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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 28 January 2014

Created: 28 January 2014

Last Updated: 12 February 2014

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The snow and cold did not deter almost a hundred people from attending the Scarsdale League of Women Voters  Winter Fundraiser last Saturday night, January 25 at the home of Ira and Janice Starr.  The warm atmosphere was enjoyed by League members and friends including Eliot Engel (U.S. House of Representatives District 16), Amy Paulin (NYS Assembly District 88) , Benjamin Boykin II (Westchester County Legislator District 5), Mayor Bob Steves and many members of the Scarsdale Village and School Boards.

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Written by: Ali Farfel

Published: 22 January 2014

Created: 22 January 2014

Last Updated: 22 January 2014

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At the Scarsdale Alternative School, January internships are a key part of the program. It is one of the first high school internship programs in the United States and was the model for Scarsdale's Senior Option program for graduating high school seniors. For students, January internships provide a break from the intense stress and work routine that accompanies school, and offers a glimpse into the working world and what it might hold for their futures. A-school students in their Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years are required to find internships during the month of January, giving them ample opportunity to learn the basics of many different fields of study that may interest them down the road. There are hundreds of options to choose from, including working at hospitals, photography studios, or even for the Scarsdale Inquirer. Howard Rodstein, Director of the Alternative School, praised the program, saying, "By accessing the working world, we would break open the fourth wall of the school." He also mentioned that students learn to problem solve in a way that you couldn't necessarily learn to in a math or english class. "The students later have an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and share them with the rest of the students," he added. It is one of the most exciting aspects of the year for students who participate.

Here are a few experiences of this year's A-School interns:

Senior Hannah Cooperman, chose to work as a dental assistant for Prosthodontic and Implant Associates in Mamaroneck. She works six days a week, while still attending non A-school classes. Hannah was both impressed by the office and excited to help out. She commented, "I learned a lot on my first day so hopefully I will continue to do that throughout the month." Although she mostly follows the paid dental assistants for now, she is hopeful that as she learns her way around she will be allowed more independence. About the internship program she exclaimed, "I love it. I feel like I have more of a purpose than I do during the rest of the school year and it helps to manage my time."

Another student, junior Austin Serling, is working at Platinum Drive Realty in the Golden Horseshoe. For the company, he will be creating reports by gathering statistics and researching trends in real estate. Austin explained that this data will then be distributed to the clients. "I am working every morning and some afternoons," he said. His first impression of the company was that, "They were all very quick to get to work, and they are always trying hard to get the clients to do what is best for them." As of now Austin has been working a lot with his sponsor, but in the future he will need to work at home, similar to the experience of many adults.

While some students have internships that are exciting and fun, others end up sitting and watching. Natalie Keith is a junior who is a very talented photographer. This year she is working as an assistant for Peter Hurley Photography, hoping to learn even more about the art of picture taking. Unfortunately, she is not taking pictures on her own, but "running errands and answering phone calls." Natalie works every day and has to commute back and forth to the city. "It's not annoying to go back and forth," she said of the commute made daily by so many adults. The good thing is that she is very familiar with the city and has no trouble navigating the busy streets. During her first week at work, she was able to observe a photo shoot. "It's really fast paced but a good learning experience," she explained.

Junior Hannah Wolloch has one of the more novel internships this year. Hannah is working with the owner of Gotham Comedy Club and Manhattan Comedy School. "I'm basically promoting their classes and their 'new talent shows' (where people who want to showcase their talent get up and perform rough standup routines at the club). I'm also helping with video shoots and comedy seminars." Hannah works 2-5 hours a day from Monday through Friday and some Saturdays. When asked about the commute by train to the city, she exclaimed, "It's actually one of my favorite parts of the day! It's so relaxing and it gives me time to organize myself before work and relax on the way home." She oftentimes works alongside her sponsor, but has many opportunities to work on her own as well. Her first impressions of the internship were great. Hannah explained, "The environment seemed really cool, but I could tell I would be doing a lot of work." The workload didn't matter to her though, as she was just fortunate that she wouldn't be running pointless errands.

Sarah Lipsitz, a sophomore who is new to the internship program is working at Kids' B.A.S.E.. She is helping the teachers prepare for class and take care of the kids. Sarah works from Monday to Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. "I like working there but it's intimidating because there are a lot of people," she said. About the internship experience Sarah commented just that, "It's different being in the working world."

Eliza Auchincloss is also a sophomore. She opted to work at the Amber Charter School in East Harlem where she is assisting in a second grade class. Eliza teaches, helps out, and observes all day from Tuesday to Friday. "It's a lot more exhausting than I expected, and it's sometimes hard to work with other people because they get in the way," Eliza said about her first day at work. In addition, she said that the internship is very different from anything she has done before but she likes the independence that comes with it and the ability to work while her friends are in school.

One of the best parts of the A-School is that it keeps records of all past internships. This way, subsequent students can easily find somewhere they want to work. A-Schoolers seeking internships can visit the A-school schoolwires page and find contact information for hundreds of different employers from all types of companies. These student internships are a great introduction to the working world and what it has to proffer for them.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 14 January 2014

Created: 14 January 2014

Last Updated: 03 February 2014

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The Scarsdale Forum's Committee on Assessment and Revaluation has come out in favor of "The Homestead Tax Option," which would triple real estate taxes for those living in the Christie Place Condominiums on Christie Place in Scarsdale. Currently these units are taxed based on their estimated rental income, rather than their assessed value. That means that a condominium unit owner in Christie Place with a market value of $1.5mm pays approximately $11,500 in real estate taxes, while a homeowner of a single family home of that same value could pay upwards of $30,000 per year.

Because the Village is currently undergoing a Village-wide revaluation, Scarsdale has the option of adopting the "Homestead Tax Option " in conjunction with the revaluation. It is estimated that the increase for Christie Place homeowners would be $928,000 in revenue annually. The increase for condo owners would mean a savings of about $160 per year, per household for owners of single-family homes in the Village.

However, residents who purchased the units in Christie Place between 2008 and 2011 were not told that their taxes could triple just a few years after they made their purchase. The units were earmarked for seniors, age 55 and up, most of whom do not have children in the Scarsdale Schools. Many of the buyers were empty nesters who purchased the units because it was a more economical way to retire in Scarsdale than to remain in their homes.

The Forum Committee calls the current valuation method a tax loophole and "concluded that the fundamental need to treat all property owners the same way in valuing their properties, to the extent allowable under the law, requires the Village Board and Board of Education to adopt the Homestead Tax."

The option would first need to be considered by the Scardsale Village Board of Trustees and if passed would go before the Scarsdale Board of Education.

However, all members of the committee were not in agreement. Doug Ulene, a 13-year resident of Scarsdale, resigned from the Forum's Assessment and Revaluation Committee because of its position on this issue, and sent us the following letter:

(From Doug Ulene:) I don't have a dog in this fight, but I strongly disagree with the 200% property tax increase that the Scarsdale Forum's Assessment Revaluation Committee recommends for residential condo units in Christie Place.

Although the committee's report speaks of "what is fair and right for all the property owners in Scarsdale," and "ensuring that property taxes in Scarsdale are equitably distributed," the committee's conclusion is, essentially, "equality über alles" - triple the property taxes on 42 condominium units, regardless of the expectations of, and the impact on, the affected residents.

Is that "fair"? Is that "right"? Is a targeted change in the manner of assessment on 42 condominium units, in a community with almost 6,000 tax lots, "equitable"? These are questions that should have been asked, and answered, three years ago as part of the Village Board's deliberations concerning the village-wide reassessment. They weren't.

Moreover, the possibility of tripling property taxes at Christie Place was never discussed with Ginsburg Development Companies, the Village's partner in the public/private redevelopment of this site. Adoption of the Homestead Tax Option solely "to eliminate the unfair preferential tax treatment provided to certain condominium units" is little more than the Village unilaterally re-trading its business deal. Such institutional bullying is just plain wrong. It reflects poorly on our community, and it sends a terrible message to the Village's counterparties.

Finally, the Scarsdale Forum's November 2010 report on reassessment - to which I was a signatory - does not include a single reference to "condo" or "homestead." Notwithstanding that omission, the Forum's committee now believes that purchasers of Christie Place condominiums should have researched New York State's Real Property Tax Law before they signed a contract. This belief ignores the reality of residential real estate transactions, and it imposes a burden on individuals that the Forum's committee ignored when it wrote a 22-page report on this topic.

I also take issue with the committee's contention that "There is no principled basis to benefit or subsidize the Christie Place owners over any other group or individual residents..." The signatories to the report have, apparently, forgotten a very important principle - the Golden Rule. If this is how Scarsdale residents plan to treat one another going forward, perhaps we should be more concerned about the values of our community, as opposed to the assessed values of our properties.

I understand that the Village's current tax policy costs my family an extra $160 per year. I am not willing to compromise my principles for that sum – or any other amount, for that matter. I hope others feel the same way.

Below find a information on the Forum's Committee Report that was submitted to Scarsdale10583 by Committee Chair Robert Berg.

Because of the short window in which the Village Board and the Board of Education must act, this Report is being issued under the Forum's Expedited Procedure Treatment. This means that the members of the Forum have not had an opportunity to weigh in or otherwise vote on the Report which will be presented to the General Membership at the Forum's next regularly scheduled meeting on February 6, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. in the Scott Room at the Scarsdale Public Library. All are welcome and encouraged to attend

Preamble to the Report

The Scarsdale Forum's Committee on Assessment and Revaluation is pleased to present to you with its Report recommending that the Village Board of Trustees and the Board of Education adopt the Homestead Tax Option in connection with the completion of the town wide revaluation project this Spring. As you know, the Village Board and the Board of Education held a public joint meeting to address this issue on December 2, 2013. Because of the importance of this issue, the Scarsdale Forum's Committee on Assessment and Revaluation convened and studied the issue. The Committee concluded that the fundamental need to treat all property owners the same way in valuing their properties, to the extent allowable under the law, requires the Village Board and Board of Education to adopt the Homestead Tax Option as soon as possible after the necessary public hearings have been held. Adoption of the Homestead Tax Option will largely diminish the unfair property tax preference afforded to the 42 condominium units in the Christie Place complex. Under current law, the Christie Place condominiums are valued for property tax assessment purposes using the rental income approach, rather than the comparable sales method which applies to nearly all of the residential properties (single family homes) in Scarsdale. Implementation of the Homestead Tax Option will mean that the Christie Place units are valued using the comparable sales method in this revaluation and in the future. A Christie Place unit presently pays only about 1/3 of the property taxes of a comparably priced single family residence. The Homestead Tax Option will eliminate this tax loophole with respect to the Village and School District components of Christie Place residents' property tax bills. The attached report explains the present tax advantage, explores how the Homestead Tax Option eradicates this unjustified advantage, and presents the recommendation that the Homestead Tax Option be implemented to assure the equitable distribution of the property tax burden as best as can be done under the Real Property Tax Law. As the public generally, and the Christie Place unit owners in particular, become aware of the issue -- and the fact that adoption of the Homestead Tax Option may cause the Christie Place unit owners' property taxes to triple -- the Committee hopes that its report will inform the public, the Village and School District, and engender the informed, respectful and engaged discussion that has been the hallmark of the Scarsdale Forum for the past 110 years. We look forward to being part of that dialogue.

Read the entire report here.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 07 January 2014

Created: 07 January 2014

Last Updated: 08 January 2014

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What does the future hold for Scarsdale in 2014? We asked a few of our more outspoken readers to look into their crystal balls and tell us what they see for the coming year (other than frigid temperatures!) Here are their prophecies for 2014. Read these and then share your own in the comments section below:

Civic Citizen David Brodsky

-In the spirit of volunteerism that has always animated the Village of Scarsdale, both the School Board Nominating Committee and the Citizens Nominating Committee will receive scores of applications from interested citizens to run for positions on each nominating committee, as well as for the School Board and for Village Trustee;

-In the spirit of doing what is best for the community's future, both the Village Board and the School Board will consider and adopt budgets without regard to the State-imposed so-called 2% tax cap.

-Recognizing the inadequacy of the so-called tax cap as a method of dealing with rising property taxes, the State Legislature and the Governor will repeal the 2011 so-called tax cap, and replace it with, among other things, a comprehensive tax reform package that will take the burden of rising pension costs off the municipalities and put it where it belongs -- on the State.

-And if this is not enough wishful thinking, Congressional leaders and the President will retreat to Camp David for one week of forced togetherness, during which they will jointly agree on (a) comprehensive tax, budget and entitlements reform; (b) immigration reform; and (c) a 10-year economic stimulus program of national infrastructure repairs and improvements; and that such legislation will then pass both Houses and be signed into law on July 4, 2014.

Involved Resident Doug Ulene

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Chapter 179 of the Village Code, the Mayor and Trustees will go door-to-door, sifting through residents’ detritus in order to confirm compliance with the statute [Chapter 179 of the Village Code is captioned "Garbage, Rubbish and Refuse." The statute governs sorting and collection of recyclable materials and garbage in the Village.]

Frustrated Consumer

Cellphone users will reap the benefits of competition with lower plan rates and thrifty month-to-month contracts.

Advocate Robert Berg

My bold prediction for 2014 is that the BOE will adopt a budget that comes in well below the tax cap yet preserves staffing, programming and class size. Such a budget will command overwhelming public support.

Former School Board Member Jeff Blatt:

A few citizens' whining will result in a degraded educational experience for our kids while saving the average taxpayer less than the cost of one dinner out for a family of four at Chat.

Site Founder Joanne Wallenstein

-The identity of the donor(s) of $1 million to the Scarsdale Schools Foundation will be revealed as will the name of the new Superintendent of Scarsdale Schools.

-Animals will continue to challenge residents for open space. Geese will swim in the Scarsdale Pool and sunbathe in the newly landscaped George Field Park, with occasional visits from disoriented deer, confused coyotes, forlorn fox, wandering wild turkeys, rowdy raccoons, bold bobcats and out-to-lunch owls.

Friend of the Scarsdale Parks Lena Crandall

More residents will get on the "mulching-in-place" bandwagon to naturally fertilize their lawns and save taxpayer money.

Humorist Deborah Skolnik:

Unable to secure a viable retail tenant, the eyesore building in front of Balducci's will be offered up as low-income Westchester housing to appease the HUD Gods. Protests will ensue, but will fortunately be short-lived, once the needy see the building and refuse to live there.

Eventually Chuck E. Cheese will make an offer on the lease, prompting further protests. These too will be mercifully short-lived, once certain gentrificational tweaks are agreed upon. For generations hereafter, our young will enjoy their frequent sojourns to the local amusement hub known as 'Charles de Fromage.’

Send us your predictions for Scarsdale in 2014 in the comments section below: