Rethinking Westchester County Government

Andy Spano Had County Purchase Donor's Building: Quid Pro Quo?

Has the Spano administration and a majority of the Westchester County Board of Legislators been unethically influenced by campaign donations? 

The Journal News headline pulled no punches:  "Building's Purchase All Politics, Critics Say"

Westchester County's $13.6 million purchase of a vacant Ardsley office building was decided years ago, part of a pricey political favor to a supporter of County Executive Andrew Spano, critics of the deal say.

Records show that county officials determined by 2006 that they wanted the building at 450 Saw Mill River Road, going so far as to have a contract of sale drawn up in October of that year.

As the deal stalled, top officials in Spano's administration continued to lobby from within to buy the property from local developer Jon Halpern, a Spano campaign contributor who hosted a fundraiser for him in 2005.

Rethinking Westchester Government has noted how each member of the County Board of Legislators responded to the purchase this building.

In the final county board tally, Oros and the board's two other Republicans, James Maisano and Gordon Burrows, joined Greenburgh Democrat Thomas Abinanti as the only votes against it.

Last week, Abinanti called it a "sick building" that sat dormant so long for a reason - it was a bad buy and too costly to renovate.

"They were bailing out an owner who couldn't sell the building," Abinanti said. "If the county had wanted, if the county had looked elsewhere, we could have gotten a better deal. They didn't want to look elsewhere."

Halpern's building cost Westchester taxpayers $76 million.

Rethinking founder Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor, has been an open critic of the purchase from the beginning.

"I've always felt that it was a done deal and I really feel that it was a bad deal," Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said. "I think that the county overpaid and basically gave somebody a gift.

"I think that this was not a serious effort to look for anything," Feiner said.

Of course, insinuating a "quid pro quo" versus actually proving the the bids and purchase were unethically manipulated to ensure purchase of this particular building (rather than seven others) are two entirely different things.

We at Rethinking hope elected officials clearly identify what transpired here, find out if it has happened before and prevent it from occuring again.  One idealistic solution is presently practiced by Paul Feiner, who had a campaign ethics law passed that doesn't allow candidates in Greenburgh to take money from developers and builders whose projects are being reviewed by the town.

 

Sleepy Suburbia is about to have a Tea Party: April 15th Petition Effort

Rethinking Westchester Government has been examining several options for reform of County Government; including a few ideas that our legal team believes might be possible to put on the November ballot.

In the same spirit of reform, we're planning an April 15th Tax Day Tea Party.

Tax Day is Change Day!!!

Our Tea Party won't be too different from a thousand Tax Day efforts around the United States, except Rethinking Westchester Government wanted to do more about complain about high taxes.

We're suggesting a few solutions.  Also, we have formulated a pledge and some options on our petition that can start getting residents throughout the northern suburbs of New York City thinking about changing county government.

We, the undersigned, believe that Westchester County should not have the highest real estate property taxes in the United States.

In addition to our tax pledge, Rethinking has four proposals:

• Citizens Budget Commission

• Study On Alternative County Government
• Initiative and Referenda
• County Budget Vote/County Budget Cap

We feel our proposed reforms are reasonable, applicable to Westchester County's needs and achievable with current New York State law -- but it's going to take some work.

So if you're interested in helping us, either gathering signatures or promoting our effort -- or joining any of our planning committees -- please reach out to us at info@rethinkingwestchestergov.com

The effort was initiated with a letter from former Congressman Joe DioGuardi and Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner mailed to civic leaders in every municipality throughout Westchester County.

Joe DioGuardi And Paul Feiner Announce April 15th Petition Effort

Dear Westchester County Civic Leader:

On April 15, Tax Day for most Americans, a group of Westchester residents will circulate the enclosed petition throughout Westchester County, calling on county residents to abolish Westchester County government.

Rethinking Westchester Government would like to invite you to join us in the fight to end our county’s distinction of paying the highest property taxes in the United States.

• We want the County to form a Citizens Budget Commission to look for ways to cut wasteful spending.
• We want the Citizens Budget Commission to study the impact of abolishing County government as did Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
• Voters should have the ability to petition for a referendum to consolidate or eliminate our multiple layers of government.
• Voters should have the right to vote on the County budget each year, just as taxpayers in most communities can vote on school budgets each year.

Joseph J. DioGuardi                                                                Paul Feiner
Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives (1985-89)         Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Former Congressman Joe DioGuardi Joins Rethinking's Reform Efforts

Former Congressman Joe DioGuardi, who represented Westchester County in the House of Representatives from 1985 to 1989, has joined the executive board of Rethinking Westchester Government.

In addition to being the first practicing Certifed Public Accountant elected to Congress, DioGuardi as a partner with the accounting firm Arthur Andersen served on a special commission to address New York City's financial crisis in the 1970s.  DioGuardi also heads Truth In Government, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to establish better accountability and transparency in fiscal reporting in the public sector.

The addition of DioGuardi to Rethinking brings an experienced fiduciary element to the county reform effort.  DioGuardi also joined with Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner this week to circulate a "Tax Day" petition to nearly 4,000 local civic leaders throughout Westchester County.

We welcome Joe's involvement in the group and look forward to shedding greater fiscal light on the county government operation.  In the works for Rethinking will be the formation of a Fiduciary Committee, composed of accountants and fiscal analysts (along with anyone who would like to assist us in crunching County Government's budget numbers.

New Whistleblower Site: Taxpayers' Anonymous

  The old whistleblower function has been replaced with an open thread that will be updated daily.

You're welcome to comment; either with your real name, a pseudonym or anonymously.

All we request is that people are nice to each other and that some level of civility exists.

There's an old expression from the early web that applies:  If you're going to get tenacious, please "attack the idea and not the individual" in the heat of any debate.

Comment early and often.

Westchester's Tea Party (sort of): Petition Calls For Fiscal Reform

Thank you for signing up.  If you haven't signed up for updates, you can always click here to register.

Rethinking Westchester Government (RethinkingWestchesterGov.org) will be circulating the following petition for April 15th:

We, the undersigned, believe that Westchester County should not have the highest real estate property taxes in the United States.

Citizens Budget Commission -- We appeal to the Westchester County Board of Legislators to form a non-partisan Citizens Budget Commission to reduce county government spending; facilitated through greater citizen participation, improved fiscal reporting, a more efficient delivery of services and an elimination of wasteful bureaucracy.

Study On Alternative County Government -- We propose a study on abolishing county government; to provide more efficient and effective alternatives to our current delivery of public services, that examines the legal, fiscal and intergovernmental impact of eliminating county government as we know it.

Initiative and Referenda -- We support proposed legislation that would provide voters with the ability to petition for a referendum to consolidate or eliminate unnecessary layers of government, including abolishing the existing county government.

 

County Budget Vote/Budget Cap -- We support giving people the right to approve County budgets, including annual budget caps.  Upon voter rejection of a County budget, the County Executive must submit a contingency budget for voter approval with spending reduced by at least 5%.

You're not seeing things.

We're trying to send county lawmakers a wake up call.  April 15th is Tax Day!!!

Imagine if Election Day was the day everyone paid their taxes?

In the next day or two, we will have more on what this is all about -- and we really hope you join us. 

Making A Case For County Government: One Esteemed Journalist's View

Milt Hoffman is the dean of Westchester County's journalists, a man I learned from as a young reporter for WVOX when he was still Gannett's political columnist in the 1980s.

The Journal News published last Sunday a page long article/Op Ed that was both a valuable history lesson of this suburb's county government -- and a compelling case for its continued operation.

Westchester County Government Has Proven Its Worth

I don't agree, of course, but Milt maps out a strong case.  As editor of Rethinking's blog, I will respond -- respecting Mr. Hoffman's wonderful history of what former Westchester County Executive Andrew P. O'Rourke once called the "Athens of counties" in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Undoubtedly, the movement to rid the county of its government took hold when it was revealed real estate taxes in Westchester are the highest of any county in the nation. The county government detractors, however, ignore the fact that the portion of taxpayer dollars that is paid to the county is less than 20 percent of the total bill; the bulk is collected by the 40 public school districts and 45 cities, towns and villages. Lost also in the debate is the fact that state aid to Westchester, its municipalities and school districts is among the lowest, if not the lowest. It has been that way for decades. Yes, Westchester government has become larger over the years as it has taken on more responsibilities, but invariably the performance of those responsibilities on the county level results in savings to local government and more efficient service."

I don't believe the school tax bill -- which is the result in most communities of a budget referendum vote -- should be lumped into the same argument as county and local municipal taxes.

Direct democracy might be needed in Westchester for all levels of government.  It is for many fire districts too, where budgets are taken to a vote, and many county bond referendums depending on the costs.  Library budgets are voted on in a number of communities.

Why can't we vote on the county budget?

School tax bill aside, the county tax bill is nearly HALF of your local tax bill.  School districts need to economize too but that bill is paid locally for a local service.  Parsing the percentages is a game of minutia but the compelling point is that the county portion is the most rapidly growing part of your tax bill annually -- the part you can't control (unless we vote the bums out of office).

... And what's wrong with Westchester residents believing that we should not be the highest taxed county in America?

Yes ... State aid has dropped, precariously, but shouldn't that be the hint to start appropriately downsizing government operations?  Also, why can't lawmakers push for renegotiating of contracts for county government employees -- and why must administrative costs and salaries in our county government be so disproportionately higher than standard civil service contracts?

Milt's history of how county government grew is laudable and worthwhile to consider as lawmakers and residents alike consider more effective and efficient ways to deliver many of these services.

Philosophically, I would disagree that the county government is a more cost-effective steward of county services.  Many of these state mandated services can be better managed by the state.  It's akin to be held hostage and paying all the bills for your abduction.  Let New York State take responsibility for its own services.  Many other services can be returned back to the local communities where they can be better managed.  Also, though it's hard to argue against Westchester County Government's great achievements, many of these municipal operations have grown too big.  They could now be less expensively run through regionalization, consolidation and/or privatization.

Any non-essential services in such a dire economic climate are luxuries and taxpayers should not be required to pay for services they neither see no benefit from nor particularly need.  The prioritizing of county government operations may perhaps be the single most dramatic result of how taxpayers are "rethinking" what little dollars are left in their pockets. 

This homage by Mr. Hoffman to our parks, parkways, medical center, public transportion, recycling, sewers and airport demands consideration.  But I believe we're entering an era of unfortunate government austerity, a time when we will all do without a lot of things, and Westchester County residents are grappling daily with what they will might do without.  In many instances, the  average resident doesn't have a choice.

They are already doing without.

Westchester County Government has to do without too.  Elected lawmakers have to make the tough choices, unions needs to preserve their "rank and file" by not pricing themselves out of their jobs and political leaders must start leading the charge to ease the burden on the broader population.

Respecting Milt Hoffman's esteemed view, it's still time for this suburb's inflated public economy to also do without -- so that perhaps Westchester will still have a fighting chance to again be what its brilliant planners envisioned over the past century.

 

New Airport Deal: Does It Save The Taxpayers Money?

Curious story floating around the business pages this week about a new contract for Westchester County Airport that has prompted claims that it could turn into a fiscal sinkhole.

Avitat Westchester Challenges Westchester County Proposal To Give its Airport Hangar Lease to JPMorgan Chase:  Market Watch (Wall Street Journal/Business Wire)

White Plains Company Contends Proposal Will Cost County Millions, Cites Bank's Plans to Spend More than $200 MM on New Jets and Hangar Enhancements

Is there any reality to the contention by Avitat CEO Michael Dolphin that Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano's proposal could cost Westchester upwards of $100 million?

"According to Mr. Dolphin, the RFP process for the hangar's lease renewal that is to take effect in March of next year, was flawed, violated longstanding County practices and was a retaliatory action against Avitat for complaining about illegal practices at the airport.

 

"Mr. Dolphin has also expressed concern that regulatory and/or public reactions to a TARP-assisted financial institution that cut its dividend by 87% and eliminated 14,000 jobs spending more than $200 million on new jets and hangar renovations could require Westchester to find a new lessee during the 30-year term of the lease."

Avitat also has to cut its workforce in half, 60 employees, all who now join the walking wounded of the laid off throughout Westchester.

 

We will follow this story as it develops.  The County Board of Legislators will have discussion on the issue Monday, March 23.

Fair Taxes? Just Politicians Spending Your Money

The recent protest for a "fair tax" by the more liberal union activists underlines one of the reasons why Rethinking Westchester Government is here.

'Fair Share' tax movement gains momentum:  The Journal News

There is little or no momentum (or support) for increased taxation on the one portion of Westchester's suburban economy that (a) has money to spend on consumer goods that keep many local merchants afloat and (b) comprise a broad cross-section of employers througout the Hudson Valley.

"The fair-share coalition is made up of civic groups, unions, nonprofits and those who would be affected by Paterson's budget cuts. It's primarily backed by the Working Families Party, United Federation of Teachers, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, 1199 SEIU and others."

How about cutting spending?

How about freezing salaries of these public employees?

How about defering salary increases?

How about re-negotiating contracts?  How about lowering the salaries of middle and upper management within municipal governments?

The "millionaire's tax" is a desperate end run to patch up 40 years of federal, state county and local debt.  In my opinion, it's not a solution -- and it cripples the economy by carving off consumer spending at a time when local economies throughout Westchester more desperately need money circulating.

What I found ironic about this story is that it appeared in The Journal News a day after a publicized meeting on an upcoming tax protest that is expected to draw hundreds of residents.  Rather than cover that meeting or at least one other group organizing their own protest, The Journal News chose to highlight an isolated protest that is entirely out of touch with the sentiments of its readers.

Merger Of Three County Governments?: Paul Feiner's Regional Proposal

In recent months Westchester County residents have started to debate the value of having a county government.

Connecticut, Rhode Island and much of Massachusetts have no county government and  property taxes in those states are less than ours.

A group, www.rethinkingwestchestergov.com, has started a web site to encourage people to reflect on the value of eliminating county government and transferring the responsibilities to local and/or state governments (which is what happened in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts).

The goal:  Reducing our property taxes and maintaining high quality services.

There is another option that we should be thinking about:

Instead of eliminating county government we could and should explore the value of merging existing county governments. Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties could be combined into one super regional entity. If these county governments would be merged we might be able to save many millions of dollars. Less administration, fewer commissioners, fewer lawmakers, reduced expenses, etc...

Last week the Regional Plan Association and Tri-State Transportation campaign held a forum to discuss a proposal that the MTA take over the county's Bee line bus system. Our current bus system is subsidized by Westchester residents but crosses county lines. It would make sense for the bus system to be regional (paid for by more than one county).

Westchester County residents support the Westchester Medical Center (the county guarantees the bonds). Yet, the medical center serves more than one county.  A regional government that would replace the county would spread the costs to those who use it.

A larger regional governing body, to replace our current three county governments, could easily handle solid waste, health and social services.

Last year, when I helped form Rethinking Westchester, my goal was to encourage debate and discussion.

The next step:

We need a professional study to determine if abolishing county government will save taxpayers significant dollars. The study should also provide residents with a roadmap--how this will be done. In addition, a professional study should explore the benefits of combining neighboring county governments. All options to save money should be explored.

Paul Feiner
Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Some Thoughts On Andrew Cuomo's Proposal to Consolidate/Dissolve Local Governments

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has released a proposal to authorize citizens to initiate petitions to consolidate/dissolve local government bodies.  Under Cuomo's proposed law, either ten percent of the residents in a jurisdiction or 5,000 voters signing a petition would allow a referendum to downsize and/or eliminate forms of local governments.

 

Rethinking founder Paul Feiner called Cuomo's proposed law a step in the right direction -- and added that it could apply to county government:

"It is very important that the concept  be expanded to county governments. Voters should have the ability to petition to elminate, consolidate all levels of government--including county government. ... Connecticut abolished county government in 1960. Rhode Island has no county government. And, Massachusetts authorized county governments to go out of business in the mid 1990s--and many county governments decided to dissolve."

As co-founder of  our group and a local town supervisor grappling on a daily basis with the operation of government, Feiner believes the people can initiate consolidation, dissolution of local governments.

 

It is believed that the laws already exist to drastically change and eliminate our present county government as it presently exists.

 

Now let's not get the pitchforks.  Let's not fall prey to panic.  There will still be delivery of services but a less expensive operation, if the present county government is dismantled.

Former County Executive Favors Expanded County Government: More Or Less Expensive?

Former Westchester County Executive Al Del Bello supports a new kind of county government, reported The Journal News, but is he taking aim at local governments?

"It's low-hanging fruit," DelBello said, challenging the local officials who met at Cortlandt Town Hall to think more boldly about consolidating and eliminating bureaucracy. "Let's get it over with, and start eliminating duplication. Let's talk about the hard stuff. We, as elected officials, tend to be very timid, but the public thinks just the opposite."

He emphasized that the recession should stimulate new thinking about government services. One idea, DelBello said, would be to eliminate the tax-collecting offices run by local governments in favor of a countywide operation. Technology has opened the way for more efficiency, he said, "but we're still living in the 1800s in terms of how we run our government."

But shouldn't local governments be given control of those efficiencies, rather than county government?

And can't New York State administrate many of its own programs better than county government being an expensive administrate go-between?

One local resident had the following observation:

"Government is known for talking, not necessarily acting, but that's what we have to do," said Raymond Reber, a management consultant from Montrose. "Ultimately, we need to make fundamental changes in the way we operate. Taxpayers are not stupid, though they can be paranoid. If you do your homework and you have to market it, you can do these changes."

Since Westchester County Government has failed miserably to apply what should have already been 35 years of efficiencies, my own two cents is that the last municipal entity the taxpayers of Westchester should be entrusting with consolidation is county government.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner Suggests Regionalism For Westchester, Putnam And Rockland Counties

One of Rethinking Westchester Government's founders suggests that consolidation of the Hudson Valley's three county governments might be one way of saving the taxpayers money.

Paul Feiner posed a question about merging the Westchester, Rockland and Putnam county governments that roused much commentary on the Yonkers Tribune blog.

Feiner's entire proposal can be found on this website, along with other suggestions by taxpayers to "right-size" county government a bit.

As expected, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano's office took their bites at Feiner for daring to speak up.

The Journal News also covered Feiner's proposal, which was drawn from an M.T.A. plan to regionalize mass transportation in the Hudson Valley.

"I feel county government is really removed from the people, anyway," Feiner said yesterday. "This is just another way of looking at consolidation.

"This way, you keep the existing infrastructure," he said. "My feeling is that county government is the easiest government to consolidate because no one identifies with it."

The Journal News reported that consolidation of county government is not part of New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's plan -- nor is it part of Rethinking Westchester Government's plan.

But at least Mr. Feiner is daring to think out of the box.

Municipal Consolidation In The News: "Right-Sizing" Government Now Mainstream Issue

No one is certain yet what the public will embrace but recent news stories underline the fact that some kind of change in county government is coming.

First, there was Andrew Cuomo's announcement to the New York State Conservative Party two weeks ago for a proposed new law that would make such consolidation easier.  Amazingly, a Democrat had to go to the Conservatives to get any reaction from lawmakers around the state.

Prior to that, Rethinking Westchester Government had been packing the house with as many as 200 people at their forums in Greenburgh, Yonkers and White Plains.  We started the conversation.

Then came Assemblywoman Sandra Galef's forums throughout upper Westchester County.  Though the Democrat from Ossinning had initially opposed Tom Suozzi's 4 percent tax cap on school districts, for example, following the election in November she changed her tune.  So had Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, who all of a sudden has started to use the words "transparency" and "accountability" in her press releases.  Paulin and many other Democrats and Republicans remain quiet and on the fence on actual downsizing by elimination of the present form of county government.

If it sounds like fiscal issues have become politically correct, one should remember that both Greenburgh Town Supervisor and Yonkers City Council Joan Gronowski had preceded all these reform proposals by many months.  Actually, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi had led the way two years ago.

Now former Westchester County Executive Al Del Bello has spoken on the issue -- appearing at a local panel moderated by Galef -- but is he advocating sending services locally to the county or downsizing all levels of government?

"It's low-hanging fruit," DelBello said, challenging the local officials who met at Cortlandt Town Hall to think more boldly about consolidating and eliminating bureaucracy. "Let's get it over with, and start eliminating duplication. Let's talk about the hard stuff. We, as elected officials, tend to be very timid, but the public thinks just the opposite."

Paul Feiner had his own proposal -- to merge the counties in the lower Hudson Valley -- modeled on a proposal by the M.T.A. to create a regional transportation authority.

"... We could and should explore the value of merging existing county governments. Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties could be combined into one super regional entity. If these county governments would be merged, we might be able to save many millions of dollars. Less administration, fewer commissioners, fewer lawmakers and savings of millions in salaries for executive and legislative branches of government, reduced expenses, etc...."

Or maybe we could eliminate the present form of county government altogether -- and go back to the old Board of Supervisors form of government that existed efficiently until the late 1960s?

Other ideas include a county manager form of government, more custodial and less heavy with costly administration.  Still more radical and cost-efficient models would allow local governments the control of the services (and the tax revenue) -- with other services being handled by New York State.

Some Thoughts On Grass Roots Activity: Goals and Methods

I thought Phil Reisman of The Journal News lent the more humorous take on what Rethinking Westchester Government is -- and isn't.

There is confusion among some elected officials about this group's goals and methods -- and our associations.

We're not looking to storm the County Building like the French Revolution.  We're not looking to prompt civil unrest.  We are looking forward to earn the respect and help of many County lawmakers who presently are being ordered by political bosses to keep their mouths shut.  Let's be clear on that point, since it is often over looked in New York's passive aggressive zoo of politicos.  It's about powerbrokers negotiating for jobs, money and/or endorsements.  It's the politics of fear and ownership.

They don't like us because actually making progress.  They don't own us and they can't scare us.

Rethinking is one of the reasons the Westchester County Board of Legislators thought twice about raising your taxes a percentage or two or more.  We are looking to eliminate county government, at least its present form, but that does not mean we're looking to end many valuable services.

Whether services can be more cost-effectively taken over by the state or local governments, we're concerned about the rising taxes.  Westchester is the highest taxed county in America.  Something has to change.

If that translates into a downsizing, consolidation and sharing of services that makes for a more productively run representative branch of local government ... good.  Some believe we have to press to eliminate county government to just get these knuckleheads we elected (yes, we collectively have to take responsiblity for them) to carve a percent or two off your tax bill.

Initiative and Referenda

One method Rethinking Westchester Government would like to use is no different than a school budget vote.

It's that simple.  We would like public referendums on: the budgets, all the bonding, departments and some level of services being handled by other levels of government (or eliminated completely).  There are things the state can do better and less expensively.  There are things a local village, town or city can do more efficiently than county government.

But to get there, we need the New York State Legislature to allow greater use of Initiative and Referenda. 

Right now, the control freaks in the Assembly and State Senate don't want the people (that's us) to have access to such control over finances and the operation of government.  In my humble opinion, they're taking an elitist attitude and don't feel "the great unwashed" can responsibly conduct the business of government.

It will take two sessions, over a period of four years, to get such a Constitutional Convention to pass such a change in the law ... theoretically.

Then there is Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's proposed law for consolidation, legislation that would require signatures to be gathered to allow a referendum.  It's a wonderful idea whose time is long overdue -- and perhaps it's the direction we as a group might take.

Now do you understand why people are so frustrated and prone to protest like a scene from Frankenstein.  People are mad as hell and not going to take high taxes anymore, especially during a recession that might become an economic depression.

How do we get that change?

Signatures.

Petition Drive

Just like a campaign for elected office, our democracy demands some level of accountability from the people in terms of a grass-roots level of support.  We need signatures.  Lots of thems.  Tens of thousands of signatures, maybe more, maybe hundreds of thousands of signatures statewide.

We're talking about months of work, all done by volunteers, and on a scale more serious and expansive that a statewide campaign for public office.  This is a lot of work.

Is there a quicker way?  Probably not.  And this remains our challenge.  Can we and other good government groups around New York State gather enough signatures to lobby the lawmakers to pass such a law -- if they can Constitutionally pass it?

They key will be the grass-roots support.  They can't say no to many thousands of signatures nor can the courts.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has just proposed a law that might make this simpler.

We will have more on that law in the coming days.

Grass Roots Support

What else can you do?

In addition to commenting on our blog, making your voice heard, we also have a place to comment anonymously on our website.  Still, we would welcome seeing your name.  It makes a greater impact.

It is about making the right noise, this thing called free speech.

You can knock on the door of your local elected official and ask if they can help.  You can show up at a local meeting and discuss the issue where your entire community can learn about our group.  Write a letter.  Whether you e-mail, call or mail a letter to elected officials on the local, county, state and federal level -- every little bit helps us. Contact the media.  We can help you there.  We can supply you with names of news producers, editors, publishers and journalists throughout the tri-state area.  Don't forget the bloggers either.

Arrange a meeting.  Invite us to speak.  Suggest a place where we should schedule a major forum in your village, town or city.

Some of you may not want to go door-to-door or may not be able but the above actions are helpful.

Rules of the Game

Now we already know that the politicians will pull every cheap dirty trick to discredit us.

What we're discovering is that some elected officials are already running for cover, making excuses and trying to avoid being accountable on the issue of fiscal responsiblity on the county level.

Why?  It's a back scratching game these knuckleheads play where they each "go along to get along" and the general rule is not to rock the boat.

So there isn't an confusion, please remind them that Rethinking Westchester Government is not associated with a publisher named Sam Zherka.  The self-styled reformer tends to attack people ungracefully in his newspaper rather than addressing the idea.  That's not the kind of good government approach we envisioned.

We recruited volunteers to build a new website.  We added a blog.  We're drawing the support of true reformers around the county.  It's not that Zherka's zeal for reform is without merit.  It's just that Zherka's confrontive style is not part of our organization.  He wants a physical protest.  We want a change in legislation through grounded activism.

Meanwhile, the other side continues to bully and threaten our allies.  Well meaning public servants are being told not to join us.  Where we don't agree with Mr. Zherka, we do agree that there is fear on the streets and arm-twisting behind closed doors by those wishing to spend more of your tax dollars.

In numbers, we have strength and your outreach to these elected officials is all important.

Please encourage them to come to the table.  Be our messenger.  That's when grass-roots works best.

The above can be considered a rough draft of a personal vision statement, for now, and there will be more to come by other members of our group.

Bob Fois
Editor
Rethinking Westchester Government

Demand End To High New York Taxes: Tom Golisano of Responsible New York

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle printed the following guest essay by Tom Golisano.

In addition to being a former gubernatorial candidate, this upstate businessman has remained a good government reformer throughout New York State.

Upstate New York pays the highest property taxes in the country. That's not news to any of us who pay taxes here.

The surprise is that our property taxes are significantly — and disproportionately — higher than those paid in other parts of the state. As a result, the price we pay goes beyond the dollars and cents, and hurts our communities, our families and our economy.

According to the New York state Comptroller's Office, property taxes on a home in Rochester valued at $100,000 are just under $4,000. Taxes on a $100,000 home in Yonkers (Westchester County) are less than half that ($1,773), while in Southampton (Suffolk County) they are almost a tenth of that ($456).

The result is a competitive disadvantage or a "property tax surcharge" felt in every part of our lives:

Community: The exorbitant taxes discourage homeownership, one of the keys to a successful and stable community.

Seniors: High property taxes make it hard — and too often impossible — for people on fixed incomes, like many seniors, to stay in their homes.

Economy: To business leaders our property tax burden is like a big red sign that proclaims: Go Away!

Take a large company in the service industry considering relocating. Its officers calculate the cost to live for themselves and their employees and are forced to look elsewhere.

Or consider a large manufacturing company. It adds up the taxes on the headquarters, the manufacturing plant, the warehouses, parking lots and so on and the property taxes on all that land too often sends them elsewhere.

The most insidious part is that high property taxes contribute to a never-ending cycle: as the taxes go up, property values go down. As property values go down, local governments raise property taxes to maintain revenue. As taxes go up ...

Unfortunately, as you know all too well, our staggering property tax burden is on top of an already high personal income tax and some of the highest sales taxes in the nation.

Identifying the problems high property taxes cause, and this striking upstate/downstate disparity, is only the first step. The problem has many causes and has been years in the making and, candidly, may take years to solve.

I urge you to go to www.ResponsibleNewYork.com, sign our petition demanding relief and join our discussion on how to solve this problem.

Excelsior!

Golisano, chairman of Paychex Inc., created Responsible New York to help citizens hold elected officials accountable.

With Credit Frozen, Developers Downshift: Less Building = Less Tax Revenue

The New York Times had a sobering article on the current state of building construction throughout Westchester County.

"With banks not lending money readily, retailers facing dismal sales and the housing market woefully hurt, now is hardly prime time for investors to spend millions or billions creating a new vision of Westchester, developers said."

Bad combination of economic factors are in play here, though one developer explained how some may weather the deflated economy.

“Smart money positions itself to be able to withstand the storm while at the same time laying the groundwork for when the storm blows over,” Mr. Apicella said.

Altering proposals to reflect market demand, initiating or financing projects in stages and creating partnerships with public agencies are some of those steps, he said.

Skeptical thinking here points to a period where local governments in Westchester's cities have already put forth partnership and tax relief for economic development.  However, the loss of jobs and tax revenue due to the delays on construction could outweigh that skepticism.

One variable seems almost certain:  Westchester County will indirectly be collecting a lot less tax revenue over the next year or two at least, so the current depressed building industry is another serious argument to further downsize county government now.

County Buses: What Would A Regional Bus Authority Mean for Westchester?

To answer one of the questions out of the County Executive's office, the Bee-Line buses don't need to be run by county government.

In fact, one of the fiscal arguments put forth by the MTA and other transportation organizations has been to include Westchester's busing operation as part of a broader multi-county regional authority that would assume the costs of public transportation in Westchester.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Regional Plan Association, and DMJM Harris will be holding a forum on how regional bus would affect Westchester County on February 13 at 9 am, at the Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle (click for map).

Of course, the first reaction might be that few would want the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) touching anything in suburbia.

But there has been a lot of merit to these ideas for decades, particularly given what many planning "experts" (not this blogger's favorite word) envision will be some form of tram or trains between Westchester and Rockland Counties.

It's not far fetched at all.  It could save taxpayers a lot of money, especially since our State taxes and train fares already pay for a large chunk of the MTA's budget.

Speakers and panelists include State Assemblymember George Latimer; Mayors Noam Bramson, Drew Fixell, Mary Foster, and Dennis Pilla; Westchester DOT Commissioner Larry Salley; and bus rapid transit expert Walter Hook of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

Regional bus is one of the recommendations in the Ravitch Commission’s report on funding and reforming the MTA. While some of the Ravitch funding recommendations, such as a payroll tax, have received significant public attention, regional bus has not.

County Government Helps With Foreclosures: Social Services Or Bad Banking?

The Journal News reported on a heart-warming story of Westchester County helping residents being hit hard by the economic drop in recent months.

"County officials promoted the counseling program yesterday as well as another program they hope to kick-start if they get the $7.2 million in federal funds they're seeking. That program would enable the county to purchase foreclosed homes, refurbish them and then sell them to people."

But is the county preparing to draw the taxpayers into the housing and mortgage-aid business?

Laudable in its efforts to help those economically strapped, sources in the real estate community have hinted that an aspect of federal mortgage aid could be administrated by county government officials.

The fiscal question is simple enough: Should Westchester's county bureaucracy get in the business of public banking?

Some would rightfully argue that some government authority has to administrate such federal aid.  Others fear it could become another inefficiently run county government department that could end up in other its head in bad mortgage debt over time.  Wouldn't private banks and private mortgage brokers -- along with many experienced real estate professionals -- be better at close this complicated mortgage aid deal?

The author of this post is certainly not negating the value of some mortgage rescue, since it's clearly an issue of discussion in the real estate community, but how far and who gets bailed out?

... And at what cost, and what happens when the federal supply of dollars dries up and Westchester's taxpayers have to foot that bill?

Nassau County Executive Proposes 7 Percent Across-The-Board Pay Cut

Long Island's two suburban counties are preparing for the worst and so is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  Westchester County lawmakers must have missed the memo on Wall Street's layoffs.

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi isn't waiting for the red ink.  Yesterday, he announced a proposed seven percent across-the-board pay cut for municipal employees to avoid layoffs.

Suozzi threatens layoffs unless union workers take pay cut:  Newsday

"County Executive Thomas Suozzi said yesterday "things are as bad as they can be" financially for Nassau and he threatened to lay off almost 1,000 workers, or 10 percent of the county workforce to help balance the budget."

Suozzi is dealing with the fiscal reality.  Last week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested aggressive cuts in services and layoffs to head off what he expected could be worse economic news in coming months.

Why hasn't the Westchester County Board of Legislators opened the same discussion?

Suozzi told WCBS-TV that he is expecting a fight from the unions:

"To solve today's problems, we must cut the heart out of county government," said Souzzi.

Bloomberg's dire predictions about the economy were cautionary but New York City is also preparing for the worst, as The New York Times reported last week.

I call it a two-headed monster, the double-hit of high taxation in suburbia and layoffs in New York City.

Fred Dicker of the New York Post described New York's fiscal woes, comparing it to the municipal crisis of the 1970s.

Whistle-Blower Site Drawing Visitors And Feedback: RethinkingWestchesterGov.com

Some call it Taxpayers Anonymous.

 

We call it the Whistleblower box and 75 people checked out this new application on our website Monday afternoon.

 

The following is a sample of anonymous comments:

"Why doesn't the CE ride around in a small hybrid car rather than a limousine? He should be setting an example of frugality and not acting like a king."

"Big efforts were made to save paper while outrageous overtime amounts are paid to corrections and overlapping police services."

"Light bulbs were removed from fixtures and just destroyed and then replaced with more expensive (high efficiency) light bulbs."

"Departments were told to get rid of perfectly good stationery, that had already been purchased and to use new stationery with a recycled emblem on it? Hundreds of reams of paper were wasted."

"What are all of those political cronies doing at the Board of Elections and the Taxi & Limousine Commission??"

"I find it outrageous that the county legislators continue to spend our tax dollars on cell phones to the tune of $41,000 plus. Last year Jorge Fitzgibbons of the journal news exposed these crooks, and you would think that the legislators would be more vig."

"It is about time for the people of Westchester elect a Sherriff to lead law enforcement instead of political appointees. we should combine the two agencies and make one sherriffs dept. The Jail should be called the Westchester County Dentention Center."

"How come we have county police and a dept of corrections? There is alot of money that can be saved by getting an elected sherriff and combining the two agencies."

"Why are there Two Directors of Tourism on the county payroll?"

We are hoping to expand the Whistleblower function on our website.

 

Everyone is welcome to comment here too -- and e-mail us.

Taking The Debate Right To County Government's Door: Whistle-Blower Site Launched

Rethinking Westchester Government drew the coverage of Cablevision's News 12 and The Journal News yesterday with the announcement of a new website and blog.

We were out there in front of the County Building.  At least three County Legislators walked by to check us out, two taking out flyer with enthusiasm and one in particular speaking to News 12.

I hope News 12 will broadcast County Legislator John Nonna's statement to the press, especially since he was the only elected county official with the courage to speak to journalists.  They interviewed Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner and our website editor Candyce Corcoran.

Phil Reisman was there and had his fun, outlining the boundary lines in this debate to make County Government less expensive.

"While Feiner's group will surely contribute to the mania, it represents the kinder, gentler segment of the anti-county government movement. They want to "rethink" government, not douse it with a flamethrower."

We are Rethinking Westchester Government.  We are not Sam Zherka.  We are not the Westchester Guardian and we're not about to be bullied by any side of this debate either.  The taxpayers are the being bullied enough -- with nearly half of non-school district taxes stemming from this inflated bureaucracy called county government.

Over the coming months, there will be growing concerns about taxation and the cost of government.  Rather than fall prey to hyperbole, Rethinking is seeking a reasonable approach through petition drives and open forums to come up with some problem-solving.

Meanwhile, the County Executive didn't speak to the press.  He had a surrogate speak for him. This is nothing new.  I couldn't help but note that Andrew Spano's newest deputy is doing precisely what the last flack-master did in his position, speaking like a Charlie McCarthy dummy whenever is there bad news.

Does Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano ever take a question on a negative news story about his branch of government?

And they're calling us political?

Local Housing Market Experiences 26 Percent Drop In Sales Volume: Five Percent Drop In Median Price

The Westchester County Business Journal reported that the residential real estate market last year saw a 26 percent drop in sales from 2007 levels, according to the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service statistics.

Westchester County Board of Realtors CEO P. Gilbert Mercurio was hopeful the housing market would rebound but added that fourth-quarter closings do not reflect the impact of “the economic chaos” that began last October. He explained that such damage to the market cannot be measured until the close of this first quarter of 2009 at the earliest.

“Westchester housing prices are in rare retreat and are presenting a more affordable prospect to moderate-income and first-time buyers,” his report concluded. If federal economic stimulus programs restore public confidence in the economy, that combined with the bi-county area’s economic strengths and historically low mortgage interest rates “could combine to move Westchester-Putnam real estate out of recession as quickly as we entered it.”

To be fair, this analysis is coming from within the real estate industry and is spun appropriately to reflect the most positive forecast for 2009.  There is bound to be an impact on tax revenues, particularly mortgage tax receipts, and such a drop in sales can only end up impacting many other parts of Westchester's economy.

The median price of a single-family house in Westchester averaged $650,000 for the year, a drop of 5 percent or $35,000 from 2007.  The mean or average price of a single-family house in 2008 was $881,793, a 6 percent drop.

Mercurio added that unemployment in the financial services sector is "a particular worry" for Westchester and Putnam counties and its full impact on the real estate market “is not yet known.”

The impact on the tax bill is not yet known either -- but one would hope County lawmakers will be ready to revise revenue projections to reflect the reality rather than rely on inflated estimates.

Meanwhile, the New York Post commented how New York City's preparations for a fiscal "doomsday" may be too little, too late.

Notorious 3,000 Miles Away: Westchester's Wasteful Wish List

With the federal stimulus package on people's minds, Westchester County's wishlist drew the attention of the Pasadena News in California for being as shortsighted:

"Consider the similar wish list of small ideas suburban Westchester County has proposed for its stimulus package as reported in the New York Times: updating sewage treatment plants, buying hybrid buses and reducing Westchester’s toll on the environment by replacing energy systems, lights, and windows in county buildings, and upgrading traffic signals. Sound familiar? These sorts of projects may keep city employees fully employed and pensions fully funded but do little for the long run of the city."

Westchester is not Pasadena but how ironic that our county lawmakers catch such a negative tag clear across the United States.

Yes ... We googled "Westchester County" and one of the first news stories mentioning our county government was clear across the county in California.  That's how notorious the highest taxed county in the United States has become.

These sorts of projects may keep county employees fully employed and pensions fully funded but do little for the long run for the county.  They make for great press releases for Westchester County Executive Andy Spano but it's an attempt to seek federal bailout money to subsidize other fiscal problems.

"The amount, timing, and millstones that will be involved with any Federal stimulus package that might filter down to Pasadena have not been definitively decided upon yet. Hopefully, what will trickle down to Pasadena will be in the form of a block grant that local governments can target to the unique needs of each city. But it would behoove Pasadena to begin a forward planning process given that President Obama has rightly emphasized the importance of infrastructure which typically takes significant lead time to implement."

Suggestion:  Start with the Tappan Zee Bridge, which State and County lawmakers have been entirely slow to make "shovel ready" -- thus leaving it ineligible to get any monies from Congress within this version of the federal bailout.