Politics on the Hudson

On Monday night, there will be another election in Greenburgh, this time to nominate a replacement former Town Justice James Hubert, now a County Court judge.

The 166-member Greenburgh Democratic Committee will meet at Town Hall to choose one of three candiidates vying for the part-time position.

Attorneys Arlene Gordon-Oliver from Harrison and Frank Apicella from Greenburgh’s Poets Corner neighborhood have already met with the party’s executive committee and are official candidates.

But Ardsley Village Justice Walter Schwartz, who narrowly lost Tuesday’s Democratic Primary for Greenburgh Town Justice, is asking for another chance. For Schwartz to become a candidate, a district leader will have to nominate him from the floor and another district leader else will have to second the nomination.

Whoever is chosen will run on the Democratic line unopposed in November and serve with judges Doris Friedman and Sandra Forster, both of whom won the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey was in Elmsford today with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look at one of the many areas near the Saw Mill River that get washed out during heavy rains.

Lowey, a Democrat from Harrison, said she helped secure $8 million from the feds for flood relief in Westchester County, including around the Saw Mill, which is being studied by the Army Corps now.

Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams got some face time with the congresswoman, as did a few local merchants, who shared with her stories of evacuating employees when there’s even a threat of a heavy storm.

“This is a major problem for this community, and for many community that border the Saw Mill,” Lowey said after the meeting.

Greenburgh Town Board candidates Kevin Morgan and Sonja Brown will hold a 2 p.m. press conference at Town Hall, 177 Hillside Ave., to refute accusations that they are not “real Democrats.”

Their opponents, Steve Bass and Eddie Mae Barnes, mailed out a campaign flyer this week saying that Morgan and Brown were not “real Democrats” because they are not “100 percent” in support of abortion rights or “100 percent” against Indian Point. Read the story here.

Meanwhile, Barnes and Bass announced via e-mail this morning that they will hold a 3 p.m. press conference at the Greenburgh Health Center, 330 Tarrytown Road, “to illustrate their opponent’s anti-choice record.” Bass will not attend because he is observing Rosh Hashanah.

UPDATE: Bass and Barnes changed the location of the press conference to the Planned Parenthood office, 175 Tarrytown Road.

Morgan and Brown are running on a slate with eight-term Town Supervisor Paul Feiner in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Bass and Barnes are running with Suzanne Berger, the chairwoman of the Greenburgh Democratic Committee who is trying to unseat Feiner.

In an e-mail, Morgan described the flyer as a “gross misrepresentation” of his and Brown’s positions on abortion. He and Brown will be filing a formal complaint with the Greenburgh Ethics Board against Barnes and Bass, the incumbents.

UPDATE: In another e-mail, Brown fumed about having to explain the negative flyer to her distraught 8-year-old daughter: “I did my best to explain … that only the most despicable politicians would knowingly lie and try to scare innocent families. I could tell that my eight-year-old’s sadness was quickly turning into anger.”

In her quest to unseat Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, challenger Suzanne Berger violated a policy held by her alma mater, Barnard College.

Berger’s campaign took names and addresses from her official alumnae directory book and mailed some alumnae information about her campaign, asking for their support.

Apparently, this was a no-no. Michael Feierman, general counsel for Barnard College, said he told Berger’s campaign manager that the directory should not be used for commerical or political uses, and that he had received complaints from some alumnae over the mailing.

Berger said she thought she could use the directory to help her campaign because the 2006 editon does not prohibit political uses. She said she couldn’t understand why the college would have a problem with her asking other alumnae for support: “It’s called networking.”

Feierman said the 2006 edition was “more generic” in its description of prohibited uses because another vendor handled its printing. He said past editions of the alumnae directory clearly stated that it could not be used politically and said the online version still lists all of the restricted uses.

One of the people who called Barnard to complain was alumna Linda Garfunkel, the wife of Richard Garfunkel — Feiner’s campaign manager. Linda Garfunkel said she never got a copy of Berger’s campaign letter but that she heard about the alumnae-targeted letter from another alumna.

“For me, using college lists for personal gain is a violation of the honor code that we lived by as students,” Garfunkel said. “It really is taking private property that does not belong to the alumna. That is what my Barnard education meant to me — adhering to a strict code of conduct.”

Feierman, trying his best to escape the matrix of Greenburgh politics, said that Barnard does not feel “aggrieved” by Berger’s actions, and that both she and Garfunkel are valued alumnae.

Now that’s diplomacy.

The New York League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club are backing Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner for another term in office.

Both groups announced their endorsements today at 1 p.m. at Town Hall, 177 Hillside Ave.

The endorsements come exactly one week before what could be a close Democratic primary in Greenburgh. Feiner is being challenged by Suzanne Berger, the chairwoman of the Greenburgh Democratic Committee. Both candidates are running unopposed on minor party lines, meaning they will face off gain in November, no matter who wins next Tuesday’s run-off race.

Apparently, Paul Feiner is hoping that he and his slate to peddle their way to victory on Sept. 18.

Feiner, Greenburgh’s long-time supervisor, and his running mates are going to hit the campaign trail on a four-seat bicycle that was custom made in Maryland. The quartet of Feiner, Town Board candidates Kevin Morgan and Sonja Brown, and Town Clerk candidate Judith Beville will launch their bike tour Saturday afternoon at Anthony F. Veteran Park.

“If we can pedal together, we should be able to solve every major problem around town,” Feiner said in an e-mail today.

Morgan, a retired Greenburgh detective, picked up the bicycle yesterday in Baltimore and said his family already has been teasing him about the publicity stunt: “I’ll never live it down.”

Slate-on-a-bike is the brainchild of Feiner campaign worker Scott Schindler, who designed the green and white “I’m with Paul” campaign signs that are all over town. While Feiner is no stranger to, ahem, unique ideas (he once tried to launch a dating service out of Town Hall), seeing the four candidates on two wheels is bound to get a reaction — either for being environmentally conscious or enormously clownish.

Some people might even start singing this song:

Feiner, Feiner,
You’ve staged some strange stunts before
But are you crazy
Taking your slate on tour?
You already have the money
To buy signs, so why be funny?
They could say you’re all wrong
When you’re riding along
On a bicycle built for four.

While Andy Spano and other Democrats have publicly endorsed Democratic challenger Suzanne Berger for Greenburgh Town Supervisor over 16-year incumbent Paul Feiner, State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins is staying neutral.

“I’ll be sitting this one out,” the Yonkers Democrat said.

Stewart-Cousins said she has a “good history” with both Berger and Feiner. Berger, the former chairwoman of Greenburgh’s Democratic Town Committee, has been one of Stewart-Cousins most ardent supporters, helping her raise money for two hard-fought campaigns against former state Sen. Nick Spano. Meanwhile, Stewart-Cousins office has been working with Feiner on helping the flood-damaged businesses on East Hartsdale Avenue.

“Whoever wins the primary is my candidate,” she said.

However, Stewart-Cousins has endorsed Town Clerk Alfreda Williams and Town Board members Steve Bass and Eddie Mae Barnes in their re-election bids. She said their incumbency, coupled with the Democratic Town Committee’s backing of the trio, led to her endorseme the underticket.

Feiner has the incumbency but Berger has the Democratic Town Committee’s designation. Apparently, a candidate needs both — or a primry victory — to win Stewart-Cousin’s support.

Meanwhile, Berger and her slate have been endorsed by Brodsky (another candidate she raised money for), County Executive Spano, George Latimer, Amy Paulin and Adam Bradley, Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni, County Board Chairman Bill Ryan and Westchester County Legislators Lois Bronz and Ken Jenkins.

Wanna make $500? Just take a picture of people stealing or defacing Paul Feiner’s campaign signs in Greenburgh.

Feiner, who is running for a ninth term as town supervisor, sent out an e-mail yesterday offering the reward for any photos or videos that lead police to capture the scofflaws. He claims more than 100 of his green and white signs, which say simply “I’m with Paul,” have been removed or vandalized in the past week.

Feiner claims that his signs were stolen within a few hours after his campaign placed them along roadways, and that lawn signs were removed from people’s private property. Signs hung on telephone poles have been vandalized, he said.

Feiner is offering the reward with his three running mates: Town Board candidates Kevin Morgan and Sonja Brown and Town Clerk challenger Judith Beville. Morgan posted pictures of two vandalized signs, covered with the word “greed” and the symbol for anarchy, here.

Morgan, a retired Greenburgh police detective, filed a formal complaint with the police department on Sunday, Feiner said. In the e-mail. Morgan called the thefts and vandalism “a political hate crime.” Feiner’s e-mail also includes statements by Brown, urging the Town Board incumbents to discourage sign theft and vandalism; and a statement from Beville challenging every incumbent and candidate to issue statements urging fair elections.

Feiner encouraged his supporters to carry a camera when they drive around town, especially at night. He said photos and videos can be sent to Paul Feiner, P.O. Box 718, Hartsdale, NY 10530. Residents call also call Feiner at 478-1219. Those who catch the thieves and vandals on tape must agree to testify in court, Feiner said.

Westchester County Executive Andy Spano has thrown his support behind Suzanne Berger, who is trying to unseat longtime Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner in the Sept. 18 Democratic primary.

The endorsement came this afternoon at St. Francis/St. Martha’s Church on Tarrytown Road in Greenburgh.

Berger, a Dobbs Ferry lawyer who is the head of Greenburgh’s Democratic Town Committee, was chosen as the town party’s candidate over Feiner, who has clashed with the town’s Democratic leadership over the years.

Spano also endorsed Berger’s running mates for the Town Board, Steve Bass and Eddie Mae Barnes. Both Bass and Barnes have the Democratic Town Committee’s support.

Spano was joined by county clerk Tim Idoni; county legislators Lois Bronz, D-Greenburgh and Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers; and Assembly members Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh and George Latimer, D-Rye, according to Bass.

Bill Ryan, a White Plains Democrat who chairs the county Board of Legislators and Assembly members Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, and Adam Bradley, D-White Plains, did not attend the event but sent written remarks supporting the slate, Bass said.

The battle to become Greenburgh’s next town supervisor soon will enter the World Wide Web.

Suzanne Berger said today that her campaign website, friendsofsuzanneberger.com, should launch by the end of the month. Berger is the Democratic Town Committee’s designated candidate to unseat eight-term supervisor Paul Feiner.

Feiner’s new re-election website, paulfeiner.com, is already up and running. His old re-election website, www.feiner.org, is still on the web.

The self-promoting supervisor also has his own blog, feiner.blogspot.com, and his own Wikipedia entry.

UPDATE: Berger’s site has been launched.