In Support of A Non-Partisan System

The following letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Anne Lyons of Greenacres Avenue:

To the Editor: I express the following in my individual capacity as a resident of Scarsdale.

The Non-Partisan Party is being challenged this year, which, to me, is a good thing.
Many of our residents do not understand the benefits of the Non-Partisan system or the importance of participating in the nominating committee election as a candidate or as a voter. This challenge will bring the whole system into the forefront of discussion and as a result educate our community.

When my children were very young, I ran for the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) and was elected; I had also run for the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) but was not elected. At the first meeting the Board of Education presented to us what makes a good board member: open mindedness, the ability to take in information and synthesize it, consensus building, compromising, working in the best interest of the community by making those difficult decisions that may not get you re-elected but are the right decisions. I was sold, especially with the polarizing partisan politics in our state and federal governments preventing our lawmakers from passing any legislation without striking a deal. The Citizen's Nominating Committee uses similar criteria in nominating our trustees and Mayors.

Now years later I see the benefits of our Village's Non-Partisan system especially after the 2008 economic collapse where most municipalities were experiencing financial woes. Scarsdale, due to responsible financial planning and good governance, was able to continue to provide its residents with the services we were accustomed to and was also able to maintain a good credit rating.

In the past several years there have been many high profile cities and municipalities that faced possible bankruptcies. Part of the reason for these cities' financial instabilities is poor governance. Public officials in a partisan system tend to make decisions to make voters happy and knock potential problems down the line rather than risk re-election. Also, partisan political party candidates frequently make certain campaign promises that are just not attainable and may even be irresponsible. We need trustees who can keep an open mind and make informed decisions based, not on promises or a political agenda, but on thoughtful deliberation of the current facts and needs that are in the best interest of the community long term.

The challenge against our system is a great opportunity for our residents to get involved and participate in local government. Educate yourself about the non- partisan system and vote.

Anne Lyons
Greenacres Avenue