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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 11 November 2020

Created: 11 November 2020

Last Updated: 02 November 2021

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The results of the Citizens Nominating Committee election are in. Scarsdale voters elected their neighbors to serve on the nonpartisan Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC). These newly elected members will join current CNC members to meet and evaluate non-partisan candidates for the offices of Village Mayor and three Village Trustees. The 30 elected members of the CNC will then nominate candidates to represent the Non-Partisan party’s slate in the village election, which takes place in March, 2021.

The 2020 CNC election was held on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 by mail-in ballot only in the interests of public health and safety during the health crisis. A total of 251 votes were cast, all by mail.

Sarit Kessel Fuchs, Chair of the Procedure Committee, provide the following information. The vote count by neighborhood was:

Edgewood 75
Fox Meadow 45
Greenacres 79
Heathcote 34
Quaker Ridge 18

Below are the names of the 2020 clected CNC Members, Class of 2024, all to serve three-year terms:

Edgewood: Laurie Medvinsky; Richard Wingate
Fox Meadow: Kay Eisenman; Jennifer Rosen
Greenacres: Mary Pat Jones; Jared Stern
Heathcote: Lynn Badain; Han Zhou
Quaker Ridge: Robert Tepper; Matthew Zik

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 04 November 2020

Created: 04 November 2020

Last Updated: 06 November 2020

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Though the final results are not in for Westchester County, the unofficial tally as of 1 am on November 4 shows big wins for the Democrats in many races.

Starting at the top of the ballot, Westchester voters went for the Biden/Harris ticket with 63% of the vote to 36% for Trump/Pence.

Jamaal Bowman, who defeated Eliot Engel in the primary for the 16th Congressional District ran against Conservative Party candidate Patrick McManus and took home 79% of the vote, making Bowman the new Congressman for some Scarsdale residents.

Newcomer and Democrat Mondaire Jones, running for the 17th Congressional District won 59% of the vote to Republican and retired firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman’s 37%.

In the NYS Senate, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins ran unopposed and therefore took 100% of the votes. Scarsdale’s longtime Assemblywoman Amy Paulin also ran unopposed with 100% of the vote.

Stewart-Cousins reported that the Democrats had retained their majority in the NYS Senate. She said, “Despite a difficult night for many Democratic candidates throughout the state and nation, the Senate Democratic Conference comfortably retained our majority and will be welcoming a historic group of new upstate Democrats to the Senate. With the record high number of outstanding absentee ballots that are overwhelmingly Democratic, we will add even more victories to our majority as the vote counts continue. The Senate Democratic Majority will continue to lead New York State forward as we recover from this pandemic and economic crisis.”

Commenting on her re-election Paulin said, ""I am humbled and grateful to continue to represent our community in the State Assembly. Your vote sends a message of confidence that inspires me to continue to work diligently to improve the lives of all residents in my district. The pandemic has left so many of us struggling and it is my mission to do everything I can to alleviate and remediate this situation." She added, "While I know many of us are anxious to see the election results, we must be patient and wait for all the votes to be counted. With the record-breaking number of votes cast, it may take days or weeks before we know the final results."

Another race to note is the 40th state senatorial district where former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino ran on the Republican and Conservative party lines against State Senator and Democrat Peter B. Harckham. As of 1 am on November 4, Harckham was leading narrowly with 52% of the votes to Astorino’s 48%.

Top of mind for many in Scarsdale was the race for Westchester County District Attorney, featuring another Scarsdale resident Mimi Rocah, who defeated incumbent Anthony Scarpino in the June primary and took 64% of the vote on election day, defeating Republican Bruce Bendish.

A press release from Rocah says, “I am honored to be Westchester’s District Attorney-Elect, and I look forward to serving every community of Westchester with respect, integrity, and a commitment to justice for all.” She continued, ““As we await the results of other local and federal races, it is imperative that every vote is counted. Every voice should be heard. This has been a difficult year for many of us -- we have battled the coronavirus pandemic, economic recession, faced a reckoning on racial injustice, and acknowledged a loss of faith in many of our public institutions. The importance of transparent leadership at the local level that is focused on integrity and fairness has never been more clear. These values have been the foundation of my campaign since we launched nearly a year ago when I pledged to 'do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.' From conviction integrity to gun violence prevention, from support for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence to holding public officials accountable, I am ready to hit the ground running.”

Below is a statement from Myra Saul, Chair of the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee on the unofficial election results released to the public: "Based upon the unofficial results of the votes counted so far, the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee is gratified that all of our congressional, state and county candidates are leading in their respective elections. We congratulate especially our fellow Scarsdalians--Amy Paulin and Mimi Rocah. Of course, in accordance with New York election law, absentee ballots that were postmarked by election day and received by November 10th are still to be counted. We will not have a final tally for awhile."

"Our community and nation needs to heed that message on a national level. Each state has its own election laws and must follow its own procedures. Votes are still being counted in several states that will determine who has won the presidency. President Trump cannot declare himself the winner, stop the counting in some states and encourage the counting where he currently leads in others. Let's be clear. His statement last night wasn't just a lie. It is a signal to his followers to distrust any ultimately unfavorable results and sows further division when we so very much need healing in our country. We need to ignore the undemocratic, bombastic noise out there and count every vote."

Also weighing in on this historic election is the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale. They said, "The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale Board of Directors thanks our community members for their engagement and participation in the voting process during this unprecedented time, in the midst of a global pandemic. As so many voters cast their ballot by mail and absentee ballot this year, it will take time to count every vote.

Across the United States, election officials are taking the time to conduct an accurate and complete count, as required by law. A delayed result due to an increased number of mailed ballots is to be expected and indicates that the system is working to ensure the integrity of our election process. A complete and accurate ballot count is more important than a fast ballot count. The League thanks the election officials, poll monitors, and League volunteers who helped facilitate our elections and worked to inform voters.

Scarsdale voters report that many waited on long lines to vote early, prior to election day. However for voting on election day, with so many polling places open in Scarsdale, there were virtually no crowds. People voted quickly and easily.  For the first time this year, the polls were equipped with electronic tablets to look up voters and verify their signatures.

Scarsdale10583 will update and finalize these numbers as the results come in.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 21 October 2020

Created: 21 October 2020

Last Updated: 23 October 2020

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The Scarsdale Historical Society is pleased to announce the Zoom premiere of a new film, Pathway to a Scarsdale Community: Fox Meadow and the Butler Estate. The half hour documentary, the first in a series about Scarsdale neighborhoods, is the story of Charles and Emily Butler who owned the magnificent 500-acre estate that became the neighborhood of Fox Meadow. The film will be shown via Zoom on Thursday, November 12th at 7:00pm. Please register to view the film here. 

Using rare photographs and new research, the film portrays the life of Charles Butler (1802-1898), a brilliant financier and philanthropist who also had a surprising influence on national events. The second part of the film is about his daughter, Emily Ogden Butler (1840-1927) who played an important role in the community and early suburbanization of Fox Meadow and Greenacres.

The Scarsdale Historical Society was motivated to produce the film after it received a trove of rare photographs of the Fox Meadow Estate, which was donated by Joan Brandt of Saugerties, New York. Her late husband, Everett, who enjoyed collecting, bought the photo album at a flea market in the 1960s. When he passed, his wife and children were thoughtful enough to contact the Historical Society and donate the photo album.

The film, Pathway to a Scarsdale Community: Fox Meadow and the Butler Estate, was directed by Lesley Topping, a veteran filmmaker originally from Scarsdale, working under the historical guidance of Barbara Shay MacDonald, the Historian and Vice President of the Scarsdale Historical Society. Barbara MacDonald also is one of the film's narrators.

About the Scarsdale Historical Society
The Scarsdale Historical Society exists to discover, preserve, and disseminate historical information as well as inspire others to learn about and contribute to the history of Scarsdale and the Central mid-Westchester region. The Scarsdale Historical Society’s other videos and articles can be seen on the Society’s website at www.scarsdalehistoricalsociety.org. These films include A Tour of the Cudner-Hyatt House, A History of the Bronx River, Scarsdale in the 18th and 19th Centuries, and Anna Richards Brewster’s Life and Art in Scarsdale.

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Written by: Ezra Lerner

Published: 13 October 2020

Created: 13 October 2020

Last Updated: 13 October 2020

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Justin Cooper, a graduate of both Scarsdale High School and Northwestern University, has cut his teeth as a professional musician over the past few months. His debut song, The Good Ole Days went viral over the summer, making waves on music streaming services Spotify and SoundCloud, before expanding to a wider range of platforms. Since then, he has released Sunny Side Up, a song about different types of eggs, and Call Me Girlfriend, a track about his relationship failures, that comes to Spotify on October 16. His newest song, Morning Person, is out now on Spotify. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we spoke about the inspiration behind some of his catalogue, his interest in music production, and his love of singing.

So, just to start, how did you decide to make The Good Ole Days?
This year, I lived in a house with seven roommates, and it was just beautiful to hang out on the roof, especially when the weather got nice. So one night, a few of us are hanging out on the rooftop, and I'd just seen that episode of The Office when Andy [Bernard] says, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you've actually left them.” It was almost graduation, and I was like, “Wow, like, these are the good old days.” And that night, I went down into my room, started working on the song, and just a few days later, it was ready.

Was this the first song that you made professionally?
So it's the first song that I released onto Spotify and SoundCloud, but I'd say since March 2019, this has been my passion project. Around then, I got one of those fancy mics, I got Logic Pro on my computer, and I just started pouring through YouTube videos, learning how to actually produce, mix and master records. I'd always loved writing songs, but this was probably the first song where I was like, "Wow, the public really needs to hear this. I really love this song."

What about that song made you think that it was time to start releasing?
As soon as I graduated, I was like, "Alright, I want to start releasing stuff. I want to see what I can do in music before I sell myself to the corporate world." So I was trying to figure out my best song, and this song— I caught [my friends and roommates] all walking around the house, humming or singing it. That's when I knew, “Wow, this is catchy. People are gonna like this.”

Can you walk me through the numbers that song has done?
I could look it up, but off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure on SoundCloud, it's past 100,000 [streams], but I think it's kind of topped off around there. And on Spotify, it's been growing every day. Right now, I think it's at like 75,000 [streams].

Why do you think it's resonating with people?
So I think there are a couple of factors. I really have tried to build my brand and identity around this nostalgia vibe, especially to the ‘90s. I also think that a lot of the elements of the song and the production are just very retro. The chord progression is this blocky synth that just sounds like childhood. It sounds like a kid banging on a xylophone. And then that coupled with the message of the song being "these are the good old days This is the time that we're gonna look back and be nostalgic about." I think it resonates with people on both a production and a lyrical level, where it's just a full on nostalgia trip.

I definitely got an e-boy vibe. I don't know if you know who Chase Hudson on Tik Tok is—he doesn't make music—but I was like, "Oh, if he made music, that is what it would sound like."
What's the name? Chase Hudson?

Yeah.
[begins typing] Cool. I'm gonna look him up.

I got the sense that the song was centered around the value and the benefits of male camaraderie. Am I catching onto something there, or no?
It's definitely about that. As the origin story of the song goes, it's about a bunch of dudes in a house, hanging out on a rooftop. At the end of the day, it's definitely got that bro-y, kind of hang-out vibe. And I feel like a lot of people definitely are feeling that, and especially recent graduates are probably feeling that too.

You can teach yourself how to mix and sound produce, but you also sing on the track. That's obviously more difficult. How did you come across doing that?
I knew that I wanted to be a songwriter and a producer, but the only way to get people to write and produce for is to have some credits. So, I just started singing on my own tracks. At first, I was terrible, but I practiced a lot, and with each subsequent song, I both got better at singing and got better at mixing my own voice. At this point, when I record, I definitely know what plugins I'm going to use on my voice in order to make it sound the best it can.

And then what was the inspiration for the song Sunny Side Up?
That was the first time I ever made a song, and there was no real inspiration for that other than I was really in the weeds of song structure and arrangement. And that song, when I showed it to people, I caught them singing it to themselves just randomly, and I was like, "This is a really catchy song."

Why eggs as a subject matter?
So when I first started writing the song, I was just trying to think of the most ridiculous thing I could write about. I had just had scrambled eggs, and I remember my friend was making fun of me for putting ketchup on my eggs. So I was like, "Alright, I'm gonna write a song about putting ketchup on my eggs." And then as I progressed in writing the song, I started to realize like, "Oh, eggs have such deeper meaning to them. They're so hard on the outside, but once you crack them, it's all gooey and mushy on the inside." That’s what inspired the lyrics from the bridge that are like, "Crack the egg and then do it all again. I'm in my shell. I'm in my shell." Maybe we're all eggs on the inside.

What did you want the eggs to represent?
I don't think that I really had an intentional metaphor with that. I was just trying to play around with them.

Oh, okay, because it just sounded like you kind of wanted it to mean something.
I want the audience to be able to extract their own meaning from it. And whether or not my intention was a specific meaning or not, I think is irrelevant. All that matters is what the audience perceives.

Your song Call Me Girlfriend—somewhere you said it was based on you making the same mistakes in relationships. Can you walk me through the thinking behind that?
Over the last couple years, I've gone through several different relationships that fell into the same patterns. At first everything was great, and slowly as the relationship would unfold, I started to get very attached. Eventually, it would just become very paralyzing. So this song was kind of my catharsis, to basically say to myself, "I think that I can break that cycle.”

And do you think that was your fault, their fault, or both?
Oh, it's 100% my fault. I think it's just something that I need to learn to work on.

Do you have any new music coming out soon?
I do have a few other songs, and I'm trying to figure out right now how I want to go about releasing them. I could see myself doing an EP, or just continuing with this string of singles. I kind of like releasing singles, because I feel like each song gets to be super special and has its own time in the spotlight. So I definitely want to think a little bit more about my release strategy. But for sure, I will at least have a song coming out every month for a while.

Can you tell me what the upcoming one is about?
Another song that I'm planning on releasing soon to Spotify etc. is called Turning Blue, which is about the mundanity of the quarantine. Every day feels like I'm waking up, not really doing anything, and not making any progress in any way. That's just making me miss the pre-quarantine days. I feel like none of us really knew how good we had it in February, when we could just go out and do whatever we want.

I know you want to be a songwriter, but do you want to keep singing?
Yeah, I didn't realize how much I loved singing until I started doing it every day. And now it's kind of like working out—I need to do my warm-ups in the shower, and I need to practice my repertoire every night, or else the day is just not complete.