[LocalLeagueBulletinEditors] News from League of Women Voters of Scarsdale
League of Women Voters of Scarsdale
irajanice at aol.com
Thu Jan 14 11:22:55 CST 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
League of Women Voters of Scarsdale Newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January/February 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SCARSDALE
The League of Women Voters
of Scarsdale (LWVS) is a volunteer nonpartisan political organization which
promotes political responsibility through informed and active participation of
citizens in government. The League is nonpartisan in that it does not support
or oppose any candidate for public office; it is political in that it takes
positions on selected governmental issues after serious member study and
consensus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
ON
SCHOOL BOARD NOMINATING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS
MONDAY, JANUARY 25th, at
9 AM
Scarsdale Village Hall,
3rd Floor Meeting Room
Susan Ross, co-chair of the SBNC Administrative Committee, will attend
to answer questions concerning the elections
We need your participation to evaluate the School Board Nominating Committee election
process
For more information, please contact Susie Rush at 472-7797 or srush76 at gmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to New Members:
Eileen Laxer
Jennifer Underweiser
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you:
LWVS Suffragist:
Janet and Mark
Hershey
EF Suffragist:
Susan & J.Gregory Milmoe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Committee Opportunities
The League Is offering a number of
interesting committee opportunities for those of you who are looking to get
more involved in a particular area of interest. These committee positions give you
the chance to work together with liked-minded
League members on timely local issues for as much time as you care to devote to
the projects.
Please contact Membership
co-chairs Janice Starr at 472-8851 or irajanice at aol.comor Margaret Smith at 723-5898
or reinedesaba at optonline.net
for more information. We welcome your involvement.
Advocacy/Legislation
Aging-in-Place
Candidates Forum
Development
Environment
Finance Drive
Membership
Membership Statistician
Planning and Zoning
Publicity
Village Infrastructure
Voters Service
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank yous
Nancy Michaels for her unwavering dedication as our electronic bulletin editor;
Ann Sacher for hosting and chairing the Village Election System membership and consensus
meeting;
Anne Lyons and Debra Lagapa for their tireless work on the finance drive;
Pam Rubin for working to ensure League "VOTE" banners are punctually displayed;
Adie Shore and Michelle Lichtenberg for studying the draft of the Village Component
of the Comprehensive Plan and developing a League statement;
Barbara Cohen, AngelaManson and Ann Sacher for keeping apprised of school budget
discussions;
Florie Wachtenheim and Janice Starr for their recording and corresponding secretary
work;
Debbie Miller for her long standing service as League treasurer;
Sara Werder for anticipating League PR needs;
Susie Rush for her membership dues analysis and membership reporting;
Sara Hallac for her skillful web site management;
Kitt Rosenthal for her lovely hospitality;
Renee Baylor for her active participation as County liaison and our treasure trove
of knowledge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STATEMENT OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS® OF WESTCHESTER
AT THE
WESTCHESTER COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS' PUBLIC HEARING
ON THE
PROPOSED 2010 COUNTY BUDGET
DECEMBER 10, 2009, 7:00 P.M.,
MICHAELIAN OFFICE BUILDING
The
League of Women Voters® of Westchester thanks the Board of Legislators
(BOL) for this opportunity to present its view on the proposed budget.
The
League appreciates the continuing efforts that have been made to make
information about the budget more easily accessible to the public
through the County and BOL websites. We also appreciate the time that
the BOL Budget and Appropriations Committee has spent in public
meetings with Commissioners reviewing the proposed departmental budgets.
The
League recognizes the difficulties that County Executive Spano faced in
preparing this budget because severe economic challenges, including
significant declines in non-property tax revenue at the state, county
and local levels, have deeply impacted and will continue to affect all
of us: resident taxpayers, local businesses, nonprofit organizations,
as well as schools and governments. We need to continue reaching
across party lines and working together, not against each other, to
resolve our budgetary problems and we will all have to make sacrifices.
The
League recognizes that this budget process is a dynamic situation, and,
as such, our statement is based on the information that was available
to us when we reached an agreement by consensus on November 19th. In
this context, we offer the following comments and suggestions.
Tax
Rate and County Budget Increase: Under the current recessionary
economic conditions, the proposed tax rate increase of 4.88% is
unacceptable. The League believes that these conditions require the
BOL and the county administration to carry out their fiduciary duty to
the taxpayers and exercise fiscal discipline by working to reduce the
tax rate increase to 0%. The League understands that this is a very
difficult task that will require government decision-makers to make
some hard choices and we the residents to accept service cuts.
The
League is concerned that some of the 2010 estimated revenues (including
state aid) may be too high, and that the proposed budget does not
include significant budget cuts. The underlying assumption for the
2010 budget appears to be that the County is already operating
efficiently. The League questions this assumption and urges the BOL
and the county administration to critically analyze the current array
of County services, holding the provision of services to ensure the
health and safety of County residents in higher priority, and determine
which areas can be reorganized, pared back or eliminated. The League
also urges the BOL to more closely review the administrative costs in
each department to determine which functions should remain distributed
among departments and which can be more cost effectively provided in a
consolidated department.
Recognizing
that determining the optimum County reorganization plan cannot be
achieved in a scant six weeks, the League strongly urges the County
Executive and the BOL to select one or more departments and conduct a
thorough, open evaluation of its operations over the next several
months, well before next year's budget is released, and to continue to
undertake in depth department reviews over the next few years until all
departments have gone through a similar rigorous assessment. The
current compressed budget timetable allows the BOL no time to
thoughtfully address proposed recommendations for operational
improvements.
Reorganizing
County Government: The League recommends that the BOL appoint a
volunteer citizen task force to participate in a broad review of County
government functions within the framework of the County Charter and to
make recommendations for fundamental restructuring of government
organization in order to streamline and improve operations. In
addition, the League recommends that the BOL, as it did in forming the
Compensation Advisory Task Force, form a specialized volunteer citizen
task force with particular expertise in the insurance and health care
industries to evaluate the County's ever-increasing healthcare costs
and to recommend alternative approaches to lessen the annual
increases. Separately, the League commends the county administration
for taking an initial step toward streamlining government by placing
the Departments of Health and Community Mental Health under a single
commissioner, thereby eliminating the funding for one commissioner's
salary, and we encourage you to look closely at other opportunities to
merge departments and offices and reduce administrative expenses.
Affordable
Housing: The League recommends that county-owned real estate that is
underutilized, or may become underutilized as County government is
consolidated, be evaluated to identify possible sites for fair and
affordable housing to facilitate the implementation of the housing
settlement agreement and possibly reduce the implementation cost to the
County.
Transparency: In this difficult economic environment, it is critically important
that
the government be transparent in its activities, so that taxpayers can
clearly understand how it is spending tax dollars. Currently, millions
of dollars in County government contract awards bypass the BOL and are
routinely approved by the three-member Board of Acquisition and
Contract (A&C) without any discussion and explanation of its
rationale. At a minimum, the League strongly requests that the A&C
deliberate and discuss the contracts at meetings that are open to the
public before authorizing expenditures.
The
League also requests the BOL petition the County Executive to release
the budget earlier than November 16, the release date this year. We
believe that the budget should be released, at a minimum, directly
after the General elections each year if not earlier. This would afford
citizens a greater opportunity to review the budget and provide input. Under the
County Charter, although the BOL has until December 27 to
pass the budget, the schedule set by the BOL anticipates approval of
the budget on a much earlier date, December 14. This schedule allows
little time for analysis and study of this very complex document, and
it also limits the County government's ability to adjust the budget in
response to citizen input and economic conditions. As we have said for
more than twenty years, this timetable is a disservice
to the public.
The
League of Women Voters of Westchester thanks Budget Director Anne
Reasoner, Deputy Budget Director John Delaney and Deputy Budget
Director Arthur Vietro, for their availability and the information they
have provided to us and to the public at the League-sponsored
informational meeting on the budget. We also thank the Board of
Legislators for its consideration of our concerns and suggestions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to League Members Mary Beth Gose, Noreen Fisher and Evelyn Stock.
Mary Beth Gose was selected to serve on the County Executive Astorino's Transition
Subcommittee on Government Administration; Noreen Fisher received the Scarsdale
Teen Center's 2009 Vision of Community award; and Evelyn Stock was inducted into
Westchester County's Senior Hall of Fame as a special recognition honoree.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LWV Westchester Update
As
of November 22, LWV Westchester President, Mary Beth Gose, resigned to
serve on County Executive-Elect Astorino's Transition Subcommittee on
Government Administration. Her expertise should serve the new
administration and County residents well.
Adelaide DiGiorgi was installed as President.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LWVUS
Mark your Calendars!
June 11-15
LWUS National Convention
Atlanta, GA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THEY
REPRESENT YOU!
Changes
effective July 2009
VILLAGE OF SCARSDALE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Carolyn B. Stevens, Mayor (CP)
term ends Apr. 2011
Miriam Levitt Flisser (CP)
2nd term ends Apr. 2011
Dan Hochvert (CP)
2nd term ends Apr. 2010
David Irwin (CP)
2nd term ends Apr. 2011
Sharon Lindsay (CP)
2nd term ends Apr. 2010
Robert J. Steves (CP)
1st term ends Apr. 2011
Richard S. Toder(CP)
1st term ends Apr. 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THEY
REPRESENT YOU!
Changes
effective July 2009
VILLAGE OF SCARSDALE
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Barbara Kemp, President
2nd term ends June 2011
Jill Spieler, V.P.
1st term ends June 2010
Jeffrey Blatt
2nd term ends June 2010
Linda Chayes, President
2nd term ends June 2011
Mary Beth Gose
1st term ends June 2012
Joel Gurin
1st term ends June 2012
Elizabeth Guggenheimer
1st term ends June 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
website: www.lwvs.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
Wed.
6
7-9:30 am and 2-9:00 pm
SBNC Election
SMS
Mon.
11
9:00am
Board Meeting
Village Hall
3rd Floor
10:45am
Sally Robinson to speak on
advocacy issues
Mon.
25
9:00am
Gen. Membership Mtg.
Village Hall all
School Election System
3rd Floor
Sat.
30
5-7pm
Winter Funraiser
Janice Starr's Home
65
Church Lane
February
Mon.
8
9:00 am
Board Meeting
Village
Hall
3rd Floor
10:30am
Gen. Membership Mtg:
Local & County Prog.
March
Mon.
15
9:00 am
Board Meeting
Village
Hall
3rd Floor
10:15am
Gen. Membership Mtg:
Village Hall
Village Budget
3rd Floor
Mon.
22
9:00 am
Board Meeting
Village
Hall
3rd Floor
10:15am
Gen. Membership Mtg:
Village Hall
School Budget
3rd Floor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to Vote!!
2009 Election of Members to the
School Board Nominating Committee
(The SBNC nominates candidates for the
Scarsdale Board of Education)
Wednesday, January 6th
Polls are open at the Scarsdale Middle School
7 AM - 9:30 AM
and
2 PM - 9 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Presidents Message:
We welcome 2010 with hope, energy and enthusiasm, starting anew with large ambitions
and goals. We so thoroughly believe in the role of the League of Women Voters and
strive to expand our membership. After all, we are the only nonpartisan grass roots
organization dedicated to providing education and study on issues essential to the
well being of our local, state and national governments. Thanks to our diligent
membership committee, co chaired by Janice Starr and Margaret Smith, we are confident
we will broaden and deepen our relationships with Scarsdale residents. At the
same time, we are will continue to work hard to ensure our financial health. Guided
by development chairs, Anne Lyons and Debra Lagapa, we have made our annual appeal
and sincerely thank you, our members, for responding so generously. Since the vast
majority of your membership dues support the League of Women Voters' County, State
and National infrastructure, we rely heavily on our finance drive to support local
Scarsdale programs.
On November 24, League members gathered together to discuss and evaluate the recent
Citizens Nominating Committee election. Ann Sacher, Village Election System chair,
led a detailed consensus discussion and skillfully summarized League views in her
letter to the Procedure Committee. The League will continue its important work
in January with an evaluation of the School Board Nominating Committee election.
Please join us on January 25 as Susie Rush leads our membership and consensus
meeting. And, of course, please cast your vote for School Board Nominating Committee
members on January 6 at Scarsdale Middle School.
We had the good fortune to share a December board meeting with Betsey Swan, LWVNYS
president, and delved into the details of state initiatives and challenges. Betsey
underscored her desire to transform the state League's reach, by identifying creative
ways to engage those who work full time. She believes there is huge opportunity
for the state League to evolve with the changing times. She indicated that the
LWVNYS hopes to ease local League workloads and disseminate best practices. On
January 11, we will continue our dialogue with LWVNYS as Sally Robinson, LWVNYS
VP Issues and Advocacy, will introduce us to advocacy initiatives. Please mark
your calendars to attend.
Many ideas for our local League are percolating for the spring. LWVS Board members
are busy exploring enriching and fulfilling activities to engage you. We plan rigorous
analysis as school and village budget seasons commence and urge you to attend community
meetings in order to remain informed citizens. Over the next couple of months,
please also think about our local program. We encourage you to join us at our membership
and consensus meeting on the local and county program scheduled for February 8.
The League is not just about good works but also about good friends. We extend
an enthusiastic invitation to all of you to share an evening with us at our winter
fundraiser, a lovely event on Saturday, January 30 from 5-7 p.m. at Janice and Ira
Starr's home, 65 Church Lane.
Looking forward to seeing you very soon,
Jane Veron, LWVS President
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please Contribute to your
Local League's Annual Finance Drive
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale,
your local League,
works on a very tight budget.
Please consider us in your giving.
Mail your checks made out to LWVS to:
LWVS
Box 495
Scarsdale, NY 10583
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
lll
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please attend the January 11 Meeting
LWVNYS VP Issues and Advocacy, Sally Robinson, will update League members on advocacy
issues:
Monday, January 11
10:45 a.m.
Village Hall, 3rd floor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naturalization Court
Every year, the Scarsdale League sends representatives to a session of Naturalization
Court in White Plains. Witnessing the ceremony, distributing voter information
and greeting each new citizen fills volunteers with the thrill and pride of American
citizenship.
Our next Naturalization Court date is Wednesday, April 21. If you would like to
participate and represent the Scarsdale League at the ceremony, please contact
Jane Veron, LWVS President, jevatf at aol.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please Join Us!!!
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale
Winter Fundraiser
Saturday, January 30
5 pm to 7 pm
At the Home of Janice Starr
65 Church Lane, Scarsdale
Hors d'oeuvres, desserts, cocktails,
music and conversation!
Tickets are $30 per person.
Please make checks payable to LWVS and remit to:
Janice Starr
65 Church Lane
Scarsdale, New York 10583
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The schedule of school budget meetings is as follows:
1/13 7:30 PM Budget Forum
1/20 10:00 AM Budget Forum
2/1, 2/3, 2/8, 2/10
6:30 PM Budget Study Sessions
3/1 8:00 PM Board of Educ. mtg
with budget presentation
4/8 8:00 PM Board of Educ. Budget
Forum & Budget Study Session
5/18 Budget Vote
The link to the school website with the info:
http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/20191062213541450/lib/20191062213541450/BudgetCalendar.pdf
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102941865466&s=96&e=0015tYo1I8VwExQiYeGRnuO4qsokm2oL-BjIVqy5u_5cOLjz9mj8Gyk7qFRW4h3RsfCcH5M-lgjGV5cU7Kf0z-uDkC5JSZ-fn34zt5m6Auwy_g7eFZ8PV0yZdHVgHG4muRUW3n475hUg9EfYiamvAN_1EHiqbqEE1yXQsLhGepi2Q_lD-VvhRyJySWr-sfZsyazIvM7WvuDlPOy3OcTqPG51w==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCARSDALE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
STATEMENT ON THE VILLAGE COMPONENT OF THE COMPREHENIVE PLAN
November 9, 2009
The
Scarsdale League of Women Voters appreciates Village Planner Elizabeth
Marrinan's time and expertise in presenting the Village component of
the Comprehensive Plan to the League members. This statement is based
on a meeting the League held on October 6, 2009 and reflects the
consensus of League members on the topics included in this statement.
The
process to gather input for the Plan was open and inclusive. There was
an extensive effort to solicit input from residents and community
groups. In addition, information was made available to anyone who
wished to avail themselves of it.
The mission of the Plan was
well stated and captures the essence of what the community would like
to see. We encourage the Village to continue to fine-tune the Plan.
The League supports the following goals in particular:
· Promoting more retail diversity in the Village
· Anticipating workforce housing
· Utilizing green options when possible, and
· Maintaining the architectural integrity of Scarsdale Village while responding
to changing needs of the residents.
We
thank all the members of the Village Board, Al Gatta, Elizabeth
Marrinan and the administration for the help they have given the League
of Women Voters of Scarsdale in its study of the Plan. We look forward
to the continuation of the planning and zoning discussion and
commenting on the final draft of the Village Component of the
Comprehensive Plan once it becomes available.
Michelle Lichtenberg Margaret Smith
Co-Chairs LWVS Planning & Zoning
Adie Shore
LWVS First Vice President
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Village Election Consensus Statement
December 18, 2009
Mr. Bruce Wells, Chair
The Procedure Committee
40 Chase Rd.
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Dear Bruce,
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale (the "League"), itself a nonpartisan organization,
favors the concept and recognizes the value of a nonpartisan system for the selection
of Village and School Board candidates in Scarsdale. We continue to monitor these
election systems to encourage the informed and active participation of our citizens.
We would like to thank you for taking the time to meet with us at our membership
meeting on November 24, 2009 to review the recent Citizens Nominating Committee
("CNC") election. In addition, we appreciate your prompt response to inquiries
regarding the election and your detailed report of November 22, 2009 providing
your observations of the election process.
The League recognizes the continued efforts by the Procedure Committee (the "Committee")
to administer the election of members to the CNC and its commitment to the effective
functioning of Scarsdale's nonpartisan system. We have several recommendations
regarding the 2010 CNC election. Supporting detail may be found in the Detailed
Commentary portion of the letter.
Recommendations
1. Devise and implement strategies to better educate the community about the nonpartisan
system. The nonpartisan system is unique, complex and requires an orientation.
The League recommends that the Committee identify multiple venues to educate the
public. In addition, the committee should reach out to all local organizations
in an effort to educate the maximum number of people about the process.
2. Improve voter turnout by facilitating voting by citizens. The League believes
that making voting more convenient for residents would greatly increase voter participation.
The League observed the nation's movement toward early voting in the 2008 general
election and would like to harness the momentum in Scarsdale. To this end, the
League encourages the Committee to reposition and rename the absentee ballots as
mail-in ballots. The League also recommends extending morning voting hours to increase
voter turnout.
3. Develop policy and procedure guidelines for administering the election. The
League commends the Chair of the Committee for his dedication in managing the details
of the election. Since the election is similar year after year, the League recommends
that the Committee develop a set of policy and procedure guidelines that would be
used annually. Each step of the process should be documented for future committees.
Subcommittees should be set up to handle various aspects including publicity, finances,
sending out mailings etc. Among other things, these guidelines should include a
timeline that lists the tasks that need to be completed each month. The job of administering
the election can be shared with the entire committee. By including the whole Committee
in the development of the guidelines and the administration of the election, the
process could work more efficiently and each member could add his or her input.
Questions that are raised and not covered in the Resolution should be resolved
by committee consensus, not solely by the chair.
The League appreciates the Chair's management of the election process and believes
the Committee did a responsible job carrying out the administrative tasks. Increasing
voter participation continues to represent an enormous challenge. However, an election
process that garners the attention of only a tiny fraction of the community needs
to be reexamined and thoughtfully modified annually. Below, please find a detailed
commentary on all aspects of the 2009 CNC election.
Detailed Commentary
Overview.
While the League recognizes that voter turnout this year was on the high side for
local Village elections it still represents only a small percentage of the voting
population of Scarsdale. Given that the CNC proposes the slate of officials who
will, in all likelihood, serve as our Village Trustees and Mayor, those who are
entrusted with managing our local budget and quality of life, the League urges the
Committee to continue to focus on increasing voter involvement.
The League recognizes that addressing voter apathy is not the specific charter of
the Committee, but the League believes that the Committee could take a leadership
role in examining new strategies to engage Scarsdale voters and might explore a
partnership with the School Board Nominating Committee's Administrative Committee
("Administrative Committee) to tackle these shared issues.
Nominations.
Pursuant to the Non-Partisan Resolution, an invitation for submission of nominating
petitions should be placed in the official Scarsdale newspaper on two occasions
prior to September 30. One notice was placed in the September 11, 2009 issue of
the Scarsdale Inquirer. The League suggests that the Committee follows the text
of the Non-Partisan Resolution and places a second invitation in the newspaper.
Notice to Vote Brochure.
The League commends the Committee for cutting costs by mailing a single page Notice
to Vote brochure to residents prior to the election. The League suggests that the
Notice be revamped such that the page that is first viewed by recipients (the page
with the resident's address) has graphic interest that makes clear that the purpose
of the mailing is to notify citizens of the election and to get out the vote. The
League recommends that the brochure clarify that each resident can vote only for
candidates in his or her elementary school district. In order to condense the size
of the Notice to Vote brochure to one page, the information describing the nonpartisan
system in Scarsdale was eliminated. While recognizing the need to save money, the
League believes that educating the community about the system is of vital importance.
The League suggests that the nonpartisan system education portion of the brochure
be made available in public venues such as the Scarsdale Public Library and Village
Hall. Information should also be placed on the Committee's website.
The Vote.
Voter Turnout. The turnout of 664 voters was an increase in voter participation
from 2008's 385 voters but still represents only a small fraction of eligible Scarsdale
voters. Since 1998, the tally of votes cast has fluctuated from a low of 353 voters
in 2005 to a peak of 664 voters this year. As voter turnout represents approximately
3-6% of resident voters of Scarsdale, the League encourages the Committee to consider
a more broad based approach to increasing voter participation. It goes without
saying that residents should be informed and active participants in the selection
of their governing officials.
An essential first step would be to bolster education efforts. The League continues
to encourage the Committee to consider a partnership with the Administrative Committee
to develop a comprehensive education effort targeted to the entire Scarsdale population.
The League is confident that a task force of Committee and Administrative Committee
members could identify and implement a myriad of tailored approaches to reach Scarsdale's
different demographics. For example, the League again recommends a representative
be sent to the first Parent Teacher Association meeting of each of the Scarsdale
schools to describe the nonpartisan system and to generate interest in the election.
Although the timing of the Village and School Board elections differs, the fundamentals
of the nonpartisan system are the same. A collaborative effort, perhaps in the
form of a task force, enables a more leveraged use of scarce volunteer resources.
The League also encourages personal outreach to the newer residents of the community
will result in a more informed and interested voter base.
The League continues to support the Committee's efforts to rely upon its website
to improve voter education and participation. The League commends the Committee
for including online the absentee ballot, biographical sketches and the election
calendar and believes the website holds even greater potential for voter involvement.
Voting. The League was pleased to see the year over year increase in the use of
absentee ballots, rising from 17 to 182 individuals. The League appreciates that
the Committee made the absentee balloting process easier for voters and allowed
for a more generous deadline. The League believes the absentee ballot has enormous
untapped potential as an acceptable alternative to in-person voting and could be
the vehicle to achieve exponential growth in voter participation. By repositioning
and renaming the absentee ballot as a mail-in ballot, the League believes that more
citizens would be likely to participate in the election. In order to ensure that
the ballot remains a neutral tool for all citizens, the League urges the Committee
to carefully educate the community about its intended usage and the benefits thereof
in the local media. The distribution of the mail-in ballots should be primarily
driven by the Committee and not by the candidates. The League also suggests that
these mail-in ballots be made available on the Committee's website and at public
sites throughout Scarsdale for those without ready access to the Internet. The League
recommends that the Committee remove restrictions on those voting by mail-in ballot
(e.g. requiring a signature stating that the voter will be out of town during the
election). The League does not believe that a more liberal use of mail-in ballots
will compromise the election system. On the contrary, the League believes that
greater participation of the electorate results in a more representative government.
Of course, the Committee must ensure that the mail-in ballot preserves voting integrity
and conforms to the requirements of the Non-Partisan Resolution. Information on
the nonpartisan system should also be available wherever ballots are located.
The Ballot. The League commends the Committee for providing voters with a clear,
color coded and easy to understand ballot.
Polling Location, Hours, Parking, and Choice of Day. The League continues to believe
that the current polling location at Village Hall is an appropriate venue for the
election. The League recommends extending voting hours by a ½ hour until 10 AM.
For those voters with children in preschool and elementary school arriving at the
polls before 9:30 AM or after 2 PM is often difficult or impossible. Unlike the
last several years, "Voters Only" parking was not made available at Village Hall
this year. The League urges the Committee to reinstate this dedicated parking to
facilitate voting. The League commends the Committee for holding the election
on a Tuesday when Scarsdale Village Court is not in session. The League also suggests
that the Committee place "Vote Here" signs near the entrances to Village Hall.
Finances. For both financial and environmental reasons, the League commends the
Committee for decreasing the size of the "Notice to Vote" mailing to the community.
The League agrees with the Committee's decision to use a single sheet of paper to
post candidate information instead of the proposed postcard mailing. The single
8.5 x 14 inch legal sheet had approximately the same cost as the postcard but contained
significantly more information. The League also commends the Committee for minimizing
costs by providing thorough and up to date information on the election on its website.
By using a one-page mailing and excluding the fundraising envelope, the Committee
was able to reduce the cost of the election by $1700. The League supports the Committee's
suggestion to explore alternative cost saving methods.
The League notes that the Town and Village Civic Club provided the Committee with
$3000 last year in order to fund this year's election. According to the report
from the Chair, the Committee would like to raise $5000 this year to cover costs
and provide a cushion for next year. So far the Committee has raised $800 of which
$300 was from three neighborhood associations. The League understands the difficulty
of fundraising in the current economic environment. The League was pleased to see
that the Committee website contains a link to PayPal to facilitate fundraising and
that the Committee is about to undertake a fundraising effort with personal letters
to members of the community. The League appreciates the Committee Chair providing
a financial summary in his report to the League and looks forward to receiving updated
financial information in the spring after the fundraising effort has been completed.
Publicity. The League commends the Committee for making available to the public
information regarding: efforts to attract candidates for the Committee; the proposed
candidates; the date, polling time and place for the election; and the procedure
for obtaining absentee ballots. The results of the election were also published.
It is noted that the coverage appeared in various media, including the Scarsdale
Inquirer and on the Committee website. The League suggests that the Committee
establish a publicity committee. This group could brainstorm ideas for best communicating
with the public and could proactively work with the various media. The Committee
could explore a link to the Village website. The League also suggests that the
Committee review the video made in the Choice program of the Scarsdale Middle School
that explains the nonpartisan system. This video might be another method for educating
the public. The League commends the Committee for reaching out to neighborhood
associations to identify candidates. The League urges the Committee to reach out
to a number of village organizations including the Scarsdale Neighborhood Association
Presidents and the Parent Teacher Council to inform and educate the public about
the nonpartisan system and the election.
Number of Candidates per Vacancy. It is important to note that the Committee, in
compliance with the Non-Partisan Resolution, provided at least two candidates for
each open position for each district. Given the structure of our nonpartisan system,
the importance of the election of CNC members cannot be over-emphasized as the CNC's
nominations of Mayor and Trustees are most often tantamount to election. The League
recognizes that the Committee expends enormous energies to present voters with a
choice for each vacancy and appreciates the Committee's commitment to a contested
election.
Amendment to the Non-Partisan Resolution. According to the report of the Committee
Chair the Committee is planning to suggest an amendment to Article IV paragraph
4, sentence 2 of the Non-Partisan Resolution. Currently, the sentence reads:
"The mailing to all voters of the notice of the Unit Elections shall set forth a
complete list of the candidates together with a biographical sketch of each."
The new sentence would read:
" The delivery to all voters of the notice of the Unit Elections shall set forth
a complete list of the candidates in their election unit with a biographical sketch
of each as edited by the Procedure Committee"
The Committee is proposing three changes to the sentence.
1. The League supports the change from "mailing" to "delivery". In order to reduce
the very high cost of mailing to the entire community, the League understands and
supports the Committee as it explores more economical ways of delivering information.
The League also recognizes that for the foreseeable future, U.S. mail will continue
to be the method of delivery as the conduit that can reach the maximum number of
community members. For consistency, the League suggests that Article IX, paragraph
4 sentence 2 be changed as well. The word "mailed" should be changed to "delivered".
In this way, both the Notice to Vote and notice of proposed amendments can be delivered
in the same way.
2. The League does not support the addition of "in their election unit" to the
sentence. This change would allow the Committee to deliver to voters a Notice
to Vote brochure with information regarding candidates only in a voter's election
district. The League believes that each voter should receive notice of the entire
candidate pool.
3. The League does not support the addition of "as edited by the Procedure Committee"
to the sentence. This change would allow the Committee to edit the biographical
sketches of each candidate as it sees fit. The League believes that only the candidates
themselves should make these editorial decisions. As per the Non-Partisan Resolution,
the Committee is only a conduit for the receipt of the biographical information.
The League understands the space constraints that the smaller Notice to Vote brochure
presents, and therefore, suggests that the Committee consider limiting the number
of characters allowed by each candidate in his or her biographical sketch.
Conclusion
The League appreciates the continued efforts of the Committee to administer the
CNC election and lauds its dedication to the nonpartisan system. The League hopes
the Committee will view this letter as a tool to facilitate discussion on strategies
and tactics to improve the system and would like it to be shared with the incoming
chair and his committee. The League understands the financial constraints on the
Committee brought on by the difficult economic times and hopes that its cost cutting
measures do not impede its ability to include the largest number of community members
in the election. The League continues to believe that there is great opportunity
to improve voter participation and urges the Committee to take advantage of the
nation's heightened interest in early voting. The League encourages the Committee
to remain committed to the continuous improvement of the Village election system
and to an amplified campaign to build awareness among Scarsdale residents. Overall,
the League congratulates the Committee on a successful election.
Sincerely,
Ann Sacher Jane Veron
Chair, Village Election Systems President
Scarsdale League of Women Voters
cc: Jim Pullman, Vice Chair, Procedure Committee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2009-10 LWV of Scarsdale Board of Directors:
President
Jane Veron
472-2933
jevatf at aol.com
First Vice-president
Margaret Smith
723-5898
reinedesaba at optonline.net
Second Vice-president
Lauri Carey
472-8076
lauricarey at me.com
Recording Secretary
Florie Wachtenheim
472-3829
floriewa at optonline.net
Corresponding Secretary
Janice Starr
472-8851
irajanice at aol.com
Treasurer
Debbie Miller
723-6293
midi.mil at verizon.net
Annual Luncheon
Anne Lyons
KALYONSKJP at aol.com
Advocacy
Suzanne Seiden*
Kevsuz at aol.com
Aging in Place
unfilled
Bulletin Editor
Nancy Michaels
Eatright1 at aol.com
Candidates Forum
Marylou Green
coopergree at aol.com
Education Foundation Study
Debbie Miller
midi.mil at verizon.net
Environment/Natural Resources
Lauri Carey
lauricarey at me.com
Finance Drive
Debra Lagapa
d.lagapa at verizon.net
Anne Lyons
KALYONSKJP at aol.com
Hospitality
Kitt Rosenthal
kittr at optonline.net
Infrastructure
unfilled
LWVW Liaison
Renée Baylor
kandrbaylor at yahoo.com
Membership
Margaret Smith
reinedesaba at optonline.net
Janice Starr
Irajanice at aol.com
Membership Statistician
Susie Rush
Srush76 at gmail.com
Nominating Chair
Michelle Lichtenberg*
Michelle.lichtenberg at gmail.com
Planninng & Zoning
Michelle Lichtenberg*
Michelle.lichtenberg at gmail.com
Adie Shore
ABSNYNY at aol.com
Program/Education
Marylou Green
coopergree at aol.com
Debra Lagapa
d.lagapa at verizon.net
Publicity
Sara Werder
swer92057 at aol.com
School Budget
Barbara Cohen*
bcohen527 at gmail.com
Angela Manson*
manson77 at optonline.net
Ann Sacher
absacher at mac.com
School Election System
Susie Rush
srush76 at gmail.com
Village Budget
Kim Meyers
kimschles at aol.com
Village Election System
Ann Sacher
absacher at mac.com
Voters Service Chair
Pam Meisel Rubin
pprubin at otponline.net
Webmaster
Sarah Hallac*
sarah at hallac.com
*Off-board, non-voting
updated 9/5/09
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward email
http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1102712868985&ea=localleaguebulletineditors@lwvny.org&a=1102941865466
This email was sent to localleaguebulletineditors at lwvny.org by irajanice at aol.com.
Update Profile/Email Address
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001KoyZ43z4t0iuvuLPJ21-GBME_XgUxOlixLYojXv9v7RnjpQ7aN8yPw%3D%3D&p=oo
Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001KoyZ43z4t0iuvuLPJ21-GBME_XgUxOlixLYojXv9v7RnjpQ7aN8yPw%3D%3D&p=un
Privacy Policy:
http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp
Email Marketing by
Constant Contact(R)
www.constantcontact.com
League of Women Voters of Scarsdale | 65 Church Lane | Scarsdale | NY | 10583
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lwvny.org/pipermail/localleaguebulletineditors_lwvny.org/attachments/20100114/13dfcf27/attachment-0001.html>
More information about the LocalLeagueBulletinEditors
mailing list