Vote for the Democratic Judicial Candidates: Voting Begins October 25th
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(The following letter was submitted by the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee)
To The Editor:
It may just be a mid-year election, but for Westchester County, it is a crucial election with much of our County leadership on the ballot. Early voting for the General Election starts October 25th. The Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee wants voters to rally around the Democratic ticket and vote for our candidates on Row A.
In addition to the County Executive and legislative races this election (including those for County Executive, County Clerk, and County Legislator), there are several judgeships (all but one contested) to vote on: four State Supreme Court judges, one County Surrogate Court judge, one County Court judge, and one County Family Court judge. There is also Proposition 1 to amend the New York State constitution. This letter provides voters with more information about the judicial candidates and the proposition.
All of the Democratic judicial candidates are pro-choice and have broad experience and sound judicial temperament. The Supreme Court is New York’s trial court handling both civil and criminal matters. The County Court handles criminal matters and certain civil matters. The Surrogate Court handles the probate of wills, guardianships, and other actions relating to decedents. The Family Court decides cases involving children and families.
Supreme Court Candidates
Verris B. Shako
Judge Shako is a Yonkers City Judge in addition to serving as an Acting County Court Judge and an Accessible Magistrate. Prior to her election to the bench, Judge Shako practiced as a trial attorney for 15 years, litigating criminal felony and misdemeanor cases and practicing family law in the three Westchester Family Courts and the two Integrated Domestic Violence Courts.
Diane M. Clerkin
Ms. Clerkin has over 30 years of experience as an attorney specializing in Supreme Court matters, including 23 years in public service with the New York State Unified Court System. She currently serves as the Chief Court Attorney for the 9th Judicial District of the Supreme Court where she supervises court attorneys in the Supreme Court Law Department. In addition, Ms. Clerkin has served as a Court Attorney-Referee where she has presided over her own inventory of Supreme Court matters.
John P. Collins, Jr.
Judge Collins currently serves as a White Plains City Court Judge and, at times, as an Acting Westchester County Court Judge. Previously, he worked as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for 17 years before initially entering the Unified Court System as a Court Attorney-Referee in the 9th Judicial District.
Desmond C. Lyons
Judge Lyons is the Village Justice for the Village of Irvington and also serves as Acting Judge for the Village of Mamaroneck, Acting Justice for the Town of Greenburgh and the City of White Plains, and Accessible Magistrate in Westchester County. Judge Lyons has been an attorney in private practice for 30 years and is a full-time litigator and outside general counsel to non-profits and other entities.
Westchester County Surrogate Court Candidate
Brandon R. Sall
Judge Brandon Sall currently serves as Westchester surrogate judge, a position he has held since 2015, and is running for re-election for a second, ten-year term. Previously, he served as Managing Partner of Sall, Geist, Schwartz & Jellinek and General Counsel to Westchester County Public Administrator. He also served as Vice President of the Surrogates Association of New York State.
Westchester County Court Candidate
Erin M. McGoey
Judge McGoey serves as Greenburgh Town Justice as well as the Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities. Judge McGoey began her career serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Yonkers and later served as Assistant Westchester County Attorney and Deputy General Counsel for the Metro Transit Authority (MTA).
Westchester County Family Court Candidate
Emily R. Rubin
Ms. Rubin has 27 years of extensive experience in matrimonial and family law litigation. She has handled, among other matters, divorce actions from intake to settlement or trial, proceedings for support, child custody, post-judgment enforcement, and relocation proceedings.
Proposition 1
Proposition 1 concerns the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Center, which is a winter recreation and training facility that began as a bobsled run used in the 1932 Olympics and was upgraded to include a Nordic ski trail system used in the 1980 Lake Placid winter games. This Olympic Center was built on state forest preserve land (known as “forever wild” forest land) in violation of the Article 14 Section 1 of the New York Constitution.
This Proposition would remedy this constitutional violation after the fact, by designating 1,039 acres of this “forever wild” forest land for the existing Olympic Center and allowing 323 acres of that land for limited development of certain ski trails and biathlon courses. In exchange, 2,500 acres of other, undeveloped forest land in Adirondack Park would be incorporated into the “forever wild” forest preserve to compensate for the 1,039 acres that had been taken from it for the Olympic Center.
The Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee urges voters to vote “Yes” on Proposition 1 and to support all of the Democratic judicial candidates.
Your vote matters! Let us make sure Democratic voices are heard.
Respectfully submitted,
Alissa Baum and Myra Saul
Delegates to the Democratic Judicial Convention for the 9th Judicial District
Key Food to Open on East Hartsdale Avenue
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Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner announced that Key Food Coop Supermarket will replace the former Rite Aid on East Hartsdale Avenue in Hartsdale. According to Feiner, “After Rite Aid closed many residents had contacted town officials expressing the desire that a quality food market be encouraged to take over the space.”
The location is owned by landlord Louis Weisman.
Feiner says, “East Hartsdale Avenue is coming back. Earlier this summer we repaved the business district. And recently a new farmers market opened on Saturday mornings. Some new businesses are planning to open soon. I believe that the new supermarket, which we hope will open this winter, will help attract more pedestrian traffic and help existing businesses succeed. And, when there are vacancies high quality tenants will be more likely to want to open their businesses on the avenue.”
Celebrate COBS Bread Anniversary with a Free Loaf of Bread on Thursday September 25
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Scarsdale is home to a dedicated bread bakery and if you haven’t discovered COBS Bread yet, this Thursday you’re invited to receive a FREE loaf of their fresh baked bread.
Whether you’re picking up a scratch-baked loaf of bread for the family or a decadent treat for yourself, you can always be sure that the day you walk into our bakery is the day they baked it.
Real ingredients
It’s what is inside that counts. When it comes to sourcing ingredients, COBS does not cut corners. Ingredients are shipped to our bakeries ready to be whisked, kneaded, chopped, rolled, and baked into the best baked goods in town.
Made from scratch every day
They do things the hard way. When they say made from scratch, they really mean it. All of COBS’ products are baked from scratch in our bakeries, every single day. And you can taste the difference.
Passionate people
When you step into COBS, you’ll understand what they mean by personalized service. The friendly staff is ready to help you find the best snack for your eating pleasure, slice your chosen loaf to the perfect thickness, and throw in free samples (we’re big fans of those!)
End-of-day giving
No loaf left behind. A good loaf of bread is a terrible thing to waste. So at the end of each day, leftover products are donated directly to local community charities. Because everyone deserves access to really good baked goods.
Celebrate COBS 1 Year Anniversary on September 25-27!
On Thursday the 25th, come in say the secret password of "Happy Anniversary" (Make sure you are a COBS Club member) and you will get a FREE LOAF of bread! (Terms and Conditions: One loaf per person; must be fully signed up as a COBS Club member to redeem; only valid September 25, 2025 while stocks last.) Join COBS club here:
On Friday and Saturday September 26 and 27 sample yummy grilled cheeses on high fiber loaf and sourdough. The first 30 customers will receive a FREE pumpkin scone! They will also be giving away some yummy treats when you spin the wheel. All kiddos that come will get a FREE fun bun (A sweet bun with sprinkles on top)
Stop by COBS Bread Eastchester: 777 White Plains Rd, Scarsdale, NY 10583 this Thursday through Sunday to celebrate their one-year anniversary with some great treats.
The Secret Orphanage: Josselsohn to Discuss Her New Book at Scarsdale Library
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The following was submitted by Scarsdale author Barbara Josselsohn. She will discuss her latest book, The Secret Orphanage, at Scarsdale Library on Monday September 15 at 7 pm and you're invited to attend. Sign up here.
It was 1942, and France was a divided country—the north under Nazi occupation and the south under the control of the corrupt, Nazi-sympathizing Vichy government. Before long, the Nazis would control the entire country. And in a tiny village tucked away in the mountains of southern France, a charismatic and visionary pastor by the name of Andre Trocmé wrestled with what to do.
Trocmé was horrified by the Nazis and deeply committed to the Resistance. But at the same time, he was personally bound to nonviolence. The Resistance included legions of brave fighters transporting grenades or hiding in the woods, poised to use small arms to attack the Nazi soldiers and their communications and transportation systems. Where did that leave Trocmé? How could he reconcile his convictions with the need to stop the Nazi onslaught against the Jewish people? Was there a way to thwart the Nazis—using peace as a weapon?
Initially he thought up ruses and used obfuscation, refusing to succumb to Nazi intimidation. But then – in partnership with his wife, Magda; cousin, Daniel; and colleague, Edouard – he engaged the entire community in an elaborate and dangerous plan that would eventually save more than 3,000 Jewish people, mostly children, from Nazi capture.
I first learned about Trocmé during the summer of 2024, when my husband and I, along with my sister and brother-in-law, took a bucket-list trip to southern France. Aboard a steam train now used to transport bikers, hikers, and tourists, traveling amid sparkling gorges, rocky cliffs, and abandoned train stations, we listened as our local guide retold the story of this remarkable village.
Our trip continued southward in the direction of Avignon, but I couldn’t get this visionary pastor and his brave followers out of my mind. Back home, I would later find out that this community, known as Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, and its extraordinary efforts to save Jewish lives, has been the subject of many articles, books, and studies. The residents of the town, along with those of neighboring villages, were collectively recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” in 1990.
I was moved by what I learned. And that’s when my own work began. As a novelist, I was inspired to re-interpret this singular historical phenomenon into fiction. After all, fiction is at its best when it reveals truths about humanity. But how would I make such a transformation? How would I make this event… into a story?
Please join me on Monday, September 15th at 7pm at the Scarsdale Library, along with Jackie Friedland, USA Today bestselling author and a fellow Scarsdale resident. We are both novelists who plumb history for inspiration. I hope you’ll come hear the stories behind our books – and be part of a discussion of history, fiction, and the exceptional individuals from long ago who continue to warrant our attention.
You're Invited: End of Summer Soiree- Hosted by the Rotary
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Stop by Barnes and Noble on Thursday night September 4 from 5:30-7:30 pm to mix and mingle and enjoy live music. Hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Scarsdale, White Plains and Bronxville, the gathering will be a good opportunity to meet new friends and toast the beginning of fall.
