WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. From Don Hughes January 28, 2006: Robert Greer has been a member of the White Plains Common Council for 15 years. He has had Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) for two years.
Bob recently received an award form the city’s Human Rights Commission for his work with agencies that include Family Services of Westchester, Head Start, and the White Plains Public Library.
The disease began slowly in January 2004 with just a few muscle spasms and has progressed to where he is currently wheelchair bound and needs a full time aide. Still, he has no plans to give up his seat on the Common Council. “I’m fully engaged with City Hall and my colleagues. I was elected in 2003 to a four-year term, and I intend to complete as much of it as possible”, he said recently.
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Councilman Greer has been a White Plains District Leader since 1983. He was chairman of the local Democratic party, and he ran for Mayor in 2001. Some of the things that he lists as his accomplishments while on the Common Council include voting for the improvements leading to the Westchester Mall; supporting SHORE’s imaginative plan for combining housing for working families and formerly homeless families; working to save The Greenway; fighting for movies at Main and Mamaroneck; fighting for a Stop & Shop supermarket; sponsoring legislation establishing minimum fines for landlords violating occupancy codes; working to end the public safety badge drain; and generally trying to encourage White Plains to take advantage of 21st century technology. He is especially proud of working for the construction of the new children’s room at the White Plains Library and the opening of the White Plains Performing Arts Center.
ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease that causes degeneration of some of the largest of all nerve cells, called motor neurons. Motor neurons control the movement of voluntary muscles. Motor neurons extend from the brain to the spinal cord (the upper motor neuron) and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body (the lower motor neurons). The disease causes the motor neurons to degenerate and eventually die. As the motor neurons die, the muscles cells are paralyzed and also deteriorate. In the beginning of the disease, the person starts out with fatigue and becomes progressively weaker, eventually becoming paralyzed.
During a Common Council meeting early last year Mr. Greer said, “One area of the body that is not attacked by ALS is the mind. I will always be me. My life has been enriched by the opportunity to serve as your councilman for the past 14 years. I intend to remain your councilman and serve the White Plains community as long as I am able.”
Some of the things that Mr. Greer misses most are the Handel concerts at Lincoln Center and reading.
I have started a fund – Friends Of Councilman Bob Greer – where people can show their appreciation for the dedication that Councilman Greer has given to the residents of White Plains. But, far more important than the amount of money raised, will be the number of people participating. You can donate either on-line using the following link http://www.whiteplainspolitics.com/DonationsFCBG.html or by sending a check payable to FriendsOfCouncilmanGreer to PO Box 203; White Plains, NY 10602. Or, just send a note of appreciation without the donation. The donations will be used to buy recordings and Talking Books. I have started the fund with a $50 donation. All funds raised (less a bank fee for credit card donations) as well as a list of contributors will be forwarded to Councilman Greer.
Please feel free to forward this note.
Background information: http://www.rideforlife.com/archives/001284.html
Don Hughes
