Is Scarsdale's Non-Partisan System Partisan?
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The announcement of the surprising slate of candidates from the Citizens Nominating Committee last week brought back the uneasy feelings I had when I served on the CNC several years ago.
As I had just completed five years of service on the School Board Nominating Committee and as Vice-Chair, I was well versed in the rules of Scarsdale’s non-partisan system. I understood that the role of the nominator was to seek out candidates who:
- Have demonstrated an ability to work effectively in groups
- Are critical thinkers and problem solvers – akin to the kind of students Scarsdale seeks to educate today
- Have no prescribed agenda and were not seeking the position to move forward or halt a specific project or plan
- Are open-minded and would use their best judgment to do what’s best for Scarsdale
In addition, during the vetting process, the committee was to consider only input that could be attributed to a named source; i.e. committee members could not make comments on a candidate based on hearsay.
Accustomed to the civil and fair-minded proceedings of the SBNC, I was taken aback by my experience on the Citizens Nominating Committee where conversations were rife with rancor and innuendo. Though some of the nominators were new to Village government, there seemed to be a core of longtime cronies who had served on the committee many times or who had taken public positions on issues before the Village government. Included on the committee were former mayors, wives of former mayors and former trustees. Unlike the SBNC, the meetings were not run by elected nominators, but instead chaired by the leadership of the TVCC (now renamed as the Scarsdale Forum) which itself takes positions on issues before the Village Government. I was even more disturbed when I learned that if the CNC could not find enough candidates from each area to run for the nominating committee, the Procedure Committee simply named someone for the seat.
During some of the sessions there were heated arguments; however it was not clear to the “outsiders” like me what was at stake. It was only later that I pieced together the behind the scenes agenda and realized that many in the room had come with the purpose of nominating candidates who would serve their own goals.
As I have now spent the last two years observing Village politics while reporting for Scarsdale10583, I have become familiar with the key players in town. So when I learned whom the committee had selected for Village Mayor and Trustees, I took a look at who was serving on the nominating committee this year and was struck by the list :
Among the nominators were:
- A husband and wife
- A former TVCC President who previously chaired the committee
- Several people who have formed a coalition to vociferously lobby for a neighborhood cause
- The wife of a current trustee
- A former trustee
- Several chairs of TVCC committees who have taken strong positions on village issues
Given the alliances and histories of the members, how could they objectively consider candidates’ fitness for the position of Trustee or Mayor? They are entrenched in Village politics, have longstanding relationships with one another and clear conflicts of interest. Though I am certain that many of the nominators have the right goals the roster includes too many with complex pasts and scores to settle.
In contrast, the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) attracts many parents with children in the school and often brings newcomers into the process. It is rare that people choose to serve more than one term. Since the leadership of the SBNC for the following year is taken from the group of representatives who have completed their three-year terms, those who have been elected by Scarsdale residents moderate the meetings.
On the other hand, the CNC is managed by the leadership of the Scarsdale Forum, which has been outspoken in their positions on issues that affect Scarsdale such as village-wide tax revaluation, compensation for teachers, and development. In my view, there is an inherent conflict in a partisan group managing an ostensibly “non-partisan” committee.
According to several reliable sources the process was further compromised this year when a large number of absentee ballots were delivered in a single bag to those counting the votes. In addition, a new rule allowed nominators to make private phone calls to candidates where they asked for their views in off the record conversations. As all CNC deliberations are confidential, the lack of transparency makes it even more difficult to address issues with the nominating process.
What can be done?
Here are a few suggestions for changes that can be made to the Non-Partisan Resolution :
- Limit service to one three year term, with no “repeat” performances
- Bar former mayors, trustees and their husbands and wives from serving
- Bar more than one member of a household from serving at the same time
- Have the proceedings managed by elected nominators who complete their terms and are selected by the group to lead for the following year
- Prohibit the Procedure Committee from selecting applicants to fill vacant seats
By restoring the integrity of the process, Village government will attract a wider cross-section of talented and committed citizens and ensure balanced leadership. When the non-partisan system is taken hostage by partisan leadership it is no longer an effective system and cries out for reform.
Calling for Volunteers for Scarsdale Village Boards and Councils
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The Personnel Committee of the Village Board is asking residents interested in volunteering to serve on Village Boards, Councils and Committees to submit their names for consideration. New terms will begin April 4, 2011. This year, there are openings on most Boards and Councils. The Committee strongly encourages residents to apply for these positions.
Trustee Kay Eisenman, Chair of the Personnel Committee, said interested residents are encouraged to submit their own names, together with a brief listing of community service and relevant professional background. It is also helpful for Scarsdale residents to provide written suggestions of individuals who should be considered for appointment. Please submit contact information including email addresses per the instructions at the end of this post.
Pursuant to the general policy adopted by the Village Board, guidelines for membership on Scarsdale's appointed Boards, Councils and Committees cover four areas:
1. Residency: Boards, Committees and Advisory Councils are comprised of residents of the Village. While comments from outside the community can be sought as needed, actions recommended or taken by Boards, Committees and Advisory Councils should ultimately reflect the views of Village residents.
2. Professional or Business Affiliation: Various professional skills and training are required by Village law or deemed desirable by the Village Board of Trustees for the successful fulfillment of some Board, Council or Committee charters.
3. Civic Interest and Involvement: The majority of the members of Village Boards and Councils are appointed by reason of demonstrated interest in Village affairs, through volunteer involvement. Scarsdale is the beneficiary of a long history of voluntary civic endeavors. Since the overriding purpose of Boards, Committees and Councils is to assure the continuation of high community standards, it is appropriate that members on Boards, Committees and Councils be those residents who have demonstrated willingness and initiative to work in support of this objective.
4. Specialized Knowledge: Certain Boards, Committees and Councils benefit by having one or more members with specialized knowledge. For example, the Cable Television Commission benefits by having people with knowledge of the communications industry; the Advisory Council on People With Disabilities would benefit from the experience of residents with disabilities; the Advisory Council on Youth would benefit from people who have worked with young people; the Advisory Council on Parks and Recreation would benefit from having a parent active in the Recreation Department's Elementary School Sports Program.
The following are the terms of office, and responsibilities for members appointed to the Boards, Councils and Committees:
BOARD OF APPEALS - (5 years - one term). Rules on appeals from zoning requirements, including setbacks; on permits for construction of swimming pools and tennis courts, and on non-conforming uses.
BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW - (3 years - two terms). Its basic purpose is to preserve the character and appearance of the Village. Review of all applications involving construction of buildings, or additions to, or reconstruction of existing buildings affecting the exterior appearance.
PLANNING BOARD - (5 years - one term). Advises Village Board on master planning; rules on applications for sub-division of lots, street designations, construction in wetland areas and non-residential buildings.
BOARD OF ETHICS - (5 years - one term). Possible conflicts of interest or other issues of ethics affecting Village personnel are referred to this Board by the Board of Trustees.
CABLE TELEVISION COMMISSION - (5 years - open-ended terms). Administers and monitors the Cable Franchise Agreements with the Village and encourages use of the cable access channels.
CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL - (2 years - open-ended terms). Advises the Village Board on such matters as programs, areas, facilities, public relations and other matters pertaining to conservation of the environment.
COMMITTEE FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION - (3 years - two terms). Determines if a structure located in the Village for which a permit for demolition has been requested is a structure of historical importance.
LIBRARY BOARD - (5 years - one term). Responsible for the administrative and operating policies of the Scarsdale Public Library. Operates independently of the Village Board and selects its own President.
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES - (2 years - open-ended terms). Advises and assists the Village Board in matters of concern to residents with disabilities. Assists with programs and activities, increases public awareness of the needs of the disabled, acts as liaison with other Advisory Councils, and promotes participation in community affairs by disabled persons.
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS - (2 years - open-ended terms). Considers and recommends actions at the request of the Village Board to foster mutual respect and understanding among all members of the community.
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PARKS AND RECREATION - (2 years - open-ended terms). Promotes the recreation program in the Village and advises the Village Board on the use of Village parks for recreation and passive uses, recommends the use or non-use of all open space, and acts as a liaison between the Village Board and the community on all matters relating to recreation and parks.
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON SCARSDALE SENIOR CITIZENS - (2 years - open-ended terms). Advises and assists the Board of Trustees in all matters concerning the senior citizens of the Village of Scarsdale.
TOWN BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW - (5 years – open-ended terms). This Board reviews property tax grievances filed with respect to property tax assessments.
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON TECHNOLOGY - (2 years - open-ended terms). This Council has a broad mandate in advising the Village Board and staff on technological matters. It provides advice, explores strategic options, and develops recommendations on how the Village Board can best utilize technology, including the Internet to improve efficiencies.
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON YOUTH - (2 years - open-ended terms). Advises and assists the Board of Trustees in responding to the needs of Scarsdale's young people and works to generate a favorable climate for growth and development of youth in the community.
JUDICIAL QUALIFICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE - (5 years - two terms). The Committee’s function is to assist the Citizens’ Nominating Committee and the Mayor, respectively with the selection of individuals who are qualified for the offices of Village Justice and Acting Village Justice.
REPRESENTATIVE TO SCARSDALE ARTS COUNCIL - (2 years - open-ended terms). At-large representative (total of 4 appointed by the Village Board) to the Scarsdale Arts Council Board. The Council’s mission is to encourage the arts to flourish in Scarsdale by, among other methods, improving communication among arts programs and by attracting grant support and to raise public awareness and participation in the arts.
Nominations: Nominations should be made in writing and should include information on the candidates’ civic involvement, work experience or other qualifications in sufficient detail to help the Village Board evaluate the prospective candidate. Nominations should be submitted via the Village website or sent to Trustee Kay Eisenman at Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583 by February 25, 2011.
To apply, go to the village website or bring materials to Village Hall:
Via the Village Website – click “read more” under Volunteers Needed for Boards and Councils (located under Village News on the home page). On the next screen, complete the on-line form under “Boards and Councils Nominations” and follow the on-screen instructions.
Via Village Hall – Alternatively, the information may be forwarded to Kay Eisenman at Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale NY 10583
All materials should be received at the Village website or Village Hall by February 25, 2011. Residents should feel free to contact the Village Clerk, Donna Conkling with questions by telephone at 914-722-1175 or e-mail at: [email protected] .
Social Networking for Seniors
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What’s your status? Tweet lately? Add a hashtag? Skype with a grandchild abroad? Not sure what that all means? Find out on Monday, February 7th when At Home in Scarsdale Village sponsors a get-together to learn about the social network and Internet networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Skype, and more. At Home in Scarsdale Village is the membership-based organization for adults over the age of 60 living in Scarsdale Village. Members and prospective members are welcome to attend our Social Networking event on Monday, February 7th at 1:00 p.m. at the Scarsdale Woman’s Club at 37 Drake Road, Scarsdale. Light refreshments will be served and today’s latest Internet social networking sites will be presented by computer educational specialist Carol Freidman.
Connecting Scarsdale adults with each other, the community, and key support services is the goal of At Home in Scarsdale Village, made possible by the Rita Aranow Service for Seniors at Scarsdale and Edgemont Family Counseling Services. At Home offers members not only social, educational, and cultural opportunities to get together and socialize, but also provides a valuable network of services and referrals.
Other upcoming At Home events include: Wednesday, February 9, Long Wharf Theater, New Haven, a new play by Simon Gray, called, THE OLD MASTERS, starring Sam Waterston and Brian Murray. Play starts at 2:00 in New Haven. Tickets $45 or less depending on sign up. Wednesday, February 16, WCC, 11:15 a.m., a lecture on Women in Opera. free, classroom bldg., room 100. Monday, March 7 at noon, Luncheon at 808 Bistro (formerly Millenio’s) in Scarsdale Village.
RSVP to At Home in Scarsdale Village Coordinator, Susan L. Gilbert at (914) 723-4529 or [email protected] . Check out their web site at athomeinscarsdale.org and join today.
- At Home in Scarsdale Village members and prospective members
- Social Get-together and learning about computers and social networking on the Internet
- Monday, February 7, 2011, 1:00 p.m.
- Scarsdale Woman’s Club, 37 Drake Road, Scarsdale, NY
Fascinating New Classes Offered at Scarsdale Adult School
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The new Scarsdale Adult School Spring/Summer 2011 catalog will arrive in your mailbox momentarily. There are over 50 new offerings, including: England's Royal Weddings: The Glitter and the Glamour; Equal Play: Children and the Struggle for Gender Equality in the 1970s; To Kill a Mockingbird: Now and Then; An Impressionist Bouquet: A Celebration of Spring; Sex Sells: Erotic Art in the Renaissance; Walking the High Line; Edward Hopper, Prelude: The Nyack Years.
Returning favorites include: 11 bridge offerings, canasta, 15 fitness classes, Line Dancing, A Taste of the Argentine Tango, art history and architecture, languages, arts and crafts, cooking and baking, film, music, health, life skills and so much more.
Among the many fascinating offers is a course taught by Professor Emeritus of History at Purchase College, Alfred Hunt, who will present Our Lives: America in the Forties, Fifties and Sixties. The course will explore the events that marked our life in these decades. Post-World War II America underwent great transformations; and as Americans we became a people of plenty and embraced the larger world with optimism and confidence, yet with a lingering sense of trepidation. The class will cover politics, foreign affairs and American popular culture through the thirty-year period. It, like other significant eras, truly was "the best of times and the worst of times," and laid the foundation for the issues we confront now.
In addition, Lorella Brokesby, cultural historian, adjunct professor of humanities at NYU and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts will teach Scotland: History and Heroes through the Ages. This illustrated course, which leads from the Highlands to the Lowlands, examines many famous events, personalities and developments that have shaped that history including - William Wallace's famous victory over England's King Edward I in 1297, Bonnie Prince Charlie and his claim to the English throne, and the return to Scotland of the famous Stone of Scone in 1996. The course also introduces Scotland's unique architectural structures, such as Edinburgh's glorious Georgian New Town, the residence of Mary Queen of Scots at Holyrood Palace, and the exuberant facades of Victorian Glasgow.
Many of the classes in the catalogue are offered both day and evening. To register, for information on all SAS offerings, and to view the full catalog, visit www.ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org . Look for your new spring catalog in the mail. Catalogs also available at Village Hall and the Scarsdale Public Library. Questions? Call 723- 2325.
No Way to Treat An Officer
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Car Trouble: A parking enforcement officer was writing a parking ticket for a car parked in a handicapped spot on Depot Place on 1/13, when the driver attempted to back out of the spot and ran over the traffic officer’s foot. The driver reported that he had not seen the officer. The patrolman complained of pain and swelling and the driver was given a summons for “unsafe backing.”
A workman parked his van on Taunton Road East on the afternoon of January 11 and was doing some work in front of 15 Taunton. He heard a crash and when he looked up he saw that a woman had backed her car into his van. The woman got out of the car, looked for damage and then got back into her car and drove away. The workman, Philip Andrulis called the police and while they were on the scene writing up the accident, the woman returned. She said she was aware of the accident but was in a rush to bring her father to the doctor and did not have time to leave a note. She said she was planning to do so when she returned. The woman was given a summons for leaving the scene of an accident.
At 5 am on 1/10 police got a call about a water main break on Walworth Avenue. When they arrived they found that a vehicle had hit a fire hydrant and caused the flooding. They also found a license plate near the hydrant. They contacted the owner of the car and found that it belonged to a Fox Meadow family whose son had been driving the car. Police looked at the car and sure enough it was damaged and had no license plate. The boy reported that he had skidded on some ice the previous night but did not realize he hit the hydrant. The Fire Department was called to direct traffic while the water department turned off the water line.
On the evening of 1/14, a volunteer firefighter who was stuck in traffic on Garth Road turned on his blue firelight and attempted to go around the congestion. However, since he was not en route to a fire, he was not authorized to use the blue light. The traffic officer on duty issued the driver a summons.
At 2 am on 1/12, a passerby reported that a car had slid off the road and landed in an embankment at the intersection of Cooper and Reimer Roads. Police found a van stuck in the snow and called a tow truck.
A school bus hit a parked 2001 Toyota on Clarence Road at 8:30 am on 1/13. The road was narrowed due to snow banks.
Police helped out a Carthage Road man when his car conked out at the corner of Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Roads at 7:50 am on 1/14. The man called a tow truck and police asked him to stay in his car until the truck arrived.
Theft: A man who supplied the lighting for a party at Westchester Reform Temple on 1/5/11 reported that $8,000 in equipment was missing after the event. He discovered the loss when he returned to his Manhattan office at 11 pm that night. At 2 am on 1/6/11 he drove back to the temple to see if he could locate the missing lights and found an empty equipment case next to the dumpster.
Bothered: Three men who wanted to shovel a Saxon Woods Road driveway repeatedly bothered the homeowner on January 12th. Though the woman told the men she did not want their help and asked them to leave, they kept returning.
Police spoke to a Crossway man about a phone call he made to a Village employee in the past. The employee thought she may have been harassed, but after speaking to the man, police determined that no criminal act took place. The report was filed on 1/11/11.
Mischief: A Reimer Road woman returned home on 1/15 and found that an egg had been thrown at her front porch.
A Lawrence Road resident called police at 8 am on 1/12 to report that an elderly Asian man walked up the driveway and looked through their garbage.
Coyotes are back: Two coyotes were reported in the yard of a Birchall Road home at 7 am on January 11. At 10:30 am that same day a coyote was spotted on Hampton Road and at 11:42 am a limping coyote was reported on Boulder Brook Road. At 9:55 am on 1/13 an injured coyote was reported on White Road at Boulevard and at 12:50 pm on 1/13 two coyote were seen on Clarence Road.
