Village Budget to Fund Infrastructure Repairs
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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It's budget season for both the Scarsdale Schools and the village, where the village budget is approximately one third the size of the school budget. Village Treasurer Mary Lou McClure estimates that the Village budget for fiscal year 2016-17 will be $55.4 million, which represents a 3.69% increase over last year. On average this represents a $248 increase in your Village tax bill.
Water service charges and sewer rates will also rise, and these fees will be used for replacement of the village's aging infrastructure. This year, the village will do a complete evaluation of the sanitary sewer lines to identify pipes that need to be fixed or relined and to find illicit connections to the sewer lines.
The 2015-16 budget included $1.7 million for road repairs. To date about $1.1 million of that has been spent, and the Village expects to do the balance of the repairs this spring. Next year's budget will include about $975,000 for road repair.
The Heathcote Road Bridge will undergo structural repairs and repaving at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. Unlike the Crane Road Bridge project that was funded by the county, the Heathcote Road Bridge repairs will be funded by the village.
The salt shed at the Central Maintenance Facility will be replaced at a cost of $250,000. The village is also planning to renovate the Fire Training Burn Building at the same site which is used to train firefighters.
Funds will be spent to improve both Wayside Cottage and the Girl Scout House. The floors will be sanded and refinished at Wayside Cottage and landscaping will be done, while the Girl Scout House will get new siding and trim.
Another big ticket item for the Village this year involves our water infrastructure. The roof of the tank at the Ardsley Road Pumping Station will be replaced at a cost of $1.4 million. The Village received a grant of $1,050,000 for the Sheldrake River and Cayuga Pond Detention project. The grant requires Scarsdale to put in 25% more, so the Village Will contribute $350,000 resulting in a $1.4 million project to improve drainage, water quality and detention in this area.
What else is included in the budget?
After a special study by an ad hoc committee, the Village has allocated $100,000 for an LED streetlight pilot program which involves conversion to LED lights in portions of the Village and testing of LED's on Scarsdale streets.
A new fire truck will be ordered this year. The total cost is estimated at $440,000 and will be paid for over a two-year period. Plus two new police cruisers will be purchased.
According to Village Treasurer and Town Custodian of Taxes, Mary Lou McClure, Scarsdale has an unusually high tax collection rate. There are virtually no delinquencies and 99% of taxes levied are collected.
These are just a few of the many items funded in the Village budget. To learn more about where your tax dollars go, attend a meeting of the Village Finance Committee on Tuesday March 8 at 6:30 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall.
Planning Board Denies Application for a Flag Lot and Holds Over Decision on Subdivision
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Planning Board addressed two thorny issues at their February 25 meeting.
The first involved an application for a subdivision at 20 Claremont Road in Greenacres. Developer Paul Diamond purchased the property and proposed to build two houses on the property. There is adequate lot coverage and road frontage for the two lots. However, the backyard slopes steeply down from Greenacres Avenue behind the lot and the property is very rocky. In order to build the two homes and construct two flat backyards and retaining walls behind them, engineer Elliot Senor estimates that they will need to drill and remove 2,300 cubic yards of rock which they believe is about 160 truckloads. A total of 24 trees will be taken down to accommodate the project, destroying a portion of the canopy of trees that extends down the block. If the builder can't replace them on the property because it is too rocky, the village will allow him to pay to have replacement trees planted elsewhere in the village.
Neighbor Roger Maldonado expressed concern about the security of his property during the process of removing the rock as he fears that dirt and rocks could easily slide into his single lane driveway and his home. He said, "I have been asking for a week and a half to show the rock removal plan to an expert of our choosing. Keep the record open to give us the opportunity to see whether this is feasible."
During the rock removal, the builder proposed to use an existing retaining wall that divides the property with the neighbors as a buffer, but according to the Maldonado this wall is already weak.
About the trees, Maldonado said, ""There is a straight line of canopy trees on Claremont Road and this will create a glaring hole in that canopy. The village tree that will be knocked down is a large tree that forms an integral part of the canopy."
Planning Board member Tom Longman said, "I am concerned about tree removal and planting replacement trees on rocks. We don't want a moonscape."
The neighbor on the other side of the property, Ryan Cascade said, "They are creating a public nuisance for profit. Two months of chipping, 300 truckloads of rock for the purpose of profit... to create flat backyards ... this goes against the principles of our town. It disrupts the ground and will create a mudslide toward the Maldonados property."
Planning Board member Dan Steinberg said, "So you are removing all this rock to create flat backyards? This is elective, right?"
About the rock removal plan, Village Attorney Wayne Essanason said, "We will need to have this information verified to see how it will affect the health, safety and welfare of the community. We need to determine what the impact will be. The board deserves to have this information to see if it will be detrimental to the community."
The Planning Board then turned to the application to create a flag lot at 54 Park Road. Owners Lyn Peterson and Karl Friberg wished to create a flag lot to subdivide the property for estate purposes. The property now includes two homes and Village Planner Liz Marrinan said it is legal for related family members to live in these homes.
However, the property lacks adequate road frontage for two homes and flag lots were outlawed by the village in the late 1980's.
Their lawyer Lucia Chioccio from Cuddy and Feder said that the family had no plans to sell the property or to take down the two homes that are there now. Instead the family was requesting the subdivision for estate planning purposes. She asked the Planning Board to approve the application so that they could then proceed to the Zoning Board of Appeals to get the necessary variances.
Lyn Peterson then appealed to the Board saying, "We live in one of the nicest properties in Scarsdale. It is so unique and so charming. We purchased the property with my parents and when they died young Karl's father moved in. But our golden ticket was not without hiccups. There was rancor over the estate and we don't want our children to face this. When a developer knocked on our door asking us to come to him first if we wanted to sell, I thought, we should do this first."
We are proposing no construction and no trees to be taken down. We want to live here with our multigenerational family like on Downton Abbey where the English aristocracy creates a home for the dowager. Our goal is to create unique but mutually beneficial homes."
The Village Planner explained that flag lots had been outlawed because they affect so many neighbors and there are often safety concerns about long driveways. If the Planning Board approved the project, they would set a precedent for other applicants to create flag lots.
We spoke to the Village Planner the following morning to find out what the Planning Board had decided. They held over the application at Claremont Road to allow the Planning Board to hire their own expert to look at the rock removal plan. On Park Road, they denied the flag lot application.
Finding Neverland on Broadway: A Good Find for All Ages
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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Never mind Ben Brantley's NYT April 2015 review of "Finding Neverland", written right after it debuted on Broadway. Despite Brantley's words, the show is a hit, as evidenced by ticket sales enthusiastic consumer reviews. Audiences have spoken (as per consumer review sites and ticket sales ) and the show is a Broadway success. Produced by Harvey Weinstein, it's hard to believe it would be otherwise. I had the chance to catch the show just before the end of the year with my 6-year-old theater-loving son and whereas I can see some of Brantley's points, specifically in regards to a couple of the songs being a bit on the boring side, the show will live up to most people's expectations of what a show on Broadway should be like, special effects and all; and you can actually get tickets for it, and it was good enough for "Broadway at the White House."
The 1,500 seat Lunt-Fontanne theater is hosting "Finding Neverland."
We sat in the orchestra section but the mezzanine view that we checked out during intermission looked like it could be a fun vantage point from which to see the show. The show boasts an impressive staff including book by James Graham, Diane Paulus as the Director, Music and Lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, Set by Scott Pask, choreography by Mia Michaels, and costumes by Suttirat Anne Larlarb.
Based on the 2004 film of the same name, the show follows Scottish playwright J.M Barrie as he finds his inspiration for the creation of the story of Peter Pan. Matthew Morrison of "Glee" TV fame played Mr. Barrie during the show I saw, but he is taking his final bow on January 24th and is being replaced by Tony-nominee Tony Yazbeck, a Broadway veteran but certainly not a TV heartthrob.
The show both begins and ends with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell (who have made their way back to the Broadway stage after a long hiatus- the last Broadway revival of "Peter Pan" was in 1999), so kids will take to that immediate familiarity. The play then introduces and follows J.M. Barrie through a failing marriage and his struggles to write a new play for Charles Frohman (played by Terrence Mann in this show, but Kelsey Grammer is currently back in this role through the end of March) and his theater company. In the midst of writing the play, Barrie goes for a walk in Kensington Gardens and meets the recently widowed Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies (Laura Michelle Kelly) and her four frolicking sons: Peter (Christopher Paul Richards), George (Jackson Demott Hill), Jack (Alex Dreier), and Michael (Christian Camporin). Barrie becomes inspired by the boys' youth and playfulness as they sing the fun and catchy "Pirates of Kensington." He becomes particularly fond of Peter, the boy who is most visibly still in mourning for his father. They learn to mutually respect each other during the course of their relationship and Peter is eventually inspired by Mr. Barrie to write as well. The only other song that was memorable to me during the first act is "Believe" which is sung by Barrie, Sylvia, and the boys.
The show relays the power of the imagination when Charles Frohman becomes Captain Hook and the story of Peter Pan starts coming together for Barrie. The stage transforming into a pirate ship during the song "Stronger" seems to be a highlight for young and not-so-young audiences alike, and this marks the end of Act I.
Act II includes some of the music I loved the most including "What You Mean to Me," a beautiful duet between Mr. Barrie and Ms. Llewelyn-Davies. "We're all Made of Stars," sung by the four Llewelyn-Davies boys was my son's favorite and will appeal to anyone who is a sucker for the sweet innocence of childhood (that would be me). "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" is an enjoyable, sugar-laced sentimental piece sung by Barrie and Peter but isn't something you'll be dancing to on the way to the car. Ultimately, with some pretty cool side effects and true Broadway magic, we learn (again), along with Mr. Barrie, that with the right attitude we never really have to grow up.
I had a chance to catch up with Noah Hinsdale who played Michael Llewelyn-Davies in the original Broadway cast of Finding Neverland. Commenting on the play he said, "I had an amazing experience working with Laura Michelle Kelly, Matthew Morrison and Kelsey Grammer. The whole cast was great to work with. I liked hanging out with the other kids backstage. We had so much fun together and it was my first Broadway show." And what does he think kids will like most about the show? "Kids will like the music and the dancing. Some of my friends have loved the show because of the cool special effects that happen during the performance." And adults? "Well, adults say they like the story line. It's really a magical story and fun for all ages. Moms say they like it because it's about a mom and her kids."
Overall, I highly recommend "Finding Neverland" for both kids and grown ups. Kids over the age of six should be fine with the material, although I did prepare my son for the fact that the mom dies. (He responded by putting his arm around me during the show.) Captain Hook and the pirates aren't too scary.
For tickets and show information, click here:
CNC Announces Candidates for Village Trustee and Village Justice
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The Scarsdale Citizen's Nominating Committee and the Scarsdale Citizen's Non-Partisan Party announced their slate of candidates for the Scarsdale Village Election to be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
- Trustee: Seth Ross
- Trustee: Marc Samwick
- Trustee: Jane Veron
- Village Justice: Joaquin Alemany
Joaquim Almany is currently serving as Interim Village Justice and has been nominated to be the Village Justice of Scarsdale. Trustee Marc Samwick has been re-nominated to serve a second two-year term and Seth Ross and Jane Veron have been nominated for their first terms. Leaving vacancies on the Village Board of Trustees this year are David Lee who will complete two, two-year terms and Deb Pekarek who will complete one two-year term. Commenting on the nominations Pekarek, who was not nominated by the committee for a second term said, "While I am extremely surprised I believe I served the Village with distinction, honor and grace. I believe in the process and know that the new slate of candidates will also serve the community admirably and I congratulate them."
It's notable that all three of the candidate's for Village Trustee have experience with land use and development. Marc Samwick is a real estate investor and developer by trade, Seth Ross practices Real Estate Law and both Ross and Jane Veron chaired the Scarsdale Planning Board. As land use and development issues continue to come before the Village boards, this group will be well-equipped to address them.
Candidates' Bios:
Village Trustee:
Trustee Marc Samwick is now serving his first two-year term on the board and will run for a second term. He is a real estate investor and developer and the founder of Westmont Land Ventures. His investments are concentrated in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. He formerly worked in the real estate division of Chemical Bank, Fleet Bank and Capital Trust He has an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School and a BA in economics from Union College.
Commenting on the work he did during his first term, Samwick said, "I currently serve as Chair of the Land Use and Finance Committees; liaison to the Planning Board, Board of Architectural Review, Committee for Historic Preservation and Chamber of Commerce; and as Police Commissioner. In addition to my current assignments, I have previously served as Chair of the Recreation Committee and liaison to the Advisory Council on Parks and Recreation."
"As Trustee, I have been deeply involved in a number of issues, including revaluation; 2-4 Weaver Street; and the proposed zoning amendment relating to lot coverage as well as the budget process. In each of these instances, as well as many others, I toured relevant sites, spoke with many residents to seek their thoughts and concerns, and deliberated with our outstanding village staff, fellow Trustees and Mayor to seek thoughtful solutions that best serve our village."
"As a more-detailed example, I was instrumental in postponing the sale of a village-owned sliver of land adjacent to 2-4 Weaver Street until such time as the developer obtained all required land use approvals and the village retained a consultant to oversee construction of the proposed residential development in compliance with the approved building plans. By leveraging the village's land sale to the developer, we worked hard to ensure, as best we could, that the residential development is built to the high standards of our community."
Seth Ross is an attorney with years of legal experience 
and an impressive resume of volunteerism in Scarsdale. He has worked as a partner at Jaspan Schlesinger in Garden City since 2002 and was previously a partner at Ross & Ross LLP. In Scarsdale In his second career as community volunteer he has served Scarsdale in a broad variety of capacities. He says, "In the course of my community service I have become familiar with the workings of various aspects of community government and with many of the people whose work, whether volunteer or professional, enable the Village of Scarsdale to function as it does." Ross expressed a "desire to see (Scarsdale) retain its special character while evolving to meet the changing needs of its residents." He served as Chair of the Planning Board, Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, as a Trustee of the Scarsdale Foundation, Chair of the Scarsdale Bowl, Chair of the Procedure Committee and on the CNE as well as the Scarsdale Volunteer fire Department. He is a graduate of Boston University School of Law and Duke University.
Jane Veron is co-Founder and co-CEO of The Acceleration Project (TAP), a nonprofit which taps the talent of local professionals to advise struggling small businesses and the co-Founder and co-CEO of TAP Growth Advisors, a firm devoted to career reentry through 
entrepreneurship, consulting work, and strategic volunteerism. She spent her career in business strategy and marketing, working at Bain & Company and American Express. She also managed her own private consulting business and has experience in private equity and venture capital as an investor and board member.
Jane has held leadership positions in many Scarsdale organizations. She chaired the Scarsdale Planning Board, served as President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, led the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association, and subsequently was elected Chair of the consortium of sixteen neighborhood associations. She also worked on the executive committee of the local nonprofit organization, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling. Jane earned a BA magna cum laude from Yale University and an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School.
Village Justice:
Joaquin Alemany has served as Acting Village Justice since January 2015, and was recently appointed to fill Justice John Galloway's term. He has presided over a variety of trials including criminal cases, landlord/tenant disputes, small claims and traffic and parking issues. He has substantial judicial experience in Westchester and the Bronx and previously 
served as the Acting Village Justice in Sleepy Hollow. He has previous experience at the Bronx District Attorney's Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission and in private practice. Allemany is a graduate of New York Law School and has lived in Scarsdale since 1990.
The Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan System seeks to promote a cooperative, deliberative and open atmosphere in local civic affairs in order to attract the most qualified individuals to serve in local public offices. For more information, click here.
The committee encourages all Village of Scarsdale citizens who are registered to vote in the general election to do so on Tuesday, March 15th. The polls will be open at Scarsdale Village Hall from 6am to 9am and noon to 9pm. Everyone is invited to the post-election celebration at The Scarsdale Woman's Club, 37 Drake Road, Scarsdale, at 8:30 pm.
League Examines the Influence of Money on Politics and Announces Students Inside Albany
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Are hefty contributions by the very few undermining democratic elections and equal representation? Do corporations and wealthy individuals have too much influence on the outcome of elections in the United States? Or, are they simply exercising their First Amendment right to engage in political speech?
These questions were the focus of a public information session held by the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale (LWVS) on Monday night January 11. Presented by Nan Berke, Linda Doucette-Ashman, Cindy Dunne, Mary Beth Evans, Rita Golden, Deb Morel and Pam Rubin, the session was held to inform members of the public and the local League about the current state of money in politics and to update the national League position on campaign finance.
The Supreme Court's 2010 Citizen's United and other recent decisions have granted corporations and unions the same First Amendment rights as individuals in the area of campaign finance. Thus, the way has been cleared for an unlimited flow of money into the election process via super PACs. Super PACs are supposedly "independent" political action committees that do not "coordinate" their activities with a political candidate or his/her campaign. The Court therefore ruled that In addition, the Court's 2014 McCutcheon ruling, while maintaining limits on individual contributions to individual candidates, overturned the long-standing aggregate limit on an individual's combined contributions to all candidates.
In the wake of these Court decisions, increases in spending by super PACs has been dramatic. The national League website reports, "Since the Supreme Court decided Citizens United in 2010, $1 billion has been spent through super PACs, and 60 percent of that was given by only 195 individuals and their spouses." For the 2016 presidential race, just 158 families in the U.S. provided half of the early money or $176 million to the candidates. Commenting on the data, the New York Times said, "Not since before Watergate have so few people and businesses provided so much early money in a campaign, most of it through channels legalized by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision six years ago in January 2010." For the 2014 election only 0.31% of the total adult population (less than 1%) contributed $200 or more to federal candidates, parties or PACs. But these contributions amounted to 66% of total individual contributions.
On Monday night January 11 members of the LWVS Money in Politics Committee traced the history of campaign finance law from the 1907 Tillman Act through 2014. The facts showed that when the Court majority swung to the conservatives in 2006, the Court overturned one hundred years of laws regulating campaign financing.
They then examined arguments for and against controlling campaign spending and possible ways to address the issue. Among these options are:
Increase Disclosure: Whereby the names and identities of individual donors and corporations are made public to inform voters. This could address "dark money" or political spending by anonymous donors.
Clean Elections: This legislation would focus on stronger disclosure laws, rules to prevent collaboration between special interest groups as well as ethics. Advocates contend that greater transparency would allow voters to know who is backing candidates and potentially reduce the influence of big money.
Public Financing of Elections: Rather than raise private funds, candidates would receive public monies to finance their campaigns, leveling the playing field. This would combat the pressure on candidates to fundraise and eliminate scenarios where the best-financed candidates win the race.
Protection of Voter's Rights: Laws would be passed to fight moves to disqualify voters and to ensure that all voters are informed about their right to vote.
Following the public session, the LWVS held a consensus meeting to review and update the current national League position on campaign finance in light of First Amendment considerations, the results of which will then be sent to the national League.
Also from the LWVS:
Students Inside Albany Conference
For the fifth consecutive year, the LWVS will select two high school students to send to the annual Students Inside Albany conference, to be held May 22-25, 2016. All Sophomore, Junior and Senior students who attend Scarsdale High School or who reside in the school district are eligible to apply.
Students Inside Albany is an intensive four-day conference designed to immerse students in the process by which public policy is proposed, revised and enacted in New York State and to educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process. Scarsdale students who attended this conference in the past were unanimous in their enthusiasm about the program, which allowed them to interact with students from all over the state, learn about their state government and meet state legislators.
The cost of the conference, including hotel and meals, will be co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters New York State Education Foundation, Inc. and our Scarsdale League.
Applications are available on the Scarsdale LWV's website (LWVS.org) and are due by February 2, 2016.
For more information, including photos from last year's conference, see the League of Women Voters, New York State at http://www.lwvny.org/ and go to the Youth Programs tab.
Last year's Scarsdale attendees are happy to answer questions from interested students. Contact Marie Ceske, Gabriela Dickson or Alex First at SIA@lwvs.org.
Please contact Joan Frankle (713-1250 or joantabackfrankle@gmail.com,) or Janet Korins (725-0859 or janet.korins@verizon.net) for more information or if you know someone who would like to apply for this opportunity.
