Former Mayors Endorse Justin Arest for A Second Term

Former Scarsdale Mayors Marc Samwick and Jonathan Mark(This letter was submitted by former Scarsdale Mayors Marc Samwick and Jonathan Mark)

To the Editor:
We write in support of the nomination of Mayor Justin Arest for a second term as mayor of our Village. Over several years, we have worked with Justin on a variety of matters and observed his strong commitment to Scarsdale – initially in his role serving two terms as a Village Board Trustee, and then for two years as mayor. Based on what we have seen, we are impressed by the great amount of time and attention he has brought to these purely volunteer positions. In the past two years, he has spent countless hours leading the Board in its oversight role of Village management. He listens well, maintains organizational focus and does his best to guide decision making for the benefit of all residents.

As explained in the Citizen’s Nominating Committee (“CNC”) press release announcing Justin’s candidacy, nominating him for a second term as mayor is a break with the custom of having mayors serve for one term only. We understand from what the CNC explained in its release that this variation from custom was not done lightly. It was noted that it reflects due consideration of those legal and other matters the CNC deemed necessary and appropriate and ultimately resulted from that committee’s conclusion that Justin was the best person to fill the position of mayor for the next two years. We see a number of benefits from this conclusion, including perhaps most importantly, the ability to benefit from the institutional knowledge Justin has acquired from his six years on the Village Board. While such a variation from precedent is unusual, we are very comfortable that it reflects the collective decision of a committee of 30 of our neighbors who bear the same broad interests in our Village as the rest of us do.

It is therefore with full confidence that we endorse the candidacy of Justin Arest for a second term as mayor. We urge all registered voters in the Village to take the time to vote on March 18th for him – and the other candidates on the CNC slate, Dara Gruenberg, David Goldschmidt and Jason Kofman -- to show support for these committed volunteers and for a nonpartisan system that has served our Village well for decades.
Respectfully submitted,

Jon Mark,
Mayor of Scarsdale 2015-2017

Marc Samwick,
Mayor of Scarsdale 2019-2021