The Goods

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 08 May 2025; Created: 08 May 2025; Last Updated: 29 May 2025; Hits: 2965

LicensePlateReader (This is the opinion of Scarsdale10583 Publisher Joanne Wallenstein)
Sometimes the sight of a police car makes you feel secure – but in today’s charged environment, the presence of police is eliciting the opposite reaction: fear.

The President has ordered ICE agents to round up and deport immigrants and residents, foregoing the right to due process guaranteed in the constitution. In the past few months the news has reported planeloads of people being deported to the jungles of Panama and a notorious prison in El Salvador and there is more news of similar arrangements in the works with Libya and Rwanda to house those that authorities deem to be “undesirable.” Every day brings another harrowing story of imprisonment and deportations, with some being captured from police stations and courthouses. I don’t need to tell you that it’s terrifying.

In this disturbing environment I took solace in the fact that I lived in a well-run, democratic and free town, where my rights would be respected and safeguarded. I told myself, “It can’t happen here.” I thought our police force, our non-partisan government and our school administrators would do everything in their power to keep the unlawful practices of the federal government away from our special Village in a Park.

However, a month ago, at what appeared to be a routine meeting of the Scarsdale Village Board, I realized I was living in a fantasy world. Sitting in the audience with one or two others, I heard the Board approve a spending resolution I could not find on the agenda – and only grew curious when one of the trustees vociferously objected to it, due to “privacy concerns.” Privacy? What had just been passed?

At the conclusion of the meeting I pulled aside the Village Manager and she said she would send me a copy of the resolution the next day. When I received it I found that it committed the Village to spend $300,000 a year for seven years, or $1.8mm for a contract with a national security firm to supply cameras, license plate readers and a drone to increase surveillance of Scarsdale.

Few details were offered and it wasn’t until the Mayor signed the contract on April 29, 2025 that the full breadth of the plan was revealed.

And sadly, what I read made me feel anything but safe.

Without any public discussion, or prior notice, the Village signed a seven year contract with a company that will install equipment, train police and then facilitate the sharing of data about the comings and goings in Scarsdale. The cameras and drone can collect a wealth of information beyond the vehicle license plate number. Capabilities include tracking the car color along with any identifying bumps, scratches, decals and roof racks. It can “detect suspect vehicles that frequently travel together,” and link to the personal data of individuals inside the locations where the cars are sighted.

In a recent lawsuit filed against the vendor, Flock Safety, in Norfolk, Virginia, the Institute for Justice argues that “Norfolk has created a dragnet that allows the government to monitor everyone’s day-to-day movements without a warrant or probable cause.” The lawsuit also cited an example of abuse of the technology when a Kansas City police chief used Flock to track his ex-girlfriend. Scarsdale’s data will soon be a part of this web.

The thought of all this equipment monitoring the Village raises so many issues. Do we want our activities tracked? What about the housekeepers, gardeners, babysitters, painters and roofers who work in Scarsdale and do so much to keep all of us going? Though many have tried for years to gain citizenship, the process is expensive and long and sometimes unattainable. Would they be rounded up for arriving in a suspect vehicle?

And what of the many foreign-born residents who now call Scarsdale home? Some left their countries to escape authoritarian regimes. How would this new program make them feel?

A memo from the Mayor sought to calm these concerns. The Village claims that they will maintain control over our data, but the system works by comparing data collected from license plate readers, cameras and a drone in Scarsdale to a national database. That’s how suspects are flagged. Scarsdale’s data is supposed to be purged from the cloud every thirty days, but everyone knows it takes just a minute to steal and upload information to unauthorized servers. What if Flock Safety is sold? Will the new owners respect our agreement? Plus, if the federal government wants to subpoena the data, Scarsdale will need to take legal action to prevent data sharing.

The Mayor pointed out that Scarsdale has been using LPR’s and cameras for years, so I wondered, why not just buy a few more rather than sign up with a national firm? And to the claim that surrounding communities are using these devices, are they using drones as well?

Will using this equipment require an increase in staff? The drone contract appears to require the Village to hire drone pilot(s) who are licensed by the FAA. A quick google search says that FAA licensed drone pilots are paid $143,000 a year on average, and we assume the Village would require at least two to man the drone day and night. How much will this increase the budget of the Police Department? We questioned the Village Manager and the Mayor for details on staffing for this new program, but we did not receive a response.

The Mayor originally announced that the Village had applied for a federal grant to fund the program, and if the funding does not come through, we would not move forward. However, this year’s Village budget includes $200,000 for safety technology enhancements and now he says that perhaps these funds will be used for new technology.

At a work session on Village priorities on May 6, the item was discussed after a long list of other Village initiatives. The Village Manager introduced it saying, “The Village is working with Flock Safety to protect the community. It’s a priority of the manager’s office. We heard about evolving technology that criminals are using and we want to be able to keep up.”

A discussion ensued, with Trustee Jeremy Gans saying, “If this moves forward, pending the receipt of this grant. I think there needs to be a lot of work done. I voted against this at the time. My fears have escalated, not subsided. I was doing a lot of research at the time. That’s why I voted “no.” The notion that this will make our community feel safer depends who you are. Given the times that we’re in, if you’re here legally, but look a certain way, law enforcement makes you feel less safe. More surveillance in 2025 in America does not make me feel more safe -- and I know that there are plenty of residents who feel that way. We need to be absolutely sure, given threats from the national government that are not complying with things that they want, we are able to protect our data. It has to be first and foremost.”

He later said, “Flock is a venture-backed company building a nationwide surveillance system. And they say we can control our data? These statements are at odds.”

When the Mayor and several trustees spoke up in defense of the program, Gans responded, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

During the public comments that followed the session, it was clear that others were alarmed as well. 242 people have signed a petition objecting to the implementation of the program without further analysis. I decided to speak up and ask some questions as well.

But there was no response to the comments from the Board members, who quickly closed the meeting to go into executive session.

Where does this stand now? Is the Village awaiting the grant funding or are they installing the equipment? Are they hiring drone pilots? I don’t have answers to my requests for information, but with each passing day I grow more concerned about why we don’t have the total picture and what our own elected officers are not revealing.

In my view, this initiative should be put on hold until the Village supplies all the details and the community has ample opportunity to weigh in. Before making this significant change in policy, a transparent board owes the residents a chance to be heard. And in these very unsettling times, I am asking our Village government to do what’s in their control to restore our peace of mind.

Michael Otten of Stonehouse Road commented: "I appreciate that there is still journalistic representation of the Fourth Estate in Scarsdale. I hope that our Trustees, Administration and Police Department all recognize that the questions raised, and criticism, should be treated as constructive consideration of issues that might need more attention. I appreciate that the Village Manager, Police Chief and Trustees have all explained their views, but I also expect them to adjust their actions as they learn more about the risk/reward balance.

I highly recommend that the Community and its leadership watch the CNN live broadcast on Saturday evening, June 7, of "Good Night, Good Luck," with George Clooney playing Edward M. Murrow. Those over 85 years old will recall the reality of the McCarthy 'Red Scare" and that abuse of federal government power does occasionally occur. Others active in the 1970s may know individuals on the Nixon Enemies list (undoubtedly some from Scarsdale) who experienced questionable IRS audits.

I was chilled to hear from a Scarsdale Schools graduate that he was unwilling to attend a recent rally at Chase Park for fear that he would be identified from a photo or video to have been there to listen to our Democratic Party federal and state legislative representatives and therefore have his federal government contracts canceled.

I am proud to live in a community where 242 people are willing to sign a petition on a somewhat controversial issue and where journalism is still alive. Let's at least ban government live cameras from Chase Park, an unlikely venue for criminal suspects in transit! Scarsdale deserves a "Speakers Corner," where free speech is still clearly protected from some of the vagaries of modern technology. For the rest, there is a need for public discourse on what was not as obviously an issue in recent years.

I have no doubt that our Police and Village leadership are acting in good faith. I only ask that they consider potential unintended consequences as they refine their recommendations for optimum protection of our community, both for safety and free speech."

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 23 April 2025; Created: 23 April 2025; Last Updated: 23 April 2025; Hits: 5531

27Woods The Village of Scarsdale scored a victory in the NYS Supreme Court County of Westchester when the court upheld the Village’s decision to bar the demolition of a historic Colonial Revival style home at 27 Woods Lane in Edgewood.

In the fall of 2023, when neighbors learned of a plan by developers to raze the house, subdivide the property and build two in its place, they launched an impressive campaign to save it. The house is one of the original homes in the development and is set back on a sweeping lawn surrounded by tall oak and tulip trees. Unlike many Scarsdale neighborhoods, this one has been preserved and the home at 27 Woods Lane sits in the center of a picturesque subdivision.

Architectural historian Andrew Dolkart found that the home, “contributes to the most important issue in the history and development of Scarsdale, the major suburbanization of the village which largely occurred in the second and third decades of the twentieth century….. there would be no village of Scarsdale as we know it, without this important development brought about by changing cultural and economic conditions in urban America.”

The Committee for Historic Preservation voted unanimously to preserve it, and the applicants then appealed the decision to the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, who concurred.

The Scarsdale Board of Trustees decision says, “ The Board of Trustees hereby finds, as set forth herein, that there is substantial evidence in the record to establish that the home located at 27 Woods Lane meets the criteria for preservation set forth in Village Code § 182-5, specifically Village Code §§ 182-5(A)(1) and (4), and thus, the Board or Trustees denies the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish the home located at 27 Woods Lane, Scarsdale, New York, being known and designated on the tax map of the Village of Scarsdale as Section 12; Block 08; Lot 12; You can read their decision here:

However, the applicants then appealed the decision to the NYS Supreme Court. Representing the applicants, attorneys from Cuddy and Feder argued that the respondents' decision, "was not supported by substantial record evidence, is arbitrary, capricious and constitutes an abuse of discretion ... the Historic Preservation Law (HPL) is unconstitutional on its face and as process..." applied to Petitioner as it deprives property owners in Scarsdale of due process ... " and that the Respondents violated open meetings law.”

Here are some excerpts from the decision:

To the charge that the law was arbitrary or capricious, the Supreme Court found that “a court cannot overturn an agency determination simply because it believes that a different, perhaps better outcome could have resulted.” And “Even when the presentation of evidence boils down to a battle of experts, a determination cannot be overturned simply because the experts disagree or one party disagrees with the outcome; an agency has the discretion to evaluate the evidence and testimony and determine which expert it finds to be more credible.”

On the charge that the historic preservation law is unconstitutional, the court found, “Because we are dealing with words we can never expect objective precision because there will always be room for discretionary interpretation, but using the plain meanings of the words coupled with how they are to be applied though canons of statutory construction provide sufficient guidelines for how the words are to be used; "the fact that different parties may disagree on the significance of certain statutory language does not indicate that the statue is unconstitutionally vague. “

And last, to the charge that the meeting was not held in public, the court found that the Board of Trustees was acting as a “quasi-judicial do novo appellate authority over the CHP, not in their legislative capacity so there was no requirement that the meeting be held in public.

Neighbors cheered the decision and wondered what’s next for the house, which now appears to be for rent.

The decision was a favorable one for preservationists as it upholds Scarsdale’s Village Preservation Code and should act as a deterrent in the future for others who seek to raze historic homes.

Speaking at the Village Board meeting on April 22, Village Historian Jordan Copeland thanked the Board of Trustees. He said, “The court commented how substantive the record was. There was nothing to attack. This attack on our historic preservation law was rejected.”

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 14 April 2025; Created: 14 April 2025; Last Updated: 14 April 2025; Hits: 2082

Merrell Clark Merrell Mays Clark, 90, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his beloved family in Scarsdale, NY on April 4, 2025.

Merrell Mays Clark was born in Clifton Springs, NY on Feb 8, 1935, to Rev. Arthur T. Clark and Ruthanna (Anderson) Clark. Merrell spent much of his youth in Evanston, IL, then graduated from high school in Rock Island, IL. Merrell was the youngest of three siblings. Hartley, his older brother and Joanna, his older sister were both strong influences in his life and he often expressed his love for them. Merrell was the son of a Presbyterian minister, and his spirituality was paramount to his outlook on life.

Merrell graduated from Yale in 1957 with a degree in English. He met his future wife, and love of his life, Lynne Butcher, at a conference on religion in 1956 and it was love at first sight. They got engaged 2 weeks later and were married on June 14, 1957, immediately following graduation.

Merrell then completed a Master of Arts in Religion at Yale Divinity School in 1959. He participated in numerous student groups during his time there and he remained dedicated to the Yale community throughout his life, as he served as President & Chair of the Yale Westchester Alumni Association for fifteen years, developed mentorship opportunities for other alumni, interviewed Westchester area applicants, and maintained lifelong friendships with classmates and fellow alumni of all ages.

After his studies, he pursued a career in marketing and consulting. He served as VP Management Supervisor at SSC&B Advertising for ten years, and then as Principal at Knight, Gladieux and Smith Advertising before shifting his focus to the non-profit world where he could tap into his heart of service. He served as president for the Institutes for Religion and Health, and Vice President for Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. He later served in a variety of consultant roles at various foundations.

He formed two of his own companies: The Clark Company, providing marketing and accounting services, and Elderworks, a non-profit dedicated to utilizing the gifts and talents of the elderly in the workforce and in the community at large. He later poured himself into supporting and assisting his wife Lynne, a major residential realtor in Westchester County, as accountant, marketing advisor and sales support.

Merrell was deeply invested in his Scarsdale community and served on the board of numerous local organizations, including Scarsdale Forum, Scarsdale Community Center, Scarsdale Adult School, Westchester Arts Council, United Way of Scarsdale-Edgemont, Greenacres Association, and Scarsdale Foundation.

Merrell was an extraordinary musician. He played piano by sight and by ear and took any occasion to gather people around the piano to sing. Music and song followed him everywhere and flowed from him effortlessly. He loved singing in the choir at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, NY where he was an active and devoted member for 62 years.

He served Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in many ways. He led a successful men's group for many years, he was instrumental in the building of the chapel, the columbarium, and the Memorial Wall, as well as establishing the Memorial Fund. He and his wife led the centennial celebration, and he filled the pulpit many times. He served in the leadership of the church as both Deacon and Elder.

Merrell Mays Clark is survived by his wife Lynne Clark, his daughters, Lisa Clark Jenks (Steve Jenks), Aimee Clark Peterson (Matthew Peterson) and Catherine Merrell Clark (Antonio Seda); his grandchildren, Sarah Jenks Brajtbord (Jonathan Brajtbord), William Pearson Jenks, Catherine Jenks Berro (Travis Berro), Aimee Lynne Peterson, Charles Graham Peterson, Cole Clark Peterson, Camille Rosin Seda, Eloise Merrell Seda and Oliver Clark Seda; his great grandchildren, Marshall, Annabelle & Hazel Brajtbord and Rangeley Berro.

Community Music Fund in Memory of Merrell Clark. Checks can be made directly to Hitchcock Presbyterian Church. Memo: Community Music Fund in Memory of Merrell Clark and mailed to Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, 6 Greenacres Ave. Scarsdale NY 10583.

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 06 April 2025; Created: 06 April 2025; Last Updated: 06 April 2025; Hits: 1305

MtKisco1 (Submitted by Indivisible Westchester)
On Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m., more than one thousand community members and unionists rallied at the Mt. Kisco train station, standing in strong opposition to proposed cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and essential services, as well as anti-union and anti-worker policies. The event, held in Rep. Mike Lawler’s district, was part of the nationwide "Hands Off" movement, which mobilized more than 350,000 people in 1,000 protests across the country to demand protections for healthcare, workers' rights, and economic security.

A coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and elected officials led the demonstration, reaffirming their commitment to defending vital public programs and standing against harmful cuts and layoffs. Many attendees planned to travel to Bryant Park in New York City later that day for the larger "Hands Off" march.

Union and Community Leaders Speak Out

Kevin Sheil, President of CWA Local 1103, condemned recent attacks on collective bargaining and union rights:

"Protecting collective bargaining rights for workers shouldn’t be a partisan issue in America. So, when Trump signs an executive order stripping collective bargaining and union rights from over one million workers across the federal government, we should all be outraged. The labor movement will stand up and fight against this vindictive effort at union busting."

Dylan Valle, 32BJ SEIU Hudson Valley District Leader, warned against attempts to divide working people:

"We are standing up and fighting back alongside the labor movement and allies to defend our region and state from attacks by the Trump Administration and unelected billionaires in Washington. They are trying to defund our institutions and divide us by race, immigration status, and gender. New Yorkers will not be divided! They are attacking working peoples’ rights and proposing cuts to healthcare benefits for millions of children, low-income people, and seniors. We won’t have that!"

MtKisco2

Madison Norwich, Manager of Advocacy and Student Programs at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, emphasized the urgency of the moment:

"This is a critical moment for our country. Health care and our rights are on the line. Now more than ever, we must stand together and fight for a safer and healthier future for all."

Casandra Chen, Healthcare Advocate at the Healthcare Education Project for 1199 SEIU, highlighted the direct impact of Medicaid cuts:

"In NY-17, there are 245,828 Medicaid recipients—real people: seniors, those with disabilities, children, and pregnant individuals," Chen emphasized. "Washington keeps assuring us that Medicaid won’t be cut, but the real question is: what will our elected officials do to Medicaid?"

Ed Berry, Political Director of Sierra Club Lower Hudson Valley, linked the fight to environmental justice:

"Trump and his corporate polluters want to sell our air, water, and public lands for their own profits. It’s time to show them our environment and our future are not for sale."

A Unified Message: Hands Off Our Essential Services

The rally remained peaceful, with organizers emphasizing nonviolence and civic engagement. Supporters from across the region stood in solidarity, sending a clear message: Hands off our essential services.

HandsOff

For more details, a full list of sponsors, and upcoming events, visit Hands Off.

Details: Written by: Diane Greenwald; Published: 25 March 2025; Created: 25 March 2025; Last Updated: 25 March 2025; Hits: 1381

NitaLowey Hillary Clinton, Diane Greenwald and Nita LoweyNita Lowey died March 15, 2025 of breast cancer in her Harrison home at 87 surrounded by her family. A compassionate yet fierce stateswoman, she served in the US Congress for 16 terms. Lowey won her first-ever race in 1988, a 3-person Democratic primary and then the general election, defeating a Republican incumbent. When she joined the 101st Congress, she was 51 years old.

Congress was her significant second act, but she had always been a leader. Born in the Bronx, Nita Sue Melnikoff graduated from Bronx Science High School as valedictorian, and then Mount Holyoke College, with a BA in political science. After two years working for a NYC ad agency, she married Steven Lowey, a name partner of a White Plains law firm. The couple have 3 children and eight grandchildren.

A PTA president and active community member, Lowey volunteered for her neighbor, Mario Cuomo, on his 1974 campaign for lieutenant governor which eventually led her to a position in his administration, as an Assistant Secretary of State. She served in that role for thirteen years, traveling New York as the eyes and ears of the governor, and building her skills as a public servant to a diverse population. Lowey described herself for her alumnae magazine as a “person who gets things done.”

In Congress, Lowey was known for her warm smile and grandmotherly demeanor, but she was in fact a powerhouse, sponsoring over 500 pieces of legislation and co-sponsored thousands more. Over 400 became law, an impressive rate. She was the first woman to chair the DCCC, and in her final term, Lowey became the first woman to chair the important appropriations committee. And Lowey showed up. Over her tenure, she attended 18,657 of 19,168 roll call votes.

Lowey successfully navigated the impact of 3 New York redistricting plans, shifting her from NY-20 to NY-16 and her final 8 years were for NY-17. She represented parts of Westchester, some of Northern Bronx and all of Rockland County, where she was well-known and well-liked for her focus on including and meeting her constituents’ needs.

Her legacy could be summed up as, don’t underestimate older women, or, as her long-time colleague Nancy Pelosi offered, Nita was “gracious and tenacious.”

Only 441 women have served in the US Congress, a mere 3.3% of the total office holders. For 32 years, Lowey was one of these pacesetting women – and women’s issues and equity were always among her priorities. In 1993, she co-sponsored a bill to ensure women and people of color were included in NIH clinical trials, about which she said, “even the lab rats were all male.”

Two years prior, in October 1991, Lowey joined 6 other women lawmakers to march across the US Capitol building to demand the Senate allow Anita Hill to publicly defend herself during Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings.

us representatives including nita lowey pat schroeder patsy mink jolene unsoeld US Representatives Nita Lowey, Pat Schroeder, Patsy Mink, and Jolene Unsoeld.
Lowey sponsored or co-sponsored many other important pieces of legislation to improve life for the most vulnerable, like the International Violence Against Women Act, Protect Access to Birth Control Act, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2014, The Heroes Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and Further Continuing Appropriations Act. When Ms. Lowey served on the Select Committee on Homeland Security, she fought to secure over $20 million for New York’s recovery efforts after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Lowey championed the Public Broadcasting System, especially the quality educational children’s programming, like Sesame Street. She brought Burt and Ernie puppets to press conferences to make her point.

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Proud of her Jewish life and roots, Lowey was a steadfast supporter of the US-Israel special relationship. With independence and integrity, she worked across the political spectrum, sure of both her love of Israel and her criticisms of the Israeli government. Her lengthy efforts toward peace were acknowledged when the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act Fund was named in her honor. It took years, but with bi-partisan support, up to $250 Million could be allocated for peace-building efforts, a significant investment in Isreal-Palestinian civil society. At the time of her death, Lowey’s peacemaker legacy is in jeopardy, as the Trump administration tries to slash civilian foreign aid and services. It is unclear how or if USAID will be restored, so that the humanitarian good works so many support (and Congress passed) can proceed.

In her last term, Nita Lowey joined in solidarity with her colleagues, wearing all white to the floor of the House for the 2019 State of the Union. Harkening the powerful suffragists who championed women’s rights a century earlier, these lawmakers stood up for policies important to women that were and remain under attack, like healthcare and equal pay.

The first woman was elected to Congress in 1919, and since 1925, the number of women elected has slowly but steadily increased. Until now. This year, for the first time in 100 years, fewer women are serving in Congress than the term before. Is our glass ceiling a mere 28.7% of the House, and only 25% of the Senate? For Nita’s sake, for all she achieved and advanced, let’s hope not.

On a personal note, I had the good fortune to know the Congresswoman. I lobbied her to support allocations for hunger eradication, I supported pro-choice women candidates with her, and I frequently saw her at the golf club where we both belonged. It was there, maybe at a mother’s day bar-b-que or a fourth of July celebration, that I observed her walk through the large dining room, graciously greeting her adoring community, but tenaciously focused on the table in the corner, where her devoted husband and lovely family gathered.
I hope all of Scarsdale will join me with heartfelt condolences to Nita’s family, as we honor her service and legacy.

Submitted by Diane Greenwald, by request of Joanne Wallenstein