FASNY: Up to its old tricks

Dear Mayor Roach and Common Council members,

I am writing to urge you to be steadfast in your defense of the baseless FASNY lawsuit. I have read in some local media that a 'NEW' group of FASNY supporters are urging the City to stop 'wasting' money on the defense of this lawsuit. A closer look at this group reveals the usual FASNY ties. Their language is just FASNY spin from their expensive and well-connected PR maven, Geoff Thompson. You have heard it before.

How ironic that FASNY is now concerned about White Plains' finances even as they hold the cudgel of yet another lawsuit for damages if the present lawsuit does not go their way. This is truly incredible although par for the FASNY modus operandi especially after a legitimate golf course operator offered to buy the property immediately after your vote on August 5, 2015. FASNY's swift prepared response was to threaten and then subsequently sue the City.

A real travesty would occur if the City did NOT defend itself against this baseless lawsuit. What kind of message would this send to future developers? If you don't get your way after a protracted 5+ years SEQRA process where both sides of this contentious project had ample opportunity to present their case then just sue and threaten the City. If the City does not vigorously defend itself against this baseless lawsuit, the damages would be compounded by the permanent mistake of FASNY on the site of the former Ridgeway Country Club. FASNY did not FIT from day one and does not FIT now. This is not a condemnation of FASNY as an educational institution.  Rather, it is a condemnation of FASNY's tactics.

I have attached a photo of the proposed FASNY campus ( their buildings square footage is the size of 4+ Super Stop and Shops ) to remind you the sheer incongruous nature of it in the bucolic award-winning Gedney Farms neighborhood. White Plains is a City of neighborhoods which each of you have campaigned to defend. Please defend our City from this baseless lawsuit and defend the neighborhoods you were elected to represent.

Thank you,
Anne M. Casey, M.D.