Forum Focus
November 2018




Message to Our Membership

We invite you to attend our next program meeting on Thursday, November 15 . Scarsdale Board of Education President Scott Silberfein and Assistant Superintendent of HR and Leadership Development Drew Patrick will join us to discuss the "State of the Schools." Dr. Thomas Hagerman had been scheduled to speak, but is unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.

The event will take place in the Dyckman Room, Scarsdale Congregational Church, 1 Heathcote Road . A reception will be held prior to the event, beginning at 7:30 pm; the program will start at 8:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Jon Mark

Committee Updates
County Fiscal Affairs

The County Fiscal Affairs Committee is in the process of reviewing proposed Westchester County budgets as they become available. The draft capital budget has been released and the expense budget will be made public on or before Saturday, November 10 .

The county legislature has limited public review of the proposed plans to just over a month, as the budget must be finalized by Thursday, December 27 . As a result, the committee will have a short timeframe to analyze and discuss the county's plans, and draft its report.

For more details, or to participate in the group's budget review work, email Mark Lewis at markannlewis@msn.com .

Hospitality

After years of serving skillfully as chair of the Hospitality Committee, Lisa Van Gundy is looking to pass on the reins to the next generation. The position involves providing or arranging for refreshments to be served at receptions prior to selected Scarsdale Forum meetings and programs. (This translates to roughly a dozen events per year, running from September through June). The work is not only simple, it's fun and makes everyone happy.

For more details, get in touch with Lisa at vgfam@aol.com .

Membership

The Membership Committee will meet on Thursday, November 8 , in Scarsdale Village Hall, at 8:00 pm. The group will focus on its recent efforts in expanding the Scarsdale Forum's reach through online advertising and retaining lapsed members, and consider other ideas to expand the number of our dues-paying members.

If you'd like to receive more information, email either Tim Foley ( timothy.d.foley@gmail.com ) or Bruce Wells ( brucekwells@gmail.com ).

Municipal Services

The Municipal Services Committee, along with the Sustainability Committee, is following up on action that should be taken by Scarsdale Village and its contractors in light of last month's report on the use of landscape pesticides.

In addition, Municipal Services is pleased to report that the village appears to be taking important steps to improve public safety in response to its reports and community survey on traffic issues (November 2015 and January 2018), but more should and can be done. While the committee's suggestions on lowering the speed limit haven't been adopted on certain linear sections of roads, state law appears to support village initiatives to reduce excessive speeding in our predominately residential neighborhoods. Municipal Services will continue to advocate on this issue.

To learn more about these efforts, contact Madelaine Eppenstein at meppenstein@eppenstein.com .

Scarsdale Forum Inc.

Scarsdale Forum Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to community education through discussion and analysis of issues relevant to Scarsdale residents. Since 1904, it has contributed meaningfully to village affairs through written reports, public speaker events and committee discussions. Membership is available to all Scarsdale and Mamaroneck Strip residents, regardless of citizenship status. 

Forum Focus generally is distributed to Scarsdale Forum members in the first week of each month. Story ideas should be sent to communications@scarsdaleforum.com one week prior to be included in the coming issue.


Media Contact/Communications Chair
Tim Foley 

Forum Focus Editor
Laura Halligan