Our Participation in Article 78
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4535
(This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583.com by Phyllis Finkelstein of Fenimore Road)
To The Editor: In 2014, the assessed value of our 1904 home at 41 Fenimore Road, where we have lived since 1975, rose from $1,000,000 to $1,275,000. After looking around at what other comparables sold for, we hired a company to grieve what we believed was an over assessment. They were able get the village to reduce the assessed valuation to $1,185,000. They were impressed by the village assessor's stubbornness, not her fairness and were apologetic that was the best they could do. Our home is on the corner of Dobbs Terrace, an older street with modest old houses. Our increase was considerably more than these neighbors, but at least one grieved.
The 2016 reevaluation now raised our assessed value to $1,275,000. One neighbor had theirs lowered, and two of our next-door neighbors had minor increases, not anywhere near our increase. The outside appearance of our home since the 2014 reeval is unchanged, as is all of theirs, and they too are older homes, but not as old as ours. We have done no additional work and therefore, filed no building permits since the 2014 reeval. This time around we were late to initiate the grievance process due to the short notice from the Office of the Assessor, dated June 3 with Grievance Day June 17. The firm we previously engaged to grieve did not have time.
We joined the Article 78 action as irregularities began to be made public by the Scarsdale Committee for Fair Assessment. Most shocking is Ryan's complete failure to disclose the mathematical formulas used to determine the increased valuations, or any valuations at all. The hundreds of emails hard fought to obtain (thank goodness for the Freedom of Information Law), including details of the failure of the assessor's office to monitor this travesty, have been shocking. Some emails go so far as to show Assessor Albanese asking JF Ryan to change assessments to benefit trustees and a former mayor (see p. 41-45 of the Petition). It is imperative to void this reassessment as it is founded on the scam of a company too lazy and dishonest to do the job it was paid to do.
I have been told that there is the impression that only a handful of people are involved in trying to invalidate the Ryan reeval. The 150 or so of us who have paid to be part of the action are the tip of the iceberg. Talk is cheap, as they say, and some of my neighbors have not wanted to invest their money to try to win an action that depends on proving "arbitrary and capricious" behavior. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the entire process in the community, if you ask enough of your neighbors. Even some who consider their valuations fair have contributed financially to the action, supporting those who have been unfairly assessed.
We are fortunate in this community to have ethical, moral people with the expertise and experience to critically appraise the work done by Ryan. Additionally, we are lucky that these residents devoted themselves for months to gather the concrete evidence needed to move forward with an Article 78, the damning emails so slowly released by the Village despite the FOIL. I think it is accurate to say a handful of people dedicated themselves to working hard to pull together the material that has been the foundation for the Article 78.
The Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale should do the moral, ethical thing and end this travesty before it shames all those involved even further. My tax dollars should not be wasted to defend against the Article 78 that would never have happened if this outrage of a reassessment were properly monitored and supervised.
Phyllis and Frank Finkelstein
41 Fenimore Road
Scarsdale NY
Free Panel on Alzheimer's at the Scarsdale Woman's Club
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5332
Under the auspices of the Scarsdale Forum, the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter will present a program, "What Alzheimer's disease is and what you can do about it," starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Scarsdale Women's Club, 37 Drake Road.
Topics to be covered include the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's, the importance of early detection, research trends and clinical trials, getting a diagnosis, treatment options and living with Alzheimer's. Legal and financial issues related to dementia will be discussed, as will innovative free programs and services available from the Alzheimer's Association for families living with dementia.
Barry Meiselman, chairman of the board of directors for the Hudson Valley Chapter, will offer an introduction and introduce the panelists, who will include Alzheimer's Association staff members Jody Addeo, community engagement manager for Westchester and Rockland counties, and Patricia Gaston, a care consultant and director of professional education and research-related activities. The panel will also include Alzheimer's Association board member Moira Laidlaw, an attorney and elder-law expert.
Alzheimer's disease is a public health crisis affecting more than 5 million Americans. The sixth leading cause of death in the United States, it is the only one among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. While advanced age increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's, the disease also strikes people in their 50s and 60s. Alzheimer's requires support from millions of caregivers and is the most expensive disease in the nation. Two thirds of those suffering with the disease are women, and 40,000 individuals in the Hudson Valley have Alzheimer's.
The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Its vision is a world without Alzheimer's.
For more information, contact:
Dugan Radwin at dradwin@alz.org
845-471-2655
CNC Searches for Candidates for Village Board and Mayor
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3650
The Citizens Nominating Committee ("CNC") is currently searching for potential candidates to run on the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party slate for the office of Scarsdale Village Mayor and three opening Village Trustee positions. Deadline for submitting your name to the CNC is Friday January 13th 2017. The General Village Election is on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.
According to Lena Crandall, Chair of CNC (a non-voting position), "The CNC conducts a non-issue based review of potential candidates for office. The cornerstone tenet of Scarsdale's hundred-year nonpartisan tradition is that a candidate's general abilities and character - not their personal position on any Village issue – are held paramount to all other considerations. The objective is to find the best possible individuals to serve the Village no matter what issues the future may bring."
The CNC is a group of 30 elected representatives (6 from each neighborhood) tasked with reaching-out within the Scarsdale community to encourage residents who are ready, willing, and able to volunteer their service as one of three new Trustees or as Mayor of the Village.
CNC representatives are available to answer questions and help candidates through the non-partisan process, which involves the completion of a biographical sketch and a brief presentation. The names of those who come before the CNC are kept confidential to encourage as many qualified individuals as possible to come forward.
If you (or anyone you know) would make a great Mayor or Village Trustee, please contact any member of the CNC listed below. Candidates must be U.S. citizens over the age of 18 and residents of the Village of Scarsdale.
For more information, visit the Procedure Committee Website:
Repairs at Freightway Garage Scheduled: Parking Restricted for Week of January 2nd
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3820
The Village of Scarsdale has scheduled contractor, Schnell Contracting Inc., to perform concrete repair work at the Freightway Garage beginning the week of January 2, 2017, weather permitting. Select locations on the first and fifth floors will have concrete repair work performed to small areas showing signs of deterioration. While the scope of the maintenance work is relatively limited in nature, there will be impacts to commuters in the form of parking restrictions and access to protected workzones. As repairs are planned for the first and fifth floors, the contractor will restrict certain spaces on these floors and others beneath (ground level and fourth floor) for safety reasons. Village staff will post "no parking" signs adjacent to the work zone to alert commuters. The signs and parking restrictions will be removed accordingly as soon as the construction work allows. They regret any inconvenience this work may cause.
The Village anticipates the work to be completed in 5 -10 working days depending on weather conditions. Village engineering staff will provide construction oversight for the duration of the project. Questions or concerns should be addressed to the Village of Scarsdale Engineering Department by phone at (914)722-1104 or by email at engineering@scarsdale.com. Village office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Raiders Boys and Girls Basketball Teams Start Their Seasons
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- Written by Emmeline Berridge
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Every year, the Maroon and White Kari Pizzitola Basketball Tournament provides an opportunity for Scarsdale's Varsity Basketball teams to begin their seasons and introduce their new rosters. With both the girls and the boys varsity teams graduating six seniors last year, it is especially important for the teams to set a precedent for the rest of their respective seasons. The tournament is two games, with four teams participating in each the girls and the boys brackets. The games played on Thursday determine which schools would head to the championship games on Friday.
The Boy's Varsity team played South Bronx in the first game of the tournament, which was also their home opener. An encouraging beginning to the season, the Raiders defeated South Bronx. The leading scorer of the game, Senior Captain Max Bosco, totaled 34 points. Bosco, who was a main contributor to the team last year, looks to lead the team through his final season. In the first half, he scored six three pointers off of his eight attempts. After the half, he had outscored the entire South Bronx team with 25 points. The Raiders stayed strong throughout the game, able to utilize new players off the bench. The team headed into the championship game against Tappan Zee, with a final score of 82 (Scarsdale) to 49 (South Bronx).
With interesting match ups on both sides of the floor, the championship game was a close one until the final buzzer. The Raiders went into the second quarter down five with a score of 15-10. Tappan Zee stayed tight on Bosco for the first three quarters, bringing the score to 40-31 for Tappan Zee by the end of the third. The Raiders were able to bring the game within two points with one minute left to play, relying on contributions from Sophomore Cole Katan and Junior Will Hoffman. A deep three pointer by Bosco also helped close the gap. After a series of questionable foul calls, and one "no call" when Bosco was knocked to the floor due to a screen by Tappan Zee, the Raiders were still behind with seconds left on the clock. Tappan Zee now had the advantage in the game because they were in the bonus for fouls, meaning that even non shooting fouls gave the team a trip to the foul line for two shots. Final failed shot attempts by Scarsdale led them to lose the game by four, a hard fought battle by the Raiders. With key players missing for Scarsdale, such as Junior Nash Goldman, the team looks forward to competing in the rest of their season.
For the Scarsdale Girl's Varsity Basketball team, the past three years have been anything but ordinary. After playing in the Section 1 Semi Finals at the Westchester County Centerin 2015, the team was determined to make it back to the finals last season. The six veteran senior players were aware of their potential, looking for a chance to go up against the then repeat state champions, Ossining. After falling short of the County Center last season by losing the section quarterfinal game, the most decorated group of players to graduate from the program left large shoes to fill.
Heading into their first game of this season, which not so coincidentally was against the now 3 peat state champs Ossining, there was speculation as to how the new Scarsdale team would handle the pressure. The Raiders fell to the Ossining Pride 108-62 on Wednesday night. Ossining welcomed back their star player Andra Espinosa Hunter, who will play with the reigning national champions at the University Of Connecticut next season. Although a 46 point loss might not sound like an ideal start to a season, the number of open shots against the most formidable opponent in the state was promising for the Raider offense. Also promising were the leading scorers for Scarsdale, Freshman Kayla Maroney and Junior Samantha Mancini. Mancini scored 13, while Maroney totaled 19 points off of her five three pointers.
The day after this loss, the squad entered their first game of the Maroon and White tournament against Fox Lane. After Scarsdale defeated Fox Lane last year to win the tournament, expectations were high for both teams. Fox Lane was eager to snatch a win on Raider territory. The game started out slow, Fox Lane leading with seven points in the first quarter, Scarsdale scoring only two. Fox Lane led 19-9 going into half time. Freshman Kayla Maroney, who marked her first varsity home start, noted that [the game] "started off slow", which made it difficult to come back even when the team found its rhythm at the beginning of the third quarter. Disappointed by their lack of scoring in the first half, the Raiders were aggressive to start the second. With a series of three pointers, scored by Juniors Audrey Shaev and Samantha Mancini, Scarsdale was "fired up". The Raiders used the defensive presence of Senior Captain Emma Coleman to press up the court and force turnovers, putting the team back into the game with 4:30 left. Scarsdale was unable to close the gap in the last few minutes, ultimately losing to Fox Lane by seven with a final score of 48-41. Senior Captain Ashely Barletta, who is back for her final season after being out due to a knee injury, said that "I don't think [the team] played to our full potential". With several shots falling short of the hoop, there were points to be scored that were left out on the floor. Despite the loss, Kayla Maroney was awarded a spot on the All Tournament team.
Going forward, optimism and hark work are the keys to improving for the rest of the season. Barletta mentioned that "throughout the game we improved, and I think all the new players now know what it's like the be under the pressure in a close game, which will help us in the future". This high intensity experience in their first game is invaluable for the new players, providing them with the opportunity to learn how to handle the pressure. Freshman Maroney noted that she "liked the feel of playing at home and the energy that the crowd brought". With a lot more basketball left to play, the girls will continue to work hard in practice and during games, hoping to form into a more cohesive unit. As opposed to the high expectations placed on last years' team, an "underdog" team of sorts might be just the way for Scarsdale girl's basketball to prove their ability. Watch for this improvement during the team's first league game this Thursday 4:15 at New Rochelle.
