Meet the Next Mayor of Scarsdale

Former Village Trustee Jon Mark has been nominated to serve as Mayor of Scarsdale by the Scarsdale Citizen's Nominating Committee. As of today, he is running unopposed. So assuming all goes as planned, Mark will be elected Mayor of Scarsdale in the village-wide election which will be held on March 18th. We asked Mark a few questions so that you could learn more about him.

How many years have you lived here and what are some of your most vivid memories about growing up in Scarsdale? How has the Village changed since then?

I have lived in Scarsdale for a total of approximately 40 years. My parents moved here in 1951 a few months before my fourth birthday. Scarsdale was my home until 1968 when my mom moved to Riverdale after marrying Fred Friendly following the death of my father Sandor Mark in 1967. After a period away for college, law school and work, my wife, BK Munguía, and I returned to Scarsdale in 1992 and have been here ever since.

Most of the physical changes in the Village from the 1950s to now are the number of homes in the Village. For example, I grew up on Haverford Avenue a few houses in from Weaver Street. The lot on the corner of Weaver was an empty field. Across the street from us we looked out on approximately 28 mostly empty acres where Louis Marx, the founder of the Marx toy company, lived with his family. My brother and I would watch Louis jog for hours -- rain or shine -- up and down his long driveway that extended from his house at the top of the rise on Haverford to Weaver Street. He kept a horse on his property that we would feed carrots to through his pasture fence.

In terms of the schools, I went to Quaker Ridge through 8th grade--it was Union Free School District No. 2 -- the rest of the schools in Scarsdale being Union Free School District No. 1. As a result, those of us who went to Quaker Ridge did not get to meet the kids in the other schools in Scarsdale until High School which required us to learn a lot of new faces.

Why did you decide to return to Scarsdale to raise your own children?

We returned here for some of the same reasons my parents moved here -- and people move here today. Principally for the schools and also to live in beautiful surroundings with an easily enjoyed outdoors.

What do you like about living in Scarsdale?

BK and I have made many good friends here that we enjoy...and it's still a physically beautiful place to live.

What did you enjoy most about serving as Village Trustee?

The opportunity to give back to the place that served me so well growing up and in my adult years.

What were some of the key resolutions you worked on as Village Trustee?

The negotiations for the sale of parcels of Village land for the 2-4 Weaver Street project was the most challenging and time consuming matter I had the lead on as Chair of the Land Use Committee. We had at least eight Committee meetings on this matter, and several Board meetings on it as well, over a two-year period. This matter had a bit of history to it and was a focus of a predecessor Board. At the time I left the Board in March 2014, the Board had adopted a form of Non-Binding Term Sheet that set out the conditions of sale whenever it might occur. This was arrived at through a process that took into account Village objectives that would not have otherwise been achievable (preservation of the facade of the Tavern building for 25 years, no commercial use of the ground floor space, one less curb cut set further back from the five corners intersection and an affordable housing unit, among other things). I believe the process was one that allowed all who wished to have input to express their views and have them considered and provided an explanation of why the Board was proceeding as it did.

There were a number of other matters, but that one stands out for me.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing local government?

Budget issues and the Governor's desire to force municipalities to consolidate through the so-called 2% cap on real property taxes is the biggest challenge our local government faces. I use the term "so-called cap" because it is not a cap at all. Even if a municipal budget complies with the "cap", the compliance calculation excludes state-mandated payments (pension and benefits) so increases in those costs which are controlled in Albany will produce property tax increases even if Village costs are contained. Albany's goal is to shrink and in some cases eliminate local governments – a goal that may be warranted in some cases, but one size does not necessarily fit all, or more to the point fit Scarsdale. However, even without this pressure, each budget year calls for a review of what municipal services are required and/or desired by residents and what we are all willing to pay for them. We are slowly coming out of the economically challenging period that started with the credit crunch of 2007-2008, but if the economic tide is rising, it is not clear it is rising for all -- or at the same rate for all. For retirees living on fixed incomes the economic environment is also a challenge. Further, with a tax base that is by and large residential, substantially all the cost of financing the Village falls on residents and not commercial establishments. Containing the costs municipal government can control while maintaining the quality of life that we want as residents of Scarsdale is what I perceive as the biggest challenge for Scarsdale's local government.

Any thoughts on how to address them?

The Village staff and Board go through a rigorous budget process and examine the trade-offs involved in each budget line item. Often that means deferring capital projects in favor of budgeting for operating needs. That in turn may mean that infra-structure maintenance falls below desired levels until appropriate funding can be allocated for it.

In terms of the state-mandated payments referenced above, that is an issue that can only be addressed in Albany.

It is often difficult to get people to volunteer to service on Village boards and councils and participate in the non –partisan system. How can we get more people involved?

That's a good question and I wish I had an answer. Young families who move here are of course fully occupied by raising their children and pursuing their careers. They have little time for extra-curricular activities of the sort municipal government involves. However, I believe that Scarsdale is attractive as a community in large part due to the involvement of residents in the Village affairs. Hopefully as they adjust to life here and when time permits, the younger generation will come to see that they can have a voice in Village affairs and will seek to volunteer. Some already do, but when more do, that should be a positive development. That is not to say that attracting volunteers is only an issue among the younger set. It is something more residents should consider doing, regardless of how long or short a time they have lived here.

What's your view on Scarsdale's unique form of governance – the non-partisan system?

I have addressed this topic publicly a number of times, most recently at the last Village Board meeting I attended as a Trustee on March 25, 2014. Here is what I said:

"I would like to take this brief time to address a broader subject in light of my experience over the past four years and express my thoughts on our non-partisan system embodied in part by this Board.

Since the early 1900s Scarsdale residents have run municipal government on a non-partisan basis. While dissatisfaction with that approach is expressed from time to time, the overwhelming evidence is that our Village is very well run as reflected by the continuing desire of almost half our residents to remain here long after their children have completed school, and by the arrival of new residents. The very able Village staff keeps things running day-to-day and I see no basis for concluding that a partisan system of electing officials overseeing Village staff work would improve how the Village staff carries out their day-to-day duties.

What the Mayor and the Village Board do in general terms is to oversee the staff; establish spending priorities through the budget process; appoint residents who volunteer to the various Village Boards and Councils; and focus on areas of resident concerns and consider how improvements might be made. What the non-partisan system supports is the very strong Board principle that when acting, Board members must consider the interests of all residents when deciding on a course of action.
The ability of the Board to approach issues without the pressures of partisanship gives it the freedom to balance competing concerns in exercising its judgment on the matters before it. It does not mean that the Board is always right. It does not mean that every resident is happy with every Board decision—we receive regular reminders from residents that some are not happy with Village operations or decision-making. However, it does mean that every resident who wishes to voice an opinion to the Board is heard and his or her comments are weighed in the balance. That openness of approach – the willingness to hear all sides of an issue -- is not something that I am convinced a partisan system would produce, much less improve.

Another benefit of our system is that there are no barriers to entry. Almost any resident can participate by simply investing the time and effort to do so. Many take advantage of the opportunity and more should. Board members are your neighbors and the issues that the Board addresses are issues for all of us in the Village. The community interests Board members share with all residents is one of the strengths of our system."

As Mayor – what do you look forward to addressing – what issues do you expect to address during your term?

I expect that the Board that takes office in April 2015 will continue to address issues that have faced Boards over the past several years: budget, land use, development, historic preservation and sustainability will all continue to be among the issues on the Board's docket. The Board will address specific issues in these and other areas as a body as they are presented. I also look forward to making greater use of the newly reinvigorated Scarsdale Public Television in an effort to continue the work of Mayor Bob Steves and the Board to enhance transparency of Village operations and have spoken to members of the Cable TV Commission on this topic.

Many people seem to leave the Village after their children graduate from high school. Do you think Scarsdale is hospitable to empty nesters and seniors? What works and what could be improved?

It is true, many leave, but many stay. I believe approximately half of our residents are empty nesters. There are a number of programs that focus on senior citizens in Scarsdale that seem to work for those who participate in them: Senior Adult Programs operated by the Village Parks and Recreation Department and the liaison work done by the Advisory Council on Scarsdale Senior Citizens are among those programs and organizations. While the good work that these programs do could be expanded, finding additional Village funds for such programs becomes a budget issue and involves the sort of decision-making referred to earlier. Those who leave the Village do so for a variety of reasons and I understand from speaking to some friends who have left, that the high property tax cost of living here is often a principal reason for their departure as opposed to the lack of senior oriented programing (there clearly are other reasons too ranging from desires to be near adult children and their families, a move to a sun belt region and the like). A large part of that cost, however is attributable to the school budget which is approximately three times the size of the municipal budget. Since empty nesters are by definition not using that asset of Scarsdale, many logically feel they no longer want to bear that cost, which is certainly a reasonable position to take. However, as noted in answer to some of the first questions above, since the schools tend to motivate people to move to Scarsdale, modifications in the structural model that finances the school budget and municipal budget would involve a community-wide discussion that goes far beyond the scope of what the Mayor and Village Board are generally asked to do.