SBNC Announces Election Results: Here Are the Winners
- Details
- Hits: 3751
There was a strong turnout for the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee election, held on Tuesday, January 17th. A total of 528 votes were cast, up from 381 votes in 2011. Fox Meadow had the highest number of voters, with 138 ballots cast. Greenacres had the fewest ballots cast with 76 voters. Heathcote had 108 voters, Quaker Ridge had 105 and Edgewood had 101 ballots cast.
The following candidates were chosen to join the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee:
- Edgewood: Kathryn Conlon and Mary Beth Evans
- Fox Meadow: Diane Baylor and Mary Lou D’Silva
- Greenacres: Dana Matsushita and Barry Meiselman
- Heathcote: Amy Cohen Bauman and Peggy DaSilva
- Quaker Ridge: Debbie Hochberg and Tracy Nathanson
In addition, all six proposed amendments to the SBNC governing document were approved by voters. Details on these amendments can be found at: http://scarsdalesbnc.com/press/
This year’s ten new SBNC members will join twenty others already on the committee serving staggered three-year terms. The first committee meeting will be held on Sunday, January 22, 2012, and by the end of March the committee will nominate two candidates for the Scarsdale Board of Education. Lewis Leone and Mary Beth Gose are completing their first terms on the Board of Education and are eligible for re-nomination. The SBNC Board of Education candidates, along with any other candidates who may choose to run, will be up for public election along with the School Budget on May 15.
Photo Above: SBNC Procedure Committee handcounting the votes. Photo credit: Nan Berke
Oppenheimer to Retire from State Senate, Paving the Way for a Possible November Showdown between Bob Cohen and George Latimer
- Details
- Hits: 3684
Veteran State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer has announced that she will not run for re-election for the New York State Senate seat she has held for 28 years. Oppenheimer, 77 years old, disclosed that she was facing major shoulder replacement surgery in 2012 which would preclude giving her undivided attention to her senate duties and a likely brutal re-run against her 2010 opponent, Bob Cohen.
Opportunities for move-ups in elective offices in Westchester have been rare. Aside from Oppenheimer’s 28 year tenure in the State Senate, Congresswoman Nita Lowey is running for re-election to her seat, held since she first won in 1988 defeating two-term incumbent Joseph DioGuardi (the 2010 special election opponent to US Senator Kirstin Gillibrand). The political rumor mill opines that Lowey wants to keep the seat to preserve it during redistricting -- then make way for New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson in due course. Scarsdale Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has stated that she was running for re-election to her assembly seat -- and speculation swirls that Paulin has her eye on running for County Executive against Rob Astorino in 2013.
The likely Democratic candidate for the Oppenheimer seat is Rye State Assemblyman George Latimer, who has held the
The major caveat, however, is redistricting. The State Legislature is involved in the redistricting process that occurs every 10 years -- and the Republicans are already trying to add a 63rd senate seat. Democrats are crying foul and Governor Andrew Cuomo has previously promised to veto lines drawn in a partisan manner. But time is running out for any rational, independent redistricting process to take place. Even prior to Oppenheimer’s announcement, the State Senate Republicans have been rumored to be trying to boost Cohen’s chances for the seat by removing Democratic leaning Scarsdale and substituting the more Republican Eastchester and Tuckahoe. Other speculation includes removing Ossining and replacing it with Pound Ridge. If some or all of those shifts occur, the seat would be easier for Cohen to win. Latimer is likely the Democrats’ best hope to retain the seat given his bipartisan reach.
The Innocence Project at Congregation Kol Ami
- Details
- Hits: 3291
On Friday night January 20 at 8:15 pm, Jason Kreag, a staff attorney at the Innocence Project and Alan Newton, an exoneree from prison will appear at Congregation Kol Ami, as part of their Synaplex event. The Innocence Project’s groundbreaking use of DNA technology to free innocent people has provided irrefutable proof that wrongful convictions are not isolated or rare events but instead arise from systemic defects. The Project seeks to free the staggering numbers of innocent people who remain incarcerated and to bring substantive reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment. The Innocence Project believes that the personal stories of the exonerated provide the most compelling introduction to the problems of wrongful conviction.
Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University to assist prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing the group has assisted 280 people in the United States who have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 17 who served time on death row.
Jason Kreag litigates post-conviction DNA cases throughout the country. He also supervises students through the Innocence Project clinic at Cardozo. Prior to joining the Innocence Project in October 2007, Mr. Kreag worked as a staff attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights. At SCHR, Mr. Kreag represented inmates on death row in Alabama and Georgia in state and federal post-conviction proceedings. Alan Newton was exonerated by DNA testing after serving 21 years in New York prisons for on a wrongful conviction for rape, robbery and assault.
The program is free and open to the community. Congregation Kol Ami is located at 252 Soundview Avenue in White Plains. For more information call Ilene Miller at 949-4717 ext. 111.
New Rochelle Residents Express Concern about Development at the Golden Horseshoe at Scarsdale BOT Meeting
- Details
- Hits: 4745
Mayor Miriam Flisser opened the January 10th Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees meeting with updates on the Village revaluation and stormwater management and then invited public comment from two New Rochelle residents who are concerned about development plans for the Golden Horseshoe,
Flisser reported that the Village is reviewing proposals from two companies to conduct the Village-wide revaluation. Both proposals are now under consideration and one or both firms may meet with Village staff to discuss their proposals. In addition, proposals from two software companies are now being considered to create a software bridge to allow the Village to accept property valuation data from an offsite system and integrate this data into Scarsdale’s system.
Flisser also reported that Village Manager Al Gatta has been appointed to the Westchester County Stormwater Advisory Board which was created by the Westchester County Board of Legislators and approved by the County Executive in February, 2011. The Stormwater Advisory Board advises the County Commissioners of Planning, Public Works, Transportation, County Executive and the County Board of Legislators on the establishment of a stormwater management plan for the lower Westchester Long Island Sound Watershed Basin. This plan will lead to County funding for watershed projects in the 11 member municipalities.
In the public comments portion of the meeting, Neil Tucker of 8 Seneca Road asked for an update on plans for Sheldrake River flooding remediation. Deputy Village Manager Steve Pappalardo reported that a meeting was planned with the consultant this week. He has been walking the area in search of suitable sites to create water detention basins and will confer with the Village this week. Tucker also asked how residents could receive regular updates on the planning and Miriam Flisser requested that the neighborhood association designate a contact to liaise with the Village.
Also at the meeting, the Board approved a service agreement with Dolph Rotfeld Engineering to evaluate the Village’s sanitary sewer lines and investigate the causes of sewage surcharges during heavy rainfalls. The company will perform dye or smoke testing on home sewer lines to identify illicit storm water connections and locate and eliminate sources of stormwater sanitary inflow and infiltration into the County’s Trunk Sewer Line. The cost for the work is $15,000
Development at the Golden Horseshoe:
Two New Rochelle residents, Alan Inman and Gary Frebeyer came before the Board to discuss plans to build a new 10,000 square foot retail building in the parking lot of the Golden Horseshoe Shopping Center along Wilmot Road. The shopping center straddles the line between New Rochelle and Scarsdale and therefore components of the plan need to comply with Scarsdale and New Rochelle code and gain approval from both jurisdictions.
Inman expressed concern about unfiltered contaminants that flow from the shopping center into storm drains and spill into the Sheldrake River. He claims that contaminants have been flowing into the system for years and that the shopping center was cited for sanitary code violations several times in the fall of 2011. The storm sewer line was scanned with cameras on December 14, 2011 but the results of the testing have not been provided to the New Rochelle Building Department. Inman believes that the oil/water separator that is planned for the new construction is inadequate. Instead he advocated for a Bio-Retention Filterra system that can handles torrential rains and overflows and would be monitored by the company that does the installation, rather than by the management of the shopping center. Inman appealed to Scarsdale neighbors to get involved to create a positive impact and asked the management of the Golden Horseshoe to be a more responsible neighbor.
Gary Frebeyer of Plymouth Drive in Wilmot Wood also objected to plans for the development on the grounds that many of the parking spots in the complex would be in the back, rather than in the front due to the construction of the new building. According to his calculations 45% of the spots will be in the back of the shopping center which will be inconvenient for shoppers and cause many to circle the lot seeking a spot in the front. He asked that Scarsdale require the management to require more parking spots in the front before approving the project.
Police Report: Thieves Work Through the Holidays
- Details
- Hits: 6204
Thieves continued to work through the holidays, entering another Scarsdale home and breaking into several cars. Here are two weeks of reports from the Scarsdale Police: On New Year’s Eve a Park Road home was burglarized. Residents returned home at 12:30 pm on 12/31 and found a smashed glass sliding door and a broken motion detector light. The master bedroom and a second bedroom were tossed including dresser drawers and the master bedroom closets. A gold and diamond necklace and a silver and gold bracelet were among the missing items. Police contacted the neighbors but no one saw or heard anything unusual.
A building maintenance storage closet in the basement of Building 3 of the Chateaux Circle apartments was vandalized overnight on 12/19-12/20. The locks and hinges were broken and a bicycle and $15 in cash were stolen.
Car break-ins: A Tuckahoe woman reported that her Honda had been broken into while parked at the Scarsdale Library on December 20th between 11:29 – and 11:49 am. The front passenger side window of the car was smashed and a pocketbook containing credit cards, checks, cash and identification were taken from the car. There were no witnesses.
Two cars parked on Eton Road in the early morning hours of 12/21 were vandalized. The front passenger window of a 1999 Mercedes was broken sometime between 10:30 pm and 1:20 am and a gym bag was stolen. A 2010 Acura that was parked nearby was also damaged when the front and rear passenger side windows were broken. A purse containing credit cards, identification, $30 in cash and medication were stolen.
That same night thieves broke the driver’s side back window of a 2002 Toyota RAV4 that was parked on Montrose Road. Stolen were a cache of gifts that had been donated for needy children.
Theft: On 12/16, a pair of diamond “huggie” earrings valued at $650 were stolen from Jewels by Joanne on Heathcote Road. Police will review the video surveillance to see if they can determine what happened.
Missing Toads: Village Naturalist Katherine Murphy reported that two fireball toads were removed from their tank at the Weinberg Nature Center sometime between 12/30/11 and 1/02/12. Another naturalist reported that a family of six had remained at the center until closing time on 12/30.
Fraud: On 12/29 Sierra Cycles reported an incident that occurred via e-Bay. The bike shop sold a Gary Fisher bike valued at $1050 to a Texas man. However the purchaser said the bike was the wrong size and wanted to exchange it. When the bike was returned it had been disassembled and the derailer, shifters and pedals had been replaced with cheaper parts. The total value of the missing parts is estimated at $500.
Unwanted: Fenimore Road homeowners called police on 12/25 to ask for help removing their 38 year-old daughter from the house where she was not welcome. Penn Boulevard residents called police for help on 12/25 when their 23 year-old son came to the house. They wanted him out of the house but he refused to leave. After he picked up a few items he agreed to go.
Harassment: A painter, at work at a Greenacres Avenue home, was threatened by a former employee on the morning of December 21. The painter owes the employee $300 and the man was demanding payment. The employee threatened the painter, saying he would “kick his ass” and “break his jaw” if he was not paid.
Phone calls: A Fox Meadow Road woman reported that she received a suspicious phone call on 12/19. The caller claimed to be her grandson and said he was involved in a car accident in Mexico and needed $2,000 to fix the damage on the rental car. He instructed the Scarsdale woman to send the money to a lawyer. Since the woman did not recognize her grandson’s voice, she asked him to call back so she could verify the story. The caller never called back.
On 12/29, a Cayuga Road man reported that he had been receiving threatening phone calls for the past two months. He believed the calls were coming from someone with whom he had business dealings. The caller said, “I’m coming over with some guys and we are going to mess you up good,” and “we know where you live and where you go when you least expect it.” When police contacted the number from which the calls were made to say that a report for harassment had been filed, the harasser told the policeman to “scratch his ass.” However after the caller ascertained that it really was the police calling he gave his word that he would stop contacting the victim.
Death: Police were called to the ARC group residential home at 1 Foxhall Place shortly after midnight on 12/26 when an 84-year-old female resident was having trouble breathing. When they arrived the woman had passed away. The victim was identified as Patricia Sutton, and her doctor reported that she was hospitalized for a heart condition and high cholesterol two months ago. She had been living in the home for five years.
Also at ARC, a 79-year-old mentally disabled resident was the victim of identity theft. A fraudulent credit card account was opened in his name was opened at Capitol One Bank and two charges were made on the card; one for $215.67 at Walmart in White Plains and another for $13.62 at Subway in Mount Vernon.
Dog bite: A Walworth Avenue dog bit a deliveryman who was bringing a package to the home on 12/21. Renfeng Li of Flushing, NY sustained a dog bite on the leg. Though the dog was on a leash when the resident opened the door, the dog lunged at the man who was taken to White Plains hospital by SVAC. The dog is current on its shots and vaccines so rabies is not a concern.
Fight: A Lockwood Road a boy called police on 12/26 when he got into a fight with his younger brother over a cup of apple juice. In the fight, the younger brother broke a chair. When police arrived they spoke with the boy’s mother who said no help was necessary.
Mischief: At 3:30 am on 12/30 a Fox Meadow resident called police to report that a group of kids in a dark colored SUV was stealing the street sign at Wayside Lane and Carstensen Road. At the time, police were completing a case report for a missing street sign at Archer Lane and Stratton Road.
A Shawnee Road man called police at 10:42 pm on 12/30 when someone rang his doorbell and left a bag of dog feces on his front step.
Locked in: A man who was cleaning the Bank of America branch on Christie Place was locked into the bank at 10 pm on 12/28. Police were able to get him out by pulling up a security gate to the office.
Homeless: Marsha Jones of the Bronx showed up at Scarsdale Police Headquarters at 1:43 am on 1/1 and wanted shelter for the night. She had no identification and said she was homeless. Police tried to find a shelter but the nearest one with available space was in Peekskill. Police drove the woman to the bus depot in White Plains so that she could take a bus to Peekskill.
