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

Hello Everyone,

Belated Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. My last email had an update about the Fire District Election, all 3 incumbents were re-elected and will serve a 5 year term. If you find these updates informative, forward them to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to subscribe, and like my page on FB. Questions? Event you want publicized? Something your curious about? Email me at eric@ericzinger.com.

Town Elections

This upcoming June (pending Covid) there will be a Primary election for Town Board (2 seats), Town Supervisor, and Town Clerk among other positions. I want to take a moment to let my readers know that I will not be running for Town Board in the upcoming Primary. I thank those of you who have reached out to encourage me to run, but right now after much consideration, I will not be pursuing a seat on the Town Board. I plan to continue to remain active in the community, attending Town Board meetings, continuing my newsletter and serving as President of Hartsdale Neighbors Association. Incumbent Francis Sheehan has announced his intention to run for another 4 year term while Diana Juettner has announced she is retiring and will not be seeking re-election. Ellen Hendrickx of Hastings is currently the only other candidate who has declared their intention to run and unless there is another candidate, the election will be uncontested.

The Town Supervisor position is also up for a 2 year term and this will be a contested election with Tasha Young declaring her intention to challenge longtime incumbent Paul Feiner. As of now I am not aware of any candidates who will be challenging Judith Beville for a 2 year term as Town Clerk.

Look forward to more detailed profiles on the candidates in the months to come.

Greenburgh Update

• Sanitation Calendars for 2021 are now available and can be downloaded here. The schedule is mostly unchanged from 2020. If you do know what color schedule you are on you can search for your address on the website.

• The Town Board has authorized hardship exemptions from the snow ordinance regarding parking on town streets. In order to be granted an exemption you must apply for a permit, applications can be found here. There is a $25 fee to apply. When snow is forecast your car still must be removed from streets but can otherwise be parked.

• There is a 3rd public hearing scheduled for the proposal for a 20 MegaWatt Battery Energy Storage at Knollwood Country Club at 7:30pm 1/13/2020. If you are interested in learning more about the proposal you can watch the first public hearing that was held here.

Happy New Year!

Eric Zinger
www.ericzinger.com

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Hard to believe but we are only a few weeks away from the end of 2020. It's getting cold and Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years will be here soon. If anyone has Covid friendly activity suggestions for a 3 year old, please feel free to share with me as feeling like the winter might to be rough. If you find these updates informative, forward them to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to subscribe, and like my page on FB. Questions? Event you want publicized? Something your curious about? Email me at eric@ericzinger.com.

Fire District Election

Tomorrow, the 3 Professional Fire Departments in Greenburgh(Fairview, Greenville, Hartsdale) are having their annual election for Board seats. If you live in Unincorporated Greenburgh you probably live in one of these 3 districts but some residents live in Fire Protection Districts. You can only vote if you live in the actual Fire District. Each of the Fire Districts operate independently and have their own borders, tax rates and 5 person governing board. You pay taxes and get to vote, only for the district you live in. Those board members serve 5 year terms that have 1 seat coming due each year with an election in December. Each of the 3 elections this year has only 1 candidate on the ballot, write in votes are permitted.

• Anthony Frasca for Hartsdale.

• James Robinson for Fairview.

• Jonathan Faust for Greenville.

Voting Hours and locations are different for each District

• Hartsdale: Fire Station on W. Hartsdale Ave from 3-9pm.

• Greenville: Greenville Fire HQ on Central Ave from 6-9m.

• Fairview will be at two different locations (Fairview Fire HQ for ED 41, 44,-48, 63,64,67, and 78 and Fairview Fire Station #2 for ED 42,50,51, 61 and 77) between 4-9pm.

Make sure to vote and it becomes a habit!

Greenburgh Update

• The second and likely final public hearing on the 2021 budget is Wednesday at the virtual Town Board meeting. The meeting will begin with a moment of silence for Covid 19 victims at 7:30 and will also have a second public hearing regarding the proposed battery storage unit proposal at Knollwood CC.

• Here is an article about the budget from the Scarsdale Inquirer that I am quoted in. I think its a good summary.

I will have a final update before the end of the year. Until then, be well.

Eric Zinger
www.ericzinger.com

This upcoming Tuesday the 3 Professional Fire Departments in Greenburgh(Fairview, Greenville, Hartsdale) are having their annual election for Board seats. Each of the Fire Districts operate independently and have their own borders, tax rates and 5 person governing board. Those board members serve 5 year terms that have 1 seat coming due each year. Each of the 3 elections this year has only 1 candidate on the ballot, Anthony Frasca for Hartsdale, James Robinson for Fairview, and Jonathan Faust for Greenville. All 3 are incumbents.

Hartsdale voting hours will be at the Fire Station on W. Hartsdale Ave from 3-9pm, Greenville will be at the Greenville Fire HQ on Central Ave from 6-9m, and Fairview will be at two different locations (Fairview Fire HQ 41, 44,-48, 63,64,67, and 78 and Fairview Fire Station #2 for ED 42,50,51, 61 and 77) between 4-9pm.

TO: Town Board

FROM: Greenburgh Conservation Advisory Council

DATE: October 25, 2020

RE: Blower Law

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

The Conservation Advisory Council (“CAC”) recommends that the Town Board adopt a law regulating the use of leaf blowers with the suggested format below:

1. Ban gasoline and electric blowers, except during the following periods: (i) March 1 - May 15 (spring clean-up period) and (ii) October 15 - December 15 (fall clean-up period). During those clean-up periods, blowers may be used during hours Monday - Friday 9am - 3pm and weekends/holidays 10am - 5pm.

2. Exceptions would be allowed for:

A. Town Supervisor declared emergencies.

B. Use within 2 ft of outdoor equipment like air conditioning compressors, generators and other outdoor machinery and related piping and/or wiring exposed above ground.

C. Department of Public Works (because its operations affect public safety on roads and sidewalks).

D. Department of Parks & Recreation for activities affecting public safety on public walkways and playing fields and, with Town Board approval, for other activities due to budgetary constraints.

E. Debris clean-up resulting from authorized tree removals (special limited circumstances). The Recommendation is based on (i) the research of the CAC, summarized below, regarding the environmental harm of blowers to the community and the health of residents and (ii) numerous quality of life complaints from residents regarding the noise of blowers. The CAC also considered the recently adopted law of the Village of Larchmont banning both gasoline and electric leaf blowers, except for electric blowers only during the month of April and October 15 - December 15 of each year. The CAC Recommendation (i) has a longer spring cleanup period [March 1 - May 15], (ii) allows both gasoline and electric blowers, not just electric blowers, to be used during the spring and fall clean-up periods, and (iii) adds a number of public safety and special limited circumstances exceptions not found in the Larchmont law.

In 2018, the CAC issued a long Report to the Town Board. Based on the CAC’s research, the CAC Report identified three areas of harmful environmental impacts of blowers: (i) they thrown filthy substances into the air; (ii) they create noise pollution; and (iii) they destroy the soils. This comes from the fact that virtually all blowers, both gasoline and electric powered, have Hurricane force winds. (1) These Hurricane force winds throw filthy particulate matter into the air, such as animal waste (feces and urine) and fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides like glyphosate (Round-Up). One hour of blower use throws approximately 5 pounds of particulate matter into the air. Some of these particulates remain in the air for hours, and can lodge in residents’ lungs at distances up to 65 feet away. Air-borne particulate matter exacerbates asthma, allergies and respiratory problems, and is especially harmful to children and seniors. (2) Blowers involuntarily expose residents to annoying noise levels. Almost all blowers, both gasoline and electric, operate at a noise level above that which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets as comfortable conversational level. Many blowers, both gasoline and electric, operate at a noise level above that which the EPA calculates as having adverse auditory impacts. (3) These Hurricane force winds of blowers adversely affect soil regeneration. Thus, in short, there are (i) pollutants being thrown into the air, (ii) noise pollution, and (iii) environmental harm to the soils. All of these harm the community and residents.

A law structured as recommended would not appear to have any unique enforcement difficulties. The CAC further recommends that the Town Board appoint a committee, consisting of a member of the Town Board, a member of the CAC, the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Works, and the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Parks & Recreation, to finalize the details of the law. In its work the committee would seek technical and practical input from representatives of local landscapers.

CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

Adopted at October 22, 2020 Meeting

cc: Town Clerk

Commissioner, Department of Public Works

Commissioner, Department of Parks & Recreation

Commission, Department of Community Development & Conservation

Deputy Commission, Department of Community Development & Conservation

Hello Everyone,
 
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy as we continue through 2020.  This email update will contain information on voting in the current election and a number of updates regarding Greenburgh Town News. 

Before getting into it, I just had to say something regarding the Presidential Election.  I started this email newsletter for my campaign, and transitioned it to focus on local issues.  That said because it is just so important I just wanted to encourage everyone to vote for Joe Biden for President and if you have any friends or relatives in swing states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, please encourage them to vote for Joe Biden as well.

Voting Information
I know everyone is being bombarded from all sides with voting information but just wanted to share across the best way to vote in the upcoming election. Early Voting has already begun and we have seen long lines throughout all of Westchester County. You can vote at any of the 17 early voting locations in Westchester County.  I have heard the lines at the County Board of Elections site have been relatively short, around 30 minutes.

For a list of early voting sites and hours(hours are different each day) click the below link.
Early Voting Information

On Tuesday 11/3 election day, polls will be open from 6:00am-9:00pm and you can only vote at your assigned polling location.  Look up your location here as it may be different than prior elections. For example I normally vote at the Hartsdale Fire House and this year I am voting at Highview Elementary.

Greenburgh Updates

• The first public hearing on the budget has been scheduled for 11/24.  I say this every year but in my opinion this is the most important public hearing the Town has every year.  I will be sharing my thoughts on the budget once it is made public but for now encourage those interested in attending to mark the date on the calendar.

• The decision to enroll all Unincorporated residents in an ESCO with Sustainable Westchester passed unanimously by the Town Board.  If you have not already opted out, this will cause a significant increase in your rate for the supply of electricity.  If you are interested in sourcing your electricity via green sources, you can do so with alternative ESCO's at significantly lower rates than the Town enrolled ESCO.  I encourage everyone to do their own research here on this issue.  If you have questions please feel free to email me.

• The Town will be postponing the effective date of the recently passed Tree law which enforces rules and regulations regarding removal of trees to 1/4/2021.

• The Town is working on passing a law to authorize the forfeiture of vehicles caught engaging in speeding and drag racing. The proposed law has many details that need to be ironed out and that was clear during the first public hearing on the matter. This is a good idea, but it needs additional refinement.

• Victor Carosi the Director of Public Works has announced his retirement.  I've always been impressed by Mr. Carosi and his leadership in that role.  He will be hard to replace.

If you find these updates informative, forward them to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to subscribe, and like my page on FB.  Questions? Event you want publicized? Something your curious about? Email me at eric@ericzinger.com.

Eric Zinger
www.ericzinger.com

Hello Everyone,
 
The Town of Greenburgh has scheduled an online Public Discussion at 7:30pm this upcoming Wed 9/23 regarding the renewal of the Westchester Power ESCO.  You may remember that I sent an update about this a couple of months ago(link) and with the 4 year contract up for renewal at the end of the year, the Town Board is seeking public input on its renewal.

There are two main components of your electricity utility bill.  There is the supply of energy and there is the delivery.  Under normal circumstances, both of these would be provided by Con ED.  An ESCO, or Energy Supply Company is a company that supplies the electricity, and there are a variety of different suppliers out there that you can choose from besides Con Ed.  Regardless of the supplier, Con Ed is still the provider of delivery and who you receive your monthly utility bill from. 

In 2016, the Town enrolled all residents into the Weschester Power ESCO program unless they specifically requested to opt out.  Since January 1st of 2019, rates for the ESCO have been significantly higher than Con Ed rates(previously they fluctuated between higher and lower and were overall similar).  That means anyone who did not opt out has been paying more for electricity(currently 38% more) over the last 2 years than those of us who opted out(I will share that I am one of those people who opted out). 

---

There are approximately 12k households enrolled in the program in Greenburgh.

The Town is looking to renew their contract with Westchester Power which began in 2016 and expires at the end of this year.

Points to Consider

• Unlike the original contract, this time the Town Board is considering the "Green Option" which provides electricity that is from 100% renewable sources.  This provides a clear environmental benefit unlike the previous program.

• The price target that they have for the supply of electricity to provide is 7.65 cents which is 38% more than current Con Ed rates.  This would impose a significant increase in utility costs on Greenburgh residents.

• The Town is proposing to enroll all residents via negative consent.  Unless residents read the one time mail that will go out and then take action to elect to not participate, they will be automatically enrolled. These types of programs have received large scale criticism and are considered unethical by many in the marketing industry. Link  Link2

  • Even if the Town does proceed with this program, residents who are interested can opt out at any time. 

  • It would appear there is no option that would be an opt in, where people choose to join. We either do this as an opt out, or don't do it at all.

• Lack of Transparency.  Westchester Power had committed at the time of the contract to send out notices or updates on the program to all enrolled residents.  By all accounts those updates/notices have not gone out as promised.  The Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations has been vocal in pointing this out at TB meetings and via emails to the TB.

You are encouraged to attend the meeting and share your thoughts, email publichearing@greenburghny.com if you wish to be invited.  If you cannot attend but wish to share comments, please email TownBoard@greenburghny.com.  If you have questions you would like me to try and answer please email me at eric@ericzinger.com.

At the same meeting, the TB will be continuing the Public Hearing from 9/9 regarding Assisted Living Zoning legislation changes. More info.  If you did not get a chance to speak at the 9/9 hearing, you can do so at this meeting.

If you find these updates informative, forward them to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to subscribe, and like my page on FB.  Questions? Event you want publicized? Something your curious about? Email me at eric@ericzinger.com.

Eric Zinger
www.ericzinger.com

I am announcing my support and endorsement for Suzanne Berger for chair of the Westchester County Democrats at the upcoming reorganization meeting 9/17. If you are a Democratic District Leader in Westchester I encourage you make sure you attend and vote for Suzanne. If you know District Leaders or are a registered Democrat in Westchester, contact your area DL to let them know you support Suzanne.

Over the last several years I have gotten to know Suzanne as she was Chair of the Greenburgh Democratic Committee. When I ran for Greenburgh Town Council in the 2019 primary, I was not one of the endorsed candidates. Regardless of that fact, Suzanne always treated me fairly and with respect. As a first time candidate she took many of my calls to answer my questions.

During the campaign the rarely used Committee on Vacancies was activated when Councilman Kevin Morgan tragically passed. Suzanne led the process to fill his spot on the petition and while I disagreed with the outcome, I felt like the entire process was conducted in a equitable and transparent manner. As Greenburgh chair Suzanne helped organize some of the candidates events, and again Suzanne's strong integrity and character was on display throughout the process. I was treated fairly and impartially. This is the kind of leadership that we need in Westchester.

Please join me in supporting Suzanne Berger for Westchester County Democratic Chair!

  Hello Everyone,
 
While other Greenburgh news updates are sending out their second email about testing poop in the sewers, today's message is a follow up to my email from Friday about the budget and an alert about an important set of public hearings related to Assisted Living legislation.  To my knowledge this is the first and only email notice that has been sent out regarding these public hearings.  Continue to subscribe to my newsletter to be in the know on what is going on with your local government.  

First, on the Assisted Living Legislation. The following Wednesday, 9/9 at 7:30pm, the Town of Greenburgh has scheduled 2 separate hearings regarding proposed legislation that would impact the zoning requirements for Assisted Living type facilities. 

• The first public hearing law is relatively simple and adds 3 requirements to the existing special permit process for Assisted Living and Nursing Home developments.  It adds a requirement for a minimum distance of 4k feet between facilities, requires developers to provide information about the % of beds that will be set aside as affordable, and finally requires the developer to provide information regarding their policies for emergencies. This last point helps provide information as to the impact the facility will have on emergency response capacity.  For instance some facilities have a "no lift" policy, requiring them to call emergency response anytime there is a fall.  I strongly support this first proposal, will be speaking in support of it and I encourage others to do so as well.

• The second public hearing law is more complicated and sets up an approval process for "Continuum of Care Facilities".  Theses are facilities that have both assisted living and independent living beds as part of the same facility. The proposal is for the Town to review development proposals for these types of properties via a "Floating Zone" . This would be a different from the way Assisted Living, Nursing Home, and "Active 55+" communities are currently approved, which are done via special permit.  Aside from whether a floating zone is the best way to review these developments, the proposal as currently written also contains density and building requirements far more permissive than similar rules for Assisted Living.  There is a lot more to unpack here and I look forward to hearing more from the developers who are proposing this during the public hearing.

If you wish to share your comments with the Town Board you are encouraged to attend on 9/9.  If you cannot attend but wish to speak you can email the town clerk so that your comments can be added to the public record.  If you have questions about either of the laws please feel free to ask me.

My last email about the upcoming 2021 projected budget deficit was a topic that a lot of people were interested in.  I got some very good follow up questions and so I wanted to share some of those with everyone.

• Question-Is the impact from Covid affecting expenses too or just revenues?
  

  • Most of my email focused on the impact to revenues that the Town was facing as a result of the Covid pandemic but the town is also facing higher than projected expense as well as a result.

• Question- Last year the town allocated significant funds to prefund the new police/courthouse building. I don’t think any of that was spent and I think it was larger than the projected reserve shortfall.  Could the town be considering reallocating that money to address what might be a one-time shortfall? 

  • Unfortunately that item is paid for out of the A budget or Townwide budget not the TOV or B budget and money cannot be transferred between TOV and Townwide budget.  Greenburgh has two separate budgets.  The A budget(smaller of 2) is paid for by all residents and the B budget(the larger budget, which is facing the projected shortfall) is paid for only by Unincorporated residents.  Residents who live in villages get most of their local services(Police, Sanitation, Parks….) and pay taxes towards their village governments. Unincorporated residents receive most of their local services from the town and fund the B budget for these services.  The A budget is projected right now to be just within the Town Policy for funds in reserve.  

• Question- Do we know for certain that this is the deficit we are facing?

  • No, this is only the preliminary projection from the Comptroller. We still need to see the impact of the difference in revenue/expenses between the budget that was passed and what actually comes in. We also need to see the proposals from Department heads for the upcoming year.  It could be better or worse from the existing projection.

To be honest, I also got some very concerning replies on Facebook about this from our Town Supervisor who when a resident shared my post, replied "The town has a surplus, not a budget deficit."  It would appear that he is confusing the funds held in reserve(required as part of the Town Financial Policy), with the term budget deficit.  As is exceedingly clear, the Town absolutely 100% has a budget deficit, spending more than it takes in for both budgets during the last 2 years and thus reducing the reserve that we hold. A budget deficit is when your annual budgeted expenses, exceed your revenues for the year. This is as basic a financial term as exists. We aren’t borrowing to fund our deficit the way the federal government is, and yes we hold funds in reserve (which the Supervisor refers to as a surplus) for this specific purpose, but it is still a budget deficit. Facts matter and words matter.  Even after explaining this to him, the Supervisor continued to insist "We have a surplus in our budgets".  What the Supervisor wrote displays a stunning lack of understanding of basic financial terms. 

If you find these updates informative, forward them to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to subscribe, and like my page on FB.  Questions? Event you want publicized? Something your curious about? Email me at eric@ericzinger.com.

Eric Zinger
www.ericzinger.com  

Hello Everyone,
 
While other Greenburgh news updates are sending out emails about testing poop in the sewers, today's email is going to focus on an important topic, the Greenburgh 2021 Budget.  If you are reading this, you are reading the very first public announcement about the projected deficit that we are facing in Greenburgh.  Stay in the know with these emails, like my FB page for additional updates, and encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up.

As first announced during the 8/25 Town Board Work Session, the Town Board is facing a significant projected deficit in the B or TOV budget for next year.  The Town Financial Policy prescribes maintaining a fund reserve in the B budget equal to a minimum of 8% of the following years appropriations which is approximately $7.1mm in reserve.  Current projections as reported by Comptroller Roberta Romano estimate that next years projected budget would leave us with a fund balance equal to $3mm, or $4mm below the projected floor.  $4mm is equal to 4.5% of prior year TOV spending and 6.75% of TOV tax revenues.

The projected deficit is primarily due to a loss of revenues from the Town Hotel Tax, decreased revenues from our share of County Sales tax, and reduced revenue from Licenses and Permits.  In last yearss budget we collected ~$13.2mm in revenue last year from these line items.
 
The Town Board went into executive session immediately following the work session to discuss the budget situation.  As a result, what was discussed or preliminary plans to deal with this budget deficit are unknown at this time.  Whatever they decide will likely be some combination of tax increase, service/spending reductions, and delay in capital projects.  The only line items in the budget that are greater than $4mm are for Police, Sanitation, Highway, Debt Service and Employee Benefits.  Possible early retirement incentives for Town employees was discussed as one potential cost savings by the Town Supervisor similar to a Westchester County program.  Other Town Board members suggested reaching out to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, but the state is facing an even graver budget situation.  There will be no easy solutions here and hard decisions will have to be made.   



This problem will not be unique to Greenburgh.  We know that all levels of Government are going to have budget problems due to a loss of sales tax revenue and other revenues this year.  We also know that the coming wave of Commercial Certiori's(Commercial property owners can retroactively grieve their assessments unlike residential property owners and collect a rebate of tax revenue and you can be sure with the lockdown the will be doing so) will mean even if revenues can stabilize or return to previous levels that the damage will not just be short term. 

Hello Greenburgh,

I hope everyone has their power back on and has recovered from the storm.  DPW for Greenburgh has posted this notice for those residents curious about debris cleanup and removal.  Yet another event in what has been a 2020 that we will all remember.  As we wrap up summer, I hope all of you stay safe, wear masks, and still get to enjoy a little bit of summer fun. 

If you haven't already make sure to like my FB page https://www.facebook.com/EricZingerGreenburgh  Sometimes I will post updates there that are timely but don't get a chance to email out.  Stay up to date on all the latest news.  Now for the rest of the update.

Election Update
In my last update from July, I gave updates on the Democratic Primary races that were were able to be called at that point, with Mondaire Jones winning the CD 17 congressional race.  Since then we now have official results in the CD16 race with Jamaal Bowman defeating incumbent Elliot Engel and Mimi Rocah defeating incumbent Anthony Scarpino for Westchester County District Attorney.  The lone major race where an incumbent fought off a primary challenge is Assemblyman Tom Abinanti of the 92nd Assembly District, who narrowly defeated Jenn Williams to retain his seat in the New York Assembly.  While there are Republican challengers slated for the upcoming General Election, voter makeup and past elections tell us there is virtually zero chance of any republican challenger defeating the Democratic Primary winners in these races.

Town of Greenburgh Updates

• Assisted Living Updates-

  • MapleWood-The developer for the proposed Assisted Living Facility at the Maplewood Swim and Tennis Club has withdrawn their application.  You can read the withdrawal notice here.  There was large community opposition to this proposal but the main reason cited by the developer in their withdrawal was the insistence of NYS DOT to either have a left turn late into the facility, or not allow left turns into the facility at all.  

  • Assisted Living Legislation- Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in Assisted Living in Unincorporated Greenburgh.  There is the new facility on Dobbs Ferry Road, the Shelbourne facilitiy, the proposed facility at Metropolis Country Club and the Senior Community at the Elmwood Country Club.  There is currently legislation before the Town Board that would amend the zoning code to limit the number of assisted living facilities in Greenburgh.  It would require a 4k foot buffer between facilities in Unincorporated Greenburgh.  I am happy to see the Town taking steps so that our community does not become overrun with these facilities.  There is a public hearing scheduled for September 9th for public comment on this zoning ordinance amendment. 

• Assessment- The town is currently planning another Townwide assessment of all real properties in the area.  This will not be the same as the major assessment from 4 years ago as no interior inspections will be done but it will impact the valuation of all parcels in the town.  This is being down to maintain the 100% equalization ratio for properties in the area.  A reminder that a reassessment is NOT a tax increase and has absolutely no impact on the total taxes collected by the town. You can read more about assessments and their impact on taxes on my website here and here and also from the Assessor here.

• Con Ed Electric Rates-The Town is currently considering whether to renew the ESCO that all Greenburgh residents were signed up for via negative consent that expires at the end of the year.  If you did not opt out, you have been paying substantially higher electricity delivery costs in recent months.  And since the town chose not to enroll in the green program, there was no environmental benefit.  My previous post on this is here.  Current ESCO rates are much higher than Con Ed and should the town choose to renew the contract, it would do so knowing that the immediate result will be higher utility bills for all residents(energy market fluctuations could change that later in the contract).  I emailed the Town Board about this yesterday and advocated that they not take any action to renew a contract that they know will raise utility rates without any environmental benefit for Greenburgh customers.  There is a green option that they could enroll in which is under review as well.  You can watch the latest work session where this is discussed here.

Hartsdale Neighbors Association

Many of you know that I am active in the Hartsdale Neighbors Association.  I have recently returned to my role as President of the HNA after Stacy Fisher our previous President has moved out of the area to attend to family matters.  I want to start by thanking Stacy for all of her volunteer work as HNA President.  Stacy was a tremendous asset to the community and was tireless in attending Town meetings and being a community organizer. She will be missed and leaves large shoes to fill.  The Scarsdale Inquirer did a write up on my return as HNA President.  You can read that(with subscription) here.

If you live in Hartsdale make sure to sign up for the HNA emails by emailing info@hartsdaleneighbors.org and/or liking our FB page at www.facebook.com/hartsdaleneighbors

News Items

• Hartsdale was recently featured in the NY Times Real Estate Section about people escaping the suburbs.  Link

• The Westchester County FB page continues to be a great source for the most up to date numbers of Coronavirus cases in the area.  You can see their latest post here which shows 331 active cases in Westchester County (pop ~970k).  

I have seen a lot of discussion online regarding the planned Greenburgh reassessment of properties. While I understand the concern, there is A LOT of incorrect information out there. A reassessment does not increase the amount of taxes the town collects. Some people may pay more, and some people will pay less and some people the same. Any person who has a $1.00 increase in their Town taxes, will be offset somewhere else by a $1.00 decrease.

Just because your assessment increases, that does not mean necessarily your Town taxes will increase. In a very simple example of 2 homes each worth $100k, if home a increases by 5% to $105k and home b increases by 10% to $110k, absent a tax increase completely independent of reassessment, home a will actually see a tax decrease despite a higher assessment. This is because their share of property values in the taxing district has decreased from 50% to 48.8%. If the town budget calls for raising $10 in property taxes, house a will go from paying $5.00 to $4.88 and house b will go from paying $5.00, to $5.12.

More details and examples here- https://www.ericzinger.com/assessments

Town of Greenburgh:

Town Board Work Session and Special Meeting- Today

Planning Board 7/15

Zoning Board 7/16

Board of Ethics 7/25

Town Board Regular Meeting 8/6

Fire District Meetings:

Hartsdale Fire Department- 7/14

Greenvillle Fire Department- 7/15

Fairview Fire Department- 8/13

An update on the NY Assembly 92nd District Democratic Primary race where after election day, challenger Jennifer Williams was neck and neck with incumbent Thomas Abinanti.

Absentee ballots have begun to be counted by the Board of Elections and with 4800 votes left, Abinanti has a 1500 vote lead. Unless something unexpected happens, you can expect him to hold on and win 55/45.

Its an incredibly strong performance for Williams who came out nowhere to challenge Abinanti. A complete unknown, Williams had never held or ran for political office at any level (or frankly even voted at all recently) before throwing her hat in the ring. Her campaign began with an effort by Abinanti to invalid her petition to get her off the ballot but she prevailed in court Perhaps that earned her the sympathy of voters and she launched a platform that focused on attacking Abinanti over vaccinations and framing herself as a champion of small business and women's rights. With almost no fundraising, name recognition, or organization, her performance surprised almost everyone I have spoken to.

Unfortunately for her (and in my opinion, fortunately for the 92nd district) it looks like she will come up just short. She clearly exposed a weakness in Abinanti, and the question now is, after 5 terms in the Assembly, could this 6th one be his last?

Hello Greenburgh,

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy a long weekend celebrate the 4th of July.  As we look ahead to the rest of the summer, I hope all of you stay safe, wear masks, and still get to enjoy a little bit of summer fun. 

If you haven't already make sure to like my FB page https://www.facebook.com/EricZingerGreenburgh  Sometimes I will post updates there that are timely but don't get a chance to email out.  Stay up to date on all the latest news.  Now for the rest of the update.

Town of Greenburgh Updates

• New(Old?) Chief of Police-If you do follow my page, you were the first to find out that Chief of Police, Chief Ryan has announced his retirement this week.  Chief Ryan was sworn in just under a year ago.  You would also be the first to know that the town has already lined up his replacement, former Chief, Chief McNerney.  McNerney retired to join the Westchester County DA's office, but is returning just one year later to his prior role. 

• Town Pool Opens- The Town Pool is now open!  Reservations in advance our required and cover either the morning(9:00am-1:00pm or afternoon (2:00pm-6:00pm) session.  Click here to make reservations.  Reservations can be made 1 day in advance, residents of Greenburgh only, no guests.  All the rules here.

• Playgrounds Open-Town of Greenburgh playgrounds are now open at Greenburgh Parks.

Election Day 

The big story out of Primary election day wasn't just the results, with several incumbents defeated, but also the issues at the voting locations.  Several locations had long delays and some residents waited over 2 hours to vote.  In hindsight, this was a disaster in waiting.  Too few sites, too few printers, it was unfortunately doomed from the start.  Absentee ballots also had widely reported issues.  If you had issues you would like to report or get involved in the response to that election, an "Election Information Gathering Task Force has been announced.  Public Input Session is 7/8 7:00pm and will be conducted digitally.  Click here for the link.

Now there are A LOT of absentee ballots to count but after election day, Joe Biden was the obvious winner and will now face off against Donald Trump in November.  Mondaire Jones has been declared the winner in CD17 with 48% of 18k votes and all signs point to Jamaal Bowman defeating Elliot Engel in the 16th.  Mimi Rocah also looks likely to defeat Anthony Scarpino in the Westchester County DA race with a 2:1 lead with $41k votes in.  The one major race that cannot be definitely called is Jennifer Williams versus Tom Abinanti for NY Assembly.  Jenn Williams, riding the anti-incumbency wave is neck and neck with approximately 6600 votes in, and Abinanti ahead by 25 votes.  Many more than that absentee ballots are yet to be counted and will decide the race.

Full election results here.

Eric Zinger
www.ericzinger.com
 

Hello Greenburgh,

Tomorrow is election day. If you have not already voted via absentee or early voting, make sure to vote.  If you have voted, make sure to remind your neighbors, friends and coworkers. 

There are several important and very close races on the ballot including tight congressional races in CD16 and CD 17, and what many are expecting to be a very tight race for Westchester County DA. There is also the contest for NY Assembly in the 92nd District.

Only only five polling locations will be open in Greenburgh: Ardsley Middle School (for CD16 voters), Dobbs Ferry Village Hall, Tarrytown Village Hall, Woodlands HS or Greenburgh Town Hall.

You MUST go to your assigned location.

Do not just assume you go to your usual polling location. Check the oversize white postcard you’ve received in the US mail or go to https://citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com/find-polling-place

If you are voting by absentee, it must be postmarked by 6/23.

If you have any questions about the voting process please let me know.

Eric Zinger

Make Sure to Vote!!

I try to keep this page focused on local events, Greenburgh specific news and information. I don't delve into national politics or issues because that isn't why people signed up for my newsletter or my FB page. There are plenty of other places for that, but I must say something about recent events. This won't be long, and I'm not trying to say everything that must be said but I am sad. I am sad for many reasons. I am sad for the African American Community who has suffered from unfair policing and systematic racism for as long as America has existed. In my opinion it hasn't gotten worse recently, it has only gotten videotaped. I cannot understand what it is like to be in their shoes, but I will stand next to those shoes. I am sad for the lack of leadership in the White House. Now more then ever a President needs to stand up and comfort the nation. I have no illusion that this will happen. I am sad that for many, the only way they can feel heard is by rioting. I am sad that those who criticized Colin Kapernick by saying stick to sports, and ignored his message, are the same people now saying violence isn't the answer. I am sad for those whose business's have been destroyed by the riots and protests. However you identify, silence is not an option. When we all stand up together, there is nothing which cannot be accomplished. Black Lives Matter. Intolerance and Racism of any kind cannot be tolerated.

Hello Greenburgh,

As you may or may not know, all voting for local school district budget approval and Board of Education seats is being done via mail in ballot this year due to Corona Virus.  You should keep an eye out for your ballot in the mail over the next couple of days. Mine came today from the Greenburgh Central School District. 

  The ballot must be received by the district by 6/9 so fill it out and return it as soon as you get it. If you haven't received your ballot by Tuesday, I recommend you contact your district clerk. There is no option to vote in person.

Greenburgh Central School District
If you live in the Greenburgh Central School District, I encourage you to vote yes on the budget and on Proposition 1.  I participated in several workshops about the budget over the last several weeks and there was lots of community feedback, which the board took into account. The budget increases the tax levy by only 1.46% which is well below the tax cap(and in many cases homeowners will actually see a decrease in the taxes they pay), reduces administration spending by 8.5%, factors in an expected decrease in state aid, and begins to take baby steps towards addressing the capital infrastructure needs of the district.  If you are interested in reading more about the proposed budget, you can do so here. The District also send out a mailer about the budget which contains a number of pertinent FAQ's.  You can read that here.  

Proposition 1 authorizes putting excess funds from the 19/20 school year into a repair reserve fund. This does not impose any additional costs on the taxpayer and is a prudent step towards addressing the funding requirements the district has for dealing with its aging buildings. 

I also encourage you to vote for both Ashley Pineda and Tracy Mairs for Board of Education.  Watching them during this process, I have been impressed with their dedication, priorities, and overall work as board members. They both deserve an additional term.

If you have any questions about the voting process please let me know.

Eric Zinger

Did you know that in 2016 the Town signed up every single resident through negative consent(IE if you don't specifically say no, you are enrolled) in an ESCO for delivery of your electricity supply? Did you know it could be currently costing you between $10-$50 a month in extra utility costs if you didn't opt out?

Did you know that if you didn't op out, for the last 15 months you have been paying more in your coned bill as a result? While there were modest savings the first few months, lately the ESCO supply rate is much higher.

If you want to opt out, just call Con Ed and ask them to.

Want to check if you are enrolled? Want to know how much more this additional service is costing you? Log into Coned.com, click manage my account, scroll down and click manage my account again, and then click the drop down for "Comparison Rates" under Energy Supplier. If it says CCA-Constellation under supplier, you are enrolled.

The below two links have more information from the Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations on the history of this. Credit to Ella Preiser and Ken Stahn for their tireless work on this subject. Tonight at 6:00pm the Town Board will hold a public discussion on the topic.

CGCA Update and Response to Westchester Power

History of Town CCA Contract