School Budget and Board of Election Results

Voters turned out in record numbers to vote in Scarsdale’s contested School Board election and budget vote on Tuesday May 18. The race between School Board Nominating Committee candidate Suzanne Seiden and Independent candidate Bob Harrison galvanized voters – with a total of 2,714 votes cast in the race …. 1773 for Suzanne Seiden and 941 for Bob Harrison, giving Seiden the seat on the Board. The $135 million school budget was passed with 1887 yes votes, to 733 no votes, as 72% of voters said yes to the budget. It is interesting to note that 94 more votes were cast in the Seiden- Harrison race than were posted in the budget vote. This may have been because voters failed to see the yes-no budget lever or because they came to vote for the candidates. Later in the day, the personnel monitoring the voting booths began alerting voters to vote for or against the budget on the top line of the voting machine.

In the 2009 election only 722 people voted and the budget passed with a 76.8% approval rate. More than three times the number of people voted this year over last, as Seiden and Harrison campaigned to win votes and encouraged participation.

Jill Spieler and Elizabeth Guggenheimer were both elected to return to the Board, each for an additional three years. Spieler got 1978 votes and Guggenheimer, 1997. Newcomer Lewis Leone Jr. was elected for a two-year term to fill the seat vacated by Board member Joel Gurin.

Rain did not deter voters and the Middle School gym was busy all day. When the polls closed at 9 pm, a group of more than 100 people gathered to await the results. In the crowd were the School Board administration, current and past members of the School Board, representatives from the PT Council and PTA's, and campaign supporters.  Due to the high number of absentee ballots, 47 in all, the counting was slow and suspense built as the group waited to hear the tally. Former Trustee Dan Hochvert announced the numbers, leaving the results of the Seiden-Harrison race to the end. District Clerk Lois Rehm put in a 15 hour day at the polls, from the opening at 7 am to the 10 pm announcement of the results.

Harrison’s run was viewed as a challenge to both candidate Suzanne Seiden and the non-partisan system. Until now, those elected to the School Board Nominating Committee have sought out, vetted and nominated one slate of officers who were presented to the community for election. There had been little public debate or campaigning, as once the candidates were selected, their election was virtually guaranteed.

This year, after Harrison threw his hat into the race, a local campaign was set in motion. Seiden was backed by Friends of Slate 2010, a committee formed to defend the non-partisan system and the candidates selected by the SBNC. The group wrote letters, sent emails, made phone calls and posted signs all over town. Harrison also campaigned hard, taking out ads, meeting voters at the train station, utilizing robo-calls and even taping a half hour television interview that appeared on cable television. The two candidates spoke at a forum presented by the League of Women Voters and the flurry of activity surrounding the election spurred discussion.

Harrison, a frequent speaker at School Board meetings contended that local school taxes are too high and prevent young families from moving in and force older people to move out. Citing high teacher’s salaries and high budget reserves, Harrison argued that the School Board needed a member with financial expertise. With 28 years at Goldman Sachs and his career as a financial advisor, Harrison argued that he could help the Board to make sound decisions.

Winning an impressive 941 votes, which is 219 votes more than the total vote tally in 2009, Harrison has demonstrated that all is not well with the status quo. In speaking to his supporters, it was evident that many do want to rein in school taxes. Others were encouraged by the open campaign and felt that school board candidates should be permitted to voice their opinions to the public. Though he was not the victor, Harrison’s campaign gave a voice to the discontented and we will surely hear from this faction again.

The Edgemont School Budget also passed, with 764 yes to 222 no votes. The Edgemont budget passed by what is believed to be the largest margin in Westchester County.  The Edgemont School Board Nominating Committee Slate won the four open seats. David Stern, David Chao and Tom McCormack were each elected to three-year terms and Gerry Stoughton was elected to serve the remaining two-year term vacated by Allan Pepper who resigned earlier this year. Chao, a former board president received 740 votes, McCormack was second with 710 votes, Stern received 689 votes and Stoughton received 660 votes. Independent candidate Caroline Tzelios trailed the SBNC nominees with 505 votes and failed to win a seat on the Edgemont School Board.