George Latimer Scores Big Win in Race for Westchester County Executive
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State Senator George Latimer pulled off a big victory in Westchester County, defeating two-term incumbent Rob Astorino to become Westchester County Executive. Though Astorino was initially in the lead, the margins narrowed in the weeks before the election. Latimer's supporters knew the vote would be close and a committed group of volunteers organized to bring out the vote. Latimer surprised everyone by winning 57% of the 206,230 votes cast, soundly defeating Astorino's 43%. Astorino, a former radio personality and producer was a rising star in the Republican Party and challenged Andrew Cuomo in the race for NYS Governor in 2014.
Latimer rode a wave of Democratic Party support across the country as voters expressed their frustration with Trump's policies. Key issues in Westchester include taxes, gun control, water safety, women's rights and the proposed privatization of Westchester County airport. A controversial $1 million donation to Astorino's campaign by Breitbart supporter Robert Mercer brought national politics to the local level and may have swayed some voters.
According to results from the Westchester County Board of Elections, Latimer won 66.79% of the vote in Scarsdale, getting 2,561 of the 3,834 votes cast for county executive.
Myra Saul headed up the volunteer effort in Scarsdale with Deborah Porder, Stephen Sherman and student Jack Greenspan. Commenting on the results, Saul said, "Many volunteers from Indivisible Westchester, Democratic clubs and local advocacy groups greatly helped Latimer, who never had the financial resources available to the Astorino campaign. People power was Latimer's secret sauce. Many people in Scarsdale volunteered for phone banks, postcard writing and canvassing events. Many of the volunteers had never been politically active before. A Scarsdale high school contingent was also active. While much of this activity reflected a desire to rid Westchester of a very conservative Republican who is associated with the Trump brand, there also was a deep desire to change the course of the county's policies. For example, many in Scarsdale were horrified at the gun show held last year at the County Center at which racist and anti - Semitic literature was available. Latimer has pledged that no gun shows will be held on county property. We can expect that Latimer will stop privatization of the airport and will be more diligent in addressing environmental concerns. Finally, Latimer has promised a return to a pragmatic, non-ideological county government. After the contentiousness of the Astorino era, many are looking forward to an administration that believes in government and a desire to get things done competently and in the public good."
Mark Lewis, who chairs the Scarsdale Democrats provided the following analysis of the race for County Executive and the Board of Legislators, where Scarsdale's representative Ben Boykin ran unopposed. He said, "Scarsdale went for George Latimer by a 2 to 1 margin. The win means that we will be going in a new direction in the County. George will be more supportive of helping non-profits who get funding from the County. The Democrats also won three more seats in the Legislature, probably signaling a change in leadership in January when the newly elected legislators and the new County Executive begin their terms in office."
He continued, "All the unions need new contracts and Astorino has not negotiated with them. George will have to find a way to settle new contracts. Astorino has let our County roads and other infrastructure deteriorate. George will be proactive in fixing the County infrastructure. He has pledged to increase the Planning Department so they can plan and implement improvements to the County infrastructure. He will not let bridges wait eight years, while pieces of the bridge fall on cars passing under them before repairing them, which is what happened on the Ardsley Road Bridge going over the Thruway in Greenburgh. He will not wait eight years to repair swimming pools such as the Sprain Brook pool, which had to be closed down for three years due to ill repair, before fixing them."
He concluded, "Rob Astorino is presenting his last County budget so we do not know what that will look like. The new budget will be coming out in the next few days. George will have to live with an Astorino budget which will be passed before he takes office in January. Ben Boykin, who represents Scarsdale and White Plains, also won as he ran unopposed and will be one of the more senior legislators. Ben is a CPA and is very knowledgeable about budgets."
As for the three propositions on the ballot, here's how Westchester County voted:
Proposition One to convene a NYS Constitutional Convention was defeated 81% to 19%.
Proposition Two to allow courts to reduce or revoke the pensions of public officers who are convicted for felonies was approved 73% to 27%.
Proposition Three to permit the use of preserved forests for health and safety needs was approved 60% to 40%.
Eclipse: Scarsdale Style
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It's come and gone – the 2017 eclipse of the sun that reached its peak in Scarsdale at 2:44 pm on Monday August 21. The event, which last occurred in 1979, stopped everyone in town in their tracks, as they put their eclipse glasses on to watch the moon pass in front of the sun – leaving just a crescent of the sun to view. Here in New York, we were able to view about 75% coverage of the sun. As the moon passed over the sun it created a dark shadow over town.
Earlier in the day, the Scarsdale Library promised to distribute 140 pairs of eclipse glasses and those were gone quickly when over 300 library cardholders lined up to collect their own pair. They were gone quickly – and unfortunately some walked away without a pair of their own. But since one pair was given to each family, everyone could share the lenses and observe the eclipse.
Some traveled to interesting venues to view the eclipse. Andrea Seiden and Peggy DaSilva went to the roof of the Museum of Natural History where an area of devices were available to use to look at the sun.
Brothers Adam and Benjamin Longman, who have been interested in astronomy for years, decided that the eclipse was the ideal reason for a road trip. First they drove to Washington D.C. where Adam is a third year student at George Washingon Law School and spent the night. The next day, they were originally headed for Charleston when they heard that bad weather might prevent a good view. Instead they headed to Clemson University in South Carolina where they were able to see the total eclipse. Adam said he looked up and saw "a black disc covering the sun" and the shadow turned the bright afternoon into "twilight."
Liam Haller also took a long road trip, driving 29 hours from Scarsdale to Alcoa, Tennessee where he watched the eclipse in Springbrook Park. Along the way he picked up friends at the University of Virginia.
Commenting on the phenomena, Michelle Lichtenberg said, "What I loved about the eclipse was the opportunity it gave us as a nation to unite and examine this solar event together. After a bleak week of news, this was a welcome chance to rise above our differences and appreciate mother nature from coast to coast."
What did you think of the eclipse? Did it live up to all the media hype? Send your comments and photos to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com and we'll include them here!
CNC Taps Jonathan Mark for Mayor of Scarsdale
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Jonathan Mark, a Scarsdale native, 39-year resident and a former Village Trustee has been selected by the Scarsdale Citizens Party Nominating Committee as their candidate to serve as the next Mayor of Scarsdale. Mark grew up in Quaker Ridge and attended the Griffen Avenue School and Quaker Ridge School (Class of 1961), graduating from Scarsdale High School in 1965. Jonathan received his B.A. degree from Dartmouth in 1969 and his law degree from Columbia in 1974. He is a corporate law partner in the New York City law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and served two terms as a Village Trustee of Scarsdale from April 2010 until March 2014. As a Trustee, Jonathan served at various times as Fire Commissioner, Police Commissioner and Deputy Mayor. Jonathan is the current Chair of the 2014-2015 Scarsdale Bowl Committee.
During his terms as trustee, Mark served as Chair of the Village Land Use Committee and led the village through difficult negotiations with developer Frederick Fish over the development at 2-4 Weaver Street. He deftly balanced the concerns of a citizen's group called "The Heathcote Five Corners Coalition" with the developer's desire to convert the historic Heathcote Tavern into a condominium complex. Ultimately each of the coalition's objections about aesthetics, crowding in the schools and traffic were addressed and the Village signed an agreement to sell a small strip of village-owned land that served as the entrance to the parking lot. With this land, Fish was able to gain approval for an 11-unit building on the site of the parking lot – and eventually was permitted to build four additional units in the former tavern building.
The nominating committee also selected the following three candidates for Village trustee.
Trustee Bill Stern, who has already served one two-year term, has been nominated to run for a second term. Stern has lived in Scarsdale for 42 years at 20 Rural Drive. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and his Ph.D. degree in Physics from Columbia. Stern runs a medical device company which manufactures and sells neurological ultrasound machines for diagnosis of stroke and other disorders and which also manufactures and sells hydrotherapy tubs designed for women in labor. William has served as a Village Trustee from April 2013 to the present. A Village Trustee since April 2013, Stern chairs the Municipal Services and Sustainability Committees. He also is the trustee liaison for the Advisory Council on Technology, the Cable Television Commission, the Advisory Council on Human Relations, and the Scarsdale Arts Council. William has served as the President of Young Israel of Scarsdale, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., the oldest extant synagogue in the United States. William is a Trustee of the Irish Jewish Museum and Holocaust Education Center in Dublin, Ireland, and President of the American Friends of the Museum.
Two new candidates have been selected as candidates for the Village Board:
Matthew J. Callaghan of 49 Carman Road has lived in town for 40 years. 
He holds a B.A. from St. John's University and an M.S. in Hospital Administration from Iona College. Matthew served in the United States Marine Corp from 1964 to 1970. For 45 years, Matthew served as Director of Safety Management in major New York hospitals, including Jacobi Hospital, Terrence Cardinal Cook Healthcare Center, and Lenox Hill Hospital/Manhattan Ear, Eye and Throat Hospital. Presently, Matthew is a consultant to major New York City hotels, health care institutions, and major industry groups. Matthew has served on Scarsdale's Zoning Board of Appeals from 1996 to 2005 and from 2012 to the present. Matthew has been active in Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company #1 for the past 32 years, including service as Lieutenant and Trustee. Matthew has been a member of the STEP Advisory Board from 1990 to the present. Matthew has been a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America for the past 30 years, and served as a Scarsdale Recreation soccer coach for 12 years, among many other civic activities.
Carl Finger, another life long resident lives at 38 Butler Road. He grew up here and graduated from Scarsdale High School before attending Brandeis University from which he graduated in 1990 with a B.A. degree in politics. Carl graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1993, and he received a LLM degree in 
Environmental Law from Pace University School of Law in 1997. Carl was an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County between 1994 and 1997 before entering private practice. Carl is a member of Finger & Finger, P.C., a White Plains law firm, where he practices with his mother, his father, and his brother. In Scarsdale, Carl has served on the Conservation Advisory Council from 1999 to the present. Carl also serves on the Board of Architectural Review. Carl has been an arbitrator for the White Plains City Court since 1997.
The election will be held on Wednesday March 18 at Scarsdale Village Hall from 7 am to 9 pm.
Scarsdale Village Overrun by Ghosts, Goblins and Young Artists
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Super heroes, princesses, and a variety of wild animals commandeered the streets of Scarsdale Village last Sunday for an enchanted Halloween parade. The costumed children gathered in Chase Park in the afternoon before beginning a brief march to show off their alter egos.
Throughout the day, kids also displayed their creativity by painting the windows of the town's stores. They competed to see who could create the funniest, spookiest, or othewise most original Halloween-themed painting. Students from elementary to high school participated, resulting in a fun collage of strorefront art.
See photo galleries of the painters at work and kids at the Halloween Parade in the village.
Scarsdale Accepts the Ice Bucket Challenge
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Students, faculty, administrators and the superintendent himself gathered on Dean Field on Friday September 12 to accept the Ice Bucket Challenge from Winnetka Illinois.
Dr. Hagerman's former district sent him the challenge and he rallied the troops at SHS to get doused. Participants stood in a row and poured water down the line – ending with Dr. Hagerman who was drowned by School President Amanda Shuster.
Watch it streaming on the Scarsdale Schools website.
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