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Published: 12 May 2015

Created: 12 May 2015

Last Updated: 15 May 2015

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The Scarsdale League of Women Voters had a record turnout at its annual meeting and spring luncheon Friday May 8. Close to 90 League members and friends, including elected officials U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel, State Senator and Majority Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Westchester County Legislator Ben Boykin, Village Trustee Deb Pekarek and School Board Trustees Lee Maude and Suzanne Seiden, came to hear Elisabeth Bumiller, Washington Bureau Chief of the New York Times speak at the Scarsdale Golf Club. Those in attendance were enrapt as Bumiller spoke about Women in Politics and took questions regarding her experiences as Washington Bureau Chief. The program will be replayed on Verizon FiOS Channel 42 and Cablevision Channel 76 and the video will be available on scarsdalepublictv.com. Check the Scarsdale Public TV website for details.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 07 May 2015

Created: 07 May 2015

Last Updated: 07 May 2015

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Three key people in the Village are set to retire this year, calling for three special events to celebrate their service to Scarsdale. Village Manager Al Gatta, Assistant Schools Superintendent for Personnel Joan Weber and Assistant Schools Superintendent and "Snow Queen" Linda Purvis will all step down in June.

The community is invited to attend these special nights. Here's how to reserve your tickets:

A dinner to honor Al Gatta for 25 years of service to Scarsdale will be held on Friday night May 29, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at the Mamaroneck Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck. The evening will include a cocktail hour and dinner and the fee to attend is $90 per person. RSVP to RSVP@scarsdale.com or send a check payable to Stephen Pappalardo to Village Hall at 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale – attention Angela Martin.

A dinner in honor of Assistant Superintendent for Business Linda Purvis on the occasion of her retirement will be held on Monday, June 1 at the Davenport Club in New Rochelle. Though most know Purvis for her famous school cancellation robo calls, she is the woman behind the school budget and finances, all school facilities, transportation and construction projects.

Click here to attend: 

A dinner in honor or Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Dr. Joan Weber (who has hired everyone currently on staff!) on the occasion of her retirement will be held on Thursday, June 18 at the Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club with cocktails at 6:30 Cocktail and dinner to follow at 7:30. To purchase a ticket to the event, click here: 

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 28 April 2015

Created: 28 April 2015

Last Updated: 28 April 2015

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Plant native trees to help restore a wetlands habitat in Scarsdale on Saturday May 2nd. The Village of Scarsdale Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department (PRC) is sponsoring a "Community Planting Day" on May 2 from 10 am to 4 pm. This event is being held in conjunction with The Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, which has obtained a substantial grant of hundreds of native shrubs and trees from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for planting at the Harwood Park-Fox Meadow Brook wetland on the Library and High School campuses.

PRC and FOSP representatives will be on hand as will a representative of the DEC who is delivering the plants. The PRC is arranging for a naturalist from the Weinberg Nature Center to conduct a nature program for children, who are welcome to join in the event, as are members of other local groups who have been invited including Rotary Club, Lions Club, Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Counsel, Boy and Girl Scouts, the village Neighborhood Associations, Scarsdale Forum, High School Garden Club, etc.

This is a hands-on event which will focus on planting. Disposable gloves, plants and some digging tools will be provided, but it is recommended to bring heavy-duty garden gloves and any of your favorite planting implements. Also remember to wear sturdy waterproof shoes, long sleeve shirts and brimmed hats for protection. Refreshments will not be provided, so please bring water bottles, especially for children.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the High School north parking lot located at Brewster Road, between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Street parking is available on Brewster Road.

If you are interested in conservation and restoring this important open space as parkland, you are requested to register here under 'Special Events' and then 'Community Planting Day' (it only takes a few minutes to sign up). Groups may register under one name for all individuals who plan to attend as long as you indicate the number of participants.

With the help of volunteers on May 2, you can continue protecting Village green spaces by restoring this natural wetland habitat and eventually creating a nature preserve for us and future generations to enjoy.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 April 2015

Created: 23 April 2015

Last Updated: 24 April 2015

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You could not total the number of volunteer years of service of the 275 attendees at the 2015 Scarsdale Bowl dinner, a celebration of community volunteerism and the 2015 Bowl Winner, Peter Strauss. Strauss alone has put in 48 years volunteering for 25 different civic organizations and committees, his wife Laura has more than done her part since moving to town in 1966, and all the committee members and friends who offered tributes and attended have impressive records themselves.

Strauss served as Mayor of Scarsdale from 2005-7 and Village Trustee from 2001-5. He is proud of his role in developing downtown Scarsdale, installing more legible street signs and working on the new headquarters for the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps. He served on the Zoning Board of Appeals, chaired the Village Advisory Council on Human Relations, on the Procedure Committee and is a firm believer in the non-partisan system.

Held on April 22 at the Fountainhead in New Rochelle, the event was led by Scarsdale Bowl Committee Chair, and now newly-elected Scarsdale Mayor Jon Mark. He greeted guests by recognizing Strauss's extraordinary service and acknowledging all the attendees who "make Scarsdale the exceptional community that it is." He thanked the Bowl Committee for their work and named the recipients of the former Bowl winners who were in attendance at the event. He singled out Jane Veron who served on the Bowl Committee and also as the liaison to the Scarsdale Foundation for going "above and beyond." He also noted the contributions of Bowl Treasurer Robert Jeremiah, Foundation President Evelyn Stock and last year's Bowl Chair David Brodsky.

Scarsdale Foundation President Evelyn Stock thanked Peter Strauss for "giving unselfishly of time, energy and effort to the community." Speaking about the work of the Scarsdale Foundation she discussed need-based scholarship for college students, support for SVAC and Scarsdale and Edgemont Family Counseling. She quoted Richard Toder who said, "When some of our neighbors are hurting and in need of our help, we try to be there. This help is what makes our community so special. We care."

She noted that Strauss' many volunteer commitments extend beyond on Scarsdale. On a recent visit to the White Plains Hospital emergency room she spotted Strauss, who volunteers there, and brought her lunch.

Stock then extolled the benefits of volunteering telling the room, "You know it is now okay to have chocolate, eggs—the whole egg, red meat, and wine. And we learned long ago the benefits of volunteering include new friends and contacts, and improved social, relationship and job skills. But now new studies have demonstrated that volunteering benefits your mental, physical and emotional well-being. Volunteers experience a euphoric rush that releases endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. The health benefits include a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as lower cholesterol levels... Harvard Medical School reports adults over age 50 who volunteer regularly are less likely to develop high blood pressure. A Carnegie Mellon study put a number to it--200 hours of volunteering per year correlated to lower blood pressure. Volunteering may reduce stress. ... Now we must admit that eggs, red meat, wine and chocolate (even dark chocolate) must be eaten or drunk in moderation. But... moderation is not needed for volunteering. Think-- you could live forever."

Former Bowl recipient Carl Pforzheimer III discussed the long hours Strauss put in when he was Mayor, and said that Strauss served with "elegance, discretion and dignity, working devoutly for the public." He quoted a trustee who worked with Strauss who said, "when Peter became mayor, he literally moved into Village Hall. The mayor's office was resurrected and Peter put in standard 8 hour days doing the people's work. His daily, on-site management style has never been duplicated before or since." Another said that Peter did a shift on the snowplows on a snowy winter night. Pforzheimer said "Peter did his homework every time. He didn't just read, he studied, he consulted with others, he came to a reasoned opinion. You could agree or disagree with that opinion, but you didn't need to question its authenticity of design."

Laura Strauss has been married to Peter for 52 years and described him as "20% small town American" with the balance distinctly German. Struass immigrated to the United States from Germany when he was 7 years old. She noted his work ethic, persistence and optimism and said he was devoted to family, even keeping a photo of his "mother-in-law on his desk." He was an involved dad and coach to their two daughters who attended the dinner with their children. Carolyn Strauss travelled from California where she is the Executive Producer of the hit television series Game of Thrones, and many fans stopped by her table to meet and greet her and her son Owen. Younger daughter Diana drove down from Brunswick Maine with her husband Kevin and two adorable daughters, Ruby Rose, 6 and Gemma Grace 4. Laura noted that Owen, now 12, was given an assignment to write a paper about his hero. He chose his Grandapa a Peter, and said that he was "kind and generous" and added that she agrees.

Lifelong friend and Scarsdale resident Victor Goldberg remembered delicious dinners at the Strauss home with a "seemingly limitless bar." He laughed about driving home after an evening of Peter's mixology and marveled that they survived. He thought of those nights often, especially when Strauss become Police Commissioner. He said that his wife was a great admirer of Peter's – calling him "elegant, well-groomed" and even "nice." He said that as Mayor, Peter knew everyone's name from the staff, to the firefighters and the water department personnel. He noted his drive for more readable street signs, saying they were Peter's way of "planning for the old age of his friends." Goldberg credited Strauss's sense of fairness, empathy, dedication, pride in his family and loyalty to friends old and new.

After a slow to emerge dinner and a long night of tributes Strauss took the stage to receive the bowl from Jon Mark and make his remarks. He told the group that his family came to America 79 years ago from Germany when his parents, ages 37 and 31 sought a better life for their family. A Scarsdale resident for 49 years, he said that Scarsdale has "been the source of a wonderful group of friends and multiple opportunities to participate in community activities." He remembered conducting difficult and contentious meetings to clear the way for a group home of mentally disabled residents, working on recommendations to improve and develop the downtown area and serving as trustee and mayor when he came to appreciate the contributions of village staff and realize that we live in a "special community."

He said that we must work hard to generate quality volunteerism to preserve the "positive aspects of our special community." He thanked everyone for honoring him with the Scarsdale Bowl and for coming out to recognize him.