Candidates Needed for the Citizen’s Nominating Committee
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The Procedure Committee invites eligible Scarsdale Residents to run for election on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, to the Citizen’s Nominating Committee (CNC), the non-partisan group that chooses candidates for major Village offices. This is one of two venues for citizens to participate in the non-partisan electoral process in Scarsdale (the other being the School Board Nominating Committee Election). Once elected, the 10 new members of the CNC will join 20 sitting CNC members in four or five meetings to propose and choose individuals to run in the Village election next March for three Trustee positions and Mayor. These candidates run under the banner of the Scarsdale Non-Partisan Party, and since they often run unopposed, by choosing them the CNC effectively chooses the Village government.
CNC members are expected to attend all meetings, to serve for three years (10 of the 30 members retire and are replaced each year), and to serve on the Procedure Committee for one year after their retirement from the CNC. CNC meeting dates for 2012-2013 will be Sunday, December 2; Sunday, January 6; Sunday, January 13, Wednesday, January 23 and, if necessary, Sunday, January 27.
Eligible CNC candidates have to be registered voters and to have lived in Scarsdale for at least two years. In addition, CNC candidates cannot be currently on the School Board Nominating or Administrative Committees, the Board of Education, the Board of Trustees or the Procedure Committee.
Candidates run for one of two CNC positions in their elementary school district. A minimum of two candidates are needed per position, 4 candidates per school district and a minimum total of 20 candidates to run for 10 CNC positions this year.
To run, candidates must file a nominating petition with 10 signatures of registered voters from their elementary school district, as well as a short biographical sketch. Forms for both are available as downloads from the Procedure committee website http://scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org/forms.htm . They may also be obtained at the Scarsdale Library, Village Hall, from the Chair of the Procedure Committee (David Brodsky, dmbrodsky@verizon.net, 725-8437) or the Vice Chair (Eli Mattioli, eli.mattioli@klgates.com).
The deadline for filing both forms is Sept 30; after this date, candidates for any school district will only be accepted if there are fewer than two candidates for that district. The nominating petitions must be filed as hardcopy with original signatures, while the biographical sketches must be filed as MS Word or text files, preferably as email attachments.
Stand With Us to Counter Anti-Israeli Billboard Campaign at Metro North Stations
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Israel education group StandWithUs is countering the anti-Israel billboard campaign at Metro North stations in Westchester by placing six of its own ads beginning the week of July 30 for one month. They appear on similar platforms as the anti-Israel ads including Scarsdale, Mt. Kisco, Chappaqua and White Plains stations for a total of 75 ads.
The StandWithUs billboard campaign will highlight Israel's history, its gifts to the world, and underscore the Palestinians' refusal to say yes to peace.
One StandWithUs billboard informs viewers that the land of Israel, renamed Palestine by the conquering Romans in 135 CE, has been the Jewish homeland for over 3,000 years. A second billboard features a picture of the Bible along with the tagline, "According to this 3,000-year-old best seller, Israel is the Jewish homeland." The third visually details how Palestinians have said no to territorial compromise and peace repeatedly since 1937. A fourth billboard underlines the fact that Israel saves water through cutting-edge water conservation technology that is being exported around the world. The fifth shows how Israeli technology helps Americans, in part by creating American jobs. The sixth shows a Palestinian and Israeli boy hugging, reminding viewers that Israel Needs a Partner for Peace and urging the Palestinian leaders to accept Israel as its Jewish neighbor. Viewers will be directed to learn more at either www.sayyestopeace.org or www.onlyisrael.org .
"We cannot allow the public to be misled by the factual distortions in yet another anti-Israel campaign. We are committed to countering 
anti-Israel campaigns whenever they appear," stated Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.
“Anti-Israel activists continuously try to undermine American support for Israel with campaigns that misrepresent Israel and its history. The anti-Israel ads are a shocking distortion of history. The message presumes there once was an Arab Palestine, when in fact no such country ever existed. As two of our billboards point out, this region has been recognized as the Jewish homeland for over 3,000 years. Our billboards will show some of the documentation to prove this fact-- the Arch of Titus in Rome, as well as the Bible. Our billboards will focus on the real Israel--its vibrancy, creativity, and humanitarianism--and underscore that Israel is on the forefront, working alongside the U.S., of making the world a better place," explained Rothstein.
"The founding of modern Israel was an act of historical justice. The injustice is that Palestinian Arabs have continued to reject all territorial compromises for peace. That’s why one of our billboards will detail the number of times that Palestinians have said no to territorial compromise and peace," stated Avi Posnick, regional coordinator of the New York chapter of StandWithUs. "Our billboard campaigns highlight how just Israel’s founding was, how MUCH it has sought peace with its neighbors, and how it is fulfilling its goal of helping people around the world."
StandWithUs (SWU) is an eleven year-old, international, non-profit Israel education organization that supports people around the world who want to educate their own local campuses and communities about Israel. Learn more at: www.standwithus.com .
Books Wanted for the Friends of the Scarsdale Library Sale
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Are you looking to clear some shelf space and get rid of old books? The Friends of the Scarsdale Library is now accepting lightly used books for their annual book sale. Books can be donated from now through Saturday, August 25th and should be left inside the gray door at the side of the Scarsdale Library. The library is located at 54 Olmsted Road at Route 22, Scarsdale, NY. Books should be in saleable condition. Damaged, moldy or dog-chewed books will not be accepted; nor will textbooks, encyclopedias or magazines.
The Book Sale boasts more than 60,000 almost-new and out-of-print books, including bestsellers, classics, biographies, fiction, parenting, cooking, art, computers, humor, self-help, drama, religion, business and poetry. There is also a large selection of books for children, as well as DVDs, CDs, videotapes, books on tape, and sheet music. More than $45,000 was raised last year. All proceeds from the sale support library programs and projects.
Westchester County’s premier book sale will begin on Friday, September 7th from 7 to 9 pm with a “Friends” preview. New members may join at the door that evening for $25. The sale will run until Sunday, September 16th. New books are added to the sale daily.
For more information, please contact Kathy Steves at Steves10583@gmail.com. The Scarsdale Public Library is located at 54 Olmsted Road, Scarsdale, NY, 10583. Phone: (914) 722-1300.
New Restaurant, Stores and an Indie Theatre Coming Soon
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A few of the empty storefronts in Scarsdale Village will soon be brought back to life. The space once occupied by shoe repair merchant Vaccaros, which closed almost a year ago after 82 years in the village, will be transformed into a Middle Eastern wine and tapas bar. The new restaurant will be run by the owners of Taiim Falafel Shack in Hastings on Hudson and they hope to open in the fall.
Also in the works for Scarsdale Village are a blow dry bar and a new audio and home theatre merchant. However, many spaces remain vacant, including the large Waterworks store that runs between East Parkway and Harwood Court, several stores on Harwood Court and the spaces formerly occupied by Good Life Gourmet and Verizon on Spencer Place.
Are high rents the cause of these vacancies? We noticed that the space formerly occupied by Mayfair Court on Harwood Place is renting for $62 a square foot, which translates to $4,667 per month, or $56,919 per year. The former Waterworks Store, which is 2.953 square feet of space is also listed for $14,765 per month. Comparable locations in Bronxville are listed at $40 a square foot, two-thirds of the prices in Scarsdale.
Farther afield, another new treat is in store. Now you will be able to eat dinner while watching independent films. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is set to open in Yonkers this holiday season, one of several new movie theaters opening in Westchester. The new theater at 2500 Central Park Avenue will present indie and foreign films in addition to larger blockbuster hits. Alamo theaters are unique in that they allow moviegoers to enjoy a full meal during the film. The Alamo theater is just one of many new openings in Yonkers, including the opening of an Apple store, adding to Yonkers reputation of being a sixth borough or sorts.
Yonkers isn’t the only Westchester town receiving a new movie theater. Sundance Cinemas is planning on opening a new theater in Ardsley. Sundance is known for providing, in the words of Sundance Group President, Robert Redford, “a grown-up movie going experience,” playing only the finest movies from around the world. However, an environmental impact statement needs to be completed before construction can proceed for Rivertowns Square, a new complex along the Saw Mill River Parkway that will house the Sundance Theatres.
Stand With Us To Counter Pro-Palestinian Billboards
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Avi Posnick of StandWithUs forwarded the following to Scarsdale10583.com in response to the article about the pro-Palestinian billboards at Metro North train stations: StandWithUs (SWU), a non-profit international group will counter the Pro-Palestinian billboards posted at ten Metro-North stations with their own billboards that talk about Israel's achievements and desire for a partner for peace. SWU is an 11 year-old, non-profit, international Israel education organization. They will place at least 50 ads after the anti-Israel ones come down and in similar locations. They are in the process of refining their messaging with CBS Outdoors and will soon release a photo of their billboards.
StandWithUs has countered anti-Israel billboards wherever they've appeared. In September, 2011 SWU countered 25 anti-Israel ads in New York's subway system with 25 ads that informed the public that “Israel Needs a Partner for Peace.”
In 2007 and 2009, SWU ads appeared in Washington, DC, Albuquerque and Houston (with Bridge Houston), with the 
message, "Teach Peace, Not Hate." In 2010, it was Chicago's Metro system, and SWU allied with other groups to successfully persuade Seattle's Metro to reject proposed ads with inflammatory, anti-Israel accusations. In 2011-12, SWU countered four anti-Israel ads in San Francisco BART. In April 2012, SWU placed billboards in Denver with the message, "Baby Israela, delivered by Israeli Medics in Haiti. Israel Saves Lives." SWU's plan to counter anti-Israel ads in Los Angeles in June, 2012 were derailed when CBS Outdoors pulled the anti-Israel ads because campaigners were misusing the company's name in e-mails and petitions.
To learn more visit www.standwithus.com .
