Marcy Berman-Goldstein to be Honored by Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service
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Marcy Berman-Goldstein will receive the Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling annual Rising Star Award in recognition of her volunteer leadership and contributions to many Scarsdale organizations. The Rising Star Award recognizes leaders in the Scarsdale Community who have demonstrated dedicated, impactful and active community service.
The Award will be presented to Berman-Goldstein at the SFCS 2022 annual benefit gala, Centennial Celebration, Thursday, May 12, at the Scarsdale Golf Club. Tickets to honor Berman-Goldstein can be purchased at SFCS.org.
"This award recognizes that Marcy has become one of Scarsdale’s most active and valued civic volunteers, and business leaders, over the years. The commitment, creativity and energy with which Marcy approaches her multitude of roles and initiatives has earned her the respect and acknowledgement of the Scarsdale community and of the organizations she serves," said James Genova, LCSW, executive director, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service.
"Marcy’s involvement is driven by her desire for the betterment of our community and to see those around her thrive. Her leadership style is defined by a recognition of the inherent value of teamwork. Marcy’s volunteer efforts are deeply influenced by her care for the rich history, intrinsic character, and promising future of our Village."
Marcy Berman-Goldstein
Berman-Goldstein has consistently given back to her community throughout her time in Westchester. She is co-owner, with Abbey Solomon, of I Am More, a clothing store in Scarsdale Village that is devoted to empowering women to feel confident, supporting women-owned businesses and designers, and giving back to local and women’s philanthropic organizations. Berman-Goldstein and Solomon operate I Am More as a philanthropic business, foregoing their salaries to donate profits to charity. Since its inception, I Am More’s philanthropic events and donations have benefited more than 60 organizations.
In addition to running her business, Berman-Goldstein is co-president and a founding board member of the Scarsdale Business Alliance (SBA), a vibrant and collaborative non-profit organization of Scarsdale merchants, dedicated to supporting the Village of Scarsdale and its local businesses. Berman-Goldstein has been integral in the SBA’s establishment and growth, committing countless volunteer hours to ensuring that Scarsdale remains a dynamic village, and that the merchants have a voice in the community.
Berman-Goldstein helped lead several initiatives that engaged the community and helped drive traffic to businesses in Scarsdale Village. She introduced, organized, and ran the first ever Health, Beauty & Wellness Fair in Scarsdale Village, which was attended and enjoyed by more than 700 people. Berman-Goldstein was also co-creator and chair of the Scarsdale Music Festival, which attracted thousands from Scarsdale and surrounding communities, far exceeding anyone’s expectations.
Berman-Goldstein also has been a member of the Junior League of Central Westchester since 2010, a local nonprofit women’s organization committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. She helped develop the league’s sponsorship program, establishing integral relationships with many executive directors and owners of Westchester County businesses and corporations, and ran several of the annual fundraising events.
In addition to work for her community, Berman-Goldstein is a board-certified radiologist, specializing in women’s imaging. She completed her residency and fellowship training at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City in 2005, and remained on staff until 2017.
Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service
Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service (SFCS) is a nationally recognized family service agency accredited by the Council on Accreditation. The agency has been an anchor in the community for almost 100 years, providing counseling services and supportive programs to local individuals and families in all stages of life. Our mission is to strengthen and support family life and to contribute to the well-being of our residents. We believe families matter and that healthy families are the cornerstone of a healthy community.
For more information, please go to https://www.sfcsinc.org/ or call (914) 723-3281.
A Matter of Transparent Process
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- Written by: Diane Greenwald
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(This was written by Diane Greenwald)
I know we are all concerned about this district tax issue, but I want to mention a related topic of concern. About a month ago, the Board of Education asked that parents give input about the interim superintendent process, and so I offered a suggestion. I thought it best that they appoint a neutral interim, someone who would clearly not want the job long-term, and that would give Scarsdale a year to take stock of district strengths and weaknesses, review our community values, and build trust in a well-detailed process. Instead, the Board announced that our current Assistant Superintendent of Personnel, Dr. Andrew Patrick, hired by Dr. Hagerman in 2016, has been named interim Superintendent. The announcement comes with his strong credentials and willingness for “seamless transition” but without process explanation, and while there may be good reasons for promoting from within, there are also worries. I have questions.
What was the process of interim selection? How many were considered? Does the board have an agreement with Dr. Patrick about his role, like, is Dr. Patrick now ineligible to apply for the permanent post or is he the “heir apparent”? This decision may be signaling to the educational community that the job is filled. How will the board counter this notion to attract wide, national interest in the position? Who will fill Dr. Patrick’s current, critical role? Will that be filled with another interim and what will that person be promised? The Board appears to be holding Dr. Patrick’s place for him in personnel if they don’t hire him as permanent superintendent, but is that a realistic outcome?
The board announcement mentions valuing continuity, something we can all understand, but student continuity comes mostly from the building-level leadership and teachers (thank you, principals and teachers!) District continuity may not be the singular priority for some of us who have serious concerns about district management. Considering issues like low teacher morale, fragile student wellness, uncertain public heath, limited strategic support for long-term financial decisions, looming environmental requirements, and these very troubling tax-payment errors, maybe the district could use someone with independent and fresh eyes?
Moving forward, the board has the big responsibility to hire the superintendent, but I would appreciate a greater measure of process transparency that can generate optimism and build trust. Dr. Patrick may be a qualified and talented future superintendent, but this community deserves an open hiring posture, particularly given the absence of women and people of color represented in senior leadership.
In his open letter dated April 5, Bob Berg also asks for honest dealings and he is right to. While I am no conspiracy theorist and rarely agree with Berg on much, I am uncomfortable with the board's ignorance, though he goes too far to call our board liars. More likely, this episode demonstrates a district culture of secrecy that has gone way too far. It feels disrespectful to stakeholders, to the board, and overall, it doesn’t pass the smell test. At minimum, we need the culture to change.
Each of the critical decisions currently facing this district demand a renewed commitment to open dialogue, frequent updates, detailed information, and clear rationales that respect our intelligence. Some information is not for everyone and for good reasons. But the board and administration should not overplay that notion and forget to inform the public about our children, our tax dollars and the decisions that matter to us, the good and the difficult. We are talking about educating our children, not protecting state secrets.
For the benefit of the children, I sincerely wish our leadership success. And I hope the board remembers that Scarsdale is a stable, well-funded and strongly supported district, with stellar faculty, engaged parents, and great kids. We have much to offer, including professional respect with salaries to match. But clearly there are issues and there are some in Scarsdale, including me, who will need assurances that the board and Dr. Patrick, even for this one upcoming year, will welcome accountability and improve our community trust.
Letter to the Editor from Bob Harrison
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To The Editor:
We are concerned about the 3.70 % proposed Village Tax increase for the fiscal year beginning on June first .
The School Board proposed tax increase for its fiscal year is only 2.43 %. We strongly feel any village tax increase should be in the 2.0+ % area.
Our concern is that the proposed Village budget should be as accurate as possible . Since the tentative Village budget was filed on March 18th, the Federal Reserve Board has publicly made significant changes in the outlook for interest rate policy to fight inflation. They now see seven interest rate hikes this year and five rate hikes next year and these rate hikes can be 25 to 50 basis points each. That means the Village interest income based on a 1.75 federal funds rate on $40 million that the Village has in local banks will be $700,000 more of income and if the FED raises rates 50 basis points five times that would add $ 500,000 more of interest income .
Each $ 400,000 of interest income can reduce the tax rate increase by " One Percent. " So our taxpayers could have the proposed 3.70 % tax increase reduced to a 1.95 % Village tax increase and could be reduced further by 1.25 % if the FED raised rates by 50 basis points.
To be fair because of increased inflation for Village costs there would be increased expenses for the Village. However, about 70+% of Village costs are already set by labor contracts and material contracts like paving can be timed when prices are lower.
We feel there is no reason for a 3.70 % Village Tax increase base on the added interest income that will be raised by investing Village funds in US Treasury bills at rates of 1% to 2% versus the banks based on interest rates in line with the new Federal Funds rates.
Send your support for a lower Village tax rate to our Mayor and Village Trustees with an email to villageclerk@scarsdale.com and to proscars@aol.com.
Bob Harrison, Chairman
Scarsdale Taxpayer Alert
Cell phone: 914 646-4054
65 Fox Meadow Road
Scarsdale, NY
Musicians from the New York Philharmonic to Perform at Hoff-Barthelson Music School
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Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s 2022 Elaine Stamas Chamber Music Residency, with musicians from the New York Philharmonic, will be held Sunday, April 24, 2022, at the Music School, 25 School Lane, Scarsdale, New York. The residency includes master classes and a chamber music concert – a highlight of the residency – to which the public is invited to attend.
About the Chamber Music Concert
Enjoy a rare opportunity to hear some of the greatest works from the chamber music repertoire performed by world-renowned musicians in an intimate setting. Beginning at 7:30 pm, the concert features violinists Anna Rabinova (Hoff-Barthelson faculty member), Na Sun, and Kuan Cheng Lu; violist Rebecca Young; and cellist Ru-Pei Yeh. Joining the Philharmonic musicians are guest pianists Helen Huang and Zhen Chen. Included on the program are the passionate and exquisitely melodic Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor by Felix Mendelssohn and Antonin Dvořák's sublime Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81. Program and musicians are subject to change without notice.
Tickets for the concert are $30 general admission and free of charge for HBMS students. Seating is limited; early reservations are encouraged and can be made at Eventbrite (https://bit.ly/3CAGKRM) or www.hbms.org.
About the Elaine Stamas Chamber Music Residency Master Classes
The Elaine Stamas Chamber Music Residency gives HBMS students the opportunity to perform for members of the New York Philharmonic who share their comprehensive knowledge of ensemble playing with these young musicians, guiding them to a higher understanding of technique, musicianship and musical style. Three members of the Philharmonic – Anna Rabinova, violin and HBMS faculty member; Ru-Pei Yeh, cello; and Mindy Kaufman, flute, will coach student chamber music ensembles prior to the evening’s chamber music concert. The residency is named in honor of long-time supporter and member of the School’s Board of Trustees, Elaine Stamas.
Police Issue Warning About Child Predator
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(March 21, 2022 1:16 pm)
This in from the Scarsdale Police:
Suspicious Incident in the area of Garth and Popham Roads
On Saturday, March 19th at approximately 4:45 PM, an 11-year-old girl was playing near Garth and Popham Roads when a male in a passing car, who the child did not know, stopped, rolled down his window and motioned to the youth. The male then exited his car and motioned to the child again and stated “Come, come”. The child, who was in the area with other children entered a building on Garth Road and the male left the area. A short time later, a parent reported the incident to the Scarsdale Police.
The person in the vehicle is described as a Black male, wearing a black “beanie” style hat, with a mask down around his chin and wearing a black t-shirt. This male was reported to be driving a black Toyota sedan.
This incident is currently under investigation by the Scarsdale Police Department’s Detective Division. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call the Scarsdale Police at 914-722-1200.
