Democratic Party Endorses Candidates, Village Home Rule Request, Condo Taxation Law Update and More
Hello Greenburgh,
Nothing like a Friday afternoon news dump on a holiday weekend but I wanted to send out some important updates. I hope everyone is doing well. Remember if there is something you think people should know about or want to write about please reach out to me at eric@ericzinger.com. Please forward to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to subscribe.
Greenburgh Democrats Endorse Candidates
Last night at the annual convention Greenburgh Democrat District Leaders voted on endorsing candidates to support and carry petitions for in the upcoming primary election. The following candidates were selected to be endorsed.
Town Supervisor- Paul Feiner
Town Council- Gina Jackson and Joy Haber
Town Clerk- Lisa Marie Nero
Town Justice- Delores Scott Brathwaite
County Legislator District 8- Jewel Williams Johnson
County Legislator Distrit 12- David Imamura
Incumbent Town Clerk Judith Beville lost handily to challenger Lisa Marie Nero. 4 years ago Clerk Beville also lost the endorsement to a challenger but then carried her own petition, got on the ballot and won another 2 year term. She was uncontested 2 years ago. Town Council saw 4 candidates vying for two seats. Incumbent Gina Jackson received the most votes while Joy Haber squeeked by Johnathan Campazano. Manny Areces came in a distant 4th. Incumbent Ken Jones has announced he is not seeking re-election.
Village Law Home Rule Request and Edgemont Incorporation
At the 2/8 Town Board meeting the GreenburghTown Board passed a request for a Home rule to change the way village incorporation voting works for Greenburgh and only Greenburgh in NY. The crux of the change would be that all residents of the Unincorporated area would be allowed to vote on the referendum. The current law states that only residents of the proposed incorporated village be allowed to vote. If all TOV residents could vote on a potential Edgemont Incorporation, that effectively kills any chance they have of forming a village. A petition is also being circulated in support of the request which you can see here.
I am sharing the petition but in full disclosure I have not signed it because frankly I am torn about whether this is the best approach and would like to share the following thoughts;
Just because I am opposed to this strategy does not mean I am wavering on my stance regarding Edgemont Incorporation in any way. I am fiercely opposed to Edgemont Incorporation and think that if Edgemont were to incorporate, it would have devastating impacts on the remainder of Unincorporated Greenburgh.
One of the reasons for my hesitancy is that I don't like the idea of changing the rule for only Greenburgh. Home rule requests should involve unique or specific circumstances as to why a change in state law should only apply to one small section of the state. Any changes to village incorporation laws should be done state wide.
I also think this request was poorly planned as it was not coordinated at all with either our Assembly Representative Mary Jane Shimsky or our Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins. Given the realities in Abany, I think this request actually did more to motivate the Edgemont folks to incorporate than blunt their efforts.
Mary Jane Shimsky on the proposal "“I was unaware of the Town Board’s intent to pass last night’s home rule message until after the fact,”
A spokesperson for Andrea Stewart Cousins said "“It’s an issue we’re well aware of, it’s something we take very seriously, but it’s much more complicated than just one locality, and we’re in the process of looking for a statewide solution. And we hope to move quickly,”
The EIC hadn't sent out an email to their supporters in months, but on the back of this request sent several notices out within the same week. Several propopents of the bill lobbed harsh criticisms at those seeking to incorporate. Somehow calling Edgemont residents elitists and rascists didn't mend any bridges. I think mending that relatinship is critical to future of the Town of Greenburgh.
You can watch comments from the public about this here about 20 minutes into the meeting. The Town Board also had a resolution to study the impact of a potential incorporation, that was held over to the 3/8 meeting.
Condo Taxation Update
At the 2/8 Town Board meeting which I attended there was scheduled to be a public hearing on the proposed change to the tax status for newly built condos in Greenburgh(TOV and Villages). The public hearing was postponed at the very last minute till March 8th. There was zero notice to the public this would be postponed. At the previous evenings work session there was no mention of postponement nor was there was any mention in any of the social media postings by the Town and Supervisor Paul Feiner. The agenda was updated mere hours before the meeting and no notice was sent to the public. Several individuals showed up to the meeting to speak during this public hearing, unfortunately they did not receive the respect they deserve from the Town Board. This pattern of a lack of respect for the community, last minute agenda items, last minute changes are unfortunately not the exception, but the hallmark and signature of the Government in Greenburgh.
Back to the actual bill itself; you can read my full thoughts here where I have copied my comments from the first public hearing on this topic. For the TLDR; I fear this proposal which is for Greenburgh only puts us at a disadvantage for seeking to attract development to our community. As a result, rather than increasing future tax revenues this will actually reduce tax revenue. This only impacts new development but it is basically making developing in greenburgh much less attractive. We need new developments to help bolster our tax base, this proposal I feel will have us lagging neighboring communities in attracting development. It also limits access to moderately priced housing in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. Simply put, the cons outweigh the pros.
Other Items
Hartsdale Fire District- Anthony Frasca resigned both his seat and his Chairmanship of the Hartsdale Fire District as he sold his house and moved out of the distrct. Commissioner Jason Muldoon replaced him as chair. The HFD Commissioners appointed John Vallarelli to fill his seat until the December election where the public will vote on a candidate to fulfill the remaining term.
Lohud Article on Edgemont Incorporation- Link
Leafblower law- The town board is working to revise and reintroduce the proposal.
Hartsdale Public Parking District Raising Rates- Daily Parking at the train increased from $10 to $13, other rates increased as well. Link
Hopefully, you have found this informative. Please send any questions and forward to your friends and neighbors. If you have questions about any of the above, please email me at Eric@ericzinger.com