Lively Discussion at Candidates Forum at Village Hall
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Candidates for Village Trustee participated in a spirited but civil public forum at Village Hall on Tuesday night March 6. Hosted by the League of Women Voters and moderated by Stephen Cohen, the candidates shared information on their backgrounds, their experience and their reasons for wishing to serve Scarsdale.
Scarsdale has a non-partisan system whereby candidates are selected by a representative committee of nominators. This is intended to preclude partisan politics and heated elections. However, in the past several years, contested elections have become the norm, as contenders are stepping up to challenge the slate of candidates put forward by the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party.
In 2017, Robert Berg and three candidates formed the "Voters Choice Party" and ran a complete slate for Mayor and Village Trustees. They were defeated 2-1 in a very contentious election. This year only Berg is back, vying to win one of the three open spots for Village Trustee.
Running on the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party slate are Jane Veron, who is running for her second two-year term, along with Justin Arest and Lena Crandall who are running for their first terms.
During the forum, Berg challenged both the CNC candidates and Scarsdale's system of ruling by consensus,
claiming, "The system is broken in town... the CNC (Citizens' Nominating Committee) is a relic of another age – I don't believe in it." Referring to the candidates chosen via the CNC nominating process, Berg said, "It should not be handed to them on a silver platter." Crandall later answered Berg's claim, explaining that the SCNP slate was "Carefully selected by the non-partisan committee to complement people already on the board." Arest said, "The CNC process was contested. Five people came forward .... they called our references. I could not be more proud to be a Scarsdalian and to be part of the process."
Replying to questions posed by the League and the public, each candidate gave their perspective on the issues and presented their qualifications for addressing the business of Scarsdale.
Building on her two years as Village Trustee, Veron discussed her role in establishing better communications between the Village and residents, her work on downtown development, the public/private partnership for the library and her recent role, as head of the Municipal Services Committee in negotiating a new proposal for sanitation pick-up to include food scraps. She called herself a "change agent" who believes in the power of collaboration to get things done.
Crandall stressed her ability to listen, learn and work respectfully with others. She said, "This is not about what we want as individuals ... it's what's best of the community." As an example, she discussed her term as President of the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, an opinionated group who she called her "hot cups of coffee." In order to get things done she said, "We followed a process, we allowed everyone to speak. We only took action after we did research. It takes respect, it takes trust."
Arest shared his perspective as a newer resident in town and said he was welcomed to serve and has worked on the Board of the Library, on the Zoning Board of Appeals, on the Village budget and the Freightway Steering Committee. He said, "We need to come together with fresh ideas to make this community better."
Berg was more provocative in his approach. He criticized the Village for the revaluation, the roads (which he said resembled Damascus) the proposed tree law and a consultant's report on the assessor's office. The report evaluated the assessor's office and among other measures recommended customer service training and videos to help residents understand the assessment and grievance processes. About the report Berg said, "I would take all the copies of the report and put them in the fireplace of someone who doesn't have heat to provide warmth to their home."
Berg took issue with the concept of building consensus, saying, "I don't believe in the process of consensus. We get the wrong answer because we try to reach consensus. We have to explore all the arguments, look at the angles, take a vote and the majority should rule. That's a great weakness here; everyone has to be kumbaya. That's why the Village Attorney let us violate the constitution and the Village Board let him trample our constitutional rights."
There was general agreement in the need to balance the level of services with the restraints of the budget and not to raise taxes. Speaking about preservation, there was consensus on the need to balance the needs of the community with the homeowners' rights to improve their properties. Crandall said, "It's complicated – we have to work together to find a balance between what we love about Scarsdale and all of our property rights. Arest said as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals he saw the need for changes to the setback laws to reduce the sizes of new homes. Berg said there were "Loopholes in the FAR (floor-area-ratio) code" for dormers and garages that needed to be dealt with immediately. He later said, "Scarsdale is a bit too pro developer. We bend over backwards to give them loopholes. We let them get away with that. We seem to be afraid when threatened with litigation."
Proposed modifications to the tree code, which prohibits the removal of protected trees, assesses fees for the removal of healthy trees and requires the planting of replacement trees came under attack. Berg said, "The Board is about to ram through a tree ordinance that is going to exacerbate the current emergency where trees are crashing down. Come out (to the hearing) on March 13-- you are going to pay large fees." Veron responded, "We never ram anything through. We scheduled a hearing to listen to the public. I spent today talking to residents about their tress and the power lines. The law is primarily to prohibit developers from clear cutting properties."
Asked how they would improve storm response in the future, Veron said, "The most important piece is communication. The Village staff has been working around the clock since it happened. The #1 goal is communication."
Arest agreed that the Department of Public Works does a great job, but said, "Our problem is Con Edison. This is unacceptable. They called in their shared services too late. We need to push our local representatives and hold hearings."
Crandall said she was a part of the Scarsdale Community Support Council and that the group could do more to help residents and provide warming centers.
Berg said, "Storms are predictable. I have lived through many of these. We have to cut the trees near the power lines. It's going to happen again and again. We don't have adequate shelter. Open the high school gym for people."
All the candidates appeared well prepared to speak on a range of issues including public safety, assessments, development, budgeting, management and more. Given the fact that the forum was held when many were without power, it drew a reasonably sized audience. But in general this election has not mobilized as many residents as the one last year.
The election will be held on Tuesday March 20 at Scarsdale Library. Voting hours are 6 am to 9 am and noon to 9 pm. A post election reception will be held at the Scarsdale Woman's Club at 37 Drake Road from 8:30 to 10 pm. The public is invited and the event is hosted by the Scarsdale Citizen's Non-Partisan Party.
Watch the forum on SPTV here.
LWVS Candidates Forum For Contested Election Tonight at Village Hall
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The Scarsdale Village election will be contested again this year. There are four candidates vying for three positions as Village Trustee. Each position is a two-year term. The Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) has put forth its slate of candidates for each slot: Jane Veron, who is seeking a second term as Trustee, as well as Justin Arest, and Lena Crandall who are running for their first times. Running as a candidate for Village Trustee under the Voter's Choice Party is Robert Berg. The Village Election is Tuesday March 20th. All Election Districts will be voting at the Scarsdale Library, 54 Olmsted Road. Hours of the election are 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and Noon to 9 p.m. As Village Clerk Donna Conkling has explained, the top three vote getters in the election will each garner a spot as Village Trustee.
The League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation of citizens in local government and the election processes. Accordingly, the LWVS is hosting a Candidates Forum on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm in Rutherford Hall at Scarsdale Village Hall. (March 8th has been set as a snow date for the event.) All four candidates running for Trustee in the upcoming Village election will be participating in the Candidates Forum. The Leagues encourages all Scarsdale citizens to come hear from the candidates and provide questions to be asked of them. For those who cannot attend, the event will be recorded for playback on Scarsdale Public Access TV.
If you are not a registered voter, the last day to register to vote in the upcoming Village election is Friday, March 9, 2018. You may pick up a mail-in registration form at Village Hall, or download the registration form from the Westchester County Board of Elections web site here:
In order to register to vote, you must:
• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Be 18 years of age by the date of the election in which you want to vote
• Live at your present address at least 30 days before an election
• Not be in jail or on parole for a felony conviction
• Not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
For registered voters who will be out of Westchester County on Village Election Day, an absentee ballot can be obtained by filling out an absentee ballot application at Village Hall or downloading the form from the Westchester County Board of Elections web site:
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 is the last day for the Village Clerk to receive an application for an absentee ballot to be mailed to a qualified voter; however, applications made in person can be accepted until Monday, March 19, 2018.
For more information, call the Village Clerk's office at (914) 722-1175 or visit the League website.
Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party Presents Candidates for Village Trustee
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The SCNP presents the qualifications of its candidates for three Village Trustee positions to be voted on in the Village General Election
The Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party (SCNP) presents the qualifications of Justin Arest, Lena Crandall and Jane E. Veron, the SCNP's 2018 candidates for three Village Trustee positions. The Village General Election will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.
The SCNP continues a proud Scarsdale tradition, dating back more than 100 years, supporting candidates who have been endorsed by the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC). The CNC is comprised of a cross section of volunteers representing each of Scarsdale's elementary school districts. This year's slate is comprised of exceptional candidates whose character, experience, spirit of cooperation, dedication to listening and willingness to keep an open mind on the issues facing our Village distinguish them as well qualified to serve as Village Trustees.
As the campaign moves forward, each of our candidates looks forward to hearing from residents about their views and concerns on any and all Village issues, and sharing what they have learned about our unique community through their combined 40 years of active volunteer service. Our candidates hope to earn your vote in the General Village Election on March 20th.
Justin Arest
Justin Arest grew up in New Rochelle and met his wife, Allison, a Scarsdale native, nearly 20 years ago in the Golden Horseshoe. When they moved here five years ago, Justin quickly got involved as a volunteer and has proven to be a dedicated and thoughtful community participant on whom many have come to rely for his analytical skills and thoughtful participation.
Justin was appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in 2014, and his involvement has grown to impact a variety of residents' interests. In addition to the ZBA, he is currently serving on the Ad Hoc Committee on Communications, Freightway Steering Committee, Library Building Committee and Capital Campaign Committee. Justin has also taken a leadership role in the Scarsdale Forum as a member of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and Chair of its Fiscal Affairs Scarsdale Committee.
Justin's serious undertakings in town exemplify how younger community members can become deeply involved in civic affairs if they are able and willing to make the effort. Justin's participation has given him a broad understanding of town issues but he also brings a fresh perspective that rounds out the SCNP slate.
Justin is an attorney and manages Arest Associates, LLC, a real estate investment company. He has a BS in Finance and International Business from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a JD from the George Washington University Law School. Justin and Allison have two children, ages 6 and 3.
Lena Crandall
Lena Crandall has been serving our community for over 16 years, starting as a member of the PTA and quickly expanding her participation to include other Village volunteer organizations, where she often assumed leadership roles.
As an active member of the Fox Meadow PTA, Lena led an effort in 2005 to design a new playground which is still in use today. She also researched and fostered the restoration of the Fox Meadow School Nature Park and Outdoor Classroom, a two-and-a-half acre protected wetland located on Brite Avenue.
Lena served as Secretary, President and Co-President of Friends of Scarsdale Parks (FOSP) from May 2007-2012. While concurrently serving on the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), Lena was the lead author of a report on the South Fox Meadow Brook Stormwater mitigation project. Her work with FOSP and the CAC resulted in the preservation of the woodland between Harcourt Road and Scout Field, among other conservation initiatives.
From 2013-2017, Lena served as Director of Grounds at the Scarsdale Woman's Club. In that capacity, she secured the donation of tree care from a commercial tree care firm to protect the specimens on the Drake Road property. She also established a permanent volunteer grounds committee.
Lena joined the Scarsdale Forum in 2004, served as a Director-at-Large in 2008, as Vice President in 2015-2016 and as President in 2016-2017. She was elected in 2014 to represent Fox Meadow for a three-year term on the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) and then served as its Chairperson in 2016-2017.
Lena and her husband Jeffrey moved to Scarsdale in 1991. She practiced law until 1995 and then retired to focus on raising two sons, James and Nicky, now ages 23 and 19. She has a B.A. from Brown University and was awarded a Service to the School Award upon graduation from Hofstra Law School in 1987.
Jane E. Veron
Jane Veron, completing her first term as a Scarsdale Village Trustee, embraces all aspects of her role. As a Trustee, she is actively engaged as chair, member, or liaison on a multitude of committees and councils including the Library Board, Personnel, Municipal Services, Land Use, Chamber of Commerce, Scarsdale Seniors, Youth Advisory, Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service, Cable Commission, Parks & Recreation and Conservation. In addition, she initiated and leads the Ad Hoc Committee on Communications.
Jane has also held civic leadership positions as Chair of the Scarsdale Planning Board, President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, Chair of SNAP, President of the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association, and serves on the Board of the Scarsdale Foundation. In recognition of her sustained and significant impact on the community, she received the Mayor's Award for Exceptional Leadership in 2017.
Jane is CEO and co-Founder of The Acceleration Project (TAP), a nonprofit that provides high-caliber consulting services at an accessible price to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and municipalities. She is also CEO of TAP Growth Advisors, a business consulting and placement firm. Prior to TAP, Jane spent her career in strategy and marketing, working at Bain & Company, American Express, and as an independent consultant. She also has experience in private equity and venture capital as an investor and board member.
Jane earned a BA magna cum laude from Yale University and an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School. She has lived in Scarsdale for 20 years with her husband Andrew and three daughters, two of whom graduated from Scarsdale High School and one attends Scarsdale Middle School.
The General Village Election will take place Tuesday, March 20, 2018. All Election Districts will be voting at the Scarsdale Library, 54 Olmsted Road. Hours of the election are 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and Noon to 9:00 p.m.
Submitted by Jon Mark, Campaign Committee Co-Chair
Email: jmark58@aol.com
Phone: 914-472-4053
Have something to say? Please include your REAL name and street address and we will be happy to post your comment.
Freightway Study Presentation On Tuesday
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The Village of Scarsdale Freightway Steering Committee has completed the visioning study to guide potential redevelopment of the Freightway Site, an underutilized area adjacent to the Scarsdale Metro North Railroad Station. The Committee will present its findings to the Land Use Committee of the Board of Trustees on Tuesday, February 13th at 6:00 PM in the Village Hall.
The study provides a community-based vision for the Freightway Site to ensure that future redevelopment enhances the Village Center while meeting local needs. The study adequately considers potential impacts and/or constraints, such as revenue generation, parking, traffic, infrastructure, school enrollment, community facilities and services and potential demographic changes.
The community based vision was achieved through a broad and meaningful public engagement process which was guided by the Freightway Steering Committee, supported by technical planning and market professionals. The process included three public workshops, walking tours, in person and online surveys and focus groups to assist with garnering information from key stakeholders.
The Freightway Steering Committee's Vision states: "Any future development at the Freightway Site should be a signature project that positively contributes to the vibrancy of the Village Center while maintaining its current function as a commuter parking lot." The Vision is supported by seven guiding principles for the future development of an attractive, economically viable project on the site as follows:
Principle 1 - Improve Parking and Circulation
Principle 2 - Ensure that public benefits are achieved by any development
Principle 3 - Ensure contextual development (scale, bulk, height)
Principle 4 - Encourage mixed-use development supportive of the Village Center
Principle 5 - Connect and integrate the Freightway Site with the Village Center
Principle 6 - Include environmentally sustainable development
Principle 7 - Plan for the long term future within a reasonably practicable time horizon
Interested residents, property owners, merchants and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about the study.
The site is a 2.38 acre Village owned property currently used for commuter and merchant parking with approximately 700 spaces in an aging five-story parking garage and two surface parking lots.
For more information, meeting notices and updates, click here. Comments can be sent to freightwaystudy@scarsdale.com.
School Board President Bill Natbony Urges Respect for Differing Opinions
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This note was sent out in an email to the community by William Natbony, President of the Scarsdale School Board on the eve of the bond referendum on 2-8-17.
Dear Members of the Scarsdale Community:
It is hoped that you have been the beneficiary of our efforts to reach out to our community with accurate and detailed information about the proposed school bond. As tomorrow's vote approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that some of the strengths and hallmarks of Scarsdale and its community are respect for differing opinions and respectful, open discussion without personal attacks. We are all part of the same community, and after the vote we look forward to receiving your continued participation and input as we work together for the betterment of our great school system. The most important way to express your view on the bond is by exercising your right to vote tomorrow.
Sincerely,
William J. Natbony
President
Scarsdale Board of Education
