Forum Focus
September 2019
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Message to Our Membership
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Happy Labor Day to you all!
Given how central
the school calendar is to the lives of most families in Scarsdale, the first weeks of September often feel like the whole village is ramping up, not just class schedules. The Scarsdale Forum is no exception. While many of our committees met over the summer to plan their work for the year, fall is when we truly kick into the next gear.
Our first membership meeting is
Thursday, October 3, and we are pleased to welcome back
Congressman Eliot Engel as our featured speaker, and look forward to hearing his perspective as a committee chair and long-serving member of the House of Representatives. Please consider inviting your friends and neighbors to attend this event -- even if they've never attended one of our meetings in the past -- to help them make some sense of the unusual political times we're living in.
We always welcome new members or deeper engagement for current members who wish to get more involved. Please feel free to reach out to any of our committee chairs listed below, or to me directly (
tim@commanderfoley.com) if you'd like to talk through how you can become more active in our plans and projects.
Tim Foley
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October Membership Meeting
We invite you to join us on
Thursday, October 3, to hear
Congressman Eliot Engel discuss issues currently facing the U.S. House of Representatives, Congress, and the nation at large. Representative Engel, a member of the House since 1989, has represented Scarsdale and neighboring communities since 2013, after new congressional districts were drawn following the 2010 Census. He currently serves as chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The meeting will be held at
the Scarsdale Woman's Club, 37 Drake Road. Refreshments will be available at 7:30 pm and the program will begin at 8:00 pm; all members of the public are welcome.
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A Conversation With Mimi Rocah
The Scarsdale Forum, League of Women Voters Scarsdale, and the Scarsdale Public Library will present a special program on
Sunday, October 20, featuring
Mimi Rocah.
Rocah is a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, the current Distinguished Fellow of Criminal Justice at Pace University Law School, and a former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. She'll provide her perspective, insight, and opinions on many of the questions surrounding the rule of law, criminal investigations, equal justice, and the U.S. Constitution that dominate the national news stories week after week. Rocah lives in Scarsdale with her husband and two children.
This event is part of the Scarsdale Forum's Sunday Speaker Series, and will be held at
the Scarsdale Woman's Club, 37 Drake Road, beginning at 3:00 pm.
All members of the public are welcome.
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Climate Resilience
The next meeting of the Scarsdale Forum's newest committee will take place on
Tuesday, September 10
at 8:00 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall. The Climate Resilience Committee will 1) review the results of its research into how other Westchester municipalities will fund activities related to the statewide Climate Smart Communities initiative; 2) discuss how Scarsdale policies/codes may be amended to assist residents and property owners to better protect themselves from adverse effects of extreme weather, and mitigate effects of climate change; and 3) continue work on a possible "Sustainability Day" event to raise public awareness.
County Fiscal Affairs
The County Fiscal Affairs Committee has the challenging task of studying the annual county operating and capital budgets, and issuing its review and recommendations in a very short timeframe. The group now seeks volunteers to assist in its important work.
The county's draft executive budget typically isn't released until early November, and any analysis and suggestions on spending, services, and revenue policies -- including changes to Westchester property tax rates -- usually must be produced and released within a month to impact the county legislature's deliberations on a final budget.
Chair
Richard Pinto (
rpinto10583@gmail.com) asks those who wish to join the committee to reach out to him or sign up through the Scarsdale Forum website so that the group may hit the ground running this fall.
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Education
The Education Committee will meet on
Thursday, October 10 at 8:00 pm at 45 Woods Lane to plan the group's agenda for this year and discuss the local education issues it plans to review.
Contact co-chairs
Nan Berke
(
ntberke@gmail.com)
and
Jordan Copeland
(
jordancopeland@me.com) if you plan to attend or wish to learn more.
Membership
The Membership Committee is seeking volunteers to staff the Scarsdale Forum's table at the Scarsdale Youth Sports Jamboree on
Saturday, September 7 at Crossway Field. If you have an hour or two to spare, and would be willing to help talk up our organization and upcoming programs, please contact co-chairs
Jill Spielberg (
jillspielberg@gmail.com) and
Gabrielle Wise (
greiffel@me.com).
Municipal Services
In its continuing work on assessing and promoting traffic safety in Scarsdale, the Municipal Services Committee invites members of the community to submit their personal observations of, or involvement in, (1) traffic-related violations by motorists in Scarsdale; (2) pedestrian- and bicyclist-related incidents on our roads, crosswalks, and sidewalks; (3) gridlocked intersections; and (4) suggestions for improvements to traffic signals and signage throughout Scarsdale, including the village center. Any feedback should be sent to
Madelaine Eppenstein
at
meppenstein@eppenstein.com
.
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Scarsdale Youth Sports
Jamboree
The Scarsdale Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation will host its annual Youth Sports Jamboree on
Saturday, September 7
, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Crossway Field. In conjunction with independent sports organizations and neighborhood athletic associations, recreation department staff will educate residents about the wide variety of youth sports options available in Scarsdale.
The event will feature a number of sports and game options for attendees of all ages, as well as music, food, large inflatable amusements and giveaways.
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Check Out Scarchella
On
Saturday, September 14
, the Scarsdale Business Alliance will host its first annual Scarchella Music Festival, presented by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. The event will take place, rain or shine, on Chase Road and Boniface Circle in Scarsdale Village from 12:00 to 6:00 pm, and feature live music, food, drinks, and family activities.
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Scarchella will feature several local bands that will perform on the main stage, sponsored by Pepe Infiniti:
Someday Radio
(12:00-12:45 pm);
The Del Bocas
(1:00-1:45 pm);
Louise in Trouble
(2:00-2:30 pm); the Scarsdale High School Band
Anytime
(2:45-3:15 pm);
The Big Red Words
(3:30-4:15 pm);
Where is Phi
(4:30-5:15 pm); and
The Mod Tones
(5;15-6:00 pm).
The event also will offer visitors a number of savory and sweet offerings from Pizza Vitale Truck, Graziella Food Truck, Sloppie Joe’s Food Truck, Waffle Box Food Truck, Ice Cream for Fun, The 808 Bistro, and Sapori. In addition, the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association will host a cookout barbecue.
For the adults, Zachys will sponsor a "Grand Tasting Village" in Boniface Circle from 12:00 to 5:00 pm, featuring over 125 wines from wineries around the world. All patrons must be over 21 years of age and purchase a wristband for $25.
To entertain the little ones, the Houlihan Lawrence "Family Fun Zone" will include two bouncy castles, face painters, and balloon artists. Scarsdale's Friends of Music and the Arts will offer kid-friendly arts and crafts projects, Talon Athletics will staff two ga-ga ball pits, and PlushBlow Scarsdale will provide hair braiding services for young fashionistas. And, members of the Scarsdale police and fire departments, and Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps will give tours of emergency service vehicles for kids and adults alike.
Scarchella is a free community event, but organizers are asking attendees to make a suggested charitable donation of $5; all food and non-alcoholic beverages are pay-as-you-go. You may make donations and purchase wristbands for the wine tasting online at
scarchella.com, or do so at the
festival via cash or credit card.
As an added benefit to the community, free parking will be available at the Freightway Garage and the adjacent outdoor parking lot (72 Freightway), as well as the lower two levels of the Christie Place Garage on East Parkway.
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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
Diane Greenwald
Forum Focus Editor
Laura Halligan
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