CNC Selects Slate for Mayor and Village Trustees
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Justin ArestThe Citizens Nominating Committee has selected the Scarsdale Citizens’ Non-Partisan Party slate for Mayor, Village Trustees and Village Justice.
For Mayor, Justin Arest, who served two terms as Village Trustee, has been nominated to lead the Village. He is an attorney with keen financial acumen and was instrumental in steering the Village through the financial crisis during the COVID pandemic.
Nominees for trustee, Sameer Ahuja and Karen Brew are currently serving their first two year terms and have been active and engaged board members. Notably Brew guided the Village through their decision making on changes to the laws regarding the sale of cannabis, and Ahuja has championed technological innovations. They are both nominated to serve their second term.
Sameer Ahuja: Photo by Andi Schreiber
Newcomer Dara Gruenberg holds many leadership roles in the Village and is now President of the Friends of the Scarsdale Library and co-chaired the library’s capital campaign that raised the funds to build the new library. She is Chair of the Scarsdale Village Advisory Council on Communications and received the SFCS Rising Star Award in 2018.
Cynthia Dunne, a former Assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s office is currently serving as Village Justice.
Here is the slate:
Justin Arest of 2 Lakin Road, a Village Resident for 10 years, Mayor
Sameer Ahuja of 30 Secor Road, a Village Resident for 22 years, Trustee
Karen BrewKaren Brew of 29 Ferncliff Road, a Village Resident for 18 years, Trustee
Dara Gruenberg of 24 Hampton Road, a Village Resident for 11 years, Trustee
Cynthia Dunne of 14 Edgewood Rd, a Village Resident for over 15 years, Village Justice
The General Village Election will take place Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The election will be held at the Scarsdale Public Library, 54 Olmsted Road in the Scott Room. Voting hours will be from 6:00 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Omer Wiczyk served as Chair and Janet Han served as Vice Chair of the CNC. In addition to the candidates for Village office, the CNC selected Jared Stern as Chair and Mary Pat Jones as Vice Chair for next year’s CNC. The CNC also elected Heath Sroka to serve as Vice Chair of the Procedure Committee.
Dara Gruenberg: Photo credit -Andi Schreiber
“Starting in late November 2022, the CNC searched for potential candidates and then conducted extensive diligence. While deliberations and reference conversations are not shared publicly, the CNC considered and carefully researched the background, experience, and qualifications of each trustee candidate and engaged in significant deliberation,” said Omer Wiczyk, Chair of the CNC. “We thank the CNC Members for their hard work and diligence in selecting this strong slate of candidates,” he continued.
SVAC Crew Assists in Buffalo Snow Emergency
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An ambulance crew from Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps travelled to Buffalo on Tuesday December 27, 2022 to assist with the snowstorm emergency at the request of Erie County EMS officials. The ambulance and two paramedics, Caitlyn Kockler and Kyle Shryock, answered a backlog of 911 calls that received no response during the storm. People were stuck inside their homes as it was too dangerous to drive. Road conditions made it unsafe for ambulances to answer their cries for help. The team worked 12 hours shifts, answering about one call per hour.
Below are photos of what they found on the snowy streets of Buffalo.
Sign Up for Flu and COVID Vaccines at SVAC December 17
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Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps will be holding a clinic for Flu Vaccine and COVID Booster Vaccine for 12 years old and up on Saturday, December 17th from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Please sign up on their website at www.scarsdalevac.com. Sign up for vaccines is open today through Wednesday evening at 9:00pm. They are ordering as much vaccine as is required, so there is no wastage.
Please bring your health insurance information and driver’s license for identification. They will be submitting requests for payment to your insurance company directly. They are not requesting co-pays.
They are also providing flu and covid booster vaccines for the homebound. Please call 914-722-2288 or email covid@scarsdalevac.com to schedule your home vaccination.
Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Flu and COVID Booster Vaccine Clinic
Saturday, December 17th – 11:00am to 3:00pm
Letter to the Editor: The Library Did the Right Thing
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- Written by Diane Greenwald
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(This letter was submitted by Diane Greenwald)
Open Letter to Scarsdale:
Please join me in thanking the Scarsdale Library Board, Library Director Elizabeth Bermel and the entire Library staff for their professionalism, clarity and good judgement regarding a controversial request from Brave Publishing for Kirk Cameron, former sitcom actor and current political activist, to read his ‘children’s book’ in our community. The Library legally declined to sponsor his program but has accepted their request to rent a room, also required by law.
In their Dec 19 statement, we learn that our public Library’s multi-purpose rooms, “designated public forums” cannot be denied to a renter based on content. “First Amendment jurisprudence requires libraries to rent facilities equitably regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of those who seek to use them.” We could face legal action, which was threatened in the press. But room rental is not an endorsement of the content and, importantly, the Library has discretion concerning programs that they initiate or sponsor, “based on educational suitability and audience interest.” The statement goes on to explain, libraries (including ours) “are often pitched programs or events by members of the public, publicists, and authors, and a public library is not required or able to put on every program requested.” Bottom line, room rental is not an endorsement.
The Library did the right thing.
Going forward, I encourage our community to read statements at www.scarsdalelibrary.org for accurate and vetted information. As more questions arise, I urge this community to be patient for the facts and follow the Library for updates. It is gratifying to see many in our community choose to reflect on this story as informed consumers, rather than speculate, assume and perhaps fall prey to misinformation, as has been sensationalized by Cameron and his agenda-driven publisher/publicist.
This situation has landed at our door, unwelcome, and we can pull together and not allow this ugly agenda to divide us. We do not have to frame this reading as Kirk Cameron, Brave Publishing and Fox News dictate, as part of some partisan culture wars, in this instance, as their ‘alternative’ to a popular drag queen reading hour program. We should not give them that power.
Why is his message the opposite of the message from drag queens reading books? It is not an either-or! Maybe the Library-sponsored programming variety we value is that we welcome drag queens to read stories about tolerance and self-acceptance, and so, we can welcome other members of our community (and beyond) to read about self-acceptance and tolerance. Fire fighters, CEOs, bakers! Different types of learners, different perspectives and life experiences -- come read to us! I can think of nothing more American than tolerance.
We can be people who respect this guy’s right to rent our space, and we do, but we do not have to listen to him or feed his craving for attention. And we can tell our own stories, without diminishing each other, or anyone else. Again, this does not have to be partisan, and the only elephants and donkeys I want see at the Library are Babar and Eeyore. The Library is under no obligation to promote their program and we can ignore it too.
During my years of service to the Library, I often described this institution as a “cornerstone of democracy.” This could not be truer today. I am grateful that our library, placed on the front lines of this worrisome issue, understand the law, and reflects our values, “committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion for all community members.”
I hope you all agree, our answer to this program is love, as American as apple pie. It can our response together. LOVE IS LOVE. SCARSDALE IS LOVE.
Happy holidays, in peace.
Diane Greenwald
Former Library Board President;
Ally to our LGBTQ+ Community;
Proud, Accepting American and Global Citizen
Scarsdale Art Teacher Slashed While Trying to Stop a Subway Attack
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Scarsdale Art Teacher John Catania was injured when he intervened in a subway attackWith its motto of “Non Sibi (not for oneself alone),” the Scarsdale School District has long taught its students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, how to be upstanders, to stop bullying, and to stand up for others if/when they are unable to stand up for themselves. On Tuesday November 22nd, SHS art teacher John Catania, age 29, put these teachings into action when he heroically stepped in to stop an attack on a fellow subway rider.
The incident took place as Mr. Catania, who joined the faculty at Scarsdale High School this past summer, was traveling on the L train around 10:30 pm. According to the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI) of the NYPD, when police arrived they found “two victims with sustained lacerations; a 29-year-old male with lacerations to the head and back and a 28-year-old female with a laceration to the face.”
The report says, “The female victim was on board the north bound 'L' train, entering Manhattan from Brooklyn, when an unidentified adult male sitting across from her engaged her in a dispute which escalated to him grabbing her, striking her on the cheek with an unknown (and unrecovered) sharp instrument, and making anti-Muslim statements.” This is when Mr. Catania stepped in to intervene and was unfortunately struck on the head and back by the male with the same sharp instrument.
While the suspect fled the train at Union Square Station, both our hometown hero and the Muslim woman, although in stable condition, were rushed to Bellevue Hospital for treatment of their lacerations. Mr. Catania needed 26 staples to his head. Fortunately, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has identified the offender of the incident and he is currently in police custody.
Apparently Mr. Catania felt alone in his heroic efforts as he told the Daily News, “I was really hoping someone would help me out.”
Indeed, the world could use more upstanders like John Catania…people who don’t only teach others the importance of doing good wherever you can, but who also don’t hesitate to stand up to hate themselves.
