Scarsdale Officials Should Stop Tilting at Windmills

It seems that Village government preoccupation with inflicting tree ordinances on our residents has not subsided and now some in government are stoking hysteria about gun shops and vape shops that have shown no interest in situating themselves in Scarsdale to begin with.

I have to ask, “why are you wasting time on these, and whose agenda are you advancing?”

Do you have any data whatsoever that show widespread community support for your enhanced penalties on homeowners who have the temerity to take down their own trees? Were surveys taken or focus groups organized?

Do you have any reason to think that the likelihood of a gun shop or vape shop seeing sufficient profit potential in the Scarsdale market is significantly different from zero? I might suggest that we’re just as likely to have a strip club or tattoo parlor move into the old greeting card shop. And if a gun shop were to open, who would mind? Is firearm safety a concern to most residents, and if it is how do residents want their concerns addressed? Do you have any data to indicate these make the list of our residents top fifty concerns? Have you conducted a survey or organized focus groups?

Here’s an example of a data-driven approach to public policy decision-making that makes sense:

In the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018, two Voters Choice Party members led an effort to design a survey and to analyze a significant amount of data for the purpose of determining our residents concerns about traffic safety.

The survey found that the majority of Scarsdale residents have concerns about walking, driving and cycling in Scarsdale. Seventy-five percent of the 706 Scarsdale respondents in the study cited that they had challenges when walking in Scarsdale. The main challenges were lack of sidewalks in numerous parts of the village, impediments to crossing roads due to unsafe or illegal motorist behaviors, poor quality of roads and sidewalks, and lack of lighting on streets.

The survey found that driving infractions are significant. Over 70% of the respondents stated that they observe drivers speaking on a hand-held phone. Another 70% observe drivers barreling through crosswalks where pedestrians are attempting to cross. About 60% observe drivers running stop signs and an equal percentage observes drivers texting or emailing. I can tell you that in my morning walk to the train station I rarely see a driver who actually stops at the any of the four corners at the Scarsdale Post office.

This survey clearly suggests data-driven action plans. It argues for stepped up enforcement of traffic rules and improved quality of roads and sidewalks. These are types of data that should be used to establish government priorities.

In conclusion, I suggest that the village address actual issues that residents face, such as the impact of tax reform on housing costs and property values, lack of transparency in hiring and appointment practices, and traffic and road conditions -- instead of wasting time jousting at windmills and imposing totalitarian edicts on tree removal.

Robert Selvaggio is an economist and a long-term resident of Scarsdale.