The Goods

Details: Published: 27 October 2011; Created: 27 October 2011; Last Updated: 27 October 2011; Hits: 7220

Here is a response from Edgemont's Marc Ackerman to a piece posted this week about Nominating Committees: Regarding " The View from Edgemont: Do Contested Elections Make the System Stronger ?" by Caroline Tzelios, I agree that it is valuable to publicly debate the merits of the SBNC or any other system that performs a public service to our community. As the current Chair of the Edgemont SBNC, therefore, I feel compelled to respond to and correct several statements contained in the article.

First, it is not correct that the "purpose of the SBNC is to put forth the exact number of candidates for the vacant seats on the Board of Education each year." As a technical matter, the SBNC rules provide that the SBNC may recommend Board candidates for the exact number of vacancies, or less. But more importantly, the true "purpose" of the SBNC -- since its formal establishment in 1958 -- is to provide the opportunity for duly elected representatives of Edgemont's civic associations to encourage qualified candidates to run for the board, and to discuss candidates in a face-to-face setting that encourages debate in a thoughtful, respectful and deliberative manner. The SBNC process serves the community in large part by getting people to step up for Board service, and SBNC members devote numerous hours each year talking to community members in an effort to accomplish this. Even with these efforts, it is a challenge to find enough community members willing to step forward for the vacancies on the Board in a given year. The SBNC helps insure that the vacancies are filled, and that committed, qualified community members fill them.

Second, the SBNC does not operate in the dark. Community members are urged to (and do) participate in the process by serving on the SBNC, nominating candidates, discussing candidates with SBNC members and attending certain SBNC meetings. SBNC conducts several public, noticed meetings throughout the year at which members of the public are invited and encouraged to provide their views on what would make a strong Board candidate. Once candidates are nominated to the SBNC by members of the public, the Committee formally seeks letters of comment from the entire community. Many such letters are received every year and all are considered by the full Committee. In addition, community members are encouraged to express opinions to SBNC members as to particular individuals and/or qualities that would benefit the Board. Importantly, once the SBNC makes its recommendations, the SBNC conducts an open forum prior to the election at which all candidates, whether recommended by the SBNC are not, are invited to present themselves to the community and answer questions from the public. Perhaps the unnamed individual who "had no idea where either one of the [candidates] stood on any issue" would benefit from attending the SBNC's open forum.

Third, the risk of Board elections being coopted by "private agendas" is much greater with contested elections than with the SBNC process. The SBNC process is explicitly fair and non-partisan, guided by a neutral set of posted rules and procedures, and with elected members representing every neighborhood in Edgemont and a wide diversity of backgrounds and opinions. The SBNC even has a high school student that is a formal designee and voting member. The public campaign, on the other hand, leaves the door open to those who would co-opt the election in order to further political agendas that are unrelated to the board candidacies, and even unrelated to Edgemont. This scenario played out starkly when the author conducted a public campaign two years ago, when a small number of Edgemont community members attempted to portray the school board election as a referendum on Edgemont incorporation. This was not only a false portrayal, but a calculated attempt to use the public debate to further an anti-incorporation agenda, with no regard for the detrimental impact that such an attempt could have had on our treasured school system.

Fourth, it is not true that "a Nominating Committee runs contrary to what a democracy is all about." The SBNC process indeed closely resembles democratic processes used commonly in our country. We do not, for instance, select our federal judges through direct election. Rather, we directly elect our Senators, who are charged with vetting and confirming or rejecting the President's nominees for the federal bench. Our SBNC process, in which SBNC designees are directly elected by community members through their civic associations and are charged with vetting and recommending school board nominees, is notably similar.

Fifth, the SBNC process does not discourage diverse candidates from stepping forward to run for the Board; indeed, the opposite is true. A harsh public campaign deters qualified school board candidates from running. It already takes a considerable amount of self-sacrifice to commit the time and effort necessary to serve on the school board. Add to that the potential that candidates would be subject to public attack of a personal nature by one's neighbors, and it is understandable that qualified candidates would hesitate to step forward. True, Edgemont did not "fall apart" when the author ran outside of the SBNC system, but we may never know how many qualified candidates decided that it would be better not to seek nomination to the School Board as a result. Through the SBNC process, candidates can present their qualifications in a civil, deliberative, thoughtful vetting process. Candidates that are not recommended by the Committee are almost always well-qualified and certainly have demonstrated commitment to the community by stepping forward for Board service. Such candidates are encouraged to, and often do, step forward in future years.

The best way to incent the best candidates to agree to serve on the school board is to preserve and continue the civil, inclusive and deliberative SBNC process, and to encourage all in the Edgemont community to participate in it. The historic success of the SBNC process is evident in the highly qualified school board members who have been nominated by the SBNC, and in the thriving of our schools under Boards with members elected via the SBNC process over the past 50 plus years.

Marc Ackerman, SBNC Chair

Details: Published: 24 October 2011; Created: 24 October 2011; Last Updated: 24 October 2011; Hits: 5269

coconutcake_copy I wanted to share this story about a local vendor: I was hosting a dinner for 40 people and had ordered a 10 inch square coconut cake from Lulu's. I picked up the cake at 1pm which Victor had kindly carried to my car, (He must have a sense I couldn't be trusted). I left the cake in the car and around 5.30pm went out to get the cake - the guests were coming at 7pm. As I was entering my home, my keys caught on the door handle and I missed my step and horror of horrors, the gorgeous 10 inch square cake flipped and landed upside down on my kitchen floor!

I was mortified and sat down on the floor next to the cake to gather my thoughts - not the cake. I decided the only thing to do was call Lulu's and explain my disaster. They couldn't have been nicer. They told me not to worry Though they didn't have a 10 inch cake as those are special orders, they did have an 8 inch round cake. They would write the message on the cake and I should go right over. I gratefully drove over...picked up the 8 inch round, beautiful coconut cake and.....they never charged me. How fortunate we are to still have such service from a great bakery.

Thank you Lulu's for saving the day!

Diane Levy
Fox Meadow

Details: Published: 31 August 2011; Created: 31 August 2011; Last Updated: 31 August 2011; Hits: 7411

elm The storm damaged many local trees and was a bonanza for tree removal services. If you are thinking about taking down trees on your own property, you may need a permit from the Village to do so. If you don’t follow Village Code and remove trees unlawfully, you could be fined.

Here are instances where you DO need a permit from Village Hall to remove a tree:

If you wish to remove three or more trees with trunks exceeding 6 inches in diameter during a 12 month period.
For removal of trees of the following species: American Elm, American Beech Tree or Heritage Trees (a tree designated by the Board of Architectural Review to be unique and of importance of the community)
Any tree in a wetland or wetland buffer area
Trees that have been protected by the Land Use Board or were planted as a result of a Land Use Board determination.
Trees determined to be preserved by a Land Use Board for at least two growing seasons after the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or Land Use Board approval.

In the following instances you CAN remove a tree without a permit:

Trees with a trunk diameter of less than six inches.
Up to two trees with trunks exceeding six inches in a twelve month period. However, if you taken down a tree with a trunk diameter greater than 36 inches, you are required to plant a tree to replace it.
A tree may be removed under an actual or ongoing emergency for the protection of life or property. If a tree is determined by a Tree Expert to be dead, dying, hazardous or diseased, a report from the Tree Expert must be submitted to the Village Engineer. A tree may also be removed if considered an invasive species (a non-native species that adversely affects the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically and are listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England.

And what happens if you violate these provisions? Here is the Village code on that score, “Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $250 or more than $1,000 for the first two trees. Thereafter, not less than $500 or more than $2,500 for each additional tree.”

Details: Published: 18 August 2011; Created: 18 August 2011; Last Updated: 18 August 2011; Hits: 6383

We received this letter from a distressed mom this week -- and rather than offer up our own advice, we thought we'd ask our readers to answer. Now it's your turn to give a little free advice. Please post your response in the comments section below. Here's the issue:

Dear Scarsdale10583: I'm hoping someone can help. I sent my daughter to camp this summer and in her group there was a girl who can best be described as a miniature bully. Some days, she made my daughter and some of the other girls in her group miserable. I spoke to the counselors and even the assistant director of the camp to make sure my daughter wasn't instigating anything. They assured me it was this one girl and the other girls were not to blame. I can't say my daughter's summer was ruined, but it was less than ideal. I understand these things happen and we're moving on.

I didn't realize until nearly the end of the summer that the mean girl is the daughter of someone I'm friendly with in town. I ran into her once after realizing her daughter was causing mine trouble. I asked her how she thought the summer was going and she said she thought the kids in the group were terrible and my daughter was the only girl her daughter wanted to play with. She added that she'd love to set up a play date since our girls will be in school together this year. I was able to put it off a bit since we're heading on vacation.

She's already emailed me to set something up when we come back. The little girl may not be so bad one-on-one but when I brought up the idea to my daughter she was very upset and refused a play date. I can't say I blame her and I don't want to force her to play with someone who makes her upset. I can't avoid the mom all year and I don't want to confront her since I don't really feel like it's my place. Help!
Scarsdale Mom

Comments, please?

Details: Published: 06 August 2011; Created: 06 August 2011; Last Updated: 06 August 2011; Hits: 6072

soccerball The Rye Celtics, an under-15 Girls team with players from Westchester and Rockland counties and from New York City, swept through an international field of 56 teams to victory at the 30th Anniversary Dana Cup in Hjorring, Denmark. Scarsdale High School's Ali Lonner (goalie) and Stefanie Katsoff (defender) along with Edgemont's Gaby Susz (midfield) were joined by 18 other girls from Rye and surrounding communities under sunny skies in the five day tournament, billed as the largest sporting event in Denmark and one of the world’s largest youth soccer tournaments with over 850 boys and girls teams representing over 40 countries.

In the first two days, the Celtics, coached by Bill Whiston of the Rye Youth Soccer Club, played three qualifier games, winning 4-0, 4-0 and 3-0 to move into the A-bracket round of 32. After a night at the discothèque and carnival that was constructed by tournament organizers, on day three the Celtics won their first elimination match by a score of 3-0 and prepared to face the toughest competition yet in the round of 16 later that day. Against Varegg-Sandviken IL of Norway, the undersized American squad played a very physical match that wasn't very pretty to watch. After a scoreless first half, and with less than ten minutes remaining in the second, and with the Celtics facing the possibility of going to penalty kicks to decide the match, Susz put the ball in the back of the net to provide the margin of victory and send the girls on to the quarterfinals.

On day four the Celtics dominated their quarterfinal and semifinal matches 4-0 and 2-0. They were cheered on by a number of girls from other teams who had been eliminated in earlier competition and came out to watch the skillful Americans. With the final on the agenda for 11:45 the next day at the Hjorring Stadium, Coach Whiston nonetheless agreed to allow the girls one more night at the disco (with a strict curfew) as reward for their hard work and dedication. His confidence paid off as the girls came out hard against Arna-Bjørnar Allianse IL, a select team from Bergen, Norway. Playing in front of a crowd of several thousand, they played a scoreless first half despite one of the Celtic captains going to the bench with an upper leg injury. After some halftime adjustments, the eventual champions scored early in the second half and the added one more in the last ten minutes to seal the victory.

In all, the girls scored 23 goals and the spectacular defense surrendered none. This was the best showing of any team in the tournament and the best performance by any foreign team in the 30-year history of the event.

The sightseeing in Copenhagen, the camaraderie with girls from around the world speaking the common language of sport, and the success on the pitch, made this trip one that these girls will never forget.

danacup2