In Support of Public Safety Technology
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1512
(This letter was written by Brian Culang)
To the Mayor, Village Board, and Public Safety Officials of Scarsdale:
I am writing to express my unequivocal support for the proposed public safety technology system recently outlined by our town leadership.
This issue is deeply personal for my family. In 2017, our home on Berwick Road was the target of a terrifying home invasion. Three men drove to our residence in a stolen car, forcibly entered our home in the middle of the night, and physically confronted members of my family. It was a chaotic, violent, and traumatic event. By some miracle, and a lot of luck, we were able to fend them off. But they fled, disappearing into the night.
What ultimately brought those men to justice was the use of police technology. The Scarsdale Police Department, leveraging license plate readers and coordination with regional law enforcement, tracked the suspects down, arrested them, and successfully prosecuted them. But I believe with every fiber of my being that if the technology currently under consideration had been in place in 2017, this crime would never have occurred in the first place. It would have stopped them before they even entered our neighborhood.
Any system that helps our law enforcement officers do their jobs more effectively, keeps our neighborhoods safe, and prevents crimes before they happen is something I strongly support. The idea that we would hold back tools that could protect our families because of abstract political rhetoric or misplaced ideological concerns is not just unwise—it’s dangerous.
Let me be blunt: there is no good reason to distrust our local leaders on this issue. These are people we elected, who live here, who raise their kids here, and who have a proven track record of keeping our town one of the safest in the country. To conflate this focused, thoughtful proposal with national debates about immigration, surveillance, or privacy is lunacy. This is not Washington. This is Scarsdale. And we are better than that.
There are a lot of smart, accomplished people in this town. Let’s not do something stupid. Let’s not tie the hands of our police or gamble with the safety of our neighbors based on theoretical fears or cable news narratives. Let’s act like the thoughtful, pragmatic community we claim to be.
I urge the Board to move forward with this proposal without delay. I thank our leaders for their courage and clarity on this issue—and I hope the community will rally around them to do the right thing.
Sincerely,
Brian Culang
Scarsdale, NY
Resident Clear Cuts 66 Trees, Inundating Neighbors Below
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2592
In perhaps one of the most egregious incidents of tree destruction that we’ve seen, Mohican Trail residents removed 66 trees on a steep slope to accommodate a basketball court.
The clear cutting did more than destroy the view from the homes below. It caused significant erosion and mud slides into the yards, pools and streets.
The surprising fact is that the residents removed the trees with the approval of the Village.
That’s right. Scarsdale Village signed a permit to remove 39 Norway Maples, 22 dead or diseased deciduous trees and 5 native deciduous healthy trees to build a sports court.
Here’s the note on the property record below:
February 27, 2024
“REMOVAL OF 66 TREES CONSISITING OF 39 INVASIVE NORWAY MAPLES, 22 DEAD DISEASED NATIVE DECIDUOUS TREES, AND 5 NATIVE DECIDUOUS TREES WHICH ARE HEALTHY. (REMOVAL LIST ATTACHED) PROPERTY CONTAINS TEN TREES WHICH WERE FLAGGED BY VILLAGE ARBORIST TO BE PRESERVED AND PROTECTED. (PROTECTED LIST ATTACHED) ARBORIST REPORT PROVIDED. FIVE (5) REPLACEMENT TREES REQUIRED FROM GROUP A OR GROUP C OF VILLAGE LIST.”
About the Village Code that allows Norway Maples to be removed without a permit, the neighbor writes, “Norwegian Maples were planted widely in Westchester in the 1700’s to replace the trees that had succumbed to Duthc Elm disease. The trees were hearty, growing tall, and providing a beautiful canopy.”
The residents on Mohican Trail were supposed to plant replacements for some of the downed trees, but instead they have applied for a special use permit to build a 2,200 square foot sports court on the steep slope which a neighbor says will “exacerbate stormwater flooding, environmental degradation and “cause significant harm to the use, enjoyment and value of our property and the properties of neighbors.” The tree permit application has not been closed.
The downhill neighbors has submitted documentation, photos and videos that show water coursing down the slope, spewing mud onto her patio and into her pool. The photos of the flooding of the street are even more dramatic.
Read letters from neighbors here:
(Update) The application to build the sports court at 12 Mohican Trail was approved unanimously by the Scarsdale Zoning Board on June 11, 2025.
Richard Henry Behr: Architect, Educator, Visionary: April 23, 1942 – May 14, 2025
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1048
Richard Henry Behr, longtime Scarsdale resident and esteemed architect, educator, and design visionary, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of May 14th. Known to colleagues, students, and friends as Rick, he leaves behind a legacy of transformative architectural work, academic dedication, and a life deeply committed to shaping the built environment with purpose and integrity.
Prior to his retirement, Rick enjoyed more than four decades in architectural practice, culminating in the founding of his firm, Richard Henry Behr Architect, P.C., in 1984. His distinguished career included roles as Chief Architect of the New York State Urban Development Corporation, architect with the renowned firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill International, and consultant in applied physics at MIT with Bolt, Beranek, and Newman.
Rick’s design vision spanned continents and cultures. His portfolio includes such landmark projects as Jim Henson’s Muppets Studios in New York City, the Jeddah Jetport in Saudi Arabia—at the time the largest architectural project in the world—the University in Mecca, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He also designed numerous custom residential, commercial, and educational buildings throughout New York, Connecticut, Florida, and beyond.
Rick held a Master of Business Administration from New York University (1978) and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Minnesota (1965), with additional studies at MIT, Columbia, Cornell, the University of Illinois, and Illinois Institute of Technology. As an educator, he served as Adjunct Professor of Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse at the Yale Graduate School of Architecture (1971–1989) and at the Pratt School of Architecture (1971–1976). He co-authored Economics of Community Revitalization and Design for the Elderly, exploring architecture’s role in community and social wellbeing.
Rick was predeceased by his beloved wife, Suzanne Behr. He is survived by his children: Heather Panessa and her husband Joseph; Mark Behr and his wife Jennifer Borgen Behr; and Spencer Behr and his wife Karen Behr. He was a proud and devoted grandfather to Ashley Panessa, Paige Panessa, Ethan Behr, Madeline Behr, and Jackson Behr.
Those who knew Rick will remember his formidable intellect, creative vision, and heartfelt generosity, as well as his love of sailing, fly fishing, and golden retrievers. His contributions live on in the built environment, in the students he mentored, in the many communities touched by his work, and in his family—especially the five grandchildren he adored.
Donna Pritula Passes Away at Home in Scarsdale
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1810
Donna Rose (Balduino) Pritula, born August 28, 1956, died peacefully at her home in Scarsdale, New York surrounded by her family, on May 21, 2025 after a long and courageous fight with cancer. She was the beloved daughter of Joseph and Rose Balduino, who predeceased her.
Donna was born in the Bronx and raised in New Jersey among a loving extended family. Her immediate family and her many aunts, uncles, cousins, and second-cousins provided a constant source of joy and strength in her early years. Throughout her life she placed family above all other things in the world.
After attending Bergenfield High School, Donna matriculated at Princeton University, where she majored in English. She was a universally upbeat and socially engaging classmate and friend to all she encountered during college.
Following her college graduation, Donna returned to New Jersey to assist in the care of her ill father, while also commuting to Greenwich, Connecticut to begin her career in corporate communications. After a decade of successful corporate work and after marrying Michael Pritula, Donna left the professional world to raise her children in Scarsdale, which would become her home for the last 40 years of her life, and where she became an active member of the community.
Donna loved to travel with family and friends while pursuing her hobby of photography, and did so with a sense of wonder and awe about the places she experienced. Her warmth, kindness, humor, and smile were infectious. She cared deeply for others. As a result, she was a loyal, lifelong friend to many from different phases of her life. She collected friends easily.
Donna was predeceased by her loving brother William. She is survived by her children, Michael and his partner Jessica Currier, Andrew, and Christine, who were her pride and joy, her brother Michael and his wife Lynne, her sister-in-law Cathy Balduino, her twelve nieces and nephews and their spouses, her grandnieces and nephews, who she adored, and her cousins, who were her oldest and best friends.
A wake will be held from 4pm to 8pm on Tuesday May 27 at the Edwin Bennett Funeral Home (824 Scarsdale Avenue, Scarsdale), and a funeral service will be held at 10am on Wednesday May 28 at St. Pius X Church (91 Secor Rd, Scarsdale).
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in Donna’s name to The Guiding Eyes for the Blind (www.guidingeyes.org).
Proposed School Budget Preserves Academic Excellence: Vote on Tuesday May 20
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2346
(The following letter was written by Scarsdale School Board President Suzie Hahn and Board Vice President Jim Dugan)
Dear Scarsdale Community,
The Scarsdale Board of Education is pleased to present the proposed budget for the 2025-26 school year. The vote for the 2025-26 budget will be on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 AM - 9 PM. Parking is available throughout the day at the lower circle, reached from the school driveway on Kelwynne Road.
The proposed budget is the culmination of a careful and collaborative process, led by the Board and Administration. Deliberations and decisions by the Board were guided by a focus on students and on the District’s Strategic Plan of Learning, Living and Leading, with thoughtful input from the school community. We believe this budget reflects judicious fiscal management while maintaining the educational program that reflects our community’s core values and prepares our students to succeed and thrive.
Budget Accomplishments
The proposed budget preserves our tradition of academic excellence and care for the whole child, while continuing to manage the fiscal challenges facing many school districts such as ours.
Highlights include:
● Continued prioritization of social and emotional learning support at all levels, including social worker support K-12 and Responsive Classroom training
● Sustained support for elementary math program improvement
● Expansion of our special education program for children currently in-District along the continuum of services
● Construction of a synthetic turf practice field at SHS, to be used by hundreds of students
● Initiation of an exciting elementary school playground redesign and replacement program at FM
● Strengthened Safety, Security, and Emergency Management (SSEM) measures throughout the District with the continued addition of door-ajar sensors and security cameras
● Acquisition of 3 EV buses and the associated installation of charging infrastructure as the first phase in a long-term program to fulfill the mandated zero-emissions vehicle requirements established by NY State
Our investments in teaching and learning include funding an exceptional level of instruction through small classroom sizes at the elementary level, the house and team structure at the Middle School, and a rich offering of programs of study at the High School. The proposed budget achieves efficiencies in staffing, with a net reduction of 7.5 FTEs, as well as a 10% reduction in teacher aide support.
Budget Process and Community Engagement
The Board’s budget process began, as in past years, with a public listening session in November for the community to share their budget priorities for the upcoming school year. The feedback from this session helped inform the Administration as they prepared an initial budget proposal to the Board. Multiple presentations and Budget Study Sessions afforded opportunities to take a deep dive into each aspect of the District. Members of the Board also attended Budget information sessions hosted by community groups and have received and responded to numerous questions regarding the budget from the community. Community feedback on the final proposed budget was shared during the Budget Forum on March 24th. The Board voted to approve the budget in April and has attended meetings at each school to discuss it and answer questions.
Public Vote on the Budget
The vote for the 2025-26 budget will be on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at Scarsdale Middle School from 7AM to 9PM. The projected tax levy is 3.4%, which is within the state-defined tax cap, requiring the support of 50+1 percent of those voting in order to pass. This levy equates to a 1.77%, or $415, increase for the median assessed home in Scarsdale. For homes in Mamaroneck, the median assessed home would see a reduction of 0.23%, or $62, in their tax levy from 2024-25.
SCARSDALE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Suzie Hahn, President
James Dugan, Vice-President
