By Carol P. Bartold     

Mar. 15, 2017:  On Tuesday, March 21, Bronxville voters will decide which two of three contenders will win two-year terms on the village board of trustees. Republican incumbents Robert Underhill and Randolph Mayer face a challenge from Democrat and first-time candidate Elizabeth Calderon. 

Voting takes place at Bronxville Village Hall on Tuesday, March 21, from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm.

Randolph Mayer:  For Randolph Mayer, issues facing the trustees involve a diverse set of concerns such as how efficiently the village is policed, what street lighting should look like, when capital improvements should be made, and how people should pay when they park in the village.

"All of these things are very complicated questions," he said, "because they all have impacts on our ability to keep the village healthy and keep the downtown a place that attracts people."

Mayer hopes the trustees continue to focus on the aesthetics of the village from the standpoint of making facilities and fixtures better for residents and visitors. "Whether that means adjusting the color of the street lights, configuring parking in a different way, putting up traffic signals at intersections, these are all things that contribute to the quality of what people seek when they come to Bronxville."

At the same time, Mayer added, in dealing with those issues, the trustees must do so without sacrificing the efficiency of village government in offering affordability for people who want to live here.

Elizabeth Calderon:  When Elizabeth Calderon moved to Bronxville, she took her grandson to the Sagamore Road playground almost immediately. "The first things I noticed there were some of the problems," she said, "and because I was on a board, I knew to bring the problems to the attention of the board of trustees."

When she expressed her concerns to the board about an infestation of bees at the playground and the fact that the bottom of the sliding board sat at least three feet off the ground, she learned, she said, that none of the trustees had visited the facility.

"These are my concerns," Calderon said. "I'm interested in the playground, and, frankly, I'd like to see another one if I could find a spot for it."

Describing herself as familiar with infrastructure, Calderon also identified the quality of sidewalks in the village as an issue needing attention, specifically the sidewalks along Sagamore Road.

"That's where I'm coming from. That's it," Calderon said, adding that she intends to "bring in a completely different area of interest" to the board of trustees.

Robert Underhill:  "I think that real estate issues will be the dominant issues in Bronxville for the next decade," Underhill stated. He added that officials must consider the village's needs with respect to zoning, land use, retail uses, and density issues. "These are the issues that are going to determine the future of Bronxville," he said.

Underhill believes it critical for the village to have not only an up-to-date zoning code, but also a code that is state-of-the art. "That will be a critical initiative," he said, "because the health of the downtown business district is an important part of this village."

On the more immediate horizon, Underhill feels the most important issue facing trustees is the completion of Villa BXV on Kensington Road and the decisions to be made as to how to apportion approximately 200 parking spaces in the garage that will be allocated to village use.

Underhill also cites fine-tuning of village street lighting as an important matter to address.

Voting in the village election will take place on Tuesday, March 21, at Bronxville Village Hall. Polls will open at 6:00 am and close at 9:00 pm. There will be no registration day.

Pictured here (from top down):  Village trustees' seats in village hall; Randolph Mayer (photo by Neely Bower); Elizabeth Calderon (photo by Allaire Warner); and Robert Underhill (photo by Neely Bower).