Greenburgh Imploding, Feiner Lost in Headlights, Board Just Lost

I attended the regular Greenburgh Town Board meeting last night. Believe me there isn't anything regular about these meetings.  I'm embarrassed that a Russian contingency came to America and our Town Board was where they chose to come to audit a typical American government meeting. I'll bet a Yonkers' city council meeting would have been better. We probably sent the Russians back wondering how they lost to us given what they just witnessed.

The stalwarts were there, salivating in anticipation of the attack, wondering when the Board's campaign “games”, wasting and discouraging the public's time, would finally end. We sat through a 17-minute movie on bullying in schools. There might be a need for this and the kids that put it together did a great job. But it still doesn't negate the fact that this is not the place for this and it wastes a lot of time that could actually cause the Town Board meetings to end at a more reasonable hour, and maybe even be productive. I'd love to get out of there before midnight.

There was a hearing for the Cablevision contract that the Board, and apparently Francis Sheehan, had finally finished and was submitting it for review. The agenda was not posted online during the day so it put most of us a bit behind. I read the contract during the anti-bullying film. I apologize to the films creators, but as I was there for the Board meeting, not a film. 

There were many points mentioned during the hearing. One of the more significant ones was that the Board is willing to enter into a fifteen year agreement with Cablevision. Fifteen years. My example to them was if they had purchased a new computer for the Town, it was already outdated. My point with the example, and with Cablevision, is that technology changes very quickly. Do we know, and for that matter does Cablevision know, what the technology will be in even five years? Probably not. Yet, they are willing to lock into an agreement that could wind up hurting the Town by being extended for this long a period. How about a five year contract with two five-year riders (or extensions) that allow the Town to renegotiate if warranted. The ground rules here are able to be set by the Board and they are clueless, choosing to pat each other on the back for a job well-done. Huh?

A representative for Cablevision spoke on his Company’s behalf. Then a representative for Verizon spoke about the contract, lambasting the parameters it and how disparate it was toward Verizon, the underdog, so to speak, against Cablevision. Wow. Underdog may be strong, but she picked this thing apart and made some very valid points. So much so, that the Cablevision representative got back up to counter her arguments.

Town Attorney Tim Lewis never said a word, which is typical. I have to wonder what purpose is served having him there? The Town Clerk, who is not there to speak, won't stop. And Paul rambling is added proof as to why we need to start and end sooner than they do. All of this does nothing except accentuate the incompetence on the Board. We have no captain, in inept crew and the ship is headed toward the waterfall with no one at the rudder. It's time this changes. Let's start this November.