Farewell to Village Trustee Richard Toder

Two-term Village Trustee Richard Toder celebrated four years of service to Scarsdale with a farewell dinner and comments to the Board and the community at his final meeting on March 27, 2012.

An eloquent member of the Board, Toder lent insight and perspective to Board discussions and cut to the chase with his wry sense of humor. Stacey Brodsky, who served with him on the Board of Trustees, said, “Richard is a great combination of high intelligence, lighting fast wit, straight talk, and clear thinking. His sense of humor was a perfect tool for getting to the heart of issues and moving the discussion forward. He also dug deep into complicated documents and always had helpful insights and suggestions. I learned an immeasurable amount from him over the year we overlapped and I'm going to miss him sorely.”

Toder is a distinguished attorney and a consummate volunteer who had already served Scarsdale for years before his nomination to the Village Board. Among his many credits are terms on the Village Non-Partisan Nominating Committee, Chairperson of the Village Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation Law, Chairperson and Member of the Board of Appeals, President and Member of the Board of Education, Chairman and Member of the Village Board of Ethics and Trustee of the Scarsdale Foundation. Toder is a graduate of Columbia College and Harvard Law School and has lived in Scarsdale for 34 years.

We asked Toder for a comment for the site on his service and the challenges faced by the Board. Here is what he said:

“I would note that overall I greatly enjoyed my tenure as a Trustee and have made lasting friendships with a number of the Trustees. The most frustrating aspect is that, consistent with human nature, some residents see no relationship between the level of taxes and the level of services. Put differently, and recognizing that 1) by far the largest source of revenue of the Village is derived from real property taxes, 2) a substantial amount of expenditures constitute unfunded mandates (e.g. pensions), and 3) the number of Village employees has been reduced in recent years such that further paring of staff will necessitate cuts in services, it follows that unless the residents are prepared to see substantial reductions in services that they currently enjoy and which, in large measure, makes Scarsdale the desirable place to live that it is, it is simply not reasonable to request more, not less, in the level of services or needed improvements in infrastructure without recognizing that such must inevitably lead to tax increases.”

Here are the farewell comments Toder made at the 3/27 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees:

First, I want to thank all of the Trustees and others for the kind sentiments that they have expressed. The Board operates, in effect, as a Committee of the Whole –since all trustees participate in all Committee meetings, whether they are officially on the particular committee. The result of this is that the Board operates as a Team --and to the extent that this Board (and the three previous ones on which I served) have accomplishments to their credit, that credit belongs to all of the trustees.

I will mention only 2 laws passed by Boards on which I served .The first is the Tree Law-while controversial is a good example of a Board realizing that since both sides had important principles supporting their positions, a compromise was the right result. Undoubtedly, there will be changes made to the Tree Law in future years as we judge whether the lines have been properly drawn or whether the balance between private property rights and the community’s interest in a park-like setting should be adjusted.

And this year, the passage of Revaluation, long overdue and in my judgment a critical piece of legislation, will render the application of the real property tax much fairer and restore resident confidence in the system.

Tonight I will focus on this year’s Board and, in particular, the leadership qualities exhibited by each of the trustees.

Mayor Flisser

If one were to attempt to set forth in two words the major change wrought by Miriam as Mayor this year, it would be ”increased accessibility.” Concerns of our residents are heard and promptly addressed with alacrity. When oral comments are made at Board meetings or letters written by residents to the Board, they are quickly answered, often immediately after they are raised, but in any event with all dispatch.

An open government readily accessible to its governed is likely to be one which is respected by the citizens. Knowing that a matter is being heard, considered and responded to, is in and of itself, a key component of obtaining consent of the electorate.

Especially for this, Miriam is to be praised.

Bob Steves

In many respects, Bob had the most difficult assignment of any member of the Board as Chair of both the Finance and Municipal Services Committees. He has simply been spectacular. His finance background made him uniquely qualified to deal with the budgetary issues facing this Village. And what is more, he has done so in an open, forthright manner, holding innumerable public meetings to discuss the so-called 2% cap, why it may be necessary to exceed the cap as well as explaining the Village’s infrastructure needs.

As for the Municipal Services Committee, the key issue has been flooding and its effect on multiple neighborhoods in Scarsdale. The Board, under Bob’s leadership has moved (I know that to those affected it doesn’t seem nearly fast enough) to address this issue, especially in the Cayuga Pond and South Fox Meadow areas. And Bob has done so in a quiet, competent manner, always listening to the concerns of the community.

He has been a terrific asset to this Board.

Kay Eisenman

Kay, in her capacity as Chair of the Sustainability Committee has been the key voice on the Board in pushing forward on projects designed to improve the quality of the environment in Scarsdale. Her knowledge on what works and what doesn’t, what is practical and what is not, in achieving the goal of a cleaner, more environmentally sensitive community is plain great. Leaf mulching is not a pipe dream but a likely reality in the immediate future because of her efforts.

Jon Mark

Jon is chair of the Land Use Committee and landed in the middle of the controversy involving the land adjoining the Heathcote Tavern and potential uses of that land and the tavern itself. I would submit that his work in coming up with solutions that have included many of the ideas suggested by the Heathcote Coalition was in the highest tradition of first –class lawyering. He was able through constant open communications with the residents in the area to achieve acceptable compromises that seemed impossible at the outset. Similarly, his work on Reval has been invaluable.

Stacey Brodsky

Stacey is one of the two new members of the Board and it is absolutely fair to say that she has been fabulous. Her legal training has been of great assistance to the Board in her role as Chair of the Legal Committee. She has taken ownership of difficult issues such as Affordable Housing and has quickly mastered this arcane subject. In short, she has immediately become a strong addition to the Board.

Bob Harrison

Bob’s energy was well known before he was elected last year to the Board. I can report that since he has become a trustee, his interest in all aspects of the Village has not flagged in the slightest. When anything happens in the Village one can confidently predict that Bob will immediately be on the scene, investigating what has happened and what can be done about it. And in terms of being accessible to all in the community, he has no peer.

Staff

I would be completely remiss if I did not speak about the Staff that supports the Board. And when I use the word “support” that is a gross understatement. Simply put, the system would not work without the dedicated, experienced Staff, starting with our Village Manager. The best way to summarize Al Gatta is to say that he is the consummate professional. No matter what the issue, crisis or situation, he has been there before, seen it, analyzed it, knows how to fix it and most importantly, fixes it.

I first met Al in a business situation, about 15 years ago at 2X2 meetings, when I was president of the School Board and it was the practice –which continues to this day for the Superintendent of Schools and President of the School Board to periodically get together and discuss problems and subjects of common interest with the Viillage Manager and Mayor. I recall vividly thinking that Al was a no-nonsense pro whom we were lucky to have in the Village.

Over the years my opinion of Al has not changed except that I no longer just “think” Al is good, I know it. Nor does he have an easy job with the group of us –laying out the facts, making recommendations (almost always patiently) and helping us to fully understand the alternatives. This is why in the farewell dinner accorded departing trustees earlier this evening –when I was unmercifully (and I might say completely unfairly) roasted by my fellow trustees and Staff, in limited rejoinder, I presented Al with a Circus Ring Masters Hat an eight foot whip, the better to herd this unruly group of trustees.

I guess you could accurately say, I am a fan of Al. But let it be made abundantly clear, Al is hardly a one-man band. It would be impossible, good as he is, to do the job that he does, without the Staff that he has assembled. Steve Pappalardo, Wayne Essanason, Mary Lou McClure, Mike DeLong, Liz Marrinan, Benny Salanitro, Donna Conklin, John Goodwin, Rita Azrelyant and Justin Datino. I promised myself that I would not list names because I knew I would leave out others equally important -- so I will merely say, “to name just a few,” and ask pardon of all the others.

The reality is that this Village is blessed to have a Staff that in sports terms would be referred to as a “deep bench” that is both dedicated and extremely competent. Without them the system wouldn’t work.

Conclusion

My four years as trustee are up and I have thoroughly enjoyed my service on the Board. The job takes a great deal of time but because of my wife Joan’s consistent enthusiastic support it was made easy. And let it be known, Joan’s role has been far greater than just putting up with the long hours spent at Village Hall. She has always been my closest partner, confident and advisor on all matters.

One final thought on this Board and the Non-Partisan System in general. I strongly believe that both have served the Village well. One of the fundamental precepts of the Non-Partisan System is that partisan politics at the Village level was tried and found wanting. Rather, having citizens from each neighborhood select candidates based not on fixed positions on specific issues, but rather on the contributions that they have made to the community has and hopefully will continue to work. Periodically, some residents have complained that debates among potential candidates and spirited campaigns along the lines of our traditional two party system would be better and serve to enlighten voters. In response I would say that I believe that over the years many of our respected trustees and school board members would simply have chosen not to participate in such a politicized process. While it could be argued that even if that is so, others equally qualified would run, the basic issue is why dramatically change a system which I would respectfully submit, works and has done so for many, many years. The old adage, “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” seems apt. The challenge is for the Non-Partisan System to continue to select quality candidates whose concern is what is best for the Village in the long term and not merely what appears to be popular at the moment.

I end with a sincere thank you to the residents of the Village for giving me the opportunity to serve.