Residents Puzzled by the Sudden Departure of the Village Manager

The Scarsdale Board of TrusteesThe sudden departure of Village Manager Rob Cole due to a change in his role in Village government has many wondering what was behind this parting of the ways. On Tuesday night September 26, 2023 we learned that Cole had resigned after Village attorneys redefined his working relationship with the Village Board. Later at that meeting a resolution was passed to terminate his employment without cause.

Cole had been with the Village since 2015 and was so well liked that he was elevated from Deputy Village Manager to Village Manager after a national search in 2021. What could cause this rift just two years later?

Was he liked and respected by the staff at Village Hall? No one seems to know.

Was he responsive to requests for studies and information from the Village Board? Again we don’t know.

Was there a specific incident or an issue that caused the Board to lose confidence in Cole? Again we don’t know.

What we do know is that this central leadership position is vacant at a critical time for the Village. The severe rainstorm on Friday highlighted the need for strong management of emergency services when many areas of the Village were flooding, people were stuck in their cars and there was even a house fire at the height of the downpour.

Without the presence of a Village Manager, who ran the show?

In addition, this year the Village faces many critical decisions and will need the guidance of a strong management team. The renovation of the Scarsdale pool tops the list as it is not clear how much longer the Village can keep it open without doing major work.Robert Cole

The same can be said for Freightway Garage. The Village is set to spend $3 million repairing a structure that will ultimately be torn down. The sooner we can come up with a plan for the future development of the Freightway site, the more funds will be saved.

And as anyone can see, the issue of stormwater management and the need to control development could not be more evident. On Friday, with water flooding basements, streets and the schools, crippling transportation and even endangered lives, it became clearer than ever that the time to act is now.

So one wonders why it was so important to force the hand of the Village Manager - causing his immediate departure– before a plan was in place to secure his replacement?

I don’t know what you think, but I am all ears.