Candidates Share Views at LWV Forum
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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There’s a good reason the League of Woman Voters of Scarsdale calls their candidate’s panel a forum rather than a debate. Under Scarsdale’s Non-Partisan system the Citizens’ Nominating Committee selects candidates for nomination for Village trustee, minimizing the occurrence of contested elections and partisan politics.
As a result, at the LWV Forum held on Thursday March 8 there was virtually no disagreement among the three candidates selected by the CNC. On the panel were veteran trustees Kay Eisenman and Jonathan Mark who are seeking second two-year terms on the Board of Trustees and David Lee, who is running for the first time.
A fourth, independent candidate, Harry Reynolds, might have sparked some controversy, but he declined the invitation,
Will you tell your children that you can't tell them why the mayor was elected because it's a secret?
When they ask you why you voted for the mayor, if you didn't know why the mayor was nominated, what will you say?
When they ask you why people vote for mayor and trustees when it seems no one ever runs against them, what will you say?
When they ask you if Scarsdale is a democracy in which the reason for electing everyone is a secret, what will you say?
If your children seem to be smiling at you in a kind and gentle way, and you ask them why they are smiling at you in that way, and they say, "It's a secret,” what will you say?"
The League’s carefully orchestrated format allows for candidates’ opening and closing statements, questions from the League to the panelists and questions from the audience. Since all questions are formulated before the discussion begins, many were repetitive and touched on subjects that the candidates previously addressed.
In her opening statement Trustee Eisenman explained that she has worked as a planner for Westchester County for 23 years, and in that capacity does environmental reviews of projects giving her a broad understanding of development and land use issues. As a trustee, she has grappled with similar projects and learned to listen carefully to all and evaluate evidence with an open mind. She chaired the Village’s Conservations Advisory Council for many years and is enthused about a new move to mulch leaves in place on Village lawns rather than blow them to the curb to be carted away. She believes this new initiative will cut costs for fuel and labor and benefit the environment.
Through his work he has learned to listen carefully, draw out the facts, be fair and open-minded and treat others with respect.
Another Scarsdale native, Trustee Jonathan Mark said that his “Parents moved here in the early ‘50’s for many of the same reasons he likes Scarsdale today.” His father served on the TVCC and his mother was an elementary school teacher. Mark attended Dartmouth and Columbia Law School and initially turned his efforts toward his career, while supporting his wife’s volunteer work in the Village. He also said he has learned to listen and understand complex situations and said he would be honored to serve again.
When asked about what experiences qualified them to serve, Lee added that he is a “people person,” and is “approachable by the community.” Mark said, “I believe I understand process. Many times in hearing issues, the process is as important as the substance itself.” Eisenman explained that her work in the PTA allowed her to “get to know the Village from the ground up.” In addition to the PTA, she served on the board of the Scarsdale Adult School, the Board of Architectural Review and the Conservation Advisory Council, giving her “a good background to serve.”
As for challenges facing the board, Mark replied, “funding and prioritizing difficult issues,” and “getting the reval underway” if approved. For Eisenman, the primary challenge is “dealing with a difficult fiscal climate in light of the 2% tax cap,” and Lee mentioned, “storm water, drainage, flooding” and “sewer line maintenance and repair.”
The conversation then turned to flooding, when the panelists were asked what the Village can do to assist residents who have storm water damage. Mark said that the Village was expecting a plan in April to alleviate flooding in the Sheldrake River and would then consider issuing bonds to finance the work. Eisenman said that the Board can “make people aware of what they could get from FEMA,” and also said that the Village plans to line sewer pipes and maintain storm water sewers. A storm water project extending from George Field to Harcourt woods will help residents in Greenacres and Fox Meadow.
On the 2% tax cap, Lee said, “I agree with the Governor doing this as a reminder for fiscal discipline and allowing communities to override it as a safety valve.” Mark said, “I won’t say I disagree with the tax cap – and it certainly was a big factor (in budget discussions.) I do object that it caps taxes without capping mandated expenses such as the pension fund. The State did not address what is driving up taxes and forced the Villages to make difficult decisions. I am not a big fan of the way in which it was implemented.” Eisenman said, “the Governor did this to make municipalities consolidate. The 2% cap is not really 2% because it excludes some expenses including pension increases above 2% and a growth factor.” Without the cap, we probably would have come up with the same budget as we did.”
In her closing statement, Eisenman gave a nod to the Non-Partisan system, saying, “I think that the Non-Partisan system is the reason that Jon, David and I are sitting here. I had never contemplated being a trustee, but was asked by the Mayor to serve. We are fortunate to have that system because it is not a political system but brings out people who want to serve. I am grateful for that system.”
Village Justice John Galloway, who has already served for 17 years, will run unopposed for another term. In his remarks he said, I am very pleased to be nominated for another four-year term. I have had 17 years as Village Justice and have enjoyed it.
The Village election will be held at Scarsdale Library on Tuesday March 20th from 6-9 am and 12 – 9 pm. Absentee ballots are available at Village Hall.
(Pictured at top: Daivd Lee, Kay Eisenman, Jonathan Mark and John Galloway)
Greenacres Town Meeting
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On the eve of their 100th anniversary, the Greenacres Association held a Town Hall Meeting at Greenacres School on Thursday night March 1. Representatives from all major Scarsdale Village organizations were on hand to provide an update on Village affairs and the meeting was well attended by Greenacres neighbors and Village trustees.
Mayor Flisser, who is near completion of one year of her two year term, told the group that plans for the Fox Meadow flood remediation project were moving forward. Bids are currently under review with construction planned to begin in April. She asked residents with homes along the watercourse to give the Village access to their property to de-silt and repair the course.
Reporting on the Village budget, she relayed that the Board overrode the tax cap to allow for storm water remediation, sewer line and road repairs. The Village budget will go up 5.5%.
In his remarks, Village Manager Al Gatta conveyed concern about keeping Scarsdale independent in light of the tax cap. He believes that 
the state government imposed the cap to put pressure on local governments to merge and share services. Since the cap prevents local governments from increasing taxes and fees to fund rising expenses, he fears that the state is forcing consolidation on local municipalities.
School Board President Jill Spieler and School Superintendent Michael McGill were up next with updates on education and the school budget. Spieler reported that the Board and Administration are working on a school budget that is “right for Scarsdale,” without considering arbitrary spending caps. The Board will present their budget to the community at the March 5 meeting. The budget will come in under the cap due to projected decreases in school enrollment, lower salary costs and savings on energy and health insurance. The budget of $141.6 million represents a 3.81% tax increase for Scarsdale residents and a 2.64% increase for those in the Mamaroneck strip.
McGill told the group that the school is designing an education for the 21st century, teaching students to think creatively and critically and 
linking the work of Scarsdale students to international standards. The 2012-13 budget includes funds for the newly formed Center for Innovation to investigate how technology can be integrated into the educational program. The school is also looking at ways to redesign the physical plant to reflect new learning methodologies and allow venues for collaborate learning.
Greenacres School Principal Jerry Young thanked the Greenacres Association for the new basketball courts at the school. He reports that they are used by both students and the community. In light of two incidents of exposure at the playground he asked the community to be vigilant and take action if they see something unusual.
According to Fire Chief McCain, The fire station adjacent to Village Hall and the training station on Secor Road will both be remodeled in the coming year. Fire Station #1, built in 1923, is badly in need of repair. The supports will be reinforced and it will be remodeled to accommodate larger fire engines. The building at the recycling center will be renovated so that it can be used for training.
Representing the Police Department, Andrew Matturo reported that there were 18 burglaries in Scarsdale in 2011, 7 of those in Greenacres. He reported that police met with concerned residents, increased patrols in marked and unmarked cars, are scanning license plates in the area and are going door to door in the affected areas to tell residents how to safeguard their homes.
Suzanne Busby, Director of Parks, Recreation and Conservation said that the recreation brochure will be out in a few weeks. You can now renew pool and recreation passes online using the new system.
And speaking for the Scarsdale Ambulance Corps. Steve Rambone made a plea for more volunteers. SVAC will train willing adults (18 years+) and relies on volunteers and contributions to respond to over 1,000 calls each year.
Barry Meiselman, Chair of the Greenacres Centennial Committee shared plans for the upcoming celebration. There will be a gala at the Scarsdale Golf Club on June 2, a time capsule will be created, trees will be planted and a house tour is scheduled for fall, 2012. Participation is welcome. Anyone who wishes to get involved should email Barry at [email protected].
Thanks to Greenacres Association President Kathy Steves and the Board of the Greenacres Association for producing an informative program.
Letter: Non-Partisan System is Open and Fair, and it Works
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Here is a letter from longtime resident David Brodsky who currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee:
To the Editor: I write in response to numerous attacks on the Scarsdale Non-Partisan System by Harry Reynolds, an independent candidate for Trustee in the election on March 20.
As a citizen of Scarsdale, Harry Reynolds has every right to run for Trustee and every right to his opinion on what he perceives to be the inadequacies of the Scarsdale Non-Partisan System. But, as Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, you're entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts.
The fact is that, because of the time-tested and proven system of fair, honest, and responsive government under the Non-Partisan System, Scarsdale has been largely free of the partisan sniping and character assassination that is typical of most partisan electoral systems in this country. The Non-Partisan System is based upon the feedback of residents of Scarsdale and others with whom proposed candidates have worked over years in civic, charitable, and other endeavors. Based on that feedback, the Citizens Nominating Committee and School Board Nominating Committee (two separate groups that select candidates for Mayor, Trustee and Village Justice and for the School Board) choose persons to run on the Non-Partisan slates because of their proven and verified leadership skills.
The fact is that the two Nominating Committees are made up of citizens who have gathered petitions to be placed on the ballot and are then elected by the population of their elementary school neighborhoods.
One can't have a closer representation of grass roots connections than what these Nominating Committees provide.
The fact is that, once members of the Nominating Committees have been chosen in an open and contested election, a call goes out to the general population for candidates to put themselves forward for consideration for Village-wide office, whether it be for Mayor, Trustee, Village Justice, or School Board member. Anyone who is over 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen and resident of Scarsdale can be a candidate. Mr. Reynolds could have decided to seek office in that way in 2012.
The fact is that all candidates fill out a publicly-posted questionnaire asking for their educational backgrounds, employment history, and prior commitments to the Scarsdale community and that each candidate is then asked to speak for 10 minutes and to answer the same three to four questions, which each candidate is supplied with before hand. The questions address basic issues relating only to the nominee’s experience, qualifications, and understanding of what a Trustee does (e.g., "What qualities and special skills do you bring from your background and experience which would be of value as Trustee?" "What is your understanding of the role of a Village Trustee relative to that of the Village staff, community, and other Trustees?"), and not to any specific issues.
The fact is that there is no questioning by members of the Nominating Committees -- never mind, hostile cross 
examination (which Mr. Reynolds recently implied he objected to facing in an op-ed piece he published). What matters is what the candidates say about themselves and their objective records, as attested to by people they have worked with over the years.
Mr. Reynolds complains that under Scarsdale’s Non-Partisan System, “'Issues' are anathema...[and that t]he committee’s object is to divine from the applicant’s history the applicant’s desirability..." But the fact is that “divining” is not what either of the Nominating Committees does; instead, each engages in extensive due diligence.
Based on what the candidate has done in his or her career, including in the Scarsdale community, the Committees seek out and speak to persons who have worked alongside each candidate in any of his or her prior positions. The purpose is to find candidates whose proven records in prior activities show them likely to be intelligent, independent, and creative leaders in our governing bodies. Only information from persons who are willing to be identified by name is allowed to be discussed during the nomination process. Thus, anonymous smears or hearsay play no role in the evaluative material used in judging whether a candidate should be selected.
The reason for this form of inquiry of candidates is plain: one doesn't know what issues will be coming before the Trustees or School Board from month to month, not to mention over a two or three year term. It could be revaluation, it could be development, it could be storm waters, it could be searching for new principals, it could be curriculum reform. What is the hot issue of the moment may not be an issue of concern in a future year.
What matters is not each candidate's point of view about particular issues but proven track record of working well with others, intelligence, inquisitiveness, and creativity. And, after this due diligence process, it is rare, indeed, for someone to be elected as a Trustee or School Board member without such a record reflecting dedication to working in a conscientious and collegial manner, without known biases or agendas.
Mr. Reynolds complains that the Non-Partisan process "keeps secret ... what is said when those applicants appear before its nominating committee..." But one can see why the confidence of discussions within the Nominating Committees is so important. As a member of the School Board Nominating Committee for three years and an observer this year of the Citizens Nominating Committee (by dint of being the incoming Chair of the Procedure Committee), I heard frank discussion of candidates' working habits, indifference to others' opinions, or lack of preparedness for meetings from friends and colleagues of one candidate or another who had first-hand experience with the candidate and who are willing to be quoted for attribution.
I believe that without such confidential discussions, it would be rare for such useful and necessary candor to be elicited, and, therefore, I believe that the confidence of discussions within the Nominating Committees serves a necessary and highly useful purpose. The Non-Partisan System needs – and the entire Scarsdale community benefits by -- such confidential candor in order to continue to produce the highly qualified candidates that it has historically done for 100 years.
Mr. Reynolds complains that campaigns are "uncontested," but they need not be, and have not been on several occasions within the last several years. Indeed, his own candidacy this year, the write-in candidacies last year, and the formation and election of candidates from newly-formed parties in prior years, makes clear that any person who believes himself qualified can be a candidate. Overall, it is the Scarsdale Non-Partisan System's very transparency, as well as the abundant number of volunteers who work for the betterment of Scarsdale, that has kept it as viable as it has been and hopefully will continue to be.
No one can defend the highly regrettable history of the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s, where qualified resident were excluded from participating in Scarsdale's civic life, and I don’t think that even Mr. Reynolds truly believes that such odious practices would be resurrected by the continuation of the Non-Partisan System. When I served as an observer of the Citizens Nominating Committee in December 2011 and January 2012, as well as when I served on the School Board Nominating Committee several years ago, both the committee members and the candidates for School Board and Trustee came from a variety of racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. The time when the secrecy of the Scarsdale Non- Partisan process was used to foster class or religious hatred or social injustice in Scarsdale is, thankfully, a vestige of our past, nonexistent in the present, and not a harbinger of our future.
Finally, Mr. Reynolds implies that he is running for Trustee so as to do away with the Non-Partisan System. But the Trustees of the Village have nothing to do with the processes by which candidates are selected, a fact that Mr. Reynolds appears not to understand. Every year, the voter-adopted Resolutions that govern the procedures followed by both the Village and School Board Nominating Committees, as well as the Non-Partisan election processes, are studied and, where desirable, proposed amendments are drafted by residents who are members of committees established under the Resolutions. These recommendations for changes are often adopted by residents of the Village in open elections.
This past November, nine such changes to the Non-Partisan Resolution governing the Village elections were adopted by the voters of Scarsdale, and just last month, another group of changes to the Resolution governing School Board elections were adopted by the voters. As with any electoral system, the Non- Partisan System is not perfect and if there are desirable changes to be made in the future, it will be residents of the Village, operating in those committees, who will recommend changes to be made, not the Trustees of the Village.
In closing, I urge all residents to vote on March 20 to support the candidates nominated under the Non- Partisan System -- Kay Eisenman, Jon Mark, and David Lee -- and elect them as Trustees of the Village. I also urge that any residents who question the merits of the Non-Partisan process to experience it first- hand by volunteering to run for election to the Citizen's or School Board Nominating Committees, rather than to speculate on imagined shortcomings.
Respectfully,
David M. Brodsky
Vice Chair, 2011-12 Scarsdale Procedure Committee
4 Burgess Road
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale Village Board Overrides Cap and Responds to Resident Petition
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At the 2-28-12 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, Mayor Flisser responded to a petition about the Scarsdale Village Building Department, signed by over 200 residents. After hearing comments from a few residents at meeting on February 22nd Flisser concluded that some of the dissatisfaction is not with the Building Department at all, but with the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Architectural Review, some of which are regulated by state law. In addition, there appears to be confusion among residents about whom has jurisdiction over what, and whether issues are between neighbors or between residents and the Village. She noted that changes in the water table and watercourses have also contributed to the problems. The Board will continue to discuss the issues raised and to look for solutions. A subsequent meeting on these issues is planned for 6:55 pm on March 19th and the public is invited to attend.
Her full comments are published below.
Override: In other business, the Village Board passed a resolution to override the state imposed 2% tax cap, which is permitted with a 60% vote of the Board of Trustees. Trustee Steves explained that the override will prevent the Village from paying penalties if the cap had to overridden due to an error or to supply funds needed to provide the “appropriate level of service.” He also explained that the some expenses are exempt from the cap – so though the budget may go up 4%/ the Village would still be in compliance with the cap, allowing legal exemptions.
At the public hearing, Robert Berg of Tisdale Road spoke in favor of the override, saying that additional capital expenditures were necessary to fund the tax revaluation and renovation of the firehouse adjacent to Village Hall.
Fees: The Board of Trustees agreed to raise Village fees for a host of services, including:
Water service connection
Street service connection charge
Fire protection
Commercial connection fee
Repairs to damaged water meters
Testing water meters
Temporary discontinuance of water service
Fire hydrant use
Water charges for construction se
Water use charges
Neighbor notification fee for BOA, BAR and CHP applications
Parking fees for Christie Place and Freightway Garages
Towing charges
These increases are projected to raise an additional $102,000 that will be used for the repair of Village roads.
Gifts: The Board approved a gift from the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks to fund landscaping at Audrey Hochberg Pond Preserve adjacent to the Scarsdale Library.
Here are Mayor Flisser’s comments concerning the Building Department:
We recently received a petition concerning complaints about the Building Department, which was signed by over 200 residents. In response to the petition, we held a Municipal Service Committee Meeting on Feb 22. The meeting was well attended by residents, Village Board members (all were present) and Staff. The residents present were given the opportunity to review personal experience with Building issues.
Some general points expressed became apparent:
1) The dissatisfaction is sometimes not actually with "The Building Dept." In fact, some Scarsdale residents are unaware of the jurisdiction of the Building Department.
2) Land Use Boards' decisions, particularly Planning& ZBA, are part of the dissatisfaction expressed. The BAR doesn't seem to be part of this issue as stated, but residents sometimes think the BAR has wider jurisdiction than it does, and express building issue concerns at BAR meetings (about storm water, demolition, and trees preservation, for example.)
3) The Legislation and rules that govern the Land Use Board decisions may be part of the reasons for dissatisfaction.
4) Changes in our water table and water courses, due to development, and/or water events, have contributed to these issues.
5) Residents are unsure what the Villages' jurisdiction is, and what constitutes an inter-neighbor dispute. This is a confusing situation that requires education.
6) It is generally unclear which complaints are appropriate for the Building Dept/Engineering Department to respond to, how it responds and what the usual for practices for response are.
a) It is often not apparent which complaints require representation by professional personnel, and which do not.
7) Residents are unaware how many complaints are handled, and what procedures are for serious actions by the Village (i.e. Stop Work Orders.)
8) Some better behavior by builders, i.e. voluntary screening, etc, as given by examples at the meeting, would do much to calm neighborhoods during construction phases.
9) Building procedures, and the Building Dept itself, is an important interface between residents and government, and needs better public inter-relations process.
10) Ecology/Sustainability solutions, i.e. best practices re water use, etc, should be developed and encouraged.
11) Some enforcement issues were mentioned by residents, especially concerning Article 254 (Storm water management.)
This above list is from notes that I took from residents' comments at the meeting.
Land Use regulation, Open Space Preservation, Development Impacts on our community's environment (both natural and financial); Regulation of Private Property and other items presented, should be seen in the context of a major issue of our time, Development vs. Preservation. In addition, Administrative management practices concerning building must be improved to create more efficiency, better resident and neighborhood satisfaction with the process, and better final outcomes.
The Village Board will continue to define these issues, and to search for solutions to the problems voiced, at upcoming meetings.
Proposed 2012-13 Edgemont School Budget Complies with NYS Tax Cap
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The Edgemont School Administration proposed their 2012-13 school budget of $50,016,261, that includes a minimal spending increase of .31% over the current year's budget of $49,861,858. The proposed budget will result in a projected tax-rate increase of 3.42% that falls within the 2% New York State tax cap by factoring in a growth factor of 1.02% and including exemptions for capital expenditures, debt service and increases in the pension payment that exceed 2%.
The 3.42% tax levy increase is higher than the .31% budget-to-budget increase because tax assessments have significantly decreased assessed value. Commercial tax certioraris caused the district to refund money to commercial property owners for taxes overpaid in previous years and to also lower the assessed value of the properties for the future. In addition over 200 homeowners have filed for residential assessment reductions. The district expects close to a million dollars less in assessments from 2011-2012 and the decline in Edgemont's tax base will continue to pose challenges for the district.
The proposed school budget will require structural changes in the district, including the loss of teacher’s jobs and changes in programs and services. There will be a district-wide reduction in staff with head count cuts from 186 to 178 professionals. Some staff members will work fewer hours and others will be let go. There will be a loss of 1.5 full-time teaching positions in kindergarten through sixth grade and 5.15 positions at the secondary school level. Projected enrollment decreases contributed to the teacher cuts, especially at the elementary level. At the high school, the loss of teaching positions is due to the discontinuation of the Study Skills for Success program and the elimination of English and history electives. Other cost-savings measures could include the following:
- Some electives that are now offered every year will be offered in alternating years.
- The A school may be restructured
- There may be increases in class size
- Entry into the Science Scholars program may be delayed until tenth grade.
Sixth and ninth grade camps for the students will be discontinued. Modified sports will continue to be offered and though there will be no cuts to athletic teams, the teams will participate in fewer invitational tournaments, saving money on transportation and related expenses. The budget does allow for essential maintenance projects including $400,000 for new windows at Seely Place elementary school, the oldest of the district buildings. Funds for supplies and textbooks are down eight percent and all music consultants, except for the strings consultant, have been eliminated.
Many parents are concerned about the loss of teachers and have expressed these concerns to the administration. Others are upset that the 6th and 9th grade camps, a longstanding tradition in Edgemont have been suspended. The administration decided not to attempt to override the 2% cap by a vote of 60%, as this is the first year of the property tax levy cap. But administrators believe that the proposed budget preserves the Edgemont educational program.
The next BOE Meeting will be on Tuesday, February 14th at 8:15pm in the LGI. On February 15th, the Board will hold two budget forums, one at 9:00 am in the EHS Library and an evening "Budget 101" session at 7:30 pm in the LGI. If approved by the Board of Education, the budget will be put to a full vote of the community on May 15th. As the budget increase is under the property tax cap, it only needs to be approved by a majority vote, rather than the super majority of 60% for budgets that exceed the cap.
