Help Govern Your Village by Running for the CNC
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Update 9-13-12: The Procedure Committee continues to look for candidates to the CNC. The deadline for submission of petitions and bios is September 30 and they should be mailed or dropped off to David M. Brodsky at 4 Burgess Road, Scarsdale 10583.
This letter was submitted to Scarsdale10583 by David Brodsky, Chair of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee: It's September. It's not only back to school and the end of summer. September is also the time that the Scarsdale Procedure Committee recruits candidates to run for election by Scarsdale voters to the Citizen's Nominating Committee (CNC).
What’s the CNC, you ask? It is the Committee that you, residents of Scarsdale, elect to help select candidates to run for Mayor and Trustee. As you have all heard, Scarsdale's political system is unique. We are not controlled by the standard political parties that have a stranglehold on local governments in our surrounding towns. Quite frankly, the traditional labels of Democrat or Republican or others don't really mean much in Scarsdale politics. Our village is responsible for our roads, fire, police, building codes, zoning, trash removal and the nuts and bolts that keep our village looking good and working well.
But, even more importantly, our political system removes the corrupting influence of money in our election process. This is a universally accepted goal of all election reform, and we have carried it out to the highest degree possible. While our elections are not free, and we require money to run them, the candidates themselves are not required to raise large sums of money to mount a campaign to get elected. We get the best people to run for office without the fund raising and popularity contests that are typical of partisan elections.
So just how does our system work? Glad you asked. It is the job of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee to run an election for Scarsdale voters to fill 10 open slots every year in the Citizen's Nominating Committee. The CNC is composed of 6 representatives from each elementary school district, for a total of 30 members. A CNC term is 3 years, so we need 10 new candidates a year (unless there is a vacancy for various reasons).
The Procedure Committee runs a contested election every November after the national or state elections. There are always at least 2 candidates for every open position. This ensures democratically elected candidates that are the choice of their neighborhoods.
Once the CNC’s new members are elected, the CNC meets and solicits candidates for Trustee and Mayor. Anyone interested 
in being a candidate for Mayor or the Village Board of Trustees can present in front of the CNC by filling out some simple paper work. The CNC considers anyone who presents. The CNC then vets all the candidates, does extensive and confidential due diligence, so honest and attributed views are obtained, and then votes for which persons will be nominated to run for election as a Trustee and Mayor. It then assists the candidates to obtain the necessary petition signatures to be on the ballot. In essence, the CNC is an executive search committee that finds the Scarsdale residents who will continue our high standards for governance. But even if a person is not selected by the CNC, that person can still get on the ballot to run, by procuring signatures on a nominating petition.
I have observed the process, and I can say that the system has consistently produced terrific candidates for the jobs being filled. No system is 100%, but the CNC is about as close as one can get. Scarsdale has been well served by the choices the CNC has made.
So how can you support the Scarsdale political process and insure the continued good governance that has made Scarsdale a high-end brand name nationwide?
First, you can run for the CNC. This is a no cost option (although feel free to donate in addition). You simply get the forms from our web site at http:// www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org and fill them out with your local civic resume. Don't worry if it looks a bit thin, the important thing is you are doing your part to help the future of Scarsdale. You will also need to collect 10 signatures of your neighbors to vouch for you, but I am sure you have at least 10 friends in your school district. Your paper work should be in by September 30th to guarantee you a spot in the election. Elections for CNC will be held November 14th at Village Hall.
The next thing you can do is donate to the Scarsdale Procedure Committee. While we have removed the money from the election process, we will need a little money to run the actual election and do a village wide mailing. If every household gave just one dollar, we would be set. But we all know that will never happen. So instead, we are asking all Scarsdale patriots to donate what ever they can, with a suggested donation of $30 to $35. More or less if you feel like it. We now accept Paypal on our web site http:// www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org , so you can use any major credit card. Paypal is quick, easy, and secure. Or send us a check made payable to "The Procedure Committee” and mail it to PO Box 86 Scarsdale, NY 10583.
So there you have our local political system in a nutshell. Please support great government by donating to the The Procedure Committee and by running for the CNC. The future of Scarsdale depends on your support.
David M. Brodsky
Chair, Scarsdale Procedure Committee
Eli Mattioli
Vice Chair, Scarsdale Procedure Committee
Traffic Snarled Due to Road Project
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Getting around Heathcote has been challenging for the past two weeks as Route 125, or Palmer Avenue is being repaved. Lanes have been closed, and access to Palmer Avenue from many of the side streets in Heathcote has been blocked off.
Traffic coming down Route 125 has been diverted to the Heathcote Bypass, sending drivers in big circles. Even worse, the state is using Ramsey Road as a staging area for large trucks and equipment. Since it’s the height of the vegetable season it has been particularly frustrating for residents who want to make purchases from Ramsey’s Farm. Trucks are parked on both sides of Ramsey Road and the intersection of Ramsey Road and Route 125 is closed. What to do? Some have decided it’s easier to walk!
According to Assistant Village Manager Justin Datino, the project, which extends from the White Plains border to Stratton Road in New Rochelle will be completed by Tuesday September 4. In response to complaints from residents about the poor condition of the road, the Village contacted the NYSDOT to request long term repair.
The NYSDOT Region 8 is coordinating the project, using a combination of contractors to operate the specialized 
road paving equipment and State DOT workers for trucking and labor. Engineer Shahid Quadri is managing the project for the state and has been working with the Village to coordinate traffic detours, equipment staging and other issues that arisen. The Village has been providing police support for traffic control.
After the paving is complete, line striping will follow and then the state will return to clean up the shoulder and drainage swales. The Village expects the job to “vastly improve the quality of life for residents along the road and the traveling public.”
So be patient – the end is near!
Stand With Us to Counter Anti-Israeli Billboard Campaign at Metro North Stations
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Israel education group StandWithUs is countering the anti-Israel billboard campaign at Metro North stations in Westchester by placing six of its own ads beginning the week of July 30 for one month. They appear on similar platforms as the anti-Israel ads including Scarsdale, Mt. Kisco, Chappaqua and White Plains stations for a total of 75 ads.
The StandWithUs billboard campaign will highlight Israel's history, its gifts to the world, and underscore the Palestinians' refusal to say yes to peace.
One StandWithUs billboard informs viewers that the land of Israel, renamed Palestine by the conquering Romans in 135 CE, has been the Jewish homeland for over 3,000 years. A second billboard features a picture of the Bible along with the tagline, "According to this 3,000-year-old best seller, Israel is the Jewish homeland." The third visually details how Palestinians have said no to territorial compromise and peace repeatedly since 1937. A fourth billboard underlines the fact that Israel saves water through cutting-edge water conservation technology that is being exported around the world. The fifth shows how Israeli technology helps Americans, in part by creating American jobs. The sixth shows a Palestinian and Israeli boy hugging, reminding viewers that Israel Needs a Partner for Peace and urging the Palestinian leaders to accept Israel as its Jewish neighbor. Viewers will be directed to learn more at either www.sayyestopeace.org or www.onlyisrael.org .
"We cannot allow the public to be misled by the factual distortions in yet another anti-Israel campaign. We are committed to countering 
anti-Israel campaigns whenever they appear," stated Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.
“Anti-Israel activists continuously try to undermine American support for Israel with campaigns that misrepresent Israel and its history. The anti-Israel ads are a shocking distortion of history. The message presumes there once was an Arab Palestine, when in fact no such country ever existed. As two of our billboards point out, this region has been recognized as the Jewish homeland for over 3,000 years. Our billboards will show some of the documentation to prove this fact-- the Arch of Titus in Rome, as well as the Bible. Our billboards will focus on the real Israel--its vibrancy, creativity, and humanitarianism--and underscore that Israel is on the forefront, working alongside the U.S., of making the world a better place," explained Rothstein.
"The founding of modern Israel was an act of historical justice. The injustice is that Palestinian Arabs have continued to reject all territorial compromises for peace. That’s why one of our billboards will detail the number of times that Palestinians have said no to territorial compromise and peace," stated Avi Posnick, regional coordinator of the New York chapter of StandWithUs. "Our billboard campaigns highlight how just Israel’s founding was, how MUCH it has sought peace with its neighbors, and how it is fulfilling its goal of helping people around the world."
StandWithUs (SWU) is an eleven year-old, international, non-profit Israel education organization that supports people around the world who want to educate their own local campuses and communities about Israel. Learn more at: www.standwithus.com .
Candidates Needed for the Citizen’s Nominating Committee
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The Procedure Committee invites eligible Scarsdale Residents to run for election on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, to the Citizen’s Nominating Committee (CNC), the non-partisan group that chooses candidates for major Village offices. This is one of two venues for citizens to participate in the non-partisan electoral process in Scarsdale (the other being the School Board Nominating Committee Election). Once elected, the 10 new members of the CNC will join 20 sitting CNC members in four or five meetings to propose and choose individuals to run in the Village election next March for three Trustee positions and Mayor. These candidates run under the banner of the Scarsdale Non-Partisan Party, and since they often run unopposed, by choosing them the CNC effectively chooses the Village government.
CNC members are expected to attend all meetings, to serve for three years (10 of the 30 members retire and are replaced each year), and to serve on the Procedure Committee for one year after their retirement from the CNC. CNC meeting dates for 2012-2013 will be Sunday, December 2; Sunday, January 6; Sunday, January 13, Wednesday, January 23 and, if necessary, Sunday, January 27.
Eligible CNC candidates have to be registered voters and to have lived in Scarsdale for at least two years. In addition, CNC candidates cannot be currently on the School Board Nominating or Administrative Committees, the Board of Education, the Board of Trustees or the Procedure Committee.
Candidates run for one of two CNC positions in their elementary school district. A minimum of two candidates are needed per position, 4 candidates per school district and a minimum total of 20 candidates to run for 10 CNC positions this year.
To run, candidates must file a nominating petition with 10 signatures of registered voters from their elementary school district, as well as a short biographical sketch. Forms for both are available as downloads from the Procedure committee website http://scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org/forms.htm . They may also be obtained at the Scarsdale Library, Village Hall, from the Chair of the Procedure Committee (David Brodsky, [email protected], 725-8437) or the Vice Chair (Eli Mattioli, [email protected]).
The deadline for filing both forms is Sept 30; after this date, candidates for any school district will only be accepted if there are fewer than two candidates for that district. The nominating petitions must be filed as hardcopy with original signatures, while the biographical sketches must be filed as MS Word or text files, preferably as email attachments.
New Restaurant, Stores and an Indie Theatre Coming Soon
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A few of the empty storefronts in Scarsdale Village will soon be brought back to life. The space once occupied by shoe repair merchant Vaccaros, which closed almost a year ago after 82 years in the village, will be transformed into a Middle Eastern wine and tapas bar. The new restaurant will be run by the owners of Taiim Falafel Shack in Hastings on Hudson and they hope to open in the fall.
Also in the works for Scarsdale Village are a blow dry bar and a new audio and home theatre merchant. However, many spaces remain vacant, including the large Waterworks store that runs between East Parkway and Harwood Court, several stores on Harwood Court and the spaces formerly occupied by Good Life Gourmet and Verizon on Spencer Place.
Are high rents the cause of these vacancies? We noticed that the space formerly occupied by Mayfair Court on Harwood Place is renting for $62 a square foot, which translates to $4,667 per month, or $56,919 per year. The former Waterworks Store, which is 2.953 square feet of space is also listed for $14,765 per month. Comparable locations in Bronxville are listed at $40 a square foot, two-thirds of the prices in Scarsdale.
Farther afield, another new treat is in store. Now you will be able to eat dinner while watching independent films. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is set to open in Yonkers this holiday season, one of several new movie theaters opening in Westchester. The new theater at 2500 Central Park Avenue will present indie and foreign films in addition to larger blockbuster hits. Alamo theaters are unique in that they allow moviegoers to enjoy a full meal during the film. The Alamo theater is just one of many new openings in Yonkers, including the opening of an Apple store, adding to Yonkers reputation of being a sixth borough or sorts.
Yonkers isn’t the only Westchester town receiving a new movie theater. Sundance Cinemas is planning on opening a new theater in Ardsley. Sundance is known for providing, in the words of Sundance Group President, Robert Redford, “a grown-up movie going experience,” playing only the finest movies from around the world. However, an environmental impact statement needs to be completed before construction can proceed for Rivertowns Square, a new complex along the Saw Mill River Parkway that will house the Sundance Theatres.
