The Choice is Clear, the Desperation Palpable

I’ve been wondering as of late why President Bill Clinton has been supporting New Rochelle part-time Mayor Noam Bramson’s campaign for Westchester County Executive. This is a local election, right?  Democrats in Westchester outnumber Republicans 2:1, right?  So why the hard push?  Then, when people closely connected with prominent leaders of the Democratic Party in Westchester were caught vandalizing Astorino signs and replacing them with Bramson signs I began to wonder, why are they so desperate?  When I received a robo-call from Bill Clinton last night, I chuckled to myself, “wow, they really are desperate.”  Then it hit me.  Noam Bramson isn’t campaigning about local issues; he’s got a much larger agenda that is being pushed by people much more powerful than he.

The real issue at stake is the agenda of HUD to use Westchester County as a “Grand Experiment” for their assault on local zoning laws across the nation (See WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323595004579069121710169740). As HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims was quoted, Westchester is the department's "grand experiment."

Over the past several years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has increasingly flexed its muscle with Westchester County. HUD views Westchester’s residential zoning as discriminatory. HUD wants Westchester’s community to dismantle residential zoning and promote multi-family/density free housing. An article in Forbes this year (http://www.forbes.com/sites/deanzarras/2013/05/01/the-800-pound-hud-gorilla/) , describes an epic battle being waged by federal, state and local officials as HUD attempts to cram its “Grand Experiment” down the throats of Westchester county residents.  Accommodating HUD’s demands would require Westchester County to raise taxes by over 200% (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KZJYO2XvpM).

So, what about those prominent endorsements?

Bill Clinton: While in office, President Clinton signed the Executive Order creating the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, which authorized HUD to create and pursue their national agenda.

Governor Cuomo:  Andrew Cuomo served as the Secretary of HUD during Clinton’s administration. And in a recent press release this year he said, “Expanding affordable housing for New Yorkers in need has been a priority of the administration over the last two years,” Governor Cuomo said. “This latest investment will leverage hundreds of millions in public and private resources to further our goal of ensuring every New York family has access to housing, as well as launching shovel-ready construction projects across the state.”

And the desperation as election day nears?

Let’s take a look at Part-Time Mayor Noam Bramson’s record:

·       109% Property Tax increase in New Rochelle

·       Created New Taxes and Fees to circumvent state-mandated property tax cap

·       Drained 90% of money from New Rochelle reserve fund

·       Gave himself a 40% Pay raise during global recession

·       Promotes generous Tax Abatements to corporate campaign donors

·       New Rochelle IDA is among the worst in New York State

·       Exposed putting his own interests ahead of his constituents

·       Neglected City Property, such as DPW City Yard and Armory, allowing them to fall into disrepair.

·       New Rochelle’s Bond Rating downgraded by Moody’s

·       Cut resources for City’s Firefights and Police

Let’s look at County Executive Rob Astorino’s record: Rob Astorino has cut taxes and created tens of thousands of jobs throughout Westchester over the last four years.  The majority of Westchester residents think Westchester County has been moving in the right direction (http://maristpoll.marist.edu/102-economic-issues-top-priorities-for-next-westchester-county-executive-taxes-number-one/).   The choice on Tuesday is clear. The desperation palpable.