So, did anyone explain where Council Member Ken Jones was? Or did he just let Town Clerk Judy Beville take his place? All kidding aside, Judy did a fairly good job of keeping the action moving and her introductions of local politicians - past and present - were enjoyable. The meeting had it all - including many powerfully emotional moments. Ardsley and the Rivertowns are a strong community.
First, the problems with the sound system have gone on for years. It remains to be seen how well the streaming video on the Town website sounds. Memo to Town Board - fix this!
A friend from Edgemont emailed me to say how he felt the meeting showed how important it is to avoid having to rely on public officials you don't vote for as Ardsley and others had to do with Dobbs Ferry.
Herb Rosenberg of Dobbs Ferry is known to those who watch (or suffer through as the case may be) Town Board meetings. Long before Chris Christie bellowed he tells it like its, Herb Rosenberg has spent countless hours waiting his turn to speak out against wrongs wherever they occurred in the Town. His apology to Ardsley for Rivertowns Square is an example. Herb has also excoriated those in the unincorporated areas of the Town who have fought for 30 plus years to keep Ardsleyans from being able to use the Town Pool at Veteran Park (20% of which is in the Village of Ardsley).
Ardsley's current and former mayors were effective and eloquent and the School Board representatives almost singlehandedly sent The Jefferson back to Texas. We also got a nice assist from Elmsford's mayor.
Former Ardsley village board trustee Nicole Minore was extraordinary in her analysis of the issues, her passion and her ability to expose JPI for engaging in a transparent marketing scheme regarding the developer's millennialist fantasies.
Supervisor Feiner came prepared with scoping suggestion after suggestion. Ok, he was grandstanding a bit but he showed why he is still Supervisor after 25 years despite originally running on a term limits platform back in 1992. I calculated his development mitigations at roughly several hundred million dollars.
Of course major kudos go to Dina Cardoso who got the ball rolling with her change.org petition and who has worked tirelessly on getting the word out on Facebook and in every other way.
As the folks in Dobbs Ferry (the vets from the battle of Rivertowns Square) advised, the process is long and the developer and its allies know the "wear them out" game.
As one wise resident observed, the developers seem to be able to exploit the patchwork political divisions in Greenburgh where projects span multiple borders. We must not let their divide and conquer strategy prevail.
Our ASVAC leaders made it clear that The Jefferson poses a danger to the health and well being of every citizen it serves.
The most interesting fact was that not one speaker appeared to support the project. Even the developer didn't raise his hand when an Ardsley resident asked for a show of hands of those who favored the development. Perhaps he was dreaming of being in one of those canoes that float down the Saw Mill River when it floods instead of at the first scoping session.
We need to continue to mobilize and unite the disparate groups with shared interests, including our neighboring village residents, who are also sick of this nonsense.
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