Seth G (X635) quoted in LoHud article

[americanpolice 24]

Seth Granville was quoted in a LoHud article. I cant wait to retire and move away from this crazy tax base. It is doing more harm than good. There wont be enough residents to afford taxes and services here.

http://www.lohud.com/article/2011102210322

[x635 4,066]

Cool. I was looking for that article the other day online and couldn't find it. Thanks for the heads up!

It's a whole different world down here. It really makes Westchester look pathetic and Westchester is at least 10-20 years behind us.

More to follow....

[aviator70 16]

Seth made a good decicsion, hopefully I will not too be too many years behind him. I look what my friends have in NC, SC and Texas, and what I have, it is sickening what I pay for the same things versus what they pay.

[FF402 133]

Didn't you move in 2008, right before the economy tanked? How did you select Austin, TX?

By the way, the story is on the front page.

[Bnechis 3,961]

I've been waiting for your photo of the new Ladder 50 for a long, long time! As always, great shot!

Awesome job by the commitee on this truck. It is VERY progressive for Ardsley, and will serve the needs of the department and commmunity perfectly.

It's a whole different world down here. It really makes Westchester look pathetic and Westchester is at least 10-20 years behind us.

Seth, you comment constently about how wonderful all the new rigs in Westchester are and how well they will serve the communitiies of Westchester. At the same time you moved away because of the high cost to live in Westchester. Part of the problem is every 1 square mile in Westchester keeps buying more fire apparatus than it can staff.

Westchester has 135 fire stations, 200 engine companies, 74 ladder companies, 37 rescue companies and at least 150 fire chiefs cars. The total replacement cost is estimated at $981,680,000.00

The average number of response is under 600 fire runs per year per dept. and each dept. has at least 3 rigs to handle those 600 runs (some as many as 15).

Now add EMS, PD, DPWs, Parks and the Schools and thats why our taxes are #1 in the country.

I was going to say: Seth you can't have it both ways. But the real issue is Westchester can't have it both ways.

[xfirefighter484x 234]

Westchester has 135 fire stations, 200 engine companies, 74 ladder companies, 37 rescue companies and at least 150 fire chiefs cars. The total replacement cost is estimated at $981,680,000.00

The average number of response is under 600 fire runs per year per dept. and each dept. has at least 3 rigs to handle those 600 runs (some as many as 15).

Now add EMS, PD, DPWs, Parks and the Schools and thats why our taxes are #1 in the country.

I was going to say: Seth you can't have it both ways. But the real issue is Westchester can't have it both ways.

[x635 4,066]

Seth, you comment constently about how wonderful all the new rigs in Westchester are and how well they will serve the communitiies of Westchester. At the same time you moved away because of the high cost to live in Westchester. Part of the problem is every 1 square mile in Westchester keeps buying more fire apparatus than it can staff.

Yes, because they are. The high cost of Westcheser is due to out of control, egotistical people who could care less about the taxpayers, and politicans who can't plan for the future.

I have a:

-Fully staffed career FD, with new apparatus and new stations planned and excellent response times. More training is required for firefighters down here then in Westchester. Some Engines are ALS first responders.

-COUNTY based operated EMS system with all dual Medic MICU ambulances, the medics respond from a station and start around $55,000 a year and a 23 year retirement pension, with excellent response times. They respond from dedicated EMS stations. Ambulances are replaced every two years.

-A Police Department that focuses on crime, and actually patrols proactively instead of reactively with excellent response times.

-Emergency services share an MDT system

-Excellent School system

-Abundant recreational oppurtunities

-Abundant higher education oppurtunites

-New hospitals being built and opened

-DPW which is on the ball and takes care of problems quickly, and require education and continuing education

Where in Hartsdale, I paid for a Ladder truck that was falling apart and staffed by one firefighter/driver, down here for less taxes I have a 5 man Tower Ladder Quint in great condition that responds with a 4 man Engine company with a brand new Engine. Greenburgh ambulances have a high response time, weren't properly staffed, and often called mutual aid. Most ambulance calls took two police officers off the street for a couple of hours.

For half the taxes I was paying for in Greenburgh.

All this because it's not about the egos down here, and the governments have master planned for everything. Also, the community is very involved and the agencies make sure of that.

I agree with the expenses in Westchester, but these governments are getting more money in taxes the down here, yet the whole emergency services system is in shambles, and I don't see it ever getting better.

I feel the rigs that I comment on are really spec'd nicely, because they are. We have really well-spec'd rigs down here as well. Westchester has very old strutures, and very unique challenges. The taxpayers could really give a crap, and no department (FD-EMS-PD) wants to work together to eliminate redundancies and increase service. Things are never going to change because no one can get along.

Westchester is light years behind us......it's 2011, and having a unified MDT system still isn't a standard.

And, emergency service personel can afford to live in the communities they serve, and don't have to commute a couple of hours to get to work.

And that's just one of many reasons I moved down here.

[PEMO3 523]

Westchester is light years behind us......it's 2011, and having a unified MDT system still isn't a standard.

And, emergency service personel can afford to live in the communities they serve, and don't have to commute a couple of hours to get to work.

And that's just one of many reasons I moved down here.

Seth, I don't want to get into a P--sing match or diss anyone but are not our gasoline dollars paying for those resources to start with. Also the community of Round Rock is largely a bedroom community largely seeing it rise in the last 20 years (since the early 1990's). So it is in effect in it infancy. Everything looks shiny and new at the start and when first developed not to say that some good planning has not been done to create an excellent system and foundation but I think you are comparing apples and oranges when you compare Round Rock, TX with Westchester County, NY. Weather, infra-structure and other factors are drastically different and make for a hard comparison. Is life better where you are, with out a doubt it would appear so. Could Westchester take lessons, obviously.

[x635 4,066]

Seth, I don't want to get into a P--sing match or diss anyone but are not our gasoline dollars paying for those resources to start with.

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Have you filled up your car in Round Rock recently and paid the sales tax?

Our economy in the Austin area is largely technology based. Apple, Freescale Semiconductor, Google, Facebook, IBM, Motorola, etc are some of the companies that haveo ffices here. Dell's world headquarters is located here. The computer on Jeporady, "Watson", was built here,

We are also the State Capital and home to the University Of Austin. And the famous "6th Street".

And we constantly rank #1 in a variety of lifestyle and business surveys.

[PEMO3 523]

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Have you filled up your car in Round Rock recently and paid the sales tax?

Our economy in the Austin area is largely technology based. Apple, Freescale Semiconductor, Google, Facebook, IBM, Motorola, etc are some of the companies that haveo ffices here. Dell's world headquarters is located here. The computer on Jeporady, "Watson", was built here,

We are also the State Capital and home to the University Of Austin. And the famous "6th Street".

And we constantly rank #1 in a variety of lifestyle and business surveys.

I stand corrected. My information was flawed. Guess I should have asked Watson first. I thought Round Rock was another Texas gasoline producer. Please accept my apology for my misstatement. As far as filling up in Round Rock I am sure your gas prices are lower than New York, just filled up - $2.419 for regular... ouch.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Have you filled up your car in Round Rock recently and paid the sales tax?

Our economy in the Austin area is largely technology based. Apple, Freescale Semiconductor, Google, Facebook, IBM, Motorola, etc are some of the companies that haveo ffices here. Dell's world headquarters is located here. The computer on Jeporady, "Watson", was built here,

We are also the State Capital and home to the University Of Austin. And the famous "6th Street".

And we constantly rank #1 in a variety of lifestyle and business surveys.

I think that what he is trying to say is that it is very hard to compare these two locations. Ardsley was settled around 1682, Round Rock around 1851, seeing as Round Rock is a newer community it has had less time to see problems develop and mature. I am sure when Ardsley was founded almost 200 years before Round Rock they too thought they had a much better system then others (in this era read British). Now that you live in Round Rock you see westchester like those in 1682 saw their counter-parts, however, that does not mean that Round Rock will not develop its own, different problems then England or Ardsley once did.

And what he was saying about Gasoline Tax is all of the money the state of Texas gets from the Oil and Gas companies for use of public land and other taxes and fees that large oil corporations pay allow taxes to be so low, kind of like how Alaska actually gives money back to its residents based on income from gas companies.

[Task Force 7 65]

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Have you filled up your car in Round Rock recently and paid the sales tax?

Our economy in the Austin area is largely technology based. Apple, Freescale Semiconductor, Google, Facebook, IBM, Motorola, etc are some of the companies that haveo ffices here. Dell's world headquarters is located here. The computer on Jeporady, "Watson", was built here,

We are also the State Capital and home to the University Of Austin. And the famous "6th Street".

And we constantly rank #1 in a variety of lifestyle and business surveys.

Seth, I'm sorry, but I have to correct you on one thing sir. Austin is the home of the University of TEXAS.

[x635 4,066]

Hey, does anyone have a copy of this paper they could send me?

Seth, I'm sorry, but I have to correct you on one thing sir. Austin is the home of the University of TEXAS.

I can't believe I made that typo, lol!!!

I stand corrected. My information was flawed. Guess I should have asked Watson first. I thought Round Rock was another Texas gasoline producer. Please accept my apology for my misstatement. As far as filling up in Round Rock I am sure your gas prices are lower than New York, just filled up - $2.419 for regular... ouch.

West Texas is where the oil's at. Most people there work in the drilling industry, or related. Midland-Odessa (which is like 10 hours west of here) probaly profits the most from crude. Houston has a lot of energy related corporate offices. And if you filled up at $2.41 a gallon, it's much better then here! We're almost at $3.00 a gallon! (at least it comes with a free car wash)

I think that what he is trying to say is that it is very hard to compare these two locations. Ardsley was settled around 1682, Round Rock around 1851, seeing as Round Rock is a newer community it has had less time to see problems develop and mature. I am sure when Ardsley was founded almost 200 years before Round Rock they too thought they had a much better system then others (in this era read British). Now that you live in Round Rock you see westchester like those in 1682 saw their counter-parts, however, that does not mean that Round Rock will not develop its own, different problems then England or Ardsley once did.

And what he was saying about Gasoline Tax is all of the money the state of Texas gets from the Oil and Gas companies for use of public land and other taxes and fees that large oil corporations pay allow taxes to be so low, kind of like how Alaska actually gives money back to its residents based on income from gas companies.

I don't have the energy or time to tell you why your first paragraph is completly and utterly incorrect.I don't even know where to start on that one. Just remember you can't always use Wikipedia as as basis for your arguments. I have lived in both Ardsley and Round Rock and think I know a little bit about the contrast.

Your statement about the oil company taxes is absolutely incorrect. Property, sales, automobile registration are some of the taxes that have the bearing, and oil has nothing to do with taxes being so low at all. Our oil is NOTHING at all like Alaska, and has no bearing on taxes. Ever buy a Dell computer? Have you used Google? Ever flown Continental, American Airlines, or Southwest? Ever hear of Fort Hood? The list can go on and on......

Texas Economy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Texas

[aviator70 16]

Didn't you move in 2008, right before the economy tanked? How did you select Austin, TX?

By the way, the story is on the front page.

Austin, TX is ranked one of the best places to live in the USA.