Candidate for Village Trustee Scott Silberfein Has a Passion for the Job

Former Scarsdale School Board member and longtime Scarsdale resident Scott Silberfein is on the ballot for Scarsdale Village Trustee. Find out about his experience and why he would like to serve below:

Tell us about your professional and volunteer experience to date.

My wife Joey and I have lived in Scarsdale since 2006 and are the proud parents of three daughters who graduated from Scarsdale High School.

I am an attorney and have 25+ years of substantial experience advocating for clients in a variety of high-stakes, complex litigation matters and class actions in the state and federal courts as well as before arbitration panels and mediators.

My commercial litigation experience spans many industries including consumer products, jewelry, real estate, and equipment lease financing and includes actions involving claims for fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and partnership actions, employment issues (including but not limited to business torts, unfair competition, trade secret, and non-competition/solicitation covenants), bankruptcy and  reorganization issues, alleged violations of RICO and federal and state consumer protection laws. I also have extensive experience representing companies in responding to and defending against investigations and lawsuits by Attorneys General. My class action experience includes litigations in state and federal courts and proceedings before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation involving unfair competition, breach of warranty, product-related issues, data breach and privacy, and consumer protection statutes of nearly all fifty states.

After college and prior to attending law school, I worked in Washington, D.C in the legislative  offices of Congressman Gary Ackerman and in the telecommunications industry.

I am also a longtime community volunteer. I served on the Scarsdale Board of Education from 2014-2020 including 1.5 years as President. I am currently serving as a Board member of the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation, the Scarsdale Youth Soccer Club, and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity's Supreme Council and am a member of Scarsdale’s Judicial Qualifications Advisory Committee. Among other roles, I am a former member of the Scarsdale Bowl Committee and Scarsdale’s Board of Ethics, and a former Board member of Westchester Reform Temple, the Greenacres Neighborhood Association, and the Crohn’s Colitis Foundation of America-Westchester/Fairfield Chapter. I also proudly coached my daughters’ recreational soccer, basketball, and softball teams.

Why are you stepping up now to serve as a Scarsdale Village Trustee?

I have a passion for the job and a love for our Village.

What skills do you bring to the Board?

I am a problem solver, relationship builder, have a deep desire to learn about all sides of an issue, and possess the ability to quickly understand and synthesize complex issues along with financial and legal documents. Additionally, I am an active listener, with an open mind to all points of view and constituencies and know how to serve all of the residents of the Village without agenda or pre-conceived point of view.

What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned as a volunteer?

To assume best intentions from all colleagues, employees, and stakeholders and that it is incredibly important—essential—to serve with credibility and integrity.

What were some of your most rewarding volunteer experiences?

In addition to contributing to very productive boards, my most rewarding volunteer experiences have been the ones where after a lot of hard work, partnership, and creative problem solving, we have been able to deliver wonderful results for stakeholders. In Scarsdale, primarily in capital work, these experiences would include the installation of the permanent lights at Butler Field at Scarsdale High School, the renovations to Greenacres Elementary School, and the Learning Commons, Design Lab, and new fitness center at the High School. But, in reality, my most rewarding volunteer experiences in Scarsdale and beyond always come back to the incredibly smart, hard-working, engaging, and impressive people I have had an opportunity to meet, work with, and learn from. 

How do you think that service on the Village Board will be similar or different from your experience on the School Board?

I am used to working as a member of a board of seven dedicated resident volunteers and expect the same on the Village Board. As a member of the School Board, I was incredibly lucky to work with a dedicated group of administrators, teachers, and staff dedicated to their craft. I expect to experience the same as a member of the Village Board. I am sure there will be differences, such as budgeting and bond work which don’t require a community vote, but I expect—maybe naively—the service to be similar and feel familiar.

The Village is now embarking on an initiative to build Scarsdale’s first indoor/outdoor pool complex. Share your thoughts on this ambitious project.

My family was a long-time user and supporter of the Scarsdale Pool. I believe we should provide such an important part of the Village for the current residents and for future residents. To do that, significant investment is necessary and I generally support the current project. I trust and respect our professionals, consultants, and the current Village Board in reaching the conclusion. One item I need to learn more about is the expected operating costs and the self-sufficiency of the complex.

At the same time, the school board has proposed a $101.7 million bond for expansion and infrastructure improvements to the facilities. What are your views on the overall expansion of taxpayer debt?

Managing our ever-Increasing taxpayer debt and maintaining our high bond ratings is of paramount importance. There are limits to the amount of debt we can ask the community to support, but we also need to meet the needs and desires of our constituents in delivering a world class public education, providing the required level of services, and fixing and maintaining our aging infrastructure. If the taxing authorities take the time to thoroughly study the issues and alternatives, encourage and listen to community input, and make prudent decisions, I believe our community will support (as they usually do) the budgetary plans.

Last spring the Village Board proposed the purchase of police technology that facilitated increased surveillance through the use of cameras, license plate readers and drones. Tell us what you think.

Transparency and communication are always key. I also want to provide our Police Department with all of the tools they need and want. While we always need to be concerned with privacy including the data collected about our residents and who has the data, we live in a world in which data about our lives are always being captured—EZPass, ATM, mobile phones, traffic cameras, waze, google, and the list goes on. So, in the end, I think we already share so much data, that we need to acknowledge that while being aware of to whom we voluntarily share any data and to whom they share the same data.

What do you hope to accomplish as a Village Trustee?

I love our Village. It’s been here for 325 years and will be here for a long time after me. As Trustee, I hope to be a valuable and contributing steward of our Village’s vast resources, infrastructure, and charm while maintaining the Village as a desired place to live.