Citizens Nominating Party Announces Candidates for Mayor and Village Trustee
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Citizen’s Nominating Committee of Scarsdale has announced their selections for Mayor and Village Trustee: Dr. Miriam Flisser, who has served two terms as a Village Trustee from 2007 - 2011 has been nominated to succeed Carolyn Stevens as Mayor of Scarsdale. A pediatrician in Bronxville, Flisser is the mother of three graduates of Scarsdale High School and also has three grandchildren. Her husband Harvey Flisser has taught science at the Scarsdale Middle School for 24 years.
Flisser is a life long volunteer and been the chair of many of the Village Advisory Councils. As a trustee, she served as the liaison to the Advisory Council on Parks and Recreation, Technology, Youth, the Board of Architectural Review, the Committee on Historic Preservation, the Council on People with Disabilities and the Cable Television Commission. Dr. Flisser has lived in Fox Meadow for 35 years and in addition to her professional career and her volunteer work in town, she has served in leadership positions on governing boards at Montefiore and Lawrence Hospitals.
This year, there were three vacancies on the Board as both Trustees David Irwin and Miriam Flisser completed their two terms and Trustee Robert Steves had completed one two-year term. Steves was nominated by the committee to serve a second term on the Board. Steves is currently the Assistant Treasurer of Fordham University and from 2000-2004 he was the Treasurer of CUNY. He has been a very active member of the Scarsdale Community and served on the School Board and as School Board President. Steves and his wife Kathy have lived in Greenacres for 24 years.
For the two open positions, the Citizens Nominating Committee selected Stacey Brodsky and Robert Harrison.
Brodsky is a graduate of Vassar College and Hofstra School of Law where she graduated first in her class. She is also a certified teacher. She began her law career at Schulte Roth and Zabel and then worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. She later was a partner at Lankler, Siffer and Wohl in New York.
In Scarsdale she has volunteered as a member of the Board of Architectural Review, the School Board Nominating Committee, as the President of the Heathcote PTA, on the Board of the Scarsdale Library, as Vice Chair of the Scarsdale Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol, on the Board of the League of Women Voters Scarsdale and as a member of the Scarsdale Bowl Committee.
She is the mother of two daughters, Isabel and Nell, both graduates of Scarsdale High School and is married to David M. Brodsky.
Commenting on her nomination Brodsky said, “I'm very excited to have been nominated to serve as a village trustee. I hope to combine my professional experience as a lawyer with my years as a Scarsdale resident to help to decide the issues that the village faces over the next several years. I have always liked working as part of a team and I am looking forward to being part of a team that is committed to our community."
Bob Harrison has a long history of involvement in civic affairs. He currently serves on the Scarsdale Village Board Advisory Council on Technology and is a member of the Scarsdale Forum Board of Directors. He is passionate about tennis and is the founder and director of the Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League.
He has lived in Scarsdale for 31 years and currently has children and grandchildren living in town. In his professional life he worked at Goldman Sachs for 28 years and is now the President of Harrison Capital Management.
Bob is well known to many as he frequently attends both Village Board and School Board meetings and is vocal about his views. Most recently he challenged the School Board Nominating Committee Candidate Suzanne Seiden for her seat on the School Board in an election in May, 2010. Though he did not win, he did receive 941 votes which was remarkable for an independent candidate. In 1999 Harrison launched the Scarsdale Voter’s Party to challenge the CNC candidate and Joseph A. Zock, the Scarsdale Voter’s Party Candidate was elected.
If Harrison is elected on March 15th, for the first time he will find himself in an official chair at the Board of Trustees meeting, rather than at the microphone in the audience. Though it is surprising that Harrison has received the nomination after so many years as the Village watchdog, perhaps the nominating committee recognized the need for a fiscal expert as the Village faces decreased revenues and a tax cap from New York State.
From the Scarsdale Police: Beware of the Kids
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A Fox Meadow Road woman reported that her pocketbook was stolen from her home overnight. Her daughter had some friends at the house who left at 3 am on 1/13. In the morning, the woman could not find her bag which contained $1,000 in cash, credit cards, her checkbook and license. She suspects that her daughter’s friends may have taken the purse. Police advise that the theft of a credit card is a felony.
On the morning of 1/17 a Scarsdale doctor returned to his Heathcote home after a three-week trip to find that his daughter had changed the locks on his house. Unable to get in, the man’s son forced open a rear door to allow the doctor to enter his own home. Though the doctor would like to evict his daughter, he is looking into how to do it properly.
Fraud: The owner of So La gifts on Garth Road was the victim of fraud when someone used his credit card and UPS account to send out 107 next day air packages on 1/14/11. Some of the packages contained fraudulent checks which were sent to people selling items on Craig’s List.
A Hillview Drive man received a package from Dell containing nine cell phones, valued at $4,200 sometime between January 17th and January 20th. Though he did not place the order it was charged to his credit card. The man cancelled his Chase credit card and sent the phones back to Dell.
Mischief: On Monday 1/17 a Stonehouse Road man reported that his cell phone was removed from his car overnight.
Egged: A Lee Road home and a car parked at the house were egged overnight on 1/22. The homeowner reported the incident on the morning of 1/22.
Disputes: A Quaker Ridge woman came to police for help on January 18th. Her husband has been abroad for a year and a half and has not provided her with any financial assistance for food or utilities and has asked her to leave the house. The woman has no access to bank accounts and her husband cancelled her health insurance. Police referred her to Westchester Family Court to seek assistance from a lawyer.
Edgewood Road homeowners asked police to be on hand when they took possession of the home from a tenant on the night of 1/19. The keys were handed over without incident.
A Brewster Road woman called police at 6:24 am on 1/21 when a man rang her doorbell and then went to sit in his car in front of her house. Police stopped the man who identified himself as Jose Luis Flores of White Plains. He said he was there to pick up a friend who was shoveling nearby. However, since Mr. Flores had no driver’s license he was issued a summons for driving without a license.
Animals: A Burgess Road man requested help from police when a dog entered his house. He was unable to get close to it to read the tags. Subsequently the dog’s owner came by and picked him up.
A coyote was spotted at a Fox Meadow Road home at 6:19 pm on 1/21.
Confused: A confused man called police at 11 on the morning of 1/23 when he could not find his car. He claimed to have parked it on Woodland Place near Chat the previous night but it wasn’t there when he got back. While the man was talking to police he received a phone call from a friend who told him that the car had been moved to Scarsdale Avenue.
The Scarsdale Ambulance Corps received a called from a disoriented woman on the afternoon of 1/21. Police ran a reverse check of the phone number and found that the call was made from a Mamaroneck home, so Scarsdale Police called Mamaroneck Police to follow up.
Police received a call about a suspicious customer at DeCicco’s on 1/23. The store manager was following a woman around the store because she seemed disoriented. Police spoke to the woman who said that she was fine and did not require help. Her driver was outside and helped her and drove her home.
Dirty Water: Multiple people contacted police on 1/19 to report that discolored water was coming out of their faucets. Police contacted the Scarsdale Water Department who said that there was a water main break in Fox Meadow that was currently being repaired.
A broken water main at the Scarsdale Medical Group just before midnight on 1/24 caused a large outflow of water from underneath the rear door. Since it was so cold out, the water was freezing and causing icy conditions. The Fire Department was able to get into the building and turned off the water.
The Scarsdale Fire Department had to enter three homes on Mamaroneck Road and Wheelock Road to inspect for a possible gas leak on the morning of 1/19. They caused minor damage to the garage door at 7 Wheelock and set off the alarm.
A tree fell across Saxon Woods Road on 1/23 and knocked out cable and television service for houses at 136 and 138 Saxon Woods Road. There were no injuries and no other damage and the Department of Public Works cleared the debris.
Pile-ups: A driver who stopped to avoid hitting a dog on Drake Road on the morning of January 20th, missed the dog, but ended up causing a four-car accident. Though the two cars directly behind her were able to stop in time, a fourth car came around a curve and hit the third car, which hit the second, which the hit the first. Two of the drivers complained of pain in their backs and necks and were taken to the White Plains Hospital emergency room.
On the evening of 1/19, a 16 year-old girl driving down Weaver Street was watching cars exit the bypass and did not realize that the car in front of her on Weaver Street was stopped at a red light. The young driver rear-ended the stopped car, and the impact sent the stopped car into the back of the car in front of it, causing a three-car accident. Two of the cars were towed away.
A large tractor-trailer got stuck at the intersection of Grand Park and Griffen Avenues at 4:30 am on 1/18. The driver was trying to turn left onto Griffen from Grand Park but was stuck due to slippery road conditions. Police directed the driver out of the neighborhood.
A Valhalla woman lost control of her car on the morning of 1/20. She was driving south on Cambridge Road when mechanical problems caused the steering and brakes to malfunction. The car crossed Mamaroneck Road and ended up on the north shoulder of the road. Fortunately she did not run into any cars on Mamaroneck. Ted Herman was called to tow the car.
A Paddington Road man called police on 1/23 to report that his wife had backed her car into his car earlier in the day and he wanted to file a report. Since the cars had already been moved, police were unable to take a report.
Jun Miyamoto of Bridgeport, CT and Barbara Hudock of Cortlandt Manor both came to police headquarters on the afternoon of 1/23 when they thought they were involved on an accident on Garth Road. Police looked at the cars and saw the damage on both vehicles. The drivers agreed to handle the incident themselves.
Belligerent Greenacres Man Arrested
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An angry Greenacres man gave police no choice but to arrest him when he continually harassed the sergeant on duty at the police dispatch trailer on Wednesday afternoon January 12. The trouble began earlier that day when Russ Kopp’s neighbor on Sage Terrace complained that he was throwing snow from his driveway onto her property. The neighbors have had words in the past. Police arrived and resolved the dispute but apparently Kopp was not satisfied.
In the afternoon Kopp went to the police dispatch trailer on Fenimore Road and wanted to file a new police report to supersede the report taken earlier in the day on the incident. The sergeant on duty told him that there was no basis for a revision of the report. Kopp became irate and continued to argue with the sergeant telling him was going “to give him one last chance or he was going to get him in trouble.” The sergeant, who was busy manning the dispatch station told Kopp to leave the trailer and Kopp responded by telling the officer that he was going home to get a video camera and he would come back to film the sergeant’s refusal to take his complaint.
Kopp then said, “Are you sure? I am giving you one last chance. Ever hear of Arnold Schwarzenegger – I’ll be back.”
Kopp left but returned to the trailer with his video camera around 2:45 pm. He found the trailer locked and repeatedly banged on the door and called the trailer with his cell phone in an attempt to gain entry. When he couldn’t get in, he started videotaping the sergeant through the window of the trailer. When the sergeant and another officer opened the door to the leave the trailer, Kopp put the video camera in their faces and the sergeant told Kopp he was under arrest. Kopp flailed his arms and legs in an effort to resist arrest, and the sergeant ended up with a broken wrist.
Kopp was arrested for obstruction of government administration and resisting arrest and was released on his own recognizance.
In an email to Scarsdale10583.com, Kopp's wife Robin defended her husband, saying, "We look forward to vindicating my husband's name and reputation in court. We are also in the process of filing a formal complaint with the Westchester County District Attorney's office against the Scarsdale Police Force and Sgt. Raysor for excessive police force and violating my husband's civil rights."
Committee Defers Decision on Demolition of Duck Pond Home
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The drama at Village Hall on Tuesday night January 18 was as good as primetime television at home. After many weeks the Historic Preservation Committee convened to consider an application for the demolition of the iconic home at One Duck Pond Road. The home has attracted considerable attention since it was put on the market several years ago due its size, age, style, site and prominence.
On Tuesday, prospective new owners went before the Committee accompanied by their lawyer, their architect, real estate brokers and the heirs to the estate of Francis Braxton, the longtime resident of the house who passed away. Several Heathcote neighbors also attended to back the application of David and Sherrie Matusz to take down the house.
Clearly the buyers anticipated that attaining a demolition permit would take some work as both the lawyer and the architect came prepared with considerable documentation on the home. The attorney Joel Sachs explained that he is currently the village attorney for Bedford and has expertise in the field of Municipal and Land Use Law. He also called on expert John Milnes Baker, author of a book titled “American House Styles,” to do an analysis of the home to determine if it was historical and provided the report to the Committee Members.
Sachs said that Baker concluded the following about the house on Duck Pond Road:
- The house was a mish-mash of architectural styles
- Most of the original house built in 1902 had been compromised by additions made in 1927
- It has little to qualify it for historic preservation
- Much of the house is in violation of current building and energy codes
Paul Benowitz of Benowitz Shah Architects in Rye also spoke and reassured the committee that he “has a sensitivity to older structures” and that “he has been involved with properties on the National Register.” He explained that the Village does not have the original plans for the house on file but he did find microfiche that showed that the home started out as cottage in 1902, and a left side addition was built in 1927. In this addition, 40% more space was added to the original house and at least 47% of the present house is not original. In his view, the home is a mixture of architectural styles, including arts and crafts, colonial revival, and shingle style.
Furthermore, according to Benowitz, the home has been on the market for two years and four months and has been vacant for over a year. There is single zone heating, the boiler is broken, there is flood damage in the basement and antiquated systems. Benowitz said that lally columns were added in the basement to shore up the house. In addition, much of the interior remodeling done to the home was inappropriate and the main staircases are not visible from the entry.
Even the descendents of Francis Braxton supported the demolition. Theron Huntting Worth, Braxton’s grandson and the executor of her estate was at the meeting with his mother, Merwin Braxton and said that they were both delighted that the Matusz’ wanted to buy it, and confirmed that the estate supports the demolition.
Ron Parlato, a builder who lives on Sherbrooke Road attested to the fact that he looked at the house with an eye toward restoring it and determined that it would be too costly to rebuild it. He favors the construction of a modern home for a family of today. Dr. Steven Nicholas and his wife spoke and said that the demolition had the support of many in the Heathcote Association. Charles Cohen, a neighbor at 11 Heathcote Road said, “today this property is an eyesore.”
With no more comments from the audience, committee members spoke on their views as to whether or not the home met the criteria outlined in Scarsdale Village Code for preservation.
The code is as follows:
- In considering whether the building in question appears to be of substantial historic importance, the Committee shall consider if it:
- Is a building that is at least 100 years of age;
- Is a building of historic significance;
- Is a building which was the location of an event of historic significance;
- Is a building related to an historically important individual;
- Is the work of an architect or engineer of significance;
- Is a significant example of an important building style or period; or
- Has been listed on the National or State Register of Historic Places.
Village historian Eric Rothschild, who serves as a non-voting member of the Historic Preservation Committee conveyed what he learned about the home’s historical significance. The homeowners were descendents of Robert Braxton, one of the wealthiest Americans in the 17th century. His son, Carter BraxtonChief Justice John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. However, as these important historical figures did not live in the house, this would not qualify the home for preservation under the criteria that the “building is related to an historically important individual.” represented Virginia in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. The occupants of the home were also descendents of
According to Village Code, the home may qualify for preservation if it “is a significant example of an
important building style or period.” The committee’s architect believed that the home was an important example of Victorian shingle style homes, that were built only for a short period between 1880 and 1900. Since few shingle style houses were built inland, she felt that the house was “important and rare in Scarsdale.” She also said that the addition to the home had been designed by a prominent architect named Ackerman and contended that the house could be restored rather than demolished.
Lucas Meyer, the committee chair asked the architect if in her view the house is a significant example of this period?” to which she replied “yes.”
After more discussion, about whether or not the additions to the house would disqualify it for preservation, the economics of preserving a house in this condition, and the likelihood of finding buyers willing to restore it, Meyer and the committee decided that they needed more time to review the materials distributed by the lawyer and the architect. They moved to defer the decision for another month and will reconsider it at their next meeting.
So for now, the house on the Duck Pond stands empty. Whether it will be demolished, restored or sit idle remains to be seen.
A Scam, A Tossed Diamond and Thefts
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Car break-in at Scarsdale Library: In the ten minutes it took a Bronx woman to pick up a child at Scarsdale Library, someone broke the driver’s side window of the Toyota Highlander she was driving and stole her purse which contained $360 in cash as well as credit cards, keys, a passport, checkbook and the woman’s driver’s license. The incident occurred around 8:30 pm on the night of 1/3/11 when the car was parked directly across from the main entrance of the library. The following day Eastchester Police found the woman’s passport on the Post Road near Brook Street.
Scammed: A Ferncliff Road man was a victim of a Craig’s List scam. He posted some furniture he wanted to sell on Craig’s List and was contacted by a buyer in Florida during the first week in January. Though the price for the furniture was $325.50, the buyer sent two checks, each for $875.25 for a total of $1,750.50. The buyer told the Scarsdale man that $325.50 was for the furniture and the remaining $1,425.00 was to be sent by Western Union to another Florida man who would transport the furniture. The Scarsdale victim deposited the checks and wired $1,425.00 to Florida only to find out that the checks he deposited were fraudulent and bounced. The result? The victim lost $1,425.00 in the scam, as he could not recover the funds he sent via Western Union.
A Tunstall Road woman lost her Amex card on December 3, 2010 but did not realize she had misplaced it. When she received the statement there were $2,400 in unauthorized charges on the account.
Death: Michael Pape age 95 of Chesterfield Road died in his home on the night of January 5th, 2011. His home health aide was with him and alerted a relative.
Unwanted Guests: On New Year’s Eve police were called when a number of uninvited guests showed up at a River Road home. When police arrived, they found kids fleeing the area. Inside the house they found alcoholic drinks scattered throughout, and the young woman who lived at the house said that the uninvited visitors arrived with alcohol. In the upstairs bedroom they found a highly intoxicated girl and called her mother. Police found a bottle of Blanch d’Artangnan, and beer in the kitchen, the basement and at the front door. The inebriated girl was taken to White Plains Hospital and the resident was issued a summons.
Lost: A 39 year-old Brewster Road woman called police to report that her two carat diamond and platinum ring, valued at $40,000 was lost. She last saw the ring on December 8 in her dresser drawer. On December 11 she discovered that the ring was missing and her five year-old son told her that his two year-old brother had been playing with the ring in the bathroom and may have thrown it into the garbage. Her insurance company advised her to report the incident to the police.
A Fox Meadow Road woman reported losing her wallet on the morning of 1/3. She last remembered having it in the parking garage of 2 Overhill Road. Police advised her to cancel all of her credit cards.
A Greenacres man reported that his daughter was missing on the afternoon of 1/3. However, while he was speaking with the police, the girl called her dad and said she was at Scarsdale High School.
Found: A wallet containing cash and credit cards was found at La Renaissance in Scarsdale and turned over to police on 1/6. Police were unable to contact the owner of the wallet and held it for safekeeping.
Missing: A theft took place at a residential home on Foxhall Road sometime during the month of December and was reported to police on January 5, 2011. The Resident Manager of the home cashed a company check for $4,759.22 and was supposed to distribute the funds to the 8 residents of the house. The money was to be locked in the safe and given to the residents to spend on holiday gifts. Instead of distributing the money, the employee quit her job, cancelled her cell phones and left with the funds.
Disputes: At another residential home, Search for Change on the Post Road, police were called when two residents got into a fight on the evening of 1/4. One woman locked a guest of the other woman out of the house and the two had a dispute and called each other names. Police told the woman to refrain from fighting.
A Valley Road mother called police on the morning of 1/6 to help her with her 15 year-old son who was not listening. Police told the boy to abide by the family rules and also recommended they seek help from Scarsdale Family Counseling.
A resident at 1191 Post road was advised to keep the music down when the volume was annoying one of his neighbors on the evening of 1/8.
Flying Objects: The head custodian of the Quaker Ridge School called the police on the afternoon of 1/7 when kids were on school property were throwing snowballs at passing cars. The Police asked the kids to leave the area.
On the night of 1/7, a Horseguard Lane woman reported that someone in a silver mustang threw fireworks on her lawn and drove away.
Strange: A Bradford Road man came to police on 1/3 to report the receipt of a suspicious holiday card. The handwritten note on the card mentioned a family trip the Scarsdale man took to Puerto Rico two years ago as well as his son’s car. However, the Scarsdale man does not know the senders and was concerned.
A neighbor noticed that the front door of a Kensington Road was open on the morning of 1/9. Police came by, checked the house and contacted the homeowner who said she was having trouble securing the front door.
Accident: At midnight on 1/6 a Yonkers woman drove into a Con Edison pole on Walworth Avenue near Gilmore Court. The woman claimed that an animal ran in front of the car and when she swerved to avoid hitting it she drove her 2004 Honda into the utility pole.
Greenburgh Police:
A 2004 Honda Civic that had been stolen from 1001 South Central Avenue was recovered from the parking lot of 975 South Central Avenue on the afternoon of January 3rd. The car belongs to George Imrich of Hawthorne.
A woman who lives on Wildwood Road in Hartsdale called police on Tuesday afternoon January 4 when she found 8-9 kids playing with snowballs in front of her house. When they came onto her porch and looked into her front windows she became alarmed.
