On Our Minds

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 16 March 2017; Created: 16 March 2017; Last Updated: 16 March 2017; Hits: 4863

letter-to-the-editor Here are letters from Michael Rubin, Madelaine Eppenstein and Sunil and Geetha Subbakirshan
(From Michael Rubin)

Neither Scarsdale nor our Country is a Disaster

This resident read with disbelief the statement of Mr. Robert Berg, Mayoral candidate in next week's village election and leader of the Voters Choice Party, that "the system is not working...It's a disaster here (Scarsdale)."
The last I looked Scarsdale is still an exceptional community, with likely a thousand families having moved here to raise their families and live their lives as I did 28 years ago. Are mistakes made? Of course. Are things perfect...never have and never will. That's why there are erasers on pencils.

On the revaluation issue, Mr. Berg was quoted in the NY Times as saying "They deserve to be hammered - the lesser valued property owners were subsidizing the rich ones." Hammered? Really? Any resident that disagreed with their revaluation results...and there surely were many...had and did use the grievance system in place to obtain fair adjustments and correction of errors.

Mr. Berg's stated desire to "hammer" any resident for any reason whatsoever is not consistent with the attitude I would expect or want of an elected official in the Village of Scarsdale, or in any government in this country. This is his group's dog whistle issue, tax revaluation. The issue is a red herring.

The basis of our current method of electing officials is best stated by The Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party: "to promote the election of non-partisan candidates for village mayor, village trustees and village justice. Our local non-partisan system encourages cooperative, deliberative and open civic government to attract highly qualified individuals to public service."

It is this resident's opinion the primary reason for Scarsdale's incredible success as a community, year in and year out, consistently for over a century, is this very method we use to pick our elected officials. These dedicated men and women, in turn, spend their time and use their honest efforts to make the right decisions for the residents of this village without any political agenda, except to preserve and protect the village. They hire the most competent professionals to manage the village on a day-to-day basis.

The sky is not falling and this village and our country are not disasters. But to be sure, I urge every resident reading this letter to vote next Tuesday, and bring your friends and neighbors, and vote for the CNC candidates, Dan Hochvert for Mayor and Matt Callaghan, Carl Finger and Seth Ross for Village Trustees.

Michael Rubin

(From Madelaine Eppenstein)

Vote for Dan Hochvert as Scardale's next mayor and the Scarsdale Citizen's Non-Partisan Party (SCNP Slate for the candidates who have the experience, temperament and commitment to lead the Village.

You might be asking, who is this guy Dan Hochvert, and why should we vote for him for Mayor? Since Dan doesn't boast or engage in self-promotion, I'd like to share what I know about him from personal experience as a civic volunteer and friend. I've worked with Dan on many civic projects and committees to help maintain the quality of life in Scarsdale. Dan has worked on a study of the Scarsdale Library renovation, on improving traffic safety on Village streets, on fostering a more collaborative relationship between the community and the schools, on revising Village Code policies and procedures, and on the conservation work of Friends of the Scarsdale Parks. Dan has also worked on planning and policy meetings with Village department heads, the Village Manager and staff. These are just a few of the numerous community building civic activities in which Dan participates, often taking a leading role.

The Trustee nominees who share the SCNP slate with Dan, Matt Callaghan and Carl Finger have served with distinction on the Village Board and in other civic capacities, and with Seth Ross's solid business and civic experience they will all complement Dan's leadership and advocacy for good governance at Village Hall. More information about the slate is here: www.scarsdalecitizens.org.

Integrity and Qualifications Matter
Dan Hochvert is the quintessential Scarsdale civic volunteer who has been continuously active for decades working for local organizations and on Village boards and councils. He is smart, effective and has the respectful manner and strength of character to get things done as a team player. It would be hard to find someone more qualified than Dan to be our next Mayor, with his comprehensive knowledge of our government which he gained while he was a two-term Trustee during 2006-2010, and as chair of the Planning Board more recently. Dan has also been active in other civic activities too numerous to mention, including as a long-time board member of the Teen Center; as former president and now board member of the Scarsdale Forum; as co-chair of the Forum Education Committee, and active in numerous other committees such as Municipal Services, Sustainability and Neighborhood Character-Downtown Revitalization; as a member of the Adult School Advisory Committee; as a long-time member of the League of Women Voters; and as treasurer and lead parks conservation field worker for Friends of the Scarsdale Parks.

Dan isn't someone who just puts his name on lists of committees to impress people, or joins an organization that looks good on a resume. Dan works hard on the committees he joins, whether as a member or chairperson. He's the real deal – honest, resourceful, trustworthy, fiscally prudent on the boards he serves, thoughtful, compassionate to all including neighbors and friends in need – and full of good humor and camaraderie. Dan would rather find a practical solution to a problem than waste time and resources on a fight over issues that would be better served by collaborative problem solving. In that regard, Dan and his slate believe in a fair, predictable and sustainable property tax roll.

Experience, Temperament and Commitment
Dan is also a professional engineer with an impressive background in technology management, communications, national security and emergency preparedness, and has had active duty experience in the Air Force and National Guard. Dan has instructed engineers and officers in economics at Hotel Thayer at West Point. He has developed and delivered testimony before Congressional committees. Dan was also the lead technical negotiator in the sale of Bellcore (in a billion-dollar deal, Bell Communications Research, was formed when AT&T was broken up into regional telephone operating systems). At the request of the Department of Defense, Dan formed a corporation to deal with national security and emergency preparedness, recruited its CEO, and for a time chaired its board of directors. In the groups we serve on together I and others have often relied on Dan's good advice, technical skill and uncanny ability to address and solve problems while he maintains respect for the opinions of others.

These qualities are important because our new Mayor must be someone who has the "right stuff" in ideas, temperament and commitment, the person who will make a positive difference in the lives and security of Scarsdale residents. Dan Hochvert is that person. He is appreciated for all that he does in the Village on issues that affect Scarsdale families, without ever expecting any recognition. Dan is the person who, during his four years as a Village Trustee served as chair of the Board's Municipal Services, Technology, Personnel, and Sustainability committees, leading initiatives that improved services and oversight in the daily operations of Village management. Dan also served as Police and Fire Commissioner.

History of Achievement
While he was a Trustee, Dan served as Village Board liaison to the Advisory Council on Cable TV (during his tenure Dan was instrumental in new equipment procurement for the SPTV operation at Village Hall); the Advisory Council on Senior Citizens (during his tenure Dan took the lead for seniors to have regular bus service and a meeting room schedule); the Scarsdale-Edgemont Family Council, Inc.; and various Neighborhood Associations. As a Trustee and later as the Chair of the Planning Board, Dan made a difference in the way Village governance works to benefit Scarsdalians:

• Dan successfully persuaded the Village Manager at the time to revise the complicated Building Chapter of the Village Code and led the complete re-write of the Stormwater Chapter;

• As the liaison to the Cable Commission, Dan recommended changes to the Cable Chapter to account for the introduction of competition due to Verizon's franchise request approval;

• Dan recommended and saw the implementation of improved accessibility and responsiveness of the Building Department;

• Dan has continued work with the Village to revise the Tree Chapter to help maintain the Village tree canopy and reduce the practice of clearcutting by developers;

• As chair of the Board's Municipal Services committee and with support from the Mayor at the time, Dan requested the Village Manager to assemble all department heads who were affected by the update to the Stormwater Chapter, and worked on amendments that substantially reduced flooding in order to protect residents and their property;

• During the update of the Village Center Comprehensive Plan, when a Village consultant had recommended that the top of the Harwood building above sea level should be the guidance for future building height in the Village Center, Dan researched the height of the CVS building and confirmed that due to the lower ground level in that area, the consultant's recommendation would have permitted the CVS building to be about 15-20 feet higher than was eventually built. The consultant had also recommended three-story buildings along Scarsdale Avenue. By visiting the homes along Overhill, Dan determined the potential negative impact and helped the parties reach consensus that both proposals should be eliminated from the update;

• While on the Planning Board, minimizing the negative impact of development on neighbors was the goal of Dan and the Board.

Commitment to Collaboration
It is widely known that Dan is the person who is unfailingly on the phone or stopping by Village Hall to chat with department heads when something is amiss or broken in your neighborhood, and who pursues solutions to problems until they're resolved. He is the person who has comprehensive knowledge about how the Village operates under the Village Code, having worked on amending the stormwater, building, tree and other chapters. Dan is the mayoral candidate who has been attending and participating in the current budget meetings at Village Hall to ensure that the issues that need to be addressed in your neighborhood are explored and will be addressed in the new administration. He is the person who regularly attends meetings of the Board of Education and co-chairs the Scarsdale Forum Education Committee as an advocate for maintaining the excellence of our schools in a collaborative relationship with the Board of Education, even though his children graduated from Scarsdale High School more than 30 years ago. And Dan is the person who surveyed Village center streets and helped draft the detailed recommendations to the Village in the 24-page traffic safety report of the Forum Municipal Services Committee to ensure public safety on our roads.

Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth love this Village and our community. They have pledged to dedicate the next two years to listening to all of the diverse voices of our residents, to rolling up their sleeves, and to working with anyone willing to help them move our Village forward. They ask for the privilege and responsibility of serving you. This Scarsdale election matters. Please, FOR THE LOVE OF SCARSDALE, next week on March 21 at the Public Library VOTE ROW A for Mayor and Trustees: Dan Hochvert • Matt Callahan • Carl Finger • Seth Ross. They are your neighbors on the Citizens' Non-Partisan slate who are vetted, honest and ready to serve.

Madelaine Eppenstein
Fox Meadow

Submitted in my capacity as an individual, nearly 24-year resident of Scarsdale, and not on behalf of any organization. For full disclosure, I am a proud member of the Citizens Nominating Committee, the Campaign Committee of the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party, the Board of the Scarsdale Forum and Chair of its Municipal Services Committee, and the Board of the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Inc.

(From Geetha and Sunil Subbakrishna)

Informed choice is Good for Democracy

Kudos to the LWVS for hosting the Village Trustee debates. We were very encouraged by the turnout, the discussion, and the atmosphere of the event. It was useful to directly hear from the candidates. Hopefully such forums will encourage more voter participation.

While we know and respect both candidates, we support Bob Berg for Mayor. At the debate, Bob demonstrated his excellent grasp of the complexities of Village Government. He is willing to take a stand when needed, but only after thoroughly researching all aspects of an issue. This makes him capable of recognizing and tackling the ineffective parts of our government, while leaving the well-functioning parts alone.

The Village faces complex, contentious issues such as the overall level of taxation, the conduct of tax assessments, and the condition of our infrastructure. The community needs leadership at Village Hall that recognizes these challenges and is open to considering fresh, innovative ideas and solutions. We believe that Bob Berg is best suited to address these challenges as our next Mayor.

Geetha and Sunil Subbakrishna
Lockwood Road

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 13 March 2017; Created: 13 March 2017; Last Updated: 16 March 2017; Hits: 4896

18 Kelwyne Road2 On Thursday afternoon March 9,2017 the fire department was called to 18 Kelwynne in response to a dumpster fire. They found a construction dumpster near the home involved in fire. The dumpster was full and the fire was deep seated. The material in the dumpster needed to be emptied to fully extinguish the fire. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the housee.

Probies21 Three probationary firefighters were appointed to the Scarsdale Fire Department. From left to right are Andrew Bratton, Matthew DeTone and Bruce Pappas. They were sworn in at a ceremony at Fire Headquarters on Tuesday March 7, 2017. On Monday March 13th they will be detailed to the Career Fire Academy at the Westchester County Fire Training Center in Valhalla for the next 18 weeks.

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 09 March 2017; Created: 09 March 2017; Last Updated: 09 March 2017; Hits: 4694

letter (This letter was written by Michele Braun)

Democracy, Disillusion and Choice

I welcome the alternative that the Scarsdale Voters' Choice party offers to Scarsdale's status quo. Here's why: We are entitled to choose representatives.

Shortly after we moved to Scarsdale, we voted in our first local election. It seemed unusual that none of the positions were contested but sometimes there are just enough candidates. Over time, I learned that there were only ever "just enough" candidates, not choices.

For a variety of services, I have been very impressed with Scarsdale: I've never lived anywhere that plows the streets so rigorously, nor anywhere that collects bulk trash weekly. Regular trash pickup is excellent. But:

The system suppresses democratic process.
Periodically over the years, my husband or I have attended meetings of the Village Trustees and spoke up on issues of particular concern. We wrote letters to the Village Mayor and Trustees and to the Editor of the Inquirer. I understand that I won't agree with every Village decision. But in Scarsdale I have not had the option to express my dissatisfaction through the traditional route of democracies: at the ballot box.

Officials not accountable to the public.
I have attended or watched almost every Trustee meeting in 2014-2016 at which the revaluation was discussed. Village officials—Mayor, Trustees, and staff—were openly dismissive of residents. Although they sat through the public comments, they repeatedly and offhandedly ignored Village citizens and failed to respond with even a modicum of respect. For example: In advance of letting the no-bid Ryan contract for the 2016 reassessments, thoughtful residents questioned the purpose and the process but their concerns were ignored. When the results of the reassessments were revealed, residents with real technical expertise provided insightful comments and contributed many hours of their time to rigorous analyses, which the contractor had clearly not bothered to do. Although the contractor's work was unsupported and unsupportable, both elected leaders and staff dismissed these thoughtful analyses out of hand. I sat at Village Hall and watched senior citizens in tears because their incomes would not stretch to the higher, unjustified assessments. It was appalling!

Good governance is missing.
At the same time and based on the analyses contributed by the same taxpayers, Village government is (1) withholding payment to the contractor, (2) considering legal action against the contractor, (3) planning to use Village funds to pay for a consultant to evaluate the Assessor's office when we already know it doesn't work, and (4) using taxpayer money to fight a taxpayer lawsuit in which the Village has no financial interest because the Village will collect the same dollar value under the 2014 and 2016 assessments. This wastes taxpayer money.

Adding insult to injury, a candidate seeking reelection and endorsed by the "nonpartisan" party admonished the taxpayers that we should "keep an open mind" about the amount of taxes we pay each year (Scarsdale Inquirer, February 17, 2017, page 3). Open mind or open wallet?

Bottom line.
I welcome the choice to vote for the Scarsdale Voters' Choice party, for people willing to discuss issues and who are against continuation of the status quo.

Michele Braun
Scarsdale, NY

(This letter was written by Norman W. Bernstein)

To the Editor: Scarsdale 10583.com reported on March 2, 2017 that Mayor Jon Mark and the Trustees decided to use taxpayer money to defend the Article 78 proceeding seeking to roll back the Ryan 2016 revaluation and reinstate the 2015 values (based on the 2014 revaluation).

The Village, however, appears to have no interest in the outcome because whether or not the Ryan revaluation is rolled back, the Village will ultimately receive the same amount of money – the roll back is revenue neutral.

General Municipal Law Sec. 51 prohibits the waste of municipal money. Whether that law has been technically violated is not the point. The Mayor and the Trustees have now made two fundamental misjudgments. First, they failed to stop the implementation of the Ryan revaluation when it became perfectly clear that that is what should have been done. (It is no answer to say the Village would have been sued anyway, just by others. A roll back might not have resulted in a suit and, based on the obvious deficiencies in the Ryan revaluation, it would have been far easier and less divisive to defend a roll back than to defend staying with the 2016 revaluation). Second, they have decided to use taxpayer money to defend a suit in which the primary defendant is the Village Assessor and in which the Village itself does not appear to have a financial interest in the outcome - thereby compounding the first mistake.

Reasonable people may differ on many issues. Hopefully, in this case, most people will agree that the Mayor and the Trustees need to be held politically accountable in the March election for the judgments they have made.

Norman W. Bernstein
14 Wakefield Road
Scarsdale, New York 10583

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 28 February 2017; Created: 28 February 2017; Last Updated: 28 February 2017; Hits: 7035

Dan Hochvert is the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party candidate for Mayor of the Village. As part of a series of interviews with the candidates, we posed a series of questions to Dan, and here are his responses:

How long have you lived in Scarsdale and what do you like about living here?

We have lived in Scarsdale more than 37 years. We love living in Scarsdale for the volunteer spirit, the Village in a Park nature of its canopy and, as so many others did, we moved here for its school system but stayed more than 30 years after our 4th and youngest graduated from SHS.

What volunteer or civic activities have you been engaged in?

I served as Scarsdale Village Trustee from 2006-2010 and was appointed to the Scarsdale Planning Board in 2012 and chaired the board in 2015/16. I co-chair the Scarsdale Forum Education Committee and previously served twice as the chair of the Citizen's Nominating Committee, (2012 and 2013) the group that nominated me for Mayor. I am a former President (2012) and Vice President of the Scarsdale Forum. I served as treasurer of the Procedure Committee, led the assembly of soap box derby cars for an after school club at Greenacres, built a shelter for the Scarsdale High School Garden Club, sited and assembled 12 raised beds at Hyatt Park, chaired the Board of the Community Unitarian Church, led the team that built the deck next to the Teen Center and currently serve as treasurer of both the Friends of Scarsdale Parks and the Teen Center and more.

Why did you decide to step up and run for Mayor at this time?

I was asked by members of the CNC to allow my name to be considered and I agreed. I believe a candidate for Mayor should understand what I learned during the four years I served as a trustee and have demonstrated that she/he can work collaboratively with other Board members and the staff.

Among your many roles and accomplishments in town, what are you most proud of?

I don't know whether pride is the right emotion but here are some issues I worked on that benefitted residents:

First, I led the opposition to the original resolution to approve the sale of Village property at 2-4 Weaver Street and as a result, the payment the Village subsequently received was about double originally offered. Various changes in the project were negotiated by Land Use Boards that improved the project from an aesthetic perspective.

Second, as Chair of the Village Board's Municipal Services Committee, I worked with a group of Staff Department heads and the Village Manager to revise the Storm water Chapter of the Village Code, line-by-line, in two extensive sessions, As a result, storm water flooding in the Village's drainage sensitive areas has been substantially reduced.

Third, during the revision of the Village Center portion of the Village's Comprehensive Plan, I was able to persuade fellow Village Board members that the consultant's recommendation for the height of future buildings in the area should not be as high above sea level as the top of the Harwood building since ground level variations would mean that a building at Popham and Garth roads would be about 15 feet higher above ground level than the Harwood Building. Another faulty aspect of the consultants' recommendations was to permit three-story buildings along Scarsdale Road. When I looked at the area from Overhill Road residences, it was clear to me that this would intrude on yards of those residences. The Board adopted both the changes I suggested.

I think Board members need to fully understand details and I believe these examples show the depth of my "digging" so that the people who relied on my representation were served.

What are your views on historic preservation and land use in Scarsdale? Do you think the Village should strengthen its laws in regard to lot coverage, tree preservation and preserving historic homes?

As for historic and land use, there should be a balance. Owners have rights and neighbors have rights. One thing that seems reasonable to me is identifying candidates for historic review so that owners know which might fall into that category. As for land use, this is an issue that I think needs to be regularly thought about and Code changes need to be made when there is a weakness uncovered.

Do you support the renovation and expansion of the library – even if it means a tax increase?

Regarding the library, I think the role of libraries has changed and when generous residents agree to fund nearly half of the cost to modernize the library and the project includes necessary repairs and ADA improvements that would, if done separately, amount to almost half of the bond issuance by the Village, I support the project. The increase in annual taxes, on average, is small compared to the benefits of an improved library.

What are your views on the Village's decision to defend itself against the Article 78? Do you agree? How do you think this should be resolved?

Since the Village's filing in opposition to the Article 78 points out the many flaws in the 78 filing, I agree with the decision to oppose the Article 78. I believe the path the Village is on will take us to a proper resolution. Clearly, the process used in the reval needs to be changed. At a recent meeting of the Forum's Assessment Reval Committee, an idea of having an assessment advisory council was discussed and I think that idea should be considered I think the timing of the next reval needs to be addressed as soon as feasible, but the process used must be improved.

Do you think that the uproar over the 2016 revaluation points to problems with the non-partisan system?

To my mind, there is no correlation between the non-partisan system that Scarsdale has embraced for decades and revaluation. The Village Board had no role in the development of the Ryan reval and must not under NYS law.

What would you do to restore faith in Village government?

The faith in government is increased when the people understand the reasons for Board decisions and I believe the improvement in communication already underway should be continued and enhanced.

What are the biggest challenges facing the Village today?

In addition to finding the appropriate path to resolve the reval, there are several issues that need to be thoughtfully considered and I don't believe there is a single one that is the "biggest" for everyone. Scarsdalians are concerned about road condition, traffic/parking, Village Center vacancies, neighborhood character and many more. I think depending on who is asked, the Board would hear different "biggest" issue. A continuing responsive Board will be appreciated.

(Photo Credit Lisa Van Gundy)

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 15 February 2017; Created: 15 February 2017; Last Updated: 15 February 2017; Hits: 9369

SelvaggioPhoto Bob Selvaggio is running for Village Trustee on the slate of the newly formed Scardale Voters' Choice Party. To find out where he stands on village issues, we asked him a series of questions and received the answers below:

How long have you lived in Scarsdale and what do you like about living here?

Lisa and I moved to Scarsdale from Manhattan twenty-three years ago. We chose Scarsdale for our excellent public schools, but also for our exceptionally low crime rate, our intellectual, cultural, political and religious diversity and tolerance, and easy access to the city and activities we enjoy. We like being in a small town where we number so many neighbors as friends and the sense of community we feel even when shopping in our local markets, dining in our restaurants or commuting on Metro North with folks we've been riding with for years and even decades.

We'd like to keep Scarsdale affordable for young families such as we were in 1994, new empty-nesters with kids out of high school as we are today and retirees on fixed income as we'd like to be here in Scarsdale one day. I am running with the Voters' Choice Party to help instill a fiscal discipline that will make that possible.

What volunteer or civic activities have you been engaged in?

I am a Board member of Pelham Community Rowing Association, a charitable organization whose mission is to advance the art and sport of rowing by making it accessible to the lower Westchester community. Many of our Scarsdale High School students row at PCRA. I also teach Taekwondo fighting to black belt teens and adults in Harrison once a week. I started this class mostly with an eye to preparing Westchester kids, especially girls, heading off to college in high crime areas. In Scarsdale, I coached travel and rec basketball and Little League, and it's wonderful when I occasionally catch up with one of "my kids" from those many teams, or hear about them from mom or dad as I did on the train home last night.

Why do you think an alternative slate is needed at this time?

We all want and deserve choice in government. Competition fosters discipline and responsiveness to the concerns of our Village.

The reason choice is needed especially at this time is that there are clear differences between the Voters' Choice and Citizen's Parties that matter. The Voters' Choice Party is all about keeping Scarsdale affordable for all our residents -- young families, empty-nesters and seniors -- many of whose incomes simply cannot keep up with our rates of tax increases. We are for equitable ad valorem property taxation for all our homeowners based on honest, state-of-the-art property value assessments. We aim to: apply best practice cost-benefit analyses to fiscal policy and sound investment criteria to capital projects; and to start a cost-effective process of zero-based budgeting to "cut out the fat".

This election will be in part a referendum on the Citizen's Party's record of policies that include their destructive Ryan revaluation, above inflation and NYS cap guidelines tax increases, and inattention to our crumbling roads that send so many of us for alignments and new tires. These policies have hurt a lot of people.

Did you also put your name in for trustee to the CNC? If so, why do you think they did not choose you?

I didn't. They would not have selected me given my passionate positions on the necessity of: contested elections; equitable ad valorem property taxes for all homeowners based on competent and professional property value assessments; and spending policies that respect the fact that our neighbors who have very good uses for their hard earned money live under budget constraints and so should Village government.

In your statement you refer to "poorly budgeted capital projects." Please enumerate. Which project(s) are you referring to?

"Budgeting" in a municipal context must imply a rank ordering of projects from those required in order to provide essential services at the top of the list to those at the bottom that are "nice to haves". In my view, the capital project that has been most poorly budgeted is the essential repaving and repair of our 80 miles of crumbling village roads. I would support a bond issuance to finance this essential service and enhance the safety and comfort of Scarsdale drivers for years to come.

What are your views on historic preservation and land use in Scarsdale?

Prudent historic preservation policies enhance our quality of life in Scarsdale, and I believe firmly in our right to self-determination in zoning policies. In both cases, however, we need to take care not to create winners and losers via policy changes, e.g., homeowners should be compensated for historical designation or zoning changes that impact their property values negatively, and all impending changes need to be disclosed to both parties prior to a sale.

Do you support the renovation and expansion of the library – even if it means a tax increase?

My family and I are active library users and do personally support renovation and expansion of the Library. In my opinion, the fact that generous private philanthropists are stepping up to finance 43% of the renovation and expansion likely makes this a big win for Scarsdale. We need to encourage such private/public partnerships and appreciate and honor our wealthy citizens who donate so much to the betterment of Scarsdale. However, I am concerned that there appears to be no reserve established against construction cost overruns, and the private funding in dollars is not being indexed to the likely increase in construction costs over the period of time that the funding is being raised. Thus, the $9.9mm bond is at risk of an increasing par amount or the project may have to be scaled back.

It is also important to remember that the November 25, 2016 report of the Scarsdale Forum on the "Scarsdale Public Library Renovation and Expansion Project" presents survey results showing that a scant 24% of the 441 respondents would support a 2 year relocation of library services for an extensive renovation, and only 29% of respondents indicate that a bond of $8.4mm is a reasonable cost for renovation (38.5% indicate renovation is not necessary at all and 18.3% replied that the cost is too high for the proposed project). What makes these results more striking is the fact that the survey indicates a Village expenditure that is fully $1.5mm below the $9.9mm agreed upon. When our busy citizens take the time to fill out a survey on an important issue their concerns must be addressed.

As far as tax increase goes, we all need to realize that a bond financing is not a free lunch, but rather represents a stream of future tax liabilities. So renovation and expansion of the library does mean a tax increase.

We noticed that your name is on the Article 78 proceeding against the Village. The Article 78 says that those who paid "more than their fair share" of property taxes on the 2016 assessment roll should be entitled to refunds of excess taxes paid.

Where would those funds come from? Would others be billed retroactively to come up with the money for the refunds? If your slate is successful and the suit goes on past election day, the new trustees/Mayor could be making decisions about the lawsuit. Do you see a conflict of interest there? How would your slate deal with it?

The Voters' Choice candidates have all agreed that we will not waste tax dollars litigating against our own residents over the failed and possibly corrupt Ryan revaluation. We will, with the Court's assistance, fashion a fair resolution of the lawsuit. Once we undo the damage, we will establish a committee of knowledgeable Village residents, to work with appropriate staff, agencies and the Board of Trustees to establish best practices for conducting periodic Village-wide property revaluations and to hire an ethical mass appraisal firm that employs fully validated state-of-the-art models and methods in carrying out the next town-wide revaluation.

What would you do to restore faith in Village government?

We're doing it now. Establishing The Voters' Choice Party and providing for contested elections going forward allows our community as a whole to take ownership of our government back from an entrenched single party that has become indifferent to the hurt that they cause. Again, competition will foster discipline and responsiveness; mistakes will be made, to be sure, but going forward our community can use the ballot box to hold our elected Board of Trustees accountable if they do not address and remediate them.

To read more about my personal and professional background or to contact me, please visit www.voterschoiceparty.com.

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