Village Voices

Details: Published: 23 February 2012; Created: 23 February 2012; Last Updated: 23 February 2012; Hits: 10192

Here is a letter from longtime resident David Brodsky who currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee:
To the Editor: I write in response to numerous attacks on the Scarsdale Non-Partisan System by Harry Reynolds, an independent candidate for Trustee in the election on March 20.

As a citizen of Scarsdale, Harry Reynolds has every right to run for Trustee and every right to his opinion on what he perceives to be the inadequacies of the Scarsdale Non-Partisan System. But, as Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, you're entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts.

The fact is that, because of the time-tested and proven system of fair, honest, and responsive government under the Non-Partisan System, Scarsdale has been largely free of the partisan sniping and character assassination that is typical of most partisan electoral systems in this country. The Non-Partisan System is based upon the feedback of residents of Scarsdale and others with whom proposed candidates have worked over years in civic, charitable, and other endeavors. Based on that feedback, the Citizens Nominating Committee and School Board Nominating Committee (two separate groups that select candidates for Mayor, Trustee and Village Justice and for the School Board) choose persons to run on the Non-Partisan slates because of their proven and verified leadership skills.

The fact is that the two Nominating Committees are made up of citizens who have gathered petitions to be placed on the ballot and are then elected by the population of their elementary school neighborhoods.

One can't have a closer representation of grass roots connections than what these Nominating Committees provide.

The fact is that, once members of the Nominating Committees have been chosen in an open and contested election, a call goes out to the general population for candidates to put themselves forward for consideration for Village-wide office, whether it be for Mayor, Trustee, Village Justice, or School Board member. Anyone who is over 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen and resident of Scarsdale can be a candidate. Mr. Reynolds could have decided to seek office in that way in 2012.

The fact is that all candidates fill out a publicly-posted questionnaire asking for their educational backgrounds, employment history, and prior commitments to the Scarsdale community and that each candidate is then asked to speak for 10 minutes and to answer the same three to four questions, which each candidate is supplied with before hand. The questions address basic issues relating only to the nominee’s experience, qualifications, and understanding of what a Trustee does (e.g., "What qualities and special skills do you bring from your background and experience which would be of value as Trustee?" "What is your understanding of the role of a Village Trustee relative to that of the Village staff, community, and other Trustees?"), and not to any specific issues.

The fact is that there is no questioning by members of the Nominating Committees -- never mind, hostile cross cnclogoa examination (which Mr. Reynolds recently implied he objected to facing in an op-ed piece he published). What matters is what the candidates say about themselves and their objective records, as attested to by people they have worked with over the years.

Mr. Reynolds complains that under Scarsdale’s Non-Partisan System, “'Issues' are anathema...[and that t]he committee’s object is to divine from the applicant’s history the applicant’s desirability..." But the fact is that “divining” is not what either of the Nominating Committees does; instead, each engages in extensive due diligence.

Based on what the candidate has done in his or her career, including in the Scarsdale community, the Committees seek out and speak to persons who have worked alongside each candidate in any of his or her prior positions. The purpose is to find candidates whose proven records in prior activities show them likely to be intelligent, independent, and creative leaders in our governing bodies. Only information from persons who are willing to be identified by name is allowed to be discussed during the nomination process. Thus, anonymous smears or hearsay play no role in the evaluative material used in judging whether a candidate should be selected.

The reason for this form of inquiry of candidates is plain: one doesn't know what issues will be coming before the Trustees or School Board from month to month, not to mention over a two or three year term. It could be revaluation, it could be development, it could be storm waters, it could be searching for new principals, it could be curriculum reform. What is the hot issue of the moment may not be an issue of concern in a future year.

What matters is not each candidate's point of view about particular issues but proven track record of working well with others, intelligence, inquisitiveness, and creativity. And, after this due diligence process, it is rare, indeed, for someone to be elected as a Trustee or School Board member without such a record reflecting dedication to working in a conscientious and collegial manner, without known biases or agendas.

Mr. Reynolds complains that the Non-Partisan process "keeps secret ... what is said when those applicants appear before its nominating committee..." But one can see why the confidence of discussions within the Nominating Committees is so important. As a member of the School Board Nominating Committee for three years and an observer this year of the Citizens Nominating Committee (by dint of being the incoming Chair of the Procedure Committee), I heard frank discussion of candidates' working habits, indifference to others' opinions, or lack of preparedness for meetings from friends and colleagues of one candidate or another who had first-hand experience with the candidate and who are willing to be quoted for attribution.

I believe that without such confidential discussions, it would be rare for such useful and necessary candor to be elicited, and, therefore, I believe that the confidence of discussions within the Nominating Committees serves a necessary and highly useful purpose. The Non-Partisan System needs – and the entire Scarsdale community benefits by -- such confidential candor in order to continue to produce the highly qualified candidates that it has historically done for 100 years.

Mr. Reynolds complains that campaigns are "uncontested," but they need not be, and have not been on several occasions within the last several years. Indeed, his own candidacy this year, the write-in candidacies last year, and the formation and election of candidates from newly-formed parties in prior years, makes clear that any person who believes himself qualified can be a candidate. Overall, it is the Scarsdale Non-Partisan System's very transparency, as well as the abundant number of volunteers who work for the betterment of Scarsdale, that has kept it as viable as it has been and hopefully will continue to be.

No one can defend the highly regrettable history of the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s, where qualified resident were excluded from participating in Scarsdale's civic life, and I don’t think that even Mr. Reynolds truly believes that such odious practices would be resurrected by the continuation of the Non-Partisan System. When I served as an observer of the Citizens Nominating Committee in December 2011 and January 2012, as well as when I served on the School Board Nominating Committee several years ago, both the committee members and the candidates for School Board and Trustee came from a variety of racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. The time when the secrecy of the Scarsdale Non- Partisan process was used to foster class or religious hatred or social injustice in Scarsdale is, thankfully, a vestige of our past, nonexistent in the present, and not a harbinger of our future.

Finally, Mr. Reynolds implies that he is running for Trustee so as to do away with the Non-Partisan System. But the Trustees of the Village have nothing to do with the processes by which candidates are selected, a fact that Mr. Reynolds appears not to understand. Every year, the voter-adopted Resolutions that govern the procedures followed by both the Village and School Board Nominating Committees, as well as the Non-Partisan election processes, are studied and, where desirable, proposed amendments are drafted by residents who are members of committees established under the Resolutions. These recommendations for changes are often adopted by residents of the Village in open elections.

This past November, nine such changes to the Non-Partisan Resolution governing the Village elections were adopted by the voters of Scarsdale, and just last month, another group of changes to the Resolution governing School Board elections were adopted by the voters. As with any electoral system, the Non- Partisan System is not perfect and if there are desirable changes to be made in the future, it will be residents of the Village, operating in those committees, who will recommend changes to be made, not the Trustees of the Village.

In closing, I urge all residents to vote on March 20 to support the candidates nominated under the Non- Partisan System -- Kay Eisenman, Jon Mark, and David Lee -- and elect them as Trustees of the Village. I also urge that any residents who question the merits of the Non-Partisan process to experience it first- hand by volunteering to run for election to the Citizen's or School Board Nominating Committees, rather than to speculate on imagined shortcomings.

Respectfully,

David M. Brodsky
Vice Chair, 2011-12 Scarsdale Procedure Committee
4 Burgess Road
Scarsdale, New York

Details: Published: 13 February 2012; Created: 13 February 2012; Last Updated: 13 February 2012; Hits: 3522

edgemonthigh The Edgemont School Administration proposed their 2012-13 school budget of $50,016,261, that includes a minimal spending increase of .31% over the current year's budget of $49,861,858. The proposed budget will result in a projected tax-rate increase of 3.42% that falls within the 2% New York State tax cap by factoring in a growth factor of 1.02% and including exemptions for capital expenditures, debt service and increases in the pension payment that exceed 2%.

The 3.42% tax levy increase is higher than the .31% budget-to-budget increase because tax assessments have significantly decreased assessed value. Commercial tax certioraris caused the district to refund money to commercial property owners for taxes overpaid in previous years and to also lower the assessed value of the properties for the future. In addition over 200 homeowners have filed for residential assessment reductions. The district expects close to a million dollars less in assessments from 2011-2012 and the decline in Edgemont's tax base will continue to pose challenges for the district.

The proposed school budget will require structural changes in the district, including the loss of teacher’s jobs and changes in programs and services. There will be a district-wide reduction in staff with head count cuts from 186 to 178 professionals. Some staff members will work fewer hours and others will be let go. There will be a loss of 1.5 full-time teaching positions in kindergarten through sixth grade and 5.15 positions at the secondary school level. Projected enrollment decreases contributed to the teacher cuts, especially at the elementary level. At the high school, the loss of teaching positions is due to the discontinuation of the Study Skills for Success program and the elimination of English and history electives. Other cost-savings measures could include the following:

Some electives that are now offered every year will be offered in alternating years.
The A school may be restructured
There may be increases in class size
Entry into the Science Scholars program may be delayed until tenth grade.

Sixth and ninth grade camps for the students will be discontinued. Modified sports will continue to be offered and though there will be no cuts to athletic teams, the teams will participate in fewer invitational tournaments, saving money on transportation and related expenses. The budget does allow for essential maintenance projects including $400,000 for new windows at Seely Place elementary school, the oldest of the district buildings. Funds for supplies and textbooks are down eight percent and all music consultants, except for the strings consultant, have been eliminated.

Many parents are concerned about the loss of teachers and have expressed these concerns to the administration. Others are upset that the 6th and 9th grade camps, a longstanding tradition in Edgemont have been suspended. The administration decided not to attempt to override the 2% cap by a vote of 60%, as this is the first year of the property tax levy cap. But administrators believe that the proposed budget preserves the Edgemont educational program.

The next BOE Meeting will be on Tuesday, February 14th at 8:15pm in the LGI. On February 15th, the Board will hold two budget forums, one at 9:00 am in the EHS Library and an evening "Budget 101" session at 7:30 pm in the LGI. If approved by the Board of Education, the budget will be put to a full vote of the community on May 15th. As the budget increase is under the property tax cap, it only needs to be approved by a majority vote, rather than the super majority of 60% for budgets that exceed the cap.

Details: Published: 01 February 2012; Created: 01 February 2012; Last Updated: 01 February 2012; Hits: 4064

hsflood2 The Scarsdale community tends to focus the lions’ share of their attention on the school budget, which accounts for about 65% of resident’s local tax bill, with the county taking another 18%, followed by the Village with 17%. Even though the Village portion is the smallest, your Village taxes pay for many of the services that define life in Scarsdale. Out of this portion comes funds for the roads, snow plowing and pothole repairs, recreation including the pool, day camp, tennis/paddle courts and fireworks, the library and even the community gardens you find around town.

For 2012-13, the Village expense budget is projected to be $48.5 million with projected revenues of $47.1 million. The revenues are derived primarily from real estate taxes that account for $32 million of the total. Other revenue line items include sales tax, recreation and camp fees, licenses and permits such as building permits, and fines and forfeitures at $879,000 (feed the meter or you’ll be contributing to this revenue stream!). Another big item is mortgage taxes which account for $1.4 million in revenues.

On the expense side, $7.3 million is spent on the Public Works Department, for sanitation, roadwork, snowplowing, leaf pick-up and landscaping with $6.2 million for the police force and another $5.4 million for the Fire Department. The Village’s employee pension payment accounts for $4.3 million with health and other benefits adding up to another $8.3 million. Another big piece is the library at $3.45 million.

Despite growing state mandated expenses, Village Manager Al Gatta has proposed a budget for 2012-13 that actually falls within the 2% property tax levy cap. There is a projected budget gap of $1,392,614, the difference between projected revenues and expenses - which would require a 4.435% tax rate increase. But New York State has allowed exemptions from the tax levy cap for certain projected expenses such as $303,000 in pension expenditures (.965% on the tax rate) and $255,609 in the loss in the assessed value of Scarsdale real estate, (.814% on the tax rate). With these exemptions the tax rate increase comes down to 2.044%. This 4.435% increase would translate to an annual increase of $239 for the average Scarsdale household.

However, it is important to note that this budget does not include funds for the tax revaluation project, estimated at $1 million, nor funds to alleviate flooding in the Sheldrake River area in Murray Hill/Middle Heathcote. The current budget does include $1 million for road repairs, which is in line with prior year’s appropriations.

So – the good news is that Village expenditures are under control. However, if you were hoping to see the revaluation go through, or to have the Sheldrake River flooding addressed, you may want to make your thoughts known. Consider sending a letter or an email to Village Hall or attending a public briefing session on the Village budget on Thursday February 23 at 6:30 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall.

Details: Published: 06 February 2012; Created: 06 February 2012; Last Updated: 07 February 2012; Hits: 5014

scanner In response to concerns about a recent spate of burglaries in Greenacres, the Greenacres Association set up a community-wide meeting with the Scarsdale Police at Greenacres School on February 1. Over sixty residents turned out to discuss break-ins on Park Road, Eton Road, Fairview Road, River Road and Greenacres Avenue, and wanted to know what the police are doing to protect the area. Many had break-ins at their own homes or at neighboring homes and were concerned about a perceived lack of a police presence in the area.

Police opened the meeting by sharing year-over-year crime statistics, which surprisingly showed that the number of burglaries in Scarsdale overall was down from 45 in 2010 to 18 in 2011. However seven out of the 18 burglaries last year took place in Greenacres.

In response to the burglaries Scarsdale detectives reported that they dusted for fingerprints and sent any physical evidence to the Westchester Crime Lab for analysis. Descriptions of stolen jewelry are cross-referenced with lists of pawnshop sales from Westchester County and investigated on “Leads Online” that also catalogues transactions of stolen goods. Scarsdale Police are sharing information with police in nearby areas – and this cooperation lead to the arrest of two men who were charged with breaking into a Greenacres Avenue home in September, 2011.

Police noted that all of the burglaries this year took place in homes that had no alarm or did not have the alarm system armed. Most of the break-ins were at homes near parkways or larger roadways that serve as escape routes. They took place between 7:30 am and noon or from 5-8pm when it gets dark. For the most part, these were crimes of opportunity that took place in unoccupied homes.

However, one home on Fairview Road was burglarized while the homeowners were asleep. Police believe the back door may have been unlocked or not properly secured as there was no sign of forced entry. Electronics and a purse was taken and this incident did now match the circumstances of the other burglaries.

In order to step up security, police have taken the following measures:

License plate readers are now being used to record license plate numbers of cars in the area
Marked patrol units have been assigned to Greenacres
Unmarked and undercover cars are being used to patrol
Bicycle patrols have been assigned
Police have gone door to door in Greenacres to provide crime prevention tips and create awareness.

In order to prevent burglaries, Police provided the following advice:

Leave lights and televisions on timers when you are out.
Use motion sensing outdoor security lights
Turn on the alarm system
Keep all doors locked
Install “pet immune motion sensors
Install glass break sensors on doors and windows
Be an observant neighbor
Don’t use social networking to broadcast that you are away
Consider the installation of video surveillance cameras
Store your valuables in a safe.
If you see something, call police immediately and take down license plate numbers.

Some of the residents at the meeting suspected that the burglaries on Park and Fairview Roads were related to construction in the area and wanted to know if police had records of how many burglaries occurred near construction sites. They urged police to go to the construction sites and gather names of workers. However police reported that similar incidents have recently taken place across the White Plains border on Soundview Avenue.

Residents on Fairview were also concerned about a fence that was taken down that blocked access to Fairview from Park Road. They asked for more patrols of their area so that workers would notice the police presence. One resident urged the Village to consider installing surveillance cameras on the streets and others were concerned that police were not doing enough to investigate these crimes. The police officers stayed to answer all questions and advised parents to tell their children that if they had a concern while home alone, to call the police FIRST and then to call their parents. The tenor of the meeting was serious and it was evident that some no longer feel safe in their homes.

When asked for a comment following the meeting, Lieutenant Thomas Altizio of the Scarsdale Police said, “We are continuing to investigate all burglaries, and ask that the community be vigilant in securing their homes and utilizing alarm systems. We encourage residents to immediately report any suspicious persons or activities to the Scarsdale Police Department so it can be investigated.” The Scarsdale Police can be reached by calling 722-1200 or dialing 911 in an emergency.

Details: Published: 24 January 2012; Created: 24 January 2012; Last Updated: 26 January 2012; Hits: 3906

In response to residents’ complaints about a highly restrictive code for the installation of home generators in Scarsdale, the Scarsdale Trustees Law Committee met on the evening of January 18, 2012 to review the code and get input on revising it. The current code requires that the generator’s noise level cannot exceed 55 decibels at the nearest property line, that the generator be placed in the backyard and be positioned 20 feet from the property line.

John Goodwin from the Village Manager’s Office did some research on the issue and reported that since 2006, 151 residents have applied for permits to install home generators and 113 were approved. Variances were requested by 18 residents, with most asking for permission to place the generator in the side yard rather than the backyard as the code currently requires. Only 63 Certificates of Occupancy have been granted to date as some have not followed through with the building department or the installation has not been completed.

Goodwin also surveyed neighboring towns and found that most require the maximum sound level to be 70-75 decibels, rather than 55 decibels. Though Scarsdale has the same sound requirement for air conditioning units as generators, there are no requirements about the placement of air conditioning units.

In discussion at the meeting, Mayor Flisser noted that since she has been Mayor there have been three big storms, with power outages lasting 4 days, despite pressure applied to Con Edison to restore power more quickly. She noted that power is essential to relieve flooding in some resident’s basements during these storm periods.

Two local contractors were in the audience and provided information about the generators that are available on the market. Though a quiet generator that only emits 55 decibels is available, it is twice as expensive as louder models. The cost for the quiet unit was quoted at $26,000 vs. the louder units at $12,000.

Trustee Richard Toder noted that these generators are only used for a very limited time during emergency situations, and noise is not an overriding factor. He suggested that provisions for noise, setbacks and location be re-examined.

Chairing the meeting Trustee Brodsky commented that if the code for legally installing a generator is restrictive, and the price of the legal unit is prohibitive, it will increase the chance that residents will purchase temporary generators and hook them up themselves. This can be dangerous and therefore she favored modifying the code to make it feasible for more residents to install a legal generator.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the trustees asked the staff to make a recommendation to address the noise, location and setback requirements in order to draft code that provides more flexibility and would allow residents to install emergency generators without requiring a variance.