Predictions for 2011

It’s a New Year in Scarsdale, prompting us to look into our crystal ball to see what’s on the horizon. Scarsdale10583 asked a few friends and neighbors for their predictions for the coming year and here they are. Take a look at these and send in your forecasts for 2011 in the comments section below: Bruce Wells: President of the Scarsdale Forum

• We will have a new Mayor
• The Town and Village Civic Club Education Forum will officially change its name to Scarsdale Forum
• The indoor pool debate will come to a roaring boil as a consensus forms around a novel solution.
• The school budget will pass
• A town-wide revaluation will be approved.
• Real estate taxes will increase despite the best efforts of the Village and School Boards to control costs, primarily due to issues beyond their control.
• We will have a great time at the Scardale Forum's Holiday Party January 22nd. Become a member and join us!

Sara Werder: President of the Scarsdale Library' Board of Trustees

• The Scarsdale Library's first Spelling Bee for adults and teens on January 28, 2011 will become a Scarsdale tradition.
• The Scarsdale library's new Freegal service that allows each cardholder to legally download three songs each week will be hugely popular.

Jeff Blatt: Former President and Board Member of the Scarsdale School Board

• New York State will pass a tax cap law which threatens to make quality public education impossible. Scarsdalians will need to vote to pass the school budget, by at least a 60 percent margin to avoid the state mandated budget, and they will.
• Once again, we'll be forced to endure the ongoing complaints of a few myopic citizens that we pay our teachers too much money. Once again, voters will collectively yawn.

Jimmy Fink: 107.1 The Peak Radio

• "Spiderman, Turn Off The Dark" on Broadway gets horrible reviews when it finally officially opens, but nevertheless continues to fill the giant Foxwoods Theater on 42nd Street because of the sheer spectacle of the show.
• Coldplay releases new music that astounds and delights fans everywhere, further enhancing them as one of the biggest and best current musical acts.
• The Social Network and The King’s Speech sweep the Academy Award nominations in several categories.

Bob Bernstein: President of the Edgemont Community Council and Chair of the Edgemont Democratic Party

• Support for Edgemont's incorporation to become Greenburgh's seventh village will continue to grow as more and more residents come to learn that Edgemont itself can deliver essential municipal services for less money than if we remain a part of unincorporated Greenburgh where we cannot elect our own government and have no control over taxes, spending, planning and zoning.
• The Town of Greenburgh's elected government will continue to be dysfunctional, with none of the Town's elected officials willing to make the hard choices required in this upcoming town board election year to reduce spending, cut taxes and not borrow to fund current operating expenses.
• Despite partisan bickering, Westchester County's leaders will continue to work together to find new and inventive ways, without one-time gimmicks, to reduce our property tax burden without at the same time gutting the county's social safety net for those less fortunate.

Robert Berg: Chair of the Scarsdale Forum Assessment Revaluation Committee:

• The Board of Trustees will handily approve the first town-wide revaluation since 1969.

Lewis Arlt, Brokerage Manager at Houlihan Lawrence and President of the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce:

• Inventory will grow, due to pent up seller energy and folks waiting for the market to resume as it historically does in the Spring. Why? Some feel that the economic crisis has eased, bonus money will flow, and we must have hit the bottom. I hasten to add, I don’t necessarily agree with that analysis. Some of that bonus money may be in stock, not necessarily cash. Other equally smart people are saying we may well be facing a soft real estate market into late 2012. Why? Interest rates are heading north, hurting buying power.
• Foreclosed inventory will hit the market, and even though this may not appear to impact the bubble that is Scarsdale, national data does affect buyers’ attitudes nonetheless. The recession taught buyers that they no longer can, should or need to buy at the top of their purchasing power. Despite the holiday boom, there is a lack of consumer confidence on big ticket items, as folks face job uncertainty, much of it wrought by global interconnectedness. Buyers are seeking value most of all, and when they find it, they will buy.
• Liquidity will probably return, as has already started, but at prices reflecting the new market paradigm. (The good news: 197 single family homes have sold in Scarsdale so far this year, compared to 160 in all 2009, and 142 in 2008. The median price, however, stands at $1.2M, just below the 2004 level. Looking at the pipeline, of 85 Active houses on the market, 31 of them are in contract, which is a healthy 3 to 1 ratio.)
• How will the banks proceed? Will they loosen requirements on worthy, qualified borrowers, making it easier and speedier to secure a mortgage? Or will tighter standards drive some buyers into being tenants? Our hope is that a balance can be found: that buyers and sellers will find ways of achieving compromises in which each is a winner; and banks will lend sensibly but fairly. And may we all retain a memory of what brought the economy down, and strive to avoid a repeat in a few years in some other bubble.

What else?

• Work on the Popham Road Bridge will continue apace.
• Scarsdale will retain its unique blend of charming residences and neighborhoods, its peerless recreational and educational systems, and will continue to be one of the country’s premiere communities.

Joanne Wallenstein: Founder Scarsdale10583.com

And what do we hope for at Scarsdale10583 in 2011?

• An economic upturn that will bring increased business to local professionals, restaurants and retailers
• An improved job market for seasoned professionals, new graduates and everyone in between
• Heightened interest in local news on the web
• Continual growth in user interest, site traffic, and advertiser support for Scarsdale10583, Scarsdale’s #1 website