There were two Public Hearings held over the last two weeks regarding the upcoming vote to approve the contract to privatize management of Playland. Unfortunately the Public Hearing on 4/20/16 in White Plains was taped with significant audio problems and there is no sound at all for the first five speakers, which is half the video. It’s also mysteriously and inexplicably buried in the Legislators’ video archive under a meeting dated 4/11/16, so hard to find, but link is included below. The first four speakers who got up to talk made eloquent, vociferous and fact-filled arguments against this deal. The fifth speaker was the only one to get up and say anything in support of it. It should be noted he is the Administrator for the “Save Rye Playland” FaceBook page. He had formerly been a strong ally of mine in the fight to stop the “Sustainable Playland” nonsense. But about a year ago when it was clear he and I were going to break in agreement over whether or not this was a good deal/contract, he kicked me off that page and banned me from being able to either view it or contribute information to it. His co-Administrator is Steve Vasko, from Rye, who you will see in the second video as one of only two supporters of the plan at the subsequent Public Hearing in Rye. The two of them regularly delete any comments or posts from page members on their FaceBook page that highlight news stories outlining opposition to the plan, they repeatedly removed links to the online petition that page members tried to post and banned the person who tried to post it, and have blocked members from making comments that don’t agree with them and now regularly throw people off their page, ban and totally block them if anyone tries to express a differing opinion on this issue through either posts or comment threads. So, their incredible campaign of censorship to make it appear as if there is nothing but support for this plan that they are executing on a social media page that they claim to be one of informational purposes, has pretty much decimated any credibility they may have had left. After the fifth speaker, the audio finally kicks in and for the first minute or two it’s very difficult to listen to but it does get somewhat better. The sixth speaker came up and rambled on about a high speed ferry from Long Island that had absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand – the contract to privatize – and didn’t weigh in one way or another on how he felt about the contract. The next three speakers, of which I was one, came out strongly against the plan. So, summary of the FIRST Public hearing: 10 Speakers: 8 Opposed, 1 In Favor, 1 – Neither Only a handful of BOL members attended: Shimsky, Parker, Cunzio, Corocoran, Kaplowitz and I believe Boykin. Burrows arrived late as the last speaker was starting. Here’s the link to that video: http://westchestercountyny.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=4166&Format=Minutes The second Public Hearing was held this week in Rye on Tues. 4/26/16. There was a somewhat better turn out although many in the audience who I KNOW are opposed to this plan continued to decline to get up and make a statement for the record. There were only four BOL members in attendance: Parker, Jenkins, Shimsky and Lyndon Williams (who left early due to another engagement). There were at total of 18 speakers. One person seemed to not really understand what the issue was and made comments that just couldn’t be considered clear one way or another. One of the two supporters of the plan made a rambling and incoherent statement that had many incorrect “facts” and demonstrated that he clearly does not understand the parameters of the contract and the only other supporter of this contact was, you guessed it, Steve Vasko of Rye (yeah, the guy banning everyone from the “Save Rye Playland” page who doesn’t agree with him). He spent the meeting sitting in the back of the room right next to…you guessed it…Nick Singer from Standard Amusements. A match made in heaven. Summary: Out of 18 speakers only TWO clearly said they support it, a couple of folks expressed concerns about the Park that were unrelated to the specific issue at hand which is approval of the contract, and the rest of the speakers were specifically against it. Essentially, again, there was overwhelming public OPPOSITION to this plan. Here’s the link to the 4/26/16 Rye Public Hearing: http://ryeny.swagit.com/play/04262016-1767 It’s clear from both these public hearings that while turn-out was disappointing (which can be largely credited to the last minute scheduling and a total lack on the part of the County to advertise and notice the Public in any meaningful way about them), that there is OVERWHELMING PUBLIC OPPOSITION to this contract and this plan to hand the Park over to Standard/United Parks. An online petition that currently has almost 1400 signatures is further evidence of this. The Board Of Legislators is set to vote on approving this contract this coming Monday, May 2, 2016 at their regular 7pm meeting. At this point in time it’s expected they will approve and pass this terrible 30-year deal for County Taxpayers. What can you do? You can make sure you've signed the online petition and encourage others to sign also. The Petition will be submitted to them the morning of May 2, 2016, and if the vote is taken that night and not delayed again (yes, a possibility), the petition will be closed that evening after the vote. If there is no vote that night and there is a further delay/extension on approving this contract, the Petition will remain open. Sign the Petition: https://www.change.org/p/westchester-county-executive-robert-p-astorino-keep-rye-playland-public You can contact your County Legislators and tell them you DO NOT WANT THIS CONTRACT TO BE APPROVED. Send emails to BOL Clerk Sunday Vandenberg at: SundayV@westchesterlegislators.com You can find other contact information for your own Legislator at www.westchesterlegislators.com Thank you for your continued support. Please share this info with anyone you know who is a concerned County Resident/Taxpayer. We need to stop this deal that will be terrible for Playland AND County Taxpayers.