Town Supervisor Democratic Party Primary Preview- Tasha Young v Paul Feiner
Hello Everyone,
In today’s post I will be previewing the Democratic Party Primary race for Greenburgh Town Supervisor which has the potential to be the first contested Supervisor primary since 2013 (last year Lucas Cioffi ran as an independent candidate in the general election). Fifteen term (30 year) incumbent Paul Feiner faces a challenge from challenger Tasha Young, who seeks to become the first person of color and female to lead Greenburgh.
You may be asking why I would focus on a primary election that is scheduled for June and where neither candidate has even started the signature petition process. The answer gives us a glimpse into local party politics and the events that are unknown to most people that shape our choice of candidates for town-office ballots. On January 28th, both candidates will speak before the Greenburgh Democratic Party Committee seeking the endorsement of the party. That endorsement will be decided at the Town Democratic Party Convention on February 18th. Some information for those who may not be familiar:
· Annual Convention? Just like the more high-profile political conventions that are held to select party candidates for President, a similar process happens at the local level. This year, the Greenburgh Town Party convention will be held virtually due to COVID-19 19.
· District Leaders? District leaders or (DL’s) are registered members of the party who represent the various election districts in the town. There are 81 election districts and 2 DL’s for each election district. These DL’s get a weighted vote towards endorsing candidates at the convention and a candidate must receive 50% of the weighted vote to be endorsed. District Leaders can vote for 1 or neither candidate so it is not a guarantee either candidate will receive the endorsement.
o Curious what ED you are in or who your DL is? Email me and I’m happy to tell you. I will also be posting the full list online shortly.
· Why is the endorsement important? Many reasons but two main reasons. The first is that as an endorsed candidate, the party will include you on their nominating petitions that are distributed to DL’s who canvass for signatures on behalf of candidates. It also allows the endorsed candidates for Town Board and other positions to campaign together and benefit from the infrastructure the local party leaders can provide. A tremendous advantage in fundraising, name recognition and even potential legal support.
In advance of this email, I sent written questions to both Ms. Young and Mr. Feiner and requested their on the record response. No biographies for today, those will come later. Not all of the important issues were covered, and I have edited some of the responses for length, but I believe this is a great introduction to where the candidates stand on some of the major local issues. If you are a district leader, hopefully this will help you formulate good questions to ask when the candidates present. If you are not a district leader, I encourage you to contact your district leader and advocate for your candidate of choice. As we get closer to the primary election, there will certainly be more coverage of the race here and elsewhere.
On Corona Virus and Vaccines:
While much of the focus on the Corona Virus response has been on the Federal and State response, local officials also play an important role. We have seen Mr. Feiner in action throughout the crisis communicating frequently the latest information via the town email list and while he’s erred at times (trying to give medical advice and recommending Hydroxychloroquine for example) it is situations like this where his responsiveness and limitless enthusiasm for being an elected official stand out. Since entering the race Ms. Young has also tried to do the same, sharing local information about COVID-19 via her newsletter. One of her most recent emails contained an abundance of local links and resources regarding all aspects of the Covid-19 impact and it was refreshing to hear this from a candidate for local office other than Paul, given the complete lack of any communication at all from Greenburgh’s four other Town Board members. While the two candidates certainly have their differences, they both agree that the town plays an important role in responding to the needs of the pandemic and it provides insight into the kind of approach they would take in the Supervisor role.
Regarding vaccines, both candidates were asked the very straightforward question “Do vaccinations cause Autism” and I appreciated that both candidates directly answered the question. Ms. Young kept it simple simply saying “No.” and Mr. Feiner responded with, “I believe the idea that vaccines cause autism, has been very well debunked and that the science is clear.” Their answers were a welcome contrast to that of some of our other elected officials.
On Edgemont Incorporation:
The potential incorporation of Edgemont into Greenburgh’s 7th village has hung in the air for the last several years with Edgemont incorporation advocates frustrated by their inability to get a scheduled referendum and the rest of the unincorporated residents fearing the impact of said incorporation on local taxes and services.
Ms. Young stated that she would “Go on a listening tour to learn how to properly address this issue, committing myself to hearing from the various communities in the town…..I would like to visit the Edgemont Community Council and get to know the issue better, and perhaps begin a study on who incorporation would help or hurt, and how.” While she said she wants to learn more, she clearly understands that the animosity between incorporation proponents and the Supervisor has only gotten worse over time stating, “Everyone is losing from this rift between the current Supervisor and the residents who feel disenfranchised.” Ms. Young pointed to her background as a Chief of Staff for a NYC Councilman and her experience there which she says taught her to engage a community, listen and be open to new information.
Mr. Feiner, not surprisingly, is fervently opposed to Edgemont incorporation saying, “I believe now, as I have believed from the beginning, that the proposed incorporation of Edgemont would not serve its residents well, generating unnecessary risk and incurring costly additional layers of government”. He went on to discuss the current status of NYS village law, where only residents of the proposed village get to vote on the matter and said that he planned to request from our NYS legislators, a change in NYS Village Law to grant all residents of the Unincorporated Town the right to vote in such a referendum, not just those in the proposed Village.
Both candidates were asked about the potential for negotiating shared services should the village be formed. Mr. Feiner said that “It is also abundantly clear, that even if the Town of Greenburgh were to be able to equitably negotiate a purchase of service agreement, should an elected Edgemont Village Board make such a request, for Police, EMS, DPW and Library, the remaining Un-incorporated Town of Greenburgh would be devastated by millions of dollars in lost revenue, which would be extremely difficult to replace and would result in diminished services. Ms. Young echoed a similar sentiment highlighting the potential impact to the Department of Community services as well as her concern about unintended consequences of such agreements that could result in the inequitable distribution of costs.
On the Theodore Young Community Center
I asked the candidates about the Theodore Young Community Center, also known as the Department of Community Resources and its future. I have argued that at the minimum, part of the budget for this Department should be paid for out of the Town Wide budget, with all residents contributing to its important programming. Considering recent economic instability due to COVID-19, and the looming threat of Edgemont Incorporation, I worry that funding for this department will be cut if it is not supported by the larger tax base of the entire Town. I asked the candidates if they agreed with that sentiment.
Ms. Young said that she would first look to expand the role of the Friends of the TDYCC foundation with a new outreach campaign. She wants to expand the size of the board and include village residents to unite the town and raise awareness for the critical needs the TDYCC meets. She wants to follow the model of the Westchester Parks Foundation as an example and try to replicate that in Greenburgh. Ms. Young believes this would mitigate the need to change the budget process but also said that if elected she would look closely at the matter to review the merits.
Mr. Feiner has been the Supervisor for decades so if this is something he wanted to do he would have tried by now and his comments reflected that stance saying, “At this juncture, there is no logic to, or consideration for transferring fiscal responsibility for the TDYCC to the A Budget.” He did not rule out the idea entirely however saying that “It is not inconceivable that in the future, if equitable, certain new or redesigned programs offered through the Center, which might be utilized by the entire Town, might be partially funded through the A Budget. He said should that occur he would look to work in cooperation with the Village Mayors and the public.
Quick Hitters
· Fire District Consolidation- Neither candidate was openly in favor of consolidation of the three professional fire districts that serve unincorporated right now with both suggesting the issue be studied in further detail. Ms. Young said that if a study determined it would benefit the town as a whole, she would consider it, write a resolution and bring it to the board for a vote but she would want to have an environmental impact study done first and also make sure there was no reduction in jobs or services. She curiously suggested a listening tour with Village officials (Villages provide their own fire service outside of the town) but correctly observed the many competing if not adversarial interests involved in such a decision and that any change would be complex. Mr. Feiner, noting his respect for first responders, leaned more in favor of consolidation as he questioned “whether we are best served by having extremely costly, separate administrations for each Fire District”. He noted in an oft repeated line of his when the subject is discussed that he had a hard time reconciling the idea that approximately 10% of each resident’s property taxes is spent for their Fire District where in contrast, all the services provided by the Town, (Police, EMS, DPW, Library, Parks….) account for approximately 15% of each resident’s property tax bill. I
· On Term Limits- Ms. Young noted she would “propose term limits for the Supervisor and board members” and suggested she would limit herself to 5-6 terms or 10-12 years. Mr. Feiner said that while he understands the arguments in favor of limiting elected officials, believes the relationships built through years of service are a valuable benefit of his time in office and said he does not agree term limits for Greenburgh officials is in the towns best interest.
· Marijuana- Ms. Young declined to take a position on whether marijuana should be legalized but noted her advocacy in 2019 for decriminalization. She was concerned about youth access as well as the potential for big business to shut out access to small and minority owned businesses. Mr. Feiner believes that the time for legalization of marijuana is inevitable in New York but says that any influx of tax dollars to local government is likely years away. He said he hopes the issue of where retail establishments will be located will remain the responsibility of local municipalities and that community input would be critical to the decisions he would make regarding zoning rules, taxes, and local permits.
· Town Manager- Neither candidate supports the hiring of a Professional Town Manager.
Hopefully, you have found this informative. Again, if you are a district leader, hopefully this will help you next week at the convention make an informed choice. If you are not a district leader, I encourage you to contact your District Leader and advocate for your candidate of choice. If you have questions about any of the above, please email me at Eric@ericzinger.com
Eric