Israeli Educators Visit Scarsdale
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Twelve educators from Jerusalem who are participants in a global exchange organized by the JCC on the Hudson visited Fox Meadow Elementary School on Wednesday, March 28. They spent time in the kindergarten and first grade classes and were interviewed by the students. Liat Hidekel-Cohen, an English teacher at Pola Ben-Gurion, enjoyed talking to the kindergarteners who asked her questions about where she lives, what she does, how many languages she speaks and if she has a dog. They were eager to learn about her life in Israel and what her students are like. The first graders prepared interview questions and took notes, just like professional reporters! Etty Rosen, a computer teacher at Yehuda Halevi, was asked if her school had animals. She showed the class her school's website which has photos of students playing with rabbits during recess time.
The Israeli teachers had the opportunity to see Public Service Announcements produced by the fifth graders on topics like water 
conservation, bullying and pollution, as well as technology projects that are being developed by the younger students. After their visit at Fox Meadow the group met with Susan Taylor, Director of Scarsdale Teacher’s Institute and Joan Weber, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administrative Services to discuss current issues in education in the U.S. and in Israel.
Photo Credit: Victoria Free Presser
Music Together Teacher Training April 13-15
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Music Together®, the national early childhood music and movement program developed in Princeton, New Jersey, is offering a three-day Teacher Training Workshop at the Over the Moon Music and More storefront at 78 Garth Road in Scarsdale, from April 13-15, 2012. The teacher training is open to anyone desiring an overview of music development, including parents, university faculty, students, and preschool directors or teachers. Workshop participants will learn Music Together’s research-based approach to teaching music and movement to children ages birth through kindergarten.
Participants who successfully complete the training will be eligible to teach Music Together parent-child or preschool classes, either at an existing Music Together center or by applying for a license to open and operate a Music Together center of their own. The flexibility of challenging part-time work with young children and parents appeals to musicians, actors, dancers, parents, and educators. No formal academic degrees are required.
The workshop provides opportunities to assess children’s rhythmic and tonal development, techniques for presenting musical material, and strategies for lesson planning. There will be live early childhood music demonstration classes on each day of the workshop, teaching children and their parents using the Music Together curriculum.
Since 1987, Kenneth K. Guilmartin, Founder/Director of Music Together LLC and coauthor of Music Together, has been a pioneer in teaching parents and caregivers how to nurture their children’s musical growth. “The whole purpose of the Music Together program is to enable children, as well as the adults participating with them, to become more comfortable with musical expression, and to develop musically at their own pace,” says Guilmartin. He adds, “Childhood music development is a natural process just like language development.”
Recent research shows that children’s innate ability to make music is strongly supported as children observe the adults with whom they have an emotional bond actively engaging in making music. This is possible regardless of the adult’s own musical ability. Music making is fun and engaging for children, parents, and teachers—and, as a highly beneficial side effect—contributes to the development of language and other intelligences, including spatial and mathematical.
The Music Together approach to early childhood music is taught worldwide at more than fifty teacher trainings per year. (For more information, visit www.musictogether.com.) Licensed Music Together teachers currently teach children in parent-child and preschool classes in approximately 2000 communities in 49 states and over 20 foreign countries. In addition, many teachers trained by Music Together apply the curriculum and philosophy in preschools and childcare centers.
The cost of the three-day workshop is $475. Graduate Credits, CMTE Credits, and CEUs are available for completion of the teacher training. For additional information about the workshop or to register, visit our website www.musictogether.com, or contact Lisa Chouteau at (800) 728-2692 x329 / lchouteau@musictogether.com.
Westchester, 1938
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SHS grad Jordan Spitzer is now a student at Cornell University where he came upon a 1938 map of Westchester County. Below is his analysis of transportation in the county, then and now: The Village of Scarsdale, with its five unique neighborhoods and outstanding schools, has over 300 years of history. While hard to imagine, Scarsdale did not have paved roads in its colonial days; the village was not much more than land with estate properties that would be later subdivided. Since then, Scarsdale has grown to become a fascinating cultural center, with landmark buildings and interesting residents, including both Yoko Ono and Linda Eastman McCartney. However, this dynamic change did not simply occur overnight.
Not more than 75 years ago, Westchester County as we know it was not the same place by a long shot. Thanks to the New York State topographical maps made available by The State University Of New York College Of Agriculture And Life Sciences Cornell University, we can identify several key differences and interesting facts about Westchester County, circa 1938:
1 - There are no interstates. I-87 (NYS Thruway) and I-287 (Cross Westchester Expressway) would not be built and completed for another 30 years or so, after Eisenhower
2 - Bloomingdale Road was not eponymously named for the department store, but rather the little known Bloomingdale Asylum that is currently located next to the department store. This explains why the store looks like an asylum - it used to be one. Westchester Penitentiary also exists nearby present day Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College in Hawthorne.
3 - Mamaroneck Avenue used to be a labeled state highway, NY-126. Now it only exists as Westchester County Route 8. This is a small detail, but it explains why Mamaroneck Avenue is still to this day one of the most important roads in the southern part of the county.
4 - Scarsdale was not yet a center of any kind, but rather simply a rural village that served as a connection between Mount Vernon and White Plains. Note that NY-125, currently Palmer Avenue in Scarsdale and Weaver Street in Scarsdale and New Rochelle, does not yet exist on this map; instead NY-126 (Mamaroneck Avenue) serves its purpose, indicating the greater importance of Mamaroneck over Scarsdale and New Rochelle. There are no roads leading directly from White Plains to New Rochelle, two of the county’s largest cities. Also missing from the map are other towns along the Bronx River such as Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville. Hartsdale. While today Scarsdale’s town center is located on the Bronx River, at this time, only the four corners at NY-100 are of any importance.
5 - There are multiple major roads leading to Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, and Tarrytown, some of which are yet to be labeled derivatives of NY-100. Today, there are fewer major roads leading to the Hudson River towns, as many have been replaced by limited access residential roads, especially those to Irvington. Also note that as there is no New York State Thruway and no Tappan Zee Bridge. In fact, the only way to get to what was rural Rockland County was by ferry boat from Tarrytown and Irvington. Dobbs Ferry, ironically, did not have such ferry services.
6 - There is also another train line on the map that ended in White Plains, This line is now defunct, but remnants of it can still be spotted in parts of White Plains and Scarsdale, most notably at the current office of Engel & Voelkers Real Estate, formerly the Scarsdale SVAC, and even more formerly, the Heathcote railroad station.
7 - The Sprain Brook Parkway was also yet to be built. The Hutchinson River Parkway and the Bronx River Parkway, respectively the world's second and first parkways ever, are already there. The Bronx River Parkway exceeded its current boundaries onto what is now known as the Taconic State Parkway, and served as the main route from White Plains to northern Hudson River towns, most notably Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, and Peekskill.
8 - Port Chester, Rye, and Fairfield County were accessible via Westchester Ave and the route that is now I-287. The map survey however does not cover the eastern portions of the county.
9 - New York City (Bronx and Manhattan) were easily accessible through US-9 (Albany Post Rd), US-1 (Boston Post Rd), NY-100 (Central Park Ave), NY-22 (New York Post Rd), and of course, the Bronx River Parkway.
10 - New Jersey was still not directly accessible from Westchester County. I guess no one in Westchester ever cared about New Jersey.
Jordan Spitzer is a student at Cornell University and a former student at Scarsdale High School. He can be reached at jrs429@cornell.edu with any thoughts or questions.
Farewell to Village Trustee Richard Toder
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Two-term Village Trustee Richard Toder celebrated four years of service to Scarsdale with a farewell dinner and comments to the Board and the community at his final meeting on March 27, 2012.
An eloquent member of the Board, Toder lent insight and perspective to Board discussions and cut to the chase with his wry sense of humor. Stacey Brodsky, who served with him on the Board of Trustees, said, “Richard is a great combination of high intelligence, lighting fast wit, straight talk, and clear thinking. His sense of humor was a perfect tool for getting to the heart of issues and moving the discussion forward. He also dug deep into complicated documents and always had helpful insights and suggestions. I learned an immeasurable amount from him over the year we overlapped and I'm going to miss him sorely.”
Toder is a distinguished attorney and a consummate volunteer who had already served Scarsdale for years before his nomination to the Village Board. Among his many credits are terms on the Village Non-Partisan Nominating Committee, Chairperson of the Village Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation Law, Chairperson and Member of the Board of Appeals, President and Member of the Board of Education, Chairman and Member of the Village Board of Ethics and Trustee of the Scarsdale Foundation. Toder is a graduate of Columbia College and Harvard Law School and has lived in Scarsdale for 34 years.
We asked Toder for a comment for the site on his service and the challenges faced by the Board. Here is what he said:
“I would note that overall I greatly enjoyed my tenure as a Trustee and have made lasting friendships with a number of the Trustees. The most frustrating aspect is that, consistent with human nature, some residents see no relationship between the level of taxes and the level of services. Put differently, and recognizing that 1) by far the largest source of revenue of the Village is derived from real property taxes, 2) a substantial amount of expenditures constitute unfunded mandates (e.g. pensions), and 3) the number of Village employees has been reduced in recent years such that further paring of staff will necessitate cuts in services, it follows that unless the residents are prepared to see substantial reductions in services that they currently enjoy and which, in large measure, makes Scarsdale the desirable place to live that it is, it is simply not reasonable to request more, not less, in the level of services or needed improvements in infrastructure without recognizing that such must inevitably lead to tax increases.”
Here are the farewell comments Toder made at the 3/27 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees:
First, I want to thank all of the Trustees and others for the kind sentiments that they have expressed. The Board operates, in effect, as a Committee of the Whole –since all trustees participate in all Committee meetings, whether they are officially on the particular committee. The result of this is that the Board operates as a Team --and to the extent that this Board (and the three previous ones on which I served) have accomplishments to their credit, that credit belongs to all of the trustees.
I will mention only 2 laws passed by Boards on which I served .The first is the Tree Law-while controversial is a good example of a Board realizing that since both sides had important principles supporting their positions, a compromise was the right result. Undoubtedly, there will be changes made to the Tree Law in future years as we judge whether the lines have been properly drawn or whether the balance between private property rights and the community’s interest in a park-like setting should be adjusted.
And this year, the passage of Revaluation, long overdue and in my judgment a critical piece of legislation, will render the application of the real property tax much fairer and restore resident confidence in the system.
Tonight I will focus on this year’s Board and, in particular, the leadership qualities exhibited by each of the trustees.
Mayor Flisser
If one were to attempt to set forth in two words the major change wrought by Miriam as Mayor this year, it would be ”increased accessibility.” Concerns of our residents are heard and promptly addressed with alacrity. When oral comments are made at Board meetings or letters written by residents to the Board, they are quickly answered, often immediately after they are raised, but in any event with all dispatch.
An open government readily accessible to its governed is likely to be one which is respected by the citizens. Knowing that a matter is being heard, considered and responded to, is in and of itself, a key component of obtaining consent of the electorate.
Especially for this, Miriam is to be praised.
Bob Steves
In many respects, Bob had the most difficult assignment of any member of the Board as Chair of both the Finance and Municipal Services Committees. He has simply been spectacular. His finance background made him uniquely qualified to deal with the budgetary issues facing this Village. And what is more, he has done so in an open, forthright manner, holding innumerable public meetings to discuss the so-called 2% cap, why it may be necessary to exceed the cap as well as explaining the Village’s infrastructure needs.
As for the Municipal Services Committee, the key issue has been flooding and its effect on multiple neighborhoods in Scarsdale. The Board, under Bob’s leadership has moved (I know that to those affected it doesn’t seem nearly fast enough) to address this issue, especially in the Cayuga Pond and South Fox Meadow areas. And Bob has done so in a quiet, competent manner, always listening to the concerns of the community.
He has been a terrific asset to this Board.
Kay Eisenman
Kay, in her capacity as Chair of the Sustainability Committee has been the key voice on the Board in pushing forward on projects designed to improve the quality of the environment in Scarsdale. Her knowledge on what works and what doesn’t, what is practical and what is not, in achieving the goal of a cleaner, more environmentally sensitive community is plain great. Leaf mulching is not a pipe dream but a likely reality in the immediate future because of her efforts.
Jon Mark
Jon is chair of the Land Use Committee and landed in the middle of the controversy involving the land adjoining the Heathcote Tavern and potential uses of that land and the tavern itself. I would submit that his work in coming up with solutions that have included many of the ideas suggested by the Heathcote Coalition was in the highest tradition of first –class lawyering. He was able through constant open communications with the residents in the area to achieve acceptable compromises that seemed impossible at the outset. Similarly, his work on Reval has been invaluable.
Stacey Brodsky
Stacey is one of the two new members of the Board and it is absolutely fair to say that she has been fabulous. Her legal training has been of great assistance to the Board in her role as Chair of the Legal Committee. She has taken ownership of difficult issues such as Affordable Housing and has quickly mastered this arcane subject. In short, she has immediately become a strong addition to the Board.
Bob Harrison
Bob’s energy was well known before he was elected last year to the Board. I can report that since he has become a trustee, his interest in all aspects of the Village has not flagged in the slightest. When anything happens in the Village one can confidently predict that Bob will immediately be on the scene, investigating what has happened and what can be done about it. And in terms of being accessible to all in the community, he has no peer.
Staff
I would be completely remiss if I did not speak about the Staff that supports the Board. And when I use the word “support” that is a gross understatement. Simply put, the system would not work without the dedicated, experienced Staff, starting with our Village Manager. The best way to summarize Al Gatta is to say that he is the consummate professional. No matter what the issue, crisis or situation, he has been there before, seen it, analyzed it, knows how to fix it and most importantly, fixes it.
I first met Al in a business situation, about 15 years ago at 2X2 meetings, when I was president of the School Board and it was the practice –which continues to this day for the Superintendent of Schools and President of the School Board to periodically get together and discuss problems and subjects of common interest with the Viillage Manager and Mayor. I recall vividly thinking that Al was a no-nonsense pro whom we were lucky to have in the Village.
Over the years my opinion of Al has not changed except that I no longer just “think” Al is good, I know it. Nor does he have an easy job with the group of us –laying out the facts, making recommendations (almost always patiently) and helping us to fully understand the alternatives. This is why in the farewell dinner accorded departing trustees earlier this evening –when I was unmercifully (and I might say completely unfairly) roasted by my fellow trustees and Staff, in limited rejoinder, I presented Al with a Circus Ring Masters Hat an eight foot whip, the better to herd this unruly group of trustees.
I guess you could accurately say, I am a fan of Al. But let it be made abundantly clear, Al is hardly a one-man band. It would be impossible, good as he is, to do the job that he does, without the Staff that he has assembled. Steve Pappalardo, Wayne Essanason, Mary Lou McClure, Mike DeLong, Liz Marrinan, Benny Salanitro, Donna Conklin, John Goodwin, Rita Azrelyant and Justin Datino. I promised myself that I would not list names because I knew I would leave out others equally important -- so I will merely say, “to name just a few,” and ask pardon of all the others.
The reality is that this Village is blessed to have a Staff that in sports terms would be referred to as a “deep bench” that is both dedicated and extremely competent. Without them the system wouldn’t work.
Conclusion
My four years as trustee are up and I have thoroughly enjoyed my service on the Board. The job takes a great deal of time but because of my wife Joan’s consistent enthusiastic support it was made easy. And let it be known, Joan’s role has been far greater than just putting up with the long hours spent at Village Hall. She has always been my closest partner, confident and advisor on all matters.
One final thought on this Board and the Non-Partisan System in general. I strongly believe that both have served the Village well. One of the fundamental precepts of the Non-Partisan System is that partisan politics at the Village level was tried and found wanting. Rather, having citizens from each neighborhood select candidates based not on fixed positions on specific issues, but rather on the contributions that they have made to the community has and hopefully will continue to work. Periodically, some residents have complained that debates among potential candidates and spirited campaigns along the lines of our traditional two party system would be better and serve to enlighten voters. In response I would say that I believe that over the years many of our respected trustees and school board members would simply have chosen not to participate in such a politicized process. While it could be argued that even if that is so, others equally qualified would run, the basic issue is why dramatically change a system which I would respectfully submit, works and has done so for many, many years. The old adage, “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” seems apt. The challenge is for the Non-Partisan System to continue to select quality candidates whose concern is what is best for the Village in the long term and not merely what appears to be popular at the moment.
I end with a sincere thank you to the residents of the Village for giving me the opportunity to serve.
Scarsdale: Meet Your New Legislative Representatives Who Know Nothing About You
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Last week Governor Cuomo signed a bill locking in new state assembly and state senate districts for the next 10 years -- for the most part protecting the status quo of power sharing in Albany (Democrats control the assembly and the GOP controls the senate). And barring some seismic shifts in demographics or wildly stupid political/governmental moves by one party or the other -- that power sharing motif will extend to 2020-something when “real redistricting” will allegedly take place pursuant to a New York State constitutional amendment (yawn...). The editorial page of The New York Times has already lambasted Governor Cuomo for not vetoing these lines.
So Scarsdale....meet your new state Senator -- Andrea Stewart-Cousins. In January 2013 -- Scarsdale will be in the 35th senate district and
its state senator is likely to be Stewart-Cousins (assuming she wins re-election in November). The lines for the 37th Senate district that once included Scarsdale -- held by retiring Senator Suzi Oppenheimer -- will now veer east and north of Scarsdale with a jog into part of New Rochelle where Bob Cohen now resides (how clairvoyant of Bob!). The new 37th will include Mamaroneck, Harrison and Rye as well as GOP strongholds of East Yonkers, Eastchester and Tuckahoe and Bedford. This zigzagging of senate districts in Westchester was designed in part to enhance the electoral prospects of Republican Bob Cohen, who came within a hairs breadth of defeating Senator Oppenheimer two years ago. The state senate redistricting was controlled by the GOP -- which has a 2-seat majority and will seek to expand that margin this year by jerry-rigging the districts.
Former Scarsdale resident Bob Cohen will now face George Latimer, a Democratic Assemblyman from Rye who announced his candidacy on March 19th. In addition to his service in the assembly, Latimer was the Chairman of the Westchester Board of County Legislators from 1998-2001.
Commenting on the new district lines in an email Latimer said, “We accepted 10 years of partisan gerrymandering - Ossining attached to Rockland County…slicing and dicing of New Rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers - for a promise that in 10 years, things will be better. If you believed that all the people who reneged on the "Ed Koch" NY Uprising Pledge were going to honor their commitment, then you might believe that in 10 years, these commitments will be honored. We should have voted NO on these lines. The Governor should have vetoed them, and let a court re-draw them impartially.”
In addition -- the re-alignment of senate districts also helps those Democrats comprising the rump, Independent Democratic Caucus -- including Senator Jeff Klein, whose district will be more blue -- and amusingly, Freshman Rockland State Senator David Carlucci -- whose new district now zips across the Hudson River and grabs Democratic-leaning Ossining from Westchester.
Redistricting for the State Assembly was controlled by the Democrats -- so Scarsdale will continue to be represented by Amy Paulin (who may be poised to run against County Executive Rob Astorino in 2013). Asked for a comment on redistricting, Paulin said, "I agree with the League of Women Voters that the process was flawed, but I am pleased with the result - that there will be an independent commission determining and establishing district lines in the future," stated Assemblywoman Amy R. Paulin. "Overall, we have a successful result for New York State."
Perhaps the biggest change for Scarsdale and much of southern Westchester -- will be the congressional representation. On Monday a federal magistrate locked in the newly mandated congressional district lines. These lines are final, subject to review by the US Justice Department.
Scarsdale ..... meet your new Congressman: Eliot Engel from the Bronx. Engel’s new district now sweeps up into the heart of southern and part of central Westchester. Longtime Westchester Congresswoman Nita Lowey loses southern Westchester (as well as the chance to hand off the seat to heir-apparent New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson). Lowey’s district will now encompass a chunk of northern Westchester and all of Rockland County. At 74 years old, the hearty Ms. Lowey will now have to introduce herself to a couple of hundred thousand strangers on the other side of the Hudson River.
Columnist David A. Singer is a former political consultant/campaign professional and political junkie currently toiling as a lawyer in Westchester and managing real estate and media investment.
