anonymously about some contract that Krauss supposedly had with the town 20 years ago before Feiner was elected supervisor? I find this kind of character assassination and innuendo by Feiner to be typical of what he does when he can't answer his critics. Wouldn't it be nice to have a town supervisor in Greenburgh who addressed the problems of this town instead of personally attacking those who bring those problems to light?
And it doesn't start and stop with Krauss either. The lady who led Fulton Park's fight against Westhab (and against Feiner for supporting Westhab) found herself the target of bogus building department violations. Coincidence? I don't think so.
And the lady who led the fight in Edgemont against the developer who was allowed to cut cut down trees while his permit was on appeal and who secretly lined Feiner's campaign coffers with $1,000 found herself also the target of bogus building department violations. Coincidence? Again, I don't think so.
This is what Feiner is all about. He's venal and vengeful, and if he can't come up with anything bad to say about Krauss, he'll come up with some innuendo from 20 years ago.
John Cristello is a loser in 2008 and will be one for 2009.
CSEA will not get a increase. If you don't like it look for another job. These are hard times.
Making money from the town is not a personal attack. It's the truth. The golden days were patronage heaven, Chicago style!
Attacking Ed Krauss for having had a contract with the town more than 20 years ago for services he presumably provided to the town is a personal attack because it suggests he was being paid improperly, and when that's all PF has to say in response to criticisms that Krauss is leveling at PF today, it sounds like a typical Feiner smear, which it is because that's all Feiner can say about Krauss.
So, PF, while we're on the subject of patronage, Chicago style, let's talk about your paying Allegra Dengler to be the town's "energy czar" with town tax dollars. That's patronage. And what about all those "friends of Sonya's" who are now working at TDYCC when prior TDYCC commissioners -- and the prior town board -- wouldn't agree to let them be hired. That's patronage too.
Yes, we're talking about those who have management positions who don't even have high school diplomas. And we're talking about those who, with criminal records, are working with kids. All political patronage.
Political patronage Chicago style thy name is Greenburgh 2009!
The Ethics Board is meeting with the Supervisor & some councilmembers next week to address membership issues and to review the existing law.
If Krauss had a contract with the former town administration while he was a Democratic Party chair - it's not a smear to disclose the information. Krauss mentions the good old days--the golden years. Readers should have a full understanding. Krauss, like so many other political party leaders, got some business from the government. Nothing illegal. It's the way tammany hall operated.
1/1/09 11:25PM: Thank you for trying to clarify the situation.
However, the reason I was AWARDED the work was NOT because I was a Democratic Party Chair, nor because there was a "Tammany Hall" type government in Greenburgh.
It was because there was an OPEN bidding system, and I was the low bidder for each project I was awarded. If I wasn't the low bidder, I didn't get the project. It had NOTHING to do with the Supervisor,or the Town Board. It was the province of the Town Purchasing Agent.
While I'm at it, I NEVER HAD A CONTRACT TO DO ANY WORK FOR THE TOWN. Everything I did was on a job by job basis.
At such time as Paul Feiner reveals himself as the "anonymous poster" of LIES and/or HALF TRUTHS he uses against me, I will address him directly. Until then, I defy him or anyone else to present evidence to the contrary vis-a-vis my statement above. Additionally, since he's the CEO (what an OXYMORON when applied to him) let him produce a contract I received. Since he won't because it never existed, LET HIM SHUT THE #@&* UP, or tell me to my face.
To all of you out there who want to know the truth, please reread what I said about the money paid to me twenty years ago.
I earned it!
It was not given to me.
I never received ANY special treatment!
I never had a contract to do work for the Town.
This is a canard Feiner "tried" to use in 1991, at a cadidate debate because I supported his opponent. When he said it, I called him what he was, then as now and in between: AN UNADULTERATED LIAR!!!!
And, to all of you out there who are Feiner defenders, wake up! It's your tax dollars he's pissing away too.
Happy New Year. Maybe this one will bring us a NEW ADMINISTRATION...even it's Larry, Moe and Curly.
kRAUSS it is a crime that you have to defend yourself toward a nincompoop like Feiner.
He is loosing his mind because he knows that with this coming election he will be out together with two board members.
The truth bothers this board tremendously.
Why just print what you think the accomplishments of this disfuntional board were for the year 2008.
How about printing all the failures???????????
How about printing all the money spent on both centers in Fairview ??????
How about the no show jobs at the center??????
How about your man in charge of the libray construction stated that everything was on the button but the taxpayers had to cough up more money??????
We all know about what you say are the good things that you all beleive were great for the public even though the public did object to many of the decisions made BUT tell the dam truth about the things that put us in the deep hole that we are in today.
How can anyone of you make the statement that there will not be a double high diget tax next year without listening to the taxpayers .
Gee you forgot to tell the public of all the pending lawsuits.
How many are there?
How many more are in the works to be initiated this coming year???
These are things that you dont want us to know .
How about giving us heads up.
.
Nothing can be Feiner than to re-elect Paul, in two thousand niner
Happy New Year!!!!!!!
You're still a poor judge of character, but now you're also a prolifically piss poor poet.
You're still a poor judge of character, but now you're also a prolifically piss poor poet.
Oh to Cristello who looks like a ball of Jello. When it comes to talking for CSEA he is nothing but yellow. I guess that is why he is so mellow.
Oh to Cristello who looks like a ball of Jello. When it comes to talking for CSEA he is nothing but yellow. I guess that is why he is so mellow.
Ed: You claim that you had no contracts with the town--but then say everything you did was one a job by job basis. What's the difference? You were active in the former Supervisors campaigns, held a prominent political party leadership job and were rewarded with work, paid for by the taxpayers. Those who throw darts at others should recognize that their records will also be discussed.
I have lived in this town for over 40 years. I am very pleased with the attention to quality services and excellent employees. I do not understand the anger from some of you people who are always angry.
11:32PM. I'd bet the ranch you can't be a litigating attorney by profession. Or, you're an unemployed or unemployable litigating attorney.
If you don't know the difference betwen having a contract (oh, I forget,that's Contract Law) and being awarded a project on a job by job basis, you're the dimmest bulb on the dais.
YES, Tony Veteran was my friend. I respected,admired him and was his campaign chairman the last time he ran as a Democrat for Town Supervisor.
YES, I held executive positions in the town Democratic committee, Chair of the Ardsley Democratic committee, and Chair of the Tarrytown Democratic committee.
I devoted more than 33years in the service of the Democratic Party, in Greenburgh alone.
BUT! BUT! BUT! Don't you DARE, behind the safety of anonymity, connect that service, based on my belief the Democratic Party way was best for us all, with the CHEAP SHOT "rewarded with work,paid for by the tax payers."
Because, as I've said many times on this blog, I did some work for the town, It was NOT PAYBACK, nor PATRONAGE. It was EARNED!!!!!!
"Those who throw darts at others should recognize that their records will also be discussed," you write sagaciously.
(A) I don't throw darts, I TELL THE TRUTH! And until you or anyone can prove otherwise, the ONLY people "throwing darts," are the cowards distorting what I did 20 years ago.
(B) "...their records will also be discussed." Your "record," if you ever had one, can't be discussed for obvious reasons. So you, with impunity, feel you must have a "birthright" to "color" what I did, and make it dirty.
Who are you? Who the F#@K are you and your fellow travellors? Are you the same person writing under "different" anonymouses?
If you have something to say about me,have the decency (no that's not applicable to someone like you) have the Courage (no that doesn't work either) have "onions" (no that doesn't work either...when G-d was giving out onions, you were too addleminded to showup). Since I can't find a word to use,I revert back to my South Bronx upbringing, SHUT THE F#@K up!
Dear Mr. Krauss: You are correct. I am an attorney. I have agreed with the Supervisor and disagreed with him at times. I have agreed and disagreed with the Town Board at times. I try to be fair and to keep an open mind.
No one is suggesting that you did not earn the pay you received from the town. What is being said (correctly) is that you worked for the former Supervisors campaign, held important party leadership positions in the campaign and then received payment from the town for your services.
This is common practice in many communities. Some people call it pay to play. Others have suggested that it is Tammany Hall style politics.
What angers me about you is that you hold the current town government to a different standard than you held yourself to. If you want the town governed by saints you should have practiced what you preach.
Krauss, get a grip. The person calling himself an attorney who is fighting with you over what occurred 20 years ago is Feiner himself. How can you not see that? Who else would care? Who else would resort to such smear tactics over and over again? The reason he uses it against you every time is that (1) it immediately changes the subject from whatever it was you were talking about which PF didn't like seeing on his blog and (2) you get so upset about it. Lucy always used to do the same thing to Charlie Brown with the football. Don't you get it?
*waves to Sherri Brown @ 7:27*
Ed: you are hurting the cause. Hypocritical actions don't help.
7:27 AM, 1/03
What you are saying INCORRECTLY, by using a compound subject, is because:
(A) I worked with (not,FOR) the former Supervisor(singular not plural)
(B) held important party leadership positions-and here's where you lapse into a distortion of the facts, intentionally or otherwise.
But then, you INCORRECTLY couple A+B with C.
(C)and then,"received payment from the town for my services."
I DIDN"T RECEIVE PAYMENT FOR MY SERVICES BECAUSE I worked with the Supervisor, OR because I held important party leadership position, as you imply.
That is a SLEAZY, AMBULANCE CHASERS, DEFENSE OF THE INDEFENSIIBLE.
You further indict me by tying me into to "common community practices" called "pay to play," or Tammany Hall-style politics. Neither of which have anything to do with me.
What angers you about me (wow, you distort and use the ANONYMOUS by-line) and you're angry?
You say, "I hold the current town government to a different standard than I hold myself to...and I should practice what I preach."
I do practice what I preach, you Inveterate Posterior Cavity.
* I tell the truth.
* You distort the truth.
* Paul Feiner doesn't know what the truth is.
I fully understand why you sign off as anonymous. As an attorney,(which I find virtually impossible to believe) using your name would render you impotent in the job market. Any potential client reading this blog,your illogial solution, and argument would conclude, you're a waste of oxygen, or even a "free" phone call.
Paul, if it's you out there, I know you passed the bar, and had the world record shortest legal career on record, BUT, not even you could be this ignorant...or could you?
To all of you out there who are either for or against me, here is what the "tempest" is all about.
For ALL of the jobs I was awarded by the Purchasing Dept. of the Town of Greenburgh,EVERYTHING
some of you are accusing me of untoward dealings, I netted a grand total of approximately $3,000.
That's it.
Three thousand dollars, for all the jobs, over a period of a few years.
There's nothing left unsaid.
he who protests to much...
(To 12/31 -6:41P.M. and 1/2 - 8:36P.M.) I'm sure you're the same person so instead of being Anonymous try not being a whimp and state your name. If not, I'm at the Library every weekday, so let's discuss your problem with me.
Ed,
I presume any work you did was subject to competitve bid procedures -- unlike Xposure, a no bid contract.
$3000 20 years ago is equivalent to what the Governor of Chicago is trying to get for a US Senator. Ed, pay to play is wrong now and was wrong then.
waves to Paul
2008 in review is garbage.
What do you think that you have accomplished.
Nothing
You have taken away needed services and gave away tax dollars to the library and the centers.
Wait till the next year budjet comes arround.
How can you say that there will not be a double diget tax?????
I think the residents have finally seen the light of how misdirected our money has been going for many years.
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