The Behavior of Both Sides Stinks!

As a registered Republican, I voted for County Executive Rob Astorino. During the same election period, I ran for County Legislator and lost. While disappointed, I’m not bitter. However, there does seem to be bitterness between the parties that may or may not simply be partisanship at its worst. I’m almost glad I’m not there. Regardless, I’m disheartened with the behavior of both sides – it just stinks! To be clear, I won’t give a pass to any politician’s behavior merely because of party affiliation.

The County Legislators recently voted to override the County Executive’s veto to move forward with the repairs necessary to preserve the home owned by soldier Elijah Miller, host to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The building is located on Virginia Road in North White Plains, and also has plans to move it nearer the Kensico Dam. It is surrounded by commercial properties and lacks easy access and parking. While I am emotionally against changing its location for historic reasons, intelligent thought warrants it. I vaguely remember visiting this treasure on a field trip as a grammar school student. Back in the day, I couldn’t appreciate the significance of it. I recall thinking something to the effect that this was a trip away from school and we get to look at more old stuff. Old stuff indeed!

The overwhelming and most troubling part of this entire debacle is the point that this historic landmark has been owned and neglected by the County long before Astorino replaced Andy Spano as County Executive. Why wasn’t this mostly-the-same legislature not maintaining this landmark all along? It appears the responsibility and onus is not only Astorino’s, but the legislature's as well.

Astorino stated in his veto message, “Under the County Charter, the sole authority for the direction of a Commissioner is vested in the County Executive, and so the Act is a nullity since it goes beyond the powers conferred to your honorable board.” Well, there you go: the official answer as to why we will let a historic portion of our heritage in Westchester County rot before our eyes. Voting along with Astorino, but for different reasons was Democrat Mike “Tax-Hike” Kaplowitz of Somers, who supported the project but didn’t feel the economic times were right for the County to pick up the tab, saying, “I thought we should have had more of a group that would have helped offset some of the cost.” C’mon, Mike. If you support it, and the money has been appropriated, then just fix it. You’re trying to play both sides and not show any backbone when pressed later. Why haven’t you been leading the initiative to have a private/public confluence that can help offset the costs? Probably because that would mean actually doing something and we can’t have that, can we?

The legislature is playing games by ignoring an issue that never should have gotten to this point - had they been doing their due-diligence. Astorino apparently prefers to stand on principle rather than doing the right thing. They are both wrong! Astorino has told the two commissioners involved to put together a cost projection and time schedule to move the house. Prioritization is what’s missing here. There are two issues involved with the home and they don’t necessarily go hand in hand. The first is repairing the house; the second is moving the house.

During each campaign every candidate says how they will cross the isle to work with their colleagues from other parties and they can mend fences or have a knack of turning people from one position to another. It’s all campaign bull! This latest tug of war is proof. Fix the building and play the games later.