To the Community:

Oct. 20, 2026: What Does Ballot Proposal 1 Actually Get Me? You might remember me from my run for Village Trustee this past March. I ran as an independent because I believe some decisions are bigger than politics. Proposal 1 on the November ballot asks residents to change how Bronxville elects its local government. We should understand what we're gaining and what we might be giving up.

Proposal 1 Deserves Analysis

Amazon has a Leadership Principle called “Bias for Action.” One of its ideas is distinguishing between one-way and two-way doors. Some decisions are easy to reverse. Others deserve more thought because reversing them can be difficult.

Moving our Village elections from March to November deserves that thought.

Bronxville is a special one square mile. People move here for the schools, walkability, character and sense of community. That didn't happen by accident. One thing I particularly value is that our local elections can focus on local issues. There's no Democratic or Republican way to pave Pondfield Road, maintain our parks or manage our finances. There's simply what's best for Bronxville.

The Friends of Bronxville Elections make an appealing case for change: higher turnout, greater convenience and early voting. Those are real benefits.

But what problem are we actually trying to solve?

Low Turnout?

If it's low turnout, is March the problem, or is it that so many elections are uncontested? In our 2024 school board election, with no contested seats, 366 ballots were cast. In 2025, with three contested seats, 1,119 ballots were cast. That doesn't prove competition explains everything, but it suggests voters respond when they have a meaningful choice.

Convenience?

If it's convenience, why not consider consolidating Village, school and fire district elections into one day focused on local issues? That would require changes in state law, but it's an alternative worth exploring.

Engagement?

And if it's engagement, does moving Village elections onto a November ballot filled with national, state and county races create more informed voters, or simply more votes?

More participation is good. But will additional voters know the Trustee candidates and their positions on Village issues, or simply follow their party line? Will independent candidates still compete primarily on local issues, or will party organizations and outside money become more influential? We shouldn't assume the answers either way.

Nonpartisanship?

There's also the question of nonpartisanship. In my previous letter, “What Does the Data Say About ‘Nonpartisan’?”, I examined the petition organizers and financial supporters of this effort. The apparent concentration of support within one political party raises a fair question about who's driving the change and why. That doesn't make their arguments wrong, but it deserves scrutiny.

Are we trying to increase turnout, make voting easier, encourage competitive elections or strengthen local engagement? Those are different goals, and they may require different solutions.

Changing something doesn't automatically make it better. Keeping it the same doesn't either.

What does this change actually get me?

I see the convenience and higher turnout. What I haven't seen is a convincing case that moving our elections to November will improve how we choose our local leaders or how Bronxville is governed. And I worry about what we might lose.

For me, the case hasn't been made. I'm flipping the ballot over and voting “No” on Proposal 1 on November 3rd.

Before we change something that's served Bronxville for generations, let's make sure we know what we're trying to fix.

Robert W. Deichert Jr.