Journal News

7-13-03

To the Editor:

I am a relatively new resident of Greenburgh, and recently had the opportunity to attend an outdoor Greenburgh Town Board Meeting. I found Supervisor Paul Feiner's style and the Town Board Meeting very refreshing and open after being a veteran of 33 years of attending and speaking at City Council meetings in White Plains.

Last night I attended my first outdoor Town Board Meeting at Babbit Court, Elmsford. What could be more open than that in a neighborhood that has experienced flooding problems. Supervisor Feiner answered questions, promised follow-up action and made people, who normally are frustrated with government red tape, smile and applaud.

After the meeting ended, Supervisor Feiner (along with Councilwoman Eddie Mae Barnes) stayed around and held an informal meeting (that was taped for cable) with a handful of residents. That give and take chat listed until 11:25 pm. Mr. Feiner's opponent in the upcoming election participated in this informal, but animated chat as did a handful of others. The main topic was cable television. Mr. Feiner really tried to be responsive to his critics – inviting them to submit six or seven specific suggestions on how the level of service can improve. My impression, after at least two hours of formal and informal interaction on the subject of local access to cable television, was that the Town of Greenburgh and Supervisor Paul Feiner support open and unfettered programming without government interference. Hopefully suggestions that come out of this forum will help move the process of community involvement and participation forward. The Greenburgh Town Board meeting that I attended was a model of open government and should serve as an inspiration for other elected officials.

Richard J. Garfunkel