Petition Update: Supervisor Stretches Out the Timeline for Objections
Dear Edgemont Neighbors:
Happy August! We have some timeline updates to report since our filing of the Edgemont incorporation petition with the Town of Greenburgh a few weeks ago on July 15th.
Under state law, from the date of the filing, the Supervisor had 20 days to notice the public. His announcement was posted on August 1st.
From the date of the announcement, Mr. Feiner is allowed 20-30 days to hold the statutorily required hearing. He chose 2:00p on August 30th, the Friday before Labor Day weekend and the last possible allowable day under the statute. Further, unlike for the first two petitions, the Town of Greenburgh did not work with us to determine a mutually agreeable date.
The Supervisor can adjourn the hearing for another 20 days. Mr. Feiner has already stated that he will adjourn until September 18th, one day short of the maximum.
Thousands of Edgemont residents have signed petitions and many have volunteered countless hours and donated generously–over the course of more than eight years–towards the goal of voting on Edgemont’s preferred form of self-governance. Supporters of a vote have soldiered on despite an array of delay and other bad faith tactics from Town leadership.
We are disappointed in, but not surprised by, the Supervisor’s decision to string out the process of hearing the third petition. We suspect that he, and others who oppose Edgemont’s right to ever vote on incorporation, are buying time to formulate objections–and perhaps even a lawsuit against the legislation supported by Andrea Stewart-Cousins that retained our ability to incorporate under the same basic provisions that applied to Greenburgh’s six, Westchester’s 23, and New York’s 500+ existing villages.
We will keep you posted. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!
– The EIC
