Procedure Committee Invites Your Suggestions on Improving the Non-Partisan System

The Scarsdale Procedure Committee (PC) Chair Madelaine Eppenstein and Vice Chair Eric Cheng are asking for voters input on how to improve the non-partisan system’s governing document and the Citizen’s Nominating Committee processes.

According to the chairs, “The Scarsdale community’s non-partisan system of electing qualified candidates for village office, which has worked well over its long history, is governed by the Non-Partisan Resolution (NPR) – a living document that has been amended 41 times since its adoption, most recently in November 2012. The system establishes a method for selecting a slate of candidates for Mayor (every two years), Trustees (every two years, staggered terms) and Village Justice (every four years). Periodically, the community is asked to consider proposed changes to improve the system by means of one or more amendments to the NPR, which are ultimately submitted to the electorate for a vote. This is one of those pivotal opportunities for the public to weigh in and share their views as part of the review process.”

The Procedure Committee's mandate is to administer the annual non-partisan procedure for the election of voting members of the Citizen's Nominating Committee (CNC) and to publicly explore potential revisions to the NPR. The CNC in turn nominates a slate of non-partisan candidates to run for election to the positions of mayor, trustee and village justice that may be open in any given year. CNC members are elected by their neighbors to vet and select candidates for Village office as part of the non-partisan system.

Up to 23 members of the PC include a chair and vice chair, 10 members who are appointed currently by the president of the Town and Village Civic Club (a 501(c)(4) Village civic organization), 2 representatives designated by the chair of the Confederation of Scarsdale Neighborhood Association Presidents (SNAP), and the most recent retiring class of 10 voting members of the CNC.

Procedure Committee chairs Eppenstein and Cheng said, “All comments received from Scarsdale voters and community organizations during the month of April 2018, and any prior recommendations made, will be reviewed by the Procedure Committee during the month of May 2018. By June 1, 2018, the Procedure Committee plans to submit to the community, for public comment, any potential proposals to amend the Non-Partisan Resolution as part of the required 90-day public review period. At the end of this formal public review, the PC will propose amendments that, in the Committee’s judgment, should be presented to the electorate for a vote in the CNC election on November 13, 2018. The entire procedure for the amendment of the Non-Partisan Resolution is contained in Article IX of the NPR here. 

Email comments to: meppenstein@eppenstein.com.

The members of the 2018 Procedure Committee are: Charles Baltman; Sarah Bell; David Dembitzer; Eric Cheng; Madelaine Eppenstein; Timothy Foley; Jeff Goodwin; Mayra Kirkendall-Rodríguez; Eli Mattioli; David Peck; Richard Pinto; Pam Rubin; Greg Soldatenko; Jill Spielberg; Eve Steinberg; Nancy Steinberg; Michelle Sterling; and Bruce Wells.
For more information visit the Procedure Committee website at http://www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org/