Greenburgh residents and officials urge supervisor to object to Edgemont incorporation petition

Paul Feiner, Town of Greenburgh supervisor, opened a hearing under New York State Village Law and said the session was limited to objections to a petition to incorporate the proposed village of Edgemont. "Only objections will be heard according to state law," Feiner said, and he told attendees he would review the petition and objections and issue a decision within 10 days.

A succession of town residents filed objections and handed written statements to the supervisor. Johan Stacks, speaking first, said, "I hereby object to the incorporation petition as inadequate, unlawful, and in violation of New York State village law," and submitted a signed document outlining his concerns. Several other residents used substantially the same language on the record, saying the petition was "inadequate, unlawful, and a violation of New York State village law."

Alessandro Crocco, who identified himself as a candidate for the 92nd Assembly District but spoke as a private citizen, gave an extended statement warning of fiscal and civil‑rights consequences if Edgemont seceded. Crocco argued secession would raise taxes and strain municipal services, saying it would reduce users of town recreation facilities by "at least 8,000" and could force the town to sell parks or alter longstanding policies. He also described a December 2023 change he said "streamlining village incorporation petitions" but said a political deal had exempted "a small group in Edgemont" from that law for 16 years; he asked Feiner to reject the petition and warned of possible violations of the John Lewis Voting Rights Law and the 14th Amendment.

Several speakers raised procedural concerns about the petition itself. One long‑time resident, Helene, told the supervisor she had reviewed petition pages and found many signatures dated 2022 and said she was "concerned whether they're all registered voters." William Weintraub returned later to clarify for the record that he is qualified to vote for supervisor, reinforcing the validity question for those signing objections.

Judith Beville, a retired elected official, placed the petition in historical context, recounting past legal actions that excluded African Americans from residency in parts of town and arguing the current incorporation effort risked "withdrawing resources from parts of our town that are in critical need" and perpetuating systemic inequities. "It's the black elephant in the room," Beville said, urging consideration of equity and diversity in the town's response.

Town officials closed the public‑comment portion after reading no further signups. The clerk called for any last objections and read in an appearance by "Honorable Mary Jane Shimsky," who urged the town to object on legal grounds and encouraged pursuing court avenues, noting the town's prior success in challenging similar petitions. Feiner closed the record, saying he must decide on the petition's legal sufficiency within 10 days and that the decision and the objections will be submitted to the clerk's office pursuant to village law.

The hearing record consists of the written objections submitted by residents and the transcribed remarks made during the session; no votes or formal motions were taken at the hearing, which was confined to the legal sufficiency question under the Village Law.