Maplewood Public Hearing Scheduled, Hartsdale Parking Update and CD 17 Update
The Planning Board will have a Public Hearing on Maplewood Swim and Tennis on 3/18 so mark your calendar for that. Additional events are at the bottom of the page so read all the way through! Please forward this newsletter to your neighbors and friends and encourage them to subscribe.
Hartsdale Public Parking Authority
Couple of major announcements for HPPD
First, HPPD has rolled out mobile payment options for meters. You can still use quarters but the HPPD has partnered with "PassPort Parking, download on your phone, details on the announcement here.
The app has a 1 hour minimum and also a service charge for each transaction(.35 cents). I asked about the 1 hour minimum which seemed high as I know many people who run in and out of the village. A representative of the HPPD said "There are processing fees along with enforcement upgrades that needed to be budgeted for moving forward. The minimum payment of $1 is how we are able to ensure that these new and additional costs are being covered. The meters still accept quarters in the instance that someone doesn't want to use the app and pay the minimum fee." I recommended shortening the min time to 30 minutes.
Paul Feiner has called for expanding the Board of the HPPD from 3 to 7 individuals among other changes to the criteria for being eligible for the board. This would require state legislation. I asked Ken Jones, Town Councilman Liason to the HPPD for his thoughts on the proposed expansion of the HPPD Board. He told me "We are thinking that 7 would be the maximum number of commissioners so 5 would be an option. We would seek representation from the commuter class and the merchant class as well as relaxing the “home owner” requirement to allow renters possible representation on the board of commissioners." I agree with him about allowing renters as long as they can provide proof of primary residence.
Congressional District 17 Update
Most Greenburgh residents live in Congressional District 17 and with Nita Lowey's retirement, the campaign to fill her seat has been heating up. The Greenburgh Town Democratic Committee held a "mini convention" 2/19 where District Leaders selected 4 candidates to carry petitions for to get on the ballot. To be clear, this was not an endorsement of those 4 candidates. The 4 candidates DL's will be working to get on the ballot in order of votes received were David Buchwald, Mondaire Jones, Allison Fine, and Evelyn Farkas.
You can see how District Leaders voted here.
Dan Weinfeld of Hartsdale has started a blog that is covering the race and has already provided some great analysis. Read it here. I will be covering this race in more detail in an upcoming email dedicated exclusively to this topic.