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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 18 October 2016

Created: 18 October 2016

Last Updated: 18 October 2016

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The top federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara filled the room at Scarsdale Golf Club when he came to address the Scarsdale League of Women Voters on Friday October 14. Bharara was invited and introduced by Scarsdale Acting Village Justice Cindy Dunne who served with and under Bharara in the U.S. Attorney's Office. She credited him with fighting terrorism and corruption and said he was committed to justness and fairness.

Bharara explained that though most people thinking his jurisdiction is only Manhattan, his office also covers several northern counties and the effects of his work extend around the globe to countries like Russia, Venezuela, Turkey, India and Switzerland.

He said, "We make cases against corrupt public officials and we try to bring justice
to broken correctional institutions. We protect the homeland and brought both the Times Square and Chelsea bombers to court." He added, "We are fearless, independent, and were proud of it. We believe no one is above the law, no matter how rich."

He referenced corruption charges brought against members of both houses of the NYS Legislature including Speaker of the NYS Assembly Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos from the NYS Senate for extorting no show jobs for his son Adam in exchange for official conduct. Bharara credited local Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, who was in attendance at the luncheon, with testifying against Silver, in spite of the fact that she was dependent on him and Silver was known to be vindictive.

Bharara said, "There is a "show me the money" culture in Albany, " which he called a "bipartisan problem." He quoted a recent poll that found that 87% of people believe that corruption is a serious problem in New York State and only 4% thought the prosecutor has gone too far.

In addition to his focus on public corruption, Bharara's office is also working to stem opioid abuse, a growing problem in the U.S. where 78 Americans a day die from opioid overdoses. Citing trafficking of prescription drugs as one of the causes, Bharara said, "we are shutting down distribution channels including doctors, pill mills and peddlers and getting significant sentences." In addition to fighting drug abuse through prosecutions, his office will host educational forums on the issue, with one scheduled for December 1 at Pace University.

Saying his office remains optimistic in the face of some very tough challenges he said,
"We have a choice. We can imagine ourselves as Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill only to have it roll back down the hill. Or we can look at Archimedes who said,
'Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I shall move the earth itself.""

Asked during the question and answer period if he would continue to serve if appointed by the next president, he said, "I love my job and I am not tired of it and I will continue to serve."

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 26 October 2016

Created: 26 October 2016

Last Updated: 27 October 2016

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An analysis of 75 home sales that occurred between mid-July and mid-October in Scarsdale shows that despite the objection of critics, the assessments were in line with actual sales prices. These 75 homes, which changed hands between July and October, were sold after the 2016 revaluation and represent about a third of the 225 homes that are sold in Scarsdale each year.

Calculations show that the average sale price of the 75 homes was $1,590,910 with an average assessed value of $1,450,553, meaning that on average, homes were assessed at 91.9% of the sale price, or sold for about 9% more than their assessed value.

The total value of the 75 sales was $120.909mm, with assessed value at $110.242mm or 91.18%.

Furthermore, a breakdown of the sales into three groups, shows that the lower priced home, priced under $1 million were the most accurately assessed, at 98.64% of their sale prices.

Homes in the $1-$2 million range we assessed at 88.73% of their sale prices, with those above $2 million assessed at 91.14% of their sales value.

The data was drawn from MLS sales reports and assessed values shown on the Scarsdale Village website. We cannot ascertain if assessments were grieved and lowered - but this chart shows the current assessed values (AV) for the homes that were sold.

Surprisingly it appears that almost all of the homes on the list were under-assessed, with only 5 homes on the list assessed at more than 105% of their sale price, and of those, only 2 were assessed at more than 110% of their sale price (one at 115% and another at 119%).

Village Trustees, the Village Manager and the Village Assessor have been fiercely criticized for the 2016 revaluation, and though residents may be angry about the process and the timing, it appears that the overall results are in-line with market values. The claim that taxes on lower priced homes, valued at less than $1 million, had been unfairly increased is not borne out by the data which shows that sales prices for these homes has nearly matched the assessed valuations.

At the meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees on October 25, Mayor Jon Mark gave extensive comments on the revaluation. Read what he said here:

Access the data here or review the chart below:

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Written by Adam Regenstreif

Published: 05 October 2016

Created: 05 October 2016

Last Updated: 31 October 2016

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Scarsdale's passion for cars was driven home last Sunday when dozens of vintage and modern cars participating in the annual Concours d'Elegance lined the streets of the Village and attracted automobile aficionados and novices alike.

It was the thirteenth anniversary of the showcase that began with an idea from Scarsdale High School students Evan Cygler and Dennis O'Leary. Their passion for cars gave birth to an automobile show designed to both share great cars with the community and to raise funds for charities. With the help of the Scarsdale Police Department and village officials, the idea took off. Half of Scarsdale Village was closed to make room for impressive Ferraris, Porsches, Aston Martins, Bentleys, and many more.

"It was supposed to be a one to two or even three year project," Cygler said near the end of the show. "And here we are today, at show number 13, which just concluded. It's amazing how over time, the show is staying alive and there are people volunteering themselves throughout the year."

Since 2004, more than $350,000 have been raised for local charities. These have included Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, the White Plains Hospital, and the Kellner Family Pediatric Liver Disease Foundation. This year, the Concours is donating to The Warrior and Family Assistance Fund, the Scarsdale & Edgemont Family Counseling Service, and The Paulie Strong Foundation, a pediatric cancer fund.

Scarsdale's Concours isn't limited to locals but most participants hail from the community. There are usually about 120 cars on display, but the threat of rain scared some car owners away.

"As a high school student, there's definitely not as many kids interested in cars today. It's also just a nice way to give back to the community," says Daniel Patrizio, one of the younger members on the board of directors. Cygler agrees. "My greatest awareness is seeing younger people getting into cars, asking to sit in a car, seeing a smile on their face, and that's where the passion begins... I guess we're kind of constantly promoting the next generation. We're promoting cars, we're promoting a hobby. And even though it's motor transportation, it's a piece of art. And that's quite special."

People enjoyed the food stand and the live band, and even sitting in some of the cars. John Vasta, a Greenwich Concours award winner and his 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Splitwood Coupe, offered one of the motivations for the car show. "It's not an investment, it's just a nice venue. People seem to appreciate it." John later won the award of 'Best Corvette.'

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Best English Car
1966 Austin Healy 3000 MK III BJ8
Mark Goodman
He has owned this car for 47 years, second owner.

Best German Car
1987 Porsche 930 Turbo
Nick Vasserman

Best American Car
1931 DeSoto SA-Series Roadster
Michael DeAngelis
Formerly from the William (Bill) Harrah Collection. Bill Harrah paid $675 for it in 1965.

Best Ferrari
1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Berlinetta B4 Pininfarina
Howard Riina
Dr. Riina is from Scarsdale, NY.

Best Porsche
2015 Porsche 918 RS Spyder
Larry Fehrenbaker

Best Corvette
1963 Corvette Split-Window coupe
John Vasta

Best Ford
1959 Ford Skyliner Retractable Top
Robert Jennings

Best Muscle Car
1968 American Motors AMX Fastback
Robert Carlsen

Best Competition Car
1966 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Yenko
Larry Sachs

Most Exciting Car
1968 Ford Shelby Mustang KR500 Convertible
Larry Sachs

Most Outstanding Coachwork
1947 Lincoln Continental Coupe
Ed Falkenberg
Originally owned by radio and TV host, Arthur Godfrey. Ed is a Scarsdale local and long-time Concours supporter.

Preservation Award
1978 Citroen Deux Chevaux
Robert Lachman
Only 66,932 KM, original Michelin, imported from France.

Judge's Award
1948 Pontiac Silver Streak Woody Wagon
James Bruno
Features a "straight-8" cylinder engine.

Maroon & White Award
1965 Buick Skylark Gran Sport Hardtop
Kenneth Creary

Chubb Collector Car Award
1958 Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Race Car #555
Santi Spadaro

Miller Motorcars Award
1967 Chevrolet Corvette
Larry Sachs
All original car, only 19,000 miles.

Pepe Motors Award
1964 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 special
Leif Waller
All original car, only 39,924 miles. Still has original plastic covers on the seats. Leif is also a Scarsdale local.

Founder's Choice Award
1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino
Aaron Dorr

Best in Show
1952 Cunningham Competition-Spec Coupe
Charles Schoendorf
The only Cunningham exported new, to a Brazilian owner, factory
speced for competition with leather hood hold-down straps, ducted braking system and 40 gallon fuel tank.