Attorney, Volunteer and Village Justice Cindy Dunne Passes Away at 67
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The Honorable Cynthia ("Cindy") Keeffe Dunne: November 10, 1956 – October 24, 2024
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Cynthia Keeffe Dunne, affectionately known as "Cindy" or "Cindy Lou Who." Cindy left this world on October 24, 2024, surrounded by loved ones, after a courageous battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme. Cindy devoted her life to justice, community service, and to loving her family and friends. She is survived by her husband, Timothy Dunne; her children, Sean Dunne, Deirdre Dunne, Margaret Taubman; her son in law, Oliver Taubman, whom she recently welcomed into the family with open arms; and by her devoted caregiver, Hyacinth Roberson.
Cindy was born on November 10, 1956, in Yonkers, NY, to John Keeffe and Frances Keeffe. She was raised in Scarsdale, NY alongside her two sisters, Amy Peckham and Gigi Schwartzman. Scarsdale is also where she met, first in childhood and then years later, her beloved husband of 38 years, Timothy Dunne, and where they raised their family. Cindy ended her career in public service as the Honorable Village Justice of Scarsdale.
Cindy was a lawyer with extensive trial and appellate experience. She dedicated over 28 years to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, serving in both the civil and criminal divisions as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Senior Trial Counsel. Cindy prosecuted hundreds of cases ranging from public corruption, federal taxation, commercial disputes, employment discrimination, armed bank robberies, kidnaps, violent gang prosecutions, and civil rights violations to complex financial crimes. She earned numerous awards for her dedication and achievements, including being a three-time recipient of the Department of Justice's Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys Director's Award. She earned her B.A. from Rollins College and her J.D. from Pace Law School.
Cindy delighted in her children's lives and accomplishments—they were her greatest source of pride and joy. She cherished her bond with her siblings and was a tender and supportive aunt to her six nieces and nephews, as well as their partners and children. She was a loyal and generous friend who graciously hosted many joyful gatherings that will be sorely missed.
Cindy will be remembered for her resilience and her commitment to doing what was right. She was a two-time president of the Scarsdale Rotary Club, where she received the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her contributions to the public good. She was an active volunteer and board member for many organizations, such as the Scarsdale League of Women Voters and Hawthorne Country Day School. Cindy was dedicated to supporting America's first peoples as a board member of Lakota Children's Enrichment in service to the Oglala Lakota Nation.
The family would like to express their gratitude to her care team, especially her caregiver, Hyacinth Roberson, and her doctor, Dr. Peter Chei-Wei Pan, at the NewYork-Presbyterian William Rhodes and Louise Tilzer-Rhodes Center for Glioblastoma, for their compassionate support throughout her illness.
A visitation with the family will be held on Friday, November 8, 2025, from 3–7 p.m. at the Edwin L. Bennett Funeral Home in Scarsdale, NY. A funeral service will occur on Saturday, November 9, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Scarsdale Congregational Church, followed by interment and a reception. Instead of flowers, the family requests donations in Cynthia's honor to the Pine Ridge Girls School or the Scarsdale Congregational Church.
Halloween Window Painting 2024
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The annual window painting contest on Sunday October 20, 2024 drew many young artists and families to the streets of the 'Dale. They painted both comical and artistic creations with cultural and political themes.
As always, it was a brilliant display of talent from the Village's young residents.
The event was enhanced by the presence of the Sunday Scarsdale Farmer's Market - and County Executive George Latimer stopped by to say hello.
Take a look at the painters in action here - and email your photos to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com to add them to our gallery.
We will post the results of the contest later this week when we receive the information from the Recreation Department.
Bravo to the young artists!
Pancake Breakfast is a Hit in Greenacres
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Do I smell pancakes? The Greenacres Neighborhood Association hosted their ninth annual pancake breakfast on Monday October 14 and the aroma of sizzling flapjacks and maple syrup wafted across the field.
An estimated 200 people from 65 households turned out to enjoy chocolate chip pancakes, donuts, coffee and juice and the company of their neighbors.
This year everything was green like Greenacres. Plates and utensils were compostable and the new green tablecloths can be used over and over again.
Tony Moncheril from Brite Avenue headed up the event. There were four propane-powered griddles going, lots of tables and chairs and many volunteers to make it a success. He was happy to report that the neighborhood association has lots of new members and an uptick in community spirit.
Learn more about the Greenacres Neighborhood Association and join here.
New Curbside Textile Recycling Program – Starting October 5
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Cleaning out your closets? Wondering what to do with old linens? Here's your answer: Westchester County has partnered with Helpsy to offer free curbside textile pickup to residents in the Village of Scarsdale. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, textile waste is the fastest-growing type of trash in the country. This program will provide a convenient way for residents to keep textiles out of the waste stream.
What happens to the clothing? According to Helpsys website, "Helpsy’s mission is to keep clothing out of the trash. 95% of what we collect can be reused or recycled. Clothing is sold primarily for reuse where higher grades are resold to thrift stores in North America and other secondhand markets around the world. The lower grades can be turned into rags for industrial use or stuffing and insulation. Clothing reuse is a big deal and it reduces the enormous environmental burden of the second most polluting industry in the world."
Beginning Saturday, October 5, residents can sign up online for curbside textile collections, which will take place weekly on Saturdays between 7am-5pm. Helpsy accepts clothing, accessories, shoes, linens, blankets, curtains, and more. See the attached flier for more information about accepted items.
Interested residents can sign up at https://www.helpsy.com/pickup or by calling Helpsy directly at 1-800-244-6350.
Governor Signs Law to Allow Scarsdale to Remit Tax Penalties to Residents
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At long last – tax penalty relief should be coming to over 200 residents who say they never received their school tax bills last September. They missed the first installment of their school tax bills and were therefore assessed penalties for the late payments. See what happened here.
Though they were never announced the exact cause of the mail failure, the Village Trustees agreed to take steps to remit those penalties to those who missed the deadline for the first payment of the two-part process. However, since it is a matter of state law, it was necessary to introduce home rule legislation in both the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate and once passed, have the law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul.
Now the Governor has signed the bill and here is a note from the Village explaining next steps:
On September 20, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Assembly Bill 9946 into law. This law now allows Scarsdale to provide taxpayer relief to specific residents who incurred penalties due to the USPS’s failure to deliver certain school tax bills.
As a reminder, the Scarsdale Town Board passed a home rule request in response to concerns from residents who had not received their school tax bills via USPS and consequently incurred school tax penalties. Over the summer, the corresponding bills were approved by both the Assembly and State Senate.
Next Steps: The law requires the Scarsdale Town Board to approve a process to refund the 2023-2024 real property school taxes to qualified residents. Approval of this application form will be the first item on the Town Board’s Agenda at its next meeting on October 8, 2024. Assuming the form is approved on October 8, it will be available for residents on our website on October 9. Once all necessary information is received, it is anticipated that refunds will be processed within 4-6 weeks.
The Village/Town of Scarsdale thanks Governor Hochul for signing this into law and Assemblywoman Paulin, and State Senator Mayer for making this possible.
Commenting on the news, Assemblywoman Paulin said, ““I was pleased to author a bill to help Scarsdale residents. I’ll always be responsive, legislatively or in any way I can, to help constituents and the community.”
