The difference between being aligned and simply being reactive:

Being aligned is thinking specifically about how to invest in our community, by upgrading services, streamlining operations, creating projects that matter to Edgemont residents. There are good examples of alignment, too: providing safe sidewalks and sidewalk snow removal for seniors, getting front/side yard sanitation and leaf removal back, acquiring more greenspace/parks within our neighborhoods. That's spending the energy to have a vision of what would make Edgemont better in the short term and the long term. 

Being reactive is taking a call about a pothole or Con Ed issue and getting little issues handled quickly. Greenburgh is great about some of the little stuff that affects a few of us. Greenburgh is also somewhat reactive when the residents sufficiently complain about some bigger stuff like a sidewalks; however, we still don't have a plan for several major streets and I still see massage parlors with blocked windows and open signs until 11pm that are in the vicinity of places our children need to be. 

Local government has more of an impact on day to day lives than larger government. Local government should be a place we come together and discuss what we want for our community and work to realize it -- that's alignment. Local government should not be a series of 3-5 minute Wednesday night Town Hall complaint sessions, bounded by a loud buzzer, while our elected officials check their phones until it's time for them to rationalize their prior decisions which lacked foresight. 

Maybe Edgemont can get one of its own residents on the board, but given the town hall process and the political operations, it's unclear how an Edgemont resident could be successful in this environment even if would could get the representation. 

Greenburgh politicians are rewarded with re-election for short term favors, not long term vision. It's like a company that solely focused on next quarters sales but fails to simultaneously invest in its product and infrastructure for long term value. You get your stock price up now, but then it falls flat in a year.

Incorporation can change governance models like requiring term limits, a platform which apparently Paul Feiner ran on 24 years ago. Incorporation can afford Edgemont the environment for both short term and long term thinking, and the ability to execute that vision for the community.