By Carol P. Bartold     

Jan. 27, 2016:  Village trustee incumbents Anne W. Poorman and Guy Longobardo were nominated by the Bronxville Village Republican Committee to run for reelection to retain their seats on the five-member village board of trustees in the March 15 election. Also nominated to retain his position is Justice George Mayer, justice of the Bronxville Justice Court. 

According to Betsy Harding, chair of the Bronxville Democratic Party, the party did not nominate any candidates to run in the upcoming election.

The candidates were nominated at the party's January 22 caucus. "Caucuses aren't limited to Iowa," said René Atayan, chair of the Bronxville Republican Village Committee. "We were happy our committee braved a threatening 'snowmageddon' to convene Friday evening." Trustees are elected for two years, and judges, for four years. 

Poorman, prior to being appointed as a trustee to finish Mary Marvin's term when Marvin ran for mayor, served for five years on the Bronxville Zoning Board of Appeals. As a trustee, Poorman has acted as liaison to the Bronxville Police Department, Bronxville Department of Public Works, Bronxville Planning Board, and Bronxville Zoning Board of Appeals. She has been a village trustee for eleven years.

"I think the board is transitioning in the direction of more involvement in macro issues," Poorman said. "I'm proud of the way we are ramping up to re-examine planning and zoning regulations so that it's not too onerous to bring new businesses into the village." She added that achieving a good balance for the village between retail and service business is a "balancing act."

Poorman pointed out that village hall is moving toward the 21st century with its offerings of online services and plans to offer full online, as well as in-person, services to residents.

Longobardo, running for his third term as trustee, has worked on issues related to flood mitigation; he also has served as trustee liaison to the Bronxville Justice Court, Bronxville Building Department, and Bronxville Public Library.

Adding to Poorman's comments about village hall, Longobardo noted that the availability of online services to residents has made a difference in how people view village hall in terms of its ease of use. "People are working together to make the office more efficient," he said.

A significant part of the board of trustees' work over the last two years, Longobardo said, was to deal with the change in key personnel at village hall. "The trustees and the mayor did a significant amount of work finding the right village administrator and village treasurer." He credits Jim Palmer, village administrator, and Laurie Voss, village treasurer, as key factors in adding to the efficiency of services at village hall.

For the next two years, Longobardo said, the trustees' focus will be on maintaining and improving village infrastructure and spending residents' tax dollars wisely to provide the highest-quality services.

Justice Mayer did not respond to a request for comment. 

Atayan reminds voters that while Bronxville Justice Court justices are compensated for their work, the trustees and mayor are not. "These are time-intensive volunteer positions that come with both a great deal of responsibility and scrutiny," she said. "We appreciate their continued service to our village."

Pictured here (rotating):  Trustees Anne Poorman and Guy Longobardo; Justice George Mayer.  

Photos by N. Bower