Utility Pole Fire Closes Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale
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- Written by Sharon Dizenhuz
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The following account and photos were contributed by Sharon Dizenhuz:
(Updated 8 am on April 4, 2024) A raging electrical fire Wednesday afternoon April 3, 2024 brought traffic to a standstill on the corner of Griffen Avenue in Scarsdale at the junction where Mamaroneck Road becomes Old White Plains Road. The blaze began after 4:30 in the minutes after what appeared to be a tree or a utility pole fell across Mamaroneck road. Cars wisely chose not to drive under the space below the fallen pole, turning around on Mamaroneck Road. We were among them, and just as we were about to call 911, we saw a Scarsdale fire truck with flashing lights heading towards the scene, so we held off. 
It is unclear if that truck actually stayed at the scene. In the time it took to get on the Hutchinson Parkway to exit 11 and approach the intersection from Griffen, the toppled tree had become a blazing inferno, with flames reaching 10 feet or so across and 6-8 feet high. The acrid smell of electrical fire filled the air, as did gray clouds of smoke.
Mamaroneck cops held the barrier just before Carriage House Lane on Griffen. A patrolman on duty said he was not aware of the origin of the blaze, indicating that with the high water table in the area, trees often fall on power lines when there is a lot of rain. There is a transformer at the intersection of Griffen Avenue and Mamaroneck Road, but it is on the opposite side of the street to where the blaze was visible from Griffen. It was not clear if there were two fires or one. Mamaroneck police secured Griffen because it seemed that the fire was just a few feet into their jurisdiction. The patrolman on duty stated that he was expecting that the Mamaroneck Fire Department would be “rolling in any minute.” I was unable to see if Scarsdale Police or the Fire Department were on the scene at the Scarsdale side of the blaze. Homes in the area lost power.
Rain and high winds continued throughout the day and night. As of 8 am on April 4, Scarsdale Police reported the following road closures due to downed trees/wires: Mamaroneck Road between Barker Lane and Griffen Ave, Morris Lane between Heathcote Road and Richbell Road, Sprague Road at the Border of New Rochelle, and Oxford Road between Cambridge Road and Park Road.
As of the morning of April 4, many are without power. including residents around Mamaroneck Road near the site of the fire. See the Con Ed map here to report an outage and to see the estimated restoration time.
Griffen Avenue closed later due to flooding.
SBNC Nominates Leah Dembitzer and James Dugan for Scarsdale School Board
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Leah Dembitzer has been nominated for a first term on the Scarsdale School Board(This announcement was sent to us by the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee)
The 2024 School Board Nominating Committee (“SBNC” or the “Committee”) has selected Leah Dembitzer and James Dugan for the 2024 non-partisan slate for election to the Scarsdale Board of Education. The Committee chose Leah and Jim from a pool of dedicated candidates after a thorough vetting process. If elected during the school board election on May 21, 2024, Leah will assume her role as a first-term school board member and Jim, who currently serves as a member of the Board of Education, will return for his second term effective July 1, 2024.
The Candidates
The SBNC enthusiastically endorses Leah and Jim for election to the School Board. These two qualified candidates will bring different perspectives and draw on complementary backgrounds and experiences to serve our community. What they have in common is a deep commitment to maintaining the excellence of the Scarsdale schools and serving different constituents.
Leah Dembitzer
Leah has lived in Scarsdale for 15 years. She and her husband, David, have three children- two of whom attend Scarsdale High School and one enrolled at Quaker Ridge School. Leah currently serves as PT Council President for the 2023-24 Scarsdale Council of Parent-Teacher Associations as well as a Board Member for the Westchester-Putnam PTA. These roles cap off a track record of a dozen years of community volunteerism which have heavily emphasized service to our District’s schools (via committee and leadership roles across the elementary, middle, and high schools) as well as membership and committee and leadership work in support of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale and Westchester (including a two-year tenure as League’s president) and of Westchester Reform Temple (including involvement on the Board of Trustees).
Leah has supported complex initiatives across our community including Budget Study, DEI, literacy (co-chairing the Young Writers’ Workshop), both executing on established programs and innovating and spearheading new initiatives (such as the SMS House Parents pilot program during the 2020-21 year when COVID meaningfully impacted District activities).
Leah was heralded as a hard worker, good listener, well organized, approachable, collaborative, and open-minded based on the feedback the Committee sought out regarding her candidacy. These attributes, paired with the deep and broad knowledge she has of our community and, in particular, the seven Scarsdale schools and District operations borne of her years of volunteering in our community, position her to be a welcome addition to the School Board.
Leah said "I am deeply honored that the SBNC has nominated me to run on its slate for the Scarsdale Board of Education. I thank the members and Chair of the SBNC for their diligence and hard work during this process. If elected, I look forward to serving our incredible community and working collaboratively with the Board members and Administration to support our students and move our schools forward."
James Dugan
Jim Dugan has been nominated for a second term on the Scarsdale School Board
Jim has been a resident of Scarsdale for over 17 years. He and his wife, Shirley, have three children who attend Scarsdale High and Middle Schools. Jim is currently a partner in the Litigation Department at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, LLP focusing on complex commercial litigation. He has more than 28 years of experience representing Fortune 500 companies, hedge funds, private equity firms, C-level executives, and accounting and financial services firms in securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, bankruptcy litigation, contract disputes, employment disputes, and restrictive covenant and non-compete litigation. As a member of Willkie’s Pro Bono Committee, Jim has dedicated substantial time to working on cases for the Innocence Project. He served on the Cornell Law School Alumni Board for three years and is currently a member of the New York City Bar Association.
Shortly after moving to Scarsdale, Jim became an active member of the Overhill Neighborhood Association, joining the board and then eventually becoming president of the association and serving for two years in that role. Through this role, he was instrumental in fostering a sense of community for that corner of Scarsdale and keeping neighbors apprised of key issues around the village. He was also a founding member of the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools which was engaged around the issue of elementary school class sizes. This was a natural role for him as he was passionate about maintaining the excellence of our school system. He has also served on the Citizens Nominating Committee, the CNC Procedures Committee, and has served in numerous roles at St. James the Less Episcopal Church. In each of these community roles, Jim has proven a tireless volunteer, giving of his time and expertise to work collaboratively to make Scarsdale a great place to live.
References for Jim uniformly recommended him for reconsideration for the Board of Education based on his primary strengths including being direct, methodical, straightforward, and professional - and, in particular, as someone capable of finding compromise to help reach consensus. This aligns with what the Committee members have observed of his Board service to date. As evidenced by his active and thoughtful participation during board meetings across his first term, Jim will continue to serve the School Board and community well with his valuable skills and perspective.
Jim noted "I’m truly honored to be nominated to serve a second term on the Board of Education. It is my privilege to be a part of supporting Scarsdale’s great and continuing legacy of excellence in public education, and I look forward to continuing to serve the community in this important role. Many thanks to the SNBC for their valuable work in vetting and proposing a slate for the 2024 school board election.”
The Committee
The SBNC is a non-partisan committee comprised of 26 voting members (with representatives from each of the five elementary districts) who serve for a three year term, and is chaired by a non-voting member. Over the course of Sunday meetings from January through March, this year’s committee conducted extensive candidate outreach to encourage interested community members to apply, listened to applicant presentations, questioned them, conducted detailed due diligence on all applicants, and considered potential candidates’ qualifications and characteristics. Pursuant to the SBNC Resolution, committee deliberations concerning candidates are confidential and the SBNC selects candidates “solely on their qualifications to serve the community” and not on their campaigning abilities or positions on specific issues. All discussions, deliberations, and references shared in Committee are kept confidential. Informed and engaged residents willing to serve on the SBNC and the School Board, along with voter participation, help to ensure the highest quality school board leadership.
The SBNC congratulates Jim and Leah on their nomination and thanks all applicants who went through the nominating process. “I am grateful to the Committee members for their dedication, hard work, and thoughtful consideration, to the applicants for their demonstrated commitment to our community which was further evidenced by their courageous willingness to participate in our rigorous selection process, and to the broader Scarsdale community for its support of the SBNC's efforts to help shape the excellence of the Scarsdale schools and ensure student success and wellbeing,” noted Valerie Phillips, Chair of the SBNC for 2023-24.
Voters in the School District are encouraged to vote on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 in the Scarsdale Middle School Gym. In addition to voting for two School Board seats, District voters will also be voting on a proposed School District Budget for the 2024-25 school year.
For more information on the SBNC, please visit our website at https://scarsdalesbnc.org/ or contact the SBNC Chair at [email protected]
Please Participate
Scarsdale is fortunate to maintain a nonpartisan election process for the Board of Education that selects candidates based solely on their qualifications to serve, not on their campaigning abilities or positions on specific issues. Informed and engaged residents willing to serve on the SBNC and the School Board, along with voter participation, help to ensure the highest quality school board leadership. Please consider serving or suggesting other school district residents to fill future vacancies. You can do so at any time by emailing [email protected]
In addition, please consider a donation to the SBNC. The SBNC elections and process are financed by your contributions alone. Donations are solely used for running the SBNC elections and not towards any candidate. Any amount would be appreciated. Please click here to donate.
Scarsdale Librarians Win Spelling Bee
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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A team of librarians called The Killer Bees won the bee.14 swarms of 42 brave spellers took the stage at Scarsdale High School on Friday night March 1 to compete in the Friends of the Scarsdale Library Spelling Bee.
Emcee Josh MilsteinBefore the fun began, Library Director Elizabeth Bermel came to the mic and joked, “I can’t believe that it has been four years since I last stood before you to welcome you to the Bee. Good thing not much has happened since then!” She noted all the progress that was made in building and opening the new library and getting through the COVID crisis. She said, “Now, in 2024, I can say that our vision for the Scarsdale Public Library has been realized. The reimagined building is a bustling hub, with programs filling our new spaces, study rooms in constant use, reading areas and work tables occupied at all hours, a thriving cafe, and circulation of physical and electronic materials as strong as ever. It truly is a community destination. Our staff is dedicated, professional, welcoming and helpful, and they are the ones who make the Library “house” a Library “home” for many. I cannot thank them enough for all they do. While we have faced significant challenges these last few years, we have come out the other side stronger and better for it.”
Bermel welecome “esteemed emcee” and SHS Alumni Josh Milstein who read the words to spell from a list supplied by the Friends of the Scarsdale Library. Some of the words were derived from other languages and it was tricky to pronounce them in a way that would give the teams clues to their spelling. As the contest is a single elimination tournament all it took was one wrong letter to knock out a swarm. And as in prior years, the contest went very quickly.
With clever names like “The Bee Gees,” Spellbinder,” and “The Honey Bees,” they took their seats on stage to test their acumen against some of the brightest minds in the burbs. The first round was divided into Swarms A, B, C and D, with the winners of those swarms going on to the final round.
The Bee was judged by Mayor Justin Arest, Assemblymember Amy Paulin and Library Director Beth BermelThe contest was judged by Scarsdale Mayor Justin Arest, Assemblymember Amy Paulin and Library Director Elizabeth Bermel. In the initial rounds, teams were given dry erasure boards to write their words and hold them up. Above them, the word, correctly spelled, would appear on a screen. From the audience it was easy to spot mistakes in an instant.
In the first swarm (or round), all four teams succeeded at correctly spelling:
Oxymoron
Elixir
Enfeeble
Religious
However, the next word, “sacrilegious” tripped up three teams, leaving the “Bee Arthur Manor’ team to go to the final round.
The next swarm was similar. All four teams successfully spelled:
Concede
Parable
Previous winners Seth Ross, Frank Lichtenberg and Randy Guggenheimer were eliminated by the word P-E-L-L-U-C-I-D
Acquit
Croissant
But yet another word derived from French, “Connoisseur” took out “The Bees Knees” and “Don’t Stop Believing.”
The remaining two teams spelled “Curvaceous” correctly. However, the Spellbinders, who had won previous spelling bees, spelled “Pellucid” with one “L’ rather than two, leaving a team of librarians called “The Killer Bees” to go to the finals.
The three teams in Swarm 3 included a group of realtors called “Sellers and Spellers,” along with “Beetlejuice” and library trustees called “Trustbees.”
They all sailed through the spelling of:
Haiku
Jodi Josephs of "Spellers and Sellers" wowed the audience when she spelled A-N-N-A-T-T-O
Rogue
Abysmal
Paranoia
Pageant
Aphrodisiac
Chauffeur
After everyone misspelled Escritoire, a French writing desk, Milstein said the word “Annatto” which knocked out two teams leaving the realtors to go to the final. FYI, what is Annatto? Wikipedia says it’s “an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree.”
The fourth swarm included three teams of high school students. They all spelled Meme and Feign correctly. One team misspelled “Acrylic” and that swarm was over quickly after “The Beests” left the”C” out of “Lacquer,” leaving “To Bee or Not to Bee” to go on to the final round.
Following intermission and refreshments, “Bee Arthur Manor,” “Killer Bees”, “Spellers and Sellers” and “To Bee or Not to Bee” took the stage for the final round. For this phase, the white boards were put away and one representative from each team had to stand up and spell the word their team was given.
Again, the round went quickly.
Spellers and Sellers were knocked out by the word, “Soapwort,” (which is a wildflower.)
Representatives from the remaining teams successfully spelled:
Buoyant
Camouflage
Egregious
Exaggerate
Pastime
But things came to a quick close when the students misspelled “Hemorrhage” and “Bee Arthur Manor” was knocked out attempting to spell the Italian pasta “Orecchiette.”
That left the team of librarians to spell “Cacophonous,” which high school librarian Liz Waltzman did successfully and her team, which also included Ricki Goe and Nancy Wissman, was declared the winner of the 2024 bee. It was fitting that those who spend their lives with words were able to master the contest.
In between swarms, Trivia Emcee Dara Gruenberg had the crowd stumped with literary questions for both kids and adults.
Gruenberg asked, “What Dr. Seuss character was kind to the environment?” and “Who was Curious George’s friend?” and “What are the names of the two friends in Elena Ferrante’s book, “My Brilliant Friend?” There were answers yelled from the audience and prizes for the ones who got it right.
Leaving the auditorium, you couldn’t help but marvel at the intricacies of the English language, which, despite spellcheck, continues to baffle the best wordsmiths.
Stacey Mayer, Mary Pat Jones and Nancy KaplanThe event was chaired by Mary Pat Jones and Lauren Rubino along with their committee members: Julie Balsam, Jessica Bandel, Colleen Brown, To-Dao Casey, Allison Block, Janet Han, Lori Harrison, Nancy Kaplan, Elyse Klayman, Wendy Kleiman, Rene Lalwani, Michelle Lichtenberg, Mona Longman, Wendy MacMillan, Stacey Mayer, Margot Milberg, Toby Milstein, Alexandra Vargo, Marin Weinberg.
The Friends of the Scarsdale Library wishes to thank their sponsors:
WORKER BEE ($1,000)
Wilson and Son Jewelers
Jim and Mary Pat Jones
BUMBLE BEE ($500)
Zachary and Heather Harrison
Ocean First Bank
Scarsdale Foundation
Scarsdale10583
The Laura Miller Team at Houlihan Lawrence
The Law Office of Dana S. Montone
FLOWER BEE ($250)
Jessica Bandel
Bronx River Books
Buon Amici
Houlihan Lawrence
Nancy and Zack Kaplan
Wendy and Scott Kleinman
La Dentelliere
Renu Lalwani
Michelle and Frank Lichtenberg
Stacey and Adam Mayer
Meritage
Micheline
Margot and Dan Milberg
Once Upon a Lil Cupcake
Sharyl and Gregg Reisman
Lauren and Scott Rubino
Sandbox Theatre
Scoop Shop
The Law Office of Keith Schutzman
Vintology
Janet and Thomas Youm
Photos by Julie Balsam
Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party Candidates Meet Voters
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- Written by Bill McInerney
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Michael Curti, Jeremy Wise and Ken Mazer: Photo by Lisa VanGundyOn Sunday, March 10th the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party (SCNPP) held a “Meet the Candidates” event at the Scarsdale Public Library. The SCNPP candidates for Village Trustee and Village Justice met Scarsdale voters in an informal, “up close and personal” setting.
Approximately 40 Scarsdale voters chatted with the SCNPP slate in anticipation of the upcoming Scarsdale Village election on Tuesday, March 19.
Michael V. Curti, the current Village Justice of the Village of Scarsdale is seeking a full term on the bench. Prior to his appointment as Justice, Curti was Associate Justice for the Village from April 2022-December 2023. Justice Curti chatted with several voters, who also met the Curti family. When asked about his legal background, Curti shared that his public service includes tenures as Corporation Counsel of the City of Yonkers, Westchester County assistant district attorney and principal law secretary in New York State Supreme Court.
First-time Trustee candidate and 33-year Scarsdale resident Jeremy “Jerry” Wise spoke to a number of attendees about his deep experience in local government. Jerry’s interest in good government began in high school and was honed throughout college at Columbia and law school at Boston College. Wise was appointed and served 23 years as the Chief Legal Officer of the NY State entity created to assist in the financial recovery of Nassau County. His responsibilities included long term financial planning, review of budgets and contracts, and facilitating bond issuances.
Jerry Wise joins current Trustees seeking second terms, Jeremy Gans and Ken Mazer on the SCNPP ticket. Gans and Mazer have served on the Board of Trustees since April 2022.
Trustee Mazer met the voters and discussed his experience on the Village Board. Ken chaired the Village Board committees on Personnel and Parks, Recreation & Conservation. In addition to discussing Village government, Mazer was asked about the Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Department, which he has served for 24 years with Company #2. During this time, Ken was a Lieutenant for 12 years and President for 8 years.
Trustee Gans could not attend the event. Prior to becoming a Trustee, he served on the Zoning Board of Appeals from 2016-2022. Jeremy was President of the Scarsdale Youth Soccer Club 2016-2019. The Gans family includes Jeremy’s wife Lisa, and children Jason, a sophomore at Cornell University, Aaron, a sophomore at Scarsdale High School, and Evan, a seventh grader at Scarsdale Middle School.
Joe Zakierski, Chairperson of the SCNPP Campaign Committee was pleased with the turnout and thanked the many voters in attendance. In closing, Joe reminded everyone to vote on March 19 and that detailed biographies of the candidates are posted on the SCNPP website, (scarsdalecitizens.org).
Zakierski noted that several attendees were new residents interested in knowing more about our Village government and the election process. Since 1930, Scarsdale Village elections have been held under the Non-Partisan System. The Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party (SCNPP) is the principal element of the Non-Partisan System. For information about the Non-Partisan System and the SCNPP, visit their website here.
The upcoming Village Election is Tuesday, March 19 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Polls for all Election Districts are at the Scarsdale Public Library, 54 Olmsted Road. All registered voters who are also Scarsdale residents may vote. Early Voting and Absentee Ballots are also available.
Early Voting Ballots (all voters eligible) and Absentee Ballots (voters must meet eligibility requirement) are available at Village Hall and on the Village website. Visitors to Village Hall may fill out the appropriate application, receive the ballot and submit their vote in one trip.
Tuesday, March 12 was the last day for the Village Clerk to receive applications for Absentee Ballots to be mailed to qualified voters. Voters can still get an Absentee Ballot application (1) online from Village’s website, (2) in-person at the Village Clerk’s Office in Village Hall by Monday, March 18, or visit the SCNPP website “Voter Information” page and scroll down to the links for Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots.
Drop off Early Voting and Absentee Ballots in-person (1) in the drop box at the Scarsdale Public Library any time before polls close at 9 pm, or (2) in the drop box at Village Hall any time before it closes at 5 pm. Completed absentee ballots sent via mail must be received by Village Hall by Election Day before 5 pm.
Eight Ideas for Inspired Date Nights
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- Written by Wendy MacMillan
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Yes, Valentine’s Day has come and gone but that doesn’t mean that the romance has to go away with it! While gifting your loved one with flowers and chocolates on February 14th is always a good idea, experts say keeping the love alive all year long is essential to a healthy, lasting partnership. According to Marriage.com, “Nurturing and cultivating love throughout the course of a marriage is crucial to its longevity and overall happiness.”
One way the site recommends nurturing your relationship is by making sure to have date nights, saying “It is vital to remember that the courtship is not over once you’re married. To keep your love alive, you should have a date night and see that you make it a priority.”
But as any couple with children knows, finding time for a date night can be more easily said than done. And when you do finally carve out the time and line up a good sitter, many parents don’t have the energy to trek into the Big Apple for a night of romance or adventure. Rest assured, we discovered there is plenty of fun to be had right here in Westchester! We even made planning for your next date night super easy by scouting out these local activities:
-After a delicious dinner at Brasserie Le Steak, or one of the many restaurants in Larchmont, check out a comedy show at the Idea Kitchen. Every 4th Saturday comedian Ben Asher presents a tasting of what the NYC-area's best stand-up comics are cooking up at Comedy From Scratch.
-Try your hand at a round of golf. Yes, even in the deep cold of winter, you and your date can get your game on at indoor golf 
Try a round of indoor golf.simulators like GolfZon Social or X Golf. In addition to golf lessons, both of these establishments offer food and drink, making them a “one stop” shop for all of your date night fun.
-Think events at our local library are just for kids? Think again! The Scarsdale Public Library offers an array of activities that would be perfect to do with your sweetheart! Upcoming events include author talks, movie screenings, Bingo, and so much more! Check out their full calendar here:
-Do you and your significant other really need to relax and unwind? How about a sound bath with Susie Sands at Pause to be Present? After the calming, hour-long sound bath and meditation, you can stop into one of our village's amazing restaurants!
-Art classes aren’t just for kids! In fact, Muse Paintbar in White Plains offers paint nights specifically for couples aptly called, “Couples Art.” You can even make it a bit more romantic and add a glass of prosecco and some shareable bites from Muse’s in house menu.
-No better way to test your teamwork capabilities than an evening with your partner at The Puzzle Parlor! At this boutique escape room, puzzle solvers have four distinct adventures to choose from…the spooky Vampire Adventure is sure to have you and your loved one sticking close together!
-After you solve the puzzle at the Puzzle Parlor, “escape” on over to White Plains’ very own speakeasy for a craft cocktail and some delicious food. The speakeasy is hidden behind Sweet Temptations Espresso and Dessert Bar at 181 Martine Ave and is perfect for romancing your sweetie.
-Some say you can show someone how much you love them by preparing them a meal. To round out our list of epic date nights, we suggest learning some new cooking tips together! There are a variety of places that host adult cooking classes like Gather Culinary and The Zwilling Cooking Studio. 
How does the saying go? Those who play together, stay together? Help keep the spark alive in your relationship and surprise your sweetheart with a fun-filled night on the town! Do you have other ideas for a romantic date night here in Westchester? Leave your suggestions in the comments!
