TEDx Talks Come to Scarsdale
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On Sunday March 11, Tedx Talks will come to Scarsdale. The event, to be held in the SHS auditorium, will feature talks on a range of subjects from entrepreneurship and human rights to journalism and comedy, all curated for a diverse set of interests and delivered by local Scarsdale residents and Scarsdale High School graduates
The event will be hosted by TEDxScarsdale, a group led by SHS students Ishwar, Ben, and Connor, who founded the student-led TEDx club to work together to organize and publicize the upcoming event.
According to the club founders, the goal of the event is "to present local, bright minds to students, hopefully encouraging and inspiring them. The Scarsdale school system has one of the most rigorous yet rewarding curriculums in the country, and we wanted to supplement that with TEDxScarsdale. The auditorium doors will be open to students, enhancing learning, and the overall Scarsdale community, improving SHS's connection to Scarsdale." Audience members (mainly students, teachers, and parents) will get the chance to learn about specific topics from professionals in their respective fields.
Who are these speakers? They come from a range of backgrounds, and each will give their take on "Living a More Meaningful Life" through a 10-15 minute TEDx talk.
Here are the speakers:
Alan Schwarz (SHS Class of '86!) is Pulitzer Prize-nominated 
journalist at The New York Times best known for his articles that exposed the seriousness of concussions among NFL football players.
Suzanne Nossel (SHS Class of '87!) is a human rights activist who played a leading role in U.N. Human Rights Councils and currently serves as the Executive Director of PEN America.
Bradford Hu has been the Chief Risk Officer of Citigroup since 2013 and has more than 20 years of investment banking experience.
Divya Narendra is the CEO of SumZero and co-founder of "Facebook-predecessor" ConnectU with Harvard University classmates Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
Viktor Koen is an award-winning illustrator whose works are regularly featured in national and international publications from Rolling Stone to ESPN.
Frank King, a former writer for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," is a mental health activist and comedian with over 30 years of experience working with celebrities.
There will also be video presentations from Scarsdale residents:
Mark Bezos is an activist and volunteer firefighter. He worked at Robin Hood, the leading poverty-fighting charity in New York City and is the captain of Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company #2.
Sheryl WuDunn, the first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, is a business executive and award-winning writer. She is currently advising entrepreneurs involved with social causes and new media.
The TEDx talks will be held in the Scarsdale High School Auditorium (1057 Post Road) on Sunday, March 11th from 2 - 4 pm. Tickets are $18 each and are on sale here.
Police Arrest Two for Burglary of Home on Mamaroneck Road
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Quick work by the Scarsdale Police led to the arrest of two young men for the burglary of a Mamaroneck Road home at 1 pm on Wednesday February 21. Officers noticed suspicious activity in the area and checked the unoccupied house and found that it had just been burglarized. They tracked two men who were seen on the property and took them into custody a short time later at a different location.
The two men, Vincent Cuccurulio, age 31 of White Plains and Christian Rosa, age 26 of Valhalla, were found with stolen property --mainly jewelry -- from the house and they were both charged with Burglary in the 2nd Degree, a Class C Felony. Police report that both had previous criminal convictions and are the subject of an active and ongoing investigation. Additional charges are possible.
Both defendants were arraigned on Thursday morning, February 22, 2018 in Scarsdale Justice Court and remanded to the Westchester County Jail. The Scarsdale Police Department was assisted by the New Rochelle Police, Greenburgh Police, White Plains Police and the Mount Pleasant Police.
Addressing the Lawsuit Against the Village of Scarsdale and Scarsdale Police Department
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The following remarks were given at the Board of Trustee meeting on February 13, 2018. The comments are the personal views of Ron Schulhof.
I would like to talk tonight about the recent lawsuit filed by Robert Berg against the Village of Scarsdale and the Scarsdale Police Department over lawn signs. I'm not going to opine on whether lawn signs are good or bad or the legality of this issue, but rather HOW this issue was addressed. I think it's important to address this situation because how we do things as a community matters.
When I first heard that someone sued our police department over this issue I was shocked and dismayed because the placement of lawn signs is an issue that could have been brought up and resolved in a constructive and open manner. This issue could have been handled without making it political and without litigation.
The issue in question is a section of our Village code. Village code can be changed and certainly can be done without needing a lawsuit to change it. The lawsuit states that the suing party believed there was an issue with lawn signs almost a year ago! This means that anytime over the last year this issue could have been brought up and we could have addressed this as a community. Anytime over the last many months would have been the time to jump into action. This would have given an opportunity for anyone who wanted to be involved to get informed and voice their opinion. Change could have been made in a way that was open, collaborative and constructive.
Why do it this way - in a last minute, aggressive and litigious manner. Everybody should consider for themselves the potential motives for the situation being handled in this way. My personal view, it was simply laziness. Doing it right would have likely taken much more work. It would have been a lot of work to bring this up months ago and work collaboratively with the Village, Board and Community. It would have taken effort and time to discuss the issue and all the relevant points - legal and otherwise. Time which we would have had, since it wouldn't have been done in the last minute. It would have been worth it! Giving others in the community a chance to voice their views and thoughts and work through this issue. If there is concern that this isn't how things happen in Scarsdale or if there is a concern with the process of how code changes happen, then this could have been a shining example of how to do it better. How we do things matters.
If this had been done in a timely and constructive way, our police chief wouldn't be faced with possibly spending his time in a deposition room. Our Village wouldn't need to spend money and resources to respond in court. The community, as a whole, could have been involved in the discussion. Whatever your view on this issue, we should strive to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be involved in such important issues. Instead, the discussion is now centered around a lawsuit.
We work through many issues and proposals here - and one of the great things about our community is how we work through them with an open dialogue and collaboratively. I have personally brought many proposals before the Board and the community feedback we receive always makes them better. Scarsdale is a great place to live. Lawsuits are not what makes Scarsdale great.
Our Village now may end up spending time, money and resources in the legal system because of this lawsuit. So we're here now - what can we do? I would urge members of our community to consider sending a note of support to our Police Department. I personally sent them one this weekend. I think it's important we let our Police Department know the actions of one individual, in suing them in this manner, do not represent who we are as a community. The Police Department is not some faceless organization. We are a small town and our officers are part of this community; suing our police department over an issue that could have been handled otherwise is not an action of appreciation or respect for our police department and the officers that work hard every day for this community. Actions matter.
Going forward, we can simply be better than using lawsuits when there are other options available. While we can't control the actions of one person, the rest of us can do the hard work, the detailed work, the unglamorous work, in a manner that continues to make Scarsdale a fantastic place.
Ron Schulhof
February 13, 2018
Disclosure Statement: I am a member of the following Village and Civic organizations: Citizens Nominating Committee, Scarsdale Citizens Non-Partisan Party, Conservation Advisory Council (Chair), LED Streetlight Committee (Chair), Food Scrap Recycling Committee, Scarsdale Forum 
(Board of Directors). The comments are my own personal views.
Want to post a comment? Please include your REAL name and street address.
Court Enjoins Police From Removing Signs in the Right-of-Way
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The brouhaha over a proposed bond referendum for the Scarsdale Schools has now spilled over from the streets into United States District Court. Controversy over the placement of "Yes" signs supporting the bond referendum led one Scarsdale resident to file a lawsuit claiming that a local law that prevents political signs in the Village right of way inhibits his free speech.
The issue arose when proponents for the bond placed hundreds of signs on Village lawns and on public property, some within the right of way, which is the first 13 feet of property from the curb. This led to objections from those who oppose the bond who asked police to remove the illegally placed signs. A similar dispute over the placement of signs erupted last March when the Plaintiff, Robert Berg, ran for Mayor of Scarsdale and signs supporting his candidacy were removed from the public right of way.
Now Berg has won a temporary restraining order against the Village of Scarsdale and the Scarsdale Police that enjoins them from removing political signs from the Village right of way. Berg charged that removing signs has "chilled the exercise of his first and fourth amendment right to free speech."
As most of Berg's front lawn is within the Village right-of-way he argues that he is deprived of his right to place political signs on his lawn without the threat of enforcement and prosecution. The court found that Berg showed "irreparable harm" when he sought to "engage in political speech, as timing is of the essence in politics and a delay of even a day or two may be intolerable."
In his decision, U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Roman cited a 1994 case, "City of Ladue v. Gilleo where the court found that "residential signs have long been an important and distinct medium of expression," and "by eliminating a common means of speaking, such measures can suppress too much speech."
The court ruled that "Defendents (Scarsdale Village) are enjoined from enforcing the provision of Section 256-1 of the Scarsdale Village Code or taking any other action against Plaintiff and other persons with respect to posting political lawn signs in the Village of Scarsdale right of way in front of private homes, so long as said political lawn signs pose no safety of traffic hazards." The ruling, dated February 6, was issued just two days before the referendum but could have effects in the next few weeks when Scarsdale faces an election for Village Trustees.
Read the court's decision here.
LWVS Reminds You To Vote on Thursday
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The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale reminds all eligible voters to vote on the school bond referendum on Thursday February 8 from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM at the Scarsdale Middle School Gym at 134 Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale.
For information on voter eligibility visit the School District's Voter Information webpage.
The League does not support the 2018 School Facilities Bond. To be clear, the League struggled with this statement because we do support investment in Scarsdale school facilities in order to maintain and enhance Scarsdale educational excellence and to ensure the health, safety and security of our students and staff. Moreover, we support a bond as a means of funding projects that address major facilities needs. We disagree with this proposal for substantive reasons and for the way in which it was conceived and presented to the community. Should the bond be voted down, the League hopes that the Board and Administration will begin a new bond process without delay and with a more fully integrated long-range vision. In short, we support a bond but not this particular bond.
Read the League's Full Statement on the 2018 Proposed School Facilities Bond.
On January 10, 2018, the LWVS held a General Membership Meeting on the 2018 Proposed School Facilities Bond. To view a video of the Public Information session, click here or visit the Scarsdale Public Television website.
