On Friday, Westchester taxpayers won a major victory in the ongoing housing settlement dispute with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The federal magistrate agreed with the county’s fundamental contention that HUD had overreached in trying to make the county do things that weren’t in the 2009 settlement.
Our legal team argued a deal was a deal. The magistrate agreed with us.
A lot of people questioned the wisdom of challenging the federal government. I felt like David and Goliath – or Lehigh vs. Duke, if you are a basketball fan. But we know how both those contests turned out.
The case is a major win for the county and the country because it shows there are limits to federal power.
This afternoon I held a press conference calling on HUD to immediately release $7 million in housing funds that they have held up while the court was deciding this case. Without this money, the county had to lay off workers and withhold finances for community organizations and local governments.
Enough is enough. HUD is hurting the people it claims to help. People need affordable housing. Let’s build it.
Read my press release here. I also encourage you to check out my quick reference page that contains the history of the housing settlement and what it means not only for Westchester County, but for communities across the nation.
Rob Astorino
Follow me on Twitter @WestchesterCE
Instead of people earning a decent wage, in comes Government. People in low income houseing stall other peoples needed wage increases, also, I'm sick and tired of paying for other peoples housing at the gas pump, when buying clothes and in property taxes. What I would really like to say would be banned by Patch, but Astorino and crew should keep politics and Government out of persons lives, let the people become independent, no more nanny state. Nobody will win in this situation, the Government is looking for votes in November.
Your preparation and hard work only matter so far. Don't you see that others, well, didn't quite get the upbringing you enjoyed. Why punish them for bad habits and poor modeling by others? They're the real victims here. You just think you are.
I mean what occurs when people are put into the middle of places that they are not wanted and other people feel resentment towards them because they have to help pay to support them for being there?