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Written by: Claudia Wang

Published: 15 July 2025

Created: 15 July 2025

Last Updated: 15 July 2025

Hits: 1663

On Thursday 10th July, the Scarsdale community gathered at Chase Park for a summer night of live music, good vibes, and an especiallly enjoyable “Mystery Song” activity. At 8 PM, the Westchester Band, under the skilled direction of dedicated conductor Alan Hollander, began their concert, filling the park with music that resonated with all ages, from children to the elderly. The concert, which was free and open to everyone, became a night where the freedom of summer and the joy of the community blend together in the best way possible.

Rows of lawn chairs stretched from the entrance of the park all the way to the post office, as families, friends, and neighbors made themselves comfortable to enjoy the evening. As the Westchester Band began, their music swept over the crowd, setting the tone for an evening of musical nostalgia, joy, and tranquility.

The concert featured a mix of beloved classics and new tunes, including the popular America the Beautiful, the French Horn Concerto No.1 (starring Karen Froehlich as the talented French horn soloist), and an audience favorite, Stars and Stripes Forever. On song in particular really got the crowd alive...the Mystery Song! This fun and interactive activity has become a long-running tradition at the Westchester Band’s concerts, where the audience is invited to guess the name of a song based on the melody. This year, the mystery song was a popular hit from 1969, McArthur Park. It was tricky for some, but it brought a huge wave of excitement as everyone tried to recall the title. It perfectly demonstrated how music can unite people through shared memories and experiences.

After speaking to Alan Hollander, he shared some of his thoughts. Alan explained that when selecting the program, his goal is always to pick music that will appeal to a wide range of ages. "I try to choose pieces that everyone can enjoy, whether the audience are young children or adults who have been listening to music their whole life," he said. This careful making of the playlist successfully ensures that everyone in the audience can find something to connect with.

Alan also reflected on the challenges of leading such a large band. "With seventy-five musicians, there’s a lot of editing and adjustments that need to be made. Weather is also always a consideration." Despite these challenges, Alan’s passion and hard work shine through, and his deep commitment to the band is clear. The Westchester Band rehearses once a week in preparation for each performance, which is evident as their seamless coordination forms such magical music.

With great music, an inviting atmosphere, and the community spirit that makes Scarsdale such a special place, it was an amazing night. The Westchester Band continues to bring people together through the magic of music, showing that summer fun in Scarsdale is strongest when we come together as neighbors, friends, and fans of great tunes. The Westchester Band will continue to perform every Thursday at Chase Park from 8 PM until August 14th!

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 27 June 2025

Created: 27 June 2025

Last Updated: 27 June 2025

Hits: 1796

Has the Westchester Band been playing for 55 or 56 years?

Either way that's quite a record of longevity. And but for its one year off for Covid 2020, it's been doing so every summer since 1969!

With an array of talented professional, amateur, and outstanding student musicians, and sponsored principally by the Scarsdale Department of Parks and Recreation, local merchants, and by donations from the concert going Friends of the Westchester Band public: a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, the band, under the direction of Maestro Alan Hollander, puts on concerts beginning July 2nd at 7:30PM at the Village Pool, and then continues every Thursday night thereafter, beginning July 10th, at 8:00PM, in the Village's Chase Park, thru August 14th. For more information please visit westchesterband.org.

The band not only provides the musical backdrop to the July 2 fireworks show, but in its Chase Park home features soloists, prize winning mystery tunes, and music for the entire family from Marches, Broadway, light Classics, original band works, and rock arrangements, all with free admission and parking. (In the event of rain, concerts are held at the Scarsdale Middle School.)

So bring a lawn chair or blanket and picnic dinner (and a friend!), and “get away” for a while!

Making this huge undertaking not only possible, but free to the public comes with the help of band patrons and supporters of the arts alike. Donations made payable to “Friends of the Westchester Band” are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. You may mail your checks to 41 Van Etten Boulevard, New Rochelle, NY 10804.

See you under the stars!

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 June 2025

Created: 23 June 2025

Last Updated: 23 June 2025

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(The following was written by Cynthia Roberts of Autenrieth Road, Scarsdale)

June 22, 2025

Dear Mayor Arest, Deputy Mayor Gruenberg, and Honorable Trustees,

According to the Scarsdale Village website, the role of the Mayor and the Board of Trustees includes being the legislative body and the community's policy makers. The policy in question today is the proper balance of privacy and security for Scarsdale.

I predict that this will be the most important policy decision any of you will make during your tenure as Trustees. Are you so confident that you know the answer that you eschew input from the varied members of our community?

For example, do we want surveillance cameras in locations like Chase Park where we gather to mourn, to celebrate and to protest? Who will make this decision? Do we want these cameras controlled by a private company funded by the federal government?

At the June 10, 2025, Trustee Work Session on the contract with Flock Safety, numerous residents spoke against your approving a contract with a private surveillance company without transparency and without the opportunity for community input. You will recall that none of these residents spoke against providing funding for truly publicly vetted equipment for our police department. Do not misconstrue residents’ sincere interest in our community’s civil liberties as opposition to providing appropriate equipment to our police department to safeguard our residents and businesses.

Please give yourselves the opportunity to pause. This is about who we are and what want to be as a community. Provide a public presentation answering the questions that residents have asked about the proposed technology, the company hired, the data protection safeguards, and the creation of an adequate citizen oversight body. Invite public input. Set an example of good government.

We in Scarsdale have a rich history of protecting civil liberties and of practicing informed, energetic debate on matters of importance. Think about how each of you wants this chapter in Scarsdale’s history to be recorded.

Thank you.

Cynthia Roberts
15 Autenrieth Road

(The following was submitted by Myra Saul of Lincoln Road)

Dear Mayor Arest, Trustee Gans, Trustee Goldschmidt, Trustee Gruenberg, Trustee Kofman, Trustee Mazer and Trustee Wise:

The Village of Scarsdale ("Village") is making a mistake in entering into an agreement ("Contract") with the Flock Group Inc. The Village has the ability to "opt-out" of the Contract and should utilize that provision of the Contract to terminate immediately. Under the terms of the Contract, the Village has a six month window to "opt-out" of the Contract without penalty or fees commencing July 1, 2025.

While there are serious concerns about the administrative process used here--namely the material rewriting of the Agenda Notice to the community about the Contract after the vote of the Scarsdale trustees on this matter-- I will leave those arguments to others. That situation does, however bolster the arguments of the opponents of this Contract that the vote was taken without adequate notice. Surely, the Agenda could have been rewritten so that the public could have had adequate notice and could have marshaled its arguments against the Contract before the Contract was voted upon. Why the rush?

Others more eloquently than I have described why the Contract is unnecessary, especially now. Crime in Scarsdale? Give me a break! As others have stated, that rationale is weak. The police want more cameras near traffic signals to catch those who go through red lights, fine. The police want drones to actively surveil the community? That is of another dimension entirely. There is a trade-off between privacy and surveillance. The arguments of the Mayor do not calm the legitimate fears of our neighbors, who belong to racial, religious or ethnic groups that are being targeted by the current federal administration, that this new technology could be used against them specifically. This aspect of the Contract deserved more public discussion: the overreach of the federal government with respect to its treatment of certain people--let's say it out loud--Black and brown people, anyone who is 'different'--is well known. All the residents and visitors of our community need to feel safe in our Village. Again, why the rush?

The Village has a history of evaluating new projects in a thorough and thoughtful manner. Let's compare this Contract adoption with another big project--the pool. That project has been discussed many, many times, with a healthy conversation among the Village, our elected officials and pool users. After what two? three? years, we still do not have a definitive path forward on the pool. No one seems to want to take a stand and get it done, but this Contract is treated differently. Again, why the rush?

I think I know. It's all about the money. The Village has been promised that the money to pay for this hardware/program will be paid for by the federal government, a tricky proposition these days. Once that money is obtained (and I assume that there are adequate assurances that it has), you, the Mayor and the Trustees, may believe that your hands are tied. No more discussion. Done deal. You do not want to rock the boat for fear that the money from the federal government will dry up.

That is not the way things are done in this Village. As indicated above, Village residents are used to more. We tout ourselves as a thoughtful community. Are you, the Mayor and the Trustees, afraid that if the Village does "opt-out", it will lose the money from the feds? If ultimately the residents then decided to re-sign the contract in an untimely manner, would the Village itself have to bear the cost? That's my assumption based upon this uncharacteristic rush. If the residents truly want this after adequate community input, the fact that the Village would need to pay out of pocket for this surveillance would be appropriate. At least the Village would be entering into the Contract and had measured its consequences in a deliberate manner. While you, the Mayor and the Trustees, claim that the cost to Village residents is "free", that is not true. Nothing is for "free". Here we are bearing the cost of surveillance.

The trade-off is enormous: a loss of privacy versus a marginal increase--at best-- in crime fighting tools.

One last note. If the money is the issue, why haven't you, the Mayor and the Trustees, been honest with the community? Even if that is not the reason, why have you, our municipal elected officials, treated those who object as obstacles, instead of opportunities for meaningful discussion? One of the jobs of a public official is to listen and to take criticism seriously, not lightly. A healthy dialogue between the governed and those in government is more important than ever. Our non-partisan system is premised upon the selection of thoughtful, civic minded volunteers who work for the benefit of all. That includes admitting mistakes despite the repercussions. The whole approach of yourselves, our elected officials, with respect to this matter has been truly disappointing.

Regards,
Myra Saul
5 Lincoln Road
(Remarks are my own)

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 17 June 2025

Created: 17 June 2025

Last Updated: 22 June 2025

Hits: 2557

(Updated Sunday June 22. 2025)

Today is the last day for early voting at any site in Westchester County including the White Plains Board of Elections office and the Eastchester Public Library. Find your early voting location here - or vote on Tuesday June 24 at your regular voting site.

The election is the Democratic primary for an open seat on the Westchester County Legislature and Scarsdale10583 and the Scarsdale Democrats endorse Tim Foley.

Please remember to vote:

From the Scarsdale Democrats

The Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee enthusiastically endorses Scarsdale resident Tim Foley for County Legislator in the June 24th Democratic Primary.

President Trump offers no vision of a country on the move; instead, he focuses on personal retribution and vendettas. The Republican Congress has gone along with his every move. On the other hand, Westchester residents have benefited under Democratic administrations, led by County Executive Ken Jenkins and former County Executive George Latimer, now our congressman. They have demonstrated how government should work for the benefit of their constituents.

Likewise, our County Legislator primary race is an election Democratic voters can feel good about. This is the first time in over 20 years that Scarsdale Democratic voters have a choice about the Democratic candidate who will represent them in the fall contest for County Legislator. Both Democratic candidates running, Tim Foley and his opponent, are good candidates. However, they are not the same.

Tim Foley –local volunteer and the father of children who attend Scarsdale schools--is the superior candidate in all respects. What makes Tim special is his sincere interest in understanding different opinions and viewpoints, his ability to synthesize vast amounts of complex information, and his finesse in working with others to reach an agreed upon course of action.

Our Assemblywoman Amy Paulin agrees and has endorsed Tim.

Tim Foley is an expert on the inner workings of the Westchester County budget and operations and is naturally the right person for this moment, when the County will undoubtedly face fiscal challenges. Tim is the former chair of the Scarsdale Forum’s County Affairs Committee, which, under his leadership, produced reports regarding the county’s $2.5 billion budget, two thirds of which consists of required spending to fulfill state and federal mandates. Especially now, where substantial federal funding cuts are threatened, that expertise is critical in a County Legislator.

Tim has dedicated his entire professional career to advancing Democratic values. He is currently the CEO of the Building & Realty Institute, a real estate trade association with members throughout Westchester and the Lower Hudson value, where he has worked with nonprofit organizations, academics, faith leaders, and community advocates to find new ways to address housing needs in our county. Prior to that, Tim served as Communications Director for Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. In addition, he has been a union advocate, serving as Director of the SEIU Connecticut State Council and an employee of the Committee of Interns and Residents-SEIU.

We are living in very turbulent times and Westchester County faces many challenges. Tim is not daunted—he is the type of person who runs towards problems, because he wants to solve them. We have no doubt that he has the vision, intelligence, and drive to protect and serve our County and Village.

Scarsdale Democratic voters—don’t squander your opportunity to make the choice about which candidate should appear on the Democratic ticket for County Legislator. There may be two candidates, but there is only one clear choice, and that choice is Tim Foley!

Early voting has begun and Election Day is June 24. Remember to Vote.

Respectfully,
Alissa Baum and Myra Saul
Co-Chairs, Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee