‘Change Day’ is coming, says group
Rethinking Westchester Government is launching a countywide “Change Day” petition effort for April 15 — it’s no coincidence it’s tax day, they say.
The petition takes the “Boston Tea Party” concept a step further, say organizers. It calls for a citizens’ budget commission, a study on alternatives to county government, initiative and referendum – and a county budget vote.
“I am shocked that the county I live in, Westchester County, has become the highest taxed county in America,” said former Congressman Joe DioGuardi, in a statement released today by Rethinking Westchester Government. “What’s wrong with involving the people in the budget process – Before the money is spent?”
DioGuardi noted the non-partisan Citizens Budget Commission that had been reestablished in New York City following its own budget crisis in the 1970s, which he said worked well.
The group’s founder Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said the movement is a “basic request” for change in government.
“More efficient and effective ways of delivering services exist and should be tried by county government,” said Feiner. “I don’t see why county lawmakers have to be so resistant to change, especially since we’re trying to save the taxpayers money. I thought change was the point of last year’s election.”
The citizens group will organize volunteers with petitions at post offices, train stations, malls and other locations throughout the county. For more information, go to the group’s Web site.
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these guys can’t possibly be serious..they are rethinking
county government…zherka wants to abolish county
government..but zherka gave these guys money for their
website..and they took it…so the owner of a new york
strip club who states that he is under investigation
for prostitution drug dealing and money laundering funded
in part the rethinking county goverment effort..have
these guys no shame..and Joe DIoguardi ..wasn’t he
the only incumbant congressman ever to lose in recent
memory…and do you remember why he lost…better google
him…this is an attempt by feiner and zherka to distract
people from the issue..the issue is the cost of government
and the cost of county government pales in comparison
to the cost of schools and town and villages with duplicative services…43 municipalities with their
own police depts..chiefs etc..their own court systems
judges, clerks, etc,..their own town and village managers
and or supervisors and or mayors..give me a break..all
of this has already been looked at thoroughly by westchester 2000..recomendations were made but not
followed…feiner and zherka…dioguardi and friends are
misleading the taxpayers seriously in an election year
the county accounts for 18% of property taxes..of which
about 75% is state mandated.ie you would pay it whether
or not county government existed…all the rest is
local and school related….thats where the cuts
have to be made
At lease someone is hollering and trying to do something, anything, about the insane taxes we pay.
people can holler all they want…county government is
not the problem..your schools and your villages and
towns are…do you want tax relief or do you just want
to watch the show
The complete opposite of what Feiner, Zherka and DioGuadi are asking for would be more realistic if there were to be any change in how government if run. One would think that the smaller towns and villages would be combined into a larger government where they could consolidate services, i.e. Police, fire, parks, public works, etc… Smaller town and villages would benefit from joining larger government bodies. The Consultant is right on this one, your tax bill in Westchester county is probably the smallest part of your tax bill depending on where you live, SCHOOL TAXES and local Taxes are the problem..
You talk about governmental waste, research DioGuardi’s history and you will see pork money being distributed to unbelievable places by our former Congressman, he has no shame.
As you suggested I goggled “Congressman Joe DioGuardi” and I was stunned by some of the information about him on the internet.
county government is not the problem? there are a lot of problems and this county government is one of them. what about the multi million dollar building Spano and his dem board bought from the campaign donator to store voting machines and then took the building off the tax rolls? And then they give taxpayer $ to Ardsley to make up for the tax money they grifted? What about that multi million dollar museum thing at playland we pay for? What about all the bodyguards we pay for? What about all the unnecessary duplication of services? What about paying for all these guys to fly all over the country, and other countries, golf, laze at expensive hotels and eat filet mignon on our dime? what about, what about, what about… on and on. What about crazy, expensive roadblocks from the metropolitan museum to block parkway entrances instead of simple wood horses? What about a 3 million $ gunshot detection system when we have 911? 3 miliion is just for the hardware. what does it really cost us? I could go on and on for pages. Don’t tell me it’s ONLY 18%, eighteen percent extra on a mammoth elephant is what causes the heart attack.
if you are unsatisified with how county government is presently operating vote out those who are responsible
for it..that is a totally different thing than abolishing
the structure which cannot be done
looks like a zherka was arrested today for posessing
25,000 worth of marijuana..not sam….but he looks
just like sam..maybe his brother maybe not…as the
issues pile up this election year..do the people of
westchester really want to follow sam zherka who
admits he is under investigation for money laundering
drug dealing and prostitution in manhattan…is that
what westchester county has become..a place where
guys like that who are posers …attempt to throw
their money around to create the aura of being
important public figures…where is the press on
this dimunition of the character of public discourse
they love to sell papers…and hawk their wares ..but
they don’t seem to care about the resume of the people
they report about..too bad..westchester county used
to be a great place..
Obviously the “Consultant” leaving messages here is a Spano cronie. Nice try buddy! The taxpayers are about to take their government back!!!!!
first of all I am not a Spano cronie..second of all
I have stated publicly time and again that the county
should not have an elected executive…but rather
a manager…however the math is the math…and you
are being misled…if you completely changed county
government tomorrow..you would only be impacting
18% of your property taxes..of which 75% is state
mandated..if however you eliminated the duplciative
services provided by the 43 municipalities you
might get somewhere…and the fact that you have
as your leaders…Paul Feiner who raised taxes 30%
in two years in greenburgn as well as sam zherka
a strip club owner who financed the rethinking
groups website..and joe dioguardi who lost his
congressional seat to nita lowey..is an indication
that you have chosed the wrong leaders who send
the wrong message..you can have as many rallys
as you want..it won’t make a single bit of difference
your group should have denounced the use of the son
of the county executive in a tv spot but you were
silent..you should have rejected the funds from
a man who says he is under investigation in new york
county but you were silent..and you should have found
someone other than a tax and spend liberal to be
your spokeman…
Robi arrives at the stadium in the eighth inning, orders a hot dog and beer, then asks the guy next to him, “Who’s playing?”
you know I always wonder why it is that some people
can’t respond to the arguement without attacking the
person making the argument..they seem to be blinded
by their zeal to either punish, seek revenge, right
a perceived wrong etc..and they could care less about
the character of the people leading them…as long
as the means justifies the ends..it matters not
what the law is…what the constitution of the
state says or what the math is….everyone opposing
them is “working for the county” “in the pocket
of the county” “being paid by andy spano”, ” a political
cronie of andy spano”..etc…all I know is that 75%
of 18% is about 14%..leaving 4% to cut…while
82% remains..so if you only cut 10% of the 82%
you would cut twice as much as cutting all of the
4%....
The simple fallacy of “ad hominem” should be taught to every kid in grammar school. It is not a complicated precept and it would suddenly enable even fifth graders to gain valuable insight into the danger and stupidity inherent in fallacious, hurtful, and (let’s face it) – ignorant speech. It would also make them much smarter in their own personal evaluations of any issue under discussion for the rest of their lives.