Scarsdale Democrats Support Tom DiNapoli for NYS Comptroller
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 82
(The following letter was written by Alissa Baum and Myra Saul, Co-Chairs, Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee)
To the Editor:
Primary Alert! Scarsdale Democrats will be asked to vote for only one office in the upcoming June 23rd primary. That office is New York State Comptroller. The state Democratic Party nominating convention endorsed the incumbent, Tom DiNapoli. In our personal capacities, we, as co-chairs of the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee, endorse the reelection of Tom DiNapoli as NYS Comptroller.
DiNapoli has served as NYS Comptroller, New York’s chief fiscal officer, since 2007 where he has been responsible for managing the NYS Retirement Fund, administering the NYS State retirement system and the New York State 529 Programs and protecting taxpayer funds by uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse.
During his tenure, DiNapoli has managed one of the largest pension funds in the country. He has protected retirees’ pensions by ensuring that it is one of the best-funded public pensions and that it has maintained strong market performance even during periods of economic downturn. Recently, because the pension fund holds significant Con Edison stock, DiNapoli attempted to reign in the compensation of its CEO by voting against a proposed compensation package brought before shareholders. The CEO’s compensation package passed over his objection, but DiNapoli made a strong statement that regulated utility companies should have tighter pay practices while New Yorkers are facing an affordability crisis.
Similarly, in his role as the state’s fiscal watchdog, DiNapoli has protected all New Yorkers by making sure that government uses taxpayer funds appropriately. He has audited local governments, state agencies, state contracts, and public authorities to identify waste and improper spending as well as to pursue cases involving fraud and corruption. One recent audit of the state’s Medicaid program found that the state may have wasted over $2.6 billion in covering the Medicaid costs of people who live out-of-state.
Finally, DiNapoli’s Office of Unclaimed Funds already returns $2 million a day to their rightful owners — more than any other state. However, that number is set to increase with his new Expedited Payment Program. This program uses data to safely and automatically send out money to their rightful owners. After successfully returning over $48 million, just with checks of $250 and under, DiNapoli is expanding the program to include checks of $5,000 and under.
Prior to becoming Comptroller, DiNapoli served for 10 terms in the New York State Assembly representing the 16th district in Nassau County.
Tom DiNapoli has a proven track record of strong fiscal oversight, and we urge Democrats to vote for him in the June Primary Election.
Respectfully,
Alissa Baum and Myra Saul, Co-Chairs, Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee
Highlighting Three Non Sibi Day Sessions
- Details
- Written by: Claudia Wang
- Hits: 339
Photo Credit: Stacey LiewOn Non Sibi Day, held during May 22, 2026, the Scarsdale High School community came together to honor the core concept of putting "not for oneself" into action. While dozens of unique workshops and service projects took place across the campus, several student-led initiatives highlighted just how creative and impactful the SHS community can be!
Here is a look at how three distinct student sessions made a distinct difference this year.
GEMS Club
Recognizing that women and female students remain significantly underrepresented in STEM/STEAM fields, the Girls Excelling in Maths and Science club (GEMS) dedicated their Non Sibi workshop session to spreading awareness, taking action, and narrowing this disparity.
Led by club vice presidents Kara Rodrigues and Maddy Nam, along with faculty advisor Ms. Konishi, the group spent the day assembling specialized chromatography lab kits complete with instructional guides. The inspiration for the project grew directly from collaborative club brainstorming sessions aimed at sparking an early interest in the sciences for young girls.
Sourcing their raw materials efficiently via Amazon, the team maintained smooth, well-executed coordination throughout the day. The finished kits were donated to the New York STEAM Girls Collaborative and Mercy University’s Center for STEM Education. From there, the kits will be distributed to underserved schools across New York, providing young girls with hands-on science experiences they might otherwise miss out on.
Sophomores Lawn Games and Rock Painting
The Sophomore Class Government brought energy and color to the SHS campus with a dual-purpose event centered around outdoor games and community rock painting.
Under the guidance of student leaders such as Class President Samuel Cascade and Vice President Tessa Berger, and with support from faculty advisors Mr. Bedoya and Ms. Rosenswaig, the sophomores aimed to embody the Non Sibi spirit by giving back directly to their peers. Students decorated rocks with vibrant designs, fun colors, and uplifting messages, intending to scatter them around the campus to make their school community a brighter and more welcoming place for everyone.
The event was a collaborative effort from start to end. Materials were sourced internally by the sophomore government, while the SHS Physical Education department generously provided the outdoor lawn games. Berger noted that the high level of teamwork required to pull off the day served as excellent preparation for the student government as they look ahead to planning major future milestones, including upcoming class events and Prom.
Second Chance Foods Workshop
In another classroom of the campus, student leader Nate Kofman directed a community service workshop in partnership with Second Chance Foods, a Hudson Valley non-profit dedicated to food rescue and sustainability.
Kofman led the workshop, focused on the twin crises of food waste and food insecurity. Students learned how food rescue organizations aim to step in to redirect viable groceries away from landfills and towards families in need.
The workshop was highly productive. Across three sessions, student volunteers had successfully packaged 145 bags of pasta shells for distribution across the Hudson Valley area, spreading long-term awareness about local food advocacy.
Student to Student Night Brings College Perspectives to SHS
- Details
- Written by: Sharon Higgins
- Hits: 460
SHS Juniors: Arjun Sriskanrthan, Raphael Sutiono, Wade Han On Wednesday evening, May 20, 2026, despite the pouring rain, Scarsdale High School juniors gathered in the SHS cafeteria for the annual Student to Student Night. This event brought together current SHS students and recent SHS alumni representing 17 universities across the country. Organized by the SHS PTA Student to Student Night Committee: Zhendi Shi, Tracy Tang, and Sunny Wang, in coordination with the Scarsdale High School College and Career Center, the evening gave juniors the opportunity to speak candidly with recent SHS graduates about college life, academics, campus culture, and the transition from SHS to college.
Unlike traditional college fairs or admissions presentations, Student to Student Night allowed students to ask unrestricted and honest questions to alumni who recently navigated the same rigorous SHS experience. Student to Student Night Co-Chair Tracy Tang noted that approximately 30 to 40 SHS juniors attended the event. While the rainy weather and busy spring schedule for juniors may have impacted attendance, Tang emphasized that the evening remains especially worthwhile because students are able to hear authentic perspectives about college life directly from peers they can relate to. In addition to the conversations with alumni, students also enjoyed dinner and dessert during the event.
Seventeen universities from across the country were represented, ranging from California to nearby New York City. Universities represented included:
Barnard College
Boston College
College Juniors: Ryan Hogan - Occidental College, Eiji Tsukamoto - University of Miami
Boston University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Emory University
Fordham University
Indiana University Bloomington
Occidental College
Stony Brook University
University of California, Berkeley
University of Georgia
University of Miami
University of Notre Dame
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Austin
Wake Forest University
Students asked questions that ranged from academics and workload to dorm life, campus culture, and dining options. Raphael Sutiono asked how the workload in college compared to the rigor at SHS, noting that SHS alumni were uniquely qualified to answer because they had experienced both environments firsthand. He added that a random admissions representative or tour guide would not necessarily understand the demands of SHS coursework in the same way. Wade Han focused on campus culture questions, hoping to get a sense of the “real vibe” of each school. Meanwhile, Isabel Lin asked alumni one of the evening’s most popular questions, “How good is the college food?”
College Sophomore Caitlin Higgins - University of Notre Dame, College Freshman Felicity Bennett- University of Georgia, SHS Juniors Arjun Sriskanthan, Wade HanStudents left the evening not only well-fed from the large dinner spread, but also with valuable firsthand insight into college life. Alumni also enjoyed reconnecting with former classmates, meeting current students, and sharing their experiences. Though attendance was smaller than organizers had hoped, the evening was still considered a meaningful success and remains a valued tradition within the SHS community.
Scarsdale Neighbors Fight to Prevent Development in a Sensitive Drainage Area
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2233
Proposed Building Site
(Updated May 23, 2026)
A developer has filed applications with the Scarsdale Planning Board and the Board of Architectural Review to build a new home on a small undeveloped .17 acre lot on Spier Road that is next to Rock Creek and is in the wetlands buffer. Neighbors surrounding it object. They claim that the lot was previously classified as a wetlands and the owners paid reduced taxes due to the designation.
The developer claims the lot is not a wetlands and seeking permission to build on the lot.
From the Scarsdale Village wetlands map below, it appears that the building lot falls into the wetlands buffer adjacent to a storm drainage area.Village code permits building in the buffer - from 25 to 100 feet from the wetlands - with approval from the Planning Board.
Here is what Yingying Na of Rock Creek Lane has to say:
A developer is pushing to build a new home on a small lot, (.17 acre) on Spier Road that has been designated as protected wetland since 1968 — and the neighbors surrounding it are fighting back.
The lot, tax parcel 19.01.375, sits at the corner of Spier Road and Rock Creek Lane. The developer, who coined the address "0 Spier Road" in their January 2026 application to the Village's Planning Board, is proposing a single-family home on a constrained, 7,538-square-foot parcel that borders an active stream on one side and an open storm water drain on the other. The proposed house would stand 37.3 feet tall — nearly 12 feet above the neighborhood average — and require the removal of 13 mature trees from a slope that drops 20 feet toward the stream below.
Rendering of proposed house.
The developer purchased the full 111 Spier Road property in April 2022 for $887,250, a package that included three tax lots. That same year, they attempted to expand the main house by building extensions over the watercourse and adding a three-car detached garage with living quarters — a proposal withdrawn after two Planning Board hearings under fierce neighborhood opposition. In 2025, they successfully challenged the Village's tax assessment, reducing the wetland lot's assessed value from $110,500 to $75,000. Then, in January 2026, they filed plans to build on the wetland lot while listing the other two lots on Zillow for what would become $1,800,000 — more than double what they paid for the entire property.
Yingying Na owns the adjacent property at 230 Rock Creek Lane and initiated the neighborhood's petition, says the moment demanded action. "I live next door to this lot. I've watched that stream run and those trees grow for years. When the developer filed to build on wetland protected since 1968 — land they were paying discounted taxes on — I couldn't stay silent. This isn't just my backyard. It's a living ecosystem, and a test of whether Scarsdale's environmental protections mean anything. I started this petition because the community deserves a voice in what happens here."
Neighbors have appeared before the Village of Scarsdale Planning Board twice and the Board of Architectural Review once to oppose the project. When the group launched a campaign website and public petition on May 11, the response was swift: more than 240 people signed in under a week, with new signatures arriving every day.
What is at stake, opponents say, goes beyond one lot. If a wetland protected by the Village for 58 years can be reclassified the moment a developer finds it profitable, no protected parcel in Scarsdale is truly safe.
Learn more on their website.
The application is on the agenda for the Scarsdale Village Planning Board meeting on Wednesday May 27, 2026 at 7 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall.
Scarsdale School Board Candidates Virtual Forum Online Now: Watch it Here
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 813
Are you considering who to vote for in the upcoming election for the Scarsdale Board of Trustees?
This year there is a contested race among three candidates for two seats on the Board of Education – and there’s been lots of discussion in the Village and on Scarsdale10583 about which candidates are right for Scarsdale at this time.
In order to give voters the opportunity to meet the candidates and hear their views, the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale conducted a virtual public forum on Thursday May 7, posing questions to the three candidates, Erica German, Omer Wiczyk and Kevin Ziegler.
During the forum the three were each given time to introduce themselves to voters and to explain why they decided to step up to run now.
They were also asked to answer a series of questions on financing a Scarsdale education, state policies and laws, the curriculum, free expression in the schools, the role of AI and technology in education and the district policy on accepting gifts or grants from outside funding sources.
It was an enlightening conversation and all voters should watch it before voting for the annual school budget, the proposed bond and the school board candidates on Tuesday May 19 from 7 am to 9 pm at Scarsdale Middle School.
Watch the virtual forum here:
