Your editorial endorsing Paul Feiner notes he can take credit for improvements in Greenburgh during his tenure. He must also take responsibility for the numerous failures: campaign-finance reform, cable TV, antenna review and certiorari/revaluation committees that he created and then dismissed when he disagreed with their conclusions. FOIL requests, Article 78 proceedings, town code provisions and court orders Mr. Feiner has ignored or openly defied because he didn't "feel" they were right. Even The Journal News (July 6) found his handling of the Fortress Bible Church improper,

He's tripled parkland while increasing bonded debt by 10 times (from $2.1 million to $21 million, and he proposes to add another $16 million soon). Greenburgh's bond rating is better, but the borrowings are unnecessary; they all fully secured by the town's reserve funds.

The "Call Paul the Problem Solver" approach to governance that gets garbage collected, leaves or snow removed, or other special favors is wrong. A good leader addresses the underlying causes of failures and corrects them for everyone, not just the last petitioner he spoke with on the phone or at the supermarket. A good leader eliminates the need for a "problem solver" to head town government. A good leader is beholden to her/his constituents, not the other way around.

Greenburgh is the largest town in Westchester and the fifth largest in New York. We deserve leadership that doesn't just run the town "well enough" -- we deserve leadership that reflects Greenburgh's potential for excellence.

James F. Lasser
Greenburgh