Letter to the Editor: Make Your Voice Count
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I notice that many contributors to Scarsdale10583 use pseudonyms rather than identifying themselves. A posting by "Be Ready for SCC Infiltration" attached to your reporting of the recent CNC selections left me wondering about the purpose of such anonymity and speculating about how much an important message can be discounted by the writer's fear of goodness knows what. I share fully "Be Ready's" concerns about the lack of fiscal discipline of our Village Board and his/her frustration over the modus operandi of the CNC, and I, too, have been an outspoken critic of their refusal to open their process to the cleansing powers of sunshine. "Be Ready" (and others), why not sign your name on your letters in order to fully back your arguments and really have your voice count, and perhaps even get involved directly? There is nothing to fear and everything to gain in taking an open and public stance in favor of good government.
On Friday, I learned from the Scarsdale Inquirer that for the second year in a row I was not among the "top three" selected for nomination as a CNC candidate for office. On a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, I outlined in the requisite 10-minute speech to the group my credentials: PhD economist, risk manager, over ten years experience in public finance on a municipal credit risk acceptance committee, and over two decades of management experience in S&P500 firms. Further, I discussed some of my own strongly held beliefs about minimal requirements for an individual to earn my own vote for Trustee, including: 1) no conflicts of interest (e.g. no spouses, children, siblings serving on CNC, in senior positions of policy-oriented groups such as the Scarsdale Forum or of organizations that might approach the Board with funding requests); 2) an understanding that the first obligation in assuring "fair and affordable housing" is to folks who already live in Scarsdale; 3) being willing and qualified to give a fair and timely hearing to groups of individuals lined up on both sides of proposed public infrastructure projects by assessing financial plans and projections and weighing costs and benefits; and 4) a willingness to work to maintain our Village's autonomy and rights to self-determination in housing policies, educational standards and expenditure, fiscal policies and environmental and zoning regulations (where fiscal autonomy does not mean simply the right to "spend more", but rather the responsibility to assure and demonstrate that the last dollar spent by our Village is not one that would have been better spent by our citizens in the private sector or saved).
I had not intended to throw my hat in the ring again, but I was asked to. Although I am very busy with a successful financial risk consulting practice, teaching Taekwondo, and becoming a more competitive rower I would have gladly served if selected. And while there is a certain sense of relief in coming in fourth or fifth or sixth in a contest where there are three winners and not having to accept the burden of office, I would gladly try again if asked to. Had I been selected, I would have worked hard to lift the shroud of secrecy over the nominating process, resolve once and for all the issue of the SCC (and the good people working for the SCC all these many years deserve a decision that is based on a thorough, realistic, and professional consideration of the financial viability of the project), and to instill financial discipline to a body that increased the Village property tax rate by 64% between the 2002-2003 and 2011-2012 fiscal years, a period during which the general price level as measured by the NY area CPI grew by only 29%. (While tax rates grew by some 30% in real terms over that period, it would certainly be a stretch to argue that the quantity or quality of Village services grew much if at all, let alone by 30%). Simply put, I would have voted to respect and maintain Governor Cuomo's 2% cap and put an end to the tax policies that are driving our friends and neighbors out of Scarsdale once their youngest children graduate from High School. Of course, I urge our citizens to vote for candidates who will also support our Governor's effort to help beleaguered Scarsdale property taxpayers who are not part of the 0.1% club.
So -- I ran and I lost the contest. Perhaps some didn't like my message, perhaps some didn't like my 11th hour independent run last year, maybe others resented my strongly worded and successful op-ed campaign over the past year urging real estate tax reassessment, and more-than-likely most just thought there were three candidates who offered better skill sets. I am none the worst for having run and lost, and at a minimum my fellow "losers" and I served as benchmarks for the three who prevailed. I encourage other concerned citizens to move out from under your noms de plume -- sign your names, join with other civic-minded individuals, and even run for Village Trustee along with the three CNC candidates and Harry Reynolds, all four of whom deserve praise for their willingness to serve. Be counted and make a difference for the good of your hometown.
Respectfully,
Bob Selvaggio
Letter from Edgemont Resident re: Dromore Road
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The Dromore Road case shines a halogen light on the Greenburgh administration's lack of internal controls; abject arrogance-second to none- engaging in breaches of ethics, sometimes bordering on criminality; pushing boundaries without consequence with impunity, and an attitude of "we can have our cake, eat it and not gain any weight."
Mr.. Feiner's rejoinder to anyone challenging him is,"sue me." What he knows is an article 78 action involves incurring legal fees of several thousand dollars which may or may not be awarded if the petitioner wins. So, other than a lawyer willing to spend his or her time, a non-lawyer will not "sue him."
With the knowledge that they are safe, the Board is not afraid to do or not do as they please with the chances of legal action minimal. In this case in particular, Greenburgh wins by losing, and Edgemont loses by not being able to defend its school district.
If there ever was a more compelling reason for Edgemont becoming a village, Dromore Road is it! If Edgemont were a village, things like this would not happen. Think about it we can't even defend our own school district...OUR OWN SCHOOL DISTRICT!
Dromore Road is the "firing on Fort Sumter;" "the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand;" "the bombing of Pearl Harbor."
Paul Feiner continues to bite off more than he can chew. Here's hoping Dromore Road finally gives him a stomachache.
Ed Krauss
Edgemont, N.Y.
Scarsdale Students Weigh In On Principal Search
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The search is on for a new Principal for Scarsdale High School. This week, Scarsdale10583 intern Caroline Rodman asked her classmates, “What qualities are you looking for in the future principal of our school?”
Lizzy Rubin: “I think the school would benefit from someone who is friendly and relatable. There is nothing more comforting then a principal who is willing to discuss anything and everything with his or her students.”
Rachel Kushnick: “I think the school would benefit the most from someone who has a past experience in high performing high schools and is able to maintain a strong school community."
Mukund Murari: “I believe that for our school, it would be beneficial to have an open minded principal who would directly make his or her presence known to the students by visiting classes and communicating personally with students. I think this would make it easier for the student body and the faculty to work together to make the high school a better place for everybody.”
Peter Simon: “We still haven’t hired a principal?!”
Danny Goldenberg: “The next principal of Scarsdale High School should be very involved with the students in the high school. He/she should make daily announcements to the student body about any upcoming events so that the students are aware of the upcoming week. Similarly,
Nick Meisel: “I really would like a principal who is easily approachable and fun! Someone you could easily have a
(Pictured at top: Lizzy Rubin)
Writer/Photographer Caroline Rodman is a junior at the Scarsdale Alternative School. She plays tennis for the Varsity B girls team, serves as treasurer for the Scarsdale High School Charity:water Club, is the head of the prom committee for her graduating class, and is currently a student intern for Scarsdale10583.
A-Schoolers Spread Their Wings
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Every year during the month of January, the Scarsdale Alternative School stops all classes, and replaces them with internships. The students individually choose their internship based on interest. Here we look at five “A-schoolers” to hear about their current internships. Although their jobs are obviously not as cool as interning for Scarsdale10583, they are definitely worth hearing about!
Rebecca Groner is interning at Discovery Times Square. She is a docent at this museum’s Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit and helps out with the behind-the-scenes work. As a docent, she answers peoples’ questions about the exhibits and artifacts. To prepare for this, she had to study the Dead Sea Scrolls. Smaller tasks involve running to the post office, helping out in school workshops, and organizing supplies. Rebecca would definitely recommend this internship because she says the people with whom she works are really cool, and the crowds are interesting.
D.J. Holloway is working at an advertising agency called Refinery. This agency directs, produces, and edits commercials. He considers himself to be a personal assistant. This job entails finding music that best fits commercials, and finding specific online footage. D.J. spends about 80 percent of his time watching the graphic designers which he finds extremely fascinating. Although this is the agency’s first time having a high school intern, D.J. thinks they will use more high schoolers in the future because they seem to be impressed with his level of knowledge and skill.
Kate Howard is a teacher’s assistant for Mrs. Grossbach’s second grade class at Heathcote 
Elementry School. She mostly helps Mrs. Grossbach correct the students’ work, and prepare lessons. So far, Kate has prepared science experiments, spelling and math lessons. She directly reaches out to the students by assisting them with their homework, attending their specials, (music, art, gym, buddies, computer, library, etc.) and resolving any social issues that occur during recess. Kate happily explains that this internship is “an amazing opportunity…I never want it to end. I have made so many special friendships with all of my students and have gained the knowledge of what it is like to be a teacher!” She strongly recommends this internship to anyone who enjoys the company of little ones and teaching.
Anabelle Brecker is interning at the Clinton Global Initiative. The goal of this organization is to “inspire, connect, and empower a community of global leaders to forge solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.” As an intern, Anabelle gathers information about the organization’s sponsors, and makes spread sheets of all the different emails and contact information. She is also able attend meetings, and listen to phone interviews. She would recommend this internship because, “it’s really interesting to learn about the organization and the amazing things it does!”
Sam Kaplan is working as an assistant at the Morgan Library Museum in both the Sketch and Prints Department and the Department of Research Services. He compiles information about professors and curators in European and American museums, as well as college
museums for the museum database. He also compiles bibliographic information on Old Master Drawings in the Morgan’s world-renowned collection. A personal plus for Sam is that he gets invited to private tours. Sam would definitely recommend this internship to art-lovers because they learn a lot as well as get to see exhibits before they open.
This post was contributed by Caroline Rodman who is a junior at the Scarsdale Alternative School. She plays tennis for the Varsity B girls team, serves as treasurer for the Scarsdale High School Charity:water Club, is the head of the prom committee for her graduating class, and is currently a student intern for Scarsdale10583.
Support the SBNC By Voting on Tuesday January 17th
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Dear Scarsdale 10583: The elections for the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee are Tuesday, January 17 at the SMS Auditorium Lobby from 7-10am from 2-9 am. Here are two good reasons for Scarsdalians to vote in this election.
The goal of the SBNC is worth supporting. The committee’s mission is to find the most qualified, broad-minded candidates to serve as volunteers on our School Board. The non-partisan system was implemented for the Schools in 1965, and the committee has had a very strong track record ever since. The quality of our school board members has been excellent and has, in turn, fostered the excellence of our school system.
The process of the SBNC is very inclusive. The SBNC and its subcommittees include almost 60 members. All community members are invited to run as a SBNC candidate and the members of the SBNC are voted in through a contested election. In addition, the committee welcomes all community suggestions for Board of Education candidates. Finally, the community again votes in these Board of Ed candidates (and any others that run outside the system) at the school elections in May.
Please show your support for the SBNC’s inclusive process aimed at finding fair-minded, qualified candidates. Vote on January 17.
Nan Berke and Michael Pollack
SBNC Administrative Committee Co-Chairs
Find out more about the SBNC and get voting information at: http://scarsdalesbnc.com/press/
Photo credit Nan Berke
