ECC Honors Paul Solomon

On Wednesday, April 27th, the Edgemont Community Council (ECC) held its annual meeting in the Greenville School cafeteria. Over 100 people attended the "standing room only" meeting which commenced with the ECC President's welcome to the community and the Treasurer's financial report, followed by the annual elections of Officers and Directors. Long time resident Geoff Loftus was elected as president of the ECC. Geoff and his wife live on the Greenville side of Edgemont and their son is a junior at the high school. Geoff recently published his book, "Lead Like Ike" on Dwight Eisenhower's strong leadership abilities before and during the D-Day invasion.

The coveted Silver Bowl Award was presented at the meeting to Paul Solomon for distinguished community service to Edgemont. Paul has been a teacher at Greenville School for over 35 years and is the executive director of Edgemont Recreation Corporation. Over the years, Edgemont Rec has donated close to two million dollars to the school district. Currently he is the fifth grade teacher at Greenville and is well liked by parents and students alike. He is also the president of the Edgemont Teachers Association (ETA). In June, he will officially retire from Edgemont; he was one of the twelve teachers who took the early retirement incentive package from the Board of Education earlier this year.

Several audience members spoke about Paul at the meeting beginning with Nancy Taddiken, Edgemont Schools superintendent. Paul and Nancy have known each other since 1981 and Nancy spoke fondly of Paul's commitment to the Edgemont school district and to his family and friends. She commended him for making a difference in the lives of all the children he taught for the past 37 years at Greenville. Last year, Paul had the honor of speaking about Nancy when she received the Silver Bowl Award. Then fellow Greenville teacher and coach, Tom Blank, spoke about how Paul cared about every single student in the school district. Paul's fifth grade colleagues, Rose Farrell and Barbara Frascella, spoke about how much Paul has done for all his Edgemont colleagues as President of the ETA. Dr. Barry Friedman, Edgemont high school principal and former ETA president, spoke humorously about Paul and reminded Paul that although he had served for 6 years as ETA president, he had himself served for 15 years as ETA president. Barry then honored Paul by calling him "a very dedicated teacher, an advocate for all teachers, and a great friend." Finally, Greenville parent David Chao, spoke about Paul teaching his children at Greenville.

Paul received a standing ovation as he was presented the Silver Bowl Award and spoke of being inspired by his own teachers growing up. He called his teachers his role models and was grateful and blessed to have been a teacher in Edgemont for so many years. He was honored to receive the Silver Bowl Award and although he looked forward to retirement, he will miss teaching and will continue to be involved in the community. He thanked all the speakers for their kind words.

Then in addition to receiving the silver bowl, Paul was honored by Westchester County Legislator Mary Jane Shimsky who presented Paul with a declaration from the Westchester County Board of Legislature declaring April 27th, 2011 as Paul Solomon Day. She called Paul "a life-changing teacher; a 24/7, 365 days a year teacher." Paul was also presented with a similar declaration from the Town of Greenburgh proclaiming April 27th, 2011 as Paul Solomon Day in the Town of Greenburgh. This is the first time that Greenburgh has presented this award.

The meeting continued with guest speaker, former Scarsdale Mayor Carolyn Stevens, who spoke on "Municipal Government: Controlling Your Own Destiny.” She explained the structure of Scarsdale’s government which is essentially run by dedicated volunteers who have a desire to make the best possible decisions for Scarsdale. The village has an elected mayor and town board, as well as a professional manager and deputy manager. The manager and mayor have a close working relationship and consult each other on all areas including the many snow removal issues during this past winter. Mayor Stevens called the non-partisan system a collaborative approach to governing, rather than a form of government. She felt Scarsdale's system had served the village well since the 1920s because it reflects the values of the residents. She had a wonderful experience as Scarsdale's mayor and feels that the non-partisan system works well because you don't come into office with set positions; rather you come into office with an open mind on all issues.

Several audience members asked questions about last winter's severe weather which caused many Scarsdale residents to lose power for a number of days. Mayor Stevens explained how she worked hard day and night dealing with Con Edison, and found that they preferred to deal with elected officials rather than professional managers. She used internet sites such as Scarsdale10583.com to communicate with Scarsdale residents to let them know the status of the power restoration. As a result of the storm, an emergency call system to all Scarsdale residents that is now used during emergencies. She was also asked about the difference between a professional manager and a mayor. She explained that the professional manager runs the village on a daily basis, while the mayor and the village board set policies for the village. Another resident commented that she found her local Edgemont streets much better plowed this past winter than the streets she encountered when driving through Scarsdale.

The meeting ended with all the previous Silver Bowl winners gathered together with Paul Solomon for a group picture to commemorate the special occasion.