The View from Edgemont: Do Contested Elections Make the System Stronger?

I have been reading with great interest the recent articles posted here on nominating committees in Scarsdale and was not surprised to read that many intelligent and well educated people do not understand why Scarsdale elects a “non-partisan” committee of nominators to nominate candidates for a “no-contest” election. As Scarsdale residents debate whether their non-partisan system needs revamping, I asked Edgemont residents about Edgemont's own nominating system: the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) sponsored by the Edgemont Community Council. The purpose of the SBNC is to put forth the exact number of candidates for the vacant seats on the Board of Education each year.

One longtime resident said: I never really gave it much thought but I think a Nominating Committee runs contrary to what a democracy is all about. Why should a few people get to decide who they think are good candidates for the School Board as opposed to letting the community as a whole decide? Every person's vote should count the same. And, in a way, the Nominating Committee probably tends to perpetuate the status quo as I suspect they are inclined to favor similar-type people.

Laura Cooperman, another longtime resident and former member of the SBNC, said: The idea of the nominating committee is a good one - the community is asked for names of candidates, those candidates are vetted in private by the nominating committee (who have been elected by their civic associations), therefore eliminating campaigning and the mudslinging so often seen in politics, and then the most qualified candidates are presented to the community for election. Hopefully those who are not given the nomination are told what they can do to become stronger candidates, and are encouraged to considering running again in the future. The dark side to the current nominating committee process is that it could potentially be manipulated, and private agendas could be disguised as "what is best for the community." To maintain the integrity of our current process complete transparency is necessary, meaning absolutely no private conversations or emails among nominating members regarding any of the candidates. Any discussion about candidates, whether electronic or otherwise, need to happen in the presence of the full committee. Further, it is the right of community members seeking a position on the BOE to run outside of the nominating process; and while not ideal, it should be remembered that candidates running outside the system are our neighbors and are attempting to volunteer in a meaningful and important way.

Another resident expressed confusion at the system and questioned what is wrong with having a choice on election day the way they do in his former neighborhood of Eastchester. He feels that contrary to beliefs that contested elections can get "dirty," contested election candidates get to express their views and opinions on the issues facing the schools and everyone knows where they stand on important issues. He used to vote for whomever he thought would be the best candidate. Last year, he voted in Edgemont for two residents because they were the only two names on the ballot and he was supposed to pick two. But he had no idea where either one of them stood on any issue, especially class sizes which his family is very concerned about.

As for my opinion: I ran in the May 2010 Edgemont BOE election without the SBNC's endorsement and am proud of doing so. Even though I lost the election, I won the respect of many people and helped educate people about nominating committees. Voter turnout was very high that year and I recall that the Edgemont budget easily passed. Residents were fine with a contested election and Edgemont did not fall apart because of it, rather I think it made Edgemont stronger with more interest in the school budget and BOE proceedings.

See a response to this piece from SBNC Chair Marc Ackerman here:

Caroline Tzelios is a "stay at home" mom of three kids who never stays at home. She has spent the past thirteen years volunteering in the Edgemont Schools and recently completed her two year term as PTSA co-president of Edgemont High School. She is the current co-chair of Edgemont's ACE Theater Committee and serves on the Edgemont School Foundation and E Club boards.