Councilman Lou Trangucci knows his constituents will question the $1200 dues to ICLEI (International Council Local Environmental Initiatives) for the GreeNR plan. He is concerned because he said this expenditure was never presented to the Council before they voted. Another Councilman, Richard St. Paul, expressed displeasure that the City Council is being asked to approve a GreeNR plan where amendments made by Council are listed separately from the original document.
With these and other major concerns, it came as a surprise to hear Mayor Noam Bramson call the City Council meeting’s discussion “off.” He justified the GreeNR initiative saying there were 600 ICLEI members including the County. While he understood Trangucci’s concerns, he remarked, “He never expected to hear this discussion at a City Council meeting.” He felt this plan was a common sense approach to reduce energy use. Then he called on the Sustainability Coordinator, Deborah Newborn, to explain why the City had to be a member of ICLEI. Her reply included that the software they provide gave “a lot of value for the $1200 dues.” Bramson has stated that New Rochelle along with Newark and Miami were selected as pilot cities for this sustainability initiative. Chuck Strome, City Manager, clarified further if the City’s GreeNR plan were approved, the staff would develop the plan based on budget discussions and Council could reject any item. Bramson also wanted the Council to approve the plan before the amendments requested by City Council at their recent meetings were incorporated into a final printed version.
A discussion about flat roof requirements in the GreeNR report came up and St. Paul was told this was one of the few “mandates” in the plan. Newborn said the roof improvements would “save on air conditioning.” But St. Paul felt all items in the plan should be optional, Further discussion led to St. Paul requesting a word change from “mandate” to “support” for the GreeNR plan. Bramson agreed to go along with this change. Because a neighborhood association in his district had wanted more information on the amended GreeNR plan, St. Paul suggested the vote be delayed for a month. Bramson answer was to call for a vote. Along party lines, four Democrats approved and three Republicans disapproved, and the vote to delay was defeated.
That evening at the Citizens to be Heard Council meeting there were an especially large number of speakers, including committee members who supported the GreeNR plan, as well as a number of speakers who opposed it. Jeff O”Mara said he was an 47 year resident of New Rochelle and proudly explained he had the first green cab company in New York State. Steve Mayo felt the Council was putting the cart before the horse with the GreeNR plan and suggested an economic analysis should first be made. Joyce Furfero was opposed to the voting for a revised GreeNR plan without input from the residents. She urged the Council to ;publish the updated plan and have another session of Citizens to be Heard.
Trangucci later said Council was never informed that it was necessary when joining ICLEI that a Sustainability Coordinate be hired. Newborn, when asked, said her position was established before the City Council joined the Sustainability Plan with ICLEI. Trangucci also said the City Council only learned about this plan at the Mayor’s State of the City Address. Further, it was Mayor Bramson who presented the GreeNR Sustainability Plan to Council. Council had no input on the selection of members to the GreeNR plan. This committee was selected by Strome. Especially troubling to Trangucci was the part of the GreeNR report which says 95% of all new housing should be near the train station. “Why is all the population growth in the City projected of our section of the city?”
In the March 17 issue of the Westchester Guardian
GreeNR bamboozle on New Rochelle Residents
More light is being shown on the unwillingness of the New Rochelle government to operate not only in a logical and honest manner, but now we have to add treason to that list.
Making an agreement with a government outside the laws of this country IS TREASON. Benedict Arnold was shot by firing squad for what he did during the Revolutionary War.
Somehow, I don’t expect anyone to recognize this crime (even Benedict Arnold’s) as history as taught in schools is not deemed important and is, “only about dead people.” Those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat the same errors over and over.
The stupidity and ignorance exhibited by the 6-1 vote shows a complete disregard for the facts as they were supposed to be voted on. In a court of law, the written word of a contract is what counts, not hearsay.
The vote is also a repudiation of the reason why people have settled in New Rochelle – the ability to live in a one-family home with all the trappings that come with it. I’m sure if residents knew their homes could be confiscated by a ‘land grab’ that favors developers and an outside the USA group controlled by the UN, they never would have moved here.
Consider this, people pay top dollar to buy homes in suburbia and are willing to pay high property taxes as a price to pay NOT to live in a concrete canyon like Co-Op City or Manhattan. Afterwards, they find out they’re going to have the rug pulled out from under them because some greedy politicians want to turn over the land and ability to govern to a UN-based group. Every time a resident turns around, there are stories about money being squandered or put into someone’s pocket for personal benefit.
To the government of New Rochelle, shame on you. The French Huguenots escaped France to escape persecution centuries ago. Now, we find our city is persecuting its residents for simply owning a home on some land.
We are onto you, NR government! YOU WILL BE VOTED OUT IN THIS ELECTION YEAR!! We now know your true colors!!!