Scarsdale, NY 10583 | Scarsdale's In Crisis: Who's in Charge? | Around Town

nightsky It’s now been four days since Scarsdale was hit by Sandy – and the truth is many of us were walloped. First there was the anticipation and preparation for the storm that began before the weekend. Then the wind roared into town and scared many of us silly. I know I spent the night running to and from the window – trying to look outside to see the action and then skittering away from the glass for fear I’d be speared by a flying tree. Monday night thousands lost their heat and light and nothing has been normal since. We’re cold, we’re displaced and we’re discombobulated.

Our normal routines are gone and plans are out the window. Everywhere we turn there are obstacles – broken trees, downed wires, yellow tape, gas lines, traffic, closures and cancellations.

And since many in the New York area are in far more dire straits than we are, power crews have been deployed to help the worst off first. No one has even provided an estimate of when repairmen will come to town. I sent a note to our local Con Edison representative hoping to get a timetable and received nothing back. Perhaps their communications system is out as well?

The silence from our local government is also deafening. I asked the Mayor for a comment on the storm and what residents could expect and days firetruck later I received a terse reply that reiterated a few sentences from an email from the Village Manager. There was no mention of support for those who are cold, blocked in by wires and trees or without transportation. Additional emails to the Village from the neighborhood association about rescheduling Halloween trick or treating were also left unanswered.

Fortunately the generosity of Scarsdale residents is evident everywhere. Some have welcomed chilly neighbors to stay at their homes. Others are hosting dinner parties for friends and offering use of their showers and washing machines. Synagogues and the JCC have sent invitations to the community to stop by to warm up and use power outlets.

However, with 4,200 people without heat and temperatures dropping into the 30’s this weekend, more needs to be done. The Village needs to be more transparent and demonstrate some concern for the welfare of the residents:

If anyone from the Village is meeting with Con Edison to advocate for Scarsdale let us know. Only scant details have been forwarded about prioritization of resources. If we are not going to have the heat back on for another ten days, advise residents to make whatever arrangements they can to leave home before the temperature dips below freezing, as is forecasted for Sunday.
When progress is made, share that as well. A Scarsdale10583 reader just posted a comment on the site saying he saw four trucks on Weaver Street last night and Weaver is now open. Can the Village let us know as streets are reopened?
A presidential election is to be held this coming Tuesday and many are wondering how we will vote. I tried to reach Village Hall today to find out what plans were being made, but with no phones and no email I found out nothing.
And last, where is the love? The Village should make some gesture to show compassion. Hand out hot chocolate in the Village, offer a free hot meal, send vans to transport the elderly to the market or utilize Village-owned property to shelter those in need. These are just a few ideas of what could be done to ease the pain.

streetlight We’re facing perhaps the biggest crisis in the history of Scarsdale and it’s not clear who, if anyone, is leading the way.

Photos by Sarah Schuman

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written by anonymous, November 14, 2012

Edgemont was just as bad, the police and town departments are frightful here as well...seems like complete incompetence is beginning to run rampant - time for citizens to clean house in our local governments, think officials are all getting too comfy and lazy in their sworn duties. Lets all remember, the taxpayers pay their salaries...

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written by Cathy, November 05, 2012

I think the village should have tree companies on retainer for situations like this. Peoples landscapers worked faster and more efficiently clearing debris from private properties than the village did. ALL trees that overhang power lines need to be removed. The PTA does a great job fundraising for the schools so maybe they should consider using funds to buy generators for the schools. Perhaps the MS should consider solar panels for the roof since it is completely flat.

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written by fan of direct democracy, November 05, 2012

The term "elected officials" doesn't apply in Scarsdale. Those unfamiliar with the self-perpetuating, change-resisting system for appointing public officials with tenuous ties to their constituents could begin by reading the League of Women Voters' summary: http://www.lwvs.org/villageschoolelections.htm. Apparently the system has its merits, but it doesn't allow individuals to make their case and run for office and it doesn't allow citicizens to hear alternatives and make a choice.

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written by WTF, November 04, 2012

I am as disappointed as many of you. The whole power issue, or lack thereof, is a calamity. Ok, so the town officials are basically inept. I think we should have any new town officials be trained in crisis management. For an allegedly highly educated group of officials, what's another few courses of preventative measures? Forewarned is forearmed.

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written by Greenacres Brewster Residents, November 04, 2012

We contemplate the irony of the gas crisis as we look at our vehicles with full gas tanks sitting idle in our driveways, live electrical wires, three massive trees, and two snapped poles remain a hazard outside our front doors. Trash collection has resumed in the village, but not for us. The police tell us to get hotel rooms if we feel unsafe, insensitive to the fact that we have no cars and there are no rooms and some of us have animals. God bless the us postal service whose mailmen climb through the yellow tape and navigate through the wires to deliver us our mail. I'd like to nominate him for mayor. At least they care.

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written by Anonymous, November 04, 2012

You know why the elected officials do not care. THEY HAVE HEAT!! They do not care about us .

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written by BTL, November 04, 2012

Our power came back on at 1:00 a.m.! We were part of the outage near Penn Rd that affected 465 homes. The timeframe for restoration on the Con Ed website changed yesterday from 11:59 p.m. on Nov 9 to 11:00 p.m. on Nov 4, so we had power even earlier. Keep checking the Con Ed map to see if your timeframe changes. There was a large outage in Greenacres that changed from 6:00 a.m. Nov 4 to pending. I'm not sure what that means but I hope they still get power back today.

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written by Bonnie, November 04, 2012

We got our power back at 1:00a.m.! We were part of the outage near Penn Rd that was affecting 465 homes. Ours was one of only a couple of outages whose time for restoration changed yesterday from 11:59 p.m. on Nov 9. It was set for 11:00 p.m. tonight, so the power came back even earlier than that. Keep checking the Con Ed outage map to see if your timeframe changes. Let's hope we are all out of this before Wednesday.

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written by Concerned Scarsdale Resident , November 04, 2012

The Mayor's State of Emergency Declaration issued Monday that, as Michael Otten aptly noted (in Comments below the Scarsdale10583,com piece reporting it), by its terms prohibited "all vehicular traffic" and all parking on every single Village street, road, avenue, lane etc stated that the ban would remain in effect until the State of Emergency Declaration was "rescinded." We received a robocall from the Village Government issuing the Mayor's Declaration barring all driving and/or parking on every single Village road - ie the Village Government has a taxpayer-funded resource in the form of robocalling capability that it used to bar people from any driving or parking on any Village road based on a public safety determination. As of 1am Sunday November 4, I have not seen a rescission of that Declaration, by robocall, email, statement to the Inquirer or 10583 or the other Scarsdale news sites, or otherwise. Did I miss the rescission?

Also, re Halloween, the Village Government did engage on it again this year - with a pronouncement apparently in the afternoon on Halloween Day that appeared to state that trick or treating should not be done by kids anywhere at all in Scarsdale. Similar to what was issued last hear, with similar timing With no suggestion of an alternative date. Did I miss a followup communication from the Village Government re a suggestion re an alternative date? Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but officials in other communities have demonstrated ways that community matter can be handled differently.

All, including Mayor Flisser, Village Manager and the rest of the Village Staff, and others, certainly appear to be working hard and trying to do the right thing. We might all also recall that Mayor Flisser is providing her service as a volunteer. But hopefully community input including on Joanne Wallenstein's very helpful community website can be taken into account, and lessons can be learned in terms of Village and Town governance and the CNC process.

-1

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written by Ken , November 04, 2012

It's clear that Scarsdale leadership has done nothing! Time for us to get a new city government!

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written by Anonymous Too, November 03, 2012

To Anonymous below--I 100% agree with you that the generator restrictions need to be relaxed. People are more inconvenienced being in the cold, with no electricity and heat, than the temporary noise made by the generators. By the way, big storm coming Wednesday. Here come the flooded basements ...

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written by Frustrated, November 03, 2012

Mayor Flisser is a joke. We absolutely need a democratic process in Scarsdale to elect our officials. We need strong advocates who are able to build relationships with the community, utilities, and etc. and are ACCOUNTABLE to the people of Scarsdale. Our other representatives should be ashamed too, especially those that have no problem coming to our community to raise money (you listening SCHUMER), yet do nothing to advocate on our behalf.

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written by Jen Geller in Chappaqua , November 03, 2012

Hi Scarsdale Friends, I'm sorry things are so bad down there. The situation isn't much better up in Chappaqua, where I moved either in terms of power and downed trees but communication is much better. We get daily robo calls from the schools superintendent and from the police on school closings, roads that are now open, etc. that seems not to be happening which is terrible but there things you can do that people are doing up here:
1. Start a Facebook page or have Joanne start a link on the site where people can update power is on or Con Ed trucks are seen. You can also include what roads are passable and which gas stations have shorter lines. Internet trolls, keep opinions away, info only.
2. Flood Con Ed and do it strategically. Coordinate with your neighbors to make sure there are several calls in your area for help. It helps.
3. Chamber of commerce, get involved. People are vowing to shop local only for the holidays due to some really strong outreach earlier. It will help these great stores recover from this terrible event.

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written by Harry, November 03, 2012

Posting a second comment because we finally have some news -- per the Con Ed service update website, a number of homes in Greenacres will have power restored Sun 11/4 at 6 AM. Frankly, I'll believe it when I see it, but a number of GA homes have been identified as on this timeline. I don't have any idea how widespread this progress is, or what this means for the rest of Scarsdale, but I wanted to pass along the little info I have. I hope it's accurate and that everyone else is restored quickly.

I also wanted to reiterate the point made here a number of times, that the passing of the crisis shouldn't lead us to forget the Village issues that complicated our recovery. I, for one, would be happy to help circulate a petition to relax generator rules, for starters. If you're interested, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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written by Jonathan Lerner, November 03, 2012

I stopped at Village Hall to offer Real Living Five Corners Real Estate office (which has full power) in any way needed... however my offer was not heard, in fact I was in shock that Village Hall was on bare min generators ... Are we actually so unprepared that the center of the Village which should be a safe haven does not have a seamless generator? With the money that is wasted on the most trivial of items in this Village!!!!

Our office is all about Scarsdale, dozens of people have come in to charge their cell phones, use the internet, even two local residents used our bathroom to blowdry their hair. We are community 110% and please feel free to stop in for a cup of hot coffee or to enjoy some electricity.

My Hats off to all the hard working village employees that are working round the clock to do what they can....like the police officer standing outside our office at Al's gas station keeping order because residents are behaving like five year old's cutting gas lines and acting up. Kudo's to folks like Michael at Stratton pharmacy whom I chatted with as he worked in the dark under a small generator filling prescriptions that were needed.

Sorry, but the Village leadership is not stepping up to the plate..Sure we had some early phone calls about the approaching storm... but now nilch...no update.... I am sure that you and I would be insisting that crews get to work and get the roads open, get shelters open so people dont have to sit in dark & cold houses... but I am sure this will be all forgotten in a few weeks when normalcy returns to Scarsdale.... Stay Safe My Friends! All the best, Jon

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written by Anonymous, November 03, 2012

Why not hire our own crews.

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written by Anonymous, November 03, 2012

Why can't we hire our own crews. Scarsdale is one of the richest communities in the country. Having worked with Con Ed for years I have NO faith in them. Con Ed does not care about its customers. Con Ec is terrible

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written by Jaded in Fox Meadow, November 03, 2012

I marvel that fellow citizens express surprise at the lack of transparency and accountability from this village hall.

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written by Guilty Parent, November 03, 2012

Yes, GA mom, I let my kids leave their dark, cold house to ring doorbells of their welcoming neighbors with lighted doorways on Halloween. I feel awful!

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written by Miffed, November 03, 2012

We have friends in other towns. Mamaroneck, Ardsley and Bronxville have all had residential power restored. Sczarsdale - nothing Dispicable!.

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written by Anonymous, November 03, 2012

I think the situation is absolutely deplorable and our village leadership should be held accountable. Leaving aside what the system of government has produced, I at least expected a man like Bob Harrison to step up to the plate and help lead given how vocal he has been prior to being elected. The communication or lack thereof has been terrible. I am disappointed in the fact that there has been no communication from our village fathers. Over the past two weeks I have received many automated phone messages from politicians seeking election. Where is the call from the mayor providing the citizens with a reliable update? Why should anyone be inclined to drive around Scarsdale counting Con Ed trucks? That information should come from then mayor.

On the subject of generators, I have an 8000 watt standby generator sitting in my garage for a year in its original box. The red tape involved with installing this 21st century piece of equipment in Scarsdale is ridiculous. I have spoken to competent electricians who want nothing to do with installations in Scarsdale because of the unfair rules and regulations. The most impractical element is that a standby generator must not exceed a 55 decibal noise level from at least 30 feet from the property line. Most of the better generators are rated for 60 decibals. The decibal threshold standard is unfair. A common lawn mower throws off around 80 decibals. I ask the question of whether anyone in their right mind would really care if their neighbor was using a standby generator in a weeklong or more blackout caused by a hurricane. Also, a standby generator tests itself by turning on once a week for 10-15 minutes. How can that possibly disturb neighbors when my gardener comes here once a week with two lawn mowers and probably creates noise in excess of 100 decibals

Lastly, my wife and I are living like pioneers during this blackout. I am constantly running outside to check the gas level in a 2000 watt generator that we were extremely lucky to find last Saturday by driving 180 miles round trip to Kingston NewYork. I have many 50 and 100 feet extension cords spread out like snakes throughout my house. The constant worry with storms like the one we had is the threat of rain and the flooding. I thought that this hurricane was going to produce 5-6 inches of rain. If that were the case I would have been decimated. The sump pumps would be dead and I would have a foot of water in
my basement. We dodged the bullet this time.

Now is the time to immediately change the rules and allow Scarsdale residents the opportunity to not live in fear of floods, to not have to freeze in their homes with outside temperatures dropping below 50 degrees and into the 30's , to not have to worry about hundreds of dollars of food spoiling in their refrigerators, to not have to incur hundreds if not thousands of dollars in hotel expenses because the temperatures become too extreme, and to not have the ability to have some comfort during a blackout that could last another 7-10 days. It is apparent that that the village board does not know how to communicate. Thetpy should at least change the laws that enable the citizens to take on the burden of protecting themselves.

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written by Miffed by Lack of Leadership, November 03, 2012

Reading the comments below made me feel so much better that I am not the only one that is completely MIFFED by the LACK OF LEADERSHIP exhibited by our MAYOR and the entire board of trustees. Scarsdale has been left out to suffer on our own...told we had 2 small crews here helping remove wires from trees. We have at least another WEEK of this because our LEADERSHIP is SLEEPING.

1) On COMMUNICATION: D-. How about a clear robo-call or email from the leadership on how to handle Halloween -- 48 hours after a devastating storm. I called to ask the police to give some guidance---they said that its the Village's job to do that... NO word from the village...who lost? Our kids, our safety, etc. We could have declared Sunday, Nov 4 from 3-6pm as a FAUX Scarsdale Halloween.... but no...NO Word from the leaderless village. How about notifying if Garbage will get picked up? What major roads are still blocked?

2) On RESOURCES: F. No reaching out to the community...to the elderly...to those in need...to offer services, warmth, power charging, etc.

3) On POWER: F-. All the crews are everywhere BUT Scarsdale.

PLEASE...let us NOT FORGET this disaster...and the NEED to change our system...and put some REAL LEADERSHIP in the Village. We deserve better...and this clubby selection committee process is a JOKE! Hey, guess what....I think Mayor Flisser has power and is comfy in her home in Crane Berkley where wires are all BURIED.... must be nice... IMPEACH the whole leadership team and lets start over!

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written by Fed Up, November 02, 2012

Con Ed has been restoring customers in Mamaroneck and other areas. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Scarsdale had no leadership in dealing with ConEd. It is unacceptable.

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written by GA mom, November 02, 2012

Critical in crisis is communication and in a country where over communication is the norm, at a time of emergency it's been woeful. To feel guilty about asking a lone village official walking the street about when we could expect some help is unacceptable.
There are ,of course, many so many worse off than those of us in Scarsdale and we should thank greater powers for what we have. All we should expect, though, is communication from our elected officials so we can make some decisions for our families.
As for those of you trick or treating on one of the few unobstructed thoroughfares in GA .. shame on you. Naturally a candy grab was more important than teaching your kids about sacrifice in the face of others loss.

-2

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written by Scarsdale citizen, November 02, 2012

Having moved from a nearby community that held democratic elections, I feel the process was far superior, more transparent, and more merit-based. This storm reveals some of the considerable deficiencies of the"non-partisan" system in Scarsdale, namely the lack of accountability of elected officials, the mentality that decisions should be made behind closed doors instead of with the greatest transparency, and the general lack of expertise that would flow naturally from having a civic or public service background. I am offended by the suggestion that Scarsdale residents are to blame for not receiving adequate communication because they have not registered their phones on a website. Despite being a well-informed and diligent citizen, I have not registered my number nor has anyone ever suggested that I do so. It is the responsibility of those with the information to make sure it is communicated effectively in a disaster, and nonsensical to blame residents for not receiving information.

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written by Marti, November 02, 2012

Can we get a serious dialogue going about underground electrical? What does it take to make this happen? Who decides? Can our town government start a conversation about this to inform us about the costs? Seems to me that the cost of the inconvenience, hotels, generators etc have to make this a viable option. Not to mention these wires are really ugly.

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written by Bob Selvaggio, November 02, 2012

NO ONE is really in charge and this is the cost of our undemocratic system of seating selected Village officials instead of elected ones . Look back to Joanne's December 21, 2011 posting "Installing a Back-Up Generator in Scarsdale" , the comments of our fellow citizens and the hollow promise of a Trustee then facing re-selection and ask "what has been accomplished since that post-Halloween snowstorm dialogue"?

Standby generators are simply prudent risk management and if our Village government cannot see fit to liberalize the laws regarding these (limit usage to times of power failure, and satisfy basic requirements of installation by certified professionals seem about as restrictive as is necessary) we citizens must replace that government before the next storm.

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written by 13 year resident , November 02, 2012

I actually have been waiting for a over a year for Con Edison to cut down a large tree they have marked. I checked with the town back in April- they said Con Ed was 6 months behind. Con Ed is a joke. In addition to the 50k in taxes, and sky hIgh utility rates, I have to pay several thousands to remove trees and tens ofl thousands more for a generator - if the town will let us.

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written by michael, November 02, 2012

thanks for saying what a lot of us were thinking. now is the time for leaders to lead. our town officials should be working with our county, state and federal officials to get con ed to act for Westchester. con ed has said that no resources have diverted from westchester, but that is hard to believe given the facts.

while happy for the lucky ones who have restored power, here are the current total outages and the starting ones:

manhattan - start was 250k and now is 226k with the majority scheduled for today
queens - start was 108k and now is 84k
brooklyn - start was 87k and now 35k
staten island - start was 109k and now 54k
bronx - start was 45k and now 31k
westchester - start was 150k and now 140k

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written by Andrea, November 02, 2012

The Town of North Castle opened its recreational center to everyone. People can go, take a shower and plug-in. Why not convert the teen center into a warming center? Serve donuts and bagels, calm frayed nerves and importantly, create a place for people to go and share information.

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written by michael, November 02, 2012

thank you for stating what a lot of us have been thinking. at a minimum they could be advocating for con ed resources in conjunction with our county executive and federal leaders.

whil happy for the lucky ones who have restored power how can we belive that con ed is helping westchester. the numbers appear very skewed to others. while it is hard to keep track, per con ed's website here are the current total outages and the starting ones:
manhattan - start was 250k and now is 226k with the majority scheduled for today
queens - start was 108k and now is 84k
brooklyn - start was 87k and now 35k
staten island - start was 109k and now 54k
bronx - start was 45k and now 31k
westchester - start was 150k and now 140k

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written by Increulous in Scarsdale, November 02, 2012

Glad everyone is as outraged as we are. Three questions -- Has anyone heard whether schools are actually opening on Monday? Is there a phone # that is providing school updates? Where can we register our cell phone for town updates (see Bruce Wells' comment)?

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written by Mike, November 02, 2012

Scarsdale leadership is a joke, everyone should loose their job! From the mayor, village manager, the superintent of schools. Speaking of schools how about some info on the main page of the district page. It has not been updated since Tuesday. As for the mayor how about updated maps on whats passable. As for the village manager how about telling all village employees to be polite, there is no reason for the police to be rude. By the looks of it around here we live in a 3rd world country where no one does anything.

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written by anonymous, November 02, 2012

Mr Benjenk - Have you made arrangements to remove your tree that is blocking the middle of Montrose Road ?

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written by anonymous, November 02, 2012

Mr Benjenk - have you made arrangements yet for the removal of your tree that is blocking the middle of Montrose Road?

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written by Chilled to the bone, November 02, 2012

I would like to add the police department to that list of disappointing officials.
I have found the few that I have dealt with to be rude and downright nasty for absolutely no reason.
I simple question about directions with answered with disdain. I guess I was under the incorrect assumptions that the police were actually here to help us.

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written by Bill Silverman, November 02, 2012

There is a reason why, as flawed as it is, democracy is the best form of government. Our mayor, like other office-holders in Scarsdale, is not directly elected but instead is selected by a committee. Yes the committee is elected but no real campaigning takes place and very few people vote. The result is we have public officials who do not even give the appearance of being responsive to the public. Public officials who do not understand the first thing about crisis management but have no worries on Election Day. The fact is we only have ourselves to blame for tolerating a form of government better-suited for the 1700s. . . .

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written by Rita, November 02, 2012

At the minimum, the village should send daily news update to residents!

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written by Harry, November 02, 2012

Joanne, thank you so much for posting this! You are absolutely right, the silence has been deafening. Thanks to a complete lack of communication, many of us are forced to use trial and error throughout the day -- refreshing the same Con Ed outage map (that is largely useless), running into yellow tape blocking off side streets, etc. We are splitting time at our in-laws in White Plains and, though most of White Plains seems unaffected, my in-laws still receive daily robocalls from the mayor that are comprehensive and empathetic.This seems to be one of many easy but necessary steps that could be taken. Along those lines, I would hope our local officials read this well-done blog and would adopt the following basics:
1) Daily robocalls to all residents with updates, particularly streets that are cleared and blocks that have received power, as well as the most accurate forecast on power being restored;
2) Tangible examples of wrangling (and progress) with Con Ed. Much of Mamaroneck came online yesterday; part of Bronxville did as well. Why has there been almost no progress in Scarsdale? If there's a good reason, that should at least be explained so residents know what is going on and why.
3) After the clean-up, an immediate effort by the Village to repeal/relax some of the ridiculous local restrictions on private generators, solar panels and other forms of distributed power generation. We have the largest generator allowed under the village code for our property, and, between the meager handful of circuits it can power and the rate at which it runs through scarce gasoline, it is largely useless (hence the reason we are at our in-laws!). We should be allowed to help ourselves, even if it is at extraordinary cost -- especially when Con Ed and the Village have proven ineffective at helping us.
4) After the clean-up, an immediate effort by the Village to trim/cut dying or dead village trees. We and our neighbors do an annual review of our shared trees and have pruned or cut down a number over the years, including one just two weeks ago. Had that tree not been cut down, it very likely would have hit our home or our neighbor's in the storm. We're just incredibly grateful our neighbor acted in time; it seems the Village should be expected to do the same each spring and fall.
5) Finally, some self-help -- perhaps this site can start an open-ended blog so citizens can report street openings/closures, power developments, etc.? That's more likely to help us in the next few days than anything the Village or Con Ed will do (other than, of course, restoring power!).

Thanks for giving us an opportunity to vent -- hopefully someone reads all these ideas and acts!

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written by Francisco, November 02, 2012

Let's wait until the Village is back on track and get ALL together to ask for the mayor to step down

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written by Erol Benjenk, November 02, 2012

If the Scarsdale non-partisan system survives this crisis, it will survive anything!

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written by Nick, November 02, 2012

Do the Village Bylaws provide a method for impeachment of of ineffective, non-communicative mayors?
Is there a way we can replace the Belgian block curb line on the budget with a fund for putting all utility lines underground?

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written by Jimi Hendrix, November 02, 2012

I agree with Les from 11/2. I have yet to see a ConEd truck. Every year, for 20 years I lose electricity om my block. Yea, burying the lines is costly, blah, blah, blah, so are our bills. Let the executives of ConEd take a cut of their inflated 6 and 7 figure salaries, hardly deserved, btw, and show some leadership, and inventiveness and create ways, ie bury power lines, hire more workers, or what ever and help out the population, ( the people who pay THEIR salaries and utilities) . Yea, it is costly, but what about the costs to deal with this absurd reality

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written by Richard, November 02, 2012

WCC is up and running. Thanks Bruce. Perhaps Scarsdale will listen to you and move their server up into the cloud before the next disaster.

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written by ERC, November 02, 2012

Here is the website for Congresswoman Nita Lowey-perhaps she can intervene on our behalves.

http://www.lowey.house.gov/

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written by Disappointed Resident, November 02, 2012

This is totally right. Just a few things the Village could do:
-- Create and publish (via 10583 or otherwise) a map of what is passable in the Village and what is not. Think of the NYC, which has constantly updated the subway map to show this. Now think of your recent efforts to traverse Mamaroneck Road.
-- Status updates/press conferences. Cuomo does it; Bloomberg does it; Schumer does it; Astorino does it. We pay more taxes for our own Village government, but get less. I realize the Mayor is an unpaid position and she has a day job. But Al Gatta's paid day job is to do all of the above.
-- Give concrete, daily examples of what has been accomplished. "Today we (and ConEd) restored power to X residents on these streets." "Today we cleared the interection of X and Y, and the segment of Z from here to here". Residents could then see exactly what was done (or not done) and form judgments based upon actual events, and not from subjective misperceptions of "gee, I haven't seen a ConEd truck".

We have all heard the statements of "Your Village Government and employees are doing all we can to...." But if they were doing something, they wouldn't have to say it and repeat it. Their actions would speak for themselves. Instead, these statements are designed to fill the silence of inaction.

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written by asd, November 02, 2012

Thanks 10583 You are an important link to what is happening and our only source of up to date information. I'm so disappointed with news from Village and Village officials. I understand that the server is out at Village Hall but there has to be a way to get news onto the website so people can have some sense of what is happening. This is totally irresponsible. I understand the Village can't solve the problems but information relieves anxiety. We do thank all the village sanitation crews and workers who we see trying to clear the streets and do whatever they can. And to all the wonderful neighbors who are helping each other and providing friendship and shelter. I feel lucky to be in this great community.

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written by Mamaroneck Gal, November 02, 2012

Mamaroneck offers free ice skating and swimming at Hommocks this afternoon. Town of Mamaroneck officials, unlike Scarsdale, are effectively communicating and seem to be making progress towards limited power restoration. Mamaroneck learned their lesson post-FEMA in the earlier storms. The Scarsdale mayor better get on it quick!!

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written by Bruce Wells, November 02, 2012

The Village has been sending out emails and phone calls. Maybe your phones are not receiving them, or you did not register your phone with the Village on the web site. Phone calls should to out to all land lines automatically, but your land line phone is probably not working due to the downed wires. You have to register your cell phone.

Scarsdale.com is down probably because the server is hosted in Village Hall, and there is no power there. This server should probably be moved into the cloud for 100% up time even if Scarasdale loses power.

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written by Lisa, November 02, 2012

I am also very disappointed by the lack of leadership shown by our mayor. The silence was deafening regarding Halloween trick or treating on Wednesday. My neighborhood association contacted the mayor, village manager and police chief on Sunday before the storm, requesting leadership about contingency plans for Halloween. We received a bureaucratic response from Mayor Flisser, claiming that it was not her role to provide guidance about this "nonofficial event." We were left to our own devices to spread the word about postponing trick or treating until Sunday. I was further shocked that no message was sent by the village on Wednesday urging residents to stay inside and refrain from trick-or-treating. Once things settle back to normal for Scarsdale, I intend to press the mayor for an explanation about this situation regarding Halloween. As for the rest of the village staff, I know that work is going on behind the scenes to coordinate recovery efforts, but communication with the public is equally important. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more from them.

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written by d, November 02, 2012

We need to be thankful that we are all alive and our houses are still in tact. I know it would be better to have life back to normal with power but look at the folks in Breezy pt, Queens that lost everything, or in Fire island where their houses were swept into the water. I understand we pay high taxes but we have to be patient, there are A LOT of folks with far less means with money and friends/family than us.

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written by Les, November 02, 2012

The response from our village elected officials, especially the mayor, is UNACCEPTABLE. It seems that Scarsdale has the lowest priority from Con Ed of any community In Westchester. There has not been a Con Ed truck in sight, and the only tree removal trucks seem to be the companies that have been hired by homeowners to remove fallen trees on their own property. Regarding pruning and removal of trees on an ongoing basis, the Village has repeatedly declined to remove a tree that is on my property but is a Village tree, despite 3 different reports by an arborist stating the deteriorated condition of the tree and the danger it poses. Most people are conscientious about pruning and tree removal, however trees in the Village right of way are the Village's responsibility. It is time that our elected officials stand up to Con Ed and demand resources. Two weeks with no power is a slap in the face to all of us who pay the highest utility rates in the country. There are other alternatives; bury all of the overhead lines in the Village (Crane Berkeley has buried lines-why not the rest of the neighborhoods?), or use some of our tax money to buy every home a generator. Finally, in the spirit of the election season (where are we all voting?), let's have a special election for Village officials and vote in representatives who will actually represent us.

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written by Fred, November 02, 2012

This is awful. Considering all the taxes we pay, you would think the Village would be more prepared for somethign like this. The process of getting everything back online is not only slow, it seems non-existent. Our public officials have disappeared and this lack of communication is completely unacceptable.

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written by anonymous, November 02, 2012

time to bring down the mayor. we need real leadership.

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written by Patti, November 02, 2012

Eastchester is communicating with their residents. It is hard to believe that we have not received anything from the Village since the event. No information. Where are we voting? Election day is 4 days away. Our elected officials are there to represent us and let us know where things stand. Their efforts are not acceptable.

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written by Richard, November 02, 2012

Perhaps Scarsdale10583 could start a thread to let members of the community post about which streets are open and closed. I would be happy to contribute once you initiate it.

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written by Agree with Joanne, November 02, 2012

I don't expect the mayor to be able to do much about the power but how about communicating and offering a little help. I am bunkering down with chappaqua relatives who have gotten TONS of info...which streets are blocked/now open, warming shelters set up, official postponement of Halloween, special dumpsters for garbage at train station, etc. Scarsdale--silence!

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written by Anonymous, November 02, 2012

It appears that election to public service in Scarsdale is like election to student council in high school. It is a popularity contest unrelated to true leadership or vigorous prosecution of constituent interests. It is sad that few in this town believe (rightly or wrongly) that our elected officials have "gone to the mat," (much less even shown up) to pursue desperately needed help. I detect a blasé attitude by many of our public servants, a tone that surely comes from the top.

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written by Edgewood resident, November 01, 2012

Thank you for expressing what I have been thinking about, Joanne. Our current mayor appears totally disengaged. If she is working hard behind the scenes, we would never know. After much of the village lost power in a storn a few years ago, our previous mayor posted frequent updates on this site, including the name and phone contact information of our Con Ed liason. She responded personally to inquiries from readers and actively and vocally intervened on our behalf. I realize that this storm has sapped resources and restoration crews from many states, however, Scarsdale's mayor should be a more vocal, constructive advocate for her constituents.

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written by Incredulous in Scarsdale, November 01, 2012

Amen! The communication since the storm has been non-existent. No support, no visibility, no transparency -- no public leadership at all. I get that this is an unprecedented event, but events like these are when real gov't leaders step up and while our town leaders have fallen down.

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written by Calvin's friend, November 01, 2012

Perhaps if people actually took responsibility and cut trees down that become too big or are too close to power lines, this disaster would be limited to just blocked roads and homes that were hit, not the complication of having almost our entire area wiped out with no power and no ETA for its return. Either we bury lines or we manage the tress properly. All we seem to be doing right now is whine that Con Ed can't fix our never-ending desire to see trees grow too large for our neighborhoods. I like trees too, but there is a point where they have to be pruned and cut down. Its actually a natural process.

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written by Todd, November 01, 2012

Totally agree. The Village is not communicating at all. Maybe time for the Village to relax some of the obstacles for people to install generators.

I saw that Iran offered to assist communities in need because of Sandy. Maybe if we can't rely on our own government we should seek their help!

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