Help Govern Your Village by Running for the CNC

Update 9-13-12: The Procedure Committee continues to look for candidates to the CNC. The deadline for submission of petitions and bios is September 30 and they should be mailed or dropped off to David M. Brodsky at 4 Burgess Road, Scarsdale 10583.
This letter was submitted to Scarsdale10583 by David Brodsky, Chair of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee: It's September. It's not only back to school and the end of summer. September is also the time that the Scarsdale Procedure Committee recruits candidates to run for election by Scarsdale voters to the Citizen's Nominating Committee (CNC).

What’s the CNC, you ask? It is the Committee that you, residents of Scarsdale, elect to help select candidates to run for Mayor and Trustee. As you have all heard, Scarsdale's political system is unique. We are not controlled by the standard political parties that have a stranglehold on local governments in our surrounding towns. Quite frankly, the traditional labels of Democrat or Republican or others don't really mean much in Scarsdale politics. Our village is responsible for our roads, fire, police, building codes, zoning, trash removal and the nuts and bolts that keep our village looking good and working well.

But, even more importantly, our political system removes the corrupting influence of money in our election process. This is a universally accepted goal of all election reform, and we have carried it out to the highest degree possible. While our elections are not free, and we require money to run them, the candidates themselves are not required to raise large sums of money to mount a campaign to get elected. We get the best people to run for office without the fund raising and popularity contests that are typical of partisan elections.

So just how does our system work? Glad you asked. It is the job of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee to run an election for Scarsdale voters to fill 10 open slots every year in the Citizen's Nominating Committee. The CNC is composed of 6 representatives from each elementary school district, for a total of 30 members. A CNC term is 3 years, so we need 10 new candidates a year (unless there is a vacancy for various reasons).

The Procedure Committee runs a contested election every November after the national or state elections. There are always at least 2 candidates for every open position. This ensures democratically elected candidates that are the choice of their neighborhoods.

Once the CNC’s new members are elected, the CNC meets and solicits candidates for Trustee and Mayor. Anyone interested in being a candidate for Mayor or the Village Board of Trustees can present in front of the CNC by filling out some simple paper work. The CNC considers anyone who presents. The CNC then vets all the candidates, does extensive and confidential due diligence, so honest and attributed views are obtained, and then votes for which persons will be nominated to run for election as a Trustee and Mayor. It then assists the candidates to obtain the necessary petition signatures to be on the ballot. In essence, the CNC is an executive search committee that finds the Scarsdale residents who will continue our high standards for governance. But even if a person is not selected by the CNC, that person can still get on the ballot to run, by procuring signatures on a nominating petition.

I have observed the process, and I can say that the system has consistently produced terrific candidates for the jobs being filled. No system is 100%, but the CNC is about as close as one can get. Scarsdale has been well served by the choices the CNC has made.

So how can you support the Scarsdale political process and insure the continued good governance that has made Scarsdale a high-end brand name nationwide?

First, you can run for the CNC. This is a no cost option (although feel free to donate in addition). You simply get the forms from our web site at http:// www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org and fill them out with your local civic resume. Don't worry if it looks a bit thin, the important thing is you are doing your part to help the future of Scarsdale. You will also need to collect 10 signatures of your neighbors to vouch for you, but I am sure you have at least 10 friends in your school district. Your paper work should be in by September 30th to guarantee you a spot in the election. Elections for CNC will be held November 14th at Village Hall.

The next thing you can do is donate to the Scarsdale Procedure Committee. While we have removed the money from the election process, we will need a little money to run the actual election and do a village wide mailing. If every household gave just one dollar, we would be set. But we all know that will never happen. So instead, we are asking all Scarsdale patriots to donate what ever they can, with a suggested donation of $30 to $35. More or less if you feel like it. We now accept Paypal on our web site http:// www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org , so you can use any major credit card. Paypal is quick, easy, and secure. Or send us a check made payable to "The Procedure Committee” and mail it to PO Box 86 Scarsdale, NY 10583.

So there you have our local political system in a nutshell. Please support great government by donating to the The Procedure Committee and by running for the CNC. The future of Scarsdale depends on your support.

David M. Brodsky
Chair, Scarsdale Procedure Committee

Eli Mattioli
Vice Chair, Scarsdale Procedure Committee