2023 Scarsdale Village Election

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

In-person Voting 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Scarsdale Public Library, Scott Room

54 Olmsted Road

All COVID-19 protocols set forth by the CDC for polling locations will be followed.

On the ballot, one candidate is running for the office of mayor, three candidates are running for three Village Trustee positions, and one candidate for the office of Village Justice.   

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

Friday, March 10, 2023: Last Day to register with the Westchester County Board of Elections at your current Scarsdale address to be eligible to vote in the Village Election. Complete this NYS voter registration form. If you have any questions about your voter registration status, please call the Westchester County Board of Elections at (914) 995-5700 or check online using the New York State Board of Elections Voter Lookup page.

Absentee Ballot Information

Voters may obtain an absentee ballot application online, request one by phone or mail from the Village Clerk, or attain one at the Village Clerk’s Office in Village Hall.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023: Last day for the Village Clerk to receive a completed absentee ballot application if the voter requests in that application that the absentee ballot be delivered to the voter via mail.

Monday, March 20, 2023: Last day for an applicant or applicant’s agent to appear in person before the Village Clerk (by 5 pm) to submit a completed absentee ballot application and be provided the actual absentee ballot.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 (Village Election Day): Last day for the Village Clerk to receive completed absentee ballots by mail, by drop box outside Village Hall before it closes at 5 pm, or by drop box outside the Scarsdale Public Library during polling hours.

Reminders:

• After completing the absentee ballot, insert it into the tan-colored official absentee ballot envelope you were provided and seal the envelope.
• The VOTER must then sign and date the outside of the envelope where indicated.
• A WITNESS signature on the envelope is required ONLY if the voter cannot physically sign their own name.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

According to the Village Clerk’s office, college students may vote in the Village Election if they are registered to vote at the Scarsdale address in which they are living. College students who are registered to vote where they are attending college may not vote in the Village Election.

Follow this link to the Village Clerk’s Election Information page.

For additional questions regarding the Board of Trustees Election, please contact the LWVS Voter Service Chairs.

The League of Women Voters of the United States, our national organization, recently celebrated its 103rd anniversary. The League has a long history of promoting and protecting the right to vote, educating voters, and encouraging active civic engagement. In this current moment in our country, when many state legislatures are passing legislation to restrict voting, the League continues to have an important role in ensuring that voting is accessible to all citizens. I am proud to serve this important organization.  

On the local front, the LWVS has been busy with civic engagement during the past month. We held our Annual Program Consensus Meeting to revise our Proposed Local Program 2023-24 on which we will vote at our annual meeting on May 5. We also made recommendations to the LWVW and LWVNYS on their programming for the upcoming year.

March will be another active month. We will hold information and consensus meetings on the School and Village Budgets. The School Budget Information and Consensus meeting will be on March 22, and the Village Budget Information and Consensus Meeting will be on March 24. Please join us for these important meetings.

On April 23, the LWVS will host a casual book discussion about Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships, a memoir by journalist Nina Totenberg. I look forward to good food and even better conversation! 

Please remember to vote in the upcoming Village Election on March 21. I also encourage you to participate in the School and Village budget meetings as they progress this month. Community input is essential in helping decide the priorities for the year ahead.  

I encourage all of you to remain engaged and active citizens–your civic involvement enhances and strengthens our community and our democracy!

Upcoming LWVS Events:

• Wednesday, March 22 at 10:00 a.m., School Budget Information and Consensus Meeting, via Zoom.
• Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m., Village Budget Information and Consensus Meeting, at Village Hall, 3rd Floor Conference Room.
• Sunday, April 23 at 7 p.m., LWVS Book Discussion, at a private home.

Best wishes, 

Alissa Baum

March 2023



• 3/13, Monday:
• 7:30 p.m. Board Meeting
• 3/21, Tuesday:
• 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Village Election, Scarsdale Public Library, Scott Room
• 3/22, Wednesday:
• 10:00 a.m. School Budget Information and Consensus Meeting, via Zoom
• 3/24, Friday:
• 10:00 a.m. Village Budget Information and Consensus Meeting, Scarsdale Village Hall

April 2023

• 4/10, Monday:
• 9:15 a.m. Board Meeting
• 4/23, Sunday:
• Book Discussion, Private Home

May 2023

• 5/5, Friday:
• 10:30 a.m. LWVS Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Scarsdale Golf Club
• 5/16, Tuesday:
• 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. School Budget Vote and BOE Election, Scarsdale Middle School Gym

LWVS General Membership and Consensus Meeting:

2023-24 School Budget

Wednesday, March 22

10:00 a.m. via Zoom

Meeting ID: 647 826 1608

Passcode: 036080

The LWVS will hold its School Budget Information and Consensus meeting on Wednesday, March 22 at 10:00 am via Zoom. Please join us!

The current preliminary 2023-24 budget envisions four possible scenarios. The key differences are whether the budget includes: the SHS auditorium project; and/or preliminary considerations for expenditure reductions and additional applied use of reserves. 

• Draft Budget 1 - Draft Budget 1 includes the auditorium project. This version has a projected Tax Levy of $184,057,667, representing a 6.21% budget to budget increase. The projected increase in the Tax Levy is 4.55% and the projected Tax Cap is 2.69%. Draft Budget 1 is $2,980,794 above the Tax Cap.
• Draft Budget 1a - Draft Budget 1a excludes the auditorium project. This version has a projected Tax Levy of $179,323,086, representing a 3.48% budget to budget increase. The projected increase in the Tax Levy is 3.80% and the projected Tax Cap is 1.94%. Draft Budget 1a is $2,980,494 above the Tax Cap.
• Draft Budget 2 - Draft Budget 2 includes the auditorium project, reduces expenditures, and includes revenue from additional use of reserves. This version has a projected Tax Levy of $183,190,957, representing a 5.71% budget to budget increase. The projected increase in the Tax Levy is 3.21% and the projected Tax Cap is 2.69%. Draft Budget 2 is $824,851 above the Tax Cap. 
• Draft Budget 2a - Draft Budget 2a excludes the auditorium project, reduces expenditures, and includes revenue from additional use of reserves. This version has a projected Tax Levy of $178,456,376, representing a 2.98% budget to budget increase. The projected increase in the Tax Levy is 2.46% and the projected Tax Cap is 1.94%. Draft Budget 2a is $832,551 above the Tax Cap.

After reviewing these scenarios, the Board directed the District to detail what additional changes would be required for the budget to fall within the tax cap before deciding how best to move forward. The Board also requested additional details on the basis for determining the amount of reserves suggested to offset the budget gap. As for the SHS auditorium project, the District will provide information about the cost of funding the project through a bond for comparison. The Board did not express an opinion on a favored scenario without considering this additional information, so the content of the budget will likely change.

Some highlights of the 2023-24 Budget thus far are:

• Contractual salary increases for all employees including teacher retirements and proposed increased staffing = $2.061 million. 
• Transfer to capital, primarily for the SHS auditorium = $4.970 million

Other 2023-24 Primary Budget Drivers include:

• Health Insurance. Total Increase: $2.047 million
• Other Employee Benefits. Total Increase: $555 thousand 
• Special Education. Total Increase: $756 thousand (net of salaries) 
• Instructional– STI and Professional Development. Total: $340 thousand 
• Technology – Wi-Fi Improvements. Total Increase: $195 thousand 
• Plant Operations and Maintenance. Total: $371 thousand
• Elementary SEL Support Consultants. Total: $200 thousand
• Debt Service as older debt expires. Total Decrease: $566 thousand

TOTAL DRIVER IMPACT: $11.190 million

Some considerations for Reductions in the Budget (Budget Scenarios 2 and 2a):

• Furniture - Replacement of aging SHS Library furniture: -$110 thousand
• Computer Lease - Hardware lease purchases: -$150 thousand
• Energy Costs - introduce Cenergistics, a program that reduces energy use: -$250 thousand
• Undesignated Placements - eliminate 3 placements: -$150 thousand

TOTAL PRELIMINARY REDUCTIONS: -$866,710

Revenue considerations/applied use of designated reserves:

• ERS Reserve - $57,091
• TRS Reserve - $224,142
• Health Insurance Reserve - $1,000,000

TOTAL REVENUE FROM ADDITIONAL DESIGNATED RESERVES: $1,281,233

There was one dedicated session to receive public input on the budget on November 17, 2022.

Upcoming School Budget dates:



• Monday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m., Budget Study Session #2
• Monday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m., Budget Study Session #3
• Monday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m., Community Budget Forum and Review
• Monday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m, Board of Education adopts the Budget
• Tuesday, May 16, Board of Education Public Budget Vote

The LWVS submitted budget questions to the District in November, and we anticipate receiving responses soon.

LWVS General Membership and Consensus Meeting:

2023-24 Village Budget

Friday, March 24, 2023

10:00 a.m., Village Hall, 3rd Floor Conference Room

The LWVS will convene a General Membership Information Session followed by a Consensus Meeting on the 2023-24 Proposed Village Budget on Friday, March 24, at 10:00 a.m. at Village Hall, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room. 

Village Administration and the Board of Trustees held several working meetings from December through late February. In the "first pass" meeting, Village Trustees reviewed all the departmental budget requests, attempting to envision needs for the next three to five years. This resulted in a funding gap of $7.4mm (larger than last year’s $6.4mm attributable largely to increases in fixed costs costs such as pension and health care). In subsequent meetings, the Village modified the first pass budget to account for additional revenue (sales tax interest) and include only high and middle level capital priorities.  

At the February 14 meeting, Village staff presented three potential scenarios for the “second pass” of the budget, each scenario differing in terms of the tax levy increase proposed (from 4.15% to 5.28%) and which requested capital requests and new positions would be funded. The Trustees, without reaching agreement on the specifics of any scenario or the appropriate tax levy increase, steered Village staff to consider the 4.15% tax levy increase in its second pass budget presentation scheduled for February 28,

According to the agenda for the February 28 working session,* the second pass of the budget proposes a tax levy increase of 4.15% above the current year, which is a tax levy of $46,510,000 and is not compliant with the NYS Tax Cap. This equates to a 3.17% increase in Village Taxes, or roughly $250 annual tax increase to the average assessed home of $1,597,000.

The second pass budget includes an appropriation of $4,425,000.  Other highlights, detailed in the February 28 agenda, include: 

• an increase to the Restricted Fund Balance (adding to the current allocation of $357,000) to help minimize future costs related to the Pool Complex capital project; 
• various personnel changes including 3 new positions, the reduction in 2 positions, and re-allocation of 2 positions into different budget allocations;
• changes in Second Pass Revenue after a detailed review of all fees and charges, which include an increase in revenue to the General Fund, Water Fund, and Sewer Fund;
• the discussion of appropriating Fund Balance only for one-time uses, which resulted in a detailed schedule of capital expenses now categorized into one-time or annual expenses. 

*Please note that this information is merely provided in the agenda for the February 28 meeting. This summary does not include the discussion that took place at the meeting or any changes or decisions that were made, since they occurred after the LWVS March Bulletin was prepared.

Upcoming Village Budget dates: 

• Tuesday, Mar 14 - The Village Board will present the Tentative 2023-24 Budget during Work Session (must be filed by Mar 20).
• Monday, Mar 20 - The filing date for the Tentative 2023-24 Budget.
• Tuesday, Mar 28 - Statutory public hearing on Tentative Budget.
• Tuesday, Apr 25 - Board of Trustees to adopt budget (must be adopted prior to Monday, May 1).

Please join us for our

LWVS Book Discussion

Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships

by Nina Totenberg

Sunday, April 23, 2023

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Location, Private Home

We look forward to meeting in person for a lively discussion about Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships, a memoir in which journalist Nina Totenberg reflects on her relationships with family and prominent friends, including her longterm friendship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  

The book is an extraordinary account of two women who paved the way for future generations by tearing down professional and legal barriers. It is also an intimate memoir of the power of friendships as women began to pry open career doors and transform the workplace. Dinners with Ruth also weaves together compelling, personal portraits of other fascinating women and men from Nina’s life, including her cherished NPR colleagues Cokie Roberts and Linda Wertheimer; her beloved husbands; her friendships with multiple Supreme Court Justices, including Lewis Powell, William Brennan, and Antonin Scalia; and Nina’s own family—her father, the legendary violinist Roman Totenberg; and her “best friends,” her sisters. 

Bronx River Books in Scarsdale Village is offering a 10% discount on the purchase of the book when you mention you are participating in the league of Women Voters of Scarsdale Book Club. 

We look forward to seeing you on April 23rd!

LWVS Winter Fundraiser

Scarsdale Mayor Jane Veron, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin,

LWVS President Alissa Baum, and State Senator Shelley Mayer

The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale held its Annual Fundraiser on Saturday, January 28 at the home of Janice and Ira Starr after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Many local elected officials attended, including State Senator Shelley Mayer, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, County Legislator Ben Boykin, and Scarsdale Mayor Jane Veron.  

To learn more about our work or to donate, please visit our website at lwvs.org.

LWVS General Membership and Consensus Meeting: 

2023-2024 Programming for our 

Local, Westchester County, and New York State Leagues

On Monday, February 6, the LWVS held a general membership and consensus meeting about our LWVS Local Program for 2023-24. Our proposed program will be voted on at our Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon on Friday, May 5, 2023.

The LWVS also worked on a letter offering input to the LWVW on their 2023-24 Program Planning.

As for state programming, the LWVS reviewed the LWVNYS’s current program to determine if we had recommendations to update or delete any aspect of their program in the coming year. The LWVS suggested that the LWVNYS position on the Election Law process, which includes campaign financing, be updated to consider the scheduling and funding of all elections, including primaries.  

2022 Youth Voter Engagement Pilot Project

The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale and the League of Women Voters of New Rochelle have teamed up, for the second year in a row, to organize a Youth Voter Engagement Project in May to register students to vote at designated Westchester high schools.   

Part of the League’s mission is to educate citizens, including high school students, on the electoral process in order to help build a lifelong habit of voting and civic engagement. Minorities and citizens under the age of 35 are underrepresented in the voting booth. This Project, made possible by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, hopes to mitigate some of these voting disparities. 

For more information or to express interest in volunteering, please contact Alissa Baum at lwvspresident@gmail.com.

LWVS Nominating Committee 2022-23

The LWVS Nominating Committee 2022-23 is calling for nominations to fill League Board Officer and Director positions for the 2023-24 year. The LWVS Nominating Committee will also fill off-board member positions on the Nominating Committee 2023-24.

If you would like to nominate yourself or a friend to be considered for the League Board or the LWVS Nominating Committee 2023-24, kindly contact Nominating Committee Chair Elissa Ruback at elissaruback@gmail.com. 

Here is a list of our 2022-23 Nominating Committee members, all of whom are able to receive nominations for discussion and consideration:

Elissa Ruback* (Chair)

Leah Dembitzer*

Kerry Hayes*

Diksha Mudbhary

Cindy Yau

*Off-Board members were approved at our annual meeting in May 2022.

Thank you

The LWVS thrives with the support and hard work of a community of volunteers. I would like to thank the League volunteers who contributed their creativity, time, and energy during the month of February.

Thanks to Dana Matsushita for her highly detailed and hard work on the LWVS Bulletin and our membership eblasts. Thanks to Heedan Chung for staying on top of event publicity.

Thanks to League Treasurer, Erika Rublin, for organizing our League financials and for her work, with Anne Lyons, on our annual finance drive. Thanks as well to our Recording Secretary and Webmaster, Diane Baylor, for keeping detailed minutes of our meetings and making sure our website is up-to-date.

Thanks to Cindy Yau and Jessica Zellner for their work on Students Inside Albany and attracting such incredible applicants.

Thanks to Dalya Khan and Nan Eileen Mead for their continued work on the School Budget Study. Thanks as well to Shilpa Spencer and Tracy Tang for keeping the Board and our community apprised of the Village Budget process.

Thanks to Donna Conkling and Beatrice Sevcik for their work on Voter Service and for keeping the community informed about redistricting. Thanks to Jenny Tabak for summarizing the League of Women Voters of New York State Program for our Programming Consensus Meeting and for her sage advice.

Thanks to Diane Baylor, Heedan Chung, Dalya Khan, and Nan Eileen Mead for taking on additional roles in education and advocacy.  

Thanks to Diksha Mudbhary, Jyoti Ruta, and Jen Zola for their thoughtful advice and Board work. Thanks to Debbie Miller for her historical knowledge and perspective in our consensus discussions.

Thanks to Kitt Rosenthal for serving as our liaison to the LWVW.

Thanks to the LWVS Nominating Committee for their continued work on 2023-24 Board positions.

I would like to extend deep thanks to Evelyn Stock for her work in choosing one Scarsdale student to attend this year’s Students Inside Albany conference.

I love forward to all the positive work that lies before us!

All my best,

Alissa Baum

Village of Scarsdale

As of February 28, 2023

Board of Trustees

Jane Veron, Mayor

  Term ends April 2023

Randall Whitestone, Deputy Mayor

  2nd term ends April 2024

Sameer Ahuja

  1st term ends April 2023

Karen Brew

  1st term ends April 2023

Jeremy Gans

  1st term ends April 2024

Jonathan Lewis

  2nd term ends April 2023

Ken Mazer

  1st term ends April 2024

Board of Education

Amber Yusuf, President

   1st term ends June 2023

Ronald Schulhof, Vice President

  2nd term ends June 2025

Colleen Brown

  1st term ends June 2025

Jim Dugan

  1st term ends June 2024

Robert Klein

  1st term ends June 2023

Suzie Hahn Pascutti

  1st term ends June 2025

Jessica Resnick-Ault

  1st term ends June 2024

League of Women Voters of Scarsdale

2022-23

Officers

President: Alissa Baum

LWVSpresident@gmail.com

First Vice President: Jenny Simon Tabak

Second Vice President: Anne Lyons

Recording Secretary: Diane Baylor

LWVSrecsecretary@gmail.com

Corresponding Secretary: Dana Matsushita

LWVScommunications@gmail.com

Treasurer: Erika Rublin

LWVStreasury@gmail.com

2022-2023 Elected Board Members

Heedan Chung

Donna Conkling

Dalya Khan

Nan Eileen Mead

Diksha Mudbhary

Jyoti Ruta

Beatrice Sevcik

Cindy Yau

Jessica Zellner

Appointed Board Members

Debbie Miller

Kitt Rosenthal

Shilpa Spencer

Tracy Tang

Jennifer Zola

Advocacy: Alissa Baum and Diksha Mudbhary 

Audit: Amber Yusuf 

Book Group: Donna Conkling

Budget: Nancy Michaels (Off-Board) 

Communications:

• Bulletin Editor: Dana Matsushita 
• Eblast: Dana Matsushita  
• Publicity: Heedan Chung 
• Social Media: Heedan Chung 
• Website: Diane Baylor 

Development/Finance Drive: Anne Lyons

Hospitality: Kitt Rosenthal

Local Budgets:

• School Budget: Dalya Khan and Nan Eileen Mead 
• Village Budget: Shilpa Spencer and Tracy Tang 

Local Election Systems:

• School Election: Jyoti Ruta 
• Village Election: Diane Baylor 

Luncheons: Anne Lyons

LWVW Liaison: Kitt Rosenthal

Membership: Heedan Chung 

• Membership Statistician: Jenny Simon Tabak 

Nominating Chair: Elissa Ruback (Off-Board) 

Program/Education: Cindy Yau

Voter Service:

• Candidate Forum(s): Donna Conkling and Beatrice Sevcik
• Naturalization Court: Donna Conkling and Beatrice Sevcik
• Voter Registration Drive(s): Alissa Baum and Beatrice Sevcik

Youth Engagement:

• Civics Jeopardy: Jessica Zellner and Jen Zola
• Mock Election: Jessica Zellner and Jen Zola
• Students Inside Albany: Cindy Yau