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NEWSROOM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPANO REFUSES TO SCHEDULE PUBLIC HEARINGS BEFORE HOUSING SETTLEMENT IS APPROVED. CALLS MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR SETTLEMENT COST 'NEGLIGIBLE'
 White Plains, NY-August 21...Westchester County Executive Andy Spano, whose mismanagement and falsification of records involving tens of millions of federal housing dollars is costing Westchester taxpayers at least $62 million in penalties and subsidized housing mandates, refused yesterday to schedule public hearings before the controversial housing plan is approved by the County Board of Legislators. The settlement plan must be ratified or rejected by the Board by September 24th. Mr. Spano is reportedly pressing for a vote, without public input, sooner than that. In response to calls for public hearings on the 750-unit housing plan by reform Westchester county executive candidate Rob Astorino (R-I), Mr. Spano balked Thursday, saying the public would be involved only after the settlement is approved by the Board. That would deny residents in communities affected the right to challenge the plan or weigh in on its details before it is approved. Mr. Spano characterized the cost of the multi-million dollar settlement as "negligible" to Westchester taxpayers, already the highest taxed people in America. "How can taxpayers be completely excluded from a matter that Mr. Spano called the most important vote in Westchester County history?," Mr. Astorino asked. "Westchester residents deserve to know the details of this mandate: where are these homes going?; how much will they really cost taxpayers?; how many additional school seats will be needed in each community?; which towns will be affected?; who will pay the property taxes for these homes?; what developers will build them?; what will the homes look like?; how will local zoning laws will be affected? It's common sense; these questions must be asked before the Board commits to this massive mandate." Mr. Astorino called Thursday for public town hall hearings in each municipality slated to receive below-market-rate housing. They include: Ardsley, Bedford, Briarcliff Manor, Bronxville, Buchanan, Eastchester, Hastings-on-Hudson, Harrison, Irvington, Larchmont, Lewisboro, Mount Pleasant, Mamaroneck, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pelham Manor, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Rye Brook, City of Rye, Somers, Scarsdale, and Yorktown. The Spano Administration was sued by the Anti-Discrimination Center under the federal "False Claims Act" for mismanaging funds and falsifying certification records on $50 million in federal housing and other grants.
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