If you have any suggestions or comments regarding the blog, please contact me at 'mherman.gny@gmail.com'. Thank you for your input.
-Marc Herman
This week's discourse closed. Please use the newer weekly post for new comments; discussion for this week can still be viewed. Thanks for your comments!
119 comments:
What happened to the posts from July 12th?
they were sold to raise money to keep the tdycc open.
Just read in the Post that a New York cop treated a Dunkin Donuts shop as his own personal pantry not paying for any donuts and coffee. Why that should shock anybody is beyond belief. Greenburgh cops have being doing that for years. They don't shop anywhere that doesn't give them a discount or freebees. It's called intimidation and should be investigated. But nobody will do it. That is why it will never stop.
THIS FROM LAST WEEK'S MISCELLANEOUS
samis should seek higher office said...
samis for governor!
7/19/2009 6:25 PM
hal samis said...
Before "higher" office, you need to first occupy a lower office.
Confesion:
I recently sought to fill a vacancy on the Library Board.
The Library Board refused to even interview me for the position, much less even acknowledge I had applied. Both steps contrary to their published rules.
Instead new Library Board President Frank Musantry appointed the wife of his friend.
This is the same Frank Musantry who appeared before the Town Board work session a week ago (with the new Trustee) and told the Town Board that the Library needs more money next year because they have been budgeted for fewer books and dvd purchases which is true; what he didn't state was that the Library had almost $200,000 left unspent at year end (subsequently and before Musantry was on the Board -- the Library used $100,000 of this surplus for chairs, etc for the new building, items in the Referendum budget "but the project is on budget and on time") or money that could have been used to buy more books and dvds.
This is how your Library Board operates and why they don't want an "odd man out".
The vacancy filled by the Library Board was that remaining of the unexpired term of a Trustee who resigned. This seat comes up for Town Board appointment January 1. There is also another vacancy on January 1 and whether this is from a disinterested Trustee or the throwing in of the towel by another Trustee, one who has missed the last four meetings of the six held since assuming the position, I don't know.
In any case, there are at least two slots, maybe three, open on January 1.
The Town Board which has control of these appointments knows of my interest as does the Library Board.
Incidentally, since my resume at age 64 doesn't need new titles, I offered instead to be a fifth wheel at Library Board meetings (minister without portfolio)sharing my knowledge but allowed to read what materials (i.e. Library operating report) that they discuss (with great secrecy) at these meetings and freedom to comment on items as though I were a non-voting member of the Board. This too wasn't even acknowledged.
Just think how dangerous it would be if the Trustees allowed me to sit at their table and be current on information rather than having to FOIL it after the meeting.
These are the games they play.
Oh well, its your tax dollars not mine.
7/19/2009 8:34 PM
hal
isnt diana juettner, village resident, the town board liaison to the greenburgh library?
isnt this the same diana juettner who doesnt pay one cent in taxes for the greenburgh library?
too bad no one is running against her.
samis would have given us a watchdog on the library plus everything else.
Samis how about running for a board seat.
This is where you will be more of an asset to the public and not the library board.
Hal you know that whatever dirt you find pertaining to the library will be squashed whereas a board member can do more if he or she wants to "for the public."
We now have a few feiner dead heads that are just occupying space.
Just think about it. I'm sure you do have many managerial skills that can be put to use in bringing back an honest and good government.
unfortunately july 13 was the deadline for filing papers to run for office.
i imagine it may be possible to do a write in for samis but thats not going to get him elected.
certainly ms juettner has no business being on the town board.
after 18 years, her record is incredibly undistinguished.
once again, the failure is the local democratic party who keeps backing her and the voters who keep putting her in office.
I have been a democrate all my life but I and my family have made a change.
Many of us have to live in an area that has no representation at all whether in Albany or Washingron.
If we do not start making changes for the better we will not be able to live as free people anymore.
Our supervisor is so disliked by the higherups that we are on the short end of the stick.
How come we have stooped so low with the present supervisor and some of his board members??
This comment will be deleted by Marc so hurry up to read how many of us feel.
We have to vote but anything is better than what we have now.
12:07 - Unfortunately he will never lose in Greenburgh. He has to run for a different office to get out.
The monthly meeting of the Library Board of Trustees is this Thursday, 7:15 at the Library.
Taxpayers need to attend their meetings, not as a favor to me, but to observe them speaking in tongues and zealously guarding their precious facts and figures from the public.
What also needs to be stated is that the Library Board has conned the Town Board into believing that the Library follows the higher power of the NYS Education laws and is therefore exempt from Town Board meddling (as though the Town Board is going to tell the Library what books to buy and what books to burn).
In practical terms what this means is that the Library can request a budget amount; the Town Board can approve this amount, increase or decrease it at will but THEREAFTER it cannot direct how this money is allocated or spent.
Furthermore, despite the understanding above, the Library and the Town Board found it necessary to pass a special Resolution for the Library to establish a capital spending account so that the Library could transfer such portions of the annual operating funds (the Budget) as they saw fit. The Town Board agreed to this so the Library could siphon off money to fund what was missing from the expansion and thus avoid further embarrassment to all parties.
This is what the Library did with last year's budget surplus.
But the point to remember is that unlike all other Town departments or volunteer Boards, only the Library has a budget which can be spend at will (individual line items exist only to be added together to create a total amount) and the persons making the decisions on how the Budget is actually to be spend are the Trustees. This may or may not be a good thing but the reality is that the Trustees are appointed officials, not elected, and they alone determine how $3.4 million + or - of taxpayers dollars are spent. If they want to give the Library Director a generous raise, that is their right and sole determination. If they want to use their money on landscaping (shown as $100,000 on the Referendum construction budget but not spent because the project was "on budget") and not buy books, that is their right. If they want to give raises and not have enough money to remain open on Wednesday night, that is their right.
However, if they are given a budget ("turn key" meaning to cover all expenses) and they choose raises over being open or to buy books, then that is why the public needs to be there to know what is going on and to let them know that they object.
"The Town Board reduced our budget and that is why..." the why being they had to eliminate the cybermobile, Sunday hours, insitutute reserve fees etc. All of these are lies. Their "budget" is not a fact; what is a fact is that the Library requested an amount -- this amount is not a god given amount.
What the Library does to protest the amount is seek out the most patron sensitive items and curtail them so that the Trustees can spend the money on their preferences or needs. Such is how a $200,000 surplus emerged last year when they didn't have the money to operate the cybermobile or be open on Sundays.
I do keep harping on these matters only because no one else takes the trouble to be involved. Get involved; attend the monthly meetings of the Trustees. See Town Board liaison to the Library Diana Juettner sit transfixed and in a stupor as 10:35 suggests. See the Library Director sucking up to the Trustees. See Library Board Musantry reward style and ignore substance. See trained monkeys second motions. All of these coming attractions can be witnessed at our unique pay to be screwed channel, the Greenburgh Public Library.
Hal: to my knowledge, Library Board members are not compensated: they have no salary, no pensions etc. Furthermore, I doubt being a Library Board member is an entry-point to a lucrative private sector career. What possible incentive could the Board members have for the nefarious actions you insinuate? Where is their gain? Could it just be these are non-professional volunteers doing their best with complicated issues?
hal
outside of the library, what does greenburgh have? oh yes, that other asset, the seasonal veteran park.
once hartsdale lost its school district, hartsdale ceased to exist. houses just sit on the market.
hartsdale and most of greenburgh (unincorporated division) has no politics. its a one party state.
in fact, groups like the council of greenburgh civic associations only add to the town's balkanization and marginalization.
even a start up called grassroots for greenburgh has disappeared.
so the constant begging for people to attend this meeting or get involved is increasingly falling on deaf ears. this is just the arc of history at play here.
how else can one explain the continuation in office of someone like diana juettner who is at best a cipher and usually just a sphinx without a riddle or a clue.
perhaps people are just sick of politics or have lost the faith in things getting better and are willing to settle for the folks on the current board. its even possible most people ar happy with the status quo. the silent majority is what nixon used to call it.
lets just face it. when it comes to greenburgh there is no there there. it has no post office address. it has no train station. no one is from greenburgh. even the chiseled name on the county center in white plains calls it
greenburg....
if you want to change things, then you must run for office and win.
to do that you have to start two years in advance and build up name recognition.
begging the folks in greenburgh to "get involved" on this blog is not going to work.
The July 12th comments are still in the July 12th weekly post, which can be found by clicking the 'Older Posts' button on the bottom of the page and looking for the topic.
Dear 3:29,
You wrote a post to tolerate those on the Library Board because:
1)they don't stand to gain anything
2)they are volunteers
3)their service won't lead to a better job
4)they are not compensated
5)they are not acting nefariously as insinuated
so whatever they do is ok by you because "their hearts are in the right place".
Then even Bernie Madoff was a swell guy because he gave to charities.
I notice that apart from using the back door to defend them, you have no comment regarding whether they are doing a good job or not. You carefully avoid dealing with issues but run to defend their incompetence.
Perhaps you aren't even troubled by their poor attendance at their own meetings or is this how simple folk deal with complicated issues.
Hey, it's your $3.4 million. And you present excellent arguments for why they should be trusted with...$3.40.
hal wrote "I notice that apart from using the back door to defend them, you have no comment regarding whether they are doing a good job or not."
Hal, I'm not defending the Library Board for the simple reason that all my information about them comes from your reporting and you've made a strong case over the years of their incompetence: I'm thoroughly convinced. But to me, however, there is a significant difference between political idiocy and thievery, even though to the tax payer the results may be the same. Any observer of Greenburgh government, I think you will agree, sees a lot of the former (morons in power), but little evdience of the latter (corruption). I know you are not stupid enough to libel any individuals and subject yourself to a lawsuit, but I think it is legitmate to ask you whether you think the Library Board's course of conduct over the years manifests incompetence or malfeasance? If it's the former, that's Greenburgh as usual and until a reforming Town Board is elected in Paul-istine, nothing will change. If it's the latter, I want to know your theories about the motives: is anyone involved in decisions getting rich off the library?
Isn't it funny how the greatest critics: I won't name them, but you know who they are, are the biggest critics? Why is it that these people have so much time on their hands to attend meetings and hurl false accusations, but never volunteer to work on the various boards they are apt to criticize?
Hal, Hal, Hal. Yet again you find conspiracies and dastardly deeds at every turn. Did it ever once occur to you that the reason you were not considered for a spot on the library board is that the board needs people who can work together? Your diatribes and sermons serve only to present yourself as the type of board member who will find negativity at every turn - and then walk away to leave others to clean up the issues. No where and no how do you present a case that you are ready and willing to contribute work - not paranoic wailings - to any part of this community. Are there issues with the library? Probably. Is the board (led by Frank Musantry, who as you well know is new to the position) confronted with a myriad of issues? Certainly. Have they applied a methodical process to identify and prioritize the issues to begin to move issues to closure? Most apparently yes. Is it happening on YOUR schedule? Guess not, but that would require thoughtful understanding of the issues and constructive solutions none of which have been brought forth in any of your postings. So again, you wail about why you were not appointed, but a more careful look at what skills are actually needed to be on the board might quickly answer your question.
Hal,
Do you want a little cheese with your WHINE? or some sour mash to go with your sour grapes?
Can you spell "LAWSUIT"? That may be coming.....
To my critics:
Have you not yet learned that on this blog I am always holding a pat hand?
The following could have been sent earlier but that would have taken away from the fun.
At their last Board Meeting, the Trustees voted to adopt a new Meeting Room Policy. Unlike the Resolutions of the Town Board, the Library will not disclose their intentions or the language in their Resolutions in advance; because they are perfect and need suffer no interference from someone who may not agree. Perhaps my comments are incorrect, too harsh or otherwise but I think that most of you would agree that there would have been no harm done had I been allowed to present them before the fact. This secrecy (which a blogger refers to as my allegations of nefarious goings on) in a nutshell is what my beef is about.
FYI, you can read the adopted Meeting Room Policy (it follows the posted minutes of the June Library Board of Trustees meeting -- Library website, Board of Trustees link, scroll down to meeting minutes). Below this you can also see the Agenda of Thursday's meeting but bring your own copy if you attend; they won't give you one at the meeting.
Sent this morning:
"My concern here is sixfold: (in no particular order of importance)
1) that residents who are paying for the expansion, paying for the annual operating expenses, paying reserve fees to use library materials they have already paid for and now, again to use their public space or even to have to compete for its use by outsiders
2) that the "art" and "photography" in the Jacobs Family gallery will not be covered by existing insurance when the room is rented
3) that the only water fountain on the lower level will become off limits to residents when the room is rented
4) that the library does not have enough chairs to seat the maximum that is being offered to would-be renters and
5) that the posted seating capacity is somewhat arbitrary but that it assumes that the room contain ONLY 283 seats and NO tables, podiums, display units or other items which would take up floor space but be needed by the renter. This can be confirmed by a call to the Deputy Fire Commissioner at 914-993-1568. No one, including the Board of Trustees, would want to leave the Town vulnerable to legal action should the worst case scenario occur and now with the adoption of a written policy which only specifies the number of seats as an inducement to rent this space, would-be renters need to know what they can bring or expect to have waiting for them when their group arrives.
6) that the Library has never seen 283 seats in the room and thus cannot translate what was derived from formula by the Fire Department being transformed into reality.
Of course this input could have been available to the Trustees before the adoption of their Meeting Room Policy had they been desirous of soliciting input from the public in advance of their actions." end of email
Critics, start your engines...
Now as to the actual comments critical of me:
7/20 at 5:21
This is the classic fallacy in logical thinking known as "the straw man argument". Create an issue that can be defeated -- even if the issue wasn't created by me.
Here we see an anonymous blogger saying that I can't prove malfeasance of that someone is getting rich off the Library. This is so bush league and I am surprised that people keep trying it when the playing field is so small. Anyone with a brain need only scroll this topic, seek out my comments and try in vain to find where I accused anyone of malfeasance or profiting. The closest is a reference to Bernie Madoff which implies that even the worst person can have a good side. Even this was a reply to a Trustee defender at 3:29.
July 20 @ 9:52
Johnny come lately who feels that he has to add his two cents. Where has he been. This whole round started with my comments (fourth down from the top) relating the story of my trying to get on the Library Board. Obviously from someone who by virtue of being reading challenged makes little use of the Library.
July 21 @8:56
Here is a true believer of Mr. Musantry unless it is Frank writing. On a seven member Board, one dissenter can wreak havoc. Let's see, I would raise issues, upset my fellow Board members and then "leave others to clean up the issues". You mean that there ARE problems -- I buy that. But they can only be handled by a software program (methodical process...) that Mr. Musantry is hawking? And these problems started when...? Perhaps under the stewardship of the "old" Library Board? But I was criticizing them for the last three years and anonymous bloggers wrote that I was wrong to criticize volunteers...
Mr. Musantry is new to the position but he is just as self-promoting of his special talents today as when he was on the Citizens Budget Committee and again on whatever this year's "green" citizens committee is called. Odd that that the report from last year's Citizens Budget Committee was only signed by 4 of the 7 members and Mr. Musantry presented it as though it were unanimous.
What Mr. Musantry does do well is manage his laptop and create dandy forms for meeting Agendas. Lots of buzz words (you've all heard the Supervisor talk about "action steps") and if so you appreciate someone who uses this newspeak to the nth power.
All I've asked for is what he himself bemoaned at the time when he was just another bozo (like me) sitting in the peanut gallery. Before he was appointed, Frank attended Board meetings (Tomas Saez also) and all of us sat there while the Board conducted its business which was mostly discussing the monthly Library Report or a recap of what went on in its various departments. The Board would even be so coy as to refer to the second paragraph down from the top on page 2 so as not to have to let the public know what they were discussing. The Library Report is not a top secret document. It is obtainable by FOIL but it loses its value when it is after the fact, when you can't read along and understand what the Trustees comments are about. One would think that producing an extra copy for the public would not be a big deal for these "new" Trustees who have experienced what it is like to sit there and be treated like lepers. Is it not the Public Library that is being discussed. Typical attendance is only 1-3 tops members of the Public attending so what is the big deal?
(continued below due to space req)
so what is the big deal?
(Continuation from above)
And how did the Board (actually only Frank + 1) determine that Frank's friend's wife had those stellar qualities (she would agree with whatever Frank says) that this bloggers says are in the Board's best interest? They don't appear on a resume. She was never interviewed by the rest of the Board. In fact, the procedure as written by Frank is to have this "committee" narrow the field to candidates who would appear before the Board for their final selection. No candidates appeared before the Board, just the vote.
I was never interviewed; I was never even sent a letter thanking me for my interest. So when you write "Have they applied a methodical process to identify and prioritize the issues to begin to move issues to closure? Most apparently yes." you divulge that you are on the Board or are someone "close" to the Board because I know who attends these meetings.
As for my offered solutions, in lieu of actually attending Trustee Meetings you might read the meeting minutes where comments from the Public (at the beginning of the meeting) used (sustained throughout the tenure of the "old" Board) to be found.
That is, until the Trustees voted two meetings to eliminate them from the minutes so now there is no evidence other than my emails to the Board -- one which appears as a separate posting today.
I've given loads of constructive advice over the years to the Library Board; they just don't want to heed it. And that is true for Frank as well. (He will, however, acknowledge that he has taken notes)
A volunteer is not a guarantee that those holding the position know what they are doing. The Library Board of Trustees is proof of that.
So much for those who post anonymously because they "fear that recriminations will follow" should they use their name.
Do we still use the pillory for liars in Greenburgh?
has beville apologized for calling bernstein a liar?
judy, this will not be forgotten.
Hal,
Now uou need MORE cheese to go with your ADDITIONAL WHINE ......
You have a poison pen as well as mouth. Perhaps someone needs to GIVE YOU a bottle of honey ..... honey.
Boards and Appointments - this is a farce. Mr. Feiner is stacking the boards will his political supporters and the town clowns are going along with it. Mr. Samis should not be surprised that is being overlooked. Quite frankly, the Town Board could appoint him regardless of the wishes of the Library Board - oh wait, maybe not. Mr. Feiner bounced Ruth Jacobs from the Parking District Board as retribution against her husband, Howard Jacobs who was the past board president of the library board. Not only did he bounce her, he didn't have the professional courtesy to interview her for reappointment as is customary. Diana and Frances abstained and of course Morgan rubber stamped Feiner. Brown, liaison to the parking district voted with Feiner even though she claimed afterwards that she didn't realize what she was voting for. In the meantime, Feiner puts his friend on the board and oh, guess what, the friend doesn't meet the by-laws of the district as enacted by the State. Mr. Feiner's response: doesn't care what the law is, he wants his friend on the board. Someone needs to FOIL the by-laws/legislation and also FOIL the assessment records for the appointee. Shame on Feiner and the Town Board - if they don't like a law they can make the effort to change it; instead, as with everything else they do, they've chosen to ignore the law and do whatever they want. This is what they say and do in the open - can you imagine what they must be doing behind closed doors?
Can't believe Feiner & Morgan are not supporting Greenburgh resident Alfreda Williams for County Legislator. They're supporting a resident of Sleepy Hollow rather than a Alfreda Williams? Talk about being petty & vindictive. They would sooner give away our Town than support a Town Resident just because she didn't run with them the last election.
hal
lets face it
greenburg is not worthy of your efforts.
by everything that is right, you should be on the library board.
unincorporated folks must be gluttons for punishment by just watching their taxes go up while diana juettner and francis sheehanigans just collect their checks for doing very little.
Dear 12:02,
It is lunchtime so thanks for the free grub. Thanks too for the honey but I've already trapped the flies.
Dear 12:08,
I can't agree with you re the Library specific. The Town Board had nothing to do with this vacancy on the Library Board. The Town Board can only re-appoint Trustees whose terms are expiring. Or the Town Board can also choose to appoint new persons to the Library Board to fill the EXPIRED terms of departed or made to depart Trustees. In this case, a Trustee resigned from the Board and it is the Trustees right to select a replacement to serve out that term until its expiration. In regard to this vacancy, the term ends 12/31/09. Including this seat, there will be 2, maybe 3Trustee seats that can be filled by the Town Board at year's end.
I don't expect that the Town Board will select Samis even if there were 7 vacancies.
As for Ruth Jacobs, I too have wondered what went on. I suspect that there is a bigger story than that she is Howard Jacobs wife which I doubt was the reason. Perhaps the story is all about who is her replacement.
Re Sonja Brown.
Sonja's specialty is feigning ignorance that she didn't know what she is voting for, time and time again. Confronting her with this regarding the Library project, you may recall that Sonja first agreed with the idea that the Town Board should not approve Library change orders after the fact but before the work gets done so that they would have a choice. Look how long that lasted.
Kevin is Feiner's carbon copy.
Francis is Feiner with brains.
Diana is Feiner sans vocal chords.
FOIL, PLEASE FOIL!
Feiner has been trying to take control of the parking district for the last 18 years! He sees it as an inexpensive way to grant favors to his friends via non-resident permit requests, special accomodations, free parking for every event and/or holiday he can think of, blah, blah, blah. Do we really want the Town taking over any more agencies?
12:08.
Who was Jacobs bounced for?
The problem with the Library project is that the Town appointed a Town employee as project/ construction manager. BAD IDEA regardless of who the person is. When your employee/manager goofs, you have no recourse and no one to blame but yourself. They spent nearly $200,000 on that stupid ramp but would not spend that on a real construction manager?
Barry Kessler. Mr. Feiner openly stated that he wanted to appoint him because he was a friend and member of his temple. Kessler doens't qualify under the law.
why is kessler unqualified?
Yes. What by-laws were overlooked that make Kessler unqualified?
Dear 1:13,
Tip of the iceberg.
The problem started way before the Town Board appointed Regula as its eyes and ears.
It goes back to the very beginning when the then Library Board followed the recommendation of then Library Director Gerber/Syntax Communications (firm hired by Library to conduct a poll)
to hire Triton as the Construction Manager.
Imagine that you are the Library Board and have jockeyed yourself into the position of getting a Referendum scheduled for a major expansion (more than doubling in size) and you don't know how much to ask the public to vote for.
Panic. So they hired Triton because someone tipped Triton off that the Library would hire whoever "said" that they wouldn't charge for pre-Referendum work, i.e. putting together a budget (aha, that's where they got the $19.9 million number). Thus the firm running the job put themselves down in the budget as a $612,000 item which upon passage of the Referendum immediately increased by $50,000. This was one of the items putting pressure on the Library Board to secure the passage of the Referendum and why they allowed major misrepresentations to the project to go forward while they were courting the public.
You see, the $50,000 was really the pre-referendum fee that Triton agreed "not to charge" so they would be awarded the job.
Now you have a Board which has compromised the job but which didn't care because they got the public to go along with the $19.9 outlay -- after all it's for the Library, our kids, ad nausem.
Or have have the firm charged with running the project so inept that from day one they "misjudged" or were off on their own fee by $50,000 or around 16% -- before a shovel even came near dirt.
However, Triton knew from that day on where there bread was buttered and the Library Board's acquiescence sealed the project's fate -- all they cared about was seeing a bigger building. Once you get in bed...
Meanwhile the Architect was having his way too, finally able to charge off to some fool a design that no one else would take.
And the whole nonsense about the geothermal drilling which Triton hid from everyone (I hope that to be the case instead of the alternative) that the original plan was never going to happen -- which it didn't -- and that led to costly delays later.
So once the two firms running the project: the architect and the construction manager saw who they were dealing with, they had cause to celebrate because between the Town Board and Library Board friction culminating in putting Regula in the middle, the last page of the story was already written.
And, the problem is that we are not yet near the last page.
As for the ramp -- all Sheehan angling for votes (he's so detailed he even is concerned about the disabled) and trading upon his past earned respectability. If he says it is an ADA requirement, why it must be.
Wrong; he knows it but still plays the saint, "if one person uses it, it was worth it". Problem is that person must still be waiting for Taxter Ridge to open before taking the bus to the Library.
Bad design, wasted space, bad execution, not the Library that the $19.9 was to provide and since there was no one in the Town employ or on the Library Board to stand up to the "professionals", rightfully so because none of them have an iota of such specialized knowledge, what you see is what you're stuck with.
Indeed, because neither the Town Board nor the old and new Library Boards want to admit defeat, they both seek to close the book for once and for all -- which is why neither party will pursue legal remedies and the Town Board approved every change order without reading.
On the other hand, if the new Library Board continues to adopt this posture, then I can offer still another way to live within their budget: stop buying history books because apparently people don't want to study history much less learn from it.
Coming attraction: the real story behind the Biotech purchase in "Ardsley".
Must be listed on the most current assessment role as a property owner - only his wife is and has ever been listed on the assessment roles.
Twice I've seen a camp bus drop off a kid at the corner of N. Washington by 55 W. Hartsdale Ave. to a waiting mother. Both times she then walked to her car parked into the Duane Reade parking lot and took off again up N. Washington towards White Plains.
The kid is most likely attending TDYCC camp for free.
Why? Because you don't have to prove residency or pay the tab.
I hear this is a common practice.
They don't call it Freebergh for nothin'! Thanks Paul!
Just called the parking district to ask how to file a FOIL - I was asked why and when I explained I was told I just had to send an email request to hartsdalepkng@optonline.net. Since the document I was looking for was already available in PDF I was told it could be emailed to me at no cost or, if I did not have access to a computer I could fax or mail a request and pay .25 cents per copy to have it printed and mailed to me. I asked why a form FOIL was not required and was told that the legislation I was requesting was public record and all I needed to provide was my name, address & phone number so they would have a record of the request. That was easy!
Get the license plate number and ask the police to find out if it is registered to a greenburgh resident.
How do you know where the bus was from and how do you know where the driver of the car was heading? Not a stalker? Just follow the car!
Other than the crazy ramp I think the library came out quite nice. The reading room is spectacular, the computer access is for children and adults alike is great. Given the current economy I think it's essential to have a state- of-art library available to our residents. Did we get everything we paid for? I don't know as I wasn't involved in the process. Do I think we got a great libary? Yes, I think we did and I think we would have gotten more if not for the delays due to Feiners political crap!
Are you kidding me?
I have to play detective and get the police involved because there are 2 sets of rules in this town? I have to follow the car?
Why do I know it's a camp bus? Because my kids attend camp and although "I" can't afford the transportation fee, I know what the buses look like.
Go up to Veteran's and try to enroll a kid into camp there. You will be asked for proof and then you are required to purchase a Unicard. Then they tell you that your kid will not be enrolled unless you've paid in full.
Now tell them you can't afford the camp fee or the transportation. Good luck with that!
2 sets of rules, 2 different camp fees one set allows for theft of services?
Maybe you should follow the car and see your mandatory charitable tax contributions go.
Dear Stalker,
This is nothing new. This has been going on forever. It has gone on with the TDYCC camp programs right out in the open. Elmsford kids have attended camp for free for years. Due only by an outcry from the public does TDYCC claim to charge a non-resident fee to those Elmsford kids this year. Right? Sure.
This sort of theft has been happening with the schools too. There are many kids enrolled in Greenburgh 7 that don't live in the school district. There is a car that waits every day on a side street where I live. After drop-off the car takes off up on Chatterton.
Apparently White Plains does not enroll kids into the school district without solid proof of residency, or, maybe people will do anything to get their kids into the most expensive public schools in the entire country. lol.
I'm not the one complaining - if you think someone is scamming the Town then you should make a formal complaint at a Town Board meeting and be prepared to give them a license plate number of the bus and the vehicle picking up the child. You know what the bus looks like? Don't they all look the same?
I really should keep a list handy.
Off the top of my head...
1) underneath that "fabulous" reading room, on the lower level, is loads of space that would be hard to recyle for any other use. In the real world, you pay for office space by the square foot. Ask to be admitted to the area (even what you can see from the circulation desk) and then tell me that there isn't a lot of wasted space. Located here at one end of the library is the second elevator which can only be accessed by those in this area. True they can move returned items upstairs but they could also do so were the second elevator located next to the one you do know about -- which is just by the circulation desk or at the midpoint of the building's length which means that items will get returned to the children's area or the adult section stacks --equidistant from this midpoint.
2) public water fountain on lower level located in the meeting room not outside
3) you like computers in a modern library, so do I. Let's you and I start a library, let's see we'll buy 500 computers (probably twice the amount Greenburgh has) @ $500 each (being generous as we're not paying for gaming graphics and speed) and the cost is $250,000. Now we have $19.6+ left to spend, what should we do?
4) children's area -- here we need to keep in front of us the idea that toddlers and children are smaller versions of our middle-aged selves and don't have our middle-aged paunches to show, in general by being being smaller they take up less space so when you see the enormous amount of floor space given over to these areas you have to think why are you paying well over $250 for each of these square feet? and when the schools AND the TDYCC have after school programs, i.e. Xposure and the Library is closed on Sundays.
5) on the way to the children's area (upstairs by stairway or elevator) and enroute to the children's room think $250 a foot as you go forward, looking left and right.
6) if you're a daddy and need to use the men's room on the second floor, don't turn around to say hello if you're using the urinal because everyone outside can see you...
7) the ramp that only Sheehan loves, check out the stained stainless steel siderails -- and the paint job -- but also ask yourself, how is the snow removed?
8) ever been in that fabulous reading room when the sun is shining in? great view looking out though -- if Staples and the highway is your thing -- cost of glass walls vs brick, about 30% more plus window washing
9) isn't the real library, the one that people use just that section located downstairs
10) the ground floor "multipurpose" room, for the Library of the future which was promoted pre-Referendum as a cultural center, doesn't it look like just a largish meeting room. As a place to present culture: movies, plays, readings, musical performances...well if that's what you expected then you'll have to move to Ossining to use their new Library's (same architect) space because they got banked seating, theater style seats, raised stage, maybe even a projection booth and all we got is a room WITHOUT a mechanical room divider so more than one group can use it at a time.
part deux
11) how about the now hopefully dry entrance -- did they expect to host 20 people at a time here (think $250 a foot and then once inside add all the wasted space under the stairwell)
12) now behind that wonderful computer training area on the ground floor is still more back office space, for the non-circulation people including the Library Director who is never seen because her ranch is located here where only employees may tread as is more office space, the spacious employee break room and across the hall is a conference room situated only for staff use (and the Trustees) because the conference table in the Library Director's office won't accommodate 16 nor will the upstairs Assistant Library Director's office nor the upstairs Reference Office...
13) in the area of #12 is also the old loading dock receiving area because now it doesn't receive anymore because the destination for incoming is the circulation area under the reading room at the other end of the building. don't worry, the Library is using this space to store its boxed up collection of cassettes and probably 8 tracks and vhs tapes.
19 - 100) etc. etc. etc.
Do you get the idea yet? Sure it's new and it's bigger and you think we got a great library -- that's what the Library Board and the Town Board are counting on.
But ask yourself this honestly: do you think you are qualified to judge whether you got a great new $20+ million library? What if I said that it's a great new $17 million Library. That should give you an idea of where I'm coming from.
Hal, Hal, Hal. It's not that you would be a dissenter on the Board. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one's perspective) - you are not privy to every single conversation that goes on this town on every individual board. So because you don't know every detail you seem to fill in the blanks and assume there is no dissent on ANY WORKING BOARD OR COMMITTEE in this town. Let's try to agree that - no one is that naive. The issue is not that an idividual would dissent - the issue is that an individual has presented themself as such a belligerent and confrontational person that no one would want to work with them. End of story with a small post script - maybe there's something at the TDYCC that you could work on? Or the ethics committee? If you reach out maybe they will take you with open arms.
Hal -
You just hate the library board! And why are you looking at men using the urinal in the mens room?
I don't hate the Library Board. I love that they are incompetent. This in turns gives me something to do.
What I do know is that no one is contradicting my points, observations, whatever...just that I shouldn't be making them.
And 4:41, whom do you think has three complaints being taken up by the Ethics Board. One guess.
Sam,
You seem to have an extraordinary easyness to call people incompetent. What about you!
You chicken-out when Feiner offered you to be appointed to the Library board.
Your excuse to refuse the appointment?
You choose to engage in your endless non-sense diatribes about the town, do something for real.
We have enough "I told you so" talkers walking the streets, so far, that includes you!
Have you sent a letter to the town for consideration of one of those appointments? Will you refuse again.
All you write is about all others do is wrong.
Now, you know how to make it right, only you know right. Do not wait....
Don't you see something funny with that!!!
All your pointed wrongs could have been avoided if you were working on them with decission making power, isn't it!
Or are you going to find some other excuse, why you cannot do a lick to solve all other people' wrongs!
Again, what are you waiting for!
I know, it is going to be more of the same, easy whinning instead of stepping up to the plate!
Really, you are getting tiring!!!
Regards,
Richard
Hal,
You live so much in the past that perhaps you should build a Time Machine and stay there. Then you can fix every wrong done per your eyes.
You still miss the point that you are TOO MUCH of an angry man to make ANY point of yours come across with substance.
I always thought there were three types of people in this world:
1. Those who make things happen
2. Those who watch things happen
3. Those who wonder what happened
You have added a forth to this list:
4. Those who just complain about everything that happens
i thought there were two types of people
those who give heart attacks and those who get them
Is there anybody out there who wants to refute my statements or just that I shouldn't be making them?
Here I am forcing all you to read what I write...disgraceful.
I must really be stepping on toes if even Richard!!!Garfunkle is getting concerned.
But I am confused; either people think I should be or I should not be on the Library Board. They say I can't be on it because I won't go along with the Board; they say I'm not on it because I am not committed; they say tomato and I say tamato, let's call the whole thing off...
Perhaps since so many people are involved with how I should be acting there is one brave anonymous soul out there who can point out my errors or my own incompetence. I think I've done a pretty fair job documenting the Board's incompetence; now let's hear it from the other side.
Maybe I've got it all wrong and the blogger who lists four kinds of people forgot to add a fifth kind of person to his list:
there are those who just complain about those who complain and contribute nothing to either side.
With all this newfound support for the Library and its Board of Trustees, one might think that there will be a full house at Thursday night's Library Board meeting. Those wearing the paper bags and masks I'll assume to be the anonymous posters on this blog.
Hal you know what really pisses you off? No one cares about any of your points.
You've got no juice to get anything done.
But go ahead and keep on talking. At least it makes you happy.
hal
what can you expect from an electorate that tolerates juettner for 18 years and who allows her (a village resident) to be the liaison to the unincorporated library
ps - have you ever seen juettner in the library other than at ribbon cutting ceremonies?
pss - does juettner attend the library board meetings?
the voters are angry because they have been had
they are taking their anger out on the messenger who is bringing them the bad news
everyone knows the library is an architectural fiasco and a fiscal sinkhole
Samis can say whatever he wants - that's the whole point of our constitution. However, just because he says it, it doesn't mean it's true or accurate. All of his accusations are just that. He is not an engineer, he is not an architect, he is not a construction supervisor, he is not a librarian. He is a moron who thinks he knows everything and just likes to hear himself talk. He disrupts public meetings and loves to sway back and forth at the podium as though he is someone of importance or intelligence. He works for a family business taking up space...it's somewhere for him to go. He has no qualifications to be on the library board or any other board. He's just like Paul Feiner, he likes to be disruptive and divisive to deflect attention away from their true inadequacies.
To Hal:
Once again you miss the point. You could add much value to our town IF you chose to simply change your style. Use the Force, Luke.
To 618AM:
Any new building will have some quirks. Ask The Donald. Come into the now. And brins Hal with you. He is stuck in the past as well.
Hal, Hal, Hal. Not so sure you are actually a library user because I can't figure out when you have time to read considering the time you spend writing these dissertations. So here's a BRIEF refute:
Your point #1 - issue with space downstairs. Huh? I guess you think it's better to pack people in on the first floor? You lack a basic understanding of the aesthetics of space and the feeling of openness that can only enhance the peaceful feeling a library should provide - which in turn promotes usage, participation and support from the community.
Point 4 - the kid's section. This one is actually pretty funny. Not sure how you can have ENOUGH space for a bunch of active toddlers and kds to move around in and explore. Spend a little more time with kids and maybe you'll realize that they don't sit in one spot for 2 hours. Allowing kids to move around while experiencing the library will only enhance their experience - one they will take to adulthood to SUPPORT libraries and their importance to a community.
Point 7 - the most amusing of all. How indeed will the snow be removed? I think Greenburgh has a snowblower or 2 or 3, plus some salt that will remove the snow. If not, we're hoping that you sign up for snow angels this year and can actually contribute something to the town.
And as far as the ethics board is concerned - my earlier point to you was not whether you had a complaint with them - but rather that if you're so interested in serving on ANY board, OFFER YOUR SERVICES TO THEM as a participant.
Dear 8:10,
In reverse order.
I attend Ethics Board meetings and the Board members who tolerate and benefit from my "fifth wheelness" apparently don't have the same problem with me as does the Library Board. As for volunteering to be on the Ethics Board, what would you say are my chances to be appointed by the Town Board to serve when:
1) on my initiation, Feiner returned a $500 contribution from the Manocherian family
2) on my initiation Feiner is returning $250 from the Dengler family but I am holding out for punitive damages
3) in progress is my ethics complaint against Feiner for a accepting a contribution from newly appointed Library Board member Saez
4) in progress is my ethics complaint against Sheehan and Madden for soliciting and accepting consideration from applicants before the Town
I don't generally publicize these matters because they don't invoke the same strong responses as the Library.
Point 7) of course the Town has a snow blower but in the configuration of the ramp and its containment walls, the blower must blow the snow into its own path ahead or where it has already been.
Not a serious issue but amusing.
Probably an outside elevator could have been built for the same dollars.
Points 1 and 4) We built a Library too big and it isn't going to grow into the extra space in the future as the high water mark is already behind us. People have noted that patrons are using the computers more and the hard copy circulation figures appear to support this. While Kindle readers are not yet as widely used as the other devices, the acceptance period for new electronics is shortening as more and more people familiarize themselves with their use and more and more information and entertainment is received from a screen rather than a hard copy. The traditional book shelf Library is clearly vanishing and as operating budgets around the County seem to denote, the counter measure by the Libraries is to reduce hours or close on given days. So, whatever size the Library is means nothing if it is closed.
But given the marching orders to build a 46,000 foot Library, the manner in which these 46,000 feet are laid out becomes the problem because using the space more efficiently, or adding new uses, is limited because the current space configuration makes other uses near impossible.
FYI, I mostly addressed the back office circulation area which is not your discussion: "You lack a basic understanding of the aesthetics of space and the feeling of openness that can only enhance the peaceful feeling a library should provide - which in turn promotes usage, participation and support from the community". How does this relate to the lower level space under the reading room?
Another try at the "straw man" argument?
The circulation area under the reading room is a long rectangle (there's more behind the office area but even more unusable). It is the width of the space that creates the adaptability problem. It is not wide enough to accomodate two perpendicular "offices or desks" side by side because the "hallway" (aisle) which runs along its length is too wide. With an additional five feet of width, the entire space could be put to alternative and creative uses. Put another way, the desks where items are checked in and sorted require crossing the extra wide aisle to get to the wall shelves where they are collected before taken to the shelves or to other WLS members. So either smaller or larger would serve the needs more effectively and efficiently.
continued
By the addition of the extra feet, the entire Library Administration could have comfortably occupied this area. but there was no need because they are spaciously housed on the other side of the building and upstairs because there simply isn't any other use for the space. I have suggested emptying out the offices of the Library Director, the Assistant to the Library Director et al, (moving some of them upstairs in new glass walled cubicles against the glass walls overlooking the lower level and renting their empty spaces to a tenant with some synergy (they can even have their own entrance) The Elmsford side of the lower level Library would only retain the meeting room and the computer training room while the remainder could be absorbed elsewhere. This income which I suggest could bring in about $75-80,000 a year would help the Library keep open. Not a perfect plan, not a staggering amount but I need start with the box that Howard Jacobs built.
And as little as the $75,000 appears, it outshadows any total from all of the Trustees schemes to raise money from patron's pockets, i.e. reserve fees, renting the meeting room for $75.
As a bonus, it wouldn't be so bad as to let the patrons and taxpayers see their Library Director at work inside the building instead of allowing her to hide in an area where the public is not allowed -- and enter and leave unnoticed through the side entrance.
As for the children's area, another example of how the space can't be used for other purposes due to the noise factor from kids. It is as huge as it is not because children require more space but because parents will use the Library as playground/daycare cum drop-off zone. Is this why the Library was expanded? And guess what, even little kids are early adaptors of computers for learning and entertainment. The future of those books is even more shortened as younger generations are weened by computers. In short, even by a generous measure, the area has too much space but again what else is new.
By the way, you have chosen and responded mostly about opinions, substituting yours for mine.
Next.
Town Board liaisons are a joke and truly a waste of their time. I don't understand what the Town Board really does. They spend their time interviewing each and every candidate being considered for the various boards & commissions. Wouldn't their time be better spent just visiting the meetings of these boards once in a while? They also hold these interviews in Executive Session so the public has no knowledge of who is being considered. They don't talk to the chairs of these boards for input with regard to potential candidates. They have idea what qualifications they should be looking for. Every board is different.
If the Town Board wants to know how the boards & commissions operate all they have to do is read the minutes of each of those boards/commissions or attend a meeting. To interview every candidate is a rediculous waste of their time. They should be overseeing Town operations-they wouldn't need to bring in a volunteer (deputy supervisor) to do their work. Who will supervise this volunteer? What is the liability to the Town? Will this person have access to personnel files? To legal files? Bad idea.
If they think a deputy supervisor is needed perhaps they should think about a part-time Supervisor and a full-time Town Manager. That would make more sense.
Hal,
The Library is old news...move on already. You're beating a dead horse over the head. If you don't like the current library board then you should submit your resume to the Town for consideration when the next expired terms becomes available. Put up or shut up.
Town Board work sessions at 9:15 AM? I need to work in order to pay my Town taxes. I can't attend a meeting at 9:15. I was told the meetings were changed to the morning so that Paul Feiner could pick up his daughter from camp in the afternoon. GIVE ME A BREAK! Can't he afford a babysitter like the rest of us? I have to be inconvenienced so that he doesn't have to pay a sitter? Is every employee at Town Hall allowed to change their schedule to accomodate their young children? NOPE - Only the overpaid supervisor has the luxury of coming and going as he pleases and changing public meetings to suit his personal schedule.
Dear "Put Up" at 10:27,
Am I spoiling your day?
Which Board(s) do you serve on?
The Library "madness" is not without purpose. Just keep the faith and wait a few months. There is something major percolating and I'm merely stoking the fire.
Be patient and its not the Library's (Foundation) Fall Fundraiser that I'm alluding to.
Maybe the sun will come up tomorrow.
Hal-
Shouldn't you be at work?
Does you boss know that you are blogging all day??
Or are you home in your boxers and black socks???
Dear 11:47
That was NOT a good visual.... I lost my cookies....
Hal: you forgot the greatest irony of all: in this immense moon base of a library, the circulation desk is tiny and inadequate. I'm sure I'm not the only patron irritated that I can't return materials and get a receipt confirming that they were returned on time because the desk is too small. (On the plus side, however, the library hasn't asked me to pay my late fines yet.) That's one area where the old library was far better.
BTW, why is it the medicore towns with crummy schools like Greenburgh and Ossining are so concerned about building "statement" libraries while Scarsdale makes due with an antiquated old structure?
add crummy careerists like diana juettner.
hal - does she even attend library board meetings?
Diana does attend the meetings, often even near the start -- unless there's a big deal brewing at the monthly Greenburgh Democrats meeting in Ardsley which often follows the same schedule.
Does she participate?
With the same enthusiasm and wisdom she brings to Town Board meetings.
Why hasn't Paul posted this on the blog? haha. craigslist:
SCIENCE GEEK/TEACHER NEEDED FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM P/T (GREENBURGH/WHITE PLAINS)
Date: 2009-07-22, 12:27PM EDT
Reply to: job-hyfxs-1283081022@craigslist.org
XPOSURE FOUNDATION INC. SEEKS A SCIENCE GEEK/NERD/TEACHER TO TEACH CHILDREN IN GRADES K-8 BY WAY OF EXPERIMENTS. LOTS OF FUN, INTERESTING, ENGAGING AND SKILLS RICH HANDS ON EXPERIMENTS. IF YOU JUST WANT TO LECTURE THIS IS NOT THE JOB FOR YOU. WE WANT EXPLODING VOLCANOS, GOOP, GOP, SOLAR PANELS, FROG DISSECTING AND ALL THAT FUN STUFF.
IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH BOOKS WRITTEN BY FAMED KIDS SCIENCE AUTHOR VICKI COBB THAT IS A PLUS FOR YOU!!
YOU MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! YOU MUST ALSO BE CREATIVE! IF YOU ARE BORING, DULL, OR LACKLUSTER, DON'T APPLY!!! IF YOU ARE NOT A SELF STARTER, DON'T APPLY!!! IF YOU CAN NOT BE AVAILABLE STARTING IN SEPTEMBER AFTER SCHOOL AT LEAST 3 DAYS PER WEEK DON'T APPLY!
YOU MUST POSSESS COMMON SENSE AND A SPARKLING CLEAN RECORD. A BACKGROUNG CHECK THAT INCLUDES FINGERPRINTING AND A SEARCH OF THE OFFENDERS REGISTRY WILL BE CONDUCTED BEFORE YOU ARE CLEARED TO WORK WITH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.
THE PROGRAM IS LOCATED IN GREENBURGH/WHITE PLAINS
XPOSURE HAS BEEN FEATURED IN: NYTIMES, JOURNAL NEWS, ABC'S EYEWITNESS NEWS, SCHOLASTIC NEWS MAGAZINE.
NOW HERE IS THE KEY...AGAIN, HERE IS THE KEY...PLEASE FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T I PROMISE WE WILL NOT CONSIDER YOU FOR EMPLOYMENT. VISIT THE FOLLOWING TWO WEBSITES www.xposureschools.com/greenburgh and www.xposureschools.com. REVIEW XPOSUREKIDSTV AND XPOSUREKIDSRADIO. READ TWO OF THE STORIES LOCATED ON THE UPPER LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SITE AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK. SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS ALONG WITH A RESUME. AGAIN, SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER REVIEWING THE WEBSITES ALONG WITH YOUR RESUME.
JOB DESCRIPTION BELOW:
Xposure Foundation Inc.
Science Teacher Description
Position Summary
An Xposure Science Teacher's primary responsibility is to ensure the academic and social development of interns participating in the Xposure Program. As the science teacher you are responsible for developing and implementing an appropriate science curriculum in the field of science and providing interns with program and curricular continuity throughout the summer and/or academic year.
Reports to
Program Manager/Program Coordinator
Major Responsibilities and Duties
• Ensure the academic and social development of a group of students throughout the summer and/or academic year.
• Ensure that academic and social goals are achieved for all students.
• Tutor students and help them to master the Xposure Science, Technology, Finance, Employment and Xposure Homework Help curriculum.
• Research and develop a science curriculum based on Xposure’s philosophy and mission and the steps of the Scientific Method: Question, Research, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Results and Conclusion.
• Develop, implement and oversee a variety of interesting, engaging and skills rich science initiatives including but not limited to: Fun Science book of experiments, Fun Science XKidsTV show, Saving Our World internet radio show, Green Team (recycling).
• Teach students work ethic by role modeling Xposures’ work/life ethic philosophy known as the 6C’s (Commitment, Communication, Choices, Courtesy, Compromise, Control).
• Recognize and reward student effort and good behavior.
• Monitor student attendance.
• Develop group and individual goals for assigned students.
• Maintain student academic portfolio and submit to the Education Director/Program Manager as required.
• Document observations of the students and complete all required Progress Reports and weekly student XSCAAPE online evaluations.
• Administer Xposure science, technology, finance and employment quizzes and assessments as scheduled.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with the parents/guardians and day school teachers of assigned students including updating and maintaining ALL online Xposure XSCAAPE and other related accounts.
• Develop strong relationships with parents by participating in parent orientations, parent open houses, connecting daily at pick-up time, calling parents to encourage participation in celebrations or Xposure initiatives, organizing workshops, community dinners, or other events that increase Xposure parent’s connection to and involvement in their child’s education and well being.
• Maintain classroom supplies.
• Assist in program/classroom set up and breakdown each day including but not limited to: Snacks, Attendance, Setup/Breakdown of Smartboards, Computers, Projectors and all other equipment and supplies.
• Assist with planning, setup, preparation, delivery and cleanup of breakfast, lunch, snack and other student and/or family dining activities.
• Assist on all Field Trips with students.
• Assist with daily dismissal including but not limited to: monitoring and supervising students during dismissal, proper parent/child sign in/out, serving as bus monitor.
• Attend all scheduled Staff Meetings.
• Report any and all incidents of abuse, neglect, harassment, or injury relating to students or staff immediately and in the following order to the Program Manager, Organizational Director, Executive Director, Education Director, or program designee.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Relevant BA/BS college degree preferred. NYS Teacher Certification preferred. At least 2 years experience working with school age children. Computer literacy required. A self starter with a passion to help mold our young people into successful, productive members of society. Background check and fingerprinting required according to Dept. of Education standards.
Location: GREENBURGH/WHITE PLAINS
Compensation: $15HR - $25HR DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE
There are 2 more open positions listed on craigslist as well for Xposure.
Pretty good pay too!
Does Councilperson Sonja Brown have any clue as to what she is being paid for? She voted along with Feiner, Juettner & Sheehan to appoint Alan Hochberg as Deputy Supervisor. I have several concerns:
1. Shouldn't a "deputy" be an elected official; aka - one of the elected councilpersons?
2. In the event of serious illness or death does the "deputy" become "supervisor"?
3. Does this person have access to all Town files and documents?
4. Does the Town have insurance to protect itself against litigation that might arise due to the actions of this "deputy".
5. Why wasn't this volunteer position offered at large? There might actually be a retired or unemployed efficiency expert in the Town who might be more qualified for this position.
6. If we need someone to oversee efficiency perhaps we should consider a part-time Supervisor and full-time Town Manager.
7. Will the town present us with a real budget prior to the primary or will they do what they did in 2007 - present us with a budget in September and then increase it by more than 7% to 21% just before the election.
8. Talk about rubber stamps! Feiner once again has them all in his pocket. Sheehan and Juettner - shame on you both! How do you sleep at night? Morgan - has a gun strapped to his ankle - hmmm - maybe he really is Feiner's "muscle"!
That's really funny! I saw Hal Samis walking on North Washington Avenue in his shorts, black socks and sandals!
Hal, keep doing what your doing. We need more people getting involved in this idiotic Town. It's too bad I can't sell my house because nobody wants to pay such high taxes or else I would gladly say goodbye.
Samis keep doing what you are doing,,,,You are the only one with you know what to attack all the goings on in this town.
You give us plenty of knowledge that I am sure will bring to light how this town has been robbing the residents.
The fun has not started but we owe a lot to you for giving us the know how to go about in bringing out the truth.
Will we have a mass exit who knows.?????
The board must know that there is much ill rest in this town which is like a volcano ready to errupt.
The board was warned many times but they set things aside well it's not going to happen again.
The ball is in our ball park now.
all aggrieved by the town board assemble at presser park/webb field with hammers and lets strike down that hideous wall used as a backstop for all the career politicians
let the liberation begin!
Anon 6:10 PM
The definition of involved by Merriam Webste :
1: involute, twisted
2 a: marked by extreme and often needless or excessive complexity b: difficult to deal with because of complexity or disorder
3: being affected or implicated
Yes, that define Samis!!!!
I wonder.......
Did Hal get too much soap in his mouth growing up.... or NOT ENOUGH.
I never look forward to his antics as the are disruptive and unproductive. Somehow this town survives in spite of him... NOT because of him. Shame on ANY town official who would support appointing him to ANY board. No work would be accomplished..... and he could NEVER work with a team where one needs to support the decisions of that team.
What is the constant problem with the sound of the televised town board meeting and work sessions. I have tried to watch for over a year now and nothing has changed It sounds like they are either in a hollow hole, or you can’t hear a word they are saying. The planning board meetings do not seem to have a problem .Why can’t someone on the board find out what the planning board is doing and follow suit?. I have contacted Ms Beville and found no help SOMEONE PLEASE DO SOMETHING
Apparently no one takes me seriously other than the anonymous bloggers who have nothing else to write about. Seems like the waste of effort they're accusing me of but let's deal with some new stuff.
And when you see a ? that's a sign to write an answer. Think: interactive blog.
Xposure
Interesting that they're hiring.
What does Ray Thomas know that the residents don't? What I know is that the Xposure contract expired, so on what basis is Xposure making plans for next year? Maybe what Ray knows is that he's going to get a renewal again with no competitive bidding. Just what we need in another year with rising taxes. Looks like the Arts Council dame will be back too because whatever Fairview wants, the bucks are spent there.
But more to the point, can anyone suggest a reason why the Town Board is not saying a word about renewing the Xposure Contract? I'm sure that it isn't because they forgot...
As for the new "Deputy Supervisor", did Francis Sheehan really go along with that?
It seems like only yesterday when a pre-dais Sheehan told Feiner that there is no such position as a Deputy Supervisor in Town law. What a difference a dais makes. But don't be alarmed; no one can replace the Supervisor, he's one of a kind.
Kevin carries a gun? I thought he killed by smile. I know he's killing taxpayers with his double dipping by accepting and collecting the insurance buyout. Maybe he could be the one person with a disability who would use the ramp at the Library. Maybe he would then even be eligible for a stipend.
Finally, come to the Library Trustees meeting tomorrow. See Juettner sit. This fall watch her collect another four years of pay and benefits for sitting on the taxpayers. Can't make the Library Board, how about the Board of Ethics which meets next Wednesday night at Town Hall -- they'll be a reeeely big shew.
Attention Yonkers, Bronx, Scarsdale swimmers. The Town Pool will be open this weekend.
Anyone remember when the Town bought Hillside Avenue for around $140 a square foot but Feiner said the Town got such a good buy because it was really worth $20 million or about $440 a foot? Time to write down the assets before even thinking about selling the remaining $12 million of Library bonds. The recent sale in "Ardsley (SD)" of the 400,000 square feet of buildings for $27 million -- that works out to $68! a foot. Aha, they're not coming here afterall because we're the
80th best place to live in the world (ok, we're not included in the free world) but because Greenburgh is the home of the blue light special; four years vacant and no one else but the County (at over $100 a foot for the dump next door -- how so Mr. Spano?) wants to fill our vacant space and fill our jobs, jobs, jobs galore. Anyone recall any statements why OSIP chose Greenburgh over what competition? Maybe because they heard about Samis?
Anyone heard from Pat Weems? I heard she was being advised by Suzanne Berger. Golly the Feiner team must be shaking in their bike pedals.
Any baseball fans out there? What do you think of those Metz? I know some people who are Madden than hell...but it's alright Mama, we got the Greenburgh blues again.
I understand that based on the rumor that Michael Jackson once passed within 25 miles of Greenburgh, that Andrea S. Cousins is going to have Tarrytown Road renamed Michael Jackson Trail.
Can you Beat it?
What has Xposure morphed into a science program? Why are they hiring when their contact has expired. Why is the town in the education business?
When will this madness end?
Do something productive....
http://www.reformnygov.com/for_citizens.html
hal
regarding madden
he gotta go now
otherwise we fall to pieces
but can we live in world without juettner?
The problem with the audio is that the town board doesn.t want all the residents to hear what crazy things they are passing at either the work session or town board meetings.
It is a disgrace the this goen on.
Theyblame the cable compan ies but I do think that they need a professioal person running the system.
When you do receive the video which is getting less and less the only thing that is needed a person who speaks sign language so maybe some handicaped person can understand what is going on.
We pay a lot of money for cable but the program that explains to us how our town government is failing ..we cannot hear the audio.
Ella Preiser should run for Supervisor.
Too late for new candidates - maybe we can work on a "write-in" campaign...Ella for Supervisor!
Is it just my imagination or
is crime on the rise in Greenburgh?
Go to lohud.com, Greenburgh stories and judge for yourself.
Maybe the Chief needs less cops doing EMS or training for SWAT or teaching kids how to make lanyards at summer camp and more on patrol.
Or maybe those understaffed Village police departments need to stop borrowing from the Bank of Unincorporated Greenburgh and incur some added personnel expense of their own.
See, there's lots of things beside the Library's failings to point out.
I read today that New Rochelle gave one of its Police unions a 3.5% raise for 2008 and a 3.75% raise for 2009. Both are retroactive. In the same breath they are asking the CSEA union for concessions to cope with the city's sluggish financial projections. They must be just as stupid as Greenburgh who gave their Police a 4.1% for 2009 and a 0% to the CSEA. And don't forget those fine living out of town officers get a discount on everything they buy from the merchants in town fearing reprisal if they don't give it to them.
Well, our police certainly aren't reading the news. As i was stuck in traffic this morning just 9 A.M. waiting to make a left off of Central Ave, I watched a police officer parked in front of the Catholic Church stop, for no apparent reason, a young black man on a bike and demand his identification. Let's hope we have insurance for the inevitable racial profiling based lawsuits that are just a matter of time.
Dear Rev. Sharpton - how do you know whether or not the officer had reason to stop the person?
Did you ever stop to think that maybe JUST maybe a crime was committed and the perp got away on a bicycle.
Stop with this bull crap. Let the police do their job.
How about going to police headquarters and seek that police person out to see if he had racial motives.
Get a life for yourself and stop taking any opportunity to start a racial incident.
What each one of us should do on election day instead of pushing levers we should take a pen and write in whomever we feel should be elected.
A miracle could happen by doing this Feiner would not get enough votes to be elected.
Yes Ella would make a great supervisor,because she knows town government from the bottom up but above all she is honest
It's too late to have anyone put on the ballot but there is nothing stopping you from a write in..
With regards to Presser Park/Webb
Field. Although the citizens were
outraged with illegal gambling during volley ball games by non residents who can't pay the $20.00 permit because a resident must pay for the permit.The sudden decline shows that many can wage large bets on games they play in the park, but can't pay the small fee...food and lot's of drinks including alcohol was affordable, but not the respect to the "residents" who pay for the clean up and repairs. The elimination of over trampled fields and the eradication of the overwhelming invasion of many non residents is a welcome long awaited change. We are spending less money on maintaining it's over use and abuse. The residents weren't the ones who removed non residents,
it was the P& R advisory board.
Too many bloggers criticize without the facts. Too many are attacking people and not real thissues. Drinking and sports at
Greenburgh taxpayers expense has been eliminated. This is a small victory. Thank you to all of those
people responsible for this change.
Change is just a word-action cures.
Samis Rocks-your Kissing up is
pathetic, stop jumping on someone
elses train. P a t h e t i c!!!!
S a d, S a d. S i c k l y S a d.
It's disturbing to read about the
possibility of Hal applying for
the Library Board. A stick in the
mud stays in one spot. As for public office, bi-polar behavior and flippant behavior is not acceptable. The
public doesn't like it and doesn't want to deal with it...Boards are
for people who really want to contribute, not cause riots or put people down. Those people who support him must have caught the
intelligent Dr. Jekyll, which Hal is from time to time, not the
demonic resurfacing Mr.Hyde. Yes Samis has a committee of negative
cheerleaders who overlook his demonic degrading tone and disgusting treatment of people, but that won't carry enough votes.
As defined by Webster's new world dictionary:
gripe-to cause distress, to cause
sharp pain; to annoy;sharp pain in
the bowels.
debase-to make lower in value, dignity.
fatigue-exhaustion;weariness
Words in a sentence:
Hal uses too many gripes to debase
individuals and he causes fatigue,
not solutions.
Was someone here criticizing the removal of non-residents from Presser park? I must have missed that or was a post removed?
It took years of complaining to get any action. What was going on there was illegal, disruptive, damaging and costly.
It's mind boggling that the town allowed it to go on for so long. I often wonder. What's the magic number of complaints that needs to be made before steps are taken? 100? 200? 1000? Years waiting to take action? 2? 5? 10?
Had this happened in any other part of town it would have been put to an end swiftly.
Paul Who the hell do you think you are in allowing your author to write such lies concerning consolidation of the fire departments?
How can you take the report of a police chief {who by the way has no use for the fire department and an assessor that does not want to do her job but is still getting a good paycheck],
You above all people have never had the gift of being an excellent scribe so you employed a writer to put all that you want into articles that are and have been complete lies.
Again you have some nerve in .
trying to get rid of another service that WE pay for .
Why don't you attack the police department for their poor performance during the recent Hastings Hostage Situation where Kapica's legions were scared to enter the household and allowed three of the four suspects to escape?
By the way how much do you pay your writer????????
Attention =====
Could it be that our tax dollars are being used by our dear supervisor to pay for a writer to make up newspaper articles for the Scarsdale Inquirer.
We all know that he {Feiner] does not have the brains to put one sentence together non the less an article that takes up more than a half page.
We should investigate this as soon as possible.
Paul Feiner's fiscal policies have bankrupt the Town. Whenever a resident would complain (see Danny Gold) about a potential development, Paul would move swiftly and purchase the property in question (see Taxter Ridge). The doomed financial procedure of purchasing tax paying properties and then taking them off the tax rolls comes with long term consequences. The bill for this folly is now due. Two years of massive tax increases can not stem this trend so what does Paul intend to do? Sieze control of the fire departments so as to have access to their tax base. Paul has consistently demonstrated that he only cares about the next election cycle. This years' campaign will surely feature his tax-cutting proposal to consolidate the three fire districts. Ask yourself this question: What does Paul manage properly? Westhelp? Westhab? The Courts? The Sewer Districts? Each one has had issues surrounding it that have required a State Comptroller's Audit which has found the Town negligent or have caused citizens to contact other State Agencies to request criminal investigations. Ask yourself this question: Do you really want Paul and his cool-aid drinking minions to manage the fire districts? Would YOU want Paul Feiner in charge of the organization that is responsible for SAVING your life and the lives of YOUR FAMILY? Think about it ........
You Feiner-haters (yes, all 5 of you who post here) had two years to come up with a viable candidate to oppose Paul and once again failed. What happened to Hal's "big surprises" he promised back in the spring? It's going to be a another two years of Feiner (does a special pension kick in after 20 years?), so just deal with it. It's called Democracy - accept the will of the people and move on with your lives.
Its not Democracy, its DICTATORSHIP. Feiner has a warchest of over $100,000. Who could possibly match that? Feiner is systematically taking control of all aspects of Greenburgh. Commissioners who don't agree with him are eliminated from their Board's. Committees are created not based on intelligence or experience but rather political allegiance to Paul Feiner. Feiner's vision of Greenburgh is Orwellion in nature. 1984 here we come!
Anon 10:41 AM
Your exhibition of idiocy is magnanimous. I see thru my window your cart! Is that a burro pushing it or your inner wanna be sycophant!!
There is a New York state residency requirement for commissioners.
There once was a law requiring Greenburgh commissioners to be NY State residents. Mr. Feiner had that changed when he eliminated Kevin O'Neill and promoted Al Regula.
Feiner needs to go. WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN THIS YEAR FOR AN HONEST, INTELLIGENT SUPERVISOR...ELLA PREISER!
dont waste your time
ella preiser is a nice lady but she lives in the past. she has no vision other than the rear view mirror. she has always been a fan of francis sheehanigans and now we see what a spineless fraud he is.
she has no answers to the town's problems. she has no interest in running for office let alone serving.
if you want to run candidates for town wide office you have to start running 2 years before the election not two months.
Paul Feiner is in control of All boards and commissions. If you disagree with him, if you speak truth to power, if you do not follow through on his cock-a-manie instructions, you are out. There is no democracy in Greenburgh. Look at the list of former supporters,commissioners,running mates gone because they challenged his ineptness deceitfulness: Bass,Barnes,Madden,Williams,Perry,
Weinberg, to name a few. Watch out Carey, Brown and Reynolds 'cause you should know that he is vindictive, and that your days are numbered no matter how well the job is done. He's got his eyes on you.His fall out is littered with salt and pepper -- but mostly pepper.
Eastchester Comptroller Ann Marie Berg earned $147,813 last year, which ranked her first on the town's municipal payroll.
7/24/2009 4:51 PM
Your innuendo is worth nothing.
Listen: nothing.....
Bunch of sore losers.
Yeah run a write-in campaign...that will be a fun one to watch!!!
To all of you "courageous/anonymous"Samis trashers:
If you bothered to eliminate his byline, and simply read all of his well researched and documented points,you would thank him (unless you are one of the people screwing us) for his time,energy and intelligent information.
Are you all masochists? Aren't you too paying a 31% tax hike? Doesn't the goings on from the members of the "Dais," give you a clue as to their incompetence?
Why shoot the messenger?
This town is !#@&ED up, and if you don't realize it, ignorance is bliss.
Someone asked about incompetence vs. malfeasance. My answer is: if the incompetence results in money out of the taxpayers' pockets, it's just like "stealing." If the seeming incompetence adds to a campaign warchest...
To 7/21 5:59PM: I too have three categories of people:
(1) those who kick butt,
(2) those who kiss butt, and
(3) those who constantly keep pulling splinters out of their butt.
We all know which category you fit in, don't we "Woody."
This is one worthless blog. Feiner & his ghost writers must be having a good laugh on you. Move on.
TO Ed:
You never surrise me and also never cease to disappoint me with your lack of understanding. You and Hal easily fit in bed together with similar issues of refusing to accept another's beliefs. SHAME ON YOU.....
And there seems to be one more category you left out - one in which YOU fit.... one who constantly requires their butt surgecally removed from their mouth,
7/25 4:52PM
Please elucidate.What in my posting(s) indicates that I "lack understanding?"
Why would I have to accept others' beliefs from people who believe the world is flat; man never walked on the moon, it was trick photography and similar 100% wrong beliefs?
Please be kind enough to be more specific about what I don't accept, but should.
What specifically do I not understand and help me to change my mind.
Finally, I have heard of "surgically removing a foot from the mouth," but a butt? You may be the one who lacks understanding. Understanding of the human anatomy.
Oh yes, talking about the human anatomy, why don't you have the gonads to use your real name when trashing someone?
People like you NEVER surprise me. COWARDS are always emboldened when wearing white sheets,quivering in dark corners, or having surrogates do their dirty work.
You're a pathetic excuse for a human being. Stay anonymous, that's all you're good for.
7/22 10:27AM
The library may be "old news," but the squandering of more than $20,000,000, is "a boo-boo that keeps on taking."
Unfortunately, your attitde is the prevailing one. The memory of the voter is shortlived. That's why incumbants who even do dasturdly things get re-elected, again and again and again.
If more politicians were forced to run on their records, the 95+% of returning incumbants to office would drop like the New Year's Eve ball in Times Square.
The Library fiasco should be front page news until the "architects" of that disaster gettheir just desserts.
I don't know about you, but I see the Greenburgh taxpayer STILL GETTING SCREWED. Change orders for work that was done without Board approval, or redo's of goofs not of the Town's doing are being signed off on, UNCONSCIONABLY.
Do you think it's right?
Lordy, lordy, "Big Dick" is back aftr licking his wounds from his abject failure to screw the White Plains Democratic Party. And, this is not his first at bat.
For a smart man, and I really believehe is a smart man, so closely tied to our supervisor, under oath "Big Dick" would without question have to agree that incompetance in Greenburgh goverment runs rampant...starting at the top.
We have to excuse RG for accusing Hal Samis (not Sam, whoever he is) of not "stepping to the plate." Hal has devoted countless hours and words on this blog to explain how he pu his name and resume in for consideration to fill a Library Board spot, and wasn't even given the courtesy of an acknowledgement, an interview or a lettr of rejection.
As to Feiner offering him an appointment to that Board, it's news to me. Knowing Hal, he would have jumped at it, and he would have been a tremendous asset.
Welcome back, "Big Dick." But please get up to spee on your Greenburgh info, so you don't make mistakes.
Edward
Ed in reference to:
"As to Feiner offering him an appointment to that Board, it's news to me. Knowing Hal, he would have jumped at it, and he would have been a tremendous asset."
Hal has said so in this blog.....Hal, isn't it!
What was the excuse given?
Ed Krauss was for the library expansion. Feiner was against the 20 million dollar expansion.
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