I’m Ready to Serve as Scarsdale Village Trustee

I’m Lena Crandall, and I’m running for election on March 20, 2018 as a Scarsdale Village Trustee. I have the knowledge and experience necessary to serve on the Village Board.

I’ve lived in Scarsdale for 26 years. For nearly 20 of those years, I’ve worked actively with many different civic groups and held leadership positions in some of them. Again and again, I’ve learned the importance of providing leadership while respecting and considering the opinions and concerns of others and striving to achieve community goals through consensus. A committee of one accomplishes nothing. But a lot can be accomplished when you reach out and collaborate with others.

That’s the approach I’d bring to the Board of Trustees. I’d also bring my knowledge of the issues that I’d face as a Trustee and my years of experience in our community.

I started my volunteer career shortly after 9/11. I expressed my concern for the safety of our schools to the Fox Meadow School PTA President, and she promptly put me in charge of the Fox Meadow School PTA Safety Committee. I chaired that committee in 2002-03 as we addressed school security, a matter that was and remains a serious concern in Scarsdale and across the country – especially now. In 2004-06, I chaired the PTA Playground Committee and led efforts in 2005 to design a new playground that is still in use. In addition, I was chairperson of both the Community Service Committee in 2005-07 and of the Scarsdale Schools PT Council Service Committee in 2007-09.

In this same time period, I began work on several Scarsdale sustainability and conservation projects. In the most difficult but—for me—rewarding of these projects, I led successful efforts to restore the Fox Meadow School Nature Park and Outdoor Classroom, a two-and-a-half acre protected wetland area on Brite Avenue. I did this while serving as an active member of the Friends of Scarsdale Parks (FOSP), and from 2007 to 2012 I served as FOSP’s Secretary, then as its President and finally as its Co-President. I also worked actively with the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) in 2010-14, and in that capacity I was the lead author of a report on the South Fox Meadow Brook Stormwater Project. My work with FOSP and CAC resulted in the preservation of the woodland between Harcourt Road and Scout Field. I’ve worked with other local environmental groups as well, including the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association Environmental Committee which I chaired from 2005 to 2008, and the Scarsdale High School PTA Sustainability Committee which I chaired in 2014-16.

In addition, I served as an active member of the Scarsdale Forum, beginning in 2004. I served as a Director-at-Large of the Forum in 2008, as its Vice President in 2015-16, and as its President in 2016-17. Much of this work coincided with my service as a member of the Scarsdale Adult School’s Advisory Committee (2012-14, and 2016 to present), and the School’s Board of Directors (2014-16). In addition, I was elected in 2014 to represent Fox Meadow for a three-year term on the Citizens Nominating Committee. I served as CNC chairperson in 2016-17.

Through this work I’ve learned the importance of making decisions on the basis of careful and thorough research and investigation. A legal rule may at first appear as an obstacle, but upon closer analysis may not bar a desired action. The same is true of expert opinions. Experts often differ, but some are better than others, and some may not have gathered or considered all relevant facts. Similarly, statistics may often prove to be unreliable because they are based on inaccurate or inappropriate assumptions. Once relevant information has been assembled, there are policy, budgetary, and practical issues that must be addressed in all public projects. Creative solutions to such issues may often be possible. However, careful evaluation of relevant factors and the weighing of costs and benefits are required to achieve the very best results.

From my years of service to the Scarsdale community, I’ve gained an understanding of the attributes required of a Village Trustee. A Trustee must come to the job with an open mind, be ever mindful of the duty to spend taxpayers’ money wisely, be available at all times to others, and seek the opinions of everyone willing to state them. Equally important, a Trustee must exercise her or his best judgment for the good of the community at large. This isn't a position for someone who's looking to make friends. It’s a job for someone who thinks seriously about the big picture, short and long term consequences, what's practical, what's possible and what's best for the right reasons.

I am keenly aware of the considerable time commitment one makes to serve as a Village Trustee. My family has agreed to support me in fulfilling that commitment if I am fortunate enough to be elected. My children are grown and my husband has pledged to be as enormously supportive as he always has been with my other civic activities.

I respectfully ask for your vote on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, for my election as a Scarsdale Village Trustee. If elected, I pledge to serve in that capacity for the benefit of Scarsdale Village and all residents of our beloved community.