Democratic Party retracts support for supervisor
By HEMA EASLEY
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: April 30, 2005)
The Greenburgh Democratic Party Executive Committee has decided not to support Supervisor Paul Feiner in his bid for an eighth term.
The 15-member committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of Bill Greenawalt in a meeting Thursday night. Committee chair Suzanne Berger said the entire committee was distressed at Feiner's conduct at a public meeting on Wednesday in which he terminated the deputy supervisors' positions for three Democratic councilwomen. The committee wanted to support the council members, Berger said.
"He said he did it because he could. It had nothing to do with the work that they do," said Berger. "I'm increasingly concerned that the supervisor shows less and less desire to work with the four other elected council members."
Last night, however, Feiner seemed confident that he would win the election despite the party's lack of endorsement.
"The fact that I don't have the endorsement will allow me to win by an even bigger margin," Feiner said. "I believe the people want someone who will put people first and party second."
The committee's recommendation, while influential, is not essential to a successful campaign. Two years ago, the committee refused to support Feiner, and he won the party's nomination with 53 percent of the vote despite the absence of other candidates.
In a statement issued yesterday, Greenawalt said the committee is wondering whether Feiner has "lost it."
"He twists and fabricates facts. And worse, he openly states that he alone has power to make policy, exclusive of the other duly elected town members," Greenawalt said in his statement.
Feiner has clashed recently with the other four members of the all-Democratic Town Board. He has said their differences on issues had prompted him to seek new running mates.
The Greenburgh Democratic Party Executive Committee also voted overwhelmingly to recommend incumbent board member Diana Juettner from Ardsley for re-election and Francis Sheehan, a member of the Greenburgh zoning board and professor of forensic science at John Jay College in Manhattan, for councilman.
The Democratic Party will hold its convention May 26, when it will nominate its candidates for office. All candidates, whether nominated or not, must file petitions with the county Board of Elections to earn spots in a fall primary.