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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 27 May 2020

Created: 27 May 2020

Last Updated: 28 May 2020

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This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Scarsdale resident Lee Fischman:

If you don’t normally vote for School Board candidates, I hope to convince you to do so this time, so that the School Board Nominating Committee’s (SBNC) choice of Bob Klein and Amber Yusuf prevails. Why would anyone run independently? I can think of a few reasons, although none seem satisfactory. Keep in mind, these are general arguments, not aimed at any specific person. They apply for the current School Board election, and for past and future ones.

Perhaps the challenger was not selected by the SBNC but wants to serve anyhow. Because the nominating process is confidential, we do not know who was evaluated by them. What if the challenger was evaluated but not chosen? Think about that: SBNC members are elected by residents balanced from all five Scarsdale neighborhoods, they’ve spent months exhaustively vetting all the candidates, interviewed their associates of many years, and ultimately chose candidates judged best suited for the position. Could the SBNC know something about a challenger that we don’t?

Did the challenger not put their name forward for consideration by the SBNC, feeling they would not be treated fairly? This would be amazingly distrustful – an undesirable quality in anyone - given the diverse makeup and frequent turnover of the SBNC. Of course, a challenger with a disqualifying history also would not want to go through the scrutiny of the SBNC.

It’s possible the challenger believes that the SBNC suffers from “group think.” However, its diverse and continually revolving membership is elected by the community and for some, this is their first volunteer position in the Village, making “group think” unlikely. From my experience on the Citizens Nominating Committee, which is organized similarly to the SBNC, I'd say that the groups' composition and processes work to squelch a collective mindset from setting in.

Maybe a challenger doesn’t like the idea of a closed system and prefers a more conventional form of open politicking. Many of us would agree that brazen politics are a problematic affair everywhere else right now and are neither welcome nor necessary here in Scarsdale. Residents here benefit from informed choices based on deep background work done by a committee of volunteers, who choose candidates based on continually demonstrated character, experience and skills. That's the sort of endorsement that cannot be provided by a resume or advertisements, nor by letters from friends and supporters. In our genteel little ‘burb, those who support someone speak out, while those who do not support someone usually stay quiet, and so supporters' endorsements do not tell the whole story about a candidate.

An independent candidate may promote an agenda. All the same, SBNC candidates are members of the community too and so share many of the same concerns, and they also are selected in part based on their demonstrated ability to listen. The SBNC candidates are chosen because they’re most qualified, not because they’ve said the right things. Nonetheless, since School Board elections are decided by just a few votes, a minority of residents with preferences aligned to a narrow agenda may easily prevail.

Of course, someone might choose to run against "the System" because they think they are better than what it has produced. Certainly, one should feel free to have the most excellent opinion of him or herself, though that begs the question: if they felt so confident, why didn’t they go through the SBNC?

I hope you will agree that none of these reasons lend support to electing an independent candidate for the School Board this year. However, because this vote usually has low turnout, a random person can win, despite the hard work of the thirty volunteers of the SBNC. Please take a moment to mail in your vote affirming the SBNC’s choice of Amber Yusuf and Robert Klein, particularly if you weren’t planning to vote.

Lee Fischman
40 Wildwood

This letter is from Wendy Gendel, who served on the SBNC and as the Committee Chair:

To the Editor: Each January, members of our community have the opportunity to elect representatives to the School Board Nominating Committee, Scarsdale’s non-partisan body that recommends candidates to serve as members of the Board of Education. I have seen firsthand during my tenure on the SBNC committee as well as Admin Chair and Joint Chair over seven years, how thoughtful consideration and full vetting of Board of Education candidates has yielded exceptional members of our community to serve as stewards of Scarsdale’s education system.

This component of Scarsdale’s non-partisan system has served our residents well for decades. Scarsdale continues to be recognized as one of the country’s premier public school systems, in part due to the process we have endorsed for our BOE elections. The partisan rancor and political divisions present in other communities is usually not seen here. And the SBNC is a vital component of maintaining thoughtful debate, deliberation, and community decorum. The 30 members of the SBNC, representing equally all of the elementary school districts, and volunteering their time for review of potential candidates, are entrusted with selecting the highest quality candidates for our community’s review and election to the BOE. This year is no exception.

The two candidates submitted by our elected representatives to the SBNC, Amber Yusuf and Robert Klein, have shown their full capabilities and dedication to serve our students and community with enthusiasm, passion, and without favor to specific causes. Amber and Robert have the full support of our elected SBNC members. Both eminently qualified to serve, they have the well-being of our students as their first priority and concurrently, an eye to fiscal responsibility that many of us feel is vital during the current environment.

In addition, I encourage all Scarsdale residents to consider involvement in our School Board Nominating Committee. You’ll play a direct part in shaping the future of Scarsdale Schools, reviewing future BOE candidates, and ensuring our district remains one of our nation’s finest.

For the June 9th election, all eligible voters will receive an absentee ballot in the mail as there will not be in-person voting. Please be sure to submit your vote by returning your ballot in the postage-paid return envelope as soon as possible. All absentee ballots must be received by June 9th, 2020 - not postmarked by that date.

Please join me in support of the Scarsdale Non-Partisan system and the SBNC’s candidates, Amber Yusuf and Robert Klein.

Wendy K. Gendel
Brookby Road

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 20 May 2020

Created: 20 May 2020

Last Updated: 21 May 2020

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On Tuesday May 19 Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced the opening of two county beaches for Memorial Day weekend, while at the same time revealing that other county run sites will remain closed, and that fireworks and ethnic celebrations would be cancelled.

The good news is that beaches at Playland and Croton Point Park will be open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday for the Memorial Day Weekend. However Playland Amusement Park will remain closed—at least until July 20-- and fireworks spectaculars scheduled for the July 4th weekend at Kensico Dam Plaza and Playland Park are cancelled. There will be no ethnic festivals at Kensico – at least through July 20—but if possible-- these festivals could be held in October.

The County Executive warned residents to continue to wear masks and maintain social distance, saying “Whether or not these two sites will remain open will depend on how they are managed.” Latimer was pleased to report that golf courses and bicycle Sundays are open and there have been no new cases manifested because of these activities. At this point, no decision has been made about the opening of two county pools.

At an update on Tuesday May 19 Latimer reported the following statistics:

There are over 32,402 positive cases in Westchester but of those, almost 30,000 are cleared, leaving the active number of cases in the county at 2,162, which is a steady decline from a high of 11,000 active cases at one point in the crisis.

126,000 people, or 12.6% of the population in Westchester, has been tested and now the Governor is trying to open up antibody testing for everyone.

There are currently 400 people with COVID hospitalized and fatalities dropped to just 3 residents on Monday night. As a point of comparison, on April 10, 72 people died overnight.

The county has sufficient ICU beds and general beds to handle any surge. This week, doctors in Westchester can resume elective surgery.

Even with all this progress, as of 5-19 the mid-Hudson region has only met five of the seven state mandated criteria for re-opening so there is no schedule as yet to begin the phased reopening.

The region, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester Counties, has failed to meet the following requirements:

-30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents; (expected)

-A 14-day decline in hospital deaths or a three-day average of fewer than five deaths.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 14 May 2020

Created: 14 May 2020

Last Updated: 15 October 2020

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These are unusual times indeed. We’re seeing things we’ve never seen in town before – and hope we never see again. Here are some pictures of the pandemic in Scarsdale. Have you seen anything strange? Share your photos with us at [email protected].

Empty streets allow pedestrians to walk in the middle of the street without even listening for traffic. There’s nowhere to go.

Paper towels and toilet paper are in scarce supply – and rationed at many stores.

People are wearing masks – alone in their cars, while biking and shopping. It’s often difficult to recognize friends and neighbors.

Kids are seeing friends by holding picnics on the top of their cars.

Teens meet in driveways and stay six feet apart.

Packages are left outside for a few days curing. It’s thought that this will dissipate the virus on surfaces.

The only way to conduct business, see friends or celebrate birthdays is online. Everyone is using Zoom, meeting software, technology that we didn’t know existed just eight weeks ago.

Plastic gloves are discarded willy-nilly.

Jigsaw puzzles are back, big time!

Medical testing is in. People are getting swabbed and pricked in an effort to learn their COVID exposure.

Tributes to first responders abound.

The Class of 2020 appears to be celebrating their graduation with lawn signs, rather than in person.An ice- cream man in a face mask who only accepts Venmo payments. See sign on left of truck. (Contributed by Debra Asher)

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 01 May 2020

Created: 01 May 2020

Last Updated: 06 May 2020

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(May 6, 2020) This UPDATED  letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale)

Dear Editor,

The Scarsdale League of Women Voters has been closely monitoring all of the voting and election changes related to the COVID-19 crisis. The most effective way for you to stay informed is by visiting our voter service page where we will provide timely updates as soon as they become available. You may also visit the NYS League of Women Voters website. The NYS League also provides a texting service to keep voters up to date on voting changes: text VOTENY to 474747.

Following are a few highlights of recent changes to election laws. This includes updates as of May 5, 2020.

The New York Democratic Presidential Primary will take place on June 23. Although the Democratic members of the State’s Board of Elections had voted in April to cancel the Presidential Primary, a federal court ruled on May 5 that it would be unconstitutional to do so because it would result in irreparable harm.

All registered voters will automatically receive in the mail an absentee ballot application to vote in the June 23, 2020 primary elections. This change is in addition to Governor Cuomo’s earlier order allowing voters to choose “temporary illness” (due to fear of COVID-19) as the reason for applying for an absentee ballot.

On May 1, the Governor ordered that Boards of Elections will include paid return postage for all absentee ballots for the June primary.

The primary for our Congressional District and the County District Attorney’s Office will also take place on June 23, 2020. The Scarsdale League, along with our neighboring Leagues, is coordinating virtual Candidate Forums for contested primary elections. These forums will take place at the end of May and early June. We will update the community with details and the information will also be available on our website at LWVS.org.

On the local level, the May 1 Executive Order directed that all School Board/ School Budget elections are scheduled for June 9 and will be held via mail with return postage included. Each district will send out postcard notice which details the date of the election, date of the budget hearing, the definition of a qualified voter, and an absentee ballot.

All Village and Town elections previously scheduled to be held in March, April, May or June will be held on September 15, 2020. Absentee ballots previously submitted are valid and will be counted.

The Governor’s May 1 order recognizes that absentee ballot requests submitted before his Executive Orders on absentee voting will still be valid without further action by the voter. Further, Boards of Elections must also make available at their offices a voting system that is accessible for voters wishing to mark their ballot privately and independently.

Please read the Governor’s full Executive Order here:

If you have any questions regarding voting, please contact the League of Women Voters, voter service at: [email protected]. We know that the ever-changing rules can be confusing and are happy to answer any questions.

Stay safe,

Ronny Hersch
Beatrice Sevcik
Voter Service Co-Chairs
League of Women Voters of Scarsdale