The 2016 Reval: We're All in this Together

This an opinion piece from site owner Joanne Wallenstein:
There's not much to be said about the 2016 revaluation that hasn't been said already –not once, but over and over and over again. And not just said .... but even screamed.

So I'll take this opportunity to say what hasn't been said and what badly needs to be conveyed.

Those who are unhappy with their assessments, about 19% of homeowners, seem to be looking for someone to blame. They are pointing fingers at the Village Assessor, the Village Attorney and the man who conducted the second revaluation, John F. Ryan. They are singling out the trustees and deriding the Mayor, even insinuating that the individuals on the Board of Trustees stood to gain from their revised assessments.

As Mayor Mark noted, many leading this angry charge have rarely come to Village Hall and few participate in Scarsdale's democratic, non-partisan system. Yet, now, believing they have been unjustly treated, they are storming village meetings and writing copious complaints. They seek to humiliate both village staffers and their neighbors and peers who have volunteered to serve the community. They speak out of turn, yell out from their seats, fail to respect time limits and lack respect for some of Scarsdale's finest, most intelligent public servants.

From where I sit, I see that our Mayor, who has lived in Scarsdale for most of his life and loves this town with all his heart, is being belittled and demeaned. The entire Board of Trustees, who have listened patiently and thoughtfully to residents' complaints, often appear surprised and taken aback by the tone of their constituency.

It is difficult to sit in the audience and watch this ugly campaign. No matter how unhappy you might be about the valuation of your property this time around, the Mayor and the trustees are our neighbors, our friends, and people who volunteer because they love our community.

I can't help but think back to June 2014 when after the first revaluation, a different group came to Village Hall to object to their new assessments. They were angry as well – but often opened their comments by thanking the Board for serving before bringing forth their complaints in a respectful fashion. These folks were persistent as well, and ultimately, the Board voted to conduct a second revaluation to address these perceived inequities. It had been 45 years since a reval had been done; changing the values of all properties in the village was bound to be traumatizing for a number of people, and in retrospect it doesn't seem shocking that it might take more than one attempt to get the job done as fairly as possible.

Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes there are unanticipated consequences of well-intentioned actions. This seems one of those times. Village Board members have expressed tremendous unhappiness with the outcome of the second reval. They are not failing to listen, or oblivious to the issues being raised (again and again) about the second reval. They have explored the available avenues for ameliorating residents' concerns. Short of another reval, authorized by the next board, or two boards from now, there is nothing that can be done on a village-wide level. This is as frustrating to the Mayor and trustees as it is to anyone who has been complaining.

So before you come to Village Hall and excoriate the leadership, or threaten a lawsuit because you want the people in charge to do something that they can't actually do, think about whom you are attacking. Your so-called enemies are really no different from yourselves, concerned educated, passionate residents who love Scarsdale as much as you do ... and the Village would need to use your own tax dollars to defend the suit!

It's time to stop hating them and shaming them for working on the community's behalf. If you care about Village government, become a part of the solution, and become instrumental in working through the problems from the inside.