On this week’s episode of Hudson Valley Uncensored, host Brett Freeman is joined by regulars Bob Dumas, editor of Mahopac News, and Brian Marschhauser, editor of Yorktown News and The Katonah Lewisboro Times, plus Carol Reif, managing director of North Salem News and The Somers Record, and reporters Whit Anderson, Gino De Angelis, and Sophia Caselnova. First up, Marschhauser reports on the Board of Education elections in Lakeland, Yorktown, and Katonah Lewisboro. As predicted, the incumbents reigned supreme, despite challenges from grassroots groups who disapprove of what the board has been doing. In response, Marschhauser and Freeman discuss the incumbents’ power as representatives of stability and the status quo. Dumas also has an update on the school board elections in Mahopac, where there was some controversy with anti-vaxxers but which ended with a win for the more moderate candidates. The bigger news in Dumas’ area is that the Manhattan school budget failed to pass by eight votes. The school district can put it back up, but if they end up going to austerity, they may have to cut programs, including sports and after-school activities. Dumas is also looking into an unconfirmed story about a sexual assault at a business in Carmel, with the police making an arrest over the weekend.

North Salem and Somers have also been holding school board elections, and Reif reports on the results there. She also mentions that the Somers Record will be covering career day at Lincoln Hall and reports that Quantico Elementary School’s principal will be retiring, triggering a year of transition as the district’s superintendent is also retiring in 2023. Reif then reports that the HyGrade in Croton Falls—a revamped deli/grocery store that will serve food, coffee, and beer—may finally be opening in a couple of weeks. There’s also a contentious story coming out of Mount Kisco over a cell tower that may or may not be sited in Leonard Park—the town’s only park—with people questioning if this will actually benefit people who own cell phones in the area. Next, Anderson jumps in with more school board voting from Bedford, where the three incumbents whose terms were ending chose not to run again. Anderson suggests that’s not a coincidence but is likely because of the special education scandal that’s been going on. In addition, Bedford’s school budget got overwhelmingly approved along with two bonds. De Angelis then has a story from the Lewisboro Planning Board about a subdivision development in Vista that’s been frequently delayed. There was a point of contention about letting it go to a public hearing, but this was outvoted, and it will be discussed in the next meeting on June 15. Caselnova then reports that Yorktown Town Board is working with the local food alliance to launch a baby formula drive in response to the widespread shortages, and Reif mentions the Westchester Formula Finders, an organization that searches for baby formula and lets people know where they can access it. Finally, in last week’s episode, the group teased a story about a big business shutting down in Somers; this week, they reveal that the business is The Mexican Shack, a jewelry and gift store run by Somers icon Steve Delzio, which will be closing after forty-seven years of business.

Episode Highlights:

• Joining Brett today are two editors from the Halston Media team—Bob Dumas, editor of Mahopac News, and Brian Marschhauser, editor of Yorktown News and The Katonah Lewisboro Times. Also present are Carol Reif, managing director of North Salem News and The Somers Record, and reporters Whit Anderson, Gino De Angelis, and Sophia Caselnova.
• Marschhauser reports on the Board of Education elections in Lakeland, Yorktown, and Katonah Lewisboro, where, as predicted, the incumbents reigned supreme. This despite facing challenges from grassroots groups who disapprove of what the school board has been doing, including those who are ardently opposed to Critical Race Theory. In response, Marschhauser and Freeman discuss the incumbents’ power as representatives of stability and the status quo.
• Dumas also has an update on the school board elections in Mahopac, where there was some controversy with anti-vaxxers but which ended with a win for the more moderate candidates.
• However, the bigger news in Dumas’ area is that the Manhattan school budget failed to pass by eight votes. The school district can put it back up, having lost by so little, but if they end up going to austerity, they may have to cut programs, including sports and after-school activities. Dumas suggests that the vote may have been more the result of discontent among voters regarding taxes rather than the proposed increase itself.
• Dumas is also looking into an unconfirmed story about a sexual assault at a business in Carmel, with the police making an arrest over the weekend.
• North Salem and Somers have also been holding school board elections, and Reif reports on the results there, with North Salem avoiding controversy while Somers had a bit more of a contest despite being mostly free of politicking.
• Reif also mentions that the Somers Record will be covering career day at Lincoln Hall, where representatives from different careers come in to talk to the kids about what they might want to do after school. She also reports that the Principal of Quantico Elementary School in North Salem, Mary Johnson, will be retiring, triggering a year of transition as the district’s superintendent, Dr. Freeston, is also going to be retiring in 2023.
• Freeman takes a moment to praise Reif for this kind of story, which is vital to community journalism and deserves its space as much as the controversial stuff.
• Reif also reports that the HyGrade in Croton Falls may finally be opening in as soon as two weeks. This revitalization of a former deli/grocery store will serve food, coffee, and beer and sits next to Parker Mercantile, the artisan general store that had its soft opening earlier in May.
• There’s also a contentious story coming out of Mount Kisco over a cell tower that may or may not be sited in Leonard Park. Reif explains that it’s a complicated issue, and people are coming out of the woodwork to discuss it at village board meetings (at least seven at the last one, all of whom were against the tower). Some have been questioning if this will actually benefit people who own cell phones in the area, especially because Leonard Park is the only park in Mount Kisco.
• Anderson jumps in with more school board voting from Bedford, where the three incumbents whose terms were ending chose not to run again. Anderson suggests that’s not a coincidence but is likely because of the special education scandal that’s been going on, meaning the three new board members are going to be entering a firestorm.
• In addition, Bedford’s school budget got overwhelmingly approved along with two bonds.
• In Somers, meanwhile, playoffs have started, and Anderson’s spent the week covering baseball and lacrosse games, promising a full sports section next week.
• Next, De Angelis has a story from the Lewisboro Planning Board regarding a subdivision development in Vista that’s been delayed a lot. There was a point of contention about letting it go to a public hearing regarding where the water system should be plugged in, with two members of the board claiming that the public wouldn’t care that much and shouldn’t have that much input into it. However, they were outvoted, and it’s going to a public hearing in the next meeting on June 15.
• De Angelis also reports that the Lakeland school board is certifying their voting results. Freeman points out that it’ll be interesting to see whether members of the two factions will be present and how the school board will incorporate the community feedback they’ve been getting.
• Caselnova shares that Yorktown Town Board is working with the local food alliance to launch a baby formula drive in response to the widespread shortages. It will run until May 31, and you can donate at the town hall in Yorktown, St. Mary’s on Route Six and Mohegan Lake, or the First Presbyterian at the corner of 132 and 202. They’ll accept anything that people may have on their shelves, even if it’s recently expired.
• Reif jumps in to mention the Westchester Formula Finders, an organization that searches for baby formula and lets people know where they can access it. The group then discuss the reasons behind the formula shortage.
• In last week’s episode, the group teased a story about a big business shutting down in Somers. This week, it was officially revealed that the business is The Mexican Shack, a jewelry and gift store run by Somers icon Steve Delzio, which will be closing after forty-seven years of business.
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Quotes:

“In Lakeland, the most contentious one of mine, where we had twelve candidates, we had two grassroots groups, factions ideologically opposed, you know, both thought the school board wasn’t doing a good enough job. And the incumbents reigned supreme.”

“People like stability in their schools, especially because it’s the value of their homes. A lot of people move to Yorktown and Lakeland because of their school standing. And, you know, this controversy at school board meetings, and I think they say, ‘Oh boy, you know, if people don’t want to come to our schools, that’s gonna hurt my home value.’ And I really think that plays a factor.”

“The ironic thing of it all, for me, anyway, was that it wasn’t an outlandish budget in that the proposed tax increase was less than 1%. It was like 0.7%. But people still voted it down anyway. I think it was more just like, people are just… if you read social media leading up to it, you got that there was a discontent amongst the district, just people are just tired of taxes.”

“That’s what community journalism is all about. You know, we kind of touch on some of the controversial stuff, but then we don’t disappear. We’re back for something like a career fair. And I think it’s wonderful that you’re doing that.”

“People love their cellphones, but they do not like cell towers.”

“How do they move this community forward? Without the divisiveness with, you know, incorporating some of the feedback they’ve heard? So I’m curious to see if the competing factions who lost show up tonight, and what their presence is moving forward at these meetings, if it’ll remain the same.”

“I don’t think it’s a wealth thing. I think, regardless of your level of affluence, moms and dads rely on formula. Even, you know, certainly even breastfeeding moms still rely on formula to help supplement the baby.”

“I’d love to have my dad on this show because he has a very strong opinion about what’s going on with baby formula.”

“That just sort of brings up a question—should we not be doing this regionally and finding out where in our areas there might be something like what she mentioned, you know, go to this church, go to this food pantry. Just saying, it seems like it’s a regional thing.”

“When I got engaged, I couldn’t afford that much. And in the year 2022, I still can’t afford that much. But Steve did a really nice job with doing a little enhancement with Lauren’s engagement ring. Very inexpensively, he did something where he kind of raised the stone and just made it look a little bit prettier than it was. So you know, Steve does magic with things.”

Links:

Halston Media Group website