Longtime Scarsdale Resident to Run Independently for Trustee Position

According to Harry Reynolds, taking on Scarsdale's Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) is a bit like fighting in Valley Forge.

Reynolds, 83, embarked upon a tedious journey last Tuesday when he kickstarted his mission to collect the 100 voter signatures needed to challenge the CNC's handpicked candidates under the Village's Non-Partisan Resolution. Reynolds must present these names to file his petition with the Village Clerk before running for a Board of Trustees position in the Village's upcoming election on March 20. And pounding the pavement to garner the support he needs in two short months is no easy feat. 

"If you consider the condition of George Washington's troops at Valley Forge as they walked around with bleeding feet -- that's what it's been like," laughed Reynolds. "It's difficult contacting people during the daytime. Everyone's at work. It's a really plodding experience."

Reynols, a retired attorney and a Scarsdale resident for more than four decades, is a vehement and outspoken critic of Scarsdale's electoral process. 

"I abhor any system that's characterized by secrecy," Reynolds said about the CNC, a body that he believes recruits and considers candidates in a clandestine manner. 

Reynolds explained his opposition of the Non-Partisan system, saying that it does not disclose the identities of residents who apply to be considered for nominations, nor does it make public applicants' statements when they appear before the nominating committee. Reynolds believes that Village residents should know who was rejected from the ballot, as well as how they measure in comparison to the final nominated candidate. 

A history buff, Reynolds traces Scarsdale's single-party origin to 1930, a time in which he says the system was used to bar Jewish candidates. 

"That came to an end," Reynolds said. "However, we still have the same secretive organization going. And my argument is that any organization of this kind that produces a candidate for any position in a succession of secret acts that nobody can inquire into and that the public accepts really should startle everyone in the U.S. This sees to be the only incident I can find where people have foregone their constitutional sensitivities for the sake of peace." 

Transparency isn't Reynolds' only goal. If elected to the Board of Trustees, he also wishes to add five minutes to the parking meters, making them 20 minutes for 25 cents, as well as providing an additional six-minute grace period. 

Reynolds, a longtime Scarsdale resident, has seen five children through Scarsdale's school system and served one five-year term on the Board of Appeals' zoning board from 1999 to 2004. His desire to run for office, he says, is fueled by his fondness for his home village. 

"I literally love Scarsdale," Reynolds said. "There isn't a person in it I dislike." 

For more information on Reynolds, visit his blog, ScarsdaleJournal.com, or view his attached resume. Contact Reynolds or sign his nominating petition by emailing Chekhov1@optonline.net.