On Saturday, April 22nd, Village of Mamaroneck Mayor, Norman Rosenblum officially announced his candidacy for Westchester County Legislator at a press conference which was held outside of the Village Court. Rosenblum, who is a Republican will be running against Democrat incumbent, Catherine Parker. Ms. Parker accepted the challenge and stated that residents would be “fortunate to have the choice of two elected officials with records of accomplishment in environmental matters”. As for budget issues, she said “there would be a clear choice and voters do not need to add another member to the Republican caucus that will continue to rubber stamp policies that are out of sync with the values of Westchester residents, particularly those in District 7”.
In other news, Mayor Rosenblum said that Mamaroneck’s immigration policy has not changed and assured undocumented residents that they will not be asked for their immigration status by Village Police.
The Mamaroneck School Board adopted a $135 million budget for 2017-2018 unanimously. The budget will hike spending 1/46% and increase the tax levy by 2.25%, which is significantly over the 1.04% state tax cap. This marks the first time that the school district has chosen to override the state tax cap since it was adopted in 2011. One of the aims of the budget is to address an enrollment account of about 8% in the last six years. It contains staff cuts, including those in the APPLE program which is a point of contention with some resident parents. APPLE teachers and students will be absorbed into mainstream classes. Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps said that students who need support will still have access to a psychologist and an academic liaison. There will be a budget hearing on Tuesday, May 2nd, and the public vote will be on Tuesday, May 16th. Due to the budget overriding the state tax cap, it needs a majority vote of at least 60% percent to pass.
Niche.com, a website designed to help people learn more about their neighborhoods and communities nationwide by using data and reviews recently ranked the Mamaroneck and Rye Neck School districts in the top fifty of the best public high schools in New York State. Rye Neck earned a ranking of thirty-two and Mamaroneck was ranked at forty-four. Thirty-seven schools in the Hudson Valley made the 2017 list which had researched a hundred schools in the state.
The Westchester Science and Engineering Fair was recently held and twelve Mamaroneck High School students were rewarded for their work in areas such as animal sciences, medicine and health. Ali Mann, a junior who was chosen along with twelve other students to compete as a finalist in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair that will be held in May. The students are from the original Science Research Program, which is an elective that begins in ninth grade and includes regular classes as well as two summers of independent research with mentors. Village of Larchmont Mayor, Lorraine Walsh, who is a former science teacher and scientist, acknowledged the students along with their teacher, Guido Garbarino at the Village Board meeting on Monday, on April 17th.
On Monday, April 24th, there will be a public hearing on the Village of Larchmont’s proposed budget. Village Administrator Justin Datino said budget will be worked on until the very end. Mayor Walsh said that the board would like to have a final discussion with the finance and budget committee before the final vote. The new property tax would increase by 3.96%. This would be a somewhat smaller increase from last year, mostly due to a result of increases in revenue and decreases in expenditures in police personnel services. The final budget must pass by May 1st. The Village Board also set public hearings for May 15th on local laws regarding off-street parking, explosives and blasting and sidewalk cafes.
The Sheldrake Environmental Center hosted an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 22nd. The event included a reservoir clean up. For more information on this event as well as future events, go to www.sheldrakecenter.org.
Eyewitness News Anchor, Bill Ritter, recently interviewed two local religious leaders regarding the overlapping of Easter and Passover. Reverend Bill Crawford from the Larchmont Avenue Church and Rabbi Jeff Sirkman from the Larchmont Temple, gave positive outlooks on both the country and planet and also discussed how much we all have in common. They are hosts of LMCTV’s Faith and Eggs. Rabbi Sirkman called the show a wonderful opportunity to build bridges of understanding. He added, “when we can learn to appreciate our distinct perspectives and divergent religious paths, we uphold the dignity of difference; knowing we need one another to create a world that is truly one”.
In our Round Table discussion, Maura Carlin spoke with Dr. Barbara Ferraro, Rye Neck School District Superintendent and Dr. Kimberly Bucci, Rye Neck School District Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance about the school budget and other school related topics.
In our LMC Sports Play of the Week, the Mamaroneck High School baseball team played White Plains in their home opener. With the scored tied at one, Mamaroneck center fielder saved the the score with a diving catch.
Local Live reporter spoke with Laura Saravia Bott, owner of the Bott Shoppe on Mamaroneck Avenue about the upcoming Food Truck and Makers Festival that will be held on Sunday, April 30th from 12-5. The event will be on Fayette Avenue between Fenimore Road and Ogden Avenue. There will be food from various food trucks including Walter’s Hot Dogs as well as art exhibits and face painting for kids.
LMCTV’s Annual Awards Night is coming up on Wednesday, May 24th and nominees were recently announced. The Local Live would like to congratulate all the nominees. Starting May 1st, you can vote for your favorite varsity sports play of the year at facebook.com/lmctvon. The Awards Night celebration will be held at VFW Post 1156 on Boston Post Road in Larchmont at 7:00 p.m.
Our Pets of the Week are Leo, a very shy but lovable five-year-old cat who gets along with other cats, people and gentle children and loves to cuddle in your lap; and Lacey, a shy Shepherd mix who is just under a year old. She weighs forty-five pounds. She will melt your heart. She loves to play. For more information on both Leo and Lacey, as well as other pets, to to www.ny-petrescue.org.
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