How One Wealthy Neighborhood Got Itself Exempted From State Law
Westchester’s Edgemont community wants to secede from its town — and has scored a legal carveout to let it.
![A green welcome sign superimposed over an aerial suburban shot reads "WELCOME TO Greenburgh," with Greenburgh crossed out, and replaced with "Edgemont."](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/HWQZG5r8WxtoIpInF9VFCT-1NiDlWcgOWMhBhdYtmz0/w:820/h:421/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9lZGdlbW9udC5qcGc.jpg)
“We talked to our representatives, we hired lobbyists, we did what citizens do.”
![Assemblymember Amy Paulin, in a red jacket, sits between Assemblymembers William Magnarelli and Phillip Steck in the New York State Capitol.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/tc_GquXCa1XV6qQOwFJwv1H6Z7T_4QY4ZXqZOuSi-Q0/w:820/h:433/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9wYXVsaW4tYXNzZW1ibHkuanBlZw.jpeg)
“We didn’t want to change the rules in the middle of the game.”
![New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins sits at the head of a table with her arms spread wide.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/nXDO1PCokWfVH2I4og5Iv6Q1w3WlSQ67zyxz1SVI9pg/w:820/h:546/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9zdGV3YXJ0LWNvdXNpbnMtYXQtdGFibGUuanBn.jpg)
“Let’s say the wealthy areas of Fifth Avenue would want to break away from New York City because they didn’t want to pay for the services in Harlem. This is really the same thing.”
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/zvcEteTotj-1JiAB7flWvmlOWibwhpIhYQlb1qzvY4M/w:135/h:190/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9TYW0tTWVsbGluc18yMDIzLTA0LTIxLTA1NDc0OV9rdmFmLmpwZw.jpg)
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