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Published: 22 February 2012

Created: 22 February 2012

Last Updated: 22 February 2012

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On February 6, Scarsdale High School Drama Club held its annual play on teen dating abuse. For six years, the club has presented the play to the entire ninth grade as part of a comprehensive dating awareness program that continues throughout high school.

In the play, popular high school senior Lukas dominates ninth-grader Katie by cutting her off from friends, telling her what to wear and eat, threatening to distribute an indiscrete photo, and finally physically abusing her. Unfortunately, both Katie’s friends and mother fail to see the relationship’s warning signs (list below). This is the biggest problem in teen dating abuse—that the people closest to the victim fail to see what’s going on, says Pomerantz.

“If you take away one thing from the assembly,” she told the audience, “I hope that it is whether it is you or a friend involved in an unhealthy relationship, you should get help from a trusted adult, such as a dean, a school psychologist, or a Youth Outreach Worker.”

Following the presentation, the ten actors stayed in character, permitting ninth graders to ask why they did not intervene (“It's really none of my business”), why Katie’s mother did nothing (“Lukas seems like such a polite young man”), how Lukas could justify his conduct (“I know what's best for Katie”), and why Katie tolerated the abuse (“Lukas loves me and I love him, and he knows what is best for me”).

The actors then introduced themselves, condemned the dating behavior and indifference portrayed, and pointed out there are resources available for friends and abuse victims to call on, inside and outside school.

Seniors Justine Gelfman (Katie), Lorna Begg (Maria, Katie's best friend), and Clint Freehill (Lukas) have been members of the ensemble cast for the Dating Violence skit for three years as part of their High School Drama Club experience. "Our goal was to relay the message that abuse not only happens, but also takes many different forms, whether that be emotional, physical, psychological, or financial,” said Lorna Begg, who played Katie's best friend. “We hope that students are now more aware of the signs of an unhealthy relationship, and can take the proper steps to end these types of abuse." Gelfman emphasized that “Scarsdale is not isolated from this type of behavior and I hope after seeing the skit, my fellow students are equipped with the necessary tools to face any challenges they encounter.” Freehill, who had the unenviable task of portraying the abuser Lukas, said, “Doing my part in the fight against teen dating violence was an honor and a privilege that I hold close to my heart."

The program, which was presented during National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month, continued with ninth graders participating in classroom discussions on the topic. The Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence helped develop the event, which was also given as part of the Scarsdale High School PTA's November 8, 2011, meeting and can be viewed here.

Ten Warning Signs of Abuse

While there are many warning signs of abuse, here are ten of the most common:

1. Checking your cell phone or email without permission

2. Constant put-downs

3. Extreme jealousy or insecurity

4. Explosive temper

5. Financial control

6. Isolating you from family or friends

7. Mood swings

8. Physically hurting you in any way

9. Possessiveness

10. Telling you what to do

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Published: 28 February 2012

Created: 28 February 2012

Last Updated: 29 February 2012

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Scarsdale residents will have the chance to learn more about the candidates for Village Trustee at the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum. The Forum will be held on Thursday, March 8th at 7:30pm in the Scott Room at the Scarsdale Public Library. After the candidates for Scarsdale Village Trustee speak there will be a question and answer period.

The League has invited the three candidate nominated by The Scarsdale Citizen’s Nominating Committee, as well as independent candidate Harry Reynolds to participate in the panel. In late January, the CNC announced that they had nominated Trustees Kay (Katherine) Eisenman and Jon Mark for second two-year terms, and David Lee to serve a first two-year term.

Since that time, Harry Reynolds has submitted his petition to run as an independent candidate.

Here is some background on the four candidates

Kay Eisenman has lived in Scarsdale for over 42 years and raised three children here. She works as a planner in the Planning Department of Westchester County giving her a broad understanding of land use issues. She served as the Chair of the Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council for many years where she spearheaded efforts to get people to recycle and is now behind a new effort to get people to mulch leaves where they fall, rather than blow them to the curb for pick-up. In her statement to the Nominating Committee, Eisenman said, “As in most municipalities, here in Scarsdale we are constantly called upon to deal with these types of issues, and in the last two years alone have grappled with the possibility of a new community center under the pool house, development in the Heathcote Five Corners area, the possibility of a roundabout and the important issue of property re-evaluation for the entire Village. We oversaw the Popham Bridge reconstruction and a new pump station on Ardsley Road as well as the completion of the new police and fire safety building on Fenimore Road. I think that having started work on all these projects, and with more to come, I would like the opportunity to see them through to completion in the next couple of years.” Looking ahead, she anticipates continuing to work on storm water management issues to relieve flooding as well as the upcoming Village budget.

Jon Mark, also nominated to serve a second term grew up in Scarsdale in a family with a tradition of public service. His father served on the Town and Village Committee and his mother was an elementary school teacher at Heathcote, Greeenacres and Edgewood for over 20 years. He returned here with his wife B.K. Munghia to raise their two children and works in corporate law as a partner at Cahill, Gordon and Reindell.

As Chairman of the Land Use Committee during his first term as Trustee, Mark managed a very difficult negotiation with residents and the property owner at 2-4 Weaver Street concerning the sale of a strip of Village land at the site. Listening to both the residents and the developer he was able to draft a term sheet for the sale of the land that addressed concerns about potential development on the property while permitting the developer to move forward.

Mark said, “I am honored and delighted to be re-nominated as a candidate for election as a Village Trustee. Among the issues that came before the Board during the last year and nine months, issues involving budget, land use, storm water management and re-valuation were among those that presented the greatest challenges. These sorts of issues will continue to present themselves in the years ahead. Of course, analysis of budget issues has been made even more complex by virtue of the State property tax cap legislation, the absence of mandate relief in that legislation and the continuing decline of Village property values due to general economic conditions. If elected, I look forward to having the opportunity to address these issues, and other issues that come before the Board, together with the Mayor and fellow Board members.”

First-time nominee David Lee is also a Scarsdale native. He and his wife grew up here and later returned to raise their own family in town. Like Trustees Brodsky and Mark, Lee is a lawyer, and his specialization is trusts and estates. Lee spent many years coaching soccer, baseball and softball teams in Scarsdale. Most recently he served as Co-President of Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains where he developed and managed the annual budget and worked with many constituencies to build consensus.

In comments about his nomination, Lee said, “I'm excited about what's ahead - the election, and, assuming I'm elected, getting up to speed on the issues, working with the mayor and other trustees, and meeting and talking with Scarsdalians about what's on their mind. My schooling, professional work, and civic efforts have taught me the value of listening carefully to others, asking questions to help draw out relevant facts, and analyzing issues thoroughly. I have a good bit of experience at working on thorny issues in a group setting and helping the group reach consensus. Most of all, I have deep respect for the process, that it be fair, open-minded and respectful of all who wish to provide input, so that the decisions reached are not only sound but arrived at with integrity.”

Longtime Scarsdale resident Harry Reynolds is running Village Trustee as an independent candidate. Reynolds, an attorney worked outside the Non-Partisan system to gather the signatures necessary to file his petition with the Village Clerk to vie for a seat on the Scarsdale Village Board.

A Bradley Road resident and an attorney, Reynolds has five children and nine grandchildren living in town. He received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University and his legal training at NYU School of Law where he was an associate editor of the Law Review. During his career he served as a Clerk of the Court of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Executive Assistant to the presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, and as Chief Counsel to the Department Disciplinary Committee for the 9th Judicial District when Richard M. Nixon tendered his resignation from the bar of the State of New York.

In his statement Reynolds pledged to “support increasing metered parking from 15 to 20 minutes to which the meter mechanically will add a grace period of 6 minutes to prevent ticketing, all for the usual 25 cents.” He explained that the increase “will tend to make travel, shopping, eating, and personal appointments in the village occasions unmarked by tension and confrontations with meter enforcement officers sadly disclaiming the power to forgive as they write out tickets,” and added, “Such has been the experience in White Plains and other local governments. If it is good for them, why not for us?”

Reynolds also stated his opposition to the Non-Partisan System, saying, “I will oppose the Non-Partisan system because it keeps secret the identities of all who apply to be considered for nominations and it keeps secret the statements made by those applicants when they appear before the nominating committee. As to the first, we should know who were rejected and how they compare with the person nominated. As to the second, does the Non-Partisan system seriously tell Scarsdale’s voters that they should not be told what an applicant knows, thinks, believes, plans, or desires concerning the public office he seeks? No other electoral system in the free world keeps secret information, particularly of the second type, without which a democracy cannot be said to exist. Why this affection for secrecy by the Non-Partisan System?”

According to the Reynolds, “The secrecy in the present Non-Partisan system is said to protect us against the stink and clamor of political parties. Where is the logic, and indeed what is the motive, behind that flagrantly false claim? We can without secrecy have a Non-Partisan System by doing what we in fact do now - we simply will not support local political parties in the village. If we don’t want them, they won’t come. As it is, we have Trustees who were nominated in secrecy after foregoing the meeting of any issues in an election, leaving us, the citizens of Scarsdale, to walk around like unemployed extras on a movie lot. So detached are we from the system that it notoriously, and embarrassedly, goes out seasonally to the village’s roads and fields to drag people into the system to rouse it into a life that it does not have in the public mind. Indeed, the system disappears after every election, leaving the public nowhere to go with grievances they may have.”

The League of Women of Scarsdale’s Forum will be held on March 8 at 7:30 pm in the Scott Room of the Scarsdale Public Library. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. The election for Village Trustee and Village Justice will be held on Tuesday March 20th at the Scarsdale Library.

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Published: 16 February 2012

Created: 16 February 2012

Last Updated: 16 February 2012

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The saga of the Marx mansion at 15 Gatehouse Road in Scarsdale has finally come to an end. At a Valentine’s Day Board of Trustees meeting Trustee Stacey Brodsky announced that the Board would grant Anthony Scarcella a permit to demolish the house which has become “detrimental to the community” and has “adversely affected property values and the marketability of neighboring properties.”

The 1903 brick mansion that was originally the home of toy magnate Louis Marx is 9,203 square feet and originally sat on 20.5 acres in Scarsdale. In 1985 Scarcella bought the house and the property and built 29 homes there, leaving the original house on 1.75 acres. In 1985 Scarcella sold the mansion to Alexander Radin for $550,000 and repurchased it from Radin’s estate for $2,500,000 in 2007.

Scarcella sought to preserve the house and build three additional homes on the property. In 2007 he was denied variances to subdivide the property and the Committee for Historic Preservation found that the mansion had historical importance and denied him the demolition permit.

The property has been in litigation ever since and in December 2011 Scarcella asked for a hardship hearing. He presented engineers reports, estimates for restoring the property, and reports from an accountant and two licensed real estate brokers. After reviewing this data, and hiring an independent structural engineering company to evaluate the home, the Board of Trustees determined the following:

• There is severe structural damage to the house
• In one section the floor has collapsed
• The mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems all need to be replaced
• It would cost $3 million to restore the house
• When that $3 million is added to the $2.5 million Scarcella spent on the purchase, it was determined that he could not expect to receive a reasonable return on his investment by restoring it.
• The house has been on the market since March 2011 and there have been no bids
• The building is detrimental to the community and adversely affects property values
• The likelihood of continued litigation is not in the best interest of the community and would not further the community’s interest in historic preservation.

Therefore, the Board granted Scarcella the permit to demolish the home.

Flooding Remediation

In other business at the Board of Trustees Meeting, Mayor Flisser announced that Westchester County will designate $8 million for seven capital projects to address chronic flooding along the Bronx River and Sound Shore. Five of the projects are located on County property and will be administered by the County. One of the Bronx River projects and another along the Hutchinson River should help mitigate flooding in Scarsdale.

The Bronx River project is located within the Bronx River Reservation in Yonkers and Eastchester and does not involve any Village funding. The work will entail the re-alignment of the river and bank stabilization at Garth Woods and Harney Road.

The other project involves work along the Hutchinson River and entails culvert improvements, bank stabilization and widening of the riverbed in Scarsdale, New Rochelle and Eastchester. The County has identified $2.5 million in County funds for this project, representing 50% of the estimated $5 million total project cost. Scarsdale, New Rochelle, and Eastchester will be responsible for funding the $2.5 million balance.

Over the next 6-8 months the Village will work with the County, New Rochelle and Eastchester officials to define the project scope and cost and to identify legal and funding issues in anticipation of bidding out the work and constructing the project.

Flisser said, “The Hutchinson River grant has the potential to correct serious water and sewer issues for our residents as well as residents in neighboring communities. Although we will be required to pay half of the costs, we will commit to finding the necessary funding, and we already have FEMA grant applications in place.”

Resident Petition about Building Department:

At the meeting it was announced that the Village has received a petition from Ruth Frankel of 17 Richbell Road requesting changes in the management of the building department.

The village also received a communication from Bonatura Lugrin of 63 Church Lane indicating that her signature was forged on the petition and that she disagreed with the content.